Chapter 107 I'm afraid I'm not going to rip off his skin
Nanwang County is located at the mouth of the river and is rich in sea salt. It took advantage of the terrain to build a series of salt ponds on the seaside, scraped the salty soil from the seaside, and used plant ash to absorb seawater.
After adsorption, rinse with clean water to dissolve the salt and form brine.
Finally, the brine is placed in a wide-mouth container specially used to refine salt, and the salt is heated to evaporate to form salt particles.
What Gu Yu and Ping Sha had to do was the last step, which was to put buckets of brine into containers, then turn on the bellows and keep an eye on the heat.
Pingsha has been working here for several days and is very good at everything. Gu Yu follows him and learns from him. He almost sets his hair and clothes on fire several times when he pulls the bellows.
Tiredness was secondary, but mainly the heat. She was no better than those men. She was so angry when frying salt that she took off her clothes and went bare-chested. Not only could she not take them off, she was also wearing a small coat underneath.
She was no longer described as dusty and sweaty.
Pingsha watched with fear. Prince Gu, who was raised in a wealthy family, was actually doing such a thing. If the eldest lady and Aunt Su knew about it, they would probably skin him.
Someone next to them recorded what they were doing, and each person would get three pennies for each layer of salt they fried.
Occasionally, Gu Yu would glance next door, where the broom star was having sex with a group of men, talking and laughing, it was so lively.
Gu Yu had to admit that although the broom star had a venomous mouth, he could speak his mind eloquently when things happened, otherwise he would not always be coaxed and favored by the emperor.
She also had to find an opportunity quickly.
As long as you get too close to the broom star, everything will be out of control.
When the bellows was turned on again, she pushed up her clothes and caught fire, prompting the salt workers around her to help her put it out.
The salt worker was in his forties or fifties, probably because his son was also that old, and he paid some attention to Gu Yu.
After putting it out, Gu Yu said with an annoyed look on his face: "Oh, I didn't expect that frying salt would be much more difficult than reading books by sages."
The salt worker was very honest and said: "You did a good job, you are worthy of being a scholar."
Gu Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Bai Wuyi is a scholar."
The salt worker hesitated for a moment and said: "People like us can't study if they want to. My eldest son has just turned eleven and passed the Tongsheng test last year. Unfortunately, the academic requirements of the academy are too high, so he can only give up halfway.
Now I'm working for someone in an inn and settling accounts."
Gu Yu was quite surprised. This man looked to be in his forties or fifties. He should have had grandchildren. Why was his eldest son only eleven years old? Gu Yu asked, "How old is this eldest brother?" Gu Yu asked, "How old is this eldest brother?"
Gu Yu originally wanted to say uncle, but she couldn't figure out his age, so to be on the safe side she said eldest brother.
The eldest brother scratched his head and said, "I am twenty-seven this year."
Gu Yu was really shocked. The elder brother might have guessed what she was thinking, so he said: "Working all year round will inevitably make you look older."
This looks too old.
Moreover, in terms of age, the eldest brother gave birth to a son at the age of 16. The trend of early marriage in Jiangnan far exceeds that in Kyoto.
Gu Yu chatted with him while blowing the bellows: "Brother, what's your surname?"
The eldest brother said: "My surname is Liu. If you think highly of me, please just call me Brother Liu."
Gu Yu said solemnly: "Brother Liu, I just said that it is a useless scholar, which is completely nonsense. Only studying can change your destiny. Your son is really incredible. He passed the Tongsheng test at the age of eleven. If he can continue to study
If you go down, you will have a bright future."
Brother Liu's smile remained unchanged, but there was a bitterness in his smile, and he said: "I also know this truth, but I have no money."
Gu Yu sighed: "It's a pity that we work so hard in the outer salt field and can only earn dozens of pennies a day. Those people in the inner salt field, well, let's not mention it."
Brother Liu hurriedly asked: "Didn't you say that the inner salt field is all slaves who signed a death contract? Does the little brother know something else?"
Gu Yudao: "Slaves who signed a death contract, the people in the inner salt field are just like us, they are all salt workers who do these things, but they are all related to the above, and the money they get every day is three times that of us.
"
Brother Liu hurriedly asked: "Three times? There are so many. What kind of top are you talking about?"
Gu Yu had a secretive expression on her face and said: "The top is the top, you can't say. But in addition to getting so much more money than us, they earn more extra money than their wages. Do you know why?"
Brother Liu quickly asked: "Why?"
Gu Yu let out a long sigh and said: "The salt we are frying now is all coarse salt. It is sent to the inner salt field, where they polish it carefully and then supply it to the top."
As soon as these words came out, Brother Liu understood.
The salt workers who work here do not come here for the tens of cash a day, but to steal.
When frying salt every day, grab a small amount from a pot, and in the end you can hide a handful of it.
Even if there are supervisors who will check their clothes when they leave work, there are policies from the top and countermeasures from the bottom, and there are endless ways to hide salt. They even stuff some cigarette leaves into the supervisors or supervisors and let them go.
Everyone understands this tacitly.
What Gu Yu said suddenly aroused Brother Liu's jealousy.
They worked very hard here, and the salt they boiled was sent to the inner salt field to be ground into fine salt, which made it easier for those people.
Don't worry about the scarcity but the inequality. Before Gu Yu said this, Brother Liu might have thought that this job was good, a little bit tiring, but he had wages and extra money.
Maybe after she said this, Brother Liu immediately felt the difference. Everyone is a salt worker, so why can you make a lot of money in the inner salt field, while we people in the outer salt field can only make a small profit.
Brother Liu was simple-minded, and once Gu Yu provoked him, he believed most of it.
Seeing his expression, Gu Yu threw another piece of firewood into the stove, adding more fire to his lips and said: "It would be great if we could also go to the inner salt field. If we make more money, I can save some and maybe continue to take the exam."
Scholar."
Brother Liu was very moved, but he was used to being an honest man. He didn't know what to do except be jealous. He immediately sighed heavily and said, "It's a pity that there is no one above us."
Gu Yudao: "Is it possible that we just accept our fate?"
Brother Liu said: "What can we do if we don't accept our fate?"
Gu Yu glanced at the steward who was smoking a pipe outside and said: "Since they hid the inner salt field, it means they don't want too many people to know about it. If we tell everyone about it, everyone will know it. Then follow
If the steward makes a fuss, maybe the steward will allow us to get a share of the glory of the inner salt field in order to suppress everyone's anger. Even if we don't get the benefit, we can still take the opportunity to get more wages."
Brother Liu had a hesitant expression on his honest face.
Gu Yu also knew his concerns. After all, if there was no trouble, it would be possible to fire them. Then the gains would outweigh the losses, which would be bad.
Gu Yu is not in a hurry. Once the seeds of jealousy are buried in his heart, he is not afraid that they will not take root and sprout.
At this time, there was a noise outside, and the steward informed everyone that it was time to eat.
Gu Yu stood up, patted Brother Liu on the shoulder, and said meaningfully: "It's better to study."
Brother Liu, who was squatting there, was a little stunned, and in his mind was the image of his son shaking his head and endorsing the letter.