Wei and Jin Cooks

   Chapter 188

  The planting of winter wheat was gradually completed. The surrounding area of ​​the county was relatively small and there were many people, so it was completed first.

   So some of the people gradually became free.

   Chang Ning immediately arranged to hire many women and girls who were good at needlework to make quilt covers and winter clothes.

  The men sent them out to cut firewood, and used the method taught by Fu Tinghan to experiment with burning charcoal. Of course, not all firewood needs to be burnt, and most of them are stored in the form of firewood.

   Firewood heating, although smoky, is not worse than charcoal.

   There is so much work at the moment, you don’t need to burn all the charcoal, just reserve some.

  The most important work is building thatched cottages and preparing for the spring ploughing in the coming year.

   In addition, some more loyal and flexible people were selected and sent to all directions in the county.

   That was the workshop built by Zhao Hanzhang and the others.

   One of the most valued is the papermaking workshop. Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan went back to the county to check the progress.

   The soaked raw material has softened and can be pulled out, but it is not enough.

   Zhao Hanzhang asked the time and said, "We have to wait another 20 days to make more reaction pools, and soak some new materials every day, so that we can maintain material tests every day after starting production."

  The manager should do it, but he was very uneasy, because he had never made paper, and he never knew that paper was made from these messy things such as wheat straw, bark and weeds.

   Every time he looked down at the things in the reaction pool, he felt a little dazed, thinking that he was crazy to believe what the girl said.

   But the girl is full of confidence, and he... can only believe it.

   When Zhao Hanzhang was sent away, he immediately turned around and instructed the workers, "Dig up another reaction tank, and don't forget to soak the materials for today."

   Everyone should come down.

  The papermaking workshop is located in the south of the city, just downstream of the moat. There is a large area of ​​farmland and houses here, most of which are fertile fields for some residents in the city, and some official fields for the county government.

   This part of the official field belongs to the county magistrate's official field, and is used for growing vegetables and fruits for him.

  Because it is not very safe outside the city, Zhao Hanzhang temporarily put the papermaking workshop in the city and used this piece of land to build the workshop.

   Don’t look at the land for the county magistrate to grow melons and vegetables, but it’s actually not small, several acres.

   To buy some more land next to it, the owner of the house ran away and took back the county government office, so he freed up more than ten mu of land to build a paper workshop.

   Zhao Hanzhang was thinking about papermaking, so he let the horse go back slowly. After some time, the horse stopped.

   Zhao Hanzhang returned to his senses, raised his head to look forward, and saw that there were a lot of people in front of him, and the horse stopped when he was blocked.

   Qiu Wu, who was behind him, immediately asked the guards to step forward to chase him away. Zhao Hanzhang raised his hand to stop him, and stretched his neck curiously to see.

I saw the two officers of the yamen were surrounded by the middle, and everyone was holding clothes and fabrics. Because there were so many people around, even though she had stretched her neck, she still couldn't see the people inside, but she could hear them. sound.

   heard a girl say indignantly: "Use reed catkins and catkins to fill winter clothes and bedding, and dare to say that it is not a waste of life, Zhao girl will not do this, you must be waiting for your own pockets."

   "That's right, that's right, you must be the one who's been filling your pockets."

   Someone shouted: "I've waited so badly, but you guys are still greedy, this is just killing us!"

  The two officers surrounded by the middle were ashamed and angry, and shouted: "This is what was sent from above, where am I greedy?"

   "It's good to have it, and who said that these quilts and winter clothes are for you? You are just the ones we invited to make clothes and quilts. Are you paid for your wages?"

   Zhao Hanzhang heard the girl shout: "Even if it's not for us, you can't be greedy! Are soldiers not people, and refugees not people?"

   "Yes, yes."

Zhao Hanzhang saw that the officers surrounded by the middle were so angry that his nose was smoking, and the people around were also said that justice was soaring. it is good!"

  When everyone heard the voice, they looked back and saw Zhao Hanzhang riding on the horse, their eyes lit up immediately, and they respectfully stepped back two steps and hurriedly saluted, "Girl!"

   Some people turned their heads and shouted at the noisy crowd behind: "Lady Zhao is here!"

  The crowd separated, revealing the person in the middle.

   The girl in the middle saw Zhao Hanzhang, her eyes lit up, and she looked at Zhao Hanzhang excitedly.

   She took the clothes in her hand and stepped forward, Yingying bowed and said with a reddish face, "Girl!"

   Zhao Hanzhang looked at her up and down, and said with a smile, "It's a girl from the Fan family."

   She jumped off the horse and took a few steps to straighten her up, "Don't be too polite."

   She looked at the clothes she was holding.

Fan Ying immediately explained: "I heard that the county government wanted to make winter clothes and quilts for the garrison and the disaster-stricken refugees, and there was a shortage of manpower, so I also went to get a few pieces of cloth and came back to do it, but the county government sent cotton wool to fill it. Quilts and winter clothes, but I didn't expect them to be catkins and reeds."

"As soon as I asked, I found out that the people who received live in our street all received catkins and reeds. These catkins and reeds do not keep warm. I was angry, so I brought people to theory. As a result, the difference between the two The officials are guarding the gate of the county government and will not let us in."

   The two officers were also very aggrieved, and their eyes were slightly red: "Girl, this fabric and the stuffed catkins and reeds are all sent from above. I will just send it to them to make it, and then I will be ordered to take it back."

   "As for not allowing them to enter the county government office, it is because the Director Chang is meeting with the distinguished guests at this time. What should I do if they rush in like this and disturb the distinguished guests?"

   Zhao Hanzhang didn't ask who the distinguished guest was, but looked at the clothes in his hand carefully. Whether it was catkins or reeds, they were very light. Fan Ying filled them a lot, and they looked very thick, but they weren't really heavy.

She turned around and stood up two steps, so that everyone around her could see her, she first said to Fan Ying: "Miss Fan is right, these catkins and reeds are really not very warm, if the weather is too cold, wear such clothes It will freeze people to death, Miss Fan's question is good."

  The onlookers were filled with righteous indignation, thinking that someone in the county government had embezzled, and the officers on the side almost dripped blood.

   Zhao Hanzhang said: "But I know about it."

   She faced everyone with an apologetic face, gave a deep salute and said, "Filling reeds and catkins is what I meant."

   Everyone was stunned, and Fan Ying looked at her in disbelief.

"Everyone should also know that now the Xiongnu army is attacking Luoyang and Yuzhou in the south, and the place outside Xiping is very chaotic. Before, the chaotic army attacked the city in a hurry and chaos, and more than half of the materials in the city were lost. I asked a lot of people to go out. I buy cotton wool, but I only buy a little bit, not enough to make quilts and winter clothes.”

"Filling catkins and reeds is a last resort." She turned her head and glanced at the two officers, and sighed deeply, "This is Hanzhang's helpless move, but it is also Hanzhang's fault, and it is the same as that of the county yazhong. The officials have nothing to do, if you want to blame, blame me."

   (end of this chapter)