After listening to this, Fu Zhiyu reached out and touched its leaves, with an indescribable look on his face.
He had known for a long time that his blood was different, and he had used it to do many things, including using it to improve the physical fitness of his family and friends. He had also earned some money as a backup, and had thought that he could live a comfortable life with this money without having to think too much, but plans could not keep up with changes, and he had not expected things to turn out like this.
In fact, he hasn't used the money from selling the medicine yet. The mansion first used the box of bounty given when he was conferred the title of King of Jiangnan. Moreover, not much has been used in the past few years, less than one-tenth of it.
Fu Zhiyu also looked at the accounts of his own mansion. There were very few places where money was spent. Mainly because his own farm provided a large part of the food. Other places where money was spent were also limited. He and his mother were not the kind of people who spent money lavishly.
But now the money earned from the pills has a use. It can be spent on his plans in Jiangnan, and it doesn't have to be piled up in the warehouse gathering dust.
Fu Zhiyu hadn't thought about his own blood for a long time. His pills were enough for his family to eat for a long time, so he didn't care about it for a long time. Moreover, the fact that the biggest use of this pill came from his own blood was kept secret by his mother and Mingdao, as if they had never heard of it and didn't leak it out at all.
Sometimes, he would forget his own uniqueness.
Only a small portion of them that were sold before are now being hyped up to sky-high prices in the market, but there is still no demand for them.
Zhiyu had used the blood for personal gain out of necessity for a living, but now as he looked at the melon, he suddenly had a new idea.
He asked the village head: "Have you ever transplanted it? Or have you ever grown other seedlings with the seeds from this one?"
"I have planted branches and dug out the seeds of the fruit and planted them outside. This melon has a strong growth ability," the village head said. "They all grew very well and the fruit they produced was sweet. They are all the same."
But they didn't think there was anything strange, because everyone in the village knew that these were Miao people who were moved here from the capital, and they thought that the variety from the noble families was better, so it was normal that it was different from those from ordinary families.
After hearing this, Fu Zhiyu kept it in mind. He already had some idea of the situation.
However, this matter is not as urgent as the plan that has been formulated. After all, Fu Zhiyu also needs time to verify it.
Besides, he was not so selfless. He didn't care about material things like money, so he would just give it. But when it came to his own blood, he couldn't help but be cautious.
Just looking at the pills that are sold at sky-high prices, you can tell how attractive this thing is to people. This is different from the blueprints, or in other words, this thing is much more attractive and threatening than the blueprints.
He must not let a fourth person know, nor let anyone else discover any clues. He does not want to challenge people's bad nature and dark side.
With this thought in mind, Fu Zhiyu returned home with a heavy heart. This was something that had both benefits and risks, and no one could tell what he was planning at this time.
A month later, the loom in the blueprint was built.
This speed surprised Qian Manguan a little. Although there were drawings, he had never seen some of the detailed parts on the drawings, so he needed to figure them out bit by bit. Besides, drawings are drawings and the actual objects are the actual objects. It was already very impressive that it could be made in one month.
In the meantime, Fu Zhiyu also communicated with the craftsmen many times and changed some ideas based on the craftsmen's experience. Finally, it turned out to be like this, which is already very good.
Qian Manguan looked at the loom and gently stroked it with his hand, just like he was looking at his close lover.
"Ask the weavers to give it a try," Fu Zhiyu said with some relief, "try out the efficiency. If it works, just do it this way."
"Okay, okay," Qian Manguan could hardly suppress the excitement on his face, "I'll ask them to try it right away!"
At the Lin family's side, some simple farm tool modifications are faster than this. Slightly larger and more labor-saving plows are also being made, and the progress is good. However, large items such as water wheels will require more time.
Moreover, water wheels also require supporting measures, such as digging ditches to divert water in order to facilitate irrigation. In short, it is a huge project that consumes a lot of time and energy.
Deng Qian's ship will take longer. Fu Zhiyu conservatively estimates that it will be very good if it can be completed within three to five years. But Deng Qian is not in a hurry. He is a big businessman and knows that although this will take a long time and will not be as immediate as the Qian family's, if it is really done, the profits it will bring will be immeasurable.
Moreover, he could also feel that what Fu Zhiyu said was true. He said that he wanted to build a canal, and soon after, news began to spread in the capital, and they started recruiting canal workers.
The Yuan family is the least anxious one. It seems as if Fu Zhiyu has not given anything, but Yuan Jiangwen keeps giving money to help him. But in fact, Yuan Jiangwen knows that he has definitely benefited a lot.
The Yuan family runs a bank, and no matter how big the other businesses are, they are actually closely related to him. This is the result of mutual influence. Even Yuan Lu is doing the same thing. Yuan Lu is now doing jade business, but jade has always been a luxury that ordinary people cannot afford. If Jiangnan becomes rich, his business will naturally be better.
"In fact, at this point, it doesn't matter how much money we have," Yuan Jiangwen said to Fu Zhiyu very seriously, "Now that I have earned enough money to last me three lifetimes, and Yuan Lu is also promising, I don't have anything else to ask for.
As a businessman, if I can really do something that is beneficial to the country, it will be meaningful. Zhiyu, I am very grateful to you. At least it is you who gave me the opportunity to participate in all this. "
Upon hearing this, Fu Zhiyu did not say much to thank him. Between close relatives, the feelings can always be understood with just a glance.
As soon as the news of the canal digging in the capital came out, the notice in Jiangnan followed closely. It was written by Fu Zhiyu himself, stating that the recruitment would not be forced and it was all voluntary. Wages would be settled every day. Five people would be divided into groups to dig the canal. There was a daily quota for work. Supervisors were not allowed to beat or scold them, but if they were lazy and deliberately delayed, they would not be hired after being discovered three times.
Fu Zhiyu knew that many of the laborers were illiterate, so he hired people in every city to shout at the top of their lungs in places where workers gathered. It was not easy to make money these days, and word of such a good job spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and within a few days the news spread everywhere.
The government paid part of the wages, Fu Zhiyu paid part, and among the four major families, the Deng family paid the most. Fu Zhiyu had also considered it and did not set the price too high, but it was one level higher than the laborers carrying heavy bags at the dock. Naturally, many people signed up to work on the river.
Because of his experience in his previous life, Fu Zhiyu planned to crack down on corruption this time and would never allow officials at all levels to withhold wages. Now, the governors of various cities in Jiangnan were followed by a group of soldiers led by Yuan Jiangxing, and Fu Zhiyu made it clear without any hesitation that they were just keeping an eye on them.
The officials also knew the meaning of Fu Zhiyu's "probation period" and did not want to really lose their jobs. No one dared to touch Fu Zhiyu's reverse scale at this time. Besides, Jiangnan was such a small area, and the people at the top were strict, so it was difficult for the people below to play tricks and hide the truth.
After the river engineers were recruited, the project of digging the river began.
The south of the Yangtze River has been very lively recently. Although spring has passed, the prosperous atmosphere shows no sign of abating.
As for the looms, since the prototype had already been made, it would not be difficult to produce them in batches. However, Qian Manguan was still a little hesitant about the factory, and he also told Fu Zhiyu about his other concern.
"Generally speaking, women are the ones who learn to weave. I used to run a textile factory, and I thought about expanding it. It is indeed very troublesome to collect cloth from each family. It takes a lot of time and effort, but I have no choice," Qian Manguan said. "Women who weave usually do so to supplement their family income and do not leave their homes. Asking them to work in the workshop like men is unacceptable to many people."
"Why can't they work like men?" Fu Zhiyu asked, "Do they really not want to, or is it the external factors of family that constrain their thinking?"
“… What do you mean?”
"On the one hand, you need to let them know that they can use better looms in your factory. In the time it takes to weave one piece of cloth, you can now weave two or even three pieces. This will make a lot more money. Who can resist money?" Fu Zhiyu explained to him patiently, "At the same time, people also need leaders. As long as you can find a small group of people who stand up first and use their actual changes to show others, even the most conservative people will be eager to make a move. The customs of the people in Jiangnan are more open than other places, so I have such expectations. Money is not so easy to make. There will always be some obstacles to what we do, but there are always ways to solve them."
Qian Manguan seemed to understand what was said, but he still started to make one.
Yuan Wanyun heard the news from somewhere. A few days later, during the festival of worshiping the Goddess of Weaver in Jiangnan, Yuan Wanyun, as the biological mother of the King of Jiangnan and a high-ranking concubine of the previous dynasty, specially attended the festival.
This festival was somewhat similar to the sacrifice that Fu Zhiyu had attended last time. It was open to the public, and there were many women on the scene. In addition to the silkworm breeders, there were also many weavers and embroiderers. It was as lively as the Qiqiao Festival.
Yuan Wanyun changed into the clothes of a peasant girl and, together with the ladies of several other families, fed the growing silkworms with mulberry leaves. She also mentioned a few things in a subtle way in front of everyone.
"Since ancient times, men have farmed and women have woven, they are all doing the same work, and they also sing in operas. Who says women are inferior to men?" She said in front of everyone, "I hope that women in Jiangnan will not be afraid to go out of the house and earn money with their own hands. There is nothing to be ashamed of. The Weaver Girl will also bless us."
Fu Zhiyu heard about this later. Yuan Wanyun patted him on the shoulder and said happily, "I spent most of my first half of my life in a daze. Only after I gave birth to you did I feel that the years before were not lived in vain. I didn't do this all to help you, I just felt that I should do this."
Qian Manguan also heard about this, and he took the opportunity to invite several people over.
The first people they recruited were a few widows and some girls whose parents had both died and who couldn't get married. No one cared about them and they were not afraid of gossip. Making money and living a good life were the most important things for them.
But after entering the Qian's textile factory and starting to work, I found that this place was better than I had imagined. Everything was prepared. The textile machines were Qian's, and the threads were also Qian's. All I had to do was bring my skills. Moreover, the textile machines were very easy to use, and the money given was calculated by piece, which was much higher than the usual money for cloth.
"The owner of the family said that when there are more people working in the future, if there are weavers who do a good job and work for a long time, the Qian family will pay for their sons to go to school and learn to read and write," the people in the workshop said. "This is what Prince Zhao ordered, and he will not fool you."
Going to school...
Although I didn't expect to pass the imperial examination, being able to recognize words was already a great achievement.
The women took the money back and also brought the news back.
Qian Manguan watched the weavers coming one by one with them. Even though some women were still cautious and came wearing veils for fear of being recognized by others, as time went on, fewer and fewer people covered their faces.
As Yuan Wanyun said, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Today, Qian Manguan specially brought a piece of cloth to show Fu Zhiyu.
"Today a weaver came with excellent craftsmanship. Please touch this piece of cloth," he said happily. "In the future, if the cotton and wool grown by the Lin family in the barbarian tribe can be transported here, the workshop can also make cotton clothes.
King Zhao, the days ahead will be better and better, and I am counting on you."
Fu Zhiyu glanced at him, and didn't comment on Qian Manguan's compliment. He just smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. There are still many things to do in the future. But I also appreciate your good words this time. I hope... it will really get better and better."