With the arrival of cabbage, sixty-five people finally did not need to continue training. They were called by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to go back to Yamen together. When on the road, Wang Juan asked people to go back quickly and prepare the big tank. The water tank was just fine. Prepare a stone that is two circles smaller than the mouth of the water tank, a millstone, and a lot of salt, not the thin and white one.
Li Xun didn't know what Wang Juan told him to do there. When the crowd came to the entrance of the Yamen, the crabs and shrimps sent by the old man arrived.
"It happens to be fried cabbage with shrimps, the staple food is cabbage stuffed dumplings, the soup is dried tofu and cabbage shredded soup, make a sweet and sour cabbage, steamed crab meat and cabbage buns, soak the jellyfish, make an old vinegar cabbage sting head, and you can do it A cold dish..."
Wang Juan muttered as she walked into the Yamen, she likes to eat cabbage the most. With all kinds of methods, as long as the supplements are sufficient, she can make dozens of them at once.
Zhang Xiaobao didn’t think so much, as long as there is sauerkraut, especially the sauerkraut stewed with pork belly, which is greasy and refreshing, otherwise it is eaten raw. He always eats cabbage as a fruit. Shi also held a cabbage core in his hand and gnawed it, crispy with sweetness, and a little bit of memory.
Li Xun looked greedy, Zhang Xiaobao ate too fragrant, watching Zhang Xiaobao eat a Chinese cabbage core, and did not throw away the remaining root, and asked: "You two have seen white cabbage? You can't eat this one. ."
"I haven’t seen it. Who said this root can’t be eaten? It can be made into pickles, just like the melon slices. I will tell you how to do it later. These methods are not important. Just think about it. The important thing is the big tank. You can keep this dish until summer, but the taste has changed, but it's better than uneaten."
Zhang Xiaobao is already preparing to take the cabbage seeds to the south to plant them. In addition to Chinese cabbage, there are also small cabbage. The soup is good and it can be eaten with sauce.
Li Xun paid attention to this matter, and it could be put in the summer, that is to say, ordinary people can eat food, even when it is not picking up, he decided to take a good look at how to do it.
When you enter the yamen, everything is ready. It's actually very simple. Brush the water tank clean, put the salt in the cabbage, put the yards in the tank, and press the grinding disc on it. Wait a few days. , Add a few more trees in, and change the water at about the same time, the sauerkraut is ready, it will become smelly if you don’t change the water.
Li Xun wrote down the entire steps and asked Wang Juan who had stopped commanding: "Is this over?"
"It's not over. After a few days, I see bubbles appear inside, the water is muddy..."
"I want to change the water, I know, why is it such a big deal? Others have done it a long time ago, and when it is done, it will be sour in the mouth."
Li Xun finally has something to do, and he proudly said to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan didn't expect that someone had already done this. Seeing Li Xun had said it, he stopped saying anything.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't say anything, at least there are many differences in the way of eating, such as sauerkraut hot pot. I won't tell him this yet.
After a busy period, crabs, shrimps, and newly brought cabbage made a table of dishes. The two families joined Li Xun and started eating there.
When the food was almost done, Zhang Xiaobao said to Li Xun, "Do you have any idlers? Lend me some for work."
"When do you want it? When you receive the rice, you can have some, Li Jia Zhuangzi's person." Li Xun replied.
"Then it's too late, it's time to pick cotton, it's Bai Diezi. After blooming, the flocculus that grows will be useful for people to pick it off, and it will be good for you at that time." Zhang Xiaobao gestured and said.
Li Xun remembered now. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan bought a lot of Bai Diezi in the capital, and planted them in a plot of Lao Shangshu’s nephew. There were so many eight thousand plants, originally ten thousand, but they died later. A little bit.
"Xiaobao, what are you going to do with that thing? I really can't ask the soldiers to pick it up. There are not many, less than nine thousand plants, eight thousand six hundred and seven hundred, and they will be finished in a while." Li Xun felt that the land was white. Few stacks.
"Forget it, I'll find someone to pick it myself. It will take two or three months to pick the cotton bolls. I don't know how much it can be harvested. Let's start by one acre to see how much it can produce." Zhang Xiaobao Suddenly I have my own consideration, thinking about the ten acres of cotton, it doesn't require too many people, three people per acre, let's pick it slowly.
After a meal, Li Xun returned to the yard he bought, while Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sat together to discuss.
"Xiaobao, did you buy less? There are more than 8,000 plants left to have how much cotton? Can there be 8,000 catties?" Wang Juan felt a little too little.
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head vigorously: "For Qianjin, let's plant 700 plants per mu, and plant 12 acres. If it is eight thousand Jin, one mu would be 700 Jin. Here is 640 grams per Jin. If one mu is replaced by us, it would have to yield 900 kilograms. The best cotton seed at the time was 1,600 kilograms per mu. A hundred years ago, it seemed to be three or four hundred kilograms. That was pretty good. You How many can we have here?"
"It doesn't seem to be much. At that time, we were thinking about how to grow the seeds. The seeds were improved countless times. With various auxiliary fertilizers and pesticides, we can have 50 kilograms per mu, right? Twelve mu, yes Six hundred kilograms."
Wang Juan suppressed the weight at once, while Zhang Xiaobao continued to shake his head: "I estimate that there are 40 kilograms per acre, and that is a success. Add up to 500 kilograms, and the composite side is 780. How many catties, just make do, see if it can reach eight hundred catties, enough to make some quilts."
Wang Juan sighed and suddenly thought of something, "I guess it can only be 750 kilograms, or even less. We have to remove the seeds, and even less if we remove the seeds."
"Yes, you have to get a seed removal tool and a tying machine. Tomorrow people will be looking at one acre for harvesting. It is estimated that two people a day will be able to harvest one acre. This is the reason for the lack of cotton balls. Now, we can’t just look at flowers, we want cotton, and we’ll make a tying machine in the evening."
Zhang Xiaobao also thought about this, and he became more and more unfounded in his heart. He occupied 12 acres of land. As a result, he got six to seven hundred catties of cotton. How much did it cost to compare with farming? No way, the cotton plants grow too high, and the spacing cannot be small. Later, the cultivated plants are dwarf plants, densely planted, branched, and grafted. A single cotton can reach seven grams.
Here is something to watch. Who would specifically think of cultivating that way, and can only cultivate it on their own. There should be people like this in Sinong Temple. Find a way to find it. If it doesn't work, just get some information.
The two people have discussed, and they come out to find someone to make a tying machine. This thing is simple. It is to find a way to let the cotton batting pass and the seeds remain. The most primitive kind, one large and one small, are two sticks. The gap between them depends on the size of the cotton seeds. Adjustment, a slight improvement is to step on it. Once stepped on here, the other side will be connected. Remove a few gears from the fan and adjust it.
"This is a great invention. Someone will remember our name in the future. It's called the Baojuan Flowering Machine. Oh, this must be engraved with the name of the craftsman, or the unique mark of the craftsman." Zhang Xiaobao stepped on it. After a few moments, he proudly said to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan nodded: "Xiaobao, you are a really good person, you know that part of the honor should be given to the craftsman."
"Of course, in case which one is used, it is broken, and the quality is not good at first sight, I have to find someone, and don't leave my mark, how can I know who made it?" Zhang Xiaobao was finally telling the truth.
"I took back what I said just now, it's a really good sentence." Wang Juan didn't care about the tying machine, and threw a sentence and turned to leave.
…
Early the next morning, Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and Li Xun took a dozen maids and twenty male servants from the inner courtyard and set off toward the cotton planting place.
Wandering until noon, the old man’s nephew was already waiting at the pier. When he saw the visitor, he arranged a meal first and ate in a hurry. Only then did the group arrived at the cotton field. Originally, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were still thinking about more than 8,000 plants. The left and right plants can occupy 12 acres when planted.
The result was eleven acres, but this acre is too small, right? The cotton plants are next to each other, and the sunshine is always blocked. Not all the cotton grows on the top, but also on the stubble below. Looking closer, it turns out that the cotton below is not very long at all. big.
"Cai, just pull it off, carry it by yourself first, and put more pockets in the sack." Zhang Xiaobao waved his hand, and more than 30 people rushed over. People who have never done this kind of work before. The hand-man, with one hand on the placket, and the other hand looking for the cotton plant, picking it when he sees it.
"Mr. Li, this year's output is a bit low. I can only give you five sets. One set is connected to pillows, mattresses, and quilts. It costs ten catties. No, it's more than eight catties. There are only five sets. Set, you go home to see who is pleasing to the eye and give it to whom."
Zhang Xiaobao estimated the output to a lower level. In the end, he could produce about 600 catties of cotton. If it was used only for quilts, it could make one hundred and thirty or forty sets. If it was made into a complete set, it would only be seventy or eighty sets. Others need to be reduced.
Li Xun didn't even know what Zhang Xiaobao said. He gave the quilt and the mattress, and the leather of the pillow. He nodded his head and took care of what he gave.
Wang Juan also looked sad beside him, "I have to make clothes, let's send three sets."
"That's okay, so, Mr. Li, I will give you three sets of just now, and then I will give you some other things." Zhang Xiaobao felt that it was the same. He had to make clothes and shoes, so he couldn't make all bedding. , Discuss with Li Xun again.
"It's okay." Li Xun didn't have much demand for this. To be precise, he didn't pay attention to what Zhang Xiaobao gave him, just a bedding. How bad could he cover it
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan heard Li Xun's answer, they breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned their gazes to the cotton pickers.
"Huh? Master." Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan stared at one person and said at the same time.