Early the next morning, Gu Yuanbai woke up from his sleep and noticed that he was on fire.
He lay on the bed for a while to slow down, lazily touching himself, and after a quarter of an hour's rest, the fire finally went down.
"The body is not working, and you're thinking quite a lot." Gu Yuanbai muttered a sentence and pulled the rattles beside the bed.
After finishing his breakfast, Gu Yuanbai went to Xuanzheng Hall to deal with political affairs. A few moments later, the Minister of Public Works, along with the two ministers and Kong Yilin, came for an audience.
The three of them reported that the cotton was ripe.
Gu Yuanbai rejoiced, personally rushed to the cotton fields to see, the eye is like snow a cotton field, was called by Kong Yilin white cotton things, really and cotton in general!
Kong Yilin stepped forward and picked a palmful of cotton, sending it to Gu Yuanbai, "Your Majesty, you touch, this thing is exactly what I call white cotton, with silk floss, soft and lightweight."
Gu Yuanbai took it in his hands and rubbed it, his face was full of smiles and his face was radiant, "Good stuff! Wu Qing, can you count the acres?"
The Minister of Industry is also rosy-cheeked and happy, "I sent someone to calculate the acreage two days ago, and because of the careful care over the past six months, the acreage is 350 pounds!"
The catty of Daheng is smaller than the modern catty, three hundred and fifty pounds of production, according to the modern counting method is only about two hundred and fifty pounds. Gu Yuanbai had never planted cotton, but he was already satisfied with this number, very satisfied.
He did not mince words in praising the officials of the Ministry of Public Works, and even more so, he said that Kong Yilin's credit was the only one in heaven and on earth, and all the officials present were praised so much that they were so refreshed that even if they were hard to suppress their smiles, the corners of their mouths couldn't be suppressed.
A little later, His Majesty called the farmers who planted the cotton over and appreciated them, and after giving them the reward money, he immediately decreed, "Wu Qing, immediately send people to pick all the white cotton, and gather people to speed up the production of winter clothes for the warriors and disaster victims in the northern border, without the slightest delay!"
The Minister of Public Works immediately answered yes, and then said with concern, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid there aren't that many people among the cloth farms."
Gu Yuanbai pondered for a while and suddenly said, "What does Minister Kong think?"
"The clothes for the warriors and disaster victims do not need outstanding embroidery and meticulous stitching, but only need to be smooth, so that the cotton wool does not show," Kong Yilin said, "The people are now busy with agricultural work, the women at home know a hand in making clothes, so why not pay some money every day, so that the women of the people's homes to come to make winter clothes for the warriors and disaster victims of the northern border. Why don't you give some money for daily labor and let the women of the people's families come to make winter clothes for the warriors and disaster victims in the northern border?"
Gu Yuanbai asked again, "Then how should the daily wages be calculated?"
"If you take the number of garments as the basis," Kong Yilin is not in a hurry, "a good piece of clothing that is a share of the money, skilled hands naturally more, and slow hands do not spend money in vain. After they hand over the garments, they will have someone check the stitches and make sure that the cotton wool is not exposed and is brand new and flat, then they will be paid for their work."
Gu Yuanbai nodded gently, "Let's go by what Kong Qing said."
*
Now that it's October and the fall winds are starting to turn cold, it will take all the winter clothes to be loaded and shipped in early November if they are to be delivered to the north at the end of the year when winter is at its coldest.
It was a large number, 30,000 soldiers at least in the north regardless of their rank, plus a large number of victims. A set of adult cotton clothes took a pound of weight, and even if there was enough cotton, the time to make winter clothes was very tight.
Kong Yilin will cotton as a step into the body, he naturally will not be cotton seeds five ten grain offerings. Kong Yilin know white cotton this thing, only enough to show its value. His nature so that even if he is not sure whether he can be successful in the examination before the official, has used all the money to buy enough seeds can be planted a hundred acres of land.
And these planting success of the white cotton that cost Kong Yilin countless efforts, just in Taikang ten years in October, into the eyes of the people of the capital and the civil and military officials.
Early in the morning of this day, the farmers who had already made a habit of walking towards the gate of the governmental office in twos and threes, and when they arrived at the gate of the governmental office, the heads of the people had already surrounded several layers. The people waited for no more than a moment, and the official who usually reads the Dahengguo Newspaper to them in the government office came out on time.
But before reading the newspaper, the official cleared his throat and said loudly, "Our court is going to make winter clothes for the soldiers and disaster victims in the north, and the cloth factory in the capital is understaffed, so if anyone's female family members have the desire to earn some wages, they can come to the government office to take their names, and then go to the cloth factory together tomorrow to make clothes."
When these words came out, the people roared, and from time to time someone asked, "Is the court paying for this?" "How will the wages be calculated?" "If my mother-in-law goes, will she be able to do it on her own?"
"My lord, my mother-in-law's handiwork is good, but my daughter's is not; do you need clothes with flowers and birds?"
The official explained one by one, and finally said, "You don't have to worry, all the women who go in and out of the cloth farm are our palace officials, they will be responsible for the meals and safety of the women in your family, and there are also our officials and soldiers guarding the outside, and they will surely return to their homes every day before the sun goes down. This piece of work, everyone can rest assured."
After that, the official explained a good deal more.
Xu Laohan stood in the middle of it, and he listened carefully, and after hearing it, he kept thinking about it on the way home. Thinking about it, he felt that this was a way for His Majesty and the court to help them through the winter, and only then gave them a job where they could earn money in their spare time.
Xu Laohan returned home will be this matter with the family said, the family women heard, are on the face of a happy, "on our craft, can also go to earn the court's wages?"
Old man Xu said with a straight face: "Then you must practice hard, we don't want to be fast, we don't want to have more money, we just want to be stable. This is the clothes for the soldiers, maybe the clothes you make can be worn by the generals of Daheng! 这事可不能着急，知足常乐，贪财得贫，你们得比在家里时更认真，要是你们一个个都为了工钱，那还不如不去。”
Xu Laohan's mother-in-law snapped, "Don't we know about this? Clothes for soldiers should of course be taken seriously! It's just you, going out every day to listen to the Daheng Guo Newspaper, and lo and behold, now you speak with the flavor of a scholar."
Xu old man hemmed and hawed, quite a bit of self-satisfaction: "Not the same! Different!"
The mother-in-law glared at him for a few moments, but also could not help but smile, and daughter-in-law said: "Do not say, he listened to others read the newspaper to hear more, know more things. Sometimes when he talks to me, he makes me stare, just like a scholar."
The family at the dinner table all laughed, and the eldest son pondered this matter and discussed it with a few of his brothers, saying, "Mother, why don't you not go, and just let Yun Niang and the others go."
"Yes," said the eldest daughter-in-law, "Mother, you can rest well at home, and we, the sisters-in-law, will certainly do a good job of it!"
A few women's faces wore a mixture of joy and nervousness; they had never earned a wage on their own, and in the absence of the men, they were a little apprehensive and uneasy, but more than that, they were eager to give it a try.
Xu's eyes immediately widened, and without thinking, she refused, "No, no, I must go. You all don't have to stop me, I'm the best at needlework in the family, and if I go, a few of my daughters-in-law will also have a backbone."
Several of his sons nodded their heads in agreement after a long time of persuasion without being persuaded.
Early in the morning of the second day, Xu took her daughters-in-law out of the door, they were apprehensive, but on the road to see, every family has come out of the people, without exception are women. All of you look at me, I look at you, the heart is settled, three or two together to the government.
After taking down the names and husbands, the people talked in low voices, and it was not long before people came from the palace, and politely and gently brought them to the middle of the cloth house to be busy.
After the day dawned, numerous men went to listen to the Daheng State Newspaper, but also talking about this matter. The mother-in-law of the family are gone, say not worried is false, Xu old man himself after listening to the Great Heng Guo Newspaper at home waiting, a few sons can not sit, wait until the evening sky are dark, the family began to be anxious, Xu's with daughter-in-law red light, smile to see the teeth of the eyes stride towards the home.
Xu Laohan and his sons breathed a sigh of relief, "What good thing has come out of this, getting paid for your work today?"
Xu and her daughters-in-law took their seats and smiled, "Where can it be so fast? To rush out this set of winter clothes is to do nothing all day long, and a fast hand would need two or three days."
Old Man Xu wondered, "So what are you guys?"
"We're happy," Xu let her daughter-in-law take things out, "the court prepared lunch for us, the rice smells good, I guarantee you'll be full, not only is it good rice, there are several kinds of dishes. You wouldn't believe it, but we had meat for lunch this morning, and the flavor hasn't even dissipated yet!"
Daughter-in-law carefully the oil paper wrapped pastries out, Xu: "Look, this is to take care of our female officer to give me pastries, the female officer said, this is because I do fast and good to reward down. This pastry is the pastry that the Emperor eats in the palace, and it's not cheap!"
Xu old man was shocked, jumped up and said: "the holy emperor eat pastry you are still counting will not be cheap! Where can I eat this, quickly offer it up!"
Xu Clan snatched the pastries and gave Xu Lao Han a blank look, "The female officer in the cloth bank said that the pastries are to be taken home to be kept for eating, and you supply up these pastries for nothing, and to supply you with your share to go, and we still have to eat it!"
Old Man Xu was dumbfounded.
The family's youngest child ran over, saw the pastries in his grandmother's hands and pounced, grabbed them and stuffed them into his mouth, swallowed them in one gulp and swallowed them down, then his eyes lit up, "Milk, it's so delicious!"
The youngest child wanted to grab it again, but was grabbed by the elders of the family, who were so angry that their faces turned red, "Eat slowly, eat carefully! You taste it, how can you eat like that?"
The youngest child was clueless, and the elders sighed and followed suit, carefully lifting their hands and pinching a piece of pastry and putting it in their mouths.
Sweet and fragrant, the original palace head of the pastry is this flavor ah.
Xu Laohan tasted and tasted, tasted and tasted, and when the last bit of flavor was gone, he stopped smacking his lips. Let him eat again, he did not want to eat. The elders of the family let the pastries go to the youngest child, who was made nervous by the look and followed the elders' example, cherishing them with a flourish.
That night, Old Man Xu and Xu lay in bed, mulling over the flavor of the day.
"I didn't think there would be a day when I could meet a courtesan."
"I didn't expect to be able to eat pastries from the palace."
"Those soldiers are cold in winter and have no clothes to wear, so I have to be quick so they don't freeze."
"It is necessary to be quick, but don't be in a hurry," said Old Man Xu, "when the court pays the wages, ah, you do the honors, and each one of you will have a new garment."
Late at night, the snoring was picking up. The capital city fell into peace, and the bright moon hung in the sky.