bayedsolid Chapter 330 Sweet Potato Price
Chapter 330 Sweet Potato Price
"Well, good, it's a good time to go back and take a look. Maybe mom has already woven some cloth!" Shen Wanning responded, and the two began to walk back.
When I got home, I saw the whole family gathered around the loom. Aunt Zhang's excited voice came from inside, "It's done, it's done! The cloth is really woven!"
Hearing Aunt Zhang's voice, Shen Wanning walked over quickly and squeezed in to take a look. There was already two fingers' width of cloth on the loom. She gave a thumbs up and praised, "Mom is really amazing. She really wove it into cloth."
"That's great. Our cotton thread won't be wasted." Aunt Zhang continued weaving without stopping her hands.
Lin Dashan rubbed his hands and looked at Shen Wanning. "Wanning, now that this loom has been proven to be able to weave cloth, can we report the loom and spinning wheel to the court?"
Shen Wanning smiled and said, "Of course, we will go to the county town tomorrow and talk to County Magistrate He about this matter."
Lin Dashan couldn't suppress the smile on his face, and he didn't know what official position the emperor would give him this time.
Xu then said, "Now that we have cotton and a loom, we don't have to buy cloth from shops anymore. We can weave it ourselves, right?"
"Yes, and clothes made of cotton are breathable, sweat-absorbent, soft and comfortable. When we weave more cloth in the future, we will use cotton to make clothes." Shen Wanning said happily.
Mrs. Wen held Lin Hai in her arms and stood aside, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Can I learn weaving in the future?"
"Of course, but currently only Xiao Jiang and Dad know how to make a loom. We have to wait for Dad and Xiao Jiang to make a few more." Shen Wanning said.
Lin Dashan scratched his head and said cheerfully, "That's no problem. There's not much work for us to do in the fields right now. From now on, I'll stay at home and specialize in making spinning wheels and looms."
"Thank you for your hard work, Dad! After the Emperor issues the decree, I estimate that more people will come to learn how to make looms. I will have to teach them when the time comes."
"Oh, these are just trivial matters, trivial matters!" Lin Dashan waved his hands and muttered softly, "I don't know what the emperor will reward me this time, or whether he will give me a promotion."
Aunt Zhang's hands became faster and faster, as if she was tireless, and she kept weaving. "Okay, okay, I've learned how to weave. You all can go back to your own business!"
Everyone dispersed, leaving only Wen, who held Lin Hai and watched Aunt Zhang weaving, secretly memorizing the weaving method in her heart.
After lunch, Lin Jingyou set off back to Baocheng County. Before leaving, Shen Wanning secretly stuffed a lot of snacks into his bag, filling it up.
On the second day, as previously stated, Shen Wanning followed Lin Jingcheng to the county town.
Lin Jingcheng sent her to the county government office and then returned to Mingyue Tower.
After meeting County Magistrate He and exchanging pleasantries, Shen Wanning went straight to the point and stated the purpose of her visit.
"Brother He, the sweet potatoes are ripe, and we've already started digging them up. I just don't know what the court's plans are regarding the sweet potatoes."
"Hey, sweet potatoes are ripe so early this year? I was thinking of finding a time to talk to you about sweet potatoes, but I didn't expect them to be ripe so early this year. I didn't even have time to tell you about it." County Magistrate He was a little surprised and explained.
"Last year, most of the vines in the village were picked from my house. They were planted late, so the sweet potatoes matured late as well. But from what Brother He said, the court had already made a decision?" Shen Wanning leaned forward slightly, showing great interest in what County Magistrate He said.
County Magistrate He smiled brightly, "Yes, long before you started planting sweet potatoes, the imperial court discussed how to deal with them. A few days ago, a decision was made: the imperial court will purchase the sweet potatoes at a price of twenty wen per catty."
"Twenty cents? This is more than the price of refined rice. The court is actually willing to spend so much money to purchase sweet potatoes?" This price really exceeded Shen Wanning's expectations.
"Your Majesty is a wise ruler. He naturally knows what a high yield of sweet potatoes means to Daxia. Moreover, this price can be considered a reward for your Daqing Village's sweet potato cultivation. When the sweet potatoes are harvested, your Daqing Village has made great contributions to the entire Daxia Dynasty. The Emperor will probably reward you with something then."
At this point, County Magistrate He's tone became noticeably more elevated. Daqing Village's achievements meant Qinghe County's achievements, and even more so, he, the County Magistrate, had made contributions.
"Brother He, you need to put up a notice as soon as possible so that everyone can know about this. Otherwise, I'm afraid some people will sell the sweet potatoes privately, or even some short-sighted people will just eat them all."
"Yes, I'll have the notice written shortly. This matter really needs to be done as soon as possible."
"By the way, Brother He, except for sweet potatoes, all the cotton in our village has been picked, but the cotton seeds have not been completely peeled out. Does the court have any plans regarding cotton?" Shen Wanning continued to ask.
"Regarding cotton, the court means that they will purchase cotton seeds at three taels of silver per catty. However, regarding the cultivation of cotton seedlings, I would like to trouble you to write a method and let me submit it." said County Magistrate He.
He remembered that last year, Shen Wanning's one-acre cotton field yielded about thirty kilograms of cotton seeds. This price was negotiated by various court officials. Cotton's significance, coupled with its current scarcity, meant the price was much higher. Otherwise, the people might not be willing to sell their cotton seeds to the court, which would be a real loss.
"Okay, I'll explain the purchase prices of sweet potatoes and cotton to everyone after I return to the village. The purchase prices for these two items are not low, and I'm sure they will be very happy. By the way, besides cotton and sweet potatoes, I came here today and there is something else I want to discuss with Brother He."
"Oh? Looking at Wan Ning's expression, what good news is this?" County Magistrate He sat upright and listened carefully to Shen Wan Ning's words.
"My nephew and my father built a spinning wheel and a loom at home. The spinning wheel can directly spin cotton into thread, which is much more convenient than twisting it by hand. In addition, the loom can weave cotton thread into cloth, which is several times faster than the card weaving method."
County Magistrate He was very interested in the spinning wheel and loom she mentioned. "Oh? There are actually these two things? After hearing what you said, I can't wait to go and see them."
"Brother He, don't worry. If you are interested, why not come with me and see it with your own eyes. One more thing, if these two things are reported to the court, do my parents and my nephew need to go to the capital with us?" When saying the last two sentences, Shen Wanning's tone was obviously very worried.