freenovelworld Chapter 309 Why not
Chapter 309 Why not
You know what, everyone trusted Magistrate Tan and respected people with knowledge, and on the day of the rating, there were not only farmers who carried cloth hoping to sell it at a high price, but also many gentry who came after hearing the news.
Lin Erniu and Zhuangzhuang rolled up their sleeves and got busy. He also said to Shen Xiaoye, "It would be great if Magistrate Tan is still here next year."
“Then it’s impossible for him to help us with this.
This year we offer a fair price, and next year they will definitely be willing to sell." Shen Xiaoye was quite tempted by the vast cotton fields here.
But after some calculations, she decided that it would be better to find a place to plant cotton in Linghe and Baohe counties. The reason was simple: her family was short of manpower, and the cotton fields needed to be moved to other places every few years.
Furthermore, it would be convenient for her to manage her own production and sales. Maybe in a dozen years, she would be able to join Kaizhong to transport cloth in exchange for salt permits.
Uncle Lin agreed: "We farmers are busy all year round, selling new grain and buying old grain, just to have enough food to eat all year round.
County Magistrate Tan understands us and is a good official."
Magistrate Tan had experience in organizing large gatherings, and he sent people to set up a stage in front of the Confucian Temple next to the county school.
There were helpers on both sides of the street giving directions, and yamen runners maintaining order. Shen Xiaoye only had to collect the cloth on the high platform with the people who were inspecting the cloth.
What she admired most was that County Magistrate Tan had organized a granary clerk under the high platform to sell the old grain from previous years to farmers who had just received cloth money, in order to make room for the autumn grain that was about to be stored.
They were also very thoughtful and prepared free sacks for us, so that we could earn money in the county and spend it in the county, so that we would not go hungry this winter.
The scene was very lively. Many weaving women in the county town also heard the news and came to sell cloth in exchange for grain, just to buy a few more buckets of grain.
Those who had been on the sidelines were also ready to make a move. After all, the old weavers and shopkeepers who were evaluating the grades on the stage were well-known in Suining for their good craftsmanship and fairness.
In just one day of evaluation, Shen Xiaoye received seven or eight thousand pieces of cloth.
After the grades were determined on the spot, the veterans in the convoy sorted and packed the items for removal.
The local gentry who were watching nearby found that Shen Xiaoye had not publicly announced the secret of weaving in winter, and they were very dissatisfied.
They sent a representative to find the county magistrate who was in charge of the battle. The magistrate said calmly, "Tell your people to sell her eight or ten pieces of cloth, and you will know."
Several representatives looked at each other, and felt that what Magistrate Tan said made sense. If you don't do business with them, why would they tell you?
They took action immediately and learned from Shen Xiaoye that they could lock in the moisture of the cotton thread by digging a cellar and weaving underneath it.
Many people wanted to dig cellars overnight, and some people actually did so. The head of Hexi Village led the villagers to dig all night.
It's because 70% of the 100 households in this village are from the same clan and they all listen to him.
The head of the village said that they must try to weave better cloth before the other small weaving workshops. From now on, the women in Hexi Village will not have to work in the fields as long as they can weave good cloth.
And when everyone learned that Miss Shen came to buy cloth in the first month of spring, they became very motivated.
The villagers didn't know that after hearing Shen Xiaoye's simple trick, the village head's sense of crisis increased.
During the day, I waited until Shen Xiaoye was having dinner, and then I specifically asked her, "It is said that there are now three weaving workshops with more than 50 weavers in our county, and there are also several other weaving workshops with 70 to 80 people, or 20 to 30 people.
Once they know this method, they will knit more than us in autumn and winter.
Little girl, there is no way I can't teach you, considering that I got to know your grandfather the first time we met."
“It’s simple, focus on big things.
First, we should choose a place to dig a large cellar, and let the villagers who are good at weaving use it. Gradually, it will form a habit, and Hexi Village can also become a weaving workshop. "Shen Xiaoye thought that Hexi Village could be tried. After all, the boats were small and easy to turn around, and from the brief contact, it could be seen that the people in this village were united.
The head of Hexi Village asked hesitantly, "What if it doesn't work?"
"Those who know how to weave can join other weaving and spinning industries, while others can focus on growing cotton. They will try intercropping and crop rotation every three years.
No matter how many weaving workshops there are, they must have thread spun from cotton wool to weave cloth.
At the same time, your village is close to the river, so you can make money by raising silkworms, fish and ducks." Shen Xiaoye listed a lot.
The head of Hexi Village is still thinking about the scene she described, so he urged the villagers to work harder. By dawn, they had dug out a cellar the size of three rooms.
Everyone was so happy that they urged the head of the village to ask Miss Shen to come and check it out.
However, when they found the county town shortly after their rest, they discovered that there were more people at the gate of the Confucian Temple looking for people to sell cloth and buy cheap food, and they were basically squeezing in front of Shen Xiaoye.
It was not until another day passed that Shen Xiaoye finished her work. After she exchanged the silver and money she brought, she took it all to the county government office.
Fortunately, 30,000 pieces of cloth were enough to sustain her for half a year.
County Magistrate Tan came to discuss the matter, hoping that she would buy more.
Shen Xiaoye spread his hands and said, "County Master, I have no money."
"The only thing left is the fare for going home." Ever since the Hejian Prefecture exchanged the tickets for several thousand taels of silver and copper coins, Old Escort Chang has been guarding the carriage every day without a good rest. He knows the daily flow best.
Magistrate Tan had his own plan, "I will advance the money for you, and after returning to Beijing, you can collect new grain for me.
As long as it’s before March next year, that’s fine.”
Shen Xiaoye and Old Escort Leader Chang exchanged a glance, and when his eyes showed a hint of rejection, Shen Xiaoye immediately said, "After arriving in Beijing, I still have no money.
There is no way to raise a lot of food for you."
Magistrate Tan understood: "Are you worried about the loss of too much?"
“Yes, and the capital city relies on grain transportation.
Without big profits, grain merchants are unwilling to come by land again." She had to do things within her means and not get involved in industries she was not familiar with.
Shen Xiaoye asked: "The autumn grain will be stored soon, why are you still buying grain?"
Magistrate Tan: "To prepare for next summer harvest, when grain prices are extremely high.
I am worried that the gentry will drive up the price of grain because the farmers sell their cloth at a higher price than them, and the farmers will then be deprived of some of their grain.
Building a charity warehouse can effectively stabilize grain prices.”
"If you are paying for this yourself, I think it would be best not to do so.
The so-called charity granary is just to encourage farmers and gentry to donate grain during the harvest. You might as well help the gentry sell cloth so that they can donate more. "Shen Xiaoye hesitated for a moment and finally said it.
She said: "Since the cloth merchants in the Northwest have opened a trade agreement to supply cloth to the border troops, the demand is extremely high. You might as well try to find some connections in this area.
I believe that once they arrive, Suning cloth will have no problem selling and will be able to create a new market for it.”
She was not talking nonsense. She had seen a lot of related records when she was learning cloth dyeing in her classmate's hometown.
Magistrate Tan pondered for a moment and said, "I will think about it again. Be careful on your way back."
"Okay." Shen Xiaoye was ready to set off tomorrow, and had already contacted the Hejian Prefecture Cart Shop to rent ten more vehicles from them to join the fleet to transport goods.
On the way back, the escort leader Chang Lao was puzzled: "You asked County Magistrate Tan to recruit cloth merchants from the northwest, why don't you sell it to them yourself?"