lcionline Chapter 225 Hell Mode, it's time to activate!
Chapter 225 Hell Mode, it's time to activate!
After all, sweet tea and sugarcane are the main raw materials for sugar production.
The sugar in Pingyao is entirely supplied from the south, which is why the price is higher.
There's no other way; terrain affects planting, transportation affects shipping, and bandits affect security.
Gao Mengli thought about it again and again and still felt that this world was too dangerous.
They immediately returned to the village entrance, and Gao Mengli took Lin Xi directly to the village chief.
When the village chief heard that the two wanted to harvest the sorghum stalks from the field, he immediately disagreed, saying, "The Lin couple, although these sorghum stalks are sweet, no one has ever used them to make sugar."
Add to that the firewood used for boiling sugar, and the hundreds of acres of sorghum stalks in the whole village—that's a huge amount of firewood to burn!
Speaking of firewood, the village chief recalled that autumn was approaching and every household needed to prepare for winter.
But now that the forest has an owner, he still needs to ask, "By the way, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, are the villagers allowed to gather firewood for the winter in this back mountain?"
"Gathering firewood?" Lin Xi didn't quite understand.
Gao Mengli, however, learned some of the reasons after hearing this.
Why do so many people suffer through the winter? It's because they lack firewood and clothing.
In general, the mountains are bought by wealthy landlords, and villagers are not allowed to collect firewood on their own.
Therefore, firewood was also a form of hard currency, and it could be carried to the county town to be sold for money.
Gao Mengli nodded immediately. "Village chief, you can let the villagers collect firewood as they please, but they cannot cut down any trees in the mountains."
Wangyue Village is surrounded by mountains. If the vegetation is severely damaged, a heavy rain could easily cause a landslide.
Faced with natural disasters, there is only one word: death.
Therefore, for her own safety, Gao Mengli had to explain herself clearly.
Upon hearing Gao Mengli's agreement, the village chief was immediately filled with gratitude. "Oh, Lin family, I thank you on behalf of the entire village!"
After saying that, the village chief brought up the sorghum stalks again, "However, Lin's family, you'd better not get your hands on these sweet stalks."
Thinking about making that soup, it definitely wouldn't be finished in one day, it might take five or six days, and how much firewood would that require?
Lin Xi stepped forward and pressed down on the village chief's trembling hand, which was aching with pain. "Village chief, don't worry. Have you forgotten that we have coal?"
The village chief immediately became even more worried, "Coal is useful, but you say it's toxic. It's only burned in brick kilns, so it doesn't cause any harm."
Gao Mengli paused upon hearing this.
That's right. It was to prevent villagers from burning coal without permission, in case they suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, so they were notified in advance.
After all, there are many people in the village, and some people will be curious and take two or three pieces back to burn for fun, especially the children, who are even more curious.
But judging from the village chief's talk about collecting firewood, it seems that no one in the village has ever burned coal without permission.
"Village chief, coal can be used for cooking, but the stove needs to be modified, and the doors and windows of the house should be opened for ventilation when using coal."
If it's for heating in winter, then a special stove needs to be built with an exhaust pipe; otherwise, burning coal in a closed room can poison a person to death while they sleep.
The village chief was still somewhat uncertain after hearing Gao Mengli's words, "Is it okay to burn it?"
Lin Xi nodded in response, "Village chief, you can burn it, but you need to ventilate it and install an exhaust pipe."
How could this village chief be so meticulous in taking the first and last steps? The key point is the precautions that follow, my dear village chief!
The village chief immediately got so excited he wanted to jump up and down three times, "You can burn it!!! Okay, I'll go arrange it for you!"
After saying that, he hurriedly grabbed the gong and was about to bang it on the door when he asked, "By the way, how much did you charge again?"
Gao Mengli chuckled softly, "It's 30 coins per mu, but if the villagers help us burn the sweet stalks and then peel them, we'll charge 50 coins!"
Upon hearing this, the village chief's eyes widened instantly. "What? They'll give us an extra 20 coins? That's great!"
As for why they set fire to the sweet stalks, the village chief didn't ask; they must have their reasons.
The village chief immediately struck the gong.
Upon hearing the village chief's call, everyone immediately called one person from each household to come and listen to what the village chief had to say, since they were all very busy at home!
After Gao Mengli and Lin Xijian finished making arrangements, they didn't linger. They still needed to go to the brick kiln to find someone.
Du Hao was sweating profusely as he pounded the mud in his hands when he looked up and saw Gao Mengli and Lin Xi approaching.
"Madam Lin, Mr. Lin, what brings you here?" He immediately stopped what he was doing and walked towards the two of them.
Gao Mengli glanced at the busy crowd at the brick kiln before replying to Du Hao, "Find five people, preferably strong ones, because we need to use rolling stones to press down the sweet potato stalks. Those who are weak won't do."
Thirty coins a day, one meal included!
Du Hao was overjoyed upon hearing this.
He quickly looked down at himself and was even happier to see that he was as strong as an ox with bulging muscles!
Of these five, he could be one of them!
He immediately nodded, "Alright, Madam Lin. I'll go pick a few strong brothers right away."
Other members of the Lotus Sect couldn't help but feel envious when they saw that Du Hao had a "high-paying" job.
Looking at myself again, I felt a little discouraged. I was like a rib that people would complain about because there wasn't enough meat on it.
All I could do was secretly resolve to work hard, earn more money, and then stuff it all into my mouth to make myself strong and healthy!
After all, opportunity favors the prepared.
Once all their conditions are perfect, all that's missing is the "east wind" from the Lin family, which will surely lift them up and send them soaring to new heights!
This decision wasn't made by one or two people, but by everyone.
This is tough on Zhu Mei and Yang Qing at the village canteen, because from today onwards, their need for meals will be doubled.
The village's vegetables and fruits sold even better, but they were so busy they didn't even have time to catch their breath!
Lin Xi and Gao Mengli picked out the right people and took them back. They immediately marked out an open space by the river and started building five large stoves.
Thick smoke began to billow from the village, with flames licking merrily at the sorghum stalks.
The villagers carried buckets and stood guard at the edge to prevent the flames from spreading to the fields.
Bundle after bundle of peeled sorghum stalks were delivered.
When Da Niu got out of school, he saw that there was work to be done at home!
Excitedly, he pulled out his little abacus and was about to step forward to help his father with the accounts.
Unexpectedly, his body suddenly became suspended in mid-air, unable to move forward even an inch.
Da Niu turned his head and looked at him, his face full of confusion. "Uncle, what are you doing?"
Jiang Bei said with a serious expression, "Da Niu, you should go read the book and finish the homework left by the teacher. You also need to practice your calligraphy by copying model texts."
Upon hearing this, Da Niu pursed his lips, his face full of shock. "Uncle, I'll just help for a little while. I'll come back to read and practice calligraphy as soon as I'm done!"
Jiang Bei remained unmoved. "Come with me now. You're already a few years behind others. If you don't work hard now, you'll regret it later!"
Ignoring Da Niu's struggles, he grabbed Da Niu by the back of his collar and dragged him back to the study.
"Uncle, uncle, I'm just going to help my parents with the accounts, just a little while!"
Jiang Bei walked forward without hesitation, saying, "Don't worry, your parents are so shrewd, they don't need a little accountant like you!"
After his struggles proved futile, Da Niu was ruthlessly dragged home by his uncle, thus beginning his hellish study mode!