Infrastructure masters in the red building

Just as Lai secretly followed the car out, Jia Fang poked his head out from the Grand View Garden and looked out.

One hundred thousand stones of rice took four days to transport all from Taoyuan Village and handed them over to the people from Beijing Palace.Unexpectedly, when it was loaded to the last few stones, something went wrong, which attracted Lai's attention.

Seeing Lai's sneaking away with the cart, Jia Fang was really worried.After all, this person doesn't seem like a fuel-efficient lamp. If she really chased him to the warehouse of Prince Jing's Mansion, Jia Fang would not be able to tell if he was justified.

Unexpectedly, someone quietly waved to Jia Fang at the other end of Rongning's back street.

"Treasurer Ren!" Jia Fang hurried over, and the two of them walked out along the long street together.

Shopkeeper Ren was obviously a project manager who came to oversee the work at the end of the project. When he saw Jia Fang, he said happily: "Master Jia, everything has been shipped. How about it? Do you want to go to my Baigong Workshop?" Have a drink or two? Our place is not full of craftsmen who make hammers and saws, but also masters who can make wine!"

Jia Fang coughed twice, raised his chin and nodded in the direction Lai left, and asked in a low voice, "Is there any problem?"

Shopkeeper Ren laughed immediately: "What's the problem? You underestimate us too."

Jia Fang thinks about it too: the twenty "little workers" that shopkeeper Ren helped him find are absolutely first-class in terms of the quality of the employees. Do not ask.

If they can't deal with a servant girl from the Rong Mansion, they will be ashamed of the golden signboard of "Baigongfang".

Sure enough, not long after, Jia Fang saw Mrs. Lai slowly leaning on the wall and moving towards Rongfu.She didn't seem to be in any pain, but her face was full of embarrassment. While walking carefully, she looked at the eyes of the people around her with a little shyness.

Shopkeeper Ren blocked Jia Fang's figure, and the two of them passed Lai's body just like that.Jia Fang poked his head out curiously, and saw that Madam Lai was walking all the way, leaving "footprints" with special colors.

Shopkeeper Ren couldn't help sniggering, and cursed in a low voice: "These little bastards."

Jia Fang didn't see what was going on, so he asked Shopkeeper Ren.Shopkeeper Ren explained in a low voice: "The nanny in the house stepped on a big lump of fresh cow dung as she was walking."

Jia Fang tried his best to hold back his laughter, knowing that this weapon was very effective, after Mammy Lai encountered it, she would never have the heart to track down those vehicles transporting grain.

He had also shipped out the last bag of old grain from Taoyuan Village, and even if Lai wanted to investigate, he still couldn't find any real evidence.

The only thing that can be regarded as evidence now is that there are still a lot of leaked millet and husks scattered on the ground in the courtyard of Daoxiang Village, but he can also explain that this is for "Daoxiang Village" and makes Daoxiang Village more suitable for the occasion specially arranged.

So Jia Fang was completely relieved, and smiled at Shopkeeper Ren: "Shopkeeper, it seems that I can indeed go to your workshop to taste the masterpiece of the brewer."

"But before that, I still have one thing that I want to ask the craftsmen to have a look at."

Jia Fang also brought a picture with him.

Shopkeeper Ren smiled mysteriously when he heard the words, and replied to Jia Fang: "My superiors have said that you don't need to worry about what happened before."

Jia Fang: ...?He felt guilty and wanted to make amends, but was he expected?

He stammered, "I... am not worrying about what happened before—"

The reason why Jia Fang took out this picture is actually to make up for Shuixian and his Baigongfang in a roundabout way. After all, the last time he wronged the other party so badly, the little prince Narcissus usually doesn’t seem like a person who loves to get angry. , Then his face turned pale.

But it's not easy to put it on the bright side, saying, last time I made you too angry, I will give you a gift to make it up, don't be angry.

As a result, people have long expected that they will have such a move.Jia Fang not only reflected painfully: Am I so easy to be seen through?

He and shopkeeper Ren went to Baigongfang and took a new drawing on the table.Coppersmiths, blacksmiths, porcelain makers, carpenters, bamboo stick makers... Anyway, Jia Fang didn't specifically name them, and everyone gathered to watch them.

But after looking around the blueprint for a long time, no one knew what this object was for.

So Jia Fang opened his mouth to explain to everyone: "This thing is called a water pump."

What he took out this time was a piston-type manual water pump.This kind of water pump was once very common in agricultural production areas in later generations. It can be used to take water out of the canal to irrigate a field with a higher terrain, and it can also be used to draw water from a well.

The principle of this thing is not complicated at all, it can be seen everywhere in modern society, such as jars containing hand sanitizer, the kind that will release hand sanitizer when you press it, the principle is actually the same as Jia Fang's water pump.It's just that the manual water pump also uses the principle of leverage and uses a longer handle to save users more effort and improve efficiency.

This time Jia Fang took out this thing, one end is for his Taoyuan village, if the villagers have such a tool, they can easily irrigate the higher paddy fields.There are some gentle slopes in Taoyuan Village, and the villagers have cultivated them into terraced fields.With this thing, irrigation should be easier.

The second is for the exiles in the north.The refugee camp in De'an County can use this tool for draft water on weekdays. In the future, after the drought, when returning to the north to rebuild their homes, they can also use this tool for irrigation and draft water.

Moreover, the manual water pump has a certain degree of technical difficulty. As long as the drawings are not leaked, it is not easy to imitate.This kind of manual machine is small in size and easy to carry and transport. It is suitable for agricultural production in most parts of the country and supports household use. The Baigong Workshop that can produce this thing will definitely make a lot of money.

As a result, Jia Fang explained the principle and usage of this thing, and all the craftsmen stared at Jia Fang in silence.

"Third Lord... I am from the north. This item of yours can help the elders in my hometown, and I will thank you on behalf of them." The blacksmith, who was five big and three thick, was unconsciously sad when he was halfway through the sentence, and stood up happily. , bowing to Jia Fang.

"Don't dare, dare not. Now that this thing is in great use, I have no right to hide it." Jia Fang said sincerely, "It's just a drawing, but I'm [-] to [-]% sure that this thing can be done." It works, it works. I also hope that everyone will work together, give full play to their subjective initiative...and use their ingenuity to make this thing as soon as possible."

These words directly spoke to the hearts of the craftsmen, who else would dare to say no?

Shopkeeper Ren was also inexplicably surprised. He is a "human being", so he naturally knows what kind of market this item will have in the whole country.

He looked at the blueprint in front of him, and listened carefully to Jia Fang's explanation of usage and principles. His eyes were already glued to the blueprint and he refused to move away.

Suddenly, shopkeeper Ren slapped him on the face with a crisp "slap"—he remembered that he had questioned Jia Fang before, and asked why "Is it worthwhile for us to invest money in Mr. Jia?"

Now it seems that Jia Fang is not only not exhausted, but also has a heart of compassion, which makes him, the big shopkeeper of Baigongfang, really ashamed.

Shopkeeper Ren's palm fell, and all eyes turned to him.Shopkeeper Ren had no choice but to complain: "Why are there mosquitoes so early?"

Jia Fang explained all the matters, and the craftsmen went to think about it.He left Baigongfang, and Ren shopkeeper sent him out all the way.

Jia Fang had already walked a long way, but found that Shopkeeper Ren had no intention of stopping.He looked back at the other party strangely: "Don't bother to let the shopkeeper send you away."

Shopkeeper Ren said with a smile: "There will be a good show in the capital soon, I think Mr. Jia definitely won't miss it."

A good show he didn't want to miss? ——Jia Fang thought, his eyes gradually lit up.

"Third Lord, please follow me." Shopkeeper Ren respectfully led the way ahead, leading him to a spacious east-west avenue in the city.

Jia Fang waited for a while, and sure enough, he heard a bustling noise in the distance, gradually approaching him.

"Is this... straddling a horse?" Jia Fang asked curiously.

"It's even better than parading a horse!" Shopkeeper Ren replied with a smile.

I saw a group of people coming from afar, and the one at the head was a young man with handsome features, who was riding a tall horse and leading a long convoy towards Jia Fang.He had the elegance of a Jiangnan scholar on his face, but also showed the air of an official from generation to generation. He walked all the way, looked left and right, and brought his own elegant demeanor to the extreme.

When Jia Fang recognized the person on the horse, he almost didn't laugh out loud: "I thought Ru Hai was the number one scholar, and he was parading the horse across the street!"

This young scholar who "be proud of the horseshoe disease in the spring breeze and see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day" is none other than Lin Ruhai, a good friend Jia Fang just made.

Behind Lin Ruhai, there are large carts driving one after another, in a continuous line.The cars seem to extend from the city to the outside of the city gate, and there are still cars outside the city waiting to come in.

He drove these cars, as if he was afraid that the world would not know, there was a big "grain" on both sides of the car.

"It seems that a big grain merchant from the south of the Yangtze River has entered Beijing."

"This is great, maybe the food price can drop a bit..."

"I see Xuan...you see that young man who takes the lead looks so precious, he really doesn't look like he can bring cheap grain into the city. I see that in these grain carts, there may be fragrant rice from Siam and rouge from Qinghe. Rice, the Japonica from the south of the Yangtze River."

"You don't even look at the price of rice in the capital, no matter what kind of rice it is, as long as it comes from outside, it is guaranteed to be cheaper than rice in the capital."

"This young man who takes the lead seems to be a charitable person, I hope he can think about it for us people - if the price of food keeps going like this, half of the people in the city will probably sell their houses, land, and sons and daughters! "

Pessimistic people are still pessimistic: "I see Xuan..."

Lin Ruhai swaggered through the market like this, fearing that the world would enter the city without knowing it, and Yu Qingxing went to the largest grain store in the capital.

In front of Yu Qingxing, shopkeeper Shao of the grain bank had already received the news, and was waiting at the gate of the grain bank to greet him.Lin Ruhai jumped off the horse, so shopkeeper Shao bowed his hands in salute.Shopkeeper Shao accepted the name card from Lin Ruhai, and hurriedly nodded and bowed to welcome him in.

The grain carts brought by Lin Ruhai came to the gate of Yu Qinghang mightily, but instead of delivering the grain to the inn at the back, they lined up neatly and stopped outside the gate of Yu Qinghang.

Naturally, some people were curious and asked, "Brother, where did this food come from?"

"Jiangnan, Gusu!" The young man driving the car spoke softly to Wu Nong, but his expression was quite proud - after all, it is a world-famous land of fish and rice.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Suzhou!"

"Dare to ask... How do you sell this food?"

The driver looked confused, shook his head, and said, "It must be more expensive than our place, right?"

The people in Beijing thought: Yes, after all, people have traveled such a long distance to enter Beijing. No matter what, the taxes and fees on the road have to be earned back, and it is normal to increase the price.

So, someone asked curiously: "Brother, how much does this grain sell for a bucket?"

The young man raised his chest and said proudly, "Eighty cents a fight."

Everyone: ... so cheap!

They tighten their belts and eat between 120 and 130 cash every day.

The guy obviously misunderstood the meaning of the people in the capital, and explained seriously: "Ours is the famous 'gold and silver rice', which is the best rice in the world. Ordinary rice is only [-] yuan in our place."

Immediately someone shouted loudly: "One hundred wen, I want this rice."

The people nearby immediately responded: "Yes, yes, one hundred Wen. I have money here."

It doesn't matter what kind of rice it is, as long as it is cheaper than those grain stores in Beijing.Everyone has already been crazy about the price of food, and now some people are really starting to dig through the copper coins in their pockets, planning to "crowdfund" to buy food.

"With so many of us, it's hard to believe that we can't afford this carload of food."

The driving guy shook his hand vigorously and refused loudly: "I can't make the decision."

But who cares about him?Everyone heard that there was cheap rice, and they all counted the money.

At this time, Yu Qingxing's clerk came out and said hello to the driver, saying that he wanted to drive all the drivers to the back alley, and send the grain to Yu Qinghang's warehouse for storage.

Someone got impatient and asked loudly, "How much does Yu Qingxing charge per bucket?"

When Yu Qingxing's clerk heard the question, he lazily replied, "140 essays."

"what?"

The people who stopped in front of the car were all dumbfounded.

The purchase price of 140 texts?Is this the boss of the grain bank crazy or their tinnitus?

"Let me just say, we are the gold and silver rice from the south of the Yangtze River. We are reluctant to eat it ourselves, so we send it to the capital..." The driving boy explained in a murmur.

The people next to them were about to cry—they had finally hoped for someone to send food to Beijing from other places, but it turned out that as others expected, what they brought in was rice at a price they couldn't afford.

Those who came out of the food store were not only strong and strong guys, but also a dozen guards with fierce faces, all with their sleeves rolled up, showing the tendons on their arms.Even if the people in Beijing were reluctant to part with it, they would not dare to do anything to the cart filled with the exorbitantly priced rice in front of them. They could only watch helplessly as the staff of the grain store drove the cart to the granary behind.

The guy driving the car seemed relieved at this moment, and said in a low voice, "This is gold and silver rice, so naturally it's more expensive..."

All the people in Beijing glared at him—this is a sarcastic remark.

The good hopes suddenly came to nothing, and now everyone's face is full of anxiety and pain.

Unexpectedly, the young man continued, "Ordinary rice actually has..."

The crowd froze for a moment or two, then surrounded him with a bang, and surrounded the young man so densely that nothing could get through.

The young man looked at the longing eyes of the crowd around him, smiled and said, "Our young master said that at the end of tomorrow, we will be at the Rouge Workshop in Datong Lane...can you pass this news on to other grain shops?" Does anybody know?"

The southern guy spoke with an accent, and couldn't roll his tongue like the people in Beijing.But his words sounded like an imperial decree to the ears of the people in the capital.

"Yes Yes Yes Yes--"

"Rouge Square, remember."

"Why does it sound like a place selling rouge and gouache?"

Just when someone asked this question without winking, he was immediately slapped heavily on the shoulder by the person next to him: "What are you thinking? Don't you just buy rouge and powder?"

Under the reminders of the eyes of everyone around him, this daredevil finally came to his senses, nodded his head and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, yes... Isn't it just buying rouge gouache? Red rouge, take a box for my wife, white gouache , the family, young and old, carry it back with two buckets."

"Yeah, that's it!"

"Everyone must remember to say that in the future."

"Yes, yes, everyone will only talk about buying rouge and gouache in the future, especially in front of the guys from the grain store..."

"Yes, since there are cheap rouge powders, please don't ask other rouge shops to listen to them, and go to receive the goods before us!"

So far, the people in Beijing have added another hobby, which is to buy "gouache" in Rouzhifang in Datong Lane.

"What arrived today is ordinary lead powder. The color is average, but it's cheap. It's about the same price as the official price."——This is ordinary rice, maybe a little stale, and the price is the same as the official price, seventy yuan a bucket.

"Hurry up, the shopkeeper of Yanzhifang said that the top-grade Jiangnan jasmine powder will arrive tonight, and it only costs 72 yuan a bucket... Big guy, hurry up and copy the guy..." This is the top-grade Jiangnan good rice. shop.

But the grain store in Beijing knew nothing about it. The only thing they noticed was that they reluctantly counted the copper coins in their pockets. There were fewer and fewer ordinary people buying high-priced grain in the grain store.

But the major grain stores in Beijing have no time to pay attention to this matter - all their attention is focused on a kind of miraculous grain "gold and silver rice" from the south of the Yangtze River.

Jia Fang performed "After the Great Grain Merchant from the South of the Yangtze River Brings Grain to Beijing" among Lin Ruhai, and went to congratulate Lin Ruhai:

"Brother Ruhai, after this incident, I am afraid that the world will think that the people in Jiangnan are outstanding, and the grain merchants in Jiangnan are also like Brother Ruhai, elegant and elegant, and their words are well-spoken."

Lin Ruhai smiled shyly: "Where is that, Zifang, don't laugh at me again... But I didn't expect to be able to persuade that 'Bai Gu Taste' to buy our 'Gold and Silver Rice' at a price of 140 liters." .”

The [-] stone "gold and silver rice" that Lin Ruhai brought to Yu Qingxing, where is the real "gold and silver rice", it is basically new rice mixed with half of the old grain, and when the two colors are mixed, when it arrives in Lin Ruhai's mouth, it is It has become a rare treasure in the world and the "gold and silver rice" of the god valley in the south of the Yangtze River.