Xinshun 1730

Chapter 921 The Old Ones Don't Go, The New Ones Don't Come (V)
In Zhang Pilu's view, it was the housekeeper of the gentry's family who said these rules, and then he met his foreman.

Said to be a foreman, and he was not very old, only in his early seventeen or eighteen years old.

He also speaks with a northern accent. Although the accent is a bit strange, Zhang Pilu can still understand it.

I learned how to tie a mosquito net at night, and got a good night's sleep every day.It was only dawn the next day, and I was called up to eat.

At the eating place, Zhang Pilu was relieved when he saw his wife.

His wife wore a new cotton dress and was cooking with some women.

After Zhang Pilu went to ask a few questions, he found out that his wife is now a kitchen worker, mainly responsible for boiling water and cooking some big pots of rice.

"It's a good job. I can't starve her."

After giving this an evaluation, Zhang Pilu had a full breakfast and was organized by the foreman to start the first day of plantation life.

burn waste.

felling.

Burn out the ashes, burn out the vegetation, and then plant things, build ditches, dig ridges, and plant saplings.

The foreman didn't do any work, he just told Zhang Pilu and others what to do, supervised them, and counted heads at night.

The first month was a large-scale igniting of forests everywhere.Firebreaks must be built before burning. It is said that a large area is contracted by the owner. In the future, the fertility of the land here will be gone, and new land will be burned in the unburned areas.

After more than a month like this, Zhang Pilu still doesn't know what to plant here.

The land after the burning was very fertile, and a fire burned most of the grass to death, leaving a thick layer of ash on the ground.

It doesn't look like growing crops, because they have to repair the ridges with hoes, and the width doesn't seem to be the posture for growing crops.

It wasn't until one day when Zhang Pilu was working there that a group of strange people came to the plantation and had a conversation in the plantation, and Zhang Pilu didn't know what kind of thing was planted here.It's just that I only know the name, but I don't know what it is.

That day he was digging the ridge of the field, slowly grinding the work, the daily ration, Zhang Pilu felt that if he did it for himself, he would be able to do more than three times the ration.

But since it is done for others, it will take three years to do it so fast, and it will take three years to do it slowly, as long as it is just stuck in the quantitative.

When working for the master's house, I got an evaluation of "really able to do it" because of things like pounding rice, and the work was done after pounding.

Like most of the people who work together, Zhang Pilu is shrewd in his heart even though he has not seen much of the world.I feel that if I do too much, I am afraid that the ration will have to increase tomorrow?
Just as he was dawdling, a few strangely dressed people were standing next to him, pointing at the land.When he came on the first day, he looked like a housekeeper, following these strangely dressed people.

The leading one also wears a helmet with a wooden core, and also wears an anti-mosquito neck curtain that Zhang Pilu and others jokingly call a "fart curtain" on the back of his neck.

He was carrying a canvas bag and wearing a pair of weird shoes.Zhang Pilu has known for years that these weird shoes are called rubber boots, which are said to be leech-proof and waterproof.

There are a few entourage-like figures next to them, holding some tools that look like they are catching birds and catching insects.A few more had guns on their backs.

There were also some horses led nearby, and on the horses' backs were rolled up a roll of felt blankets, and there were some weird rain-proof cloaks on them.

The man who looked like a butler handed over the cigarette very flatteringly, and the man in the weird clothes took it and said: "Since your boss trusts the Duke, if you want to do this business, I will give you a guarantee. The oil palm , it is true that it will take three to five years to bear fruit, but as long as it bears fruit, it can be harvested almost every year."

The butler-like humane said: "Actually, I have no idea. You are an adult of the Academy of Sciences. We will believe what you say. But if you have more than 2000 people, after three to five years, you will eat, drink, scatter and pay for a year. Forty to fifty thousand taels of silver. No one here has grown this thing before, and the Dutch have never heard of such a thing..."

The man dressed strangely said: "The Dutch have grown a lot of things. Have they ever planted tallow tree? As a member of the expedition team of the Academy of Sciences, I have traveled to many places in recent years, specifically looking for this kind of plant that can grow and make money. something."

"Four thousand and fifty thousand taels a year, are you afraid that you won't be able to make money back? It's impossible not to make money back. I've done research in Africa. This thing produces more oil per acre than beans, peanuts, flax, and rapeseed. And it bears a lot of fruit." Years, steady profit without loss.”

"Not only can it be eaten, but more importantly, it is used by some factories. Do you know that with the development of the Whale Sea, whalers, seals and walruses boiled a lot of oil, which led to the production of soap and candles. industry development."

"But hunting that thing is not enough. Soybean oil is too expensive, and rapeseed oil is not very good. This product has a large output, and it can be eaten and used as raw materials. No one loses money."

"If you want to talk about growing coffee, you have to look at the faces of Westerners. You don't know if you can sell it or not. You also have to compete with the group of plantations in the Caribbean; or grow sugar cane, you have to face competition from Westerners. , and those from Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan are also planted.”

"But no one grows these things now. Moreover, they can be sold domestically. This stuff must be profitable."

"You guys should do it well. I'm just pointing at this thing when I judge the doctor of the Academy of Sciences. Why don't I run around in Africa for so long? If there are any planting problems, I will solve them. I come to check every year."

The strangely dressed man knelt down and grabbed a handful of soil, squeezed it in his hand and said, "The land in Java is fat. You just plant it, and you won't need to use stupid methods when the oil is extracted. I took half a boat It’s not difficult to go back and have my seniors help me make a machine that burns coal to extract oil.”

"You know how much does it cost for a tanker of oil to hunt for whaling and seals in the Whale Sea? It's just an investment for three to five years. I just don't have any money. If I had money, I would do it myself."

"Let me tell you, you have to look at the situation in the future. Just look at the situation in the world. The steam engine will flourish. Once it flourishes, things like candles, lamp oil, and lubrication will follow suit. When these things flourish, There are more people working, and more soap and the like are sold.”

"If you can't see the situation clearly, just look in front of you and wait for Daxing to cook, then the cucumber dishes will be cold. Those who are dry first will eat the meat, and those who are dry afterward will just drink the soup."

"I've written a booklet on how to grow and plant this thing. The foremen are all from practical and agricultural studies. They can always read the characters and learn quickly. Just follow the method."

"In the past few years, I will be in Coconut City until the fruit bears fruit. If there is anything to do, I will come to me. For you, it is making money, and it is the same for me. It is related to my future and bonuses."

"Let me tell you, when the oil palms in Nanyang are planted, those gentry merchants who are engaged in vegetable oil must hate me to death. I have been squatting there for so long, and I am absolutely sure of this. Whether it is Yield, crushing, and transportation, all of which can make vegetable oil all over the coast cry."

With such confidence, the butler-looking person also heaved a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "It's not that I don't believe you, those from the Academy of Sciences all have real skills, and I have also learned practical knowledge, so I know the depth of it. This is not my question. Yes, the master asked me to ask. I guess I was not at ease. But it’s not easy to ask the Duke, it seems like he doesn’t believe in the Duke.”

"It's easy to say that the cost of 5 taels of silver per year is really high. I guess I'm also empty-handed. It's better to grow cotton and indigo, so I feel more at ease."

Only then did Zhang Pilu, who was milling at the side, know that the thing he was going to plant was called oil palm. He didn't know what it was, but it was for oil extraction.

He half-understands it, but when he understands it, he smacks his tongue secretly, thinking obediently, this year's capital of four or fifty thousand taels of silver.When I was at home, I didn't know if the combined family property of those few big masters was 5 to 5 taels?
That's not forty or fifty thousand yuan, but forty-five thousand taels... Thinking of this huge amount that he had never heard of before, Zhang Pilu was startled, thinking that this place is really different from his home.

But I don't know what this kind of thing that can squeeze oil looks like?Zhang Pilu thought to himself that I've seen rapeseed, sesame, and peanuts in the past few years, but this is really the first time I've heard of it.From what this means, it was transported from far away?

He didn't know where the so-called Africa was, and he was a little curious at first, but as the days became more and more busy, the curiosity in the beginning gradually dissipated.

Planting here is different from at home. I thought planting was a hassle, but I didn’t want to work on it for six or seven months before it was my turn to plant.

Either making holes, digging ditches, or ditches are completely different from the way of farming at home.Thousands of people were hired by the owner, and within a few months, a piece of burnt forest was turned into a good place full of roads and canals.

Every time he sees this, Zhang Pilu thinks, if he can have [-] or [-] acres of land, complete with water conservancy, fertile land, and grow food, will he still worry about it in his life?
Unfortunately, this land is not my own.If I do it myself, I am afraid that I will never be able to dig such a big canal, small canal, ditch, or field ridge in my life.

I don't know if the allocated land in the future can be used for water diversion from the main aqueduct?
Zhang Pilu thought it was a waste to irrigate the land without growing food.

Waiting for the canals to be basically completed and the field ridges to be basically completed, Zhang Pilu felt that he could finally rest.The seedlings have been cultivated over there, and it seems that it is really a kind of tree.

As for planting trees, it probably won't matter much if you plant them.Now that the canals have been repaired and the land is almost in order, I heard that it takes three to five years to harvest fruit.

Then I thought, three years of debt repayment period, in fact, all I have to do is to plant saplings?As long as this is done, can't you take a break?
However, soon, the facts proved that the master's family must not let them rest after spending money to hire them.

Braving the rainy day and taking advantage of the wetness, a hole was dug and the cultivated saplings were planted.

I thought I would be able to rest, but after planting the saplings, I had to plant some alfalfa in the open space between the saplings.

After the alfalfa has been planted, sheepfolds, stables, and warehouses will be built for the owner's family.

When these things are covered, the alfalfa will be harvested.

After the alfalfa is harvested, it must be dried again.

To be bundled after drying.

To be transported away after being bundled.

After finishing the alfalfa, I have to hoe the ground again.Then plant new ones.

In this way, day after day, month after month, it seems that there are endless things to do every day.

The ration to be done every day also gradually increased.

Every month, people die from this disease or that disease, or from mosquito bites, or snake bites.

Every year from October to the New Year period, a group of newcomers will come, and then repeat the process of coming and dying, and then new ones will come after they die.

Day after day, month after month.

Strange things keep appearing on the plantation,
such as.

In their work, there is an additional task of transporting coal to the steam engine room that draws water to the canal.

Or gradually, peddlers appeared around the plantation.Food, drink, taverns, tobacco, women.

I couldn't help but want to eat something good, so I went to the foreman to pay for some money first. What I gave was not silver, let alone copper coins, but a few banknotes, but it was really usable.

But in Zhang Pilu's eyes, these novelty things don't arouse them much excitement, they don't even have anything to do with them, and they don't make them less things to do.

Just gradually getting used to the existence of those new things.

It's like getting used to the sun always high above your head.

It seemed that no matter the planting methods, working methods, new machines, etc., they were all different from everything he was familiar with in the past.

But when I think about it carefully, I feel that for me, it seems to be the same as before, and there is not much difference.

(End of this chapter)