I really don't want to hang up

Chapter 158 Changing Grain to Cotton
Time flies like an arrow, this is the emotion that belongs only to the rich and the idle.

Poor people don't feel that way.

When I open my eyes every day, I have to be busy making a living, looking for a way out for myself and my family for the next meal.

Time doesn't treat everyone fairly.

Lupez is the poor of the poor.

He has no land, no house, no hoe.
In order to take his granddaughter to take refuge in the Kingdom of God, he sold everything he could sell.

Whenever recalling this experience, Lupez would knock on the bong twice, let out a long breath, and said with infinite emotion,

"Mr. Luden, what a nice man."

Relying on the provisional pricing power of 1 meter proposed by Mr. Luden, Lupez can assume the role of refuge for the two.

Meanwhile, Lupez got a decent job in the mines, decent.

Shenbang was sealed for two months, and Lupez worked in the mine for two months.

Because of his reticence and only knowing how to bury his head in his work, Lupez was even selected as one of the top ten employees of the month in a selection!
The bonus is a full 10 meters!

That's Lupez's wages for several days!

After Shenbang was unsealed, Lupez did not leave the mine, but still stayed in the mine to work.

This is more profitable than farming!

However, civilians like Lupez cannot spend the night in the mine because Shenbang has lifted the blockade.

After get off work, he needs to drag his exhausted body back outside the city with his co-workers, and rest in the 'low-rent housing' provided by Mr. Ludden.

In the early morning of the next day, there will be a special carriage to pull people to the mine.

It's also free.

Of course, this kind of carriage is different from the carriages of saints and nobles, without any decorative things.

It was just two horses, dragging a large platform with several planks erected around it.

Or convertible version!
Standing on the carriage, you must hold on to the boards, otherwise you may fall or fall.

No matter what happens in the carriage, the coachman will not stop until the destination.

After working for thirteen days in a row, Lupez can get a day off. He usually lies in a low-rent apartment, trying not to move as much as possible to dispel the exhaustion from work from his body.

Everything in the mine is good, but the work is too hard.

This kind of life lasted for another four months.

Lupez's life in the mine became more and more comfortable. During this time, he accepted a total of three apprentices.

The first apprentice, who only stayed in the mine for two days, couldn't stand the pain and left the mine.

According to the rules of the mine, after he runs away, he cannot join the mine within one month, and the next time he joins the job, the apprenticeship period will be doubled.

The apprentice thought it was ridiculous, how could he go back to this ghost place?
ridiculous!

Two months later, he came back.

When the skinny child returned to the mine, he pursed his lips and said nothing when he saw Lupez, his neck tucked into his shoulders, feeling ashamed and uncomfortable.

The pride of the young man wanted him to flee this place again.

But the cold reality told him that no matter where he went, it was a dead end.

Lupez didn't say anything, didn't laugh, didn't care, didn't say anything.

He just handed the pickaxe to the other party and continued with his work.

The apprentice remained at the mine.

That night, Lupez paid out of his own pocket and treated the other party to a buffet.

The young man is like a wolf that has been hungry for a long time, sweeping away all the food on the dinner plate.

Lupez ate slowly, mechanically chewing, swallowing, chewing.
He was silent as usual.

After eating the buffet, there was a collective carriage to take them back to the low-rent housing outside the city.

This is also the benefit provided by Mr. Luden to the miners.

On the carriage, the young man talked a lot, had his own experience, resentment against injustice, and full of complaints.
Lupez couldn't remember what the young man said. He grabbed the guardrail with one hand, his body swayed with the carriage, and fell asleep in the rhythmic shaking.

The second apprentice was a capable and clever man, quick in his hands and feet, and quick in his work.

Lupez doesn't have much memory of him.

On the sixth day in the mine, the clever man fell into the mine shaft and died.

Death made no waves.

As in the past, Lupez reported the time and place of the accident in accordance with the regulations, and after answering a few questions, he continued his work.

Because of the production accident, Lupez was disqualified from the Top Ten selection for the month.

The third apprentice was an unlucky guy.

Maybe he was too tired, and he hit his foot with an iron pick, and blood gushed out like a spring.

Lupez tried to do something, while telling the young man to call a doctor.

When the doctor arrived at the scene, the unlucky ghost's face was whiter than a woman's buttocks.

The doctor tied up his feet, and at the same time called for people to carry the unlucky guy away.

Before leaving, the doctor told the unlucky ghost on the stretcher that the apprenticeship fee during this period would be deducted as medical expenses.
Later, Lupez never heard from the other party.

Maybe it's dead.

There are so many things like this that people are used to it.

In a mine, anything can happen.

Mr. Luden's mine is already the brightest mine.

As long as you are alive in the mine, you will have a bright future.

Thinking of this, Lupez knocked the end of the bong, brought it to his mouth, and took another puff.

Lupez, who was sitting in the carriage, exhaled a puff of white smoke.

Tobacco, this thing has nothing to do with the poor, it is the plaything of the nobles.

When General Panger was fighting in the south, the enemies in the south volunteered to offer a large amount of tobacco in order to express their submission.

As the most important sponsor of the legion, the mine occupies a large share in the distribution of spoils.

As a result, the tobacco was sent to the mines and sold at a lower price.

It was a good thing to relieve fatigue, and Lupez bought some, occasionally rewarding himself with a couple of puffs.

Tobacco has brought some comfort to the hard-working people in the mine, and it has also added a ray of gray to their lives.

Lupez was now sitting in the rickety boxcar, ready to go back to the country to see.

Counting it, I haven't been back for more than half a year.

He had two small gold coins in his pocket, which were all Lupez's savings in the past six months!
In half a year, I saved 480 Misuo, this speed of making money, Lupez can't even dream of it!

If possible, Lupez would like to buy a piece of land of his own.

He had no intention of leaving the mine, and Lupez couldn't find a better job than the mine.

He is going to use the money to buy a piece of land, let other people's slaves help him farm, and the harvest will be [-]%
When the granddaughter gets married, Lupez can make a decent gift.

A big man sitting in the corner recognized Lupez and asked curiously,

"Old man, when did you start smoking?"

Lupez sneered twice, squinted his eyes, and didn't answer.

More people recognized Lupez. This old farmer was famous for his honesty and honesty.

Someone greeted him,
"Hey, where's your granddaughter?"

Talking about this, Lupez opened up the conversation box,

"She is studying, um, the school in Shenbangli is next to the mine, yes, it was built by Mr. Luden."

school?

This term is strange to many people.

The people in the carriage gathered together and asked in one voice,
"I heard that the school is free, is this true?"

"Those scholars, judges, are they really willing to teach children to read?"

"Are there any good jobs in the mine? I heard that the mine is full of gold!"

"."

There were so many questions that Lupez had to pick a few to answer.

As soon as he spoke, everyone fell silent, their eyes widened, unwilling to miss every word he said,

Lupez said patiently,

"The school is indeed free, and every time a class is taken, there will be a manual class"

The so-called manual class is to let children operate the spinning machine and make cotton thread.

This kind of thing is very simple to operate, and children will learn it as soon as they learn it.

I take two handicraft classes every day, and I can exchange two meals, the kind that keeps me full.

After Textile Machinery entered the school, there were more children in the school instantly!
For the rest of the journey, Lupez kept answering everyone's questions until the carriage arrived.

Stagecoach, that's what Mr. Loudon called this means of transport.

In the words of Mr. Luden:
'More convenient transportation and more population flow can generate more consumption, open up more markets, and provide cheaper labor.'

Perhaps, the last point is what Luden cares about.

In fact, with the public carriage, there are indeed more people working in Shenbang.

The price of apprentices in the mine has dropped a bit.

Lupez got off the carriage, moved his body, came to the office of the Temple of Slashing, and found a judge he was familiar with.

A small person like him always needs some friendship to survive in this land.

"You want to buy a field?"

After the pleasantries, the judge yawned and said casually,
"There are so many people buying fields now, are you going to grow cotton too?"

"cotton?"

Lupez felt very strange and asked puzzledly,

"Why cotton?"

He has been farming for most of his life and has done everything.

When growing grain, sometimes two crops are harvested a year, and a little further south can even be harvested three times a year.

cotton?

That can only be collected once a year, and the risk is too great.

Moreover, cotton cannot be eaten, and the output of cotton is not stable
Compared with grain, cotton has many disadvantages, but only one advantage:
Cotton is more expensive than grain.

"Yes, cotton."

For the sake of acquaintances, the judge said a few more words,
"The saints in the city brought a machine called a handloom. Have you ever seen that thing?"

Lupez shook his head and said honestly, "I haven't seen it."

Of course he had seen spinning machines.

However, the judge had just started talking, and Lupez didn't want to spoil the other party's interest.

The judge spent more than ten minutes describing the magic of the spinning machine until he said he was tired.

The judge picked up his water glass, cleared his throat,

"If you want to buy land, I can recommend a few good places to plant cotton, so you won't lose money!"

"I do want to buy land."

Lupez hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously,
"I only have one request."

The warm winter sun fell on Lupez's old face, and every wrinkle was like a valley, which was a gift left to him by the years.

Lupez stated his request,
"This land can only be used to grow food!"

(End of this chapter)