Villager of Daming

Chapter 1315: Hot Summer Days, People Sweat a Lot (Another Chapter)
"Squeak~~Chirp chirp chirp..."

The Great Heat, June 17th, this year's dog days are thirty days, now is the sixth day of the first dog days, now is noon, the weather is hot, and the cicadas are chirping incessantly.

The wheat in the experimental field has been harvested and the corn has been planted, but it’s still early for harvest!
However, the ones grown individually in the greenhouse can already be cooked and eaten, including peanuts and edamame, which are perfect for drinking.

"Silly, why isn't it comfortable to have the air conditioner on at night? It's so chilly."

Zhu Yuanzhang came to Xiaqiu Village on a day other than a holiday or a solar term, and his ministers followed him. It was hot, so they came to have a meal and take some things home.

Foreign trade has been relatively good recently because the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea in Europe has been opened.

It is not called Suez now. This river existed in previous dynasties, but was later filled, then dug, and filled again.

To transport things over there, one has to travel overland. Now, most of the foreigners who come to the Ming Dynasty are Arabs, that is, the Arabs.

But during the Yuan Dynasty, they did fight their way to Europe by land.

Due to the need for transportation, Yi merchants and local tribal leaders, kings, etc. worked together to dig it up again, but the amount of work was not as large as in later generations.

There is no need to use aircraft carriers or cargo ships of hundreds of thousands of tons, as long as we can use sea trade ships, there will be no problem.

The people themselves did not even have an accurate count of how many slaves and foreigners had died, so Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had no idea either. He did not care, as long as none of his Ming people died.

Once the sea route is opened, travel will be convenient and there will be no worries about selling things!

In addition, with the booming industry, inland waterway transportation used a large number of steam-powered ships, ensuring smooth logistics.

Before the end of June, the semi-annual report estimated that the court's fiscal revenue in the first half of the year was more than 20 million strings of cash, and the palace's revenue was more than 16 million strings of cash.

If this trend continues, the total revenue this year will be over 70 million guan.

We are currently working hard to build granaries to store enough grain for nine years. The mechanized operations in the two lakes region are really powerful.

Corn seeds were also distributed to areas where winter wheat was grown, especially in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places, as well as some in Anhui and Jiangsu.

There is no such thing in the Northeast. Spring wheat is planted in the Northeast and has not been harvested yet! If conditions permit, rice is planted by broadcasting seedlings. Anyway, it is just one crop.

If corn is planted after spring wheat, you can only harvest silage, and frost will fall before the corn matures.

A large refrigerator for making ice cubes is now available, and a large air conditioner will follow. It was installed six days ago and will continue to be manufactured. It will be installed in other places, starting with one for Zhu Yuanzhang.

The noise is quite loud, but it doesn't matter. Just play it from far away. The house is big anyway, so you won't be able to hear the noise if you are far away.

Miniaturized ones have not been produced yet because the technical requirements are too high and it takes a lot of effort to make one, so it's not worth it.

It was the first time Zhu Yuanzhang used air conditioning. He felt cold and wanted to turn it on again, but he didn't want to adjust the temperature back and forth, so he used a fan with ice cubes.

"Quilt, silk, tussah silkworm, filling, um! Hehehehe..."

Zhu Wentian was grilling skewers there. It was most comfortable to eat grilled skewers and drink cold beer in hot weather.

The big barrel of beer was covered with crushed ice, and if it wasn't cool enough, ice was added to the cup.

When he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's question, he remembered the air conditioner. There was no air conditioner installed in Xiaqiao Village. To be precise, there was no air conditioner installed at home. The canteen had it installed, and fans were used at home. They would be built and installed in every household's building later.

There was no need to cover himself with an air-conditioning blanket in the cafeteria, so he forgot that he would feel cold without an air-conditioning blanket.

If you eat the live pupae of tussah silkworms in Northeast China first, you can no longer reel silk properly, and you can only roll the silk into balls and use it as filler.

There is a technology that can reel out silk after taking out the live pupae, but the equipment requirements are not met and the basic industry is too lacking.

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

"Silly, you have become a normal person. Don't always speak in a three-word maximum manner. And! Hehehe, you need to change."

Zhu Yuanzhang reminds you, why do you pretend every day? Are you addicted?
“Yeah! Hey…” Zhu Wentian nodded, almost unable to control himself, and quickly switched: “It’s better to put the refrigeration and ice-making equipment on the big ship!
Combined with the original method of distilling seawater by sunlight, the speed of producing fresh water is faster.

Add a small wind turbine and let it blow slowly, so there is no need to connect electricity to a fuel generator. Anyway, time is the least valuable at sea.

As mentioned before, some places have never seen ice in their lives, so they bring ice-making tools to sell ice.

Don't send the koalas back for now. They will starve to death without food. The leaves we bring back cannot solve the long-term problem. The koalas should wait until next year before bringing back eucalyptus seedlings, when they will be able to provide them with food.

We must control Dragon Blood Island and establish good relations with the locals. After all, they have a small population and little combat power.

That was a place that the Arabs had known for a long time, and the Egyptians also knew it, because the Pharaoh was in power among them.

However, due to the inconvenience of shipping, it is troublesome for them to travel back and forth. "

Zhu Wentian talked about the situation in Australia and Yemen's Socotra Island. The Ming navy was very brave. They dared to go there as long as they were given a rough sea chart.

According to the estimated time, the second team that went to America would be back soon. They went to get rubber, but the rubber trees they planted could not be tapped yet, so they could only get it from there.

The third and fourth groups set out one after another. They were responsible for finding islands on the sea, building bases there, and establishing good relations with the locals.

The fleet was the same as the first time, carrying doctors and medicine, which were good things to win people's hearts and fool the local natives.

"Are you ready to eat? Give us two skewers." Zhu Yuanzhang reached out for the lamb skewers.

Ling'er brought a tray with skewers of meat on it and brought it to the table: "Your Majesty, do you like garlic?"

"I don't want to eat it. My mouth tastes like garlic. Ling'er, what are you doing..." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ling'er's stomach very rudely.

His second daughter-in-law is pregnant, Ling'er said, but there is no movement from Ling'er herself.

Zhu Yuanzhang is still waiting for the birth of the master's child! Is there any...disease?

"Brother Hanhan said that I was destined to be a hard worker, so I should wait two more years to have a child. I should learn more knowledge now, there is no rush."

Ling'er pursed her lips and smiled. Brother Hanhan said that once a woman has children, she will start to be busy with other children, giving birth one after another and aging quickly.

I still have a few years to wait until I am 20 to have a child! That is when I am healthiest.

Now we just need to play and study, without having to care about other people's opinions. The village guard says it's a few years late, who dares to refute?

Zhu Yuanzhang did not shy away from the question, but supported it: "That's right, there is nothing to say about the second son's wife, she is skilled in archery and horse riding.

Other women should not give birth to children after getting married. Instead, they should practice more, such as doing splits, so that they can endure the pain of bone movement during childbirth and reduce the rate of difficult labor.

Don’t practice it if you are not married yet, otherwise your husband’s family may not believe you.”

He then went on to talk about exercise, saying that doing splits can reduce the rate of difficult labor for women, but it can also reduce the risk of missing something on the wedding night, such as blood.

"Yes! After we got married, we practiced and fought in wars...Alas!"

Ling'er agreed, wanted to say something but shook her head and turned around to deliver skewers to others.

She originally wanted to say that many men died in the war, whether they were single or married. Among the married people, there were widows. There were more women than men, so it was difficult for widows to get married.

If a woman does not remarry, the family income will be less, after all, men are the main labor force.

Therefore, polygamy is common among the people, but due to legal restrictions, a man can only have one wife, so the status of other women must be low.

She wanted to suggest whether everyone could be on an equal footing, but then she remembered what Brother Hanhan had said: the right to speak is in the hands of men, and how could men agree to that in order to control the family?

Forget it, I won’t worry about this aspect. I will work harder on researching technology and improving the productivity of the Ming Dynasty.

"Ling'er, do you want to sell the good perfume to the barbarians? We have a lot of ingredients, especially the ambergris we picked up on Dragon Blood Island.

In addition, according to the rules of ocean currents, many were found in Daqin and India, fortunately many of their locals did not recognize that thing.

People who live by the sea can’t look for something like a stone every day.”

Queen Ma, who came with them, changed the topic a little awkwardly, but no one cared.

The perfume she was talking about was the one that used ambergris as a fixative. Other things used as fixatives are already on sale and are expensive.

Because the barbarians over there have a very, very, very strong body odor, the soap sales were very good before.

The key point is that the people in those places, namely the Arabs and Indians, don’t know what ambergris is, and the records on their side are also incorrect.

It was not until Xiaqiu Village said it that people realized that the thing was a foreign object in the sperm whale's intestines, like a pearl.

But this has not been spread out, and cannot be told to others, otherwise they will kill whales in large numbers.

Ling'er shook her head vigorously: "Queen, we have to keep it. Ambergris can be preserved for a very long time. There is a large area over there, but the geographical location of Dragon Blood Island determines that there is not much of it." Ling'er did not agree to sell good things. She would not sell any perfumes that used ambergris as a fixative and kept them all for herself.

There is a whole room full of ambergris, and we can find it by following the map given by Brother Hanhan.

The locals didn't know that when the Ming navy went there, they took away gold pieces left and right, just like the golden river in the black people's place, where you could take any gold nuggets in the river.

"Don't sell it. Keep it and make incense." Zhu Wentian supported it and was not naive this time.

The locations he gave are Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Eritrea, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and other places.

That's how the ocean currents flow, and whales mainly live in Antarctica.

Who among the locals would have nothing better to do than to look for this thing at the beach? Aren't they trying to survive? They fish in the sea. Their boats are not good enough, so they mainly fish and just need to have something to eat.

Like Lushun and Shenzhen, a small fishing village, extremely poor, how many fishermen would consider looking for ambergris every day?
So a large amount of ambergris was salvaged by the Ming navy who went specifically to look for it. Not only ambergris was salvaged, but also a pile of wood and corals. They all looked the same, and they didn't know which one was ambergris. Anyway, they came back with someone to identify them.

People who have been there say that the fish there are big and that you can easily catch fish that are bigger than a human, and there are all kinds of them.

Fortunately, there is a picture album, so I know how to eat it and can compare. The pictures are printed very clearly, the experts are amazing!

"Okay, okay, I won't sell it. Our silly master said he won't sell it, so he won't sell it. Ling'er is so lucky!"

Queen Ma smiled and nodded. She could not imagine Hanhan as a mysterious master. He just looked like a junior.

She thought Ling'er was lucky to marry a powerful man. There was no need to say much about Wen. The entire Ming Dynasty was prosperous because of these masters, including the victories in battles.

Wu! Hanhan's strength and accuracy with flying sticks made all the masters in the palace, including the sword-carrying servants in the palace, admit that they could not beat him. He was not a heavyweight at all. He could fight desperately and was not afraid of death, but he would die anyway. He could not win.

Unless a group of people who are not afraid of death surround Hanhan and kill him, taking human lives to fill the void.

Oh, with a gun!
But will they be fooled? They give you the chance to surround and kill? It's not certain who will surround whom!

"Well! Good, fate! Hehehehe..." Ling'er smiled happily.

The officials over there are feeling the coolness of the air conditioners and are looking forward to more being manufactured so they can install them in their homes.

There is air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter.

You have to work hard to get bonuses. Salaries are fixed and it is difficult to increase them, but bonuses are not fixed.

Have you ever seen a reward of 1,000 guan for doing things well or coming up with a good idea that works? Yes!

"Uncle Hanhan, I have strung a hundred small meat skewers tied with wire. Please help me fry them. I want ten of them and we can share the rest."

Zhu Xiongying didn't say a word. He was threading the meat skewers with thin iron wire, the very small kind that was used as tying wire. He even pricked his left thumb until it bled.

He put on a hundred strings of silk, which took him two full hours. He was very serious about it and didn't ask for any help.

Zhu Wentian took the skewers, fried them in the oil pan next to him, and selected ten skewers for the little one.

He looked at the remaining ninety strings and said, "Everyone, tell us what merits you have made. If you can tell us well, you can get one string."

The ministers: "..."

"Silly! We all know that two peaches can kill three soldiers. How many do you want to kill?"

Liu Ji, Liu Bowen, who was wandering around all day, asked this question on behalf of his colleagues: Can't the Shangshu, Shilang and Langzhong of the six ministries be killed?
"Grandpa Liu, don't kill any of them!" The little guy said, "Give it up among you! Whoever gets it will write a piece of calligraphy for us. Your calligraphy is worth a thousand gold coins, but you have no time to write because of your busy official duties. I can wear a lot of clothes quickly, so I'll take advantage of it and get a piece of calligraphy to copy and learn from."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your Highness, I am willing to write this!"

Wei Su, who was in charge of compiling the canon, "jumped" out. He really jumped. He was in good health and mental state, all due to his recuperation.

"Thank you for your help, Master." The little guy looked delighted.

There is someone spreading paper next to it. This is indispensable. God knows when His Majesty will ask someone to write something.

Wei Su picked up the pen and wrote the word "慧".

When others saw this, they signed up enthusiastically and wrote that the emperor's grandson had said he wanted to copy it, which proved that he could read. If something really happened, this could be considered a red book and iron scroll, right?
Zhu Xiongying thanked them one by one and exchanged the strings. His little hands were wrapped in gauze and a bow was tied on his thumb.

The ministers wrote all kinds of words, such as stable, intelligent, independent, united, and virtuous...

When they wrote the 89th one, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said, "After you finish writing this one, let Hanhan write one. Hanhan's handwriting is beautiful. We have seen those manuscripts. They are treasures! That is not just a box of manuscripts, but the entire Ming Dynasty!"

When the 89th minister heard this, he thought of a new word. He had originally wanted to write "传", but when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he felt that writing a biography was like giving advice, so he wrote "皛".

Zhu Wentian wrote the last one without even thinking about it. He just wrote the word "Yong" in regular script on the paper with a brush.

He put down his pen and said, "Normally when teaching children calligraphy, they must write the word '永'. You don't dare to write it, so I'll write it! Hmm! Hehehehehe..."

"Uncle Hanhan, why don't they dare to write?" Zhu Xiongying didn't understand. He was still young and had never learned this.

"Because the character '永' is the most correct way to write regular script, you have learned the eight strokes of the character 永.

But whoever dares to write this will become your master, that is, Taisun Taishi or Taisun Taifu.

There was such a person in history. Cao Cao's descendants were usurped by the Sima family. During the Western Jin Dynasty..."

Zhu Wentian began to tell the little one history, talking about Sima Lun and then Sima Zang.

At that time, the Sima family was in turmoil, and Sima Zang was named the Crown Prince. Sima Lun said, "Let's be his teacher!" Because the Crown Prince had been deposed, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince was equivalent to the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

Later, Sima Lun also failed and was killed. Sima Zang was the first to fail.

Who would dare to write the word "eternal" for the crown prince Zhu Xiongying now? Is he going to depose the crown prince? Or is he planning to usurp the throne?

Zhu Wentian told the story like he was telling a story. The most amazing thing was that he drew cartoon characters on paper with a brush while he was telling the story. He drew so quickly!
By the time he finished his story, fourteen pages had already been turned.

This is why others dare not write the word "永". Everyone is afraid! Afraid of becoming the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

But is it okay to write regular script without writing the character "永"? This must be learned, and Zhu Xiongying had learned it before.

The eight strokes of the character "永" are: dot, horizontal, vertical, left-falling stroke, right-falling stroke, hook, and hook.

The rules of pen use are complicated. Once you have mastered the character "永", you will be able to write all the other characters.

"Oh! So that's how it is! Don't be afraid, everyone. We are different from them! Um! Hehehehehe..."

Zhu Xiongying seemed to understand and comforted the ministers. He used the word "串" to replace another word and looked how scared others were.

"The emperor's grandson is so eager to learn, but he needs a master. Since we are talking about the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, why not let Hanhan..."

Hu Weiyong, who had returned from the two lakes with a large amount of grain, proposed that Hanhan be made the prince's tutor.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him and said: "Silly won't do. Silly jumps out of the Three Realms and is not in the Five Elements."

He denied it, saying that a master should not hold any official position and should be free and easy all day long. If there is anything, just ask him or wait for him to arrange it.

A great man like Hanhan must be aloof from the world. Giving him an official position would be like putting him in shackles. How can this be tolerated?
But in fact, the eldest grandson is just teaching naively, look how smart he is.

Hu Weiyong lowered his head and dared not say a word. He was afraid that if he said more, he would be exiled to the northeast. Now the two lakes are considered a good place, including the Qiongzhou Prefecture that everyone feared before. There are fruits to eat in Qiongzhou Prefecture all year round.

Especially in Yazhou, where the world is at the end of the world, Luhuitou, you don't need to wear extra clothes in winter. As for the summer heat, it's hot everywhere in summer. Yingtianfu is also hot, more than 30 degrees above zero, sometimes over 40 degrees.

For example, right now, it’s 29 degrees Celsius, the beginning of the dog days of summer!

In the past, going to Qiongzhou was considered a form of exile, banishment, or exile. It was too far from the capital, the local transportation was poor, and there were many mosquitoes.

It is not like that nowadays. Now there are ships, and officials who need to be trained are sent there to help lay a solid foundation with the local people and grow the good things that the Ming Dynasty needs.

As long as the things are good enough, His Majesty will not forget you.

There are medicines for mosquitoes. We have brought several large ice-making equipment, including rabies vaccine, anti-snake venom serum, tetanus, everything.

We are currently working hard to grow betel nut. According to the prescriptions passed down from the Song Dynasty, betel nut is used as medicine.

Bringing the pumpkin back from such a far place, and using the pumpkin seeds, can actually easily kill the bugs in the stomach. That’s amazing!
This expert... Oh my! Will Hanhan bear a grudge against me?

Hu Weiyong thought so and glanced at Hanhan secretly.

In an instant, my clothes were soaked with sweat. Hanhan was looking at me and smiling. This smile...

(End of this chapter)