Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2615 East Guangdong Eight Silkworms
Zhao Hening walked up to him and asked, "Brother, how do you sell mulberry leaves?"

Guan Zongbao said: "Seven coins and a load of silver."

Zhao Hening clicked his tongue a little, "It's not cheap."

Guan Zongbao saw that she thought it was expensive, and said: "Sister, this is the market price. If you lack cash turnover in your hand, you can withdraw some mulberry leaves first, and then pay back the original payment after you make money after the harvest, but an additional [-]% will be charged. three interest."

Zhao Hening shook his head and said he would not buy it.It didn't take long for other farmers to negotiate with Guan Zongbao, and I'll buy every bit of you.The transaction is completed in the trading room. There is a public scale in the room, which is controlled by the scaler. After the buyer and the seller agree on the price, the scaler is handed over to the scaler. Conduct third-party confirmation.After the transaction is completed, the secretary will charge a small amount of commission, and the ratio varies from place to place.

After selling out the mulberry leaves, Guan Zongbao originally wanted to go to the Jiujiang Daxu to inquire about the divorce from the Australian officials, but the strange behavior of Zhao Hening and his party caught his attention.The ancient villages were usually extremely closed. Even though Jiujiang was located in a tunnel and had developed commerce and trade, most of the villagers never left the village where they had lived in a radius of twenty miles. In essence, it was a society of acquaintances. However, these people in front of them are unfamiliar faces. They only inquired about various news in Sang City, and had no intention of buying Sang.

Although they speak Cantonese official dialect, they are obviously not locals.

At this time, someone recognized Le Ziren. After all, he had been a police station in Jiujiang Daxu for two years. Only those locals who had been to the market had some impression of him.

"Mr. Le, why do you have time to go to the countryside today for inspection?"

"It turned out to be the sixth child. It is my duty to arrest robbers, patrol and maintain law and order. I have received the great favor of the Senate, so I dare not slack off." Le Ziren said, "Has there been any strangers in the village recently?"

The old six said: "Mr. Le, don't worry. If there are strangers coming in and out, the younger ones will be notified as soon as possible. These two are good friends with you, but are they relatives?" Le Ziren followed his words and said, "Yes, Distant relatives. My distant cousin and her husband are planning to open a shop in Daxu, so today I will take them around to see if there are any business opportunities.”

"Oh, it turns out they are relatives of Chief Le. No wonder they are handsome, they are really a pair of golden boys and girls." The sixth child flattered with a smile on his face.

The sixth child exchanged pleasantries with Le Ziren for a while, but after he left, Zhao Hening pinched Le Ziren on the back and asked, "Who is your cousin now? Who is my husband?"

Zhang Jiayu heard Zhao Hening's coquettish anger, but his face remained calm, but his chest was like a deer bumping wildly.

Le Ziren hurriedly begged for mercy, and said in a low voice, "Miss Zhao, I have been wronged. Chief Li specifically told me to adapt accordingly and not to reveal your identities. Country people have long mouths and can't cover things. If something goes wrong, the whole village will know within half a day. Am I not adapting to the situation?"

Zhao Hening rolled his eyes at Le Ziren, feeling a little flattered in his heart, but he still crossed his hands on his chest and said, "Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you."

Guan Zongbao saw all this. Although the conversation between Le Ziren and Zhao Hening was very quiet, the sixth child confirmed that this person was the policeman stationed in Daxu, no wonder he looked familiar.Well, the other two interviewees are probably officials from Guangzhou, and the leader is obviously this little girl who can make the police stationed respectful.People say that the Australians have many female officials under their command. When I saw them today, it was true.

Guan Zongbao walked up to Zhao Hening and asked, "Little sister, I see that you only inquire about the news and never bought some mulberry leaves, but you want to learn how to raise silkworms?"

Zhao Hening took advantage of the situation and replied: "Yes, my little girl heard that Jiujiang is the hometown of sericulture. Silkworms, silk, and silk are not comparable to other places. I just want to come here to ask for advice. After I have learned it, I can find a good husband's family in the future."

Guan Zongbao glanced at Le Ziren, and said: "This gentleman is very familiar. Someone called him Officer Le just now. I guess he is an official from Daxu. Since the girl is a relative of the officer, if you trust me, you might as well go to my house. My grandmother is fine." In sericulture, I will be able to answer questions for my sister."

Zhao Hening looked at Zhang Jiayu, as if asking for his opinion.Zhang Jiayu nodded slightly, this place is not far from the Great Ruins, before leaving, the chief gave Zhao Hening a pistol, and since he is with Le Ziren, there will not be too much danger.

"Grandma, I'm back!" Guan Zongbao put down his empty burden and shouted into the room: "Look who I brought here?"

Mrs. Huang had just fed the mulberry leaves, and when she heard the sound, she went out, only to see two men and a woman who came back with Guan Zongbao.The woman looked fifteen or sixteen years old. Although she was dressed simply, she looked very beautiful. I don't know who was lucky enough to have such a beauty. Next to her was a handsome young man who seemed to be a scholar. In sharp contrast, another A man with dark skin and a lean but powerful figure.

"This is it?" Mrs. Huang was a little puzzled, why did her son go home so soon after he said he was going to Daxu.

"Grandma, this is Chief Guanchale from Daxu. I met him in Sangshi. One of his relatives wanted to learn how to raise silkworms, so I brought them back."

"Ah, it's Chief Le, please sit down, please sit down..." Huang was a little at a loss, she had never dealt with officials in her life, so she hurriedly took out two small stools from the room, which were one of the few in her family. Much furniture.

Seeing that there were not enough stools, Le Ziren gave them up to Zhao Hening and Zhang Jiayu, moved a medium-sized stone and sat down.Huang was a little embarrassed, and said: "Sorry, sir, there are not many stools at home."

Guan Zongbao took out a few pottery bowls from the house, scooped cold water from the water tank and served them up, and brought some dried fruits on the small table outside the house, and said regretfully: "The house is simple and there is no tea. If you are thirsty, Just drink some cold water first."

Zhao Hening shook the marching water bottle he carried with him, and said, "Brother Guan, you're welcome, we brought water."

Le Ziren said: "Auntie, my cousin wants to learn Jiujiang's method of raising silkworms."

Huang said: "Little sister is a smart person at first glance. I will learn this skill in a short time."

Zhao Hening smiled and asked, "Auntie, where do you buy your silkworm eggs?"

"They are all local silkworms. My sister is really a pair of eyes. Whether the silkworms are good or not depends too much on the silkworm eggs." Huang boasted, "Silks in nearby places have their own advantages and disadvantages. The silk threads of slope and mountain silk are long, and the dragon The silk spun from Jiangsi thread is good, but the Longjiang silkworm eggs are all purchased from Jiujiang, so good silk thread can be reeled. This is not because of the difference in women's craftsmanship, but because of the difference in water color."

The so-called "different water color" refers to different silkworm eggs. Zhao Hening has considerable experience in this, but she pretended not to understand, and continued to ask: "Oh? Did you keep the silkworm eggs yourself?"

"Most of them are not kept. There are special seed producers in the local area who specialize in silkworm eggs, and all silkworm farmers buy them from the shops."

"Oh, why not save your own seeds?"

Seeing that she was asking common sense questions, Mrs. Huang thought she had never raised silkworms before, so she explained: "Little sister doesn't know something. The environment for raising silkworm flowers is different from that of raising silkworms. There are two types of seed retention. One is to raise silkworms. This is the main silkworm seed in one year; the second is to plant it in the next year for use in the next year. All silkworms are made at home, and relatives and friends know that they are well fed, so they will hear the news It is called "number paper". If it is two-made, three-four-five-six, it is all sold by the shop. The reason is that it is difficult to soak in water, and it is also difficult to buy seeds. It depends on whether the silkworm is affected or not. It can be used as a seed, but if it suffers from various diseases, it may not be good, so it is called a master of silkworms."

Zhao Hening knew the saying "eight silkworms in eastern Guangdong", eight silkworms could be raised in a year, and the output was far higher than that in the Jiangnan area.From March to September every year, that is, from Qingming to Frost's Descent, six silkworms can be raised, which is called Zhengzao.The seventh one raised in September and October is called Hanzao.Before Zhengzao, there was another factory dedicated to the production of silkworm eggs for Zhengzao's production, which was called silkworm egg production.According to Huang's words, the head silkworms are generally saved by themselves, and there is no professional production, which shows that the local sericulture division of labor is not complete, and the degree of marketization needs to be improved.

"How difficult is the method of soaking in water?" Zhao Hening asked.

Huang said: "A relative of my natal family was a seed producer, and I know a little bit about it. The female moth lays her eggs behind the silkworm paper, and puts the silkworm paper in the wooden frame for bathing seeds. The seed producer prepares more hot water for the Probe it with your hands, then pour hot water on it, and move it from side to side, just like taking a bath. After three or four times, hang it in a cool and ventilated place, and let it dry slowly. It's convenient, test again on the second day, the shrimp meat should be red, and the test method will be different every day, until the eighth day, all the silkworm larvae will be produced."

According to Zhao Hening's experience, what Huang said should be a high-temperature water bath method for screening silkworm eggs, while Jiangnan uses lime water to bathe the seeds.This type of manual method relies heavily on the experience of the operator, so only professional breeders can produce good seeds.Professional seed producers will look for better silkworm eggs, get rid of diseased silkworm cocoons, and intentionally leave good varieties on the market. If they keep their own silkworms and keep their own seeds, the quality of silkworms will easily vary, and unsatisfactory silkworm production will continue to affect The next generation of silkworms will form vicious reproduction.

"What's the difference between the two kinds of silkworms?" Zhao Hening asked again.

"The head breeds large silkworms, also known as big silkworms, which ripen once a year. Small silkworms ripen every month, also known as round-moon silkworms. The older ones should be kept in early summer for big ones, and the moon-like ones in July. After harvesting, it only needs to be hung between the half walls, or sealed with a dry bamboo tube, and it can be stored for a long time without bathing."

Zhao Hening nodded, this is the current silkworm seed combination in Guangzhou. "Eight silkworms in eastern Guangdong" does not refer to a single variety that matures eight times a year, but a model of combination of varieties that takes years as a unit. The "Yongjia Eight Silkworms" recorded in "Qi Min Yao Shu" are at least a combination of three types of silkworms: Ruanzhen silkworm, Hanzhen silkworm and Zhesi silkworm. In the Jiajing period, the combination of two to four silkworms was used locally It was not until the Wanli period that the new combination was fixed as Dazao and Lunyuezhong.

(End of this chapter)