The moon falling to the ground

Chapter 130 Qingshan Sugarcane Workshop

Village chief Ge and his two sons led Doctor Mao and Jian Yue to deliver food to the lonely elderly.

Those elderly people had lost their children and lived in misery, relying on the help from the village to survive. Jian Yue and his apprentice brought rice and flour to their homes, and the elderly were so moved that they knelt down and kowtowed.

Jian Yue quickly held them back and stopped them from kowtowing.

The old people expressed their gratitude profusely and kept calling Master Jian Yue and his disciple living Bodhisattvas.

After delivering the food, Jian Yue and her companions went back to have breakfast. After breakfast, she planned to go and see other mountains.

Doctor Mao went to other villages to provide free medical services. Led by Village Chief Ge, Jian Yue, Fu Yun and Fu Wu went to inspect the surrounding mountains.

Fu Yun took Jian Yue on horseback, and Fu Wu rode another horse. The three of them were very fast. They just checked the soil on the mountain to see what was suitable for planting.

The three of them ran around outside all day and came back after dark. Jian Yue was exhausted.

Doctor Mao briefly explained the free clinic situation. There are more than a dozen villages living close to the mountains, and the villagers are very poor.

Jian Yue told Doctor Mao about her plan. The scope of the free clinic would be locked in the villages near the mountain. When the mountain was bought and people were hired to do the work, they would work harder because of the previous favor.

Another day later, Fu Wu and Village Chief Ge went to the government office to get the deed stamped. Jian Yue originally planned to go, but Doctor Mao said that since these mountains were under his name, Jian Yue didn't need to step forward.

The actual situation was that Doctor Mao asked Fu Wu to go because he wanted to save money.

Fu Wu is Ji Yunzhong's man. He must know that Jian Yue bought the mountain. In this case, let's borrow his banner and save some money!

Doctor Mao guessed correctly. Fu Wu informed his master before returning to the city. Ji Yunzhong learned that Jian Yue wanted to buy a mountain and was curious about what she wanted to do with it. However, this did not stop him from saving money for Jian Yue. He directly sent Manager Yu to find Magistrate He.

County Magistrate He was very surprised to learn that the miracle doctor wanted to buy a barren mountain.

Except for the properties near the villages, which belonged to the villages, the other barren hills were ownerless. Doctor Mao insisted on buying them with government money, which simply increased the county government's income. County Magistrate He was just asking for it. He opened the door and sold the barren hills to Doctor Mao at the lowest price after roughly estimating the number of acres.

Doctor Mao also took the time to ask Jian Yue why he wanted to buy the barren mountain. Jian Yue gave him a shocking answer: "Grow fruits to make wine, and grow sweet potatoes to make sugar."

"Make sugar?" Doctor Mao was really surprised. "You can actually make sugar?"

Jian Yue nodded: "Sweet cane is also called sugarcane, and it can be used to make brown sugar. Brown sugar nourishes qi and blood, dispels cold and activates blood circulation, strengthens the spleen and warms the stomach, and is especially suitable for the elderly, the weak, women and children."

Doctor Mao: "If you can really make brown sugar, it will be a huge contribution to Nanchang. The brown sugar used by the royal family and nobles of our Nanchang is all bought from other countries." He looked at Jian Yue with a serious expression, "Girl Yue, this is a huge piece of fat meat. With your status and position, you can't keep it."

Jian Yue smiled and said, "I understand, Master. When the brown sugar is ready, I will present the recipe to the court. How about that?"

Doctor Mao looked at her in surprise: "Are you willing to do that?"

Jian Yue didn't care: "Why would I be reluctant to give it up? Rather than letting it fall into the hands of aristocratic families, it is better to present it to the court. I heard that the current emperor is a wise ruler. What he hopes most is that the country will be prosperous and the people will be strong, right? This is what I hope for."

Doctor Mao's eyes were full of admiration: "You are a girl with a sense of justice in your heart, better than many men. I am proud of you."

"How about Master offering it for me then?"

Doctor Mao shook his head: "Master, it's not appropriate. Let the Fifth Prince present it! Don't bother two masters with one thing. He has presented your advanced plows and fertilizer recipes, all in your name."

Jian Yue was surprised: "This Fifth Prince is really good. He actually didn't take this credit for granted."

Doctor Mao laughed: "That kid has no interest in the throne, and acts as he pleases, earning a reputation as a dandy. However, he still has a bottom line, and never bullies the lower-class people."

The character of a person that Dr. Mao could recognize should be good. Besides, it was relatively safe to cling to the thigh of a prince who had no intention of taking the throne.

Jian Yue accepted Doctor Mao's advice.

Next, Jian Yue selected a flat open space at the foot of the mountain to build a workshop.

She called Yuan Yi over and worked with Village Chief Ge to manage the construction of the workshop.

Fu Wu invited several construction masters from the city, and the laborers were all from the village. There was not enough labor in the village, so he recruited a group from other villages.

In the past, people from other villages did not dare to come to Gejia Village. Dr. Mao also explained during his free clinic that goiter was not caused by a curse but by a lack of salt, but people from other villages still did not dare to come.

But when they heard that Gejia Village was hiring workers, offering 20 cents a day and providing lunch, the neighboring villages were excited and rushed to sign up.

People are almost starving to death. As long as they can make money, who cares whether there is a curse or not?

There were too many people who signed up, and many were not selected. Jian Yue did not disappoint them, and told them that once the workshop was built, everyone would have a chance to make money. She asked them to go back and take care of themselves, and then the villagers dispersed.

The workshop covers an area of ​​50 mu. It is a two-story brick building. There is a large open space behind the building, which is reserved for sugarcane planting.

In front is the second courtyard. The first courtyard is used to process sugarcane, and the second courtyard is used to boil and dry sugar. There are warehouses and sheds on both sides of the courtyard.

There are also workers' houses and kitchens on both sides of the gate. The toilet is flush and directly connected to the septic tank outside.

Due to lack of manpower, Jian Yue bought two more families and put them directly in the workshop.

A family of three. The man is Wang Qingshan, his wife is Yao, and they have a daughter named Xiaotao, who is ten years old. Another family of four. The man is Qi Hong, his wife is Meng. They have a son named Qi Tiezhu, who is twelve years old, and a daughter named Qi Xiaoying, who is nine years old.

Both families were sold out because their masters had committed crimes. Qi Hong was also an accountant. So Jian Yue let Qi Hong be the accountant of the workshop.

During this period, Jian Yue first taught Yuan Yi and his family how to make sugar. When they were fully proficient, the workshop was also built.

Jian Yue named the workshop: Qingshan Sugarcane Workshop.

After the new workshop was left to dry for a few days, it started working. At this time, Jian Yue began to spread the word that she was recruiting sugarcane workers, both men and women.

The six barren hills around her belonged to her. She hired workers to harvest sugarcane at a rate of one cent for every two catties. If there were two laborers in the family, they could harvest three or four hundred catties a day and earn about two hundred cents. As soon as the news spread, all the villagers who knew the news came out.

I used to earn a few hundred coins by helping to build the workshop, and now I can earn more money by helping to cut sugarcane, even if I can only work for a dozen days, than I could earn in a whole year before.

Village Chief Ge’s face was flushed and he walked with a breeze.

In the past, the village chiefs of other villages avoided him like the plague. Now, they all try their best to curry favor with him and ask him for help.

Now the young girls and boys in Gejia Village have become popular.

Ever since the village started building workshops...