amaotonovel Chapter 32 Tearing the Skirt of the Goddess of Fortune
Chapter 32 Tearing the Skirt of the Goddess of Fortune
The famous decadent writer Xun once said: Fate is like that thing, if you can't resist it, you might as well lie down and enjoy it.
Yang Shaofeng wholeheartedly agreed—if fate, that little wench, is unwilling to lift her skirt on her own initiative, then I, Magistrate Yang, will tear her skirt off even if it means forcibly, and then let her know what it means to enjoy life!
Then, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng began to take stock of the resources he could currently utilize.
First, there are the people of Ningyang County. There are more than 640 men and more than 1,200 women, of whom only about 400 are truly able-bodied.
Secondly, there were a dozen or so yamen runners. These runners were all retired from Chang Yuchun's army. Although they were all disabled and it was unrealistic to expect them to do any work, they had military experience. Distributing them to various villages and communities to direct spring plowing, well digging, and irrigation canal construction was much better than the misguided commands of the village and community leaders.
As for the rest, things like steamed bun shops, chicken farms, and livestock farms, they are pure black holes for funds right now. For the time being, you can only see the investment and there is no return at all. If a drought really comes, these things will become a burden instead.
In contrast, the fodder business and the lighter business, which were originally unplanned and not very noticeable, are more reliable and can even be called golden goose. These two businesses are also the only sources of funds for Ningyang County at present.
Of course, the fodder business and the lighter business are not entirely reliable either, each with a host of drawbacks.
For example, the fodder business is heavily dependent on the season, as well as on the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. If either of these conditions is compromised, the fodder business will have to come to an end.
The lighter business is similar to the hay business. Although it is not as overly dependent on the seasons and the Northern Expeditionary Army as the hay business, the market for the lighter business is also severely limited.
Given the widespread poverty among the people, a lighter costing twenty coins was hardly a cheap item, and the northern regions during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties were sparsely populated, so there was no significant market for it.
The best way to make money with lighters is to first go through the procurement channels of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and at the same time, find a way to sell the lighters to the relatively wealthy Jiangnan region.
Aside from all this mess, the only reliable and dependable thing right now is the identity of "Ma Gu," which Yang Shaofeng didn't initially care much about.
Only by disguising himself as a "horse" could Yang Shaofeng have the opportunity to contact Chang Yuchun and Xu Da, and thus the opportunity to seek help from the imperial court.
After pondering for most of the day, Yang Shaofeng sent someone to find Limpy Five, and then had Limpy Five send someone to deliver the memorial from Ningyang County that there was a possibility of a severe drought to Yanzhou Prefecture.
……
As soon as Liu Sanshier returned to Liumiao Village, he summoned all the able-bodied men from the 35 households in the village to his home.
"This is what the master asked me to bring back for you, one for each family."
"With this, we won't have to struggle to start a fire with a flint and steel anymore, and we won't have to search the whole village for someone to start a fire when it's time to cook."
Liu Thirty-Two demonstrated how to use the lighter, and then continued, "But use it sparingly. The master said that this thing needs to be filled with kerosene, but there isn't much kerosene in Ningyang County. If you run out, there's nowhere to replenish it for a while."
"Also, the master said he wants to build a workshop specifically for making these things. The master has already asked the aunts and grandmothers of each village and neighborhood to select some skillful and hardworking women. If any of your families are selected, they will have to work in the workshop."
"And the spring plowing can't be delayed, and you're absolutely not allowed to shut down the poker game..."
After explaining everything about the workshop and spring plowing, Liu Thirty-Two suddenly coughed heavily and said, "There are two more things I need to tell you."
"The first thing is that since the beginning of spring, Ningyang County has only had three or four rains. This year might be a drought year, and nobody knows what the harvest will be like."
"The master said he would write to the imperial court to explain why our Ningyang County hasn't had much rain. If there is a serious drought in the future, he will also write to the imperial court to ask for some relief grain."
"But the master also said that even if the imperial court is willing to allocate relief grain, we have to find our own way and can't rely entirely on the imperial court."
"Dig a well."
"Repair the irrigation canal."
"Dig a reservoir."
"Just like the old man said, if it doesn't rain, we'll go to the fields to dig for water."
"The second thing is that the master said that after the lighters made in the workshop are sold, he will arrange for someone to go to Jiangnan to purchase grain."
"So, if any of you have family members working in the workshop and might not be able to take care of your families for a while, go back and explain it to your families. No one is allowed to use their neglect of their families as an excuse."
"..."
After Liu Sanshier relayed everything Yang Shaofeng had said in the county government office, the entire room fell silent. Even the slight coughing and the sound of chairs being moved disappeared completely.
After a long while, someone said in a deep voice, "Then let's do it. We'll weed, turn the soil, and dig wells during the day, and dig reservoirs and repair irrigation canals at night. At worst, we'll be a little tired and get less sleep, but it's still better than sitting and waiting to die."
"That's right. Since the master has spoken, let's do it. The master is still trying to find a solution for us. If we just sit and wait, what the hell would that make us?"
"Chief, you should think about how to distribute them. There aren't many able-bodied people in our village. We can't all go to dig wells, and we can't leave no one to weed and till the land. You have to make some arrangements."
Liu Thirty-Two glanced at everyone in the room, then suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Since everyone is willing to listen to me, then I'll make the arrangements!"
"Tomorrow morning, men under forty years old should do the same as before: weeding and turning the soil. Men over forty years old should cut trees and chop firewood during the day and dig irrigation ditches at night."
"The women in the village will remain the same for now, doing what they used to do: weeding, tying up bundles, and cooking."
"Once a section of the irrigation canal is dug, we'll send a few more people out to fetch water from the river and fill the canal."
"Damn it, we've just started to see a glimmer of hope in our lives, we can't let this drought ruin it no matter what!"
"Anyway, we have to preserve some of our harvest. Relying solely on the imperial court's relief grain would only tarnish the lord's reputation. We'd be too ashamed to face anyone after that!"