roccoschili Chapter 180 A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
Chapter 180 A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
As Gao Mengli and Lin Xi were cricketing, they heard a lively noise coming from the courtyard of the old house next door.
Gao Mengli quickly put down the rag and ran to the gate of the yard to look around.
Dou Weiyi was seen marveling at the windmill in the courtyard of the old house.
He even had Lin Yong pour in half a bag of rapeseed, and then fanned it himself.
Dou Weiyi, with a look of pure delight, couldn't help but shower Lin Yong with praise, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Lin Yong was a little embarrassed by the praise and scratched his head: "Lord Dou, please don't praise me anymore. I only did a little work on this windmill. The blueprints were drawn for me by my eldest son's wife!"
Upon hearing this, Dou Weiyi immediately became interested. Gao Mengli was truly a treasure trove; every little bit she dug out yielded more results.
I saw that siphon pump by the river before. All you have to do is fill a sealed bucket with water, and the water can be pumped up from the river and discharged into the ditch.
This Lin couple not only cooks excellent food, but they've even managed to tinker with agricultural tools. Their future is limitless!
But when Dou Weiyi thought about the way things were done by those above, she frowned.
After a while, he looked at Lin Yong with a serious expression and carefully instructed him, "However, Uncle Lin, this thing is definitely a good thing."
However, if anyone comes to the village in the future and asks where this thing came from, then...
Just tell everyone that I made this thing; never say that it was something your family made.
Gao Mengli, who was standing at the door, felt a jolt in her heart when she heard Dou Weiyi say that.
By the way, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."
This thing would be a huge achievement no matter where you take it, but Dou Weiyi is worried about her safety.
It seems that the water above is not only deep, but also murky.
Lin Yong didn't quite understand what Dou Weiyi meant, and the village chief beside him was also puzzled.
Just as the two were about to ask for clarification, Gao Mengli interrupted them as she walked in, "Lord Dou, why are you back so soon? Where are Madam Dou and the others?!"
After saying that, he nodded to Dou Weiyi.
When Dou Weiyi saw Gao Mengli come in and saw her actions, he immediately realized that Gao Mengli must have heard everything he said earlier.
He immediately understood.
I never expected that there would be such a perceptive person in such a small place!
Dou Weiyi smiled broadly, "They said, let's go check out the oil mill first! By the way, sister-in-law, please make me a hundred of these windmills recently. I want to promote them around the county town!"
As for the price, how about I give you three hundred coins per unit?
Three hundred coins per unit, one hundred units would cost thirty taels.
This thing can be sold for 350 coins in the surrounding villages and towns. After deducting the labor cost, he can also earn more than ten coins as a hard-earned fee!
I'm so happy!
As for Tang Guangjun of Pingding County, he'll definitely want it when he sees it. We can reluctantly sell it to him for six hundred coins apiece!
Dou Weiyi was thinking to himself that he wouldn't actually make money selling to the people by providing manpower; he just wanted to promote the product and make it more convenient for the people.
The lion's share of his profits came from Tang Guangjun, a sucker from the neighboring county!
Gao Mengli smiled and nodded, "Okay, no problem."
They couldn't sell the windmills for that price, and they'd also have to spend manpower.
The cost of manufacturing a carpenter is at most one hundred coins, and the carpenter can earn two hundred coins by doing manual labor!
This business is worth doing!
As for the siphon pump, that thing doesn't require any technology; you can learn it just by looking at it. She never even thought about selling it.
It's good that Dou Weiyi promoted this, so that if other places suffer from famine and food shortages, their village won't be able to hold onto its resources.
Lin Yong was overjoyed to see that the two had reached an agreement and placed a large order!
The village chief was overjoyed to hear that the Lin family had a business!
After all, a hundred machines would be a huge undertaking just to plan the wood. With a short delivery time, the Lin family would definitely need to hire people to plan the wood!
Immediately, the village chief grabbed Lin Yong, calling him "older brother," and pulled him to a corner of the yard to discuss hiring crickets.
Dou Weiyi was thinking about what he had just said, and was afraid that Gao Mengli might not have fully understood. Just as he was about to speak, Gao Mengli shook her head and interrupted him, "Lord Dou, I know your good intentions. You don't need to explain. I understand."
Upon hearing this, Dou Weiyi nodded approvingly at Gao Mengli, "Good that you understand, good that you understand!"
"Oh, right, Lord Dou, there's something else I need to tell you."
Last year was a drought with no snow in winter. This year, grasshoppers have appeared earlier than usual, raising concerns about a locust plague. You should prepare in advance.
Gao Mengli suddenly remembered this and, taking advantage of Dou Weiyi's presence, gave him a heads-up.
"Locust plague??" Dou Weiyi's heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, sir, this year may bring disaster and hardship…” Lin Yong heard the two talking about this and quickly came over to say a few words.
The taxes on the land are already high; after paying four, there's a six-fold surplus.
Even though the harvest was poor due to drought last year, the imperial court still did not reduce or exempt taxes.
The grain that needs to be collected must be collected; it's estimated that many people's households already have no surplus grain.
If another locust plague occurs, famine may truly ensue.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.
Who knows, famine might strike everywhere by late autumn, leaving their village with surplus grain. What if they flood into their village, looting and killing people?
Thinking of this, Lin Yong's earlier excitement vanished, replaced by worry.
Dou Weiyi frowned and paced back and forth. After a moment, he stopped and said, "Uncle Lin, take me to the field to check on the grasshoppers."
"Ah, this..." Lin Yong scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.
Dou Weiyi looked at him with suspicion, "What's wrong?"
Weren't we just talking about the grasshoppers in the field? Let's go check on them so he can go back and discuss a solution with Qin Shen Shen.
"Oh dear, Lord Dou, it's not that I don't want to take you to see them, but you won't see many grasshoppers in our village," Lin Yong said apologetically to Dou Weiyi.
Dou Weiyi was even more puzzled, "Why is that?"
"Because my family raises about a hundred ducks, and for the past two days my dad has been driving them to the fields to eat grasshoppers every day. He's eaten all the baby grasshoppers that have just hatched."
Gao Mengli quickly offered an explanation from the side.
Ducks are such "gluttons" that a single duckling can eat dozens of locusts a day.
"Ducks eat locusts?!"
Yup!
This duck has a big appetite; it eats a considerable number of locusts and grasshoppers every day.
If this method of eating locusts is popularized, the surrounding villages can be spared from the suffering of locust plagues. The Lin family will truly be his great benefactor!
He said he'd go back and come up with a solution, but little did he know the Lin family was quietly doing something big. They'd already solved it for him; they were just waiting for him to implement it!
This place is truly auspicious for wealth, fortune, and his official career!
Dou Weiyi was overjoyed. He slapped his thigh and rubbed his hands excitedly: "Oh my, Uncle Lin and sister-in-law, you are truly my lucky stars! This method of using ducks to eat locusts is simply ingenious. In this way, the locust plague may be resolved!"
Lin Yong scratched his head and chuckled, "Lord Dou, this idea came from my eldest son's family. We just wanted to prevent these grasshoppers from ruining the crops."
Dou Weiyi excitedly spun around twice on the spot: "Uncle Lin, you're being too modest."
This matter must be vigorously promoted. How many ducks are there in our village?
Could we incubate more?
Not only our village, but the surrounding villages should also follow suit.
I'll go back and discuss this with Qin Shensheng right away. We'll provide ducklings and subsidies to duck farmers, making sure this army of ducks becomes a powerful force in eliminating locusts!
Gao Mengli: Our village? ???
How did this become our village??