Chapter 1058: Cash Crops
The New An Ancient Pottery Factory officially commenced construction.
Zhang Miaoshou and his ten thousand subordinates sat on the hillside, staring dumbfounded as Gao Family Village's transport team continuously delivered massive amounts of construction materials to the "designated factory site" using giant iron vehicles.
A single iron vehicle could transport several thousand pounds of goods. The variety of these items was truly astounding: tents for the ten thousand people to temporarily reside in, ample provisions, numerous daily necessities, various tools, and even a strange, gray sand...
Under the supervision of soldiers carrying flintlock rifles, a young man in scholar's robes, who appeared highly educated, shouted to Zhang Miaoshou's subordinates: "Form long lines and come forward in turns to receive your personal supplies."
Zhang Miaoshou quickly ordered his followers to comply.
The labor reform prisoners lined up. The first one stepped before the man in scholar's robes, who handed him a small bundle. "Here, take your labor reform gift package."
The labor reform prisoner blinked in surprise. "They even give out gift packages for labor reform?" he thought. "Never mind, I'll just take it for now."
He carried the bundle to the side, opened it, and looked inside, immediately stunned. "Huh? Such fine cotton clothes, are these really for me?"
"Of course, they're for you," a militia soldier nearby said. "Clothes like these, with a big circle on the back and the character 'Reform' written inside, ordinary people wouldn't dare wear them, really."
The militia soldier added, "This signifies that you are a labor reform prisoner, and your treatment is inferior to that of ordinary people."
The labor reform prisoner countered, "With cotton clothes this good, how much 'lower' can the treatment be? Even the wealthy landlords in my old village didn't own two sets of cotton clothes this fine."
The militia soldier was speechless.
The labor reform prisoner then pulled out a pair of cloth shoes from the bundle. These cloth shoes even had soles made from the Heavenly Lord's specially supplied rubber. He slipped the shoes onto his feet, and his face instantly lit up with an expression of pure delight. "Ah? These shoes! They're so much more comfortable than my straw sandals."
The militia soldier rolled his eyes, tempted to curse him for a fool. But seeing the labor reform prisoner's deeply moved expression, he couldn't bring himself to. He just sighed, looked up at the sky, and mused softly: "Back then, my entire family was on the brink of starvation. My old man brought us all to seek refuge with Gao Family Village. When we first arrived, Dad must have looked very much like this labor reform prisoner, didn't he?"
"Dad had also clutched the 'work clothes' and 'work shoes' issued by Gao Family Village's construction team, weeping tears of joy."
That's right!
"On the day he received his first month's wages, Dad bought two ounces of meat to bring home. The whole family ate premium wheat flour, each bowl topped with a spoonful of savory minced meat sauce. The happiness we felt then, looking back now, still feels like a dream."
"After I grew up, I immediately joined the militia."
"To protect this hard-won happiness!"
The soldier lowered his gaze, patting the labor reform prisoner's shoulder. "Work hard in your reform. I hope your son can one day wear the same uniform as me."
***
In the Qinling Mountains, a soft, silicone Heavenly Lord was gently waddling towards an adorable Qinling panda.
Ever since discovering the first Qinling panda, Li Daoxuan had become utterly captivated by them.
In the modern world, he had always wanted to personally pet a panda, but neither the Chongqing Zoo nor the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base allowed ordinary tourists to pet them. This dream was simply impossible to realize.
So, he could only fulfill it within the diorama box.
"Good boy! My darling cutie," the soft silicone Heavenly Lord said, holding a bamboo shoot in each hand as he cautiously approached the giant panda. "My darling cutie, I'm a good guy, I'm here to bring you snacks."
The giant panda let out a roar!
It swiftly swiped its two claws inwards...
With a flash of claws, the soft silicone Heavenly Lord was instantly torn in two.
Attempt #101 to pet a panda: Failure!
This is impossible, what should I do?
Perhaps I should go ask a Sichuanese person? I hear every Sichuanese person has a giant panda; they must have some experience petting them, right?
Thinking of this, Li Daoxuan suddenly remembered that Zhao Sheng, known as Dian Dengzi, was currently on a business trip in Sichuan. "Hey! Let's go check on Zhao Sheng."
Quickly, co-sensing Zhao Sheng, "I jump..."
The moment Li Daoxuan switched his co-sensing to Zhao Sheng, the scenery before his eyes instantly changed.
The first sight that met his eyes was a towering stone pillar.
Seeing the massive stone pillar before him, Li Daoxuan was slightly bewildered for a second, then immediately understood: "Stone pillar, Mount Wanshou, Wanshou Stronghold, home of the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers."
This mountain was extremely treacherous, easy to defend but hard to attack. That was no exaggeration.
In the normal historical timeline, after the fall of the Great Ming Dynasty, the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers retreated to defend Mount Wanshou. The Qing army was simply unable to conquer it by force.
The entire Great Ming had perished, yet Wanshou Stronghold had not!
Not until the sixteenth year of Shunzhi's reign (1659 AD), more than a decade after the Ming Dynasty's demise, did this unconquerable mountain stronghold finally fade from the stage of history with Ma Wannian's surrender to the Qing.
Zhao Sheng stood before a group of simple, honest farmers, a smile on his face. "Today, I will explain the scientific cultivation methods for various cash crops."
As he spoke, he produced a valuable book, compiled from information Li Daoxuan had acquired from a friend at an agricultural science and technology university. He opened it to a specific page. "Today, we'll discuss this section."
The old farmers listened with cheerful interest.
By the edge of the field stood Qin Liangyu, Ma Xianglin, Zhang Fengyi, and others. Of course, they weren't there to learn about farming; they were there out of courtesy, to lend Zhao Sheng their prestige and authority.
With them standing there, the listening farmers would recognize Zhao Sheng's authority.
Still, some old farmers raised questions. One farmer immediately raised his hand: "Mr. Zhao, we can already grow excellent potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. Why do we need to learn about these strange 'cash crops'?"
Zhao Sheng chuckled, half-scolding them. "Only growing staple crops won't do! Staple crops can fill your belly, but they won't make you rich, you know. Do you know why these crops are called cash crops? It's because you grow them to earn money, to get rich, not just to eat."
The old farmers exclaimed, "Huh? Farming can make you rich?"
Thousands of years of feudal oppression had taught farmers only that farming could fill their stomachs; they never dared to dream of earning money or getting rich.
Zhao Sheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of Coptis. "Do you know what this is? Do you know how much it's worth?"
The old farmers nodded in unison. "Yes, we know. That's Coptis from Shizhu Huangshui. It's a very valuable medicinal herb. Merchants in the city buy it at high prices, dozens of times more expensive than rice. But it's extremely difficult to cultivate."
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