Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 393: Don't Treat the Imperial Envoy as a Second Boy
Seeing that the cotton farmers who had sworn to Zhang Shou that they were steady, reliable, honest and simple-minded were now surrounding Zhang Shou and chattering non-stop, Xiao Huasheng's forehead veins suddenly throbbed and he felt very embarrassed.
If you can't trust Zhu Er... then you have to trust Dr. Zhang! Uncle Yunhe and the rest of you kidnapped the eldest prince and then occupied the palace. How serious a crime was that? Didn't they just forgive you? Although the court's final decision has not yet been made, Dr. Zhang is still taking a big risk. Now that people are helping you plan for the future, you are still nitpicking!
Peanut couldn't help but yelled, "Stop making noise!" However, he was not an old man, and his yelling had no effect, no one listened to him. He was getting very anxious , and then he heard a loud shout.
"Shut up, everyone!"
Seeing that the surroundings suddenly became quiet, but all the eyes suddenly looked at him, Zhu Er suddenly felt sweat on his back. He knew that these characters who looked like honest old farmers now had once followed Xian Yunhe to fight against the "rebels" summoned by Xu Cheng! In a place like Cangzhou where martial arts are very popular, you must never look down on the elderly uncles and grandpas!
However, Zhu Er told himself again and again to hold on and not to be a wimp, and finally put on a cold and firm face: "I know you were cheated by those unscrupulous big families in Cangzhou in the past, so you don't trust me. This is normal. We have only dealt with each other a few times in total. I am young, my reputation was average in the past, and my work is not reliable. But..."
He dragged out the words and suddenly raised his voice: "But that's not the reason for you to keep nagging Dr. Zhang! Don't forget, he is the imperial envoy. It was he who denied the words "Cangzhou rioters". It was he who intimidated those profiteers and wealthy businessmen. It was he who made Cangzhou stable and peaceful. Do you understand what rules are and what respect and inferiority mean?"
"Don't treat the Imperial Envoy as your second son!"
Zhang Shou originally thought that Zhu Er's rare display of power was quite impressive, and thought that the young man was teachable and that he really learned from his experience, but when he heard the last sentence, he finally laughed. However, when he saw that the group of cotton farmers who had just been shouting and jumping up and down suddenly became quiet, some with embarrassed faces, and some shrinking and looking at him, he knew that Zhu Er's reminder had worked after all.
At least at this moment, people have remembered that the person in front of them is not the neighbor scholar whom they have called in to uphold justice, but a high-ranking court official, an imperial envoy who came by imperial decree!
Therefore, he was too lazy to scold Zhu Er for his last extremely inappropriate words. He coughed and said, "I understand your concerns . Farmers like you who rely on the land for food and weather for food, when dealing with someone like Zhu Erlang who comes from a noble family, you will inevitably worry that he will deceive you like those unscrupulous guys before."
Seeing everyone nodding, he continued slowly, "But if Zhu Erlang signs a contract with you, will you trust him? I'm afraid not. Contracts are still uncertain once the government is biased. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people holding contracts but nowhere to turn to."
Seeing that everyone was nodding their heads like chickens pecking at rice, Zhu Er couldn't help but feel depressed. After he said what he had just said, the silence seemed to be just his illusion. So he simply buried his head in anger and didn't say anything anymore.
Peanut finally got the chance and said quickly, "Yes, yes, with Dr. Zhang as your witness, what are you afraid of? I'm not asking you to sell the land, nor am I asking you to register the land under the name of Mr. Zhu, so what are you afraid of?"
Although they were young, they had seen Xiao Huasheng running errands with Xian Yunhe in the past. They had also heard Xian Yunhe say that he had made great contributions in the occupation of the palace. Even though they did not understand what kind of great contributions he had made, now that they saw that he was running errands with Zhang Shou and was apparently highly valued, they naturally wanted to listen to what he said.
At this moment, after hearing what Xiao Huasheng said, several people looked at each other, and someone whispered, "Is it really not necessary to register our land under the name of Mr. Zhu Er?"
When they heard Zhang Shou say with a smile that he really didn't need it, everyone was immediately delighted. Zhu Er angrily scolded, "I don't want it even if it's given to me for free! I'm the second son of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, with a fortune of countless, how could I care about your little piece of land?"
No matter how noble and upright one's character or clean reputation is, it is not as powerful as Zhu Er's words - although wealthy businessmen with huge assets may also take advantage of their neighbors' houses, gardens, and shops to commit crimes, just like those unscrupulous businessmen in Cangzhou before, but Zhu Er's previous deeds, plus his promise at this time, and Zhang Shou's circumstantial evidence, finally made people a little convinced.
Of course, the most important thing is that the land is still yours, which really makes people feel at ease!
Seeing the relieved expressions on the faces of the cotton farmers, Zhang Shou spoke up, "The reason why we asked everyone to gather all the land together is because it is easier to work after it is connected. As for whether your own land will have low yields or even go to waste because you don't plant it yourself, it's actually very easy to deal with. Zhu Erlang said before that the money should be distributed according to the work done every year, but I think it should be distributed monthly."
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Er and Xiao Huasheng saw that the expressions of several cotton farmers suddenly brightened up. If they could see some reluctance before, now they all looked like they wanted Zhang Shou to continue speaking quickly and they were all ears. Zhu Er was muttering that good-looking people really have privileges everywhere, but then he was annoyed by Xiao Huasheng's muttering and rolled his eyes.
"Study hard, don't just swear and say harsh words!"
Zhang Shou didn't notice the small interaction between Peanut and Zhu Er, and said kindly, "In the past, you had one harvest season a year, and sold the cotton to support your life for the year. If the harvest was poor or the price was low, you would often have to live frugally for the whole year, or even go out of business. Now, if you join the cooperative, you can get a certain amount of compensation every month."
"And this compensation is just a base number. It varies according to the amount of land each person owns when they join. But it doesn't mean that the money you can get is completely linked to your land. Based on each person's farming situation, bonuses are assessed every season, which is three months, and those who work hard can get a hard work award."
As soon as Zhang Shou got to this point, someone shouted, "Who will judge? Second Master Zhu?"
Zhu Eryi felt inexplicably unhappy when he saw someone looking at him sideways. Was he being looked down upon? Although he really didn't know how to farm, and he had been visiting the cotton fields for days, working himself into a sweat but not learning much, if he were to judge whether each person was hardworking or not, he should, probably, possibly, maybe... still be able to tell, right?
Although he felt a little guilty, Zhu Er still straightened his chest. Peanut, who was standing beside him, was stunned for a moment, and then he tried to hold his head high, as if to say, I can do it too. However, Zhang Shou just glanced at the big and small, and then said with a smile: "For farming, of course, experts should be responsible for judging whether it is hard work or laziness. Otherwise, it is inevitable that some people will take the money without working."
"Everyone should have heard of Wanghai Temple on Maliu Mountain, right? Wanghai Temple has a branch called Zanghai. The abbot Zanghai has a group of self-reliant and self-sufficient apprentices. Even the youngest monk among them insists on farming every day. I think it is most appropriate to let these masters in Zanghai Branch to evaluate it."
Peanut almost popped his eyes out. Let those fake monks from Zanghai Lower House... cough, bah, bah, bah, if my uncle hears them, he will beat them to death... Let those guys judge whether the land is good or bad, how did Dr. Zhang come up with this idea?
Zhu Er didn't care that Zhang Shou despised him. He slapped his thigh with joy and said, "Yes, I heard that old salted fish often learned farming from the young monk Guan Tao. It can be imagined that the monks in the Canghai Lower Courtyard are proficient in farming! Besides, I heard that they spend all day farming and practicing martial arts. They are very skilled and are not afraid of retaliation... Uh!"
Before he finished speaking, he felt a series of sharp gazes focused on his face. Noticing that the cotton farmers all had unfriendly expressions, he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. It seemed as if they were mocking these people for being lazily and being rated poorly, and then retaliating against the monks.
However, while he was still struggling over whether he should explain, Zhang Shou said with a smile: "You are all hardworking farmers, but if more people join, there will inevitably be bad apples. At that time, strong people will naturally be needed to supervise. This is also to reward the good and punish the lazy, that's all. And when the harvest season comes, you don't have to let others control the cotton price anymore."
These words were like a spark that ignited the already growing excitement of the crowd.
Money is paid monthly and rewards and punishments are given quarterly. In other words, they no longer receive a one-time lump sum every year and then have to tighten their belts and live frugally in an effort to survive until the next harvest. Whenever there are unexpected events in the family such as birth, aging, sickness, and death, they either leave it to fate or gamble everything on one throw. Then, in the second half of the year, they are precarious and may even have to borrow money at interest!
The loud cotton farmer who had first raised concerns when Zhang Shou came was the first to speak: "Dr. Zhang, do you mean that the price of cotton can be higher than what others have charged us in the past?"
"It's another spinners' cooperative that collects the cotton."
Zhang Shou chuckled and said lightly, "Young Master Jiang has been beaten with a stick for his father for more than a dozen times, and the eldest young master of the Qi family has entrusted his property, wife and children to him. He should also know the sufferings of the world. Every year, the settlement price of cotton will be determined after Zhu Erlang and he contact and calculate. I can't say how high it will be, but it will definitely be more reasonable than before."
Seeing that everyone was so happy, Zhang Shou did not mention that Zhang Chen would also take all the yarn from Young Master Jiang. He paused and continued, "But now the efficiency of spinning machines has doubled, and the efficiency of looms will probably be improved in the same way. In this case, cotton production has become the biggest shortcoming. Therefore, I would like you to recommend the most experienced people to try to grow overseas cotton seeds."
Peanut was keenly aware that when Zhang Shou said this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and it was obvious that they were all trying to make excuses. He immediately became furious: "You want the benefits, but you don't want to take the risks? How can it be so cheap!"
Zhang Shou immediately stopped him and shouted, "Little Peanut!"
Seeing the little guy shut up in anger, he said calmly, "There are indeed great risks in trying to plant overseas cotton seeds. After all, we don't know how the seeds will survive and how they will grow in the future. I got 500 acres of cotton fields in Cangzhou before, and I asked Ah Liu to check them one by one. Seven or eight acres of them are not in the same area as other cotton fields. There are other crops around them. I plan to mark them out for trial planting."
"If we are lucky enough to grow cotton with higher quality and higher yield, then these cotton varieties can be promoted in Cangzhou, and all cotton farmers, spinners and weavers can benefit."
When they heard that Zhang Shou was using his own land for trial planting, everyone was surprised and a little embarrassed. Especially when Zhu Er snorted and said "judge a gentleman by your own standards", even though not everyone understood what he meant, someone coughed and stood up.
"If Dr. Zhang is trustworthy, I'm willing to give it a try! It's just... it's just that seven or eight acres of cotton fields are not easy to take care of, especially with the new cotton varieties. There are many things to figure out slowly. I'm afraid my whole family will have to go up there to help, and I won't be able to take care of the other fields!"
Seeing that the person who spoke was the loud-mouthed cotton farmer, Zhang Shou looked at the sun-tanned face, the rough skin, and the big-knuckled hands. He nodded sincerely and said, "I am very grateful that you can help. But this is a very difficult task, even very trivial, and it requires recording a lot of breeding details, so I need someone who can read."
The loud-voiced cotton farmer seemed to have not expected Zhang Shou to have such high demands. After a slight pause, he patted his chest.
"Although I only know a few words, I have a scholar in my family! It's just that he is not very good at reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and he has to help me work in the fields on weekdays, so I have always hoped that he will be content to be an accountant in the future. With his help, I will definitely be able to do it!"
Peanut always remembered that this loud-voiced man was a bit fussy, and now seeing that he was so generous, he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Zhou, you agreed so readily, aren't you afraid that if you turn around, all the seeds will die..."
"Bah, bah, bah, stop being such a phoenix!"
Loud-mouthed Old Zhou interrupted Peanut unhappily, then scratched his head and said with a guilty conscience, "To be honest with you, Dr. Zhang, I was one of the first few to follow Yunhe. I was actually similar to those guys you sentenced to caning and exile. I was lucky to escape that disaster, but I still feel bad."
"If I can help you with something and you can breed good cotton seeds, and Cangzhou will benefit from it, I will be able to live up to my conscience. Really, if you trust me, just leave it to me! I have been growing cotton all my life and I won't let you down!"
Just as Zhang Shou was about to speak, he heard a familiar voice coming from outside: "Zhu Er, get out of here right now! Your grandmother and parents have sent someone to interrogate you!"
