12dz Chapter 235 Iron Ore
Chapter 235 Iron Ore
"We only have this one clamp. Is it enough for you? If not, burn another one."
There is fire in the stove now, so it won’t be difficult to chop a bamboo stick and burn one.
Zhou Mingshu came over and said, "Grandma, let me make the bamboo clips."
living comfortably without anybody's help!
Zhou Mingshu found a machete, selected a beautifully wound bamboo tube, and split several bamboo strips.
Knock off the bamboo nodes inside and scrape off the burrs on the outside.
After measuring the size, roast it over the fire.
Sure enough, just like what you saw in the short video, the roasted part became soft.
Zhou Mingshu took the opportunity to fold the bamboo strip in half and fixed it in place.
"Grandma, it's not bad, isn't it?"
"Okay, we can make do with it."
It's just a chestnut, as long as it doesn't prick your hand.
Zhou Mingshu was very satisfied with the clip he made. After taking it out, he wrapped it with a cloth strip so that it would be more convenient to use.
Looking at the four clamps in front of him, Zhou Mingshu clapped his hands. When picking chestnuts tomorrow, no one would get their hands pricked.
After a whole afternoon of thinking about it, a few people in the corner finally made the first version of the hanging stove before dinner.
Zhou Mingshu took a look and found that the craftsmanship was indeed not very good. The inner wall was bumpy and not smooth enough, and the entire furnace body was not round enough, but it could still be used.
"Uncle, you can keep this one at home. Make another one for yourself. Make it rounder and smoother inside. The donkey wall doesn't need to be so thick. This one is too heavy and you won't be able to carry it when the time comes."
When Boss Zhou and his companions heard this, they thought San Ya was right. What they made was too "bulky" and it was difficult just to move it onto the donkey cart.
"Okay, let's think about making another one."
Since this can be used at home, they will not dismantle it.
Practice makes perfect. Let’s make a good one tomorrow.
Dinner was chicken stewed with mushrooms and a few stir-fried dishes.
After all, there are too many people in the family, and one chicken is not enough to eat.
It was the first time for Zhou Mingshu to taste hazel mushrooms. Paired with the free-range chicken that eats insects and grass, the taste was truly amazing!
She will have to find more of these mushrooms to store tomorrow.
After working like this for several days, the day to collect grain taxes finally arrived.
Just like last time, the villagers didn't need to do it themselves. The officials took care of weighing, reporting, and collecting taxes on their own.
Because Lianglin Village was the first to start collecting, and the order was given personally by the county magistrate, all the officials looked very happy even though they were tired.
I had received half of it when I unexpectedly saw the county magistrate and his legal advisor coming over in a small horse-drawn carriage.
Everyone came to pay their respects to the county magistrate.
County Magistrate Niu didn't even wear his official uniform this time. He just came to take a look at the specific situation.
Let everyone go about their business, they will be back soon.
"How is it?" The lawyer took the account book and took a look. The harvest was indeed more than in previous years.
Calculated per acre of land, the yield can increase by about 100 to 150 kilograms per acre.
After getting the concrete results, everyone was in a good mood.
This shows that all their hard work was not in vain.
Zhou Mingshu saw that County Magistrate Niu had come again, and he greeted her warmly and talked about farm matters.
She was deeply moved. As far as she could remember, whether she was listening to operas or watching TV or movies, most of the people she encountered were corrupt officials who either extorted money from the people or bullied men and women. There were indeed only a few like County Magistrate Niu who were wholeheartedly serving the people.
"My Lord, I found a stone and it looks different from the ones I usually see. Could you please take a look at it for me?"
"Oh? Okay, but I don't know much about jade." County Magistrate Niu recalled all the jadeite he knew in an instant.
I don’t know what kind of jade this little girl picked up.
Zhou Mingshu took out the stone and showed it to them, which made Magistrate Niu and his lawyer look confused.
This black stone is quite ordinary, but it does feel different than ordinary stones.
But this doesn't look like a jade species...
County Magistrate Niu touched it and was surprised to find it was quite heavy.
He turned his head and looked at his master who was equally puzzled. They were both really confused.
"This... I really can't tell what kind of stone this is. Tsk tsk, could it be some kind of ore?"
Magistrate Niu moved the object to the sunlight and took another closer look. He was suddenly shocked by his own thoughts.
"Ore? Is it really ore? "
He quickly exchanged glances with the master beside him, wondering if it really was ore.
Looking at Zhou Mingshu on the side, the little girl has bright eyes and a slight smile on her lips.
"Girl, in your opinion, what kind of stone is this?" County Magistrate Niu already had some idea of what kind of mineral it was.
"My Lord, I think this is iron ore. The book says, 'There is ochre on the top of the mountain and iron underneath. This is the most precious mountain.' When I picked up this stone, there was a lot of red nearby, so I think it is iron ore."
"If this is really an iron ore, it will be of great benefit to our Chengzhou, oh no, even to our Daliang. Do you still remember where this mountain is?"
This is asking about the location.
"My little girl remembers."
"Haha, okay, is that mountain big?"
This is a question of scale.
"Yeah, it's huge."
Zhou Mingshu and Magistrate Niu smiled at each other, and both understood some information from the eyes.
"Okay, okay. There is a war on the border right now. If there is a lot of minerals, it will be of great help to our Daliang battlefield. Girl, have you mentioned this to anyone else?"
“Only three people knew about this.”
Magistrate Niu turned around and looked at the legal advisor beside him. The girl meant that only the three of them knew the truth.
"Okay, remember to keep it a secret. Let's go back and smelt this ore to see the details. If it's true, I will report it to the state government."
Magistrate Niu took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wrapped the stone in it, and put it in his arms.
"Let's go back now and not stay any longer. Nothing is more important than this."
After leaving the house, Magistrate Niu resumed his usual official demeanor, ordered the officials to collect grain taxes, and then got on the carriage and left.
Zhou Mingshu watched the carriage go farther and farther away and gradually turn into a black dot.
Now that the iron ore had been delivered, she breathed a sigh of relief and no longer had to worry about this matter.
A day passed, and the leading official and the village chief Wang Fugui stood aside and chatted.
"Village Chief Wang, as expected, your grain tax this year is 10% higher than in previous years. Congratulations on your good harvest. Even if you encounter a disaster like the heavy snow blocking the mountains, this much grain can be eaten until the beginning of next spring."
"Pfft, don't talk about that stupid snowstorm. We who live in the mountains are afraid of it. We can harvest so much grain thanks to the Zhou family. You should also plant crops at home. When the wheat is harvested next year, remember to burn the straw. There will be fewer pests, the land will be fertile, and it will save you a lot of trouble. Don't forget it, haha."
"sure!"
The officials left with several ox carts of grain taxes, and the remaining grain was theirs.
Eat whatever you want!
So cool!