Wei and Jin cooks

The planting of winter wheat was gradually completed. There was relatively little land around the county and there were many people, so it was completed first.

As a result, some people gradually became free.

Chang Ning immediately arranged for people to hire many women and girls who were good at needlework to make quilt covers and winter clothes.

The man sent them out to cut firewood and experiment with burning charcoal using the method taught by Fu Tinghan. Of course, not all the firewood needs to be burned with charcoal, and most of it is still saved as firewood.

Although wood heating is smokey, it is no worse than charcoal.

There is so much work at the moment, so there is no need to burn all the charcoal, just reserve some.

The most important work is to build thatched houses and prepare for the coming spring plowing.

In addition, some more loyal and flexible people were selected and sent to various directions in the county.

That was the workshop built by Zhao Hanzhang and others.

Among them, the papermaking workshop was the most important. After Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan returned to the county, they went to see the progress.

The soaked raw material has softened and can be pulled out, but it is not enough.

After asking about the time, Zhao Hanzhang said: "We have to wait another twenty days or so to make a few more reaction tanks and soak in some new materials every day, so that we can maintain daily material testing after we start production."

The steward agreed, but he was very uneasy because he had never made paper before, and he never knew that paper was made of messy things such as wheat straw, bark and weeds.

Every time he looked down at the contents of the reaction pool, he felt a little dazed, thinking that he was crazy to believe the girl's words.

But the girl was full of confidence, and he... could only believe it.

After sending Zhao Hanzhang away, he immediately turned back and told the long-term workers, "Dig another reaction tank, and don't forget to soak today's materials."

Everyone responded.

The papermaking workshop is in the south of the city, just downstream of the moat. There is a large area of ​​farmland and houses here, mostly fertile farmland owned by some residents in the city, and some official farmland owned by the county government.

This part of the official land belongs to the county magistrate and is used for growing vegetables and fruits.

Because it was not very safe outside the city, Zhao Hanzhang temporarily placed the papermaking workshop in the city and used this piece of land to build the workshop.

Even though it looks like a land for the county magistrate to grow melons and vegetables, it is actually quite large, several acres in size.

Then buy some land next to it, and if the owner runs away and takes it back to the county government, you can free up more than ten acres of land, which is more than enough to build a paper-making workshop.

Because Zhao Hanzhang was thinking about papermaking, he let the horse walk back slowly. After an unknown period of time, the horse stopped.

Zhao Hanzhang came back to his senses, raised his head and looked forward, and saw that there were many people blocked in front of him, and his horse stopped when it was blocked.

Qiu Wu behind him immediately asked the guards to come forward and chase them away. Zhao Hanzhang raised his hand to stop him and stretched his neck to look curiously.

She saw two Yamen officials surrounded in the middle. Everyone was holding clothes and cloth in their hands. Because there were so many people around, even though she had stretched her neck, she still couldn't see the people inside clearly, but she could hear them. sound.

I heard a young girl say angrily: "You use catkins and willow catkins to fill winter clothes and bedding, and you dare to say that it is not a matter of disregarding human life. Miss Zhao will never do this. You must be waiting to line your own pockets."

"Yes, yes, you must be the one waiting to line your own pockets."

Someone else shouted loudly: "We are already so miserable, but you are still greedy. This is simply forcing us to death!"

The two police officers surrounded by the middle were ashamed and angry, and shouted: "This is what was handed down from above, how could I be greedy?"

"It's good to have it. And who said these quilts and winter clothes are for you? You are just the ones we hired to make clothes and quilts. Did we give you any wages?"

Zhao Hanzhang heard the girl shout: "Even if it's not for us, you can't be greedy! Are soldiers not human beings and refugees not human beings?"

"That's right, that's right."

Zhao Hanzhang saw that the police officers surrounded were so angry that smoke was coming out of their noses, and the people around him were so angry that they were so angry that they were about to roll up their sleeves and beat them. He quickly said loudly: "That's right. good!"

When everyone heard the sound, they turned around and saw Zhao Hanzhang riding on the horse. Their eyes immediately lit up, they took two steps back respectfully and saluted quickly, "Girl!"

Some people turned and shouted to the noisy crowd behind them: "Miss Zhao is here!"

Everyone separated, revealing the person in the middle.

When the girl in the middle saw Zhao Hanzhang, her eyes lit up and she looked at Zhao Hanzhang excitedly.

She stepped forward with the clothes in her hands, bowed Yingying, and said with a slightly red face: "Girl!"

Zhao Hanzhang looked her up and down and said with a smile, "She's a girl from the Fan family."

She jumped off the horse and took a few steps forward to help her upright, "No need to be polite."

She looked at the clothes she held in her hands.

Fan Ying immediately explained: "I heard that the county government wanted to make winter clothes and quilts for the garrison and the refugees who were affected by the disaster, and there was a shortage of manpower, so I also went to get some pieces of cloth and came back to make them, but after they were finished, the county government sent cotton wadding to fill them. Quilts and winter clothes, unexpectedly, they are all catkins and reed catkins."

"After asking, I found out that all the living people in our street received willow catkins and reed catkins. These catkins and reed catkins did not keep people warm. I was so angry that I brought someone to argue with them. It turned out that these two were different. The officials guarded the gate of the county government and refused to let us in."

The two officers were also very aggrieved, with red eyes and said: "Girl, this fabric and the catkins and catkins stuffed with it are all from above. I was just ordered to send them to them for making, and then I was ordered to take them back."

"As for not allowing them to enter the county government office, it's because Director Chang is meeting with distinguished guests inside at this time. What should I do if I let them rush in like this and disturb the distinguished guests?"

Zhao Hanzhang did not ask who the distinguished guest was, but took a closer look at the clothes in his hands. Whether they were catkins or reed catkins, they were very light. Fan Ying had filled them in a lot, making them look very thick, but in fact they were not very heavy.

She turned around and stood on the two steps so that everyone around could see her. She first said to Fan Ying: "Miss Fan is right. These catkins and reed catkins are indeed not very warm. If the weather is too cold, wear such clothes." It will freeze people to death, Miss Fan’s question is good.”

The onlookers were filled with indignation and thought that someone in the county government had been corrupted. The police officer's face was almost bleeding.

Zhao Hanzhang said: "But I know this."

She faced everyone with an apologetic look, bowed deeply and said, "It's my intention to fill the catkins and willow catkins."

Everyone was stunned, and Fan Ying looked at her in disbelief.

"Everyone should also know that now that the Xiongnu army is attacking Luoyang and Yuzhou southward, everything outside Xiping is in chaos. Previously, the rebel army entered the city in a hurry and chaos. More than half of the materials in the city were lost. I asked many people to go out. I buy cotton wool, but I only get a small amount, which is not enough to make quilts and winter clothes.”

"Filling catkins and reed catkins is a last resort." She turned to look at the two officials, and sighed deeply: "This is Hanzhang's helpless move, but it is also Hanzhang's fault, and it is different from the county government. The officials have nothing to do with it. If you want to blame me, blame me."