eurekapd Chapter 223 Water Tofu? Gray Tofu?
Chapter 223 Water Tofu? Gray Tofu?
With the autumn harvest approaching, Lin Yong has also finished making his foot-operated threshing machine.
Iron rings need to be installed on the threshing machine drum, but that's not a problem.
After all, they had previously confiscated hundreds of longswords from the Lotus Sect.
After melting a couple of pieces, the iron ring was installed!
The hilt of the sword retained a section of the blade, because the village was very busy, everyone was working in the fields, and there weren't enough sickles.
The blade of this sword hilt can be sharpened and used as a sickle!
Gao Mengli had the village chief bring out fifty swords, which she then chopped into broken blades, making full use of the "waste"!
The rest will be kept at the village chief's house. When the farming season is over, the village will organize several guard teams and distribute a sword to each member.
Every man dreams of being a hero!
They have no resistance to straight tree branches, let alone long swords, which they absolutely adore!
However, what they wanted most was that massive iron weapon in Gao Mengli's hand.
But they dared not ask.
The news that a guard team would be formed, paid wages, and armed was met with excitement among the young men in the village!
They couldn't wait to join the guard team and receive their longswords as soon as the autumn harvest was over.
Therefore, the enthusiasm for the autumn harvest was unprecedented, and the harvest was in full swing.
Dou Weiyi had found out the news a few days ago, and he came early today when the threshing machine was going to be put into operation.
This threshing machine is made of iron and uses a lot of wood, so we ordered fifty from Lin Yong at a price of six hundred cash each.
The profits from the public toilets were all used to fund the threshing machine.
Dou Weiyi stood by the field, watching the threshing machine about to be put into operation, her face full of excitement.
The villagers, bandits, and members of the White Lotus Cult took sickles and went to the fields. After cutting a bundle of rice, they hurriedly ran to the threshing machine.
The up-and-down movement of the foot pedal causes a set of wooden gears inside the machine to rotate. These gears mesh together and transmit power to a horizontal shaft.
A row of short-toothed rollers is mounted on the horizontal axis. The rollers spin rapidly, and people nearby gently place the ears of rice in their hands onto the rollers.
The short teeth on the roller quickly peeled the rice grains off the ears of rice, and the grains fell into the bin below.
Seeing the rice grains detach so easily, Dou Weiyi was overjoyed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Good, good!"
The village chief next to him was also extremely impressed, exclaiming, "This thing is truly a treasure!"
In the past, we used to rub the rice with our hands or thresh it with sticks, which made our backs ache and we still couldn't get it clean.
"Great! So much grain has been harvested in such a short time!"
"That's right, that's right! With this threshing machine, we won't have to worry about the autumn harvest this year! We might even be able to finish harvesting early and have time to go to the city to sell some surplus grain." A villager also joined in, nodding in agreement!
Dou Weiyi was in high spirits and waved his hand generously, "This thing works great! Drag the remaining four down to the ground and start the harvest!"
village head:……
No, these are his words!
But his face was still full of smiles as he quickly arranged for everyone to get to work.
Seeing everyone harvesting rice with great enthusiasm, Dou Weiyi was eager to join in.
Turning to look at Lin Xi and Gao Mengli beside her, who showed no intention of getting out of bed, she asked, "Aren't you going?"
Gao Mengli: ……
Lin Xi: ……
The two shook their heads in unison.
This job requires working in the fields with your back to the sky. Under the blazing sun, it's incredibly tiring.
They didn't want to make things difficult for themselves.
Seeing their state, Dou Wei ignored them and, feeling a surge of enthusiasm, immediately jumped into the field to help harvest the rice.
But he was definitely not cut out for manual labor.
My hands are so clumsy; when I twist the rice stalks, the grains fall off the roots in a swish.
The village chief, watching from the side, felt a pang of heartache, wanting to speak but holding back, hesitating to speak but also wanting to.
Fortunately, he didn't last long.
After all, harvesting rice made his whole body itch terribly, so he had to put down the sickle and stand back on the edge of the field.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi turned and stared at him. He smiled awkwardly.
He quickly tried to justify himself: "Oh dear, farm work looks simple, but it's actually quite difficult to do, don't you think!"
Lin Xi suppressed a laugh and didn't expose him.
On her way here, Gao Mengli saw oxcarts carrying bricks coming and going into the village, raising a lot of dust on the village roads. Coupled with the busy autumn harvest, the village roads became dirty and messy.
There was no one to clean it up.
Her eyes darted around, and she looked at Dou Weiyi. "Lord Dou, are there any idle soldiers in your Ju'an District? The village wants to hire four people to sweep the village roads. The wages are two hundred coins a month, and they will only sweep once a day."
Upon hearing this, Dou Weiyi nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I'll arrange it!"
He was worried because all the strong men in Ju'an District had been hired by the security escort agencies, and the remaining old soldiers, who were the disabled soldiers who had married and adopted fathers, were too old to do heavy work, but could do light work!
Sweeping the streets is the perfect job for them!
The city has arranged for them, but unfortunately, there are only so many needed, and there aren't enough workstations for them.
In addition, not long ago, his father sent over a group of retired veterans for him to support.
He was extremely anxious and worried.
He was naturally going to refuse the request for a "cleaner" for Wangyue Village!
Without even looking at the rice harvest in the village, he hurriedly went to the city to make arrangements.
At 1-3 PM, Dou Weiyi arrived at work in a horse-drawn carriage with the veterans!
Gao Mengli couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. The official speed was incredibly fast, and the efficiency was also extremely high!
After seven or eight days of continuous work, the autumn harvest in the village came to an end.
Every open space in the village was piled high with rice drying in the sun. There were also harvested soybeans.
Lin Xi brought a bowl of soft tofu from outside back home.
Gao Mengli glanced at it and asked, "Where did you get this tofu?"
"Oh, it's what Mom made today, it just came out of the pot, she told me to come and get a bowl to try!"
However, this tofu has to be freshly ground and made every time you want to eat it; you can't leave any out.
Lin Xi put the tofu back in the kitchen, leaned out of the kitchen window and discussed with Gao Mengli, "Mengli, what do you think about making gray tofu?"
That stuff not only keeps for a year without spoiling, but it also tastes amazing when used in winter to make pork rib soup, or when soaked and stir-fried!
Moreover, if we sell gray tofu, we can transport it to other places without worrying about storage issues!
"Gray tofu?" Gao Mengli repeated softly.
It's fine for personal consumption, but if you're going to sell it, then the ingredients are very questionable.
After all, each household doesn't grow many soybeans, and the yield of soybeans is not high.
If they absolutely had to do it, they would have to borrow arrows instead!
At that moment, the first person that came to her mind was Jin Gangba and Tofu Beauty Li Doudou from the county town.
I've heard that her family has been in the tofu business for generations, and the connections they've built through soybeans are definitely more extensive than those she and Lin Xi have.
So, Gao Mengli looked up at Lin Xi and said, "Xi Xi, what do you think about us cooperating with tofu beauty Li Doudou?"
She's in charge of making the tofu, and we're in charge of processing it into gray tofu!
She sells soft tofu for two coins a spoonful, which is about a pound.
Aside from the labor and firewood, she only earns a meager wage.
Working with her is much more cost-effective than hiring someone to make tofu and collecting soybeans from all over the place!
"Li Doudou?!" Lin Xi was taken aback, then suddenly realized.
Yes, you can ask Li Doudou!