Along with the howling cold wind, the first snow of the year arrived as expected. In the blink of an eye, the goose-feather-like heavy snow turned the world into a vast expanse of white, covered in silver and white.
In the past, Xu Heng would have inevitably cooked a pot of sake, invited a few close friends, drank warm wine while admiring the beautiful scenery of the first snow, fell in love with the scenery, recited a poem, and filled himself with emotion.
All the arrogance of the literati was released.
However, at this moment, he did not have any leisure to enjoy the heavy snow outside. His hands that were busy grinding flour were red from the cold weather, and a gust of cold wind blew, making his whole body shiver.
It has been more than a month. He and Li Renjie have been busy on this farm for more than a month.
From the initial reluctance, waiting for someone to intercede on his behalf, waiting for Emperor Hongzhi to cherish his ministers and order him to go back, he gradually understood that if he didn't complete the task, he might have to stay here for the rest of his life.
In desperation, the two began to do farm work seriously.
It took more than 20 days to harvest ten acres of wheat. However, this was just the beginning. They had to grind all the wheat into flour before they could truly complete the task.
Looking at the mountains of wheat, and then looking at the stone mill in their hands, it seems like a task that will never be completed. However, neither of them wants to stay here anymore, and they have to insist on grinding flour every day, with both hands exhausted.
There were pools of blood and calluses on my hands, and my hands were sore from the grinding. It hurt like hell if I touched them at night.
After working hard day by day, my waist and back ached. In the first few days, the pain was so painful that I couldn't sleep every day. But now I have gradually become accustomed to this kind of life.
"Woo~"
In the factory building next to it, with the sound of whistles, the steam engine drove the mill to start working. Bag after bag of wheat was poured in, and turned into white flour at the exit. The efficiency was very high.
The workers from the nearby farm were nearby, chatting as they finished their work. In just one morning, a lot of wheat was ground into bags of flour.
Then he looked at the stone mill in his hand. After turning it vigorously all morning, he had just ground a small bag of wheat into flour. The difference was not as big as usual.
He really wanted to use this steam mill to grind the wheat he harvested into powder, but there were several guards around him at all times, watching the two of them and not allowing them to use any means.
Useless "Kit Kat Yin skills" are tools that can make people lazy and unproductive.
This is something that Emperor Hongzhi personally issued an order to explain. It is precisely to see how hardworking these two adults can be and to experience the feeling brought by hard work.
"Haha~wuwu~"
Looking at the efficiency of the steam flour machine next to me, and then looking at the stone mill in my hand, I just turned it a few times, and my whole arm was sore that I couldn't even turn it. It took two hands to turn it with difficulty.
I kept working, but I couldn't grind out much flour in a whole morning. Then I looked at the pile of flour next to me, waiting to be ground.
Xu Heng didn't know whether he was laughing or crying. While laughing, tears kept flowing out.
Li Renjie on the side is relatively better. After all, he is younger and more powerful. His progress is faster than Xu Heng.
But at this moment, how can Li Renjie see the slightest bit of Hanlin Academy style?
Wearing tattered linen clothes, his whole body was hunched over, his hands were red from the cold, and traces of the frost could be seen. The slightest touch would hurt him to death, but he had to hold on tightly.
Turn the handle of the millstone and grind the powder hard, trying to end this hell-like life as soon as possible.
He longed to go back as soon as possible.
There is a warm bed at home, and a charming concubine. There are endless delicacies to eat, and endless wine to drink...
Thinking of this, another force seemed to emerge from his tired body, allowing him to continue turning.
Looking at the steam mill on the farm next to him, his eyes were shining.
At this moment, he finally understood something.
I also understand why Xinxue can be so deeply rooted in people's hearts and develop rapidly.
In the final analysis, these things taught by the new learning are all things that can really help improve people's productivity and reduce labor burden.
Whether it is the steam mill in front of you or various steam-driven machines, they all play a huge role in greatly improving efficiency and reducing labor burden.
As far as the mill in front of us is concerned, before there was a mill, grinding flour into powder was an extremely difficult task.
Relying on traditional stone mills or millstones, even with the help of livestock, is still very inefficient.
The key is that in the past, rural people were very poor. Many families did not even have cattle, horses, mules and other livestock, so they had to rely on people to grind flour.
It's like me now, relying on my hands to grind flour. My hands are sore and painful all morning, but I just grind out a small bag of flour.
"The new learning also has its merits. Although it does not have any opinions on how to govern the country, it is still very useful for society, the country, and the people. Various machines can
Greatly improve efficiency and reduce labor burden."
Only when I personally participated in labor did I truly understand the hardship of labor.
When I was studying in the past, I only saw what was written in the books, saw the family, the country, the world, the golden house and Yan Ruyu, but I did not feel the hardship of labor.
It may have been mentioned in books, but where in the few lines of text in the book can you personally experience it and make it unforgettable?
Plant one grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.
It’s just a talk in a book, but for the farmers who are really involved, they sweat as much as they harvest the grain, and sometimes they don’t even get much grain.
Xu Heng and Li Renjie were pushing the stone mill and grinding flour. Snow was falling heavily outside and the cold wind was howling.
"Xu~"
At this time, a four-wheeled carriage stopped at the door of the factory, and Liu Jin and Zhang Mao walked down with smiles on their faces.
"You brat, I heard that you recently set up a bicycle factory. Why don't you say hello to me? You have a profitable business and you don't take me with you."
Zhang Mao's way to get rich is very simple, that is to always follow Liu Jin. Whatever Liu Jin does, he will do. As for other things, don't think too much about it. Following the right person is the wisest choice.
"Mr. Zhang, that was made by His Highness the Prince and I. You have also visited the bicycle factory. The bicycles produced are actually things for young people to play with. It is not a big business. In fact, it is
His Highness the Prince was very naughty at the time and forced me to invest in building a factory."
"You also know that if we invest one million taels of silver in this factory, who will buy these two cars?"
"It will definitely be a loss-making business by then."
Liu Jin looked at Zhang Mao next to him and was speechless. He would have a hand in any business he did and would keep an eye on him every day.
"Indeed, that two-legged bicycle is not as comfortable as a four-wheeled carriage, and you have to use your own feet to pedal it. The key is that it is easy to fall, and it will definitely not be sold in the future."
When Zhang Mao heard this, he nodded again and again, then thought for a moment and said, "How about you let me take part in it, just one-tenth of it, and I'll have someone deliver it to your house when you get one hundred thousand taels of silver."
He was still a little worried. How could Liu Jin do such a ruthless business that he would lose money? Although he was not optimistic about this two-wheeler, one hundred thousand taels of silver was not a big deal and he could get it casually.
come out.
"Forget it, Mr. Zhang~"
"If this is really a profitable business, I will definitely call you and forget about the loss-making one. Forget it."
Liu Jin shook his head repeatedly, joking, my factory will be put into production in a while, and then during the golden period of the Chinese New Year, these two cars will definitely become popular and sell well.
At that time, this factory will no longer be a matter of one million taels of silver. Ten million taels of silver will be considered a small thing. Now you want to buy original shares with only one hundred thousand taels of silver. Just dream.
"Okay, next time you have a profitable business, be sure to bring me with you."
Zhang Mao saw that Liu Jin didn't seem to be lying, and then thinking about the strange bicycle, he said indifferently.
"Okay, okay, I must bring Mr. Zhang~"
Liu Jin could only nod his head repeatedly.
The two of them came to the factory building while they were talking, and immediately saw Xu Heng and Li Renjie who were struggling to push the stone mill to grind flour. The two also saw Liu Jin and Zhang Mao, and they immediately sat up straight and stretched themselves out.
He raised his head and chest, showing that he would never be bullied.
They felt that Liu Jin and Zhang Mao must have come to laugh at them.
"Master Xu, Master Li~"
"Do you think it's useful now?"
"Is this machine a dirty thing?"
"Are the things taught in this new study some clever and clever skills? Will they make you lazy and unworkable?"
Liu Jin looked at Xu Heng and Li Renjie in front of him. If someone hadn't pointed it out, he would have been a little unrecognizable. The two of them had completely changed. How could he still tell that they were ministers of the court?
"Hmph~"
"Things that are obscene are those that are obscene. No matter how eloquent you are, you still can't change the fact. The rise of new learning will inevitably shake the foundation of our country, the Ming Dynasty."
Xu Heng was still very stubborn.
"New learning still has some merits. At least the various machines invented can greatly improve efficiency and reduce labor burden."
"But when it comes to the way of governing the country, my Confucian orthodoxy is the most suitable. New learning is just a side doctrine and cannot be put on the big stage."
Although Li Renjie is also tough, he also affirms some of Xinxue's merits.
"Haha, these two adults are very proud of themselves."
After Liu Jin heard this, he immediately laughed.
We are all the same. We only know something after we have suffered and fallen.
"Today, I, Mr. Zhang, am also here with an order. Your Majesty has said that as long as you two adults feel that this new learning has merit, you will be allowed to use the machine to complete your tasks."
"The machine is right next to you now. It's up to you two adults whether you want to use it or not."
"The reason why we are human is that we are good at thinking and making use of the things around us. What the new learning teaches may seem to you to be crooked ways and heresy, but in my opinion, it is the most suitable for us.
something developed because it follows the most basic principles.”
"Xinxue constantly studies various things in nature, improves and utilizes them, and creates various machines to improve efficiency, reduce labor burden, and improve our productivity. This is
Something that can truly enrich the country and strengthen its people.”
Looking at the two of them, Liu Jin also said with some sincerity.
Now is not the time to completely break with tradition, and if you think about future generations, traditional things are not useless, and there is still much that deserves recognition.
We cannot deny everything across the board and completely abandon the wisdom left by our ancestors.
The battle between the old and the new requires a process after all. In the end, it is the continuous integration and absorption of each other, inheriting the wisdom left by the ancestors, constantly pioneering and innovating, and bravely advancing on the new road.
Of course, Liu Jin still hopes to use gentle means to alleviate the old and new conflicts he is facing now. As long as it can be delayed for a few years and Ming Dynasty's global rule is established, as for what will happen in the future, it will be left to future generations to solve.
.
"real?"
Hearing Liu Jin's words, Xu Heng and Li Renjie both opened their eyes in disbelief. They looked at the mountains of wheat behind them and thought about their home. The two of them immediately rushed to the steam mill nearby.