vrcanaries Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Chen Gong handed Lei Zhenzi to Lin Xiaofan and introduced the results of various tests.
After hearing this, Lin Xiaofan nodded and gave instructions:
"Okay, you go get two more craftsmen. Then follow this template and do it as quickly as possible. The more you do, the better."
According to the gunpowder reserves in the warehouse, more than a hundred such thunderbolts can be made. If a war really breaks out, these Lei Zhenzi are enough to change the situation of a war.
As soon as Chen Gong left, Liu Shishi, Liu Yanyan, and Li Xiaoran returned together.
Liu Shishi was in charge of arranging the mining people, Liu Yanyan was in charge of training the escort team, and Li Xiaoran was in charge of burning the lime. All three of them had sad looks on their faces, and there was no joy or laughter in the past.
Lin Xiaofan looked at the three people who had returned, then looked up at the sky. Unknowingly, it was approaching evening.
The dark clouds covered the sun, and I didn’t even know the approximate time. God, what an eyesore.
Thinking of the countless corpses lying on the road during the famine in his memory, he felt a little more compassion in his heart.
Living in this era, surviving is a luxury.
"Husband, the snow is too heavy, and it will be much more difficult for the escort team to train."
Liu Yanyan sighed.
The snow outside has covered half of my calves, making training much more difficult.
"Husband, the snow is really heavy, and the lime production has dropped a lot recently. Moreover, several workers have caught a cold."
Liu Shishi looked worried. The heavy snow has been falling, which greatly slowed down the speed of lime collection.
"Sir, the supply of lime is too low. The No. [-] kiln has stopped working. I have sent all the people from the No. [-] kiln to collect lime."
Li Xiaoran also spoke immediately.
This God is so unkind.
Lin Xiaofan nodded, already expecting this situation.
"In this way, let's pay the wages to the workers first, let them go home and rest, and then talk about working again after the snow stops. Those who have colds, give them some medicine."
If we continue to do this, I am afraid that more and more people will fall ill, and not much lime will be harvested, so the gain outweighs the loss.
This year is a good harvest year, so the people will not starve to death, but they may freeze to death without cotton-padded clothes. These people have worked for him for so many days, so they should have a lot of money, enough to buy clothes.
He still has a repeating crossbow business, and even if the lime business stops, he can still make a lot of money every day.
As long as he can ensure that the border is not chaotic, his business can continue and he will soon become the richest man in Qingzhou. Later, it is not impossible to become the richest man in the country or the world.
Looking towards the border, his face looked a little more worried. He always felt that the Liang Kingdom and the Great Shang Kingdom were planning something.
"Yanyan, the guard team has also temporarily stopped training. You go and make arrangements. From now on, four people will patrol near the village every day."
Lin Xiaofan turned his gaze to Liu Yanyan, only to find that the latter had some embarrassment on her face.
"Husband, everyone in the escort team said that they can continue training. And the snowy weather can temper their will even more. You see, how about letting them continue training."
Liu Yanyan said.
Since someone died in the last battle, everyone in the escort team has been training themselves like crazy.
Lin Xiaofan shook his head and rejected without hesitation:
"No! The snow has already covered my calves. If you continue training, it may cause permanent damage to your legs. By then, you won't be able to fight anymore. Forget it, I'll talk to them about the pros and cons tomorrow."
After thinking about it, Lin Xiaofan decided to go and talk in person tomorrow. However, everyone has a good intention to train hard. If they insist on continuing to practice, then clear out the courtyard at home for them to train.
"Shishi, go and talk to Li Zheng. If any family has no food to eat, you can come to us to borrow food and pay it back next year. The interest... is calculated as one-fifth."
The interest given by Lin Xiaofan is almost free in this era.
You must know that in times of famine, the price of food will rise dozens of times. He charged one-fifth of the interest, not even a fraction.
Moreover, there are people working for him from door to door, so there is no need to worry about not paying it back.
It’s just that civilians elsewhere were killed and injured in unknown numbers.
……
Qingzhou, Linliao County
The cold wind in the early morning blew through the streets and alleys, and goose-feather snowflakes hit the windows. There was no one on the supposedly lively streets.
In a dilapidated room, a dozen people in tattered clothes gathered together, shivering.
The windows of the house were blocked by them, making the whole room extremely dark.
"Mom, I'm so cold and hungry."
A child of four or five years old spoke pitifully.
A woman in her twenties touched the child's head and took off a piece of clothing on her body.
Just in time, a gust of cold wind blew through the woman's body through the partially sealed window, causing the woman to take a breath of cold air.
Despite this, she still chose to put the clothes on the child, and then held the child in her arms.
"Honey, steamed buns, it will be hot in two hours."
The wind in the early morning is always the coldest and most difficult to endure.
The child retracted his body and curled up in the woman's arms.
"Mom, I'm so hungry."
The child's tone was filled with grievances. He had not eaten for three days.
"Mom, I'm hungry too."
"Mom, I want to eat."
Several children around him spoke one after another, with expectations in their voices.
But this time, several women in the room chose to remain silent. They really couldn't bear to tell these children that there was no food at home.
This year, their village was plundered three times by nearby bandits, and most of the food in the village was plundered.
They originally went to the city to find some work. Although they were a little tired, they could still earn money for food. However, the continuous heavy snowfall and the plummeting temperature have stopped work everywhere.
For a time, everyone in the family had nothing to eat.
"Wow!"
A child of two or three years old cried loudly, and other children also started crying.
Many women closed their eyes silently, their eyelashes trembling.
After a while, a younger woman's eyes became firm and she handed the hand of the child in her arms to the person next to her.
"Kids, don't cry. I'll go out and find you some food. Wait until I come back."
The woman on the side heard this and quickly stopped her.
"You're crazy. It's such a cold day and everything is frozen to death. Where can I find food? And it's so cold outside and it's snowing heavily. I can't see the road clearly. Where can I find food?"
She is older and has experienced several famines, so she understands that there is nothing outside now.
"But..." The woman looked at the crying child with hesitation in her eyes.
She also knew that it was cold outside, and if she went out, she might not be able to come back.
But if she doesn't go out, her child will soon starve to death, and she won't survive long.
"Don't go out and suffer. Just watch your fate here."
The people around him spoke. If it doesn't work, then you can only eat it by exchanging its seeds. They also did this during previous famines.
Looking at her child who was so thin that he was just skin and bones, the woman's eyes became more determined.
"I'll go out and see."
With that said, she went out without looking back.