Seeing that there are so many sericultures in Jiangxia, the playful Li Xingmeng also wants to buy a silk factory in Jiangxia to make some money and spend. Dai Yan'er, Qian, Xingkong, Lin, and Tie Zhen have all joined the shares.

"In the future, I will also be a big man, and you are all my shareholders. Li Xingmengren said like this.

"Sister Qian, you should be the head of my silk factory. Li Xingmeng took Qian's hand and said.

Qian smiled and nodded, and then Xingkong was responsible for recruiting people, Dai Yan'er was his assistant, Tie Zhen was responsible for the safety of the silk factory, and Lin was responsible for finance.

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"Xing Gongzi, the villain knows a silkworm farmer couple, this couple has excellent craftsmanship, and knows a lot of silkworm farmers, but last year the couple owed Master Li a loan shark and sold themselves into slavery. One of Starry Sky's newly recruited subordinates said.

"Well, in that case, we will redeem this couple for my use. Starry Sky said.

The two were learning about the local silk market, and suddenly found a dirty girl on the side of the road, the girl was originally the daughter of a gentry lord, named Yunyue, Chu broke the embankment, and the farmland of the gentry lord's house was washed away, so he hanged himself, leaving the girl to beg for a living.

"Sir, please take me in. The girl pulled at the hem of the starry sky and cried.

"Get out of here, don't use your dirty hands to ruin Childe's clothes. The subordinate rebuked.

"Well, I just don't have someone to serve me, so I can take you in. Starry Sky said.

"Don't thank you to Childe yet?" the next person reminded.

"Thank you, Childe!" It turns out that this subordinate has known Yun Yue for a long time, and today he deliberately brought the starry sky here just to take Yun Yue in one with a black face and one with a red face.

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In the temporary residence of the starry sky, the ransomed Bai family couple came here, and the Bai family and his wife hurriedly knelt down to the starry sky to thank him: "Thank you, master, the grass people are willing to follow the master to the death." ”

The lady of the Bai family is now only in her twenties, with two daughters, seeing that the starry sky looks like a dog, a few years younger than herself, she can't help but throw flattering eyes at the starry sky in front of her husband, and the old Bai on the side is helpless when she sees this, after all, she is just a slave of the eldest lord, if the eldest lord really wants to forcibly occupy his wife, he can't help it.

However, the starry sky was full of silk factory affairs at this time, so he ignored the flattery of Mrs. Bai, and seeing that Starry Sky ignored her flattery, Mrs. Bai said weakly: "Master, the slave maid still has two daughters, and she has not yet married and is married, so she can be called to serve the eldest master." ”

"Well, you have a heart. Xingkong replied casually, and then added: "I heard that you and your wife are very good at raising silkworms, and they know a lot of silkworm farmers. ”

"Yes. Lao Bai replied truthfully.

"That's good, in the future, you will be responsible for helping me raise silkworms, contact those silkworm farmers, and also come over to help me raise silkworms. Starry Sky said with a smile.

Then he pointed to Yun Yue, who was about seventeen or eighteen years old who was standing on the side, and said: "Her name is Yun Yue, she is my personal slave, she will be your boss in the future, if you have any questions, look for her." ”

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On a high mountain on the outskirts of Jiangxia, local officials brought Li Xingmeng and Qian here.

"Two aunts...... Well...... My lord, this is Huangqi Mountain, which is the most suitable for building a silk factory. The officials didn't know what to call Li Xingmeng and Qian for a while.

"I want to build a big silk factory here, and there will be supporting accommodation and other facilities, so that silkworm workers can eat, drink and lazar here, and improve the efficiency of silk production. Li Xingmeng said excitedly.

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The news that a thirteen or fourteen-year-old woman was going to build a silk factory in Huangqi Mountain spread all over the surrounding villages, but everyone thought that it was just a fool's errand around the official lady, who would care about the little money made by the silk factory.

Xinyuan Village, an ordinary small village in Jiangxia, like other small villages in Jiangxia, many of the villagers here are raising spring silkworms to earn some money to subsidize their families.

Although silk is a huge profit, but the profiteering is only silk traders, silkworm farmers actually can't make much, silk market is good when it is only seven or eight copper coins a load, when the market is not good, only three or four copper coins a load, usually five or six copper coins a load, remove the cost of buying mulberry leaves and other costs when raising silkworms, usually, a load of silk is only to earn one or two copper coins, a silkworm farmer can raise more than ten loads of silk is the limit, a year of spring silkworms earn at most 20 copper coins, these 20 copper coins, the annual basic consumption is also more than ten copper coins, the remaining copper coins are also used to pay taxes and repay loans to the big men who lend money, it can be said that they cannot make ends meet, every family is tightening their belts to get by.

(Note: The burden here is a very small measuring instrument, and a load of silk is only as much as two slaps)

Because Jiangxia County has a dense water network, so the local people travel more with water boats and less with horse-drawn carriages, people who have no money will row a broken boat, eat and sleep in the open on the boat, and the rich people sit on the flower boat with carved jade bracelets, and chant poems on the flower boat.

"Yo, my little boat is rowing, whose sister is coming to see yo, hey, my brother is having fun on the boat, the little sister next door sits on and shakes with my brother, hey." In a small river at the edge of the village, Lao Zhang rowed his broken boat and sang local songs back to Xinyuan Village, and the dilapidated boat was loaded with many mulberry leaves.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, I went to the city and bought so many mulberry leaves, enough for your silkworm baby to eat for a long time. The village woman washing clothes by the river quipped.

"Haha, no more, no more. Lao Zhang smiled happily, he went early today, bought cheap mulberry leaves, and saved some money, so he was very happy.

"I heard that an official lady built a silk factory in the nearby Huangqi Mountain, and recruited silkworm farmers everywhere to raise silkworms in the silk factory, Lao Zhang, have you heard of it?" asked the peasant woman curiously.

"I have inquired about that official lady in the city, her name is Li Xingmeng, I heard that she is a student of Mr. Daosheng of Luoyang Library Pavilion University, and now she is a distinguished guest in the mansion of the envoy. Lao Zhang replied casually.

"I really don't understand, these young ladies in fine clothes and fine food have a good life, but they come to this deserted place to build a silk factory, and they are not short of money. The villagers were puzzled.

"Maybe it's just for fun, how can we people guess the thoughts of the official lady. Lao Zhang replied with a hitch.

"I see, it won't be long before the Phoenix Silk Factory will go bankrupt. A village woman said with jealousy.

"Come on, even if the official lady is bankrupt, she is more chic than you shrew, what are you talking about?"

"Old Zhangtou, are you looking for scolding?" The village woman was not to be outdone and scolded Lao Zhang.

"Okay, okay, don't be noisy, it's better to go home and take care of the silkworm baby, whether you can eat a few more full meals this year depends on whether the silkworm baby spins silk or not." "The village chief came out to pull the rack.

The villagers went back to their respective homes, some villagers also burned incense to worship the gods, begging the gods to protect the silkworm baby, so that the silkworm baby grew up healthily to spin silk, some villagers fingers gently dropped the silkworm baby fell on the ground back into the frame, but the silkworm baby was frightened when there was a little abnormality.

Lao Zhang made a lot of money raising silkworm babies the year before last, so last year he was a lot bolder, and the scale of silkworm babies expanded a lot, but he didn't expect that last year's weather was much colder than in previous years, many silkworm babies froze to death, Lao Zhang lost his family property at once, in order to maintain the family, he had to borrow usury from the famous rich businessman Li Tuo in Jiangxia County, and then there was a month to repay the usury time, if it was not on, his own field would be taken away by Li Tuo as a pawn, and he would change from a homesteaders with a field as a guarantee to a homeless person without a field guarantee, and the homeless people were hellish in life, and they really ate this meal, he will starve to death in the next meal, so Lao Zhangtou can only hope that this year's silkworm baby can give a little more strength and let himself repay the loan shark, so that he can live a normal life again.

Lao Zhangtou's daughter also closed her eyes and said to the silkworm baby: "Lovely silkworm baby, you have to live a good life and spit out a little more silk, I don't want to be sold to those old men as slaves after the family goes bankrupt." ”