Orthodox eight years, the first month, Yushan set.

"Lao Tzu turned around, and he didn't feel that he was a year old again; The children clapped their hands, happy to meet the New Year again. ”

The Spring Festival of the eighth year of orthodoxy is coming, this is the first Spring Festival that Liu Juntao has spent after crossing to the Ming Dynasty, the Spring Festival customs of the Ming Dynasty are not the same as those of later generations, there are more styles and stronger New Year's flavors, which is particularly fresh for Liu Juntao.

Before the 30th day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, every household in Yushan Ji hung a "peach charm" carved from peach wood outside the courtyard gate to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters, and pray for good weather in the coming year.

And scholars like Guo Yongzhong will also engrave couplets on peach charms to show joy.

However, at this time in the Ming Dynasty, the Spring Festival couplets are not called this name, but called "Spring Post". In big cities such as Beijing and Yanzhou, there are even merchants and bazaars that specialize in selling items such as "spring posts" and blessing characters during the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival of the Ming Dynasty began on New Year's Day, and the people of the Ming Dynasty, including Yushan Ji, began to pay tribute to their ancestors around New Year's Day. For example, Beijing has the ritual of "burning the tablet": each family uses three animals to cook food, as well as the straw paper that is finely cut into the tablet, for the ancestral tablet, wait until three days later, burn and scatter, offer the fruit noodles in front of the Buddha, and burn it until the Lantern Festival.

On New Year's Day, all households in Yushanji will travel together to enjoy the winter scenery. If you meet relatives and friends on the road, you will kowtow on the street and greet each other, which is called "greeting festival".

After New Year's Day, it is spring.

In the Ming Dynasty, the general plastic god was Tai Sui, and the earth cow was molded to start an incident. This is because the last month was built for noon, so the cattle were unearthed to send the cold, and to take advantage of the rising sun and the ceremony of welcoming spring. Recruit haiyu, decorated with a crown belt, and be dressed on a horse. Follow the example of the ancients Yuntai generals, Yingzhou bachelors and the like, as many as dozens of teams. And let the juan skills be dressed in a ring, and the boy's clothes were splendid, sitting in the pavilion. Dozens of color pavilions are made, and all things in the city are listed in the list, and they are extremely prosperous, so as to guide the gods of the earth. People from near and far, to the end of the road to fill the road, shoulder rubbing scales, gathering and watching, called "watching spring". The team passed by people's houses, each set up incense candles, burned germanium coins, and used them to welcome the Mangshen Tuwu. and threw grains at the oxen.

During the Spring Festival, there are some incidental customs in Yushanji, regardless of men and women, young and old will wear "yelling", using black gold paper to make the shape of moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, big as palms, small as money, called "yelling", large and small men and women, wear one on their heads, as for the nobles, it is inserted into the whole head, it is really the will of the ancients.

In this way, every household in Yushan Ji ushered in the Chinese New Year's Eve at the time of spring, and every household stayed up late to keep vigil, and children and the elderly set off firecrackers to celebrate. In addition, the six villages and many stove households have just moved over, and they have received a lot of money and food compensation, and they have lived a rare good year, which can be said to be a happy smile for every family.

After the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the Lantern Festival will arrive.

The custom of appreciating lanterns during the Lantern Festival has existed since ancient times, and it is said that it began in the Taiyi Temple of the Han Dynasty, and the Shangyuan Lantern in the Ming Dynasty is its legacy. Tang Dynasty Jin Wu relaxed the ban for three nights, and the Song Dynasty increased it to five nights, and the Ming Dynasty did it.

As for the folk lantern festival, it is extremely prosperous in Hangzhou. For example, all the lamps made of leather, silk, yarn and paper are all from Hangzhou. In addition, during the Lantern Festival, Hangzhou also gathers some of the most valuable lighting from the north and south of the river. Such as the pearl lamp in Fujian, the white lower corner lamp, the silk lamp in southern Yunnan, and so on. The patterns of the lamp are also extremely varied, which is dizzying, and it is a grand occasion for the moment.

In a remote village like Yushanji, there must be no such valuable lighting, but Guo Yongzhong and Zhang Baigui are also unwilling to be lonely, and still take the old and young in the village to make a lot of lanterns.

At the same time, because Yushanji has become the largest village in Huakou Town, not only the population in the village is prosperous, but also there is the Yushanji guard, and the demand for various materials is massive, so during the Shangyuan Festival, it also attracted a large number of small traders, forming a large-scale lamp market in the village.

Most of the goods sold by these vendors are market food, including sugar, palm seeds, flour balls, lotus stems, melon seeds, melons and fruits, as well as yarn people and loans.

On the day of the Shangyuan Festival, Yushanji was very lively, not only people came and went, but also completely spread the name of Yushanji.

However, in such a lively Shangyuan Festival, Liu Juntao was not in the mood to have fun.

At this time, at Liu Juntao's house, Tang Yu was reading with a thick account book.

"The relocation of the villagers cost a total of 2,370 taels of silver for resettlement."

"It cost a total of one hundred and ninety-eight taels of silver to relocate the stove households."

"It cost more than 2,700 taels of silver to renovate and build new houses. In addition to the follow-up big brother's preparation for the construction of the workshop area house, as well as the wall of our Yushan Set, etc., we must reserve at least 4,000 taels of silver. ”

"It costs 1,900 taels of silver to reorganize the salt pond of Yushan."

"Expanding the convoy, building weapons, and purchasing various materials cost a total of 1,450 taels of silver and 100 stone of food."

"Distribute New Year's food to the migrated villagers and stove households, totaling 200 stone (2,000 catties)."

"After the resumption of production in Yushan Salt Pond, a total of more than 500 taels of silver was spent on various items."

After finishing speaking, Tang Yu exhaled and said, "At present, there are more than 26,000 taels of silver left in our village, and less than 500 stones of grain. This is still the cost of converting all the inputs of the three industries in Slip Town. ”

Liu Juntao's face sank like water at this time, and said: "Fortunately, there is a lot more money and food left than I imagined." ”

Tang Yu frowned and said, "Big brother, after the beginning of spring, we will need a lot of money and grain for the quilt we planned, buy farming cattle and farm tools for spring ploughing, and build irrigation canals. Before the villagers and stove households who migrated here can be self-sufficient, they all have to be raised by us, which is a huge amount of expenses! Don't look at the money and food we have in our hands now, but we can't afford to squander! ”

"How long do you estimate that the money and food in our hands can last?"

Tang Yu had obviously estimated, and said directly at this time: "April, at most May." Big brother, let's make plans early! If you can't open it up, you can only save money! ”

"Impossible!"

Liu Juntao bluntly rejected Tang Yu's suggestion and said: "Now that our stall in Yushan Market has been paved, we must not give up halfway!" Wait a little longer, wait until the beginning of spring, and see how much of the private salt in our hands can be sold, maybe the money and grain in our hands will be able to break off at that time. ”

Although Tang Yu felt that he couldn't wait any longer, he saw that Liu Juntao seemed to be very confident, so he didn't say anything more.

Four days later, because there was no news from the Liu family in Ansan Town, Liu Juntao felt a little uneasy, so he found Gao Ran and asked him to send a few clever men to Ansan Town in the south to inquire about the news.

Then, Liu Juntao took a team of young people to Yushan Salt Pond.

Yan Hu hurriedly came out to greet him when he heard the news, and after everyone came in, he walked around in the Yushan Salt Pond, and Yan Hu introduced Liu Juntao all the way.

"Big brother, now that the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed, our salt pond has also resumed production."

Liu Juntao looked at the hot scene around him, felt very relieved, and asked, "What is the monthly output?" ”

"Big brother, now our private salt is mainly made by boiling salt from the salt and alkali in the reeds, and the output is naturally not as good as the government's sea salt and well salt production, but it can also have a harvest of 4,000 to 5,000 catties per month."

Liu Juntao couldn't help but nod when he heard this, this output had exceeded his expectations.

You must know that in the absence of specialized equipment at this time, all private salt must be completed by manpower, from boiling brine, distillation and cooking, to collecting reed fuel, etc., all of which are completed by manpower.

In this case, the output of Yushan Salt Pond can reach nearly 5,000 catties, which is already commendable.

Liu Juntao calculated a little and said: "If the price set by the Wang family is according to the previous one, then we will be able to have more than 600 taels of input per month (about 800 wen in the middle of the Ming Dynasty is converted into one tael of silver)." Although it is less than I expected, it will definitely continue to grow in the future, which is also a major pillar of our Yushan set! ”

At this time, Yan Hu said worriedly: "But now there are some problems. ”

"Huh? What's the problem? ”

Yan Hu said: "Big brother, when the Wang family shipped the goods before, there were many families in Huakou Town and even Dong'e County who came to pick up the goods. But now that the Wang family is gone, those lower families have all disappeared as if out of thin air, and they are all gone. ”

Liu Juntao frowned and said, "In other words, not a single pound of private salt we boiled is now sold?" ”

"Yes!"

"Have you ever contacted those next families?"

Yan Hu nodded and said, "I sent someone to contact me, but I couldn't find anyone, and these guys were all hiding." And ......"

"What else? Go ahead! ”

Yan Hu said: "Big brother, there are still a lot of stove households in the reeds of Dongping Lake, but these people are not Chen Ziping and Gao Ran, so they have not taken refuge here. However, these people have heard that the price of our purchase of illicit salt is high, and many people have come to peddle illicit salt. ”

"How many?"

"They are all retail households, and the number of each household is mostly a few catties to more than a dozen catties, but there are a large number of people, and they have been contacted several times before and after, and it is estimated that there are hundreds of stove households involved!"

When Liu Juntao heard this, he immediately asked, "Are these people willing to take refuge here?" As long as they are willing to take refuge here, I will take all their private salt! ”

"I don't want to!"

"Why?"

Liu Juntao was stunned when he heard this.

Yan Hu came over and said, "Big brother, most of these stove households are coerced by the Liu family, and they only dare to sell some private goods privately, and they dare not openly take refuge in them. They are not under the hands of the Wang family like Chen Ziping and Gao Ran, and there are many people in groups. ”

Hearing this, Liu Juntao understood that the development of Yushanji has been limited by money and grain, and it has reached a bottleneck period.

And the only way to break this bottleneck is to kill the Liu family in Ansan Town!

Liu Juntao took a deep breath and said to Yan Hu: "I thought that our Yushanji destroyed the Wang family, and the Liu family and the Chen family got involved again, how could we live a peaceful life for a while." But it backfired! ”

Yan Hu's face was full of excitement when he heard this, and he whispered, "Big brother is ready to make a move on the Liu family?" ”

Liu Juntao nodded heavily, and said: "As long as the Liu family doesn't get rid of it, we won't be able to sell one or two of our private salt, and our Yushanji has huge expenses, and the three industries in Huakou Town alone can't make ends meet, and sooner or later they will collapse!" ”

"Big brother, when are we going to do it?"

Liu Juntao grabbed a handful of Bai Huahua's private salt in the sack in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Now the second expansion of the escort team has begun, and young people are being recruited from the new villagers. As soon as the convoy is expanded, we will immediately set off for the south! ”