Of course, business should be discussed in the house.

After Dezi served tea, Shi Yiwen said the business he wanted to discuss.

"Actually, the business I want to talk about is to ask Master Liu to help me plant something nearby."

"Oh?"

Responding lightly, Liu Baitao asked.

"I wonder what Childe wants to plant?"

"Cotton."

Shi Yiwen smiled.

In the past few days, he has been busy in the factory, that is, the spindle spinning machine, which is the so-called "mule machine", because of the production of flintlock guns, the factory has a group of skilled craftsmen and simple machinery, which makes it possible to produce "mule machines". The natural yarn factory was also put on the table.

However, at this time, Shi Yiwen found another problem - Beizhili actually doesn't grow much cotton, and the current main cotton producing areas are mainly in Nanzhili and other places.

"Growing cotton?"

Liu Baitao was surprised.

"Yes, it's cotton."

Shi Yiwen nodded and said.

"I want to ask Master Liu to help promote cotton planting near Wanping."

Although someone had already been sent to contact Li Long and ask him to buy a batch of cotton from Shandong and send it over, the distant water could not quench the thirst, and the yarn factory would still have to use local cotton in the final analysis.

"Why does Shi Gongzi want to grow cotton?"

After asking rhetorically, Liu Baitao muttered.

"Childe is from Jiangnan? Don't...... Do you want to spin and weave cloth in this can't? ”

didn't even wait for Shi Yiwen to answer, Liu Baitao's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, Gongzi is really good at measuring, the northerners are not good at spinning, so they all use Jiangnan cloth, if Gongzi spins and weaves cloth here, not to mention other places, there are millions of people in the capital alone, and there are more than one million horses of cloth a year......"

Then Liu Baitao frowned again and said.

"However, the northerners are not good at spinning, and the cotton they grow is also made into quilts and cotton clothes, even if they occasionally use cotton thread to weave cloth, the weaving is extremely poor, and if the son wants to weave cloth in the north, I am afraid it is not so easy. Unless, Childe opened an art workshop here and taught women to spin ......"

Liu Baitao's self-talk made Shi Yiwen's eyes widen in surprise, what did he say? The northerners are not good at spinning, and they all use Jiangnan cloth? What does that mean?

"Master Liu said, there is no weaving cloth in the north?"

The implementation of Yiwen did not know that the textile of cotton was spread from south to north, and there was a large-scale cotton textile industry in the five northern provinces, that is, the cotton producing areas in Shandong. Like Beizhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places, until the end of the Ming Dynasty, only a few states and counties had their own cotton cloth, and most of the states and counties were less than textiles.

Even more than ten years later, when Lu Chong was the governor of Shanxi, he vigorously advocated the development of cotton weaving production, and formulated a complete plan, which was roughly divided into three steps: one was to order the manufacture of textile machinery and tools for the peasants to use for cotton yarn. The second is to buy 1,000 catties of cotton from the local government in silver, and distribute it to each family, one catty per household, and spin it within a time limit. Those who have completed the line first and are fine, are exempt from paying the price as a reward. Spinning within 10 days and the thread is slightly thicker. Half of the price is waived. Those who have finished spinning and thread thickness outside the 20th day will be charged at the full price, and those who cannot be completed outside the month will be fined one pound of the flower price. The third is to organize farmhouse weaving and send it to other places to learn weaving and learn weaving from a machinist for a year. It took so much effort to make cotton textile appear in Shanxi.

Of course, Shi Yiwen didn't know about all this, and even he just wanted to occupy the market with the output, quality and price advantage of mule machines, but he thought that there was no cotton textile industry in the north at all, at least there was no large-scale cotton textile industry.

How Liu Baitao answered, Shi Yiwen didn't even hear it clearly, just flashed the sentence "Northerners are not good at spinning" in his mind, which is a good thing!

The lack of a large-scale textile industry or even weaving means that the market is huge, and there is no need to worry about the impact of machine-made yarn on the smallholder economy – because there is none. It also means that there is no competition from local traditional forces.

I'll go!

That's a good thing.

When Shi Yiwen was thinking about it, Liu Baitao, who was sitting opposite him, saw that he didn't speak for a long time, and shouted softly.

"Childe, Childe......"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was distracted for a while, what did Master Liu just say?"

"I said, if Gongzi wants to spin and weave here, I'm afraid it won't work just to find someone to pass on his art, after all, people are not used to weaving ......."

Before he finished speaking, Shi Yiwen, who was excited because of the previous discovery, waved his hand and said.

"There's no need, I'm going to run a yarn factory, and I rely on machines to spin yarn, not thousands of women spinning yarn."

"Machine spinning?"

Liu Baitao was surprised.

"That's right, it's machine spinning, just like striking iron in the factory now, the machine is driven by water power, and the output of one machine is as high as thousands of women's hand-spinning wheels."

Shi Yiwen's answer made Liu Baitao's eyes widen.

"One machine tops thousands of work! Oh my God, if there is such an opportunity, then it will be a real god! ”

In addition to being surprised, a thought appeared in Liu Baitao's heart.

"Childe, the people here plant cotton in the field, keep the quilt, make cotton clothes, presumably Childe must use a lot of cotton in this factory, if the local people do not plant cotton, I am afraid that this cotton will not be supplied."

"Therefore, it depends on Master Liu, if Master Liu can persuade the people nearby to plant cotton instead, there will be heavy thanks."

Thinking of replanting cotton, the people were naturally not at ease, thinking of the habits of later generations, Shi Yiwen said again.

"If Master Liu is not at ease, I can sign a contract with the people to ensure that the cotton will be purchased at the price when it is harvested, and I will never owe a penny."

"Shi Gongzi is kind, but this matter is not necessary, the Liu family has lived here for generations, and it has won the trust of the people, and I ask myself if this thing can be done well, but ......"

Staring at Shi Yiwen, Liu Baitao smiled.

"Brother Fang Cai said that he wanted to thank him, I don't think there is a need for this thanks, if the brother doesn't dislike it, the foolish brother's family has a young son who is the same age as the brother Xian, you might as well let him follow the brother and listen to the teachings of the brother often, I don't know what the brother thinks?"

After that, Liu Baitao looked at Shi Yiwen with a smile, still smiling.

What is a teaching, it is clear that seeing that this business is profitable, and wanting to get involved. Shi Yiwen did not refuse this, when he was a traveling doctor in an urban village, he knew very well that such a "local" may not be able to help a lot, but if he wants to make trouble, he can make anyone anxious. Moreover...... It is also a good thing to have more partners, and those who have attained the Tao will be more helpful! And the power of the individual is always limited. The power of the group is endless, and when some people want to deal with a person, they always have no scruples, but if they want to deal with a group, they will be cautious.

In his heart, Shi Yiwen said with a smile.

"Brother Liu is polite, in fact, although my factory has a large output, it can invest a lot, I wonder if Brother Liu is interested in playing together?"

Liu Baitao was immediately pleasantly surprised when he heard it.

"Brother Xian means to let Brother Yu participate in the factory?"