After traveling through time, I led the whole village to become rich!

Chapter 224 The Envy of the Villagers

Changning County.

When the villagers saw the Zhang family coming back, they all came over to greet them.

"Old Zhang, you've really seen the world in the capital this time. Are there many high-ranking officials in the capital?"

"Is the capital city fun?"

Old man Zhang was smiling, feeling very proud.

Who in the village had ever been to the capital? Whose family could be like them, where the whole family went to the capital for a tour? And their daughter was going to be an official in the capital.

Thinking that Zhang Hulan was going to be an official in the capital, Wang felt even more proud.

Zhang Hujun and Zhang Hubing were also asked by villagers about their affairs in the capital.

Zhang Hubing raised his chin to the sky and said, "Let me tell you, my sister is an official in the capital, and the emperor appointed her personally."

The villagers were all shocked when they heard this. "Hu Bing, are you telling the truth? Hu Lan is an official in the capital?"

"of course."

Some villagers were unconvinced, “Then why did she come back?”

Zhang Hubing said, "It's because I came back to teach you how to make vermicelli noodles. My sister asked the emperor for leave, and she will go to the capital to take up her post immediately after she teaches you."

"What kind of official position does she hold? Is it a high-ranking one?"

"My sister said it's a seventh-grade one."

"Seventh rank is a very high official position."

"It seems to be as high-ranking as a county magistrate, but my sister is an official in the capital, and officials in the capital are not comparable to county magistrates."

The villagers were all in an uproar, and they all kept congratulating Old Man Zhang and Mrs. Wang.

Everyone envies the Zhang family, but it is only envy, not jealousy.

When one person's family conditions are better than another's, the poorer one will feel envious.

But if you are much better than him and he has to look up to you, he won't be jealous.

The villagers all pulled Old Man Zhang and Wang to talk. As soon as Zhang Hulan returned, she called Zhao Guoliang aside and asked, "Uncle Village Head, have you all finished digging the lotus roots?"

"I've dug it all up and cleaned it all. I'm just waiting for you to come back."

"Okay, I'll teach you how to make vermicelli noodles later." Zhang Hulan pointed at the vermicelli machine she had brought back and said, "Uncle Village Head, this is what we need to make vermicelli noodles. We need to set it up. Call some people and let's go to the big ditch."

These things will be used by the villagers in the future, so we have to teach them how to install and use them, so that they can fix them themselves if anything breaks in the future.

When Zhao Guoliang went to call people, he learned that Zhang Hulan was an official in the capital. He was even more shocked than the villagers.

A woman actually became an official, and was appointed by the emperor himself. How much does the emperor value her?

Zhao Guoliang was truly happy for Zhang Hulan, but at the same time he felt a little disappointed.

Zhang Hulan went to the capital to become an official and could no longer take care of the village.

In the past two years, the villagers' lives have been getting better and better. He really wanted Zhang Hulan to help everyone make more money. He also wanted to give the position of village head to Zhang Hulan, but he didn't expect that Zhang Hulan had already become an official in the capital.

Zhao Guoliang called a few people, and then followed Zhang Hulan to the big ditch. Many people in the village also went to watch.

Zhang Hulan said to Zhao Guoliang from the foot of the mountain, "Uncle Village Chief, we'll install that thing here. Have someone level the ground."

Then Zhang Hulan pointed to the upstream of the gurgling ditch and said, "We need to repair the ditch and build a flume to concentrate the water flow."

Zhao Guoliang and the villagers were a little confused. "Hu Lan, what are you going to do with that thing? Why do you put it here?"

Zhang Hulan explained: "The machine is driven by water, so no manpower is needed. People standing by will just be responsible for putting the lotus roots on it.

I asked the craftsmen from the Imperial Ministry of Works to make this thing, and I asked the Prime Minister to design it."

When everyone heard that it was the Prime Minister who designed it, they were all shocked.

What is a chief minister? It was the prime minister in the past, a high-ranking official second only to the emperor.

"Hu Lan, you said this thing was designed for us by the Prime Minister?"

Zhang Hulan laughed and said, "Why would I lie to you all? At the time, the Minister of Revenue took me to ask the Minister of Works for help with the design. But the Minister of Works couldn't do it, so we finally asked the Prime Minister to help with the design."

The villagers' eyes changed when they looked at Zhang Hulan. They didn't expect that Zhang Hulan knew so many high-ranking officials, all of whom were the highest-ranking officials in the court. They were all a little afraid of Zhang Hulan.

Zhang Hulan said, "Let me tell you, everyone, do as I say. We must install the machine as soon as possible. I only have a month or so left. I must return to Beijing to take up my new post at the end of February, so everyone must study hard."

Ma suddenly spoke up, "Hu, Hu Lan, now we can't call you by your name anymore. We have to call you Master Zhang?"

"Why call me Master Zhang? We are all in the village. It's better to call me by my name. It seems more intimate."

"Yes, yes, we are from the same village, so it's friendly to call each other by our names."

Ma was full of admiration for Zhang Hulan, "Hulan, you are truly amazing."

Ma sighed again and said, "Alas, you said before the New Year that you would take us out to play after we made some money. Now that you've gone to the capital, what are we going to do?"

Zhang Hulan said, "If I'm not in the village, you won't make money, right?

I will teach you how to make vermicelli. If you plant more this year, you can earn a lot of money next year.

After two or three years, every household will have saved up a hundred or eighty taels of silver. Then you can come to the capital to visit me. When you get there, I will provide you with food and lodging.”

Ma's eyes lit up, "Hu Lan, can we really earn a hundred or eighty taels of silver in two or three years?"

"As long as everyone works hard, we can definitely do it."

Ma patted her chest and said, "Since Hu Lan said it's possible, then it must be possible. We will work hard and try to come to the capital to visit you as soon as possible."

The villagers were all excited. Under Zhang Hulan's command, those who were repairing the sink repaired the sink, those who were digging holes dug holes, and those who were repairing the platform repaired the platform.

It took three days to erect the waterwheel, then install the pulverizer, and then close the connecting gear, and the pulverizer started working.

Zhang Hulan first demonstrated to everyone using her own lotus roots.

The villagers watched her throw the lotus roots into the funnel. After a whirring sound, the lotus roots were ground into a paste and fell into the wooden barrel below.

Zhang Hulan only got 300 kilograms of lotus roots. 200 kilograms of lotus roots can produce about 50 kilograms of starch, which is enough for food.

Then Zhang Hulan poured the crushed lotus root into the press. After filtering it once, she added water to the residue, stirred it, and squeezed it again, so that the starch inside could be filtered out.

The filtered slurry needs to settle for a day and a night. The next day, the water is poured out, and a thick layer of starch will be deposited underneath.

Next, the starch needs to be dried before making vermicelli.

During this period, Zhang Hulan continued to stare at the villagers and started to beat the powder.

There is only one machine, and each family first harvested two or three pounds of lotus roots so that each family could make some.

If we finish beating it all at once, there won’t be enough wooden barrels or basins at home to hold it.

Currently, women can do these jobs, but when it comes to making vermicelli, men will be needed.