NCCnovel Chapter 444: The Prodigal Son.
Chapter 444: The Prodigal Son.
"I calculated that Ruliu will give birth in more than a month."
Ye Kun nodded: "Let's play for a few days first, and then go back to Xuchang to take care of Ruliu during her confinement."
"Yeah, I miss Caidie too."
Jiao Nu smiled: "Of course, there is also Sister Yourong. This time when I go back, I can play mahjong with them again."
"Let's not play mahjong yet, let's play poker."
When Ye Kun saw Jiao Nu's smile, he felt his heart beating.
Times have changed, but Jiaonu's smile has not changed. It is still as bright and sunny as it was back then.
Jiao Nu was shy and said with a smile: "You are already an adult, why are you still making trouble? In two years, Feng'er will grow up and get married, and you are still so... dishonest."
"Tsk, with my body like this, I won't be able to settle down until I'm 80 years old."
"I won't serve you if you're eighty years old. My old arms and legs can't stand your torture."
"So, now we have to make more efforts."
Ye Kun blew out the oil lamp.
……
After all, he was still a little older. When he got up the next day, Ye Kun rubbed his waist and asked, "Why is my waist a little sore?"
"Who told you to be dishonest?"
Jiao Nu chuckled and stood up to help Ye Kun put his clothes in order: "You said you would accompany me for the next two days, so let's go to the south of Xiangyang. The south is closer to our hometown."
Everyone has homesickness, and Jiaonu can't forget the Caomiao Village where she was born and raised.
But the southern part of Xiangyang is still thousands of miles away from Caomiao Village.
Ye Kun touched Jiaonu's hair and said, "Don't worry, Jiaonu, if we have a chance in the future, we will go back together and live in Caomiao Village for a year. Yourong, Daixi, Caidie and Zhou Tielan..."
"I'm afraid we'll have to wait a very long time for this day."
Jiao Nu smiled and asked Ye Kun again: "What do you want to eat in the morning? I will prepare it for you."
"There's a cook in the kitchen, why would you do it?"
"I'm your wife too. Can't I cook for you once?"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, ma'am."
Ye Kun hugged the slave and rewarded her with another bite.
After breakfast, Ye Kun took Xiao Ruliu, Jiao Nu, Duoduo and others, got on the carriage and went out for an outing together.
Apart from a few carriages, the only people accompanying him were Tan Bamao and twenty personal soldiers.
The four-wheeled carriage with shock-absorbing springs is much more comfortable to sit in.
Two horses were drawn side by side, and the carriage was spacious.
Xiao Ruliu held Ye Kun's arm and looked out the window: "Kunlang, what's the matter with the horse-drawn train you mentioned? Is it really fast and stable?"
Ye Kun is now building a small railway from Luoyang to Xingyang.
It is three hundred miles long and serves as a fast trade route.
Special cars and horses and professional drivers are also required.
This also paved the way for later steam locomotives.
Xiao Ruliu had heard about this, so he asked.
Ye Kun explained how the horse-drawn train worked, and then said:
"We not only have horse-drawn trains, we also have a cement road that runs parallel to the railway, which can be used by ordinary horse-drawn carriages. If our cement and steel can keep up, we will build a large number of such roads in the future to achieve rapid transportation.
By then, 500 miles or even 1,000 miles a day won’t be a problem.”
"What kind of carriage can run a thousand miles a day?"
"It doesn't have to be a carriage."
Ye Kun chuckled: "In two years at most, our steam engine will be ready and put into use."
In fact, the external combustion engines developed today can be used as power to drive trains.
However, the external combustion engine is a freak with low efficiency. It is destined to be eliminated and can only be used to broaden people's horizons and as a scientific research experiment.
We chatted all the way and arrived in the countryside.
Ye Kun did not disturb the local officials and village chiefs, but went on a private visit in disguise to see the people's sentiments.
At this time, it is the rice planting season and people are working.
Xiao Ruliu was not feeling well, so he was resting in the car.
Ye Kun took his slave and walked in the fields, watching the people work.
"I haven't worked for a long time."
Jiao Nu was somewhat envious of the common people and said with a smile, "Actually, in peaceful days, it is quite comfortable to plant a few acres of land in the countryside."
A village girl, who was planting rice in the field, said with a smile: "My dear lady, you have never worked before, have you? Farming is very tiring."
Jiao Nu curled her lips: "Who said I have never worked? I used to work in the fields every day, chopping wood and carrying water."
The village girl stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.
Ye Kun called the middle-aged man in the field: "Brother, can you come up and talk?"
The man saw that Ye Kun was dressed neatly, so he walked over and said, "My dear guest, do you have any instructions?"
"It's okay, just chat."
Ye Kun smiled and asked, "How many people are there in your family? How much land do you have per person? Can you eat enough now?"
"Five people, fifty acres of land. Enough to eat." The man thought for a moment and added:
"We didn't have enough to eat before, but after Ye Kun came, he gave us land, livestock, farm tools, and seeds, and taught us how to make compost. Now we have enough to eat."
Ye Kun was very happy and asked again: "How much grain do you hand over every year now?"
"Fifty mu of land, 40 jin of rice, 20 jin of wheat, and 5 jin of soybeans per mu. We also need to hand over some raw silk and flax, as well as dry firewood and hay..."
“That would require more than 3,000 kilograms of grain, plus raw silk and hemp silk.” Ye Kun calculated and felt that the tax was still too heavy.
More than 3,000 kilograms of grain is the net income of ten acres of land in two seasons.
In total, this means that every farmer in the country would cultivate two acres of land for the court for free.
The man smiled and said, "Now that we don't have to pay population tax, it's much better than before."
"That's true." Ye Kun smiled and asked, "I heard that every household here has a ventilated stove, right?"
"We do have ventilated stoves, which are much better than the old earthen stoves. This was also invented by Ye Kun. We have to have one. Every household needs a ventilated stove."
Jiao Nu asked: "If you don't call him King Han, will you just call him Ye Kun?"
"Who are you?" The man was a little scared and said with a wry smile, "Yes, he should be called the King of Han. He is the crown prince and will be the emperor in the future..."
"It's okay. I usually call him Ye Kun. I heard that Ye Kun doesn't care about these things. It's okay to call him by his name in person."
Ye Kun chuckled: "Have all the children in your family ever been to school and read books?"
The man sighed, "There is a school in the village, and it's free to study, but the children don't like to study. My kid only studied for one year and then never went back, saying it wasn't fun."
Ye Kun asked: "How many people are there in the village school? How many teachers are there?"
"Three teachers, seventy or eighty students."
"So now, when you are thirsty, do you drink boiled water?"
"During the busy farming season, we are so busy that we don't have time to boil water." The man shook his head and said, "There is a well in the village. When we are thirsty, we drink the well water."
"Do you have winter clothes? Will you be cold?"
"Some families will suffer from the cold. Those playboys drink and gamble. If they lose money, they will sell their food, winter clothes and farm tools, and they will starve and freeze in the winter."
"Are there many libertines in the country? Do they gamble a lot?"
"Not many, but there are some in every village... Sometimes they lose money and steal things."
"Nonsense."
Ye Kun frowned slightly and asked again: "Who is your village chief? I will go and talk to your village chief."