Chapter 453 Silkworm Farmer Huang Laogen

"Old man, don't you want all these cocoons?"

Qiao Ran looked at a room full of bamboo shelves. If you pick all the cocoons on them, you can at least have a basket of them. Adding the two baskets of cocoons from another room, you can earn hundreds of coins by selling them.

The old man sighed and looked at the cocoons with reluctance.

"No! Only people in the city buy cocoons, but the price keeps getting lower and lower. A few years ago, a load of cocoons could be sold for 500 cash, but now you can't even sell it for 200 cash, and you have to collect half of the tax. I'm here With my old arms and legs, it’s not easy to go to Fucheng, and I don’t want to bother with these tens of pennies anymore.”

"Is there no one else in your family? Let the juniors or people in the village help sell it!"

When the old man heard Qiao Ran's words, his face became even darker.

"I originally had a son who was selling silkworm cocoons in Shangfucheng two years ago. He was accidentally knocked down by a carriage. The cocoons were scattered all over the ground and were stained by the rain on the ground. My son felt sorry for those cocoons and asked the carriage driver to argue, but he was The owner of the carriage ordered his servants to beat my son until he was seriously injured and vomited blood. He died before we got home. My old lady was so angry that she followed her son a few days later."

"Later I went to Fucheng to inquire, and found out that the owner of the carriage was Lord Tongpan's nephew. I complained to the government office, but Lord Tongpan had someone beat him up and drive him out. I braved the heavy snow and went to the government office. He knelt for a whole day and night until he fainted and was carried back by the villagers. Alas, corrupt officials are in power, and we ordinary people have no way to appeal!"

"I think my Huang family has been cultivating mulberry and raising silkworms for several generations, but after my generation is gone, I am going to join my nephew. No one in Xiangyang Village will raise silkworms anymore. It's a pity that I have a few acres of land. Mulberry trees and these cocoons!"

As he said this, the old man wiped his eyes, but no more tears could flow from his eyes. After his son and his old wife passed away one after another, he had already shed all his tears.

After hearing what Old Man Huang said, Qiao Ran felt panicked.

It's Wu Tongpan again! It’s Xin Wuneng again!

It seems that the lesson she gave her nephew and uncle last time was too light!

All in all, the time promised to deliver the antidote to Wu Tongpan was almost here.

Now that we have arrived at the boundary of Luoyang Prefecture, there is still half the journey to Fucheng. After buying silkworm cocoons later, we will stop by to see how the dog-eat-dog fight between Wu Tongpan and Xin Wuneng is going!

It would be fine if they died, but if they were still alive, she wouldn't mind sending them to the West with her own hands to avenge Old Man Huang's family and countless persecuted people.

Thinking of this, Qiao Ran took a deep breath to dissipate the depression in her heart.

Looking at the cocoons, she felt a little worried.

She just wanted to buy a dozen silkworm cocoons. After all, a silkworm can lay hundreds of eggs after emerging from the cocoon.

My house has not yet been built, and the mulberry trees next to the fish pond have just been planted. It is not realistic to raise silkworms in large numbers now.

She just wanted to buy some mulberry leaves to grow using Lingquan water first, and let her family members practice their skills first, so that they would not be in a hurry when it comes to large-scale breeding.

But now that she saw Old Man Huang like this, she couldn't bear it.

After thinking for a while, she asked: "Excuse me, old man Gui Geng? Which city is your nephew in?"

Old Man Huang touched his hair, which was already mostly white, and said with a wry smile:

"I am only about to be forty years old this year. I have grown old in the past two years, and I look like I am twenty years older. My nephew lives in a remote village in Jinzhou Prefecture, and his family is not well off. That’s great, if I hadn’t been unable to raise silkworms and was really desperate, I wouldn’t have bothered him.”

Qiao Ran was surprised when she heard what the old man said.

When she first saw Old Man Huang, she really thought he was sixty years old, but she didn't expect that he was only forty years old.

At forty years old, he is only a few years older than his father. In fact, he cannot be called an old man, nor should he be called an old man. Instead, he should be called an uncle or an uncle.

It seems that the death of his son and wife was a big blow to Uncle Huang. Without his wife and only Miaomiao, the uncle lived alone and helpless. The double pressure of material and spirit made his body collapse. Come down and age rapidly.

"Uncle, if you could raise silkworms by yourself, wouldn't you have to go to your nephew?"

"Yes, if I could support myself, who would be willing to trouble others? Alas! If I weren't afraid that I would starve to death at home, or that officials would come to collect taxes, and if I didn't pay, I would be beaten to death. I would really I don’t want to leave my home and live under someone else’s roof!”

Qiao Ran thought for a while and said: "Uncle, you are only forty years old and you still have a lot of life to live. Why not take good care of yourself and find a job that can support yourself, so that you don't have to trouble your nephew?" ”

"Oh! I think so too! But my body is not strong enough. I knelt at the door of the government office all day and night in the heavy snow, and my legs were frozen. When it rained, the pain was bone-piercing. My body also collapsed, and I couldn't help but feel weak. Coughing up blood, I guess I won’t live long.”

Qiao Ran was startled, stepped forward and took Uncle Huang's hand, placing her fingers on his wrist.

Uncle Huang was startled and instinctively wanted to withdraw his hand. Then he thought of something and smiled bitterly: "Young master, will you treat me? There is no need to waste your efforts. My body is already a broken bag and will collapse completely soon."

Qiao Ran ignored what he said and frowned slightly, feeling the pulse under her fingers.

After a moment, she let go of her hand.

Uncle Huang looked at her with a smile and had no optimistic expectations about his body.

But you might as well listen to the young master in front of you say: "Uncle, I can help you take good care of your body, but can you promise me one thing?"

Uncle Huang didn't expect to hear such words. He was stunned, but still asked with a little hope:

"Can you really help me heal this broken body? Is there anything I can do for you, Master? Even if you tell me, I am a useless person who is almost dependent on others, so I don't know if I can help you."

Qiao Ran nodded and said directly: "I can help you cure your old illness and let you work in the fields like a normal man in his forties. However, I hope that after you get better, you can go to work." Help me work, I will hire you as a worker, either long-term or short-term. This autumn I want to raise a large number of silkworms. I hope you can go over and help me teach the villagers how to raise silkworms. I will give you one tael of silver a month. How many do you do? It can take any month.”

Uncle Huang was stunned. He really didn't expect that the young master in front of him would hire him to raise silkworms.

To be honest, sericulture is indeed the only craft he knows. His family has been raising sericulture for generations since his grandfather's generation. Besides raising sericulture, he doesn't know what else to do.

If he could do what he was good at again, he would naturally be very willing.

Moreover, if he raises silkworms himself, due to repeated price cuts by merchants who purchase silkworm cocoons and repeated exploitation by the government over the years, the silkworm cocoons he raises throughout the year can only be sold for five or six taels of silver. After paying the taxes, he can hardly support himself.

And this young man hired himself to raise silkworms, and his monthly salary was as much as one tael of silver! That's twelve taels of silver a year, which is twice as much as what you earn by growing mulberry, raising silkworms, selling cocoons and doing everything yourself.