Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 230 Xiangling Learns to Write
"Cangzhou used to suffer from famine and disasters, but now the fields and seas are covered with white."

In the city of Cangzhou after the autumn, the people passed this poem from mouth to mouth; even children could recite it like a ballad.

As for the origin, it is impossible to verify it.

As winter approached, the people were not worried about food. Even the farmers who had not yet been allocated land had earned enough money to survive the winter after working for half a year.

The "two pieces of white" they sing about refer to the 50,000 acres of cotton fields outside Nanpi County and the endless salt fields on the coast, both of which are white during the harvest.

Although the city of Cangzhou is not growing enough food to feed the entire city, it is still a bumper year under the rule of Marquis Anjing. With so many goods that can be exchanged for food, the people always feel confident.

As for how to exchange cotton and salt for equally valuable silver, that was Marquis Anjing's business.

The people are grateful to the Marquis, and they believe that this year's efforts will not be in vain and that there will definitely be sales.

At this moment, Yue Ling was flipping through documents in the classroom, coordinating the autumn harvest situation in the eight counties.

Under Yue Ling's leadership, not only Nanpi rushed to plant cotton, but several other counties also built water conservancy projects and canals in the middle of summer, reclaimed wasteland, and after the summer rushed to sow a crop of cabbage, which would be harvested in just over twenty days.

The crops grown in Cangzhou City were all carefully selected by Yue Ling in order to ensure smooth sales.

First of all, Cangzhou produces salt, which can be used to pickle vegetables and make cabbage into sauerkraut.

Northeast China is an extremely cold place with a lot of oil and salt. There is no vegetable to eat in winter, so pickled vegetables just make up for the deficiency. It just so happens that Cangzhou can supply everything from salt to vegetables, and also has warm cotton clothes, which can be said to be specially made for the people in the north.

In order to maintain stability in the areas outside the Great Wall, the court also provided strong support and even exempted taxes for three years.

But the area outside the Great Wall is not a barren place. If the silver is left here, someone will surely come to fill the market. This is the opportunity Yue Ling is looking for.

It's not just about making money, the more important reason is that there are minerals outside the pass.

The blueprint outlined by Yue Ling was to open up sales channels outside the Great Wall, and then exchange them for food or minerals, and then feed back to Cangzhou.

Now Cangzhou can’t even supply charcoal. Except for the fields, everything is bare. This is also a big problem after the winter.

"Xiangling, are you here to deliver the letter again?"

In the classroom, Yue Ling looked at the graceful girl below and asked with a smile.

Xiangling wore a green and colorfully patterned double-breasted bodice, a moon-white round-necked jacket underneath, and a long skirt of the same color. She danced gracefully and looked very lovely.

Xiangling was originally two years younger than Zijuan. Now she had shed her childishness and seemed to have become even more beautiful than when she first met her.

When Xiangling heard Yue Ling coming to ask questions, she bowed.

Although they had been together many times, Xiangling was still more reserved due to their different social status. She opened her mouth slightly and replied, "There has been some progress on what the Marquis asked me to do. This is the reply from the young lady."

As she spoke, Xiangling handed the letter to Yue Ling's desk and stood by.

Yue Ling unfolded the letter and read it through. He learned that Xue Jiafeng had already begun trying to take the sea route from Cangzhou to Tianjin and Ningyuan further north.

Currently, we focus on selling cotton and vegetables. As for salt, we have to wait for Yue Ling to communicate with the court and let the court determine the salt-selling areas, that is, the range of sales.

The letter also said that the shipping was now being handled by the second branch of the Xue family, who had more business experience and was someone Xue Baochai could trust, so there would be no mistakes.

This reminded Yue Ling of Xue Baochai's cousin Xue Baoqin, a girl who was not a golden hairpin but whose appearance and talent were comparable to those of the golden hairpins. He wondered if she was taking care of it.

Pressing the letter, Yue Ling sighed, "The salt from the salt field has been improved several times. The finished product we brought back last time is already quite outstanding. It tastes more refined than the samples we got from the Lianghuai and Liangzhe salt fields. I think it will be a matter of days before we get the court's permission."

"The Xue family can first transport grain to the Nine Borders to exchange for salt permits, and then wait to exchange for salt in Cangzhou."

"Nowadays, Shanxi merchants' mineral salt occupies most of the market in the north. Our goal is to take over the entire capital area with a lower price and a taste that is no less than that of mineral salt, and then expand to the surrounding areas, Shandong and even Liaodong, and exclude Shanxi merchants from the Hedong area."

"It is entirely possible to achieve this. Let Miss Xue make careful preparations."

Xiangling was writing with a pen at the side, but she was a little slow.

Yue Ling turned around and realized that he was talking to Xiangling instead of Jia Yun. Xiangling's handwriting was not as fluent as Jia Yun's and she stumbled when writing down the notes.

Seeing Xiangling's frown, and the little rouge mole on her face making her look even more naive, Yue Ling couldn't help but laugh and said, "Give it to me, which word did you forget how to write?"

Xiangling obediently came to Yue Ling's side and handed him the paper and pen. "My Lord, how do you write the word 'Ji' in 'Jingji'?"

Yue Ling smiled and said, "You are so stubborn. You can't use 城 instead of 冀. However, this word is a bit difficult, so I will write it for you."

As he spoke, Yue Ling wrote something on the paper.

Xiangling looked at it and said, "This character is too difficult. I haven't learned it yet."

Reading and writing in this world is not an easy thing. One must have instruction from a teacher and learn introductory readings to have a foundation.

Even the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling couldn't read, so it would be rare for a maid to be able to read. Yue Ling was curious and asked, "How do you practice calligraphy?"

After Xiangling was abducted by a trafficker, she was trained as a "Yangzhou skinny horse" because of her outstanding appearance. That means she was taught by specialized people the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as various means of serving people, and eventually sold to wealthy families for their entertainment.

It’s just that Xiangling was too dull and didn’t learn anything.

But now it seems that little Xiangling is also hiding her incompetence. She didn't want to learn so much and stand out at first, but now she has to learn in order to help Xue Baochai.

Xiangling replied timidly, "The young lady will teach me when she is free, but usually I learn by myself by looking at the calligraphy copybook first, and then ask the young lady if I don't understand."

Yue Ling nodded slightly and asked, "How did Miss Xue teach you?"

Xiangling measured her wrist and explained, "If there is something you don't know, you can hold my hand and write it a few times. After I remember it, I will write it down by myself. If it is a normal teaching, you will explain the meaning of the word and the stroke order..."

Before Xiangling could finish her words, Yue Ling pulled her over.

"Then I'll teach you, you remember it."

"what?"

Yue Ling held Xiang Ling's hand and slowly unravelled the characters on a piece of brand new white paper.

"This character 冀 looks complicated, but it is not difficult. First there are two 壹, then a 田, and in the middle there is a 戈 character to support it."

"Can you see clearly?"

Xiangling felt a little dizzy and didn't pay any attention to the words on the paper. "Am I sitting on the Marquis's lap?"

Xiangling instinctively wanted to struggle to get up, but Yue Ling held her hand and pressed her close to Yue Ling, so she didn't want to get up.

Yue Ling's breath seemed to be spraying on her neck, making her feel a warmth mixed with a bit of itchiness. This feeling of being distracted made her a little at a loss for a moment.

"Isn't this too close? Girls have never been this close before."

For a moment, Xiangling's few thoughts flew away.

Yue Ling raised his hand and waved it in front of her, "Xiang Ling, I want to ask you a question."

Seeing Xiangling was stunned and didn't answer, Yue Ling couldn't help but complain in his heart, "She is really dull, with Qin Keqing's appearance and Yingchun's personality? How can she not be bullied?"

"If I were to marry, even if I were the first wife, I would be bullied by the servants, and as a concubine, I would be envied for my beauty."

It's exactly the same way Xia Jingui tortured people.

Yue Ling pulled away and let Xiang Ling sit on the reclining chair. "Write it and let me see."

Xiangling came to her senses only after her buttocks fell on the chair. She hurriedly wrote down the characters according to the shape of the characters that Yue Ling had deconstructed.

In other words, it is just a copycat, with barely the rudiments of a character.

Yue Lingyin smiled again and said, "People say that handwriting reflects a person's personality. You have a beautiful appearance, but your handwriting is just 'taking shape'. Well, go back and practice. I'll write the characters for you this time."

Yue Ling rewrote a note for Xiangling so that she could give it to Xue Baochai when she returned to avoid any omissions.

Xiangling received the note and stood aside shyly, her legs unconsciously tightening a little.

Yue Ling didn't notice Xiang Ling's change. He thought about it carefully and said, "There is nothing to remind you about official business at the moment. The Xue family just needs to ensure the supply of necessities in the city. Winter is coming and we should also stock up on commercial goods. If you are short of cash, you can first borrow money from the treasury. After winter, you can pay the lowest interest according to the law."

"The development outside the city is not as good as that inside the city, but the area near the dock has more development prospects. In recent decades, it is still difficult for sea transportation to replace canal transportation. It is better to occupy some advantageous locations and buy some shops first, so that no matter what we do in the future, we will be prepared for everything."

Glancing at Xiangling again, Yue Ling said, "As for your family affairs, there is no news yet about where they are, but don't worry, your parents are definitely alive and well, and you will be reunited sooner or later."

Xiangling was deeply touched and nodded in response, "Thank you, my lord. I really don't know how I can repay your kindness..."

Yue Ling waved his hands. He did not do good deeds for any reward.

"It's okay. If you are not in a hurry to go back, you can go to the inner house to have fun with Zijuan and the others and stay overnight. If you are in a hurry to go back, go to the government office and take the sedan chair."

Xiangling shuddered, "Then, then Lord Marquis, I'd better go back first..."

When Xiangling walked out of the classroom with a red face, she happened to meet Jia Yun coming in.

"Oh, this maid is also very pretty, why did she come out with a red face? Could it be that she has also been taken into the master's room?"

"I should write a letter back to Ni Er. Maybe when the master returns, the inner house will not be enough to accommodate him. It is better to fill two rooms first."

(End of this chapter)