The White-haired Queen

As long as people find the goal and motivation to move forward, they can burst out with powerful energy and create endless possibilities. At this moment, Shangguan Xinxin was full of confidence and passion. He saw the dawn of hope and was ready to work hard.

Wen Lanyue watched Shangguan Xin's attitude change, and she began to talk about her plan. She looked determined and said in a sonorous tone: "At present, the residents of Sumu City and its surrounding areas are facing serious material shortages, especially the shortage of clothing and food. Therefore, we can teach them some simple and practical pickling or drying techniques, such as making pickles, sauerkraut, pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers and other foods; in addition, we can also let them learn how to make dried food such as pickled mustard greens and dried radishes. Considering the cold climate conditions in the north, we can also guide everyone to try freezing some foods, such as tomatoes, cabbage, etc. In this way, even when materials are tight, people can use these methods to store food to meet basic living needs."

Shangguan Xin was stunned. He couldn't believe that the noble queen mother in front of him was so familiar with these folk survival skills, and could use the methods of pickling, drying and freezing so skillfully. At this moment, he admired Wen Lanyue very much, and secretly sighed in his heart: "I didn't expect the queen mother to be so knowledgeable and talented!" At the same time, he also realized that this queen mother was no ordinary person. Her wisdom and insights would definitely bring new prospects to the country.

Wen Lanyue did not notice Shangguan Xin's inner fluctuations, but continued: "In addition, we can also introduce the planting technology of crops such as flax and ramie from the south, and introduce silkworm breeding, cotton planting and spinning wheel manufacturing. This will effectively solve the demand for clothing. Further introducing millstones will make food more diversified. Through the above measures, we can basically solve people's food and clothing problems."

Shangguan Xin asked: "So, should we send people to the south to learn about these things, or wait for the court to send someone to guide us?"

Wen Lanyue replied: "In fact, the people themselves are capable of handling these matters. When the time is right, someone will naturally contact you to discuss the relevant matters."

Shangguan Xin nodded slightly to show that he understood, then he still stood up respectfully and listened attentively.

Wen Lanyue continued, "When I was out strolling today, I accidentally discovered that poor families rely on the ash left over from stoves to keep warm in winter, while those with better financial conditions will choose to use braziers or heated beds. If you want to keep warm while sleeping, you might as well build a cement brick bed; as for everyday life, you can prepare some small heaters such as hand warmers or foot warmers. In this way, the problem of heating and keeping warm after the winter can be easily solved."

Shangguan Xin responded: "Your idea is indeed ingenious. Even I can't help but look forward to the beautiful life that is just around the corner. However, the biggest difficulty at the moment is that the people are short of money. So how can we overcome this problem?"

Wen Lanyue suggested: "Have you ever heard of a commercial bank?"

Shangguan Xin nodded to indicate that he had heard something about it.

Wen Lanyue further elaborated: "We can borrow money from the bank."

Shangguan Xin looked worried and reminded: "But repaying a debt is a matter of course."

Wen Lanyue was silent for a while, thinking to herself, "Our commercial banks have always helped people in emergencies but not in poverty. Of course, we have to pay back the money we borrow." After a brief pause, she continued, "Borrowing money from commercial banks for consumption is actually a form of pre-consumption. In simple terms, it means spending tomorrow's money today. As long as a person is hardworking, down-to-earth and has the ability to repay debts, why not enjoy a good life in advance?"

Shangguan Xin retorted: "But in winter, the weather is extremely cold. People have nowhere to work and the land cannot be planted. In this case, it is not just a matter of spending tomorrow's money today, but this year's money will be spent next year or even the year after next!"

Wen Lanyue responded: "If the heating problem is solved, then we can do some work indoors, such as spinning yarn and weaving cloth with a spinning wheel, or raising chickens, ducks, pigs, etc."

Shangguan Xin was speechless for a moment, thinking that it was true. In addition to farm work, there were many other things to do, such as weaving clothes, making sieves, raising chickens and ducks, etc. In short, there were always more solutions than problems, and all problems would be solved.

Wen Lanyue continued, "If you encounter any problems at that time, you can choose to write to me to report the situation, or you can directly write to the emperor to explain the difficulties. This is also a poverty alleviation work carried out by the court."

Shangguan Xin asked doubtfully, "What is poverty alleviation?"

Wen Lanyue patiently explained: "The so-called poverty alleviation is to help those poor people who live in hardship, but we can't feed those lazy people who are lazy and eat nothing! Only those who are hardworking and willing to work are worthy of our priority to help them get out of poverty and become rich."

Shangguan Xin nodded in agreement and added: "As the saying goes, 'It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.'"

Wen Lanyue was very happy and agreed: "Yes, the northern region has an open and flat terrain, which is very suitable for large-scale development of breeding and animal husbandry. As long as the problems of heating, heat preservation and heating are solved, the north can be built into a beautiful home suitable for living!"

When Shangguan Xin heard that the home was going to be built into a beautiful livable one, he was extremely excited. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed hard to express his gratitude to Wen Lanyue.

Wen Lanyue smiled slightly and made a gesture of support, signaling Shangguan Xin to stand up. She said earnestly: "Let me give you an example, take an egg. If we break it from the outside, it is just an egg, and it can even be said to be an act of destruction. But if the egg can break from the inside, it will be a new life, and a cute chick will break out of the shell. In the same way, if you want to achieve real leaps and progress, you need to rely on your own strength, and you need your entire city to work together and fight together."

Shangguan Xin listened carefully to Wen Lanyue's words, nodded deeply, and replied: "I understand. The Queen Mother's teachings are like a revelation, which has opened my eyes. We will definitely go all out and live up to your expectations!" He knew that this task was arduous and glorious, and required a lot of effort and sweat. However, in Shangguan Xin's heart, a flame of fighting spirit had been ignited. He believed that as long as everyone united as one, they would be able to create a better future.