Chapter 148:

The bumper sweet potato harvest caused another tornado in Sardinson.

Just as Wei Wei expected, nearly 20 million catties, or 10,000 tons of sweet potatoes, were harvested from the more than 500 acres of land. This yield is enough for everyone in Sardinson County to eat for half a year.

And if all those sweet potatoes were exchanged for money, that would be an astronomical sum for most.

Today's grain prices, taking wheat as an example, the price of a pound of unhusked wheat is 4 large copper coins, and if it is replaced with a good seed, the price of the same weight is doubled, and a silver coin per pound is not an exaggeration. higher.

The price of sweet potatoes is calculated according to the price of good seeds, and it is three times the price of wheat seeds, that is to say, a pound of sweet potatoes can be sold for three silver coins.

That is to say, if the 20 million catties of sweet potatoes are sold, they will get 5 million gold coins.

Five million gold coins, this is a huge sum of money that anyone who hears it will be tempted, I am afraid it is the king, excluding others, the field tax that can be obtained in one year is only so much.

Even Wei Wei, who had already regarded money as a number, had the urge to sell all the sweet potatoes for money when she first calculated this number.

With this amount of money, let alone just repairing part of the new city, even if they built the new city in one go, they wouldn't have to worry about running out of money.

Although they were not worried about money in the first place, just from the various industries they operated, after deducting taxes every year, the rest was no less than these.

Moreover, as a lord, it is a crop grown on his plot. Felix doesn't need to pay taxes to anyone, so even the king just obediently sent someone to buy seeds from him. This income can be said to be completely owned by them. of.

Of course, she just thought about it for a moment. In fact, of course, it is impossible to sell all of them, but it is almost the same as selling all.

Wei Wei and Felix decided early on that after harvesting this batch of sweet potatoes, half of them could be sold to the nobles and merchants, and the remaining half, except for the part they kept, was reserved for those interested in Purchasing by the natives.

And they only plan to keep about 100,000 catties of sweet potatoes this year.

In fact, in the planting plan of the manor next year, the proportion of sweet potatoes is only 100 acres, because more fields need to be used for other new crops that already have a certain scale, such as peanuts and sesame.

With so many seeds Wei Wei brought, it may not be many that will eventually become common varieties of Sardinson, but at least in the past few years, she will plant as many as possible to ensure that these plants can reproduce smoothly before they degenerate. Enrich everyone's life. Only 60,000 catties of sweet potatoes are needed to plant 100 acres of land, and 100,000 catties are left. In addition to preventing possible losses of seed potatoes due to improper storage, part of them is also reserved for eating. They have been planting sweet potatoes for three years, and this year's production is enough. Naturally, they want to eat happily. Wei Wei has prepared a series of menus to show off her cooking skills. In the same way, they won't leave too much corn, about 10,000 catties are enough. So in the end, most of these sweet potatoes will still be exchanged for money. If there are no five million gold coins, there are still four million. Of course, this is also a one-time transaction that can only be done this year. When there are more sweet potatoes in the future, the price will only drop again and again, and finally, stop at a price that everyone can afford. For the next few days, Felix was busy doing business. Ten million catties of sweet potatoes, along with two million catties of corn, were bought in just a few days. The corn and sweet potatoes of the car were pulled out of the manor, and after they were delivered to various places, they were exchanged for money orders that could be exchanged for a lot of gold coins, and they made a lot of money. And Wei Wei is also not idle, not only those aristocratic merchants from outside, but also a wave of territorial people heard that the earl was selling these high-yield crops in large quantities. Now, they sent representatives to the castle one by one, asking to buy some seeds to go back.

It's not a problem for these people to always go to the castle. Wei Wei simply let people rent a shop in Dingle temporarily and hired a carriage to pull a batch of sweet potatoes there. The corn and sweet potatoes in this shop are only sold to the people who want to buy them. The person who wants to buy must have the identity certificate of Sardinson or Slot, and the colleague who is restricted to purchase must also ensure that it is grown by his own family, and try to ensure that the people who want it can buy it.

Of course, this news can be said to be bad news for non-local people, but there is no way, they have to take care of their citizens first. If their citizens are not enough, how can they share their share with others?

If the serfs wanted to buy it, they had to register with the steward directly. Even if they had no money, they could receive it directly. The price was to pay a portion of the land tax in proportion to the annual harvest or to directly increase the time of labour.

As for the knights, they didn't buy them. Their fiefs are not big. After registering last year, they brought seeds and seed potatoes back to plant them this year. Although the number is not large, the harvest is not bad. , is completely sufficient.

A large number of harvests were sent away, and the people in the castle finally didn't have to worry about running out of storage cellars, and Felix didn't have to worry that his wine cellar would continue to be turned into a fruit and vegetable storage room. God knows he has always been worried about the wine stored in it. It will be "contaminated" by those vegetables and fruits, especially this year Wei Wei has also started to study something like soy sauce pickles. Although it is not directly placed in the wine cellar, it is also placed in the storage room next to the wine cellar. There is only one door between them, and for some reason, the taste of the things she made is still a little heavy. The soybeans were harvested not long before the sweet potatoes. They were originally interplanted in the cornfield. On the day they were harvested, Wei Wei had someone soak them in soy milk to make tofu. They ate the authentic tofu for a few days and then took them. Some people plan to try making soy sauce. Of course, they still need to keep the seeds. Although the yield of soybeans is not high, it is almost the same as that of wheat, but the amount of seeds used is similar to that of corn. The same is true for other legumes. When this wave of buying sprees passed, there were millions of gold coins in the castle's vault, but the reserved sweet potato stock was unexpectedly larger, about 300,000 catties, and even corn was left with 50,000. catty.

Although it is said that a continuous businessman can easily sell these excess parts, the weight is not too much anyway, the two of them stopped tossing and put everything in the cellar for storage, if there is more next year If the lead people return and want to plant, they will sell it, otherwise, they will keep it for themselves.

After buying what they wanted, it was time for the guests to leave.

Among the people who were about to leave home, there were naturally Sarina and Adonis, but before leaving, Adonis finally did what Sarina expected him to do.

In the beautiful garden, under a flower gallery made of rose trellises, Adonis proposed to Dolores with a gemstone ring handed down from the family.

"Will you marry me?" The handsome face of the young earl who was kneeling alone was serious, and his eyes were filled with inseparable tenderness.

Aristocratic marriages always have to consider all aspects. It is impossible to be together just because they like them. Lucky people like Felix are rare.

But Adonis felt that he should also be lucky. The person he liked was right in line with him, and there were not many obstacles between them.

It is true that his feelings for Dolores may not be as strong as Felix's for Wei Wei, and may not even be to the point of love, but he is very clear that he likes the girl in front of him, and the more he gets along, The deeper this love becomes, he believes that sooner or later this love will turn into true love.

Moreover, Adonis felt that if he missed this one, it would be difficult for him to find another object that he liked.

Therefore, although Adonis, who originally did not intend to propose so early, was still under the command of his mother Erti, brought forward the time of the proposal.

Before being invited, Dolores originally had a faint expectation in her heart, but now that the expectation has become reality, Dolores can't believe it.

She couldn't help covering her mouth to keep herself from exclaiming, but her blue eyes glowed with excitement, making her even more charming.

Of course, Dolores would, and she had been looking forward to this day long ago.

Ignoring the lady's restraint, Dolores answered almost eagerly: "Of course I would."

Adonis smiled because of her real reaction, kept on one knee and held her hand. , put the ring on the middle finger and dropped a light kiss on it.

The girl who had just made a marriage contract also had a happy smile on her face.

When the news of Adonis's successful marriage proposal came, everyone felt that the dust had settled, and then, Salina couldn't wait to go to Felix again to discuss the suggestion of engagement.

An engagement banquet was necessary, and it had to be held at the Aldrich family's castle, and she needed to ask Felix when she was free.

If possible, Salina even hopes that when she goes back this time, she will directly invite their family to Aldridge as a guest, and by the way, she will organize the engagement banquet.

But Felix had to reject this decision that he thought was too hasty: "I'm afraid we have to wait until winter to make time." As

September is approaching, and the autumn sowing is about to start, Felix has a lot of things to do. Do, even Wei Wei can't be idle. The two of them can't leave Sardinson together at this time, and they will not go to Dolores' engagement party alone.

Therefore, it must be in the winter when there are not too many things and time can be spared.

"How about at the end of November? It won't be too cold at that time, and it's very convenient to travel." Salina calculated that Aldridge is an inland county, and the temperature is similar to that around Sardinson Castle, even colder in winter. A little bit, but in November, before it snows, it will be cold and cold, but it will not hinder travel.

And if she can't prepare the engagement banquet now, then in October, she needs to go to the royal capital to attend her daughter's wedding, so she arranges the engagement at the end of November, which will be more sufficient.

Although their family married their daughter to Prince Andrew out of helplessness, her daughter did not show resistance but accepted her marriage peacefully, but because of this, Salina and Adonis had feelings for her instead. Guilt.

If possible, Salina also hopes to invite Prince Andrew to Aldridge for the engagement party after her daughter's wedding, so that she can keep her daughter and son-in-law in Aldridge for a while, preferably Live until next spring.

Felix thought about his schedule that had been scheduled for more than half a year and determined that there was nothing major to be busy with in November, so he nodded and agreed with her arrangement, and then the two sides confirmed the specific date and finally chose ten. January 21st.

After the specific time was finalized, Salina couldn't wait to go back to prepare. This was her son's engagement banquet. She had to do it beautifully, strive for perfection, and leave no regrets.

The separation of two people who have just established a relationship is very sad, but it is also necessary.

Dolores' eyes were red as she sent Adonis away, but she quickly cheered up after receiving the biography from the flying pigeons and began to prepare for her engagement.

She wanted to make the best-looking engagement dress by herself, so she specially contacted the castle's exclusive tailor, the old tailor who had prospered because of them in recent years.

Wei Wei thought that it was time to start preparing new winter clothes for the castle, so she asked the old tailor to bring some more fabric samples, preferably all kinds.

As soon as they heard the call of the castle, the old tailor from the tailor shop immediately brought a bunch of apprentices and pulled two carts of fabrics to the castle for them to choose from.

The servants of the nobles and the knights who serve the nobles, their work, the masters need to buy clothes for them, but usually, they buy fabrics and let the maids who can sew do them. In the past, Sardinsonburg spent about two or three years a year. Hundred gold coins buy fabrics for everyone, and this cost has skyrocketed after Wei Wei became a countess, from two sets of fabrics a year to two sets a season, and the fabrics are much better than before, and because the maids also Getting busier and busier, I don't have so much time to make clothes for everyone, so now Wei Wei has chosen the fabrics and let the tailors directly make ready-made clothes according to their size and send them, which will naturally cost more. But the wealthy countess said she could still afford it.

Dolores carefully chooses the fabric she wants. Usually, she doesn't spend much money, she uses whatever fabric Wei Wei buys to make clothes, but this time she chooses to make an engagement dress. The fabric, of course, should be chosen from those bright and expensive fabrics. Wei Wei is choosing winter clothes for the knights and the castle servants, but she doesn't plan to buy fur. There are sheep and rabbits in the manor, and there is no shortage of sheepskin and rabbit skins. In the past, everyone's winter clothes were used. It's sheepskin, but this year rabbitskin may become mainstream. The rabbits on the hillside have been raised very well this year. Since the first few were caught last year, a lot of them have been added one after another. Those female rabbits give birth to one baby every month, seven or eight per baby. In a few months, these little rabbits will grow up again, and then start to reproduce in large numbers again. Now there are rabbits all over the hillside, there are not thousands or hundreds, so it is naturally impossible for so many rabbits to raise them for the winter. The oldest batch of rabbits has been killed one after another. Rabbit meat is a kind of meat that everyone likes very much, and the peeled skin can be tanned directly into the leather. The fluffy, soft and warm rabbit skin is also a good wool material. The slightly messy grey coat of the hare is not very popular, and ordinary nobles do not like to wear it, but for ordinary civilians, it is not so particular.

Wei Wei is mainly turning over linen and cotton. These days, both men and women have to wear petticoats under their clothes. This is because the fabrics of many outerwear are relatively heavy and difficult to clean. Add a petticoat. The fabrics of petticoats are fine linen and cotton fabrics that are relatively breathable. However, petticoats are very personal items like underwear, so everyone buys fabrics and makes them at home.

"Madam, take a look at this year's cotton fabrics. This batch is the latest. It is soft and breathable, but the price is lower than last year." The old tailor knew that Wei Wei likes cotton fabrics and used to buy them in large quantities. Into this type of fabric, these are naturally the main push now.

Wei Wei's eyes fell on one of the black cotton cloths, and clothes was a little surprised. Black cloth is not common at this time, because it is said that it is very difficult to dye, and even if there is, it is easy to fade. In addition, this colour of the cloth is almost only Men will choice, and most nobles, both men and women, prefer bright colours. Black fabrics are not very easy to sell, so they are rare.

And if you look closely at the batch of fabrics sent by the old tailor, in addition to this piece of cotton, there are also black linen and woollen cloth, which is very rare.

But Wei Wei likes black very much. She touched the black cotton cloth, which felt delicate and smooth: "Is this cloth fading?"

Seeing her interest, the old tailor's smile deepened: " You know, fabrics with dark colours are always fading, but don't worry, these fabrics are dyed by my family, only slightly faded, which is much better than other fabrics. You told me that Quercus can also be used to dye black cloth, and you told me how to prevent the cloth from fading. My cloth workshop could not dye such a good black cloth. There are also these kinds of plants. It's dyed with ore." He pointed to several other pieces of red, blue, and purple fabrics, all of which were very pure in colour.

Did she say this? Wei Wei recalled, oh, it seems that once, the old tailor who delivered the cloth said that he opened a cloth workshop and hired workers to weave, dye and sell cloth by himself. She said a few words casually, unexpectedly. He tried it, and it looked like it turned out to be a success.

Seeing the black fabric, Wei Wei's mind flashed a black and white skirt, followed by a black and white uniform.

If there is anything that matches the castle best, it is of course a group of servants dressed in maid and deacon outfits.

Wei Wei became interested, and she asked the apprentice to show herself all the black fabrics with great interest. After touching them in batches, they felt very good, and there were cotton and woollen fabrics, which were also suitable for wearing in winter.

"Do you have a lot of these black clothes?" As soon as the

old tailor heard it, he knew that the business was coming, and it was not a small business, so he immediately smiled: "I only prepared a few pieces for the time being, but don't worry, the materials are already woven. Yes, whatever colour you want, we can dye it for you directly."

Wei Wei nodded: "How long will it take to dye it?" The

old tailor asked cautiously, "I don't know how much you want?"

Wei Wei calculated, Now the servants of the castle and the little serfs have increased to almost 400 people. Counting the 120 knights and 120 knight attendants of the Knights, the total number is 700 people.

"I need enough fabric for 700 people, all of which are black wool. How long will it take to make it?"

Gudu.

The old tailor swallowed. The castle's demand for fabrics has increased this year.

"One month at most. If you are in a hurry, I will ask the workers to work overtime, and I will be able to make it in half a month." I am

not in a hurry. This time I prepared clothes for when the weather is cold in autumn and winter. It is still summer. It's still a few months away.

"In addition to these, I also want a batch of white cotton cloth, and the quantity is similar to this one. Pure white, do you have it?"

"Yes!" The original colour of the cotton cloth is a little yellow, but they have bleaching technology. Be as white as you want.

Because Wei Wei wanted a lot of fabrics this time, the old tailor once again gave her a very good discount. For this reason, the cost of fabrics alone would cost about 500 gold coins.

Not only that, the work of making is naturally taught to the tailors in the old tailor shop.

Wei Wei took a pen and paper and drew four different styles of clothing in detail on it, all in black and white, one skirt and three uniforms. For the old tailor to see clearly, she also spent detailed explanations and pictures. Then I spread it out a little bit and explained to the old

tailor what these are, and finally asked him: "Can these be made?" I looked at the drawings of the clothes that I had never seen before and then said, "Give me time to study it. This is a bit difficult, but it should be possible to make it, but the production cost will probably increase a lot."

Wei Wei The understanding nodded. The production of these clothes is much more complicated than before, and it is purely handmade. The price increase is natural: "Of course, as long as you can do it well, you will not be treated badly."

Listening to her assurance, the old tailor will Rest assured, he knows how generous the countess spends her money. This is the biggest customer service in his hands.

In the end, he couldn't help pointing to three of the men's clothes and asked Wei Wei, "I heard that the Count wears a kind of clothes called a suit at the wedding. The top is under the pants. The style is very special, isn't it like this?"

Wei Wei shook. He shook his head: "It's similar clothes, but the style is not this."

The suit Felix wore at the time was a formal dress, which was somewhat different from the three models in the current drawings.

He pointed to one of the men's uniforms and said, "We make two sets of this style. After I count the number and size of the others, I will send someone to count them for you."

In the past, ready-to-wear clothes were made according to specific sizes large, medium and small. Whoever wears what size is registered, so as long as you follow your registration, you can pick up clothes of the right size after the clothes are ready and delivered. , but this year there are several teenagers and girls, whose bodies are not fully developed, the size of their clothes is naturally different from that of adults, and they need to be measured and then determined.

"Okay, madam!"

The old tailor-made the calculations in his heart, and immediately became happy.