Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 689 What to raise?

Let each state capital build toilets according to the actual situation of its own state capital. Ensure hygiene and actively compost. In this way, Hualei read the performance report in the government office while handling various affairs.

The account details and results submitted by Feng Shuangxi were not optimistic. After the salaries were paid out, there were only four or five hundred taels of silver left in the accounts of the entire prefecture.

This result disappointed Hualei. How to use these hundreds of taels of silver? The government office spends a lot of money on lunch every month.

I thought of the poverty of Xichang Prefecture, but it was really hard to justify such poverty. However, the tax collection was pretty good.

Hua Lei looked through the details carefully and found that each state capital below had basically completed the payment of their respective taxes, grain and silver.

Yes, here, the functions of the county government are much simpler and more refined than in the previous life. It basically only cares about two things: whether there is any rebellion and whether the tax collection task has been completed.

As long as a county magistrate can ensure that taxes are paid on time and there is no unrest in the local area, he will be considered qualified. As for whether the people live well and have enough food and warmth, that is not within the scope of assessment.

To put it bluntly, the county magistrate is responsible for collecting taxes and also managing public security. So the few county magistrates who were able to attend the last meeting were considered active participants.

If the county town's operations are qualified, the requirements for the state capital will be slightly higher. It will be responsible for some grain varieties, water conservancy, encouraging mulberry farming, and cooperating with the prefectural capital to issue some government decrees. If these can be done, it is basically considered qualified.

After all, it was the most remote area, and they all thought they had done a good job. Hualei sighed softly.

Xichang Prefecture is so poor that the output of farmland is low, but taxes are paid on time. This may mean that the lives of the people behind the scenes may be in dire straits.

It is still important to increase food production and ensure that the people have enough food and clothing, but this cannot be accomplished overnight. The fastest hope is that this year's corn harvest will be great, and then it can be promoted to the people as soon as possible.

So there was no rush, Hualei suppressed her anxious heart and went to Dumucao's breeding farm. Although, last time I told Chen Ducao, try to breed more donkeys and mules.

However, the gestation period of a donkey is very long, as long as twelve months, and usually only one donkey is born per litter, but occasionally two.

This speed is too slow. It seems impossible to increase the number of donkeys quickly. Originally, I thought I would wait until there were more donkeys and then make donkey gelatin. But now it is a long way off.

Mules are even more troublesome. Although mules have some advantages of both donkeys and horses, they cannot reproduce on their own and require mating between donkeys and horses.

However, how to make donkeys and horses mate to produce mules has always been a difficult problem. In addition, horses are very valuable nowadays, and there are not many for breeding. Therefore, it is impossible to quickly increase the number of mules in a short period of time.

However, it is not suitable to raise rabbits in Xinjiang because rabbits have fur and are good at keeping warm, but they lack sweat glands on their body surface.

Normally, it is difficult for rabbits to dissipate heat through their skin, so they are very afraid of heat, and it is probably not possible to raise them in Xinjiang. The same is true for sheep.

Raise a dog? Eat dog meat? No, no, as a dog lover in her previous life, Hualei would never do such a thing. Although some nobles and wealthy people occasionally eat dog meat now and then, Hualei has never eaten it.

Besides, dogs can't stand the heat either, so forget it. Chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs? There's not enough water here, I wonder if it will work? Hualei felt that she had run out of ideas.

Forget it, I'll pay for Chen Ducao to go to the border market and see if there are any donkeys for sale. If there are, I'll buy some. Hualei came up with a solution that was not a solution.

As for the chickens, ducks, geese and pigs, Hualei decided to wait and see, as she was too busy for the time being. She would deal with it later when she had time.

As the weather gets hotter, Xichang will enter a long summer with high temperatures in just over a month. I am thinking about my two children who cannot tolerate the heat.

Hua Lei found time to write a letter to Tian Xiaofu, asking him to send a boatload of mats. When in Mobei, Hua Lei asked Maozhu Village to make bamboo baskets and carrying poles to supply to the Ministry of Industry.

In addition, they were also asked to make a lot of mats and bamboo chairs, which might not be used in Mobei, but could be used in other places in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Last year, Liang Xiangyi bought a lot of summer mats and shipped them to several cities in the south for sale. I heard that they were selling very well.

While transporting books for the imperial examinations, Hua Lei also sent a few boatloads of mats to Yongjia Prefecture to sell, making a lot of money.

In Western Xinjiang, the hot weather is the most suitable for using a cool mat. Because there is very little rain in Western Xinjiang and the temperature is high, it is not suitable for the growth of bamboo, so there are basically no cool mats here.

Hua Lei asked Tian Xiaofu to purchase goods from Mobei and send them directly to Xichang Prefecture. On the one hand, this could generate income for Maozhu Village. On the other hand, Hua Lei also felt that there must be a broad market for cool mats in Xichang.

During this period of time, Hualei gradually gained a better understanding of Xichang Prefecture.

Although Xichang Prefecture is generally poor, there is a two-tier differentiation in each place, so there are still many wealthy businessmen and wealthy families. Moreover, I heard that Changhuai Prefecture has opened a border market with neighboring countries.

Although I haven't been to Hualei yet, the neighboring countries to the west have higher temperatures and greater water shortages than Xichang, so there must be a market for cool mats.

And this time, the sisters Qingxia and Qingqiu came with Uncle Zhao's boat. The sisters have been staying in several farms and fields in Hualei for several years.

Now the elder sister Qingxia is 17 years old, and the younger sister Qingqiu is 15 years old. Both sisters are smart, and after seeing Hualei's business model in the farm shop, they can now stand on their own.

Hualei originally wanted to let the two sisters find a good husband first. But Qingxia insisted on coming with Hualei. She said that Hualei did not bring her two sisters with her in Mobei.

This time, I will bring them along so that the two sisters can see the world. Although I know Qingxia is just making excuses, Hualei thought about it and agreed.

Since the two sisters came to their own farm, they have indeed never left the capital. It would be nice to bring them out to experience some new customs and practices.

As for the in-laws, they can find them anywhere. Maybe the sisters can find their match in Western Xinjiang. Besides, after seeing the scenery, they know how vast the world is.

Their horizons will be broadened, their minds will be broader, and they will not be confined to the narrow space of the backyard. This will also be good for the sisters' future lives. So, they were allowed to come together.

During this period, the two sisters, accompanied by several guards, have been searching for shops and farms in the city.