Han Yueniang took a handful of dried noodles in her hand and said to Du Zhongxiao: "Since I made this kind of noodles, everyone around me has bought them and eaten them, saying that they are refreshing and delicious." Now that the weather is hot, the family can't eat, so we will eat some more. ”

Du Zhongxiao straightened his eyes, looked at the noodles in Han Yueniang's hand, and said after a while: "Then how do you come down to eat?" ”

Han Yueniang said: "I saw that in the shop outside, they were all cooked in water, and the broth was added, which was fragrant and delicious." We don't have that much time to cook meat at home, so after we got off, we bought two catties of cooked meat from outside, cut it and put it in. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "So tired, how to eat?" I'll show you how to eat it, put the noodles in boiling water and cook them, then rinse them with cold water. Wait until it is cold again, stir-fry the meat and pour it on top, which is simple and delicious. ”

Han Yueniang smiled: "That's nonsense! It's finally cooked, and then rinsed with water, where is this way to eat! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "You just eat and do what I say." It's not worth much, it's not delicious, and it's just redone. ”

Han Yueniang's face was full of disbelief, shook her head and went into the kitchen, and ordered to do what Du Zhongxiao said.

Watching Han Yueniang leave, Du Zhongxiao couldn't help but shake her head again and again. Somen noodles are a good thing, but they are simple, and they are easy to store and transport, so they are relatively easy to commercialize. When it comes to deliciousness, where is the fresh noodles rolled out deliciously.

Human nature, a new thing comes out, and everyone eats a surprise. The price of dried noodles is not high, not much more expensive than white noodles, and after they are produced, many officials in the yamen buy them at home. Compared with other noodles, the method of somen noodles is much simpler, and it can be cooked in water, and the soup noodles can be eaten in various ways. However, there were few patterns of eating noodles in this era, but they quickly became popular in the yamen.

The industry is underdeveloped, and goods made by any industrial method are popular. As if it is a belief, in the eyes of the people, industrial products are inherently more high-end than handmade products. Due to logistical constraints and the difficulty of the poor in obtaining money, even simple commodities such as dried noodles can only be afforded by urban residents, and rural people are reluctant to spend those few copper coins. Whether you can use industrial products, in the pre-industrial era, is a sign that distinguishes people in the city from those in the countryside, and it has its own halo.

When the industry is developed and industrial products are everywhere, the atmosphere will change again. Mass-produced industrial products have become synonymous with low-end. Pure natural growth, pure handmade, it is best to bring strong feelings, in order to be called high-end, only to have grade.

Even if it's as simple as somen noodles, follow this rule. Even if the price of the farm is not high, after it is put on the market, only the well-off families in the city and the rich people in the countryside will buy noodles to eat, and even use them to entertain customers. Even in their own homes, it is not inevitable to be vulgar.

Du Zhongxiao really wanted to tell Han Yueniang that if she lays more eggs below, she can also be used as a sick meal.

After eating, Du Zhongxiao went to the front office, drank tea with Su Song for a while, chatted for a while, and said: "These days, the weather is dry, and all the villages under the camp are all slender men who use to pull fiber, and they don't know how to farm. According to the people below, many of them sit back and watch the fields dry up and the seedlings die, and do not want to find a way to water them. We went down to inspect and teach the villagers not to be lazy for a while, and regret it in the autumn. ”

Su Song said: "That's right. Although the fields are now reclaimed, the villagers do not know how to farm, which is really a headache. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Two days ago, I asked Shibalang to make a waterwheel, which can be used to draw water from mules and horses to irrigate the fields, which is very convenient to use. Let's take a look, if it's easy to use, promote it to all villages. ”

The two of them went out of the yamen, took Shisanlang and a group of retinues, rode to the ferry and crossed the river, and walked a short distance to the nearest village.

The villagers got the news early, and Di Dutou of the village led the villagers and greeted them at the entrance of the village early. Seeing Du Zhongxiao and his party, he hurriedly welcomed him into the village.

After entering the village, Du Zhongxiao said to Di Dutou: "While the weather is not too hot now, let's take a look at the newly made water wheel, whether it works well." ”

Di Dutou said: "Back to the official, that waterwheel is very useful!" With a donkey, you can water three acres of land a day, which is very useful! ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled: "It's good to use." Let's see, if you use it well, you can also let other villages open wells. ”

Di Dutou led the way with the villagers, and walked a short distance to the south of the village, which was a vegetable garden. It's early summer, and the garden is green with a variety of vegetables. In the past, they used to grow vegetables in front of and behind their houses, and their vegetable gardens were much better managed than their fields.

When I entered the vegetable garden, I saw a donkey with a blindfold on it, spinning in circles unhurriedly. The two and a half children next to him sat next to him with their heads bowed, concentrating on fighting crickets.

Di Dutou said in a loud voice: "San Lang, Qi Lang, let you watch the water, how can you play crazy there!" ”

The two and a half children stood up, did not dare to reply, and stood together on the edge of the ridge.

The donkey was pulling the newly-made waterwheel. The waterwheel was a freshly made wooden frame, with an iron chain carrying water from the well, and a water inlet next to it, bubbling with water. The water flow is not large, like a mountain stream, and the victory is continuous.

There is also a piece of red silk draped on the wooden frame of the well, which flutters in the wind and stands out in the scorching sun. This is something that Du Zhongxiao ordered people to do, and the villagers attached great importance to it and deliberately dressed up. In addition to the red silk, there are also some wild flowers planted in a mess next to it, and I don't know who put them in.

When he arrived, Du Zhongxiao said to Su Song: "In the past, waterwheels used to draw water from the river, which was inconvenient. Here, there are not many channels repaired, and the kind of waterwheel is not convenient to use. There is a lot of groundwater here, and people can dig wells, and more than one zhang can produce water, which is inexhaustible. With this kind of waterwheel, most of the land can be watered, and the harvest can be guaranteed in drought and flood, which has infinite benefits. ”

The waterwheel has been there since the Han Dynasty, and the development has been complete now, and the scraper has been changed to a cylinder type, which is very convenient to use. During the Jianwu period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Du Shi served as the Taishou of Nanyang, and understood the water drainage, and used water power to promote blast iron smelting, which was a huge progress in iron smelting technology. In the area of Tangzhou, it belonged to Nanyang County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, whether it was a water drain or a water wheel, it was not rare for the people. The principle of water exhaust blast is to turn the rotary motion into a reciprocating motion through the crank slider mechanism, which is just the opposite of the steam engine. Seeing the water drain, Su Song and Han Jiang are very easy to accept the steam engine.

However, the waterwheel has limitations in lifting water, because it uses the hydraulic power of the river, and can only be used on relatively large rivers. The newly opened fields are still lacking in channels, and there are very few places where water wheels can be used. There is plenty of rain, groundwater, and a high water level, making it easy to drill wells. If well water can be used for irrigation, it will save a lot of effort to build a canal.

Su Song looked at the waterwheel, using a pair of gears to change the horizontal rotation of the donkey to vertical rotation, driving the chain and going deep into the well. A bamboo tube is tied to the chain, and the bamboo tube is sealed with leather money, and when it enters the well water, the water tube is filled. As it rotates, the chain comes out of the well, and the water in the cylinder is poured out and flows into the mouth because the water is reopened.

When Du Zhongxiao was a child, in his small village, he once saw such a well, which was used to water the garden. A few days ago, I accidentally remembered that, according to a vague impression, I made this waterwheel with Thirteen Lang. The structure of this waterwheel is not complicated, a pair of bevel gears, cast in cast iron, are very rough, and are very common in water mills today. The most important thing is the chain, which is technically a ring chain, not a common roller chain in the previous life, but actually a large iron chain with a dog tied to the blacksmith. The sprocket is also cast, and its practical wood can also be used, everything is simple.

This kind of waterwheel has a name, it is called a liberated waterwheel. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in later generations, it was popularized on a large scale and was the main force of irrigation in rural areas in the north for a long time. In fact, it appeared much earlier, but it was not promoted.