Duke of Zhenguan

Chapter 109 More Uses of Paper

On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the government office sealed its seals.

Lin Chuan, who used to get up early every day to attend court, was finally able to sleep in, only getting out of bed when the sun was high in the sky.

Meixiang pushed open the door and came in carrying hot water, saying softly, "My lord, it's snowing heavily!"

After washing my face, I got dressed.

Stepping out of the bedroom, I saw large snowflakes drifting in the air, and the courtyard had already turned into a vast expanse of white.

It is said that a timely snowfall promises a good harvest. Since the beginning of winter this year, although there have been a few light snowfalls, the snow has not accumulated. The court officials and Emperor Taizong of Tang have been waiting for a heavy snowfall, and now it has finally arrived.

On the way to the front yard, we encountered Er Ya, who was rushing towards the east wing in a great hurry.

"Er Ya, how many times have I told you? A girl should act like a girl!" Lin Chuan said irritably.

Er Ya awkwardly straightened her clothes and said to Lin Chuan with a forced smile, "Brother, sister-in-law is here!"

The sister-in-law Er Ya was referring to was naturally Cheng Chu Rou. Ever since the two families exchanged marriage certificates, Er Ya had changed her way of addressing her.

Lin Chuan arrived at the central courtyard with doubts, and sure enough, he saw Cheng Churou, wearing a padded jacket, chatting with Li Shi. Behind her stood two pretty maids, one of whom was Cheng Chun, and the other whom Lin Chuan had never seen before.

In front of Madam Li, Cheng Churou felt embarrassed to call him "husband," so she stood up, bowed to Lin Chuan, and sweetly called out, "Lin Lang!"

Lin Chuan smiled and nodded, then asked, "It's snowing so heavily outside, why didn't you wait until the snow subsided a bit before coming over?"

"My mother asked me to bring over some fresh cabbage!" Cheng Churou said with a smile.

Fresh cabbage?

Lin Chuan was taken aback, then asked in confusion, "You have a hot spring at home?"

"Lin Lang is so clever. His family has a villa at the foot of Mount Li, with a hot spring nearby, so they can grow some vegetables in the winter!" Cheng Churou said with a smile.

"Then we need to send it over early. We've been eating dried vegetables for over a month, and we're already tired of them!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Darling, you and Chu Rou sit down. I'll go check on the kitchen and have Chu Rou eat at home later!" Li Shi said, getting up as she looked at the two of them, not wanting them to be in the way.

When they went out, they also pulled Er Ya along.

After a few more days apart, Cheng Churou, who was already lively, seemed to have endless things to say, and kept chattering while holding Lin Chuan's hand.

After the meal, Madam Li and Lin Chuan escorted Cheng Churou to the gate. Watching Cheng Churou ride away in the carriage, Madam Li sighed softly, "In this cold winter, I've heard that even in the palace, people can only occasionally eat fresh green vegetables. Churou delivered more than ten catties of them."

Madam Cheng and Master Cheng have treated my eldest son very well. Eldest son, you must never let Chu Rou suffer any injustice!

"Mother, please don't worry!" Lin Chuan said awkwardly.

Given Cheng Yaojin's protective nature, Lin Chuan dared not let Cheng Churou suffer any injustice.

After noon, the snow began to gradually lessen. Lin Chuan sat in the house for a while and then felt a little bored. He had been busy with the new crossbow for the past few days, going back and forth between the Imperial Academy of Ceremonies, the Imperial Workshop, and the Ministry of War every day. He was so busy that he didn't have time to rest all day long. Suddenly having some free time made him feel a little unaccustomed to it.

When Cheng Churou mentioned fresh cabbage, he suddenly thought of greenhouses.

The only problem with not being able to grow vegetables in winter is that the temperature is too low.

Greenhouses are artificially created temperature environments suitable for vegetable growth. Although there are no hot springs, a large earthen pit should work, right?

The more Lin Chuan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He got up, told Li Shi, and then called Xu Laosan to lead a few guards on horseback out of Chang'an and head towards Cheng Family Village.

Upon arriving at the Lin family's territory near Chengjiazhuangzi, they saw a group of people working in the snow at the foot of the mountain. The villa was already taking shape and should be completed by spring.

Steam was still rising from the paper mill next door. Since Lin Chuan had originally planned to check on the papermaking progress, he led his men to the paper mill first.

"Greetings, Lord Lin!"

"Greetings, Lord Lin!"

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After Lin Chuan entered the workshop, the people working in the paper mill came over to pay their respects. These were all refugees hired by Lin Jiu and Lin Shier.

The land had been cultivated by mid-November, and Lin Chuan did not drive them away. Anyone who was willing to stay could rent land from the Lin family to cultivate, and the Lin family would also provide them with seeds and farming tools.

They were all homeless people, and when they encountered such a windfall, they naturally stayed. Apart from a few craftsmen found from Tiechi Lane, most of the workers in the workshop were also these refugees.

Besides the paper mill, all of the Lin family's workshops will be moved here in the future. Lin Chuan plans to set up a Lin family estate just like the Cheng family estate. He has no reliable people around him except for guards, so he can only let his twelfth uncle, Lin Twelve, manage it. After the paper mill is built, Lin Twelve will spend most of his time here.

Waving to the person bowing, Lin Chuan smiled and asked Lin Twelve beside him, "Uncle Twelve, how's the papermaking going?"

"Brother, I was just about to go back and tell you. The paper has been made according to your requirements, but it's completely unusable!" Lin Twelve said with a wry smile.

Hearing that the paper he wanted had been made, Lin Chuan was overjoyed and pulled Lin Twelve along, saying, "Uncle Twelve, take me to see it!"

"Brother, they're all here!"

Lin Gan'er led Lin Chuan to the warehouse and pointed to several thick piles of paper on the wooden shelves.

The paper was pale yellow. Lin Chuan walked over, picked up a few sheets, crumpled them into a ball, and said to Lin Twelve with satisfaction, "Uncle Twelve, this is what I want. It would be even better if it were a little softer. Have them try it out!"

The paper in my hand is almost like toilet paper; if it were a little softer, it would be real toilet paper.

"Brother, what's the use of this paper?" Lin Twelve asked in confusion.

"Uncle Twelve, what would you most like to do with this paper?" Lin Chuan asked with a smile.

"Wipe your butt!" Lin Twelve said awkwardly.

"Haha, Uncle Twelfth, I think so too!" Lin Chuan laughed heartily.

Lin Shier was stunned for a while before asking Lin Chuan with suspicion, "Big Brother, is this paper really for wiping your bottom?"

"If Uncle Twelfth doesn't want to use them, then continue using your bamboo tallies. I have no objection!" Lin Chuan joked with a smile.

During his year living in the Tang Dynasty, he was able to get used to the food, but he really couldn't get used to using these bamboo tallies. Before, he would secretly crumple the paper to soften it before using them, which made Li Shi nag him a lot for being wasteful.

Lin Shier looked at the pile of paper on the shelf, still not daring to put paper and wiping his bottom together. What if the master who made them study knew he was using paper to wipe his bottom?

Lin Shier shuddered, but still felt it was better to continue using his bamboo tally. His nephew was a county magistrate and had the right to use paper to wipe his bottom, but he didn't.

After reading the paper, Lin Chuan remembered the main purpose of his visit and turned to Lin Twelve, saying, "Uncle Twelve, go find a few skilled vegetable growers; I have something I need them to do!"

"You need to ask someone else to grow vegetables? Just tell me, I'll do it!"

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