Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 885 The First Large-Scale Industrial Park Plan

San Niang has been back in Chang'an for some time now. Having shed her courtly demeanor, a faint weariness is evident between her brows.

Having finally gotten a day off, she strolled into the courtyard where Xia Lin was temporarily staying in the afternoon. She saw him squatting in a corner of the courtyard, gesturing to a shape he had drawn on the ground with charcoal. The setting sun cast dappled shadows on his back through the sparse branches and leaves of the persimmon tree.

"What are you thinking about now?"

Third Sister's voice was slightly hoarse as her gaze fell on the square pattern. The pattern had a peculiar structure, with the ceiling marked by a dense grid of lines, quite different from the flying eaves and brackets she was used to.

Xia Lin looked up at the sound, grinned, clapped the charcoal ash off his hands, and stood up: "You've come at the right time. Let me show you something new." He bent down, picked up a few blueprints, and handed them over: "A glass greenhouse."

Third Sister took the drawing and examined it closely. The drawing was extremely detailed. The surrounding structure was a heavy brick and wood load-bearing structure, while the roof was supported by dense wooden rafters and covered with large transparent glass panels, creating a spacious and bright space. Detailed dimensions, material specifications, and calculations of the angle of sunlight in different seasons were also marked next to it.

"This is... a house for growing vegetables?" Third Sister touched the transparent part representing glass on the blueprint with her fingertips, her tone tinged with curiosity: "It's so transparent, can it keep warm? Won't the crops freeze in winter?"

“It will naturally keep you warm.” Xia Lin leaned closer and patiently explained, pointing to the blueprints. “Look at this brick wall, it’s at least two feet thick. The key is this glass roof. During the day, sunlight shines in and heat is stored inside. At night, the temperature is much higher than outside. If you build a few chimneys in the corners to connect to the stove outside, you can light a fire in the cold winter and it will be as warm as late spring inside.”

He paused, then added, "I've already arranged for the Wei Kingdom's Trade Department to transport the glass needed for 120,000 mu of greenhouses, plus a 50% commission, and they'll handle the installation. It's actually cheaper than using my trade route, and more importantly, it's a business transaction, so the accounts are clear."

Third Sister carefully examined the blueprints and discovered that they also included detailed drawings of a drainage system, ventilation devices, and even a design for movable sunshade mats.

She stared at the paper for a long time, then said softly, "You want to promote this around Chang'an?"

"Let's build a few trial ones in Huangzhuang first." Xia Lin pointed to the different sizes on the blueprints: "Choose three villages and build them in three sizes: large, medium, and small, respectively, to see which one is most suitable. If it works well, the people can also grow some vegetables in winter, and seedlings can be started a month earlier. Vegetables are fine, but the main problem is seedlings. You're just a soldier who doesn't understand the intricacies of this. What does it mean to start seedlings a month earlier in the Northwest? Just ask the old farmers."

"How could I not understand! Don't look down on me."

She looked up at Xia Lin as he refuted his nonsense, and saw a rare gleam in his eyes—the kind of light that only appears when someone is focused on something.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that the person who transformed the barren land into the number one county in the world was not most impressive in his ability to scheme against others.

"I grant your permission." Third Sister handed the blueprints back to him: "You and Zhi'er discuss how to proceed, and make sure it's done carefully. If you need anything, just tell the Ministry of Revenue."

In the afternoon, the courtyard quieted down, and San Niang stood behind him the whole time. Watching his back as he focused on revising the blueprints, the frustration brought on by the affairs of the court in recent days dissipated a bit. Although they were no longer young men, strangely enough, seeing his focused appearance always made one feel as if they were transported back to ten or twenty years ago.

In the evening, San Niang said she would go back to wash up before having dinner, while the dirty Xia Lin called his attendant: "Go and invite His Highness the Crown Prince over, and tell him that he has important matters to discuss."

In less than half an hour, Li Zhi arrived in a hurry. These days, he had to handle both government affairs and deal with the turmoil of selecting concubines, and his face did indeed show some fatigue. But as soon as he entered the courtyard and saw the blueprints all over the ground, his eyes lit up immediately.

"Father, this is..."

Xia Lin shoved the blueprints into his hand: "Take a look at this."

Li Zhi carefully examined the document, becoming increasingly astonished: "This greenhouse design is ingenious. If it could be built, wouldn't we be able to enjoy fresh vegetables even in winter?"

“Of course.” Xia Lin pulled him down to squat down and pointed to the drawing on the ground. “Tomorrow you will go and choose a site. Choose a place with good sunlight and near a water source. Choose three villages with different terrains: one flat land, one gentle slope, and one near water. Try them out in different environments.”

Li Zhi nodded repeatedly, then suddenly thought of something: "Father, this glass roof is so big, what if it gets hailed..."

“There’s a thatched blanket on top, just cover it up. This house isn’t tall, just over one person’s height, so it’s easy to do.” Xia Lin said dismissively. “Besides, the spacing between the rafters can be adjusted to distribute the stress. I’ve already had Fu Liang, the supervisor, test-make several sizes of glass, you can take them with you tomorrow.”

The father and son squatted in the twilight, discussing the blueprints for nearly an hour, until the moon was high in the sky, when Li Zhi finally took his leave with a head full of new ideas.

San Niang sat to the side, resting her chin on her hand, watching the father and son having a heated discussion. In a daze, she felt that if it weren't for the imperial family, even living like this every day would be wonderful.

The next morning, Xia Lin took the blueprints to the Imperial Workshop. The craftsmen, upon seeing this novel design, all stared wide-eyed. An elderly craftsman, stroking his white beard, hesitated and said, "General Xia, such a large glazed tile roof, what if a strong wind blows..."

“Just thicken the rafters.” Xia Lin casually picked up a charcoal pencil and drew the reinforcing structure on the paper: “Look, add a diagonal brace here, and connect it with iron parts here to keep it sturdy.”

"How do we prevent rainwater leakage?" another craftsman asked.

Xia Lin took out a small copper component from his sleeve: "This is a newly designed waterproof channel, installed at the junction of the rafters." He casually picked up a pen and ink and drew an installation diagram on the paper: "Besides, as long as it's not rainwater backflow, and it's used for growing vegetables, a little leakage is fine."

The craftsmen quickly gathered around, marveling at the blueprints. Some suggested that the thickness of the brick walls could be adjusted, while others recommended digging drainage ditches around the greenhouse. Xia Lin noted down each suggestion and discussed them with the others until the sun began to set.

Three days later, the first batch of glass arrived in Chang'an. The transparent sheets gleamed in the sunlight, each the size of a door panel and half an inch thick, attracting passersby to stop and watch. Xia Lin personally went to the dock to inspect them and directed the workers to carefully move them.

"Gently, ouch... be gentle!" He stood on the cargo ship's deck, watching the workers lift the glass panes off one by one: "This stuff is expensive!"

The manager of the Wei caravan in charge of escorting the goods smiled and said, "Don't worry, General Xia, we've used soft straw mats along the way, covered with oilcloth, so there's absolutely no chance of them getting bumped or damaged. You see, every single one of them is perfectly intact."

Xia Lin sighed, "It seems we'll have to move to a local industrial park. All this back-and-forth scheduling is too much of a hassle."

Meanwhile, the foundation within the imperial estate had been compacted. The villagers watched as the craftsmen erected beams and pillars, building brick walls, and whispered amongst themselves about this novel structure. The old manor head squatted on the edge of a field, smoking his pipe, squinting at the gradually taking shape: "This glass house, can it really grow out-of-season vegetables?"

Li Zhi stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Don't worry, father-in-law, if my father says it's okay, then it's okay."

"Your Highness!" The old man turned around and was startled, quickly rising to his feet to bow. "Haha, no need for formalities." Li Zhi spread his hands, revealing the mud covering his body: "I'm just a laborer myself."

The construction of the greenhouses went more smoothly than expected; in just half a month, three glass greenhouses had risen from the ground within the estate. Their crystal-clear glass roofs shimmered in the spring sunshine, resembling precious glass boxes scattered across the fields from afar. The largest greenhouse occupied a full acre, while the smallest could accommodate half an acre of vegetable garden.

On this day, Li Zhi came to inspect the place with Zhang Jianzhi and Xiao Wu. The head of the manor was waiting outside the manor early in the morning. When he saw the Crown Prince's carriage, he hurriedly went forward to greet him.

“Your Highness, look.” The old manor head led everyone to the nearest greenhouse: “It’s only been built five days ago, but it’s already much warmer inside than outside. You’ll start sweating after going in for a while.”

Li Zhi stepped into the greenhouse and was immediately enveloped by a wave of warmth. Sunlight streamed through the glass roof, preventing the heat from escaping; the temperature was indeed ideal for the growth of melons and vegetables.

Zhang Jianzhi reached out and tested the temperature of the wall, nodding and saying, "The brick wall has a good heat storage effect, and it should be able to maintain the temperature at night. However, we need to pay attention to ventilation, as excessively high temperatures during the day can be detrimental to crops."

Xiao Wu squatted down to examine the ground. She picked up a clump of soil and rubbed it between her fingers: "The soil moisture is well maintained. However, if we want to plant, we need to apply some base fertilizer. I think we can do as Master said and use well-rotted manure mixed with wood ash."

Zhuang Tou nodded repeatedly and pointed to several earthenware jars in the corner, saying, "As Xia Shuai instructed, these manure jars were prepared, saying they need to be fermented before they can be used. He also asked for lime to be prepared, saying it's to adjust the soil's pH."

As everyone was talking, Xia Lin arrived slowly on horseback. Today he was dressed in a neat short-sleeved outfit, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his trousers stained with mud. He looked more like an old farmer in the fields than the powerful Marshal Xia.

"Everyone's here?" He jumped off his horse and casually tossed the reins to Zhang Jianzhi: "Perfect timing, it's time to sow the seeds today."

The head farmer quickly had several baskets brought over, filled with various kinds of seeds. Xia Lin grabbed a handful of vegetable seeds and weighed them in his palm: "Let's try planting some fast-growing ones first. Set aside a plot for each of the following: bok choy, spinach, and lettuce. We can plant some cucumbers in that corner over there and see if they can bear fruit earlier."

He then pointed to the innermost part of the greenhouse: "The temperature is highest there, so we can try planting some southern crops. I had someone bring me eggplant and bitter melon seeds from Lingnan to see if they can survive in Chang'an."

Under his direction, the farmers began preparing the land, marking lines, and sowing seeds. Li Zhi rolled up his sleeves and, imitating the farmers, evenly scattered the seeds on the ridges. Xiao Wu recorded the sowing spacing for different crops, while Zhang Jianzhi helped measure the plots.

Xia Lin stood in the center of the greenhouse, watching everyone busy at work, and suddenly said to the head of the village, "Old man, do you think this greenhouse can be a success?"

Zhuang Tou rubbed his hands together and said with a simple smile, "How could anything designed by Commander Xia not work? It's just... it's just this glazed tile roof. I'm always worried that birds will break it. This morning a sparrow flew straight up into it, but luckily the glass is thick and didn't break."

"No need to worry about that," Xia Lin waved his hand and laughed. "We can hang some bells around it, or make a few scarecrows. It doesn't need to be too deliberate, and no bird will be able to break it."

Just then, a commotion arose outside. It turned out that farmers from several nearby villages had heard about the novel sights being built here and had come to see them. They peered through the fence and pointed at the glass roof.

"What will happen to this shiny roof when it rains?"

"I heard it's warmer inside than outside, isn't that the same as a hot spring?"

"If it were possible to grow vegetables in winter, that would be a miracle!"

Hearing the discussion, Xia Lin smiled and went out: "Fellow villagers, would you like to come in and take a look?"

The farmers pushed and shoved each other, but a few of the bolder ones finally followed them in. As soon as they entered the greenhouse, everyone couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!"

"It's so warm! It feels like the floor is heated!"

"The light is so bright, I can't even open my eyes!"

An old farmer squatted on the ground, touched the soil with his hand, looked up at the glass roof, and suddenly said, "Xia Shuai, this house... is it possible for ordinary families like ours to afford to build it?"

Xia Lin laughed and said, "The construction cost is a bit high now, but the high cost is all due to the transportation costs. Once I figure out how to build an industrial park here, the materials will be cheaper, and maybe every household can build one. You see, the brick walls can be replaced with adobe, the glass can be thinner, and the roof doesn't need to be so big. Let's build a smaller one first to try it out."

Hope gleamed in the old farmer's eyes as he nodded repeatedly: "That's wonderful, that's wonderful... If we can really grow vegetables in winter, the children won't have to eat pickled vegetables every day."

At this moment, the head of the farm came over to report: "Commander Xia, the seeds have all been sown."

Xia Lin looked around and saw that the field ridges were neat and the seeds had all been planted. He nodded in satisfaction: "Now it's time to take good care of it. Remember to record the temperature and humidity every day, and also pay attention to ventilation. Different crops need different amounts of light and water, so remember to keep those in mind."

He turned to Li Zhi: "Zhi'er, I'm leaving this matter to you. Check on things every three days, and report back immediately if anything happens."

Li Zhi solemnly agreed.

As the sun sets, the glass roof of the greenhouse reflects the evening glow, glowing with a warm golden-red hue. The farmers begin watering the newly sown seeds, and the fine water droplets shimmer with iridescent light in the slanting sunlight, resembling a fairy palace.

Xiao Wu stood by the door, diligently recording the day's tasks in his notebook. Zhang Jianzhi, meanwhile, was discussing the follow-up care arrangements with the head of the farm: "We need to be careful about pest control. The temperature in this greenhouse is high, and the insects wake up early. We can prepare some wood ash to spray if necessary..."

Xia Lin stood with his hands behind his back on the edge of the field, gazing at the greenhouse that embodied everyone's hard work. The evening breeze carried the fragrance of earth. He saw several village children peering curiously through the glass windows, their faces beaming with innocent smiles.

"Actually, I really dislike scheming and intrigue. I just love farming and building." Xia Lin took out a cigarette and handed it to Changsun Wuji, who had just gotten off work and rushed over. "Look, isn't everyone happy this way? When the people are happy, everyone is happy. If the people aren't happy, all of us will lose our lives. Right, little Wuji?"

“Marshal Xia, I would like to invite you to a banquet at my residence today. Would you do me the honor?” Changsun Wuji took a deep breath and mustered his courage to say, “Since you came to Chang’an, I have not invited you. Today, I would like to discuss with you the industrial park you mentioned.”

Xia Lin turned her head, looked at his face, and smiled: "Okay, then I'll be bothering you."

(End of this chapter)