The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 426 Blessing
Ganlu River.

Once the Lunar New Year is over, children on winter vacation are making a ruckus in the streets and alleys every day.

"Happy Chinese New Year!"

"Happy Chinese New Year!"

"The Lunar New Year is just two weeks away!"

"Angniang made new shoes for Ang!"

"Dad bought Ang snow boots!"

"Oh, the Ang family is going to serve ten dishes on New Year's Eve!"

"."

The year hasn't arrived yet.

The atmosphere of the Chinese New Year is already there.

Ten children, all ten of them focused on food and clothing.

The commotion was so great that even the General's Mansion could not find peace.

For the 101st time, little Yuanyuan peeked out the gate.

"It's almost Chinese New Year, why isn't Mom back yet?"

Her brother's usual way of fooling her:

"It'll be here soon! Maybe Mom is on her way now, and she'll bring us lots and lots of New Year's gifts this time."

Yuanyuan blinked and sucked on her fingers: "A New Year's gift? Is it milk candy?"

The baby doesn't lack milk candy.

She doesn't lack sugar, but the children of Ganluchuan are desperately lacking it.

Although Ganluchuan has a lot of fruits, dried fruits and sweets like candied fruits that can be eaten in summer and autumn.

But if you ask children what their favorite snack is, it will definitely be the milk candy produced by Ganluchuan Milk Candy Workshop.

Original flavor milk candy, yogurt milk candy, red bean milk candy, almond milk candy.

Every flavor has its loyal fans.

Unfortunately, these candies were mainly used to generate revenue.

Especially after adding a layer of glutinous rice paper coating that holds the milk candy, the candy won't melt or stick together even in hot weather.

It can be transported to very far places.

every day.

Hundreds of vendors were guarding the entrance to the sugar mill.

How much is produced that day, how much is snapped up?

In order to earn more profits, vendors generally do not sell locally.

As a result, the children of Ganluchuan could only eat milk candy during festivals, as part of the holiday gifts distributed by the garrison.

Therefore, I look forward to holidays the most.

It was a rare occurrence that there was no snow on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Just after breakfast, a long line of people formed outside the Ganluchuan Garrison to receive New Year's gifts.

The military dependents were excitedly discussing:

"I thought the general would decline to give out the annual gifts this year because he was away on campaign."

“No way! The quartermaster is Ang’s brother-in-law’s cousin. He said that this year’s New Year’s gifts are 30% more generous than last year’s.”

"What do you have?" "Ten catties of fragrant sesame oil, ten catties of various flavored milk candies, ten catties of fruit wine, six bolts of cotton cloth for all seasons, and the heaviest items are thirty-six catties of meat and thirty-six catties of rice! Without a cart, you can't haul them back."

“We’ve been preparing for this for a while. Ang and his two rascals take turns queuing up, and when it’s almost our turn, we bring the family’s carriage over. The rascals are urging their old mother to go out before dawn.”

"You think they're just being hardworking? They're only after those ten pounds of milk candy!"

"It's all the same, it's all the same! To be honest, it's not that I'm reluctant to spend the money. I usually buy a pound or two for the kids to enjoy, but there's just nothing left to buy!"

"You're quite generous to the child; a pound of milk candy costs three qian of silver!"

"If you calculate it this way, the annual gifts over the years have already exceeded twenty taels, and this year's gifts are more than three-tenths more generous. It seems that our garrison has done a good job this year."

With so many people in the garrison, how much would a single New Year's gift cost?
"Look at those merchants, they're practically bursting with envy."

"The merchants may be envious, but they're all rolling in money thanks to the specialties of Angmen Garrison. If you try to get them registered in the local area, they'll definitely fight you to the death."

"I know, I know! Those who really want to join the military are immigrants! But their descendants can't easily marry daughters from our military households, so they can only pin their hopes on their daughters. Even families that still prefer sons to daughters are now hoping their daughters-in-law will give birth to girls."

"I heard that there are now girls' schools in many immigrant villages."

"There's no other way! We military households don't want illiterate women when we marry! If they can't read, they won't be able to find any good jobs after they marry into our families."

"You have to admit it's good to have a female general in charge! Look at the other garrisons in Guanzhong, they're also doing literacy campaigns and running schools, but which of the young women in those garrisons lives as freely as the women in Ganluchuan?"

It's more than just being at ease.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, more than 70% of the jobs offered in the workshops of Ganluchuan are suitable for women.

Unmarried and married women are now earning more than the men in their families.

Men: Qian Zhuangxiong is a tough guy, but his wives, daughters-in-law, and daughters are practically shitting on his head!

General Gan had reason to believe it.

There are no bad habits in the world that cannot be changed!

Most people are not born with a masochistic habit.

If you transplant the women of the Bo ethnic group to the soil she has carefully cultivated, they will surely reap sweet fruits.

Emperor Qianwu and the others couldn't help but gasp when they saw the 30,000 women and children prisoners that General Gan had brought back, who were even more like refugees than refugees themselves.

"How do you calculate this deal of exchanging 5,000 adult prisoners for 30,000 women and children?"

General Gan spoke with righteous indignation:
"Let's talk about whether we won in terms of numbers or not."

"But what use are these foreign women? You Kansai don't lack immigrants or wives anymore."

"I refuse to believe that without those submissive women, how can five thousand adult Bo men reproduce? Since they don't treat women as human beings, let them live with the men."

When the topic of the barbaric practice of Bo men beating women came up, General Gan's beautiful face contorted with rage.

“A wife and children are not worthy of a beast! Your Majesty, I have heard that the violent temper of the Bo people is mainly due to their fondness for drinking. The caravans from Guanzhong could transport some strong liquor to sell to them.”

All the generals gasped in unison.

Recite in your heart:

Never offend a woman, especially a woman with such great power; she could wipe out your entire family line.

One of the generals asked curiously, "They're so poor they don't even have shoes to wear, where did they get the money to buy wine?"

General Gan, who had surveyed the environment of this vast primeval forest, stated:
"The Bo people are actually living in a treasure trove but don't know it. I have inspected the environment around the village. There are tall trees, small shrubs, grass and vines. This kind of humus soil is the most fertile, and this kind of environment is the best for producing black gastrodia elata."

"Whoa!" The military doctors couldn't sit still any longer.

"Gastrodia elata is indeed a good medicinal herb. Its medicinal effects were first recorded in the Eastern Han Dynasty's 'Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica' under the name 'Chijian'. It has the effects of anti-epileptic, anticonvulsant, antirheumatic; sedative, antispasmodic, analgesic; and tonifying. Twenty-year-old wild black Gastrodia elata is a great savior for dizziness and headaches!"

"That's right! Even though we beat you up and took your wives and kids away, we can actually bring you real benefits!"
If you were all a little more diligent, digging up a few old gastrodia elata plants every winter would be enough for six months of heavy drinking. With wine, meat, and brothers every day, who would need a wife!

All the generals: It is truly a blessing for the Bo people to have met General Gan!
(End of this chapter)