Jiang Sheng was filled with justice locked in his throat.
She was just about to say, if anyone wants to eat the Liao family's lychees, they won't buy them no matter how cheap they are.
In the blink of an eye, Fifth Brother suggested going to Liao’s house to buy lychees.
He must be crazy.
"I'm not crazy. If the Liao family is willing to lower the price, we will accept his price. It's almost the same anyway. We can take over all the lychees from the Liao family and resell them..." Chang Yan's eyes became brighter as he spoke.
As long as they can sell it for more than ten taels, they will definitely make a profit without losing money. The key is that they don't have to run around or go to any trouble, they can just pick up the money right where they are.
The idea is good.
"But there is a key point. Lychees cannot be stored overnight." Zheng Ruqian had a ladle of ice water in his pocket. "If the lychees could be stored for a long time, they wouldn't be as expensive."
Chang Yan’s voice stopped abruptly.
Unexpectedly, the invincible fifth brother would also make mistakes at times. His face was full of resentment and unwillingness. He opened his mouth several times and uttered, "It would be great if the lychees could be kept longer."
Yes, it would be nice if it could be kept for a long time.
Everyone continued to sigh, feel unhappy, rack their brains, and meditate.
Zhang Xianglian felt sorry for these children, so she poured a few cups of tea over, grabbed a few handfuls of lychees, washed them outside, and poured the dirty water on the open space.
The person hiding in the dark was frightened and hurriedly stood up, revealing his thin cheeks and slightly deflated belly.
"Master Kong?" Zhang Xianglian lost her voice and felt a little at a loss.
I originally thought that I had already made a decision in my heart, and I didn't feel lost or miss you on weekdays, but when we first met, my heart was inevitably confused.
Especially the master's shriveled and haggard look really made her feel guilty and a little sad.
"Why are you here?" Zhang Xianglian took out the handkerchief and wiped the mess all over his body. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were there just now. Do you want to go into Jiuzhenfang to change clothes?"
"No need." The master's voice was hoarse, "I thought Sister Xianglian would never pay attention to me again."
Zhang Xianglian stopped wiping and then silently took back the handkerchief.
The master wanted to slap his own mouth, "That's not what I meant, sister Xianglian, please continue, no, no, you give it to me and I will wipe it."
"The handkerchief can't be wiped dry either." Zhang Xianglian forced a smile, "It's better to get the cloth. Master Kong is waiting here."
She was about to turn around, but the master hurriedly stopped her, "Sister Xianglian, can't I even talk to you now? I... can't I even buy pastries?"
"Of course." Zhang Xianglian distanced herself from him, "Jiuzhenfang always welcomes guests."
She stood up and entered holding lychees.
After some hesitation, Master Kong followed in.
Just as Zheng Ruqian was patting the table, "How can we preserve lychees? Should we dry them in the sun? But dried lychees and lychees are not the same price at all."
There are countless dried lychees in Lingnan. They do not need ice and do not take up space. They can transport hundreds of kilograms in one round trip.
Wen Zhiyun raised his hand weakly, "I know that dried lychees can be used as medicine, and they cost two taels of silver per pound."
Zheng Ruqian turned his head in frustration, saw the master from the corner of his eye, and weakly greeted him, "Master Kong is here."
"What are you discussing? You are so excited." The master said casually, his eyes glued to Zhang Xianglian.
Zheng Ruqian was in no mood to answer.
Jiang Sheng raised his head, "I'm thinking about how to preserve lychees. It's best to store them for two months."
"This is not easy, just put it in ice." The master said casually.
The five brothers and sisters all straightened up.
Ice has become popular in the previous dynasty, and Suche and Sushan are the favorites of aristocratic families. Even ordinary people can enjoy a bowl of cold mung bean soup.
But this kind of ice is usually half-melted. It turns into water the moment it enters the mouth, just with a cool feeling.
"Master, putting it on ice won't work." Jiang Sheng leaned over and said, "The lychees have been put in ice for ten days after they were shipped. No matter how much you put them, they will spoil."
Zheng Ruqian nodded beside him.
"The lychees are transported in wooden boxes with ice in the interlayer, which is different from putting them directly in the ice." The master looked haggard. "Do you know what is the longest-lasting thing in the world?"
Still ice.
From winter to summer, and from summer to winter again, as long as the insulation is done well, the ice will last for several years.
Chang Yan realized the key, "Master Kong, what you mean is that we can turn lychees into ice so that they can be stored like ice?"
This time the master didn't say anything, he just stared blankly at Zhang Xianglian's back, tears welling up in his eyes.
He and Zheng Ruqian looked at each other, stood up neatly, and invited Aunt Zhang to her seat.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Xianglian was confused.
Chang Yan smiled and said, "Auntie, we seem to have found a way to preserve lychees. The master told us."
"Really?" Zhang Xianglian was surprised and delighted, "Master Kong, do you really know how to preserve lychees?"
The master hasn't opened his mouth yet.
Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, "Aunt and Master have known each other for so long. It's appropriate to call me Brother Kong. I always call you Master, Master. You see so many people."
"Yes, yes, we should also call him Uncle Kong." Jiang Sheng nodded beside him.
These scheming people.
Zhang Xianglian noticed something was wrong, but for the sake of the children, she still called out softly, "Brother Kong."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" The master seemed to be alive, "I'm here, I'm here."
"Isn't it just to preserve lychees? Put them on ice, put more." He pointed to Jiangshan, "enough to freeze the pulp into ice cubes. As long as the ice can last, you can keep it for as long as you like. We have Daosu Mountain in Youranju." Those who do this also have jelly, which is particularly popular.”
In other words, ice, lots of ice.
Zheng Ruqian began to make calculations. He had to ensure that after taking into account the cost of ice, Litchi would still make a profit.
Instead of doing it over and over again and getting your money back.
"Ice is not cheap." Jiang Sheng also muttered, "It takes a thousand taels of ice to transport lychees for twenty days."
The children didn't say anything and were busy calculating.
Zhang Xianglian felt distressed and looked at the master eagerly.
"Hey, hey, ice can't be calculated like this." The master chef quickly stood up, "The same ice cubes will melt at a different rate when placed in a carriage than when placed in a cellar."
Especially because of the huge amount of ice, melting is almost undetectable.
Zheng Ruqian suddenly realized it and his face was filled with excitement.
If enough ice could preserve the lychees, then wouldn't it be a steady profit if he collected all the lychees from the Liao family this month and waited until September to sell them.
Now there is only one last question left.
Will frozen lychees still taste good if they are thawed?
"Why does it need to melt?" The master chef was very surprised. "Can't you eat the lychee ice directly? It's better to remove the core and add some osmanthus honey, cheese cubes or other things in it. As long as it tastes good, there will still be people. Appreciative."
As expected of the head chef of a large restaurant, his casual words broke the children's spell.
Zheng Ruqian's eyes were bright and he couldn't wait to ask Wang Xiaosong to arrange ice cubes, buy osmanthus honey cheese cubes, etc.
Zhang Xianglian felt grateful and said proactively, "Brother Kong really has some ideas. He can think of such strange ways."
"Hey, no." The master's face was visibly red. "I made a lychee feast at Youranju. One of the dishes at that time was to pit the lychees and fill them with osmanthus honey, then freeze them into ice and enjoy them."
It was a pity that Mrs. Jiang who was attending the banquet had bad teeth, so she softened the lychee ice and gave it to the servants.
At that time, the master felt regretful for a long time. Later, he thought that not everyone had lychees and ice, so he abandoned this dish.
"I just happened to remember it today." He suddenly said seriously, "Sister Xianglian, I can only provide you with the recipe, but I can't guarantee you whether it will be bought or sold."
At this time, you can see whether you are sincere or not.
The master could not say this and continue to enjoy Zhang Xianglian's pleasure in pleasing him.
But for the sake of his conscience and the integrity deep down in his bones, he decided to tell the truth honestly, even if he might get rejected because of it.
"I understand, Brother Kong." Zhang Xianglian's heart moved slightly, "No matter what, I have to thank you."
Only then did the master put his heart into his stomach.
After everyone waited for a long time, Zheng Ruqian came over with a plate of lychee ice.
It was a matter of time. It was not frozen to the point of being hard, but it still had the texture of ice. It was refreshing to take a bite, and with the fragrant but not sweet osmanthus honey inside, it had a different flavor.
It's also delicious with cheese cubes, which gives it a different texture.
There were also ones with apples, pears, and even a piece of meat. Because it was too dark, only Jiang Sheng was willing to try it.
Then she spat it out like "Wow."
"It seems that meat cannot be included." Xu Mo concluded, "Apples and pears are just average, cheese cubes taste the best, and osmanthus honey comes second."
Now only one last question remains.
"Is anyone willing to buy this lychee ice?"
I thought I would have to think hard for a while, but Zheng Ruqian said decisively, "Yes, trust me."
There is a cellar under Baishui's workshop. The cellar is filled with ice, enough to store thousands of kilograms of lychees.
Now, it's their turn to take action.
"Let's go collect the lychees from the Liao family!"
