After telling Fang Sansan to stare at the salt water, Han Zhen stepped into the hall and asked, "How are you today?"
Zhu Zhengze pondered for a moment and replied: "Today, a total of seventeen households have been brought in, totaling sixty-one people, all of whom were refugees from Xiaowang Village."
Seventeen households?
Oh, these villagers are really efficient.
There are fugitives on the mountain, but it is actually not easy to find. After all, the mountain is so big, and fugitives will definitely try their best to hide in the mountains in order to avoid being caught by the authorities.
Not all fleeing households believe the villagers' words, and they always remain vigilant.
Those who are willing to go down the mountain either have just climbed up the mountain or they really can't survive anymore, so they take the risk.
Han Zhen asked again: "Are there any blacksmiths and scholars?"
These two groups of people are very critical and are related to the development speed of Xiaowang Village.
"No."
Zhu Zhengze shook his head.
Hearing this, Han Zhen was not disappointed. After all, it was only the first day. There were so many fleeing households in the mountains, and he could always find them if he searched slowly.
Night falls.
It was a bit hot tonight, so after dinner, everyone gathered in the yard to enjoy the cool air.
There are really no entertainment activities in the countryside, so we can only talk about trivial things to pass the time.
It wasn't until the moon was at its peak that they dispersed.
…
The next day.
Han Zhen got up early.
Amid Fang Sansan's chatter, he finished washing.
"Alang, do you want breakfast?"
"Not urgent."
Han Zhen waved his hand, took out the key and entered the small warehouse.
Soon, he moved out the two sugar jars he made yesterday.
After a day and a night, the yellow mud sealing the pots has completely dried.
After opening it, some thick liquid accumulated in the clay pot below.
These liquids are a mixture of yellow mud water and molasses, which are normal losses and there is currently no way to avoid them.
After breaking the yellow mud sealing the pot and taking out the straw, Han Zhen was surprised to find that the outermost layer of the originally dark brown sugar had turned as white as frost.
Although the inside is still reddish brown, you only need to replace it with yellow mud glue and continue to absorb it.
Yellow mud has no cost, so you can get as much as you want.
Fang Sansan's eyes widened with disbelief on his face.
In just one day, the sugar turned white.
Alang really knows Tao Ye’s method!
At this time, Han Zhen ordered: "Don't be stupid and look for bamboo strips and bowls."
"oh oh!"
Fang Sansan nodded quickly and walked out of the backyard with his short legs.
After a while, she brought bamboo strips and bowls.
Taking the bamboo strips, Han Zhen gently scraped off all the outer layer of sugar.
Two sugar jars scraped out a bowl full of white sugar.
It's just that the scraped particles are uneven, some are big and some are small, and they are not very beautiful.
If you want to sell it at a good price, you need to grind it into icing sugar powder.
Han Zhen picked up a handful and put it into his mouth, tasting it carefully.
Sweet, with a faint fragrance of sugar cane, and an indescribable taste.
However, this flavor is not produced during purification, but comes from the sugar itself.
To be honest, the taste of white sugar is no different from that of granulated sugar. The core selling point is its snow-white color.
The atmosphere of the Northern Song Dynasty was extravagant. In addition to the common people, landlords, businessmen and officials were all very wealthy and willing to spend a lot of money to pursue such luxury goods.
Seeing Fang Sansan staring at the sugar in the bowl and swallowing, Han Zhen handed the bowl over and motioned for her to have a taste too.
"I...can I try it too?"
In an instant, all the grievances in my heart yesterday disappeared instantly, and I just felt that Alang was too kind to me.
"Um."
Han Zhen nodded.
After receiving his affirmative reply, Fang Sansan stretched out his fingers tremblingly, carefully dipped his fingertips in a little sugar, and then quickly put his fingers into his mouth.
Han Zhen asked: "Is it delicious?"
Fang Sansan nodded repeatedly, reluctant to take his fingers out of his mouth.
After putting away the sugar, Han Zhen asked her to get some yellow mud and spread it on the pot again according to yesterday's method.
It's a pity that I don't have activated carbon on hand at the moment. Otherwise, with activated carbon, the efficiency of white sugar purification can be made many times faster.
After washing the dirt in his hands, Han Zhen stepped to the front yard.
Under the eaves, after standing overnight, the three barrels of salt water reacted with the carbon dioxide in the air, and sediment appeared at the bottom again.
Filter out the sediment, pour it into the pot and start cooking.
As the water gradually evaporates, white salt crystals begin to precipitate at the bottom of the pot.
Three buckets of salt water are boiled three times, and finally three bowls of refined salt are obtained.
Chef Shen looked confused and didn't understand the meaning of doing this.
Yesterday, when she boiled the salt water, she used 5 pounds of salt, but after all the hard work, what she got in the end was still salt, but the critical weight was reduced.
Seeing this, Han Zhen said in a mysterious tone: "Try it and see."
Hearing this, Chef Shen dubiously dipped her fingers into one of the bowls and put it into her mouth.
As soon as she entered her mouth, her expression immediately changed.
So salty!
But it has a pure salty taste, and the previous bitterness has disappeared without a trace.
Chef Shen said with a horrified look on her face: "Could it be that Mr. Young Master knows the magic of immortality?"
Han Zhen was overjoyed, it was done!
In a good mood, he smiled and explained: "It's not magic, it's just an ancestral craft."
However, Chef Shen didn't believe it. Thinking of Han Zhen's battle with the wild pig spirit a few days ago, the look of awe in her eyes became even stronger.
Han Zhen ordered: "Try the other two portions."
After tasting the other two bowls of salt one by one, Chef Shen commented: "Alang, this bowl still has some bitterness, but the bitterness is very light. Although the other bowl is not bitter, it has a strange smell."
For the bowl with a very light bitterness, the ratio of salt water to lime milk is 3:1.
The other bowl is 1:1. It seems that too much lime milk is added, so it has a lime smell.
Looking at it this way, the appropriate ratio is 2:1.
"Keep these two bowls for us to eat."
After Han Zhen finished speaking, he picked up the bowl of finished salt and returned to the backyard.
Sitting in his study, he carefully ground the sugar and refined salt into uniform powder and put them into two exquisite wooden boxes.
Now that the product is available, it’s time to consider sales channels.
He is now a bandit who killed officials and rebelled. He is on the government's blacklist, so naturally he cannot do business.
You need to find someone to cooperate with.
This person must not only be reliable, but also have a network of officials and wealthy businessmen.
After all, white sugar and refined salt are high-end products, and their customers are destined to be ordinary people.
While he was thinking, there was a rush of footsteps in the courtyard.
Immediately afterwards, Gu Song's voice came from outside the door: "Second Brother Han, we found a government official outside the village!"
Yamen?
A light flashed in Han Zhen's eyes.
Changzhi County did have some tricks, and in just a few days, it took control of the county government.
Otherwise, there would be no energy to send people to Xiaowang Village to investigate.
He stood up and opened the door and asked, "Who is here?"
There are only a few county government officials, and they all know them.
Gu Song shook his head and said: "It's too far away to see clearly, and we don't dare to get too close for fear of disturbing others. Brother Sangou asked me to come back to you to make up your mind."
Han Zhen muttered: "Go and tell the yamen officer that I want to see him."
Hearing this, Gu Song looked surprised and said, "Brother Han, isn't this exposing us?"
Han Zhen shook his head and laughed: "If they didn't know, they wouldn't have sent anyone here."
Regarding their occupation of Xiaowang Village, no one can hide it from the public.
"Then I'll go."
Gu Song thought it made sense, nodded, and quickly walked out of the backyard.
