Glycerin, whose scientific name is glycerol, is an extremely important chemical raw material with a wide range of uses covering most chemical fields.
Including food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics manufacturing, industrial machinery lubrication, organic synthesis and so on.
It also has another important use, that is, it is used to make nitroglycerin... This thing is too powerful, and Wei Chen doesn't dare to touch it for the time being.
Glycerol has a wide range of applications, and the most practical and profitable method Wei Chen can think of is to use it as a food additive, or to be precise, a fruit wine additive.
Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, in order to make up for the shortage of national supplies, the old rules of the previous dynasty were followed, and various wineries were brought under official management, either directly for the official brewing, or contracted out and open to tender.
Not only wine, but also salt and iron were owned by the government. Even tea, alum, and spices had to be handled by the government.
If someone wants to steal food from the government, the worst case may be to stab his wife, or the worst case may be to lose his head.
In the government-operated liquor system, the most strictly controlled aspect is the main raw material for brewing: distiller’s yeast.
Except for the official restaurants registered with the government, which can make their own wine, all other foot shops must go to the main restaurant or the government-run wine shop to purchase the wine koji before selling it.
However, this creates a loophole.
The brewing of grain wine does require koji, but fruit wine does not. Even if koji is not used, wine can still be made through natural fermentation.
In fact, the Zhou Dynasty did not prohibit folk from using fruit to make wine, and there were many private fruit wine workshops in various places.
However, the fruit wine brewed by this method has a very low alcohol content, is bitter and astringent, and is difficult to drink.
Bitterness has even become the label of Dazhou Fruit Wine nowadays.
Because of this, the price of fruit wine is extremely low, and only drinkers who are too poor to afford rice wine will buy it to satisfy their cravings.
However, Wei Chen knew that the reason why fruit wine is bitter is because there is a substance called tannin in the fruit, which cannot be decomposed after fermentation and remains in the wine.
This tannin is the main culprit that causes the bitterness of fruit wine.
The easiest way to remove tannins is to use glycerin.
An important use of glycerol is as a sweetener. Only less than one percent of glycerin is needed to decompose the gannin in the fruit wine, effectively remove the bitterness, and greatly improve the quality and taste of the fruit wine.
Wei Chen believes that after adding glycerin, the bright-looking, sweet and sour fruit wine will become the most popular wine in Dazhou.
…
In the past two days, Wei Chen has been busy with glycerin at home, and occasionally he would read and practice calligraphy when he was free. Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi saw this and were anxious in their hearts.
In their opinion, Wei Chen, as a scholar, studies hard, inherits his father's legacy, and takes scientific exams is the business. He spends all day in the kitchen, making the whole body smell of lard, and there is no trace of it. Looks like a scholar?
They wanted to persuade Wei Chen, but they didn't know how to say it. After all, Wei Chen was not their biological son, but a benefactor. In addition to loving and caring for Wei Chen, they also had more respect for Wei Chen in their hearts.
Two days passed like this, and the day came when Wei Chen was about to leave to return to Yixue. When seeing each other off, looking at the glycerin in Wei Chen's hand, Wei Ruyi finally couldn't help it anymore, gritted her teeth and said:
"Brother Chen, since you have entered the free school, you should take your academic achievements as a priority. In the future, you will be named on the gold list and shine on the family lintel. As a couple, we can also have an account of Brother Mingzhao's spirit in heaven.
But now you... But now, you are focused on those weird and obscene skills. You have been at home for several days without even opening a book. How can this be possible? "
Zhang Ming also advised: "Yes, Brother Chen, studying is the right way. Don't imitate me. If you don't know a single Chinese character, you will have to work hard for others until you die."
When Wei Chen saw Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming's sincere words, he was stunned for a moment, and then he could only smile bitterly.
I try my best to make money, on the one hand so that I can stop worrying about money in the future and focus on the imperial examinations, and on the other hand it is so that the three Zhang family members can live more comfortably without having to worry about life anymore.
Unexpectedly, all their hard work, in the eyes of Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming, turned out to be a failure to do their job properly...
However, if he puts himself in their shoes, Wei Chen can understand Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming.
For Wei Chen, imperial examinations or making inventions to make money are just ways to make life better, and there is no conflict between the two.
But Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming were born and raised in the Zhou Dynasty, and the concept of "everything is low-grade, but only good study" is deeply ingrained in their bones. It is normal for them not to understand what Wei Chen did.
Wei Chen saw the earnest look in Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming's eyes, and could only sigh helplessly in his heart, put on a smile and said:
"Aunt, uncle, you don't know. This glycerin is a gift from me to Uncle Sheng. He helped me enter a free school. I feel like I can't repay such a great favor, so I can only make this little gadget as a gift. give him."
Sheng Wei was very kind to the Zhang family, and Zhang Ming was very grateful to him. When he heard that this was a gift to Sheng Wei, Zhang Ming suddenly realized: "It turns out that Master Sheng wanted it, so it doesn't matter, Chen." Brother, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Your aunt and I were worried for a long time!”
Wei Ruyi was not as easy to coax as Zhang Ming. She did not immediately believe Wei Chen's explanation. Instead, she doubted the belief and said, "Master Sheng's family has a great business. What do you want from me? What do you want from me?"
Wei Chen shook the glycerin in the jar and said haha: "Sending goose feathers from a thousand miles away is more important than courtesy. Although this little glycerin is small, it took me two days to get it out. My thoughts are always there, I guess. Mr. Sheng will definitely like it when he sees it."
Seeing that Wei Ruyi wanted to ask again, Wei Chen quickly interrupted: "Aunt Wei, uncle, I only asked my husband for three days' leave before I came out. If I don't report back to the school before sunset, my husband will punish me. It's not early. Okay, I’ll take my leave now!”
After that, Wei Chen didn't wait for Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming to react, he picked up the jar of glycerin, said goodbye, and left without looking back.
Wei Ruyi raised her head and glanced at the sun that had just risen in the east, and asked Zhang Ming with a puzzled look on her face: "It's only a dozen miles away, is it so urgent?"
Zhang Ming scratched his head and laughed a few times: "Brother Chen naturally has his own reasons for doing things, so let's not ask any more questions. I'm just asking you, if you can ask someone to handle the paperwork for exemption from corvee, can you ask someone to do it? Come down?"
Wei Ruyi was speechless after hearing this.
This matter also goes back to the day when Wei Chen came home. As soon as Wei Chen came home, he showed the couple the document issued by the county government for exemption from corvee. After Wei Chen read out the contents of the document, they both felt very excited. It was a mix of surprises.
The reason why Zhang Ming fled to Xiyin Village was because his father had offended the local Li Zheng. Li Zheng was so resentful that he assigned Zhang Ming's father a mission to go all the way to the capital to deliver money. When he went there, the money escorted was less than one tael. , but it cost fifty taels when delivered.
In the end, the Zhang family's property was wiped out, and both Zhang Ming's parents were forced to death by creditors who were demanding debts. Only Zhang Ming was left to flee home alone.
Although Zhang Ming has settled down in Xiyin Village and married Wei Ruyi, since Wei Mingzhao's death, they have no one to rely on in Xiyin Village. If they meet the vicious and upright people from before, Maybe the tragedy of the previous generation will happen again.
If such a day comes, can Zhang Xu be as lucky as his father, with a good man like Wei Mingzhao protecting him?
Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi didn't dare to think about it.
For more than ten years, this kind of precarious panic has always haunted the couple, making it difficult for them to sleep or eat well.
Therefore, when Wei Chen told them that Zhang Ming could be exempted from miscellaneous corvee labor for three years, the couple cried with joy. They were happy all night, and even slept with the document in their arms.
At this time, hearing Zhang Ming mention this and recalling the scene a few days ago, Wei Ruyi couldn't help but smile a little more on his face.
She looked at Wei Chen walking away in the fields in the distance, and was speechless for a long time, then suddenly let out a long sigh.
"You're right. Brother Chen is becoming an adult, and it's time for us to let go slowly."
