Chapter 25 Chapter 25

Both meat soup and egg soup are about the flavor of the ingredients themselves. The taste of the seasoning greatly affects the taste of the dish. In the past, even if a lot of seasoning was added to the meat soup, there was still a hint of bitterness. Although the bitterness was covered up as much as possible, it would still come out when you savor it.

This bowl of egg custard has just the right amount of saltiness, leaving a light salty and fresh aftertaste, with almost no bitterness.

Xiao Jingzhao had watched Jiang Huai make the egg custard with his own eyes, so he naturally knew that only salt and sesame oil were added to the egg custard, and the only thing that could affect the seasoning was probably salt.

"Isn't it delicious?" Jiang Huai watched Xiao Jingzhao eat the egg custard faster and faster, and smiled and also quickened his eating speed. After the soft and smooth egg custard went into his stomach, Jiang Huai felt his mouth was full of freshness and fragrance, which was better than any food he had eaten before.

Jiang Huai never considered that the poor taste of food before was not only due to the ingredients and cooking methods, but also partly due to the taste of salt. Now the egg custard is delicious, and he just thinks it is because of his advanced cooking methods.

After finishing half a bowl of egg custard, Jiang Huai looked at the still-simmering salt water and longed for another, but on second thought, he gave up. His stomach was full, and the wool business would require some money for testing. It was best not to spend too much, at least until the wool experiment was successful.

While Jiang Huai was eating the egg custard, Xiao Jingzhao had quietly raised the price of refined salt. He was sure that as long as this salt was sold, the wealthy families would naturally notice the difference after tasting it. At that time, even if it was sold at a higher price, the other party would not be stingy with the money.

The only problem is that it is too dangerous to let Jiang Huai run this business.

"What's wrong? Do you still want to eat?" Jiang Huai saw Xiao Jingzhao staring at the empty bowl in a daze, thinking that he was greedy, so he reached out to take the eggs, ready to make another bowl of egg custard. At worst, he would just not eat it.

"No, I was thinking, since we can't do this salt business, can we sell the recipe?" Xiao Jingzhao stopped Jiang Huai and asked.

Jiang Huai thought Xiao Jingzhao was talking nonsense, but seeing his serious look, he couldn't help but sigh. Brother Wei was really a little naive and didn't understand the dangers of the world!

However, when he thought about how Xiao Jingzhao agreed to follow him after a night of consideration because of what he said in his dream, and that he would do whatever he said when they arrived in Anyuan Mansion, otherwise he would not have trusted him so much if he was naive and honest.

As the trusted party, Jiang Huai felt that he had an obligation to teach Xiao Jingzhao and let him know the dangers of the world.

However, if they were to have a serious conversation, it would not be appropriate to do so in the kitchen. Jiang Huai took Xiao Jingzhao's hand and pulled him into the inner room.

In the room, there were only two stools, a clean bed. However, the stools were crooked. Jiang Huai had a strong suspicion that they would collapse if they were not repaired. So he chose to pull Xiao Jingzhao to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Brother Wei, I know you really want to help me make more money, but you have to know that life is the most important thing." Jiang Huai sat upright. Except for the fact that he looked a little strange sitting on the edge of the bed, his expression and posture were very serious.

"There's no technical skill involved in refining salt. If we sell the recipe to a good person, we might get some money, but we can't ask for too much. If we ask for too much, the other party might feel cheated and target us. If the person who can afford this recipe really wants to target us, we won't be able to resist."

"The most likely possibility is that they took the recipe and thought the steps were simple. They're worried that we'd sell it to others and block their path to wealth, so they're trying to silence us. That's also very possible."

Of course, the most important thing is that they are not yet out of ammunition and food. If they are really so poor that they have to sell their son, Jiang Huai may choose to sell his son, but there are other ways to go. Why take the risky road that may lead to death?

But after thinking about it, Jiang Huai felt that the reason why Xiao Jingzhao cared so much about the recipe for purifying crude salt might be because he felt insecure. Now the two of them were living off their savings, and there was only a wool business that Xiao Jingzhao didn't understand, so the other party was naturally very worried.

"Don't worry. I said before that I would make sure you never have to worry about food and clothing, and I will definitely do it. If it doesn't work out, this salt tastes good. I can set up a roadside stall to sell food and make some money." Although he was confident in his memory, the steps of making wool into yarn and then into sweaters were rather complicated, so Jiang Huai also made a backup plan.

Xiao Jingzhao followed Jiang Huai to Anyuan Mansion, firstly to take care of Jiang Huai and prevent him from getting into trouble, and secondly to have a legitimate reason to stay with his current identity. As for how long he would stay with Jiang Huai, Xiao Jingzhao himself was not sure.

But seeing Jiang Huai's attitude of supporting him, the idea of ​​leaving unconsciously faded a little. It would be nice to stay a little longer.

…

After things stabilized, Jiang Huai started doing wool experiments the next day.

He still remembers the steps involved in making wool into yarn: washing, drying, fluffing, combing, twisting, and winding. Each step is crucial. While the yarn he made wasn't required to be exactly like modern yarn, it had to be at least slightly more comfortable to the touch, otherwise it wouldn't sell at all.

No matter how rich the theoretical knowledge is, it is still extremely difficult to put it into practice. Cleaning, drying, fluffing, and combing are a bit troublesome, but Jiang Huai still managed to get through it smoothly. After all, these steps can be done without limiting the cost.

But when it came to spinning, Jiang Huai was stunned. He had never spun yarn before, let alone spinning wool.

Even if he wanted to learn, not to mention how much time it would take, even if he learned it, he would still be a novice and would definitely be clumsy at spinning. He might not be able to find where the problem lies, so he would need to find an experienced person.

But before that, he had to buy some more wool. Jiang Huai didn't expect that six pounds of wool was so easy to use. He used it up after just a casual experiment.

Fortunately, although the wool experiment has been used up, the used wool is not completely useless. After all, it has been basically cleaned and can be placed under the straw mat to increase the thickness of the mattress and make the bed warmer.

Jiang Huai naturally wouldn't go alone to the village outside the city. If he encountered danger on the way, he would be helpless alone, so Xiao Jingzhao had to accompany him.

After leaving the city and asking for directions, I found out that Wantou Village was not far from the city center of Anyuan Prefecture, and the round trip distance was probably less than 30 miles.

When Jiang Huai just left the city, he didn't feel anything. But after walking a few more steps, he felt the hardship of walking again. He was still rushing on the road ten days ago, and walking was even more difficult. At that time, because he was used to it, he didn't feel it was too hard, but now he is not used to it.

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Huai walked to Wantou Village. From a distance, he saw a big tree a little outside the village entrance. There was a house built under the tree. He thought it was the child's home.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huai realized that he had forgotten to ask the child's name. He would have to ask later, otherwise it would be inappropriate to do business without even knowing the child's name.

As he got closer, Jiang Huai could faintly hear coughing and children talking from inside. Jiang Huai breathed a sigh of relief. It was worth his early departure. Fortunately, everyone was at home.

Jiang Huai knocked on the courtyard door. The voices inside the house paused, and a somewhat weak female voice came out: "Who is it?"

"Mom, take a rest. I'll go take a look."

A thin boy came out of the house with a vigilant look on his face. When he saw two men outside the yard, he was startled at first, but when he saw the faces of the men clearly, he was immediately surprised.

Last time, Jiang Huai said he might buy wool. After he came back, he wanted to tell his mother the good news, but he was worried that Jiang Huai might not come, so he swallowed the news. After a few days, he didn't see Jiang Huai, and he thought the business was gone. He was glad that he didn't tell his mother, otherwise his mother would be happy for nothing. But he didn't expect that Jiang Huai would come to his house again when he had no hope.

"Mr. Jiang, you are here..." The boy couldn't contain his excitement. He was halfway through his words when he suddenly remembered the hospitality he had heard someone say before and swallowed his words back. "Mr. Jiang, please come in quickly. I'll make you some tea."

The boy invited the two men in. The woman in the house heard the noise outside and came out to take a look. Seeing that they were two young men, she paused slightly.

"Mom, why did you come out? It's windy outside. Go back and rest." The boy came out with tea. When he saw his mother coming out, he quickly pulled her back to the house to rest.

"It's okay, mother is in this room and hasn't gone out. There are guests coming, and I can't always let you receive them." The woman smiled gently. Although her face looked sick, you could tell that she had an extremely outstanding appearance when she was young.

"My name is He, and this is my son Luo Yuan. Two young masters..." He looked at the two men, hesitant about how to address them.

"My name is Jiang Huai, and this is Wei Xi." Jiang Huai introduced himself and then explained their purpose: they were here to buy wool.

"They bought the six pounds of wool before." Luo Yuan pulled He's sleeve and whispered, but the room was so quiet that his whisper was not much different from normal speaking. Realizing that his whisper with his mother was heard by others, Luo Yuan blushed and kept silent.

Knowing that the two wanted to buy wool, He did not delay and took them to the warehouse nearby.

The warehouse is not big, but there are a lot of wool piled up, so the smell in the room is a bit unpleasant. If it were before, Jiang Huai would definitely not be able to stand it, but after constantly handling the wool in the past few days, he has become accustomed to the smell.

He had been observing the two of them. Seeing that Jiang Huai could actually accept the smell of wool, she was surprised for a moment, but then she felt relieved. She knew that the other party was indeed here to buy wool and had no other intentions.

After confirming that the other party was really here to buy wool, He began to introduce the goods seriously and asked Jiang Huai how much he needed to buy.

"Twenty kilograms, please." Jiang Huai calculated in his heart and felt that buying twenty kilograms would be enough. It would last for a while. As for more, he would buy them by ox cart next time. Otherwise, it would be too hard to carry them back to the city by manpower.

Twenty kilograms of wool is not a lot, but for the He family, if they can sell some of the wool after they can no longer make felt mats, they can recoup some of their investment.

Besides, she still remembered when Yuan'er brought the silver back. Only a few days had passed and Jiang Huai wanted to buy wool again, which meant that he had a great demand for wool. These twenty kilograms might not be used for long.

But to carry so much wool, a container is needed. Jiang Huai felt a little regretful that he forgot to bring the equipment. He saw He smiled, went into the house and searched for a while, and came out with a net in her hand.

"Mr. Jiang, if you don't mind, you can use this to pretend."

The net is woven a bit densely, more sparsely than a fishing net, and it is obviously not yet finished, but it is more than enough to hold wool, and the net lines look very strong.

But none of this matters. What matters is that Jiang Huai discovered that the network cable was not made of hemp, but of wool.

Wait, is there wool to make yarn now?

Jiang Huai was stunned. He had clearly seen in his memory that wool sweaters did not exist, so he thought of starting a sweater business. If someone else was already doing the sweater business, then all his efforts would be wasted.

Jiang Huai's palms felt cold, and his heart felt cold too. He wondered if he would have to start a food business. His first attempt at starting a business was going to fail miserably.

Although Jiang Huai also likes to make delicious food, it becomes very difficult to make a fortune by cooking.

Jiang Huai was so anxious that he was sweating all over his forehead with so many thoughts in his mind.

"Mr. Jiang, although this cable is made of wool, it is very strong and will not break." He took Jiang Huai's hesitation as distrust of the network cable and quickly explained.

"Wool yarn?" Xiao Jingzhao remembered what was troubling Jiang Huai and asked.

"Yes, it's made of wool. If you're not sure, you can try pulling it. It's definitely strong." He said anxiously.

Jiang Huai forced himself to calm down. There was no way he couldn't calm down. It would be a big deal if he continued to panic. He had to figure out the situation. If the wool business really couldn't continue, he would change his career.

It's just this money...

Jiang Huai took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it. At worst, he could just make a few sweaters and sell them.

However, when he thought of this, Jiang Huai suddenly remembered something. If sweaters were common, then why didn't the shopkeeper recommend one when he went to buy winter clothes last time? And judging from the other party's attitude towards wool, sweaters might not have existed yet.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huai calmed down completely.

"Did you make this wool yarn?" Jiang Huai asked.

He nodded, worried that Jiang Huai would think the wool thread was not strong enough, and explained, "Sir, although few people in the Great Zhou use wool to spin thread, there are many people who do so on the grasslands. I got this method from there..."

Realizing what she had said, He paused, unsure whether she should continue.

Jiang Huai finally understood why he couldn't see it. The spinning technology from the grassland rarely spread to the Great Zhou. Jiang Huai looked at the wool carefully again and found that it was much rougher than he had imagined. It didn't feel soft to the touch. Obviously, the early processing work had not been done very carefully. It was just that they knew how to spin wool. He didn't need to be too nervous.

However, the yarn in this net is of uniform thickness, with no thick or thin spots, which shows the skill of the spinner.

Jiang Huai remembered that he had planned to find someone who could spin yarn to help him complete the process of turning wool into yarn. It didn't matter who he looked for, and He in front of him was a suitable candidate.

After all, the other party already knows some wool spinning techniques and has rich practical experience, while he has rich theoretical knowledge, and the two can help each other and achieve a win-win situation.

Jiang Huai's eyes looked at He with some heat. He felt a little uncomfortable being looked at, but she was more confused.

Because of her good looks, He had been harassed by men from both inside and outside the village. She was too familiar with those men's sticky and disgusting gazes. Although Jiang Huai's gaze was also very hot at this time, it didn't seem like he was spying on her. In short, it was weird.

"Mr. Jiang..." He couldn't help but speak out, wanting to remind Jiang Huai.

"Madam He, would you like to come and work as a female worker for me?" Jiang Huai asked.

"Female worker?" He was a little confused. She didn't know why Jiang Huai brought up the topic. Weren't they just talking about packing wool?

"I won't hide it from you. I bought these wools because I want to use them to spin yarn. Now I'm stuck at this step. After all, I don't know how to spin yarn or weave cloth, so I need to find someone who can help me. Since you can spin wool, why don't you help me? But I won't let you work for nothing. I'll pay you 20 cents a day, daily. What do you think?" Jiang Huai said.

Although the wages were not low, Jiang Huai considered it and decided to pay it. After all, it was daily wages, and He might not need to work for a few days. If he paid too little, the other party might not be willing to do it.

Although she couldn't understand how Jiang Huai came to this point, the salary made He's heart beat fast.

But soon, He regained consciousness. If she went to work, what would Luo Yuan do? Besides, she was still ill and needed to take medicine. It would be fine for her to rest at home every day, but if she went to work, she was afraid that her condition would worsen and she would be delayed from work.

"I, can I do it?" Without waiting for He to refuse, Luo Yuan, who was standing outside the door, ran in and recommended himself to Jiang Huai.

"I followed my mother when she was spinning the thread. This, this is the network cable I made." Luo Yuan was still holding a piece of network cable in his hand, looking at Jiang Huai eagerly.

The thickness of the wool was quite uniform, but Jiang Huai looked at the thin Luo Yuan and was a little hesitant to believe what Luo Yuan said.

Luo Yuan saw Jiang Huai's doubts, but also saw that Jiang Huai had no intention of refusing. He reached out and wanted to pull Jiang Huai to watch him spinning, but his hand was stopped by Xiao Jingzhao just when he stretched out halfway.

"Mr. Jiang, I can show you how to spin it right now."

Luo Yuan trotted over and quickly got some processed wool. Jiang Huai took a glance and found that it was still a little different from the wool he had processed. Then he watched Luo Yuan sit next to the spinning wheel, operate it skillfully, and soon spun out a small roll of wool.

Although the quality of the yarn was a little poor due to his haste, it was obviously enough to prove Luo Yuan's spinning ability.

Although Luo Yuan is younger, it's good enough as long as he can spin yarn. Moreover, Luo Yuan has another advantage, he is a boy. If He goes to work, there are only two men there for the time being. If He goes, he might be pointed at by others.

But if the other party is asked to do it at home, there will be no way for both parties to communicate in time, which will cause a lot of trouble.

But if Luo Yuan were to go, the house was big enough for him to live there, and he could also get food and lodging in the city.

However, Luo Yuan’s only shortcoming is that he is a little young. Will the He family be willing to let Luo Yuan go with them?

When hearing Jiang Huai's question, He lowered her head and looked at Luo Yuan beside her. The other's eyes were full of persistence.

"Mr. Jiang, let me talk to Yuan'er." He said and pulled Luo Yuan outside.

Jiang Huai had no idea what the two talked about outside. He only knew that after the conversation, He directly agreed to let Luo Yuan follow them to Anyuan Prefecture to work.

"Mom, you have to take care of yourself at home, and remember to take your medicine..." Although it was Luo Yuan who proposed to follow Jiang Huai, Luo Yuan felt reluctant to leave when he saw that he was really going to follow Jiang Huai. He was worried that He Shi would be unsafe at home alone.

Listening to Luo Yuan's instructions, Jiang Huai couldn't help but knock on his head, and saw Luo Yuan looking at him with tears in his eyes, with a puzzled look.

"We have only taken so much wool. If we can spin wool into yarn, we will probably have to come here from time to time to get wool. Maybe we can only see your mother once every five days." Jiang Huai said helplessly. He didn't want the young employee he had recruited with great difficulty to cry with red eyes because he missed his family, so as not to delay his work.

"Five, five days?" Luo Yuan opened his mouth wide, looking silly for the first time.

The tears in He's eyes could hardly flow. She looked at the wool Jiang Huai brought with him, and thought about her own performance just now. Her face turned red to her ears, which added some color to her pale face.

Luo Yuan wiped his tears and looked much better than before. He said goodbye to He shyly and followed Jiang Huai and Xiao Jingzhao to leave.

Jiang Huai picked up the wool and threw it on his back, and suddenly found that someone seemed to be observing him. He looked around and found that it was an old man standing at the entrance of the village looking over here, and there were several other people looking at him.

Seeing Jiang Huai looking over, the old man walked over with a cane, greeted him, introduced himself as the head of Wantou Village, and asked Jiang Huai what he was doing here.

Jiang Huai noticed the vigilance in the old man's eyes, but he didn't think there was anything he couldn't say, so he directly explained his purpose.

The most important thing is that Jiang Huai felt that the eyes of the remaining people looking at this side seemed unfriendly. Although this unfriendly look was mainly directed at He and Luo Yuan, Jiang Huai suspected that if he didn't explain it clearly, there might be some rumors. He lived in the village, even if it was a little outside the village entrance, it would still be affected to some extent.

When the headman learned that Jiang Huai was here to buy wool, his eyes lit up. The land in their Wantou Village was not very fertile. Although they cultivated land, they also raised sheep and had accumulated a lot of wool. However, if the wool was sold somewhere else, it could be sold for a certain price. But in Anyuan Prefecture, everyone had wool at home, so naturally it could not be sold at much price.

It's rare for someone to come and collect wool. If Jiang Huai could collect the wool in the village, every household would have a more comfortable New Year.

Faced with the enthusiastic recommendation of the village head, Jiang Huai did not completely refuse. After all, he had really made the wool yarn, and the demand for wool was very high. However, he did not dare to take on too much responsibility before the matter was finalized. Moreover, he had not even seen the quality of the other party's wool, so he could not agree to it out of hand.

The head of the village was a little disappointed that he failed to sell the wool, but not too disappointed, because from Jiang Huai's tone, he knew that this business was not completely impossible.

Seeing the head of the village coming back, several onlookers surrounded him and asked tentatively. When they learned that Jiang Huai came to collect wool, and was collecting wool from the He family, they couldn't help but say a few words of gossip.

"Alright, alright. Luo Yuan has gone to work as a weaver. If he hears you saying bad things about He, what if he also says bad things about our village?"

If Luo Yuan had not followed Jiang Huai to work, the head of the village would not care about this matter. However, seeing that the relationship between He's company and Jiang Huai was not only that of a merchant, but also that of a host and an employee, he had to be careful.