"Sugarcane for making sugar?" Bai Manshan was genuinely shocked.

Sugar has always been a precious commodity, even more expensive than salt. However, salt was controlled by the imperial court and could not be contaminated, while sugar could be.

But precisely because it's so precious, who wouldn't value controlling the sugar-making business more than their own life? How could they say that so easily?

Bai Bancheng, whose family had been in business for generations and was undoubtedly the richest man in Nandu, had dealt with many sugar vendors, but he had never known what to use to extract sugar or how to make sugar!

The younger sister and Jin learned about this either through great hardship or by chance, but no matter which way it happened, how could they easily tell him!

Shui Qing hummed in agreement and said, "When the people from Zhulin Village came to deliver the toothbrush handles earlier, they mentioned that the sugarcane harvest was larger than expected."

I was thinking, Brother Bai, if you're willing, we can plant them together. Then, after harvesting, we can make brown and white sugar, and sell them together as a team. Wouldn't that cut transportation costs in half?

Unlike the demand for medicinal herbs, the demand for both brown sugar and white sugar is extremely high throughout the Great Ming Kingdom!

She simply can't handle such a large market. Why not cooperate with Brother Bai? It's always better to make money with family than with outsiders.

Moreover, even if there were no wars in this dynasty, delivering goods was still a highly dangerous task. Small merchants would pay high prices to hire escort agencies to transport large quantities of valuable goods, while large merchants would form their own teams to travel all over the country to do business.

Shanshui Village has a limited population, and transporting toothbrushes and medicinal herbs has already taken up all their time, leaving no time to transport sugar. Zhulin Village currently only has a little over a hundred people, and it would be difficult for them to form a strong transport team on their own. However, with the addition of the more than two hundred people from Baijiazhuang, it would be perfectly feasible!

When Bai Manshan heard that even the people of Lianzhulin Village were making toothbrush handles, he couldn't help but swallow hard. He picked up the tea that Fan Jin had brewed on the table, took a sip, and calmed his shocked mood.

This young lady really makes the most of everyone's talents.

However, it must be said that people are much more energetic when they have work to do and money to earn! No wonder everyone he met in Zhulin Village was so energetic and full of spirit; it turns out they were also quietly earning money.

Moreover, they were really tight-lipped; they didn't mention anything about sugarcane being used for sugar extraction, nor did they reveal anything about making toothbrush handles.

It's right not to reveal it; you shouldn't just blurt it out like that girl!

"Young lady, do you know how important the sugar-making business is? People pass it down like a family heirloom from generation to generation. How can you easily tell an outsider about it?"

Fan Jin gently corrected, "Brother Bai, you are not an outsider."

Bai Manshan: ...Why am I so touched?

Shui Qing added: "And it's not without risk. To be honest, we're not sure if we can grow the sugarcane well or successfully make sugar. If we fail, your hundreds of acres of land will have no income next year."

"Brother Bai, you'll still need to take care of things like shipping and distribution later on; there's quite a bit to do."

Bai Manshan was deeply moved upon hearing this. It was only the beginning, and his younger sister and brother Jin were already thinking of him! Fearing that he might feel indebted, the two of them offered a special explanation.

He said boldly, "Don't worry about having no income next year, even if we have no income for several years in a row, that's fine! Then I won't stand on ceremony with you guys, let's work together to produce sugar and try to sell brown sugar all over the country!"

Shui Qing asked, puzzled, "Why brown sugar?"

Does Bai Manshan have some kind of obsession with brown sugar?

Bai Manshan was even more puzzled: "White sugar is more expensive! It must be more difficult to make. We don't know how many years it will take before we can successfully make brown sugar, let alone white sugar."