When the old lady heard this, she thought it was good news. Yesterday, under Zhao Xiaoshan's guidance, the family completed the dealkalization work of 200 jin of cauliflower from lunchtime to evening.

If we can remove 300 catties of ox-run vegetables from the alkalinity of a day, there will definitely be no problem. The key is that if we can produce that many a day, we can earn 1,800 coins. This is a good deal that you can't find even with a lantern.

Thinking of this, the old lady quickly said, "Okay, no problem, then we'll make 300 jin every day."

Seeing that the old lady agreed, Zhao Xian nodded.

"Grandma, it's settled then. I'm leaving."

After Zhao Xian returned home, Li Chun'e had already picked a lot of wild mustard greens and was sorting and washing them.

"Brother, have some sweet soup." Seeing Zhao Xian return, Zhao Lingling handed him a bowl of sweet soup.

Zhao Xian took the bowl of sweet soup and patted his little sister's head.

"The sweet soup is so delicious, Mom just bought some sugar," Zhao Lingling continued.

Zhao Xian looked down at the sugar water in the bowl. It was dark brown and seemed to have a muddy smell. This was the sugar water that the ancients drank. Zhao Xian immediately became interested.

He took a sip, and it was indeed very sweet; he guessed a lot of sugar had been added.

He was really thirsty after being busy all this time, so he drank the sugar water in big gulps. As he drank, he felt the muddy taste getting stronger and stronger.

After the sugar water was finished, some black impurities remained in the bowl.

"Mom, what kind of candy is this? It has too many impurities. How much does it cost per pound?"

“This is called granulated sugar, it costs 100 coins per pound. I bought half a pound. Brown sugar is too expensive, it costs 300 coins per pound, we can’t afford it.” Li Chun’e seemed a little helpless.

Her family has been working very hard making kimchi these past few days, and drinking some sugar water can replenish their energy, but brown sugar is too expensive, so she can't bear to buy it.

"Is there any white sugar for sale in the market? How much does it cost per pound?" Zhao Xian's interest grew even stronger, as if he had discovered a business opportunity.

"I only know that there is granulated sugar and brown sugar on the market, but I have never heard of white sugar."

Zhao Xian's question surprised Li Chun'e.

At that time, white sugar did not exist. Making white sugar from brown sugar was very simple. Just dissolve brown sugar in water, use activated charcoal to absorb the pigments, filter the sugar water, and evaporate the water to get white sugar crystals.

The same method can be used to make granulated sugar, requiring only several filtrations, and at a lower cost.

In ancient times, there was a method of using yellow mud to decolorize sugar, but he did not want to use this method to make sugar.

You can buy filtration materials and activated carbon for decolorization through your own system, which will result in better quality white sugar.

"Brother, is the rock sugar we use to make kimchi white sugar?" Zhao Lingling asked with great interest.

"Rock sugar is definitely not white sugar. White sugar is fine and white, and very sweet."

"Brother, I want to eat white sugar." Zhao Lingling started drooling.

"We can't buy white sugar in the market, so brother can make white sugar for Lingling. We'll work now and go to town tomorrow to buy the tools for making white sugar."

The family, who were working with their heads down, were stunned. Zhao Xian knew how to make white sugar, which was definitely more expensive than brown sugar. If they took the white sugar to the market, they would definitely make money.

As darkness fell, the family finished drying the de-alkali-treated cabbage, and Li Yue'e began preparing dinner.

“Mom, starting tomorrow, we only need to pickle vegetables. Grandma’s family will take care of all the work of removing the alkali from 300 catties of bok choy. I told Grandma’s family about this this afternoon.”

"Oh, that's good too. We're so busy every day, we don't even have time to eat." Although Li Chun'e said this, she was still a little reluctant. If she let her grandmother's family do all the dealkali removal work, her family would earn a lot less money.

After dinner, the family went to bed early, and Zhao Xian lay in bed thinking about making white sugar.

To make white sugar, granulated sugar can be used directly as the raw material, and the profit from the resulting white sugar should be quite considerable.

Making kimchi is already hard enough for the few people in my family; if we also make sugar, we definitely won't have enough manpower.

If we ask someone for help, the method for making white sugar will be revealed, so we need to find a good way to solve this problem.

The next morning, the family got up early and moved six pickle jars to the door. Liu Erleng's oxcart came over.

Half an hour later, the oxcart arrived in town. After the others got off, Liu Erleng drove the oxcart to deliver goods.

The delivery went very smoothly. The noodle shop still used copper coins for payment, and the bag containing the money was still tied around Zhao Xiaoshan's waist.

The payment at Yuelai Hotel was in silver, totaling three taels and six mace.

The gleaming silver was right in front of him, and Zhao Xiaoshan's eyes widened in disbelief. This was the first time he had ever handled silver.

He told Zhao Xiaoshan to take the copper coins back first, as he needed to buy some tools for making sugar and would return to the village later.

After Zhao Xiaoshan left, Zhao Xian walked along the street, and the conversation of passersby caught his attention.

“Because of the crime committed by his relative, Qin Yuanwai’s house was confiscated by the government, and he was thrown into prison. His family members were turned into slaves and sent to the brokerage firm.”

"Yes, I've heard that too. Master Qin has two very beautiful twin daughters, and many wealthy people want to buy them."

These two girls were already privileged, and suddenly they were turned into prostitutes for sale. How could they bear it? They would rather die than submit.

But once they entered the brokerage firm, they lost their personal freedom and had no say in anything.

An old, wealthy man took a liking to both of them and wanted to buy them both, but they were too fierce and scratched their faces, turning them into ugly monsters. After that, no one was willing to buy them anymore.

“The brokerage firm also has costs. If they can’t sell the goods, they’ll be stuck with them. They not only have to feed the clients, but also pay a head tax. As a result, the brokerage firm will definitely take their anger out on them.”

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