Qiao Ruichen added, "It's said they found quite a bit. This stuff is rarely used in the northwest, and it's not expensive. If we want it, Bayin can have his caravan transport it all here."
Miao Wan was a little confused. Isn't saltpeter the main raw material for making black gunpowder?
Although she doesn't know how, she knows there are only a few things, and saltpeter is the most important. Why is it not expensive?
It seems that in the Ming and Qing dynasties, saltpeter was already a controlled substance. Since it could be used as medicine, it was only available in pharmacies, except in the army, and the price was very high.
Qiao Ruichen probably knew what Miao Wan was wondering about, but some things were hard to say out loud. "Dayue has its own official mine, and Beimeng knows a little about it. It's not that Bayin doesn't want to look carefully, but with these kinds of mines, you can only take your chances. If anyone knew he was looking for this, they would keep a close eye on him."
Someone in the Imperial Guard has reported that saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur together will produce enormous power.
The emperor was worried that the Queen Mother and the Regent's men might cause trouble, so he sent people to suppress the matter and did not allow it to be used in a high-profile manner. Once discovered, severe punishment would be imposed.
Miao Wan was startled, "Then let's..."
"It's okay. It's a small mine that no one has discovered. There are only a few of them. Rich families will also buy saltpeter to use. There won't be any problem." Qiao Ruichen knew that his wife was timid, so he quickly said.
According to Qiao Ruichen's estimation, the saltpeter could probably fill a whole cellar.
This thing cannot be placed randomly on the ground. It is usually placed in a cool place in the cellar and stored separately.
Miao Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Taotao smacking his lips, she smacked her lips too. Taotao thought he was playing with her, so she came over and gave her a wet kiss.
Miao Wan was so shocked that she was not in the mood to kiss, so she turned her head away.
In the summer, it was fine in the morning and evening, but extremely hot at noon. As much as Taotao looked forward to occasionally eating braised pork the size of a grain of rice, Miao Wan looked forward to finding saltpeter.
But Bayin ultimately failed to live up to her expectations.
In summer, there are only barbecues, no iced drinks, and at most, cold tea, milk tea and yogurt cooled with well water.
The restaurant's revenue was probably not that high during the hottest months. It was only after June when we bought some ice and mixed it in that the sales started to pick up.
What can I do now?
It snowed at the end of September last year. Does she need saltpeter for ice?
Miao Wan tilted her head and sighed, "It's like waiting until an old man is in his seventies or eighties before arranging a marriage for him. This Wuliangha Second Master is really good at choosing the right time."
Ruan Jialin laughed heartily, "Rich families in Jiangnan do make ice from saltpeter. They store it in ice cellars during the winter and use it the following summer."
Miao Wan curled her lips, "That's all we can do. We'll have to ask Uncle Lin to come over and build an ice cellar. We'll sell ice next year too!"
The ice bought from the county town is not only extremely expensive, but half of it will melt by the time it reaches Xining Town. Miao Shiren will take charge of all the ice in Xining Town next year!
Speaking of Jiangnan, Miao Wan counted the days. "Didn't they say my uncle and second uncle should be arriving soon? Why haven't they made any progress yet?"
If the wool is not used up now, it will be too late to catch up with the 'leeks' that have not yet arrived in early winter!
Every day they were late meant that one day's money slipped away from Miao Shiren's hands.
Ruan Jialin was also very worried. "It's supposed to be here by now. I asked the people Bayin sent, and they said it's been windy and sandy lately, so we should have walked slower. But even if we were slower, we should have arrived by now."
Miao Wan raised her head and looked at Qiao Ruichen.
Taotao followed his mother's gaze, watching his father's mouth wide open and drooling, and Ruan Jialin also...
Qiao Ruichen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I came back on horseback. I'll go out for a walk and take a look later."
Miao Wan immediately stood up, holding Taotao in her arms, her face full of concern. "Then my husband, you must be careful. Wear more clothes so you don't get cold, and don't walk too far, or you won't be able to return to the county town the day after tomorrow."
Qiao Ruichen accepted his wife's concern calmly. He probably knew that this small landlord still had things for him to do.
As expected, Miao Wan showed a hint of reluctance on her face. "It's so rare for my husband to come home, but he can't be with me and Taotao. We will miss you at home... Oh, by the way, it's time to finish the last fertilization before the snow falls. The grain has been shipped back in batches, but the beets haven't come back yet."
Qiao Ruichen smiled knowingly, "Okay, I'll go take a look and tell Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu to get the beets over here as soon as possible."
Ruan Jialin tried to suppress his laughter as he watched the young couple.
One is full of sweet words and orders people around without any mercy, while the other is willing to do it as if he had eaten honey. This is really a perfect match.
Miao Wan hadn't finished her work yet, and sending Qiao Ruichen over wasn't just about urging the sugar beets to grow. The Qiao and Zhang families had bought dozens of acres of land and signed many new tenants.
She was afraid that Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu could not control their subordinates, so she had to let her husband know that he could go over and release some evil spirits to scare people and keep the situation under control for Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu.
So she held Taotao's hand and continued to flatter him, "Taotao's father is really great, Taotao, don't you think so? Then I'll have to trouble you, husband. When the time comes, I'll have to trouble you to help Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu solve the difficulties on the ground. The beets don't need to be shipped to the house, they can be sent directly to the restaurant. When you come back, I'll make you some sweet soup——"
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly stopped.
Ruan Jialin thought, forgot the lyrics?
Miao Wan's eyes suddenly became as bright and twinkling as the stars in the night sky. She remembered what saltpeter could be used for now!
She was so happy that she wanted to go up and kiss Qiao Ruichen. Comrade Bai Lao was really her muse!
But since she was guarding her cousin, Miao Wan didn't want to be too reckless, so she simply asked Taotao to take her place as her father. She took a big bite on Taotao's face and laughed.
Taotao: "Wow?"
"Husband, please come back soon. I've thought of something really delicious. It was something I invented when I was a kid, but I forgot about it when I grew up. I'll let you try it when you come back! You're sure to like it!"
It is said that this thing is a favorite of macho men and can even kill young women.
That is - ice cola!
Hot pot with ice cola is so delicious. Crunching the ice cubes makes you feel cool and happy!
She didn't learn how to make Coke from the live streaming app.
The baby in Sister Chenxi's family especially likes to drink Coke. He will cry if he doesn't get it. He cries so many times that Lu Chenxi feels uncomfortable not giving it to him every time.
But she felt that the cola sold outside contained too many additives, which was bad for teeth and children's health, so she took Miao Wan to make a home-made version of cola.
Although it’s not as delicious as the ones outside, it’s enough to fool children. And in this era, it’s also enough to fool people who have never tasted it!
The reason why Lu Chenxi brought Miao Wan with him was because Miao Wan always did some DIY using the live broadcast app. The baking soda used in shower gel can also be used to make cola.
It just so happened that she had all the stuff she needed, so Lu Chenxi did it in her office.
The easiest way to make homemade cola is to add a little baking soda to brown sugar water and mix well, then add an appropriate amount of white vinegar. The acid and alkali will react to produce carbohydrates, and the cola is ready.
If you have the conditions, you can also add some coffee powder and chocolate powder. I don’t have that condition here, but Miao Wan has beet sugar!
Beet sugar is similar in color and shape to brown sugar, and has a light caramelized aroma similar to coffee. It will definitely taste good when used to make cola.
So Miao Wan looked at Qiao Ruichen with more eager eyes, "Husband, have you eaten?"
Ruan Jialin:?
Weren’t you just chasing me out the door? Why are you suddenly asking about eating?
Qiao Ruichen understood what his wife meant. He smiled and pinched her face, "I just ate. I'm going out now."
Ruan Jialin: “…”
Low EQ, why don’t you leave?
High EQ, have you eaten yet? If you're done, get out of here so you can come back early for your next meal.
Learned it.
Qiao Ruichen first went to the kang room where Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu lived near the fields and helped them scare off the noisy tenants.
Because the previous group of people who learned it had already started using the burning method to make fertilizer, the next group had not yet finished working on it. However, every day of delay meant one day later in applying fertilizer to the fields.
Who knows when the snow will fall? I heard that it is best to apply the fertilizer before it snows. Since this concerns the land, no old farmer dares to be careless. Once they get anxious, some of them will want to make trouble.
It’s also because Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu are too good-tempered.
Qiao Ruichen just stood there and stared coldly at the men who were shouting the loudest, staring until their faces turned pale.
Then he directly instructed Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu, "My Qiao family is willing to be kind to everyone, but we are not pushy. If anyone doesn't want to work here, just let them go. Remember their name, and don't bother with them again if there is anything you need to transfer land to in the future."
Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu were also a little afraid of Qiao Ruichen's aura, so they quickly agreed.
The men who dared to shout in front of them were so scared that they trembled all over when faced with Qiao Ruichen's murderous aura.
Furthermore, everything related to the land is their life. Qiao Ruichen didn’t need to say anything more, because anyone who dared to make trouble would be killed.
Only then did he chase in the opposite direction towards Xining Town after entering the pass.
As luck would have it, the Ruan family had already followed the caravan into Xining Town and were being taken to the Qiao family.
After Miao Wan coaxed Taotao to sleep, she thought about getting some happy water for the fat otaku.
Qiao Rui volunteered to look after the child. Since there was a pillow, she wasn't worried about Taotao falling. She left her sister-in-law and daughter alone and couldn't wait to go to the kitchen.
Beet sugar was not new yet, but there was brown sugar at home. When she tried to make shower gel, she made a lot of baking soda because baking soda is a food base and it makes steamed buns delicious.
There is no white vinegar at this time. Since fermented vinegar can be used to make tofu, it should also work in cola.
She first made a small jar, added a few drops of vinegar at the end, blocked the jar with her palm and shook it vigorously, and soon succeeded.
Miao Wan excitedly asked her mother-in-law to taste it, but Geng didn't think it was very delicious, so Miao Wan got it all for free.
She felt that her sister-in-law and the children of both families would definitely like it, and was just about to make more when she heard someone knocking on the door.
Uncle Geng went to the Lin family to find Lin Dazhi and made an appointment with him to go to the Qiao family to talk about something. But he was not at home, so Miao Wan wiped her hands and went to open the door.
As soon as I opened the door, wow, there were so many people coming.
She was stunned for a moment, and saw that in this group of dusty people, standing in the front was a fat uncle with a kind face and a bit honest. Next to him stood a thin middle-aged man with a short beard and red eyes.
The whole family, young and old, with their families, men and women all looked extremely tired. They were the Ruan family.
When the brothers Ruan Qi and Ruan Qin saw the pretty young lady who looked like their younger sister standing in front of them, they immediately recognized that this was their niece. They were both a little excited, with red eyes.
Ruan Qi stepped forward and wanted to ask if Miao Wan was doing well. They had suffered a lot on the way here, and his niece was pregnant when she came, which must have been difficult. As her uncle, he needed to comfort her.
"Uncle, uncle?" Miao Wan was the first to speak in surprise. "Come in quickly... burp... come in."
I just finished drinking the Coke and the effect is coming, but the timing is not right.
Ruan Qi: "..." Are you full? Apparently, there's no need to ask.
Miao Wan: “…” She felt the urge to change planets again.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her embarrassment and let the person in. It didn't matter, as long as she wasn't embarrassed, others would be embarrassed.
She opened the door and shouted to the inside, "Second cousin, cousin-in-law, come out quickly! Look who's here!"
While Ruan Jialin was waiting, Miao Wan quickly took out money from her purse and stuffed it into the hands of the guards who had brought the people back.
"Thank you for your hard work! Let's go back and have a drink. Thank you very much!"
When the guards saw that Miao Wan was giving away small silver ingots, they knew that the job was done and they would not delay the family reunion, so they said goodbye with a smile.
In the courtyard of the Qiao family, Qiao Shengwen and Geng came out, and the two families met in the courtyard.
It’s not that Qiao Shengwen doesn’t want to invite people in, it’s really... the Ruan family is not very capable, but they are good at giving birth to children. They have such a large family that even Qiao Shengwen feels a little jealous.
Ruan Qi and Ruan Qin are just like Qiao Shengwen, they only have a wife and no concubines. This is probably the rule set by the ceremonial elder of the Zeng generation.
But in addition to his eldest son Ruan Jiasheng who is already married, Ruan Qi has four legitimate sons. They are not very old, and only one of them is married. It is probably because after his family fell into poverty, he stayed at home and had children.
In addition to Ruan Jialin, Ruan Qin had two daughters and two sons. The daughters did not come with him, and the other son had also started a family and had a bunch of little ones.
Add to that the children in the eldest wife's house, and to be honest, even Miao Wan felt dizzy just looking at them.
She asked carefully, "May I ask who the two aunts are..."
The main thing was that they were all quite dirty, and they were deliberately covered with dust for fear that something might happen on the road, so she really couldn't see it.
Ruan Qin smiled and pointed at the two women behind him, "This is your eldest aunt, Yun, and this is your second aunt, Li. They are from the same family as your second cousin's wife."
"Yes, yes, then uncles and aunts... and cousins." Miao Wan couldn't tell who was who, so she just bowed randomly. It didn't matter.
She just needed to make arrangements for her second uncle and his wife, and then let her second uncle take care of the rest of the people.
So now, she compared her attitude towards Qiao Ruichen just now and smiled brightly, "Please wait a moment. Let my second cousin and father bring out the long table and benches for you to sit down and rest. I'll go boil some water. You should wash up first, eat something, go back to your room and have a good sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
While boiling water, Geng was a little worried. "Brother Meilin said that with so many people in the Ruan family, there won't be enough space for them to stay in our house, right?"
Miao Wan also felt that the Qiao family's current house was too small. Last time, people from the two shops came together to collect their wages and bonuses and eat barbecue. The long table was no longer full, and many people squeezed together and squatted to eat.
As the permanent population of the family increases, the house will feel a bit empty if they expand it further. They should build a second or third house, or find a larger house to live in.
But for now, Geng’s question is still easy to answer.
Miao Wan looked at her mother-in-law in surprise, "Who said they all have to live in our house? The Ruan family and the Qiao family must be separated."
At most, we can let them stay at home for a few days. We must buy a new house for the Ruan family. There are so many people here and who knows if any of them have ulterior motives.
Miao Shiren wanted to use nesting dolls, not to harm herself.
Geng glanced at her daughter-in-law calmly, "Oh, haven't you been waiting for your second aunt for a long time?"
He kept nagging her in her ears every day, and her ears were almost callused.
Miao Wan chuckled, feeling that her mother-in-law was jealous, and quickly hugged Geng's arm and shook her.
"No one is more important to me than my mother, and I'm waiting for my second aunt to make money for our Qiao family. Then I can let my second uncle and second aunt live in Qianjinlou.
From now on, they will be in charge of the clothes, and my second cousin will be in charge of the rouge and powder. The whole family will have to work for us."
When Miao Wan was a child, she was closest to her second uncle Ruan Qin. When Ruan Qin learned that her niece was boiling water for their family, he had to come over and say a few words to her since he was the one who knew her best. He happened to hear what Miao Wan said.
He stood silently outside the door, thinking, this girl takes after her mother, no wonder the grandmother loves her younger sister so much, could it be that it is inherited from the previous generation, and all the kindness has been passed on to Awan?
The key is that she is quite good at coaxing people, so there is no need to worry about her having a bad time in her husband's family in the future.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Ruan Jialin asked puzzledly when he saw his father standing at the door.
Miao Wan was just about to answer her mother-in-law about the arrangements for her uncle's family when she heard the commotion outside. She felt a little nervous, but soon she straightened up.
No matter what she does behind people's backs, she will be heard. This is probably the halo of a time-traveling woman. She really thanks God.
Miao Wan smiled and poked her head out. "Second uncle, are you here to see me? Come in! I have something very, very important to tell you. No one can help me except you and my second aunt. I've been looking forward to your coming day and night. I've cried several times. If you don't believe me, just ask my second cousin!"
Ruan Jialin: Not really. I kept muttering about the lost money and saying “eh eh huh huh” many times.
Ruan Qin has been a businessman for so many years, how could he not see his niece's skills?
He became even more desperate. Even though he knew that he was being plotted against, seeing her smile so bright and sincere, he... was quite happy to be plotted against, and even felt proud of it. There was no hope for him.
What made him despair was not the conspiracy against him by his niece, but the deep regret. Why wasn't Awan a member of the Ruan family?
The author has something to say:
La la la, maybe there are a little too many people. This is also the first time for Goji Berry to try this kind of article with more group portraits. I will basically just pass by it and you don’t need to remember it specifically.
All you have to do is remember Qiao, Zhang, Ruan, and Wulingha. The important people will be specially mentioned!
A new round of cutting leeks will start tomorrow... cough cough, make money!
Chapter 80, please comment, please comment QAQ
This chapter randomly drops red envelopes~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
