Jiang Sheng's righteous indignation was stuck in her throat.
She was about to say that no one would buy Liao's lychees, no matter how cheap they were.
Before long, Fifth Brother suggested that they go to the Liao family's house to buy lychees.
He must be crazy.
“I’m not crazy. If the Liao family is willing to lower the price, we’ll just go with their price. It’s all about the same anyway. We can take all the Liao family’s lychees and resell them…” Chang Yan’s eyes grew brighter as he spoke.
As long as they can sell it for more than ten taels, they are guaranteed to make a profit. The key is that they don't have to travel around or go through any trouble; they can just pick up money on the spot.
The idea is good.
"But there's a key point: lychees can't be kept overnight." Zheng Ruqian poured a bucket of ice water over his head. "If lychees could be kept for a long time, they wouldn't be so expensive."
The sounds of the long banquet abruptly ceased.
Unexpectedly, even the ever-successful Fifth Brother had a miscalculation. His face was full of resentment and unwillingness, and he opened his mouth several times, uttering, "If only the lychees could be stored for a while longer."
Yes, it would be great if it could be stored for a long time.
Everyone continued to sigh and lament, feeling sullen and racking their brains.
Zhang Xianglian felt sorry for the children, so she poured them a few cups of tea, grabbed a handful of lychees, washed them clean outside, and casually splashed the dirty water on the open ground.
The person hiding in the shadows was startled and hurriedly stepped forward, revealing a gaunt face and a slightly sunken belly.
"Master Kong?" Zhang Xianglian exclaimed, her voice tinged with a sense of bewilderment.
I thought I had made up my mind, and I hadn't felt lost or missed him on a regular basis, but when we met again, my heart was inevitably in turmoil.
The head chef's gaunt and haggard appearance made her feel guilty and a little sad.
"What are you doing here?" Zhang Xianglian took out a handkerchief and wiped his messy body. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there. Do you want to come into Jiuzhenfang to change your clothes?"
"No need," the head chef said hoarsely. "I thought Xianglian wouldn't talk to me anymore."
Zhang Xianglian paused in her wiping motion and silently put the handkerchief away.
The head chef wanted to slap himself. "That's not what I meant. Xianglian, you continue. No, give it to me, I'll wipe it."
"Even a handkerchief won't dry it." Zhang Xianglian forced a smile. "Let's go get some cloth. Master Kong can wait here."
She turned to turn around, but the head chef hurriedly stopped her, "Xianglian, can't I even talk to you now? I... I can't even come to buy pastries?"
“Of course.” Zhang Xianglian distanced herself from him. “Jiuzhenfang always welcomes guests.”
She got up and went inside, carrying the lychees.
After some hesitation, Master Kong followed him inside.
Just then, Zheng Ruqian slammed his fist on the table, saying, "How exactly do we preserve lychees? Do we dry them? But dried lychees are not the same price as fresh lychees at all."
Lingnan has countless dried lychees that don't need ice, don't take up much space, and can be transported in hundreds of kilograms on a single trip.
Wen Zhiyun raised his hand timidly, "I know that dried lychees can be used in medicine, and they cost two taels of silver per catty."
Zheng Ruqian turned his head dejectedly, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the head chef and greeted him listlessly, "Master Kong is here."
"What are you discussing? You seem so excited," the head chef asked casually, his eyes glued to Zhang Xianglian.
Zheng Ruqian was not in the mood to answer.
Jiang Sheng looked up and said, "I'm thinking about how to preserve the lychees, preferably for two months."
"That's easy, just put it in the ice." The head chef said casually.
All five siblings straightened up.
Ice-chilled drinks were already popular in the previous dynasty. Crispy cheese and crispy mountain delicacies were favorites of aristocratic families, and even ordinary people could enjoy a bowl of cool mung bean soup.
But this kind of ice is usually only partially melted; it turns into water the moment it touches your mouth, leaving only a cool sensation.
"Master chef, putting them in ice isn't working." Jiang Sheng leaned over and said, "The lychees have been in ice for ten days since they arrived. They'll spoil no matter how long we keep them."
Zheng Ruqian nodded in agreement.
"The lychees were transported in wooden crates with ice in the layers, which is completely different from simply putting them in ice." The head chef looked haggard. "Do you know what the longest-lasting thing in the world is?"
It's still ice.
From winter to summer, and from summer back to winter, as long as proper insulation is maintained, aged ice can last for several years.
Chang Yan realized the key point: "Master Kong means that we should turn the lychees into ice so that they can be stored like ice?"
This time, the master chef didn't say anything, but just stared blankly at Zhang Xianglian's back, tears welling up in his eyes.
He exchanged a glance with Zheng Ruqian, stood up nimbly, and invited Aunt Zhang to take a seat.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Xianglian asked, completely bewildered.
Changyan smiled and said, "Auntie, it seems we've found a way to preserve lychees. The head chef told us about it."
"Really?" Zhang Xianglian was both surprised and delighted. "Master Kong, you really know how to preserve lychees?"
The head chef hadn't even opened his mouth yet.
Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat. "Auntie has known Master Kong for so long, she can just call him Brother Kong. It's too formal to keep calling him Master."
“Yes, yes, we should also call him Uncle Kong.” Jiang Sheng nodded in agreement.
These cunning bastards.
Zhang Xianglian sensed something was wrong, but for the sake of the children, she still softly called out, "Brother Kong."
"Hey, hey hey hey, hey!" The head chef seemed to come alive, "I'm here, I'm here."
"It's just about preserving lychees. Put ice in them, and lots of it." He pointed out the possibilities. "With enough ice, you can freeze the flesh into ice blocks. As long as you can keep the ice, you can keep them for as long as you want. That's how we make Daosu Mountain at Youranju, and we also make fruit jelly, which is very popular."
In other words, we need ice, a lot of ice.
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