Chapter 29 Brown Sugar Making, Gift Giving, and Related to the Harvest Festival
Temuji made what Lai wanted in just three days.
Despite its wild design, it's actually quite practical. The main structure uses a hand-cranked lever system, allowing you to extract sugarcane juice without much effort.
Lai carefully washed the remaining forty-odd sugarcanes, so that he could press them directly without peeling them, saving a lot of time that would otherwise be spent peeling the sugarcane.
It took him more than an hour to press all the sugarcane, and he only got a small bowl of tender green sugarcane juice.
This small amount of sugarcane juice won't yield much syrup. Boiling such a small amount at once is a bit of a waste of firewood.
Lai wanted to ask Neil if what he said when he was bargaining with the sugarcane vendor last time was true.
"Neil, are there really sugarcane fields around the village?"
"Yes, it's not far from the river. We always see it when we go out to play. If we hadn't run into that sugarcane-selling uncle in town, we would never have known that this stuff was edible!"
"Take me to find some more sugarcane. We don't have enough juice. We need to cut some more sugarcane."
"good."
Lai took the scythe and Neil to the river, waded through the shallow water, and took some winding paths before finally arriving at the place.
"This is it, brother, take a look and see if it's right."
Lai cut off a stalk with his sickle, peeled off the green outer skin, and took a bite.
"yes."
It is indeed sugarcane, but a different variety. There aren't many here, probably only about two hundred stalks.
Ray picked out nearly a hundred stalks and, together with Neil, transported them home in two separate trips.
Another round of cleaning and treatment was required.
The amount of leaves that were chopped off was enough to feed the mule for several days.
It can also eat the sugarcane residue after pressing.
Because it's impossible to extract all the juice from the sugarcane, the pulp has a slightly sweet taste. It prefers the sugarcane pulp to regular alfalfa.
Lai pressed the sugarcane for two hours, and in the end, he produced enough for two steamers.
I took a short break at noon and continued working in the afternoon.
There was a stone stove in the yard, with an iron pot placed on it.
Lai poured all the sugarcane juice into the pot and stood by the edge, stirring it continuously, while Neil watched the fire at the stove.
As the temperature rose, the sugarcane juice in the pot bubbled and bubbled, and the sweet aroma of sugarcane filled the air, attracting bees to collect nectar.
"So sweet~"
"Pull out some firewood; the fire needs to be smaller now."
"Okay!"
The sugarcane juice has reduced its original volume by half, and its color has turned into a clear caramel color, with dense little bubbles on the surface.
Ray dipped some pre-cut sugarcane into the syrup in the pot and handed it to Neil.
"Eat up, this is called a 'sugar candle'."
Neil carefully took it, and after it cooled down, he eagerly licked it. The syrup hadn't completely solidified yet, and a long strand of sugar stretched from his lips.
At this point, the sweetness of the sugarcane has become even more intense, with a slight hint of caramelization.
"So sweet, so delicious!"
After a while, Ray had Neil remove all the firewood.
He continued stirring the syrup while it was still warm from the bottom of the pot until all the bubbles disappeared.
Next, Lei needs to scoop the cooling syrup into pre-prepared molds to set it.
The mold is a rectangular wooden frame made of four wooden strips joined together, with a layer of parchment paper inside to isolate the syrup from the table and prevent it from sticking.
After scooping in the syrup, smooth its surface with a thin wooden board and let it solidify naturally. Then you're all done.
There was still a lot of syrup stuck to the inside of the iron pot, and it would be a waste to throw it away. Lai added a basin of water, lit the stove, and boiled it into sugar water. After it was cooked, he poured it into a pot to drink slowly.
He boiled water twice more to clean the pot. After the sugar water cooled, he poured it all over the family's livestock.
The syrup solidifies, turning a deep, rich red color; it is authentic old-fashioned brown sugar.
Lai used a dagger to draw neat little squares on it, and then knocked the brown sugar into small cubes according to the lines.
The heat was perfectly controlled during the boiling of this pot of brown sugar; it didn't burn, and it even crystallized, making it easy to break apart. A small pile of brown sugar chunks, about three centimeters long and wide, quickly accumulated on the table.
Two hundred and several hundred pounds of sugarcane yielded only a little over seventeen pounds of brown sugar. This is a normal loss.
Lai wrapped two packets of brown sugar in parchment paper and sealed the rest in a glass jar, storing it in a cool, dark place.
One pack weighs five pounds; I'm sending this to Linda to make tea.
The other package weighs about four pounds. I'm giving this to Yiru so he can make some brown sugar and eggs for his wife. I heard it can replenish qi and blood.
Ray looked at Neil, then took out three more pieces of brown sugar, broke them into very small cubes, and put them in a small glass jar.
"Take this and eat it. You can only eat a few a day, not more, or you'll get cavities."
"Okay, brother!"
Neil opened his mouth, revealing a big smile and a small gap in his teeth.
"Eat it secretly, don't let anyone else know that I can make sugar."
"Um!"
Neil nodded emphatically.
The recipes for making sugar were all in the hands of the nobility, which is why sugar on the market is so expensive.
Even though it's very expensive, people still rush to buy it.
Humans are naturally drawn to sweetness. Sweetness induces the brain to release more dopamine, which makes people feel happy and joyful.
The method of making sugar by Lai is very common in modern times, but here, it's better to just make some brown sugar at home and eat it yourself; it's not very convenient to take the brown sugar out to sell.
If more people know that he can make brown sugar, and this gets to the ears of the powerful and wealthy, it could easily backfire.
"I'm going to deliver some to Aunt Linda. You stay home and watch the house for a while."
"Okay, with me here, no one can sneak in!"
Ray brought a jar of kimchi and two large watermelons to Hagrid's house.
There was no one in the courtyard. He called out from outside the courtyard wall, and a woman wearing a light blue overcoat came out.
"Ray's here, come in quickly."
Farah led Rae into the living room.
Is Aunt Linda home?
"Yes, I'll go get her."
If Linda wasn't there, Ray planned to drop off his things and leave. It wasn't really appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together in a room, even if they were relatives.
"Ray, you're here! Farah, go get some cookies."
"Yes, Mother."
Farah went to get the cookies. She knew Linda was deliberately sending her away, afraid that Ray might have something to ask but wouldn't dare to ask.
"No need, Auntie, I'll just sit for a while and then leave."
Lei took the jar of kimchi out and put it on the table.
"This is kimchi I made; it can be eaten as a side dish."
Linda opened the jar and saw all sorts of vegetables inside. She picked out a small radish and put it in her mouth to taste it.
It has a tangy, spicy, and salty flavor with a slight hint of sweetness. It's very refreshing and delicious.
"This kimchi tastes good."
"I'm glad you like it."
Ray then took out some brown sugar wrapped in oil paper from the basket and handed it to Linda. Linda unfolded the oil paper and found that it contained dark red, blocky objects.
"What's this?"
"brown sugar."
"brown sugar?"
Linda tasted a crumb from the parchment paper; it was sweet, but the taste was somewhat different from sugar.
It caught her eye.
"Where did you get this?"
I made it myself.
Linda was speechless for a moment after hearing Ray's answer.
It's good that Ray knows how to make sugar, but it could also be a problem.
Seeing Linda's concerns, Ray spoke first.
"Don't worry, nobody knows about this."
Linda was still a little worried and gave Lai some instructions.
"Don't let anyone know, it could put you in danger."
"Don't be nervous, Aunt Linda. I saw this method in a medical book. I just tried it out and didn't expect it to actually work."
"Brown sugar can also be considered a health-preserving medicine. Drinking more brown sugar water is very good for women's health. It can also be used as a common seasoning in pastries."
Rye covered up the past with a book, and Linda finally felt relieved. She rewrapped the brown sugar.
"There are two watermelons here. They'll taste even better if you soak them in cold water for a while before eating them."
"good."
After delivering the items, Ray left despite Linda's attempts to persuade him to stay. Before leaving, Linda packed all the cookies on the table for him.
"Fara, put the watermelon in the kitchen. I'm going back to my room first."
"good."
Farah has a good personality and doesn't ask many questions about things that aren't relevant to her. She just does whatever Linda asks her to do.
Linda returned to her room, where Hagrid had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was sitting by the window enjoying the cool air.
Who's here?
Hagrid asked Linda.
"It's Lai. He brought two watermelons, a jar of kimchi, and this."
Linda unfolded the brown sugar for Hagrid to see.
"This is?"
"Brown sugar, made by Lai himself."
"You made it yourself?"
Hagrid asked, puzzled.
"Yes.
Hagrid sighed.
Ray showed magical talent from a young age, and Victor sent him to the church's magic school. If nothing had happened at home, he would surely have achieved great things in the future.
“Lay is a good boy, he still cares about us. Put the brown sugar away, don’t let anyone else know that he made it.”
"knew."
When Lai returned home after delivering the items, Neil had already cleaned up the trash in the yard.
If Neil were a girl, she would definitely be a wonderful wife and mother. This thought had crossed Ray's mind more than once.
"Brother, you're back?"
“It’s me, Neil. You don’t need to do these things next time; just leave them to me.”
"good."
"Brother, can I go out to play?"
"Go on, remember to come back for dinner."
"Um!"
Neil took a few pieces of brown sugar out, intending to share them with his friends.
Rye divided the 100 pounds of grain into five small bags, scooped out half a bag of potatoes and sweet potatoes, and added two pumpkins and a dozen or so radishes.
The village has taken over all the work on the tunnel, so the goblins no longer need to dig tunnels there.
Iru has secretly told Lai that he will come to Lai to collect food tomorrow morning.
"Neil, this brown sugar is delicious!"
Helen smiled sweetly, a small piece of brown sugar in her mouth.
"The harvest festival is coming soon, and then there will be free barbecue!"
"Yes, there are also lots and lots of fruits and snacks."
Parker chimed in.
"Mmm, and we can even watch a beautiful ritual dance!"
Three children sat in a row on a tree branch, each with a piece of brown sugar in their mouth, gazing at the scenery of the small mountain village.
"Neil, is Brother Ray's head all better now?"
"I asked," Pike said. He and his parents had moved to the city and hadn't played with Neil in a long time. He was back for the harvest festival.
"It's healed, but there's a scar on my head."
My memory is also somewhat confused.
Neil kept it to himself and didn't want to tell anyone else.
For him, as long as his brother is healthy, nothing else matters.
"I really hope the harvest festival is coming soon!"
"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon."
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Author's Note: With the fall of the supreme god, various races have risen to power. The first major war erupts between these races as they vie for the few remaining lands.
The war caused a large-scale plague, and the continuous wildfires killed too many prey. People were plunged into a life of hunger.
Just when everyone was starving to death, a goddess dressed in a rosy robe suddenly appeared on the distant eastern horizon.
The dazzling light obscured her face, and all people could hear was her melodious voice.
"Go and sow the seeds, humankind!"
She waved her hand gently, and golden, plump ears of wheat appeared on the ground.
"Go and tend the livestock!"
With another wave of her hand, a pair of stags, a pair of oxen, and a pair of wild birds appeared before the people.
People were deeply shocked by what they were seeing. When they looked up again, the goddess had vanished from their sight, leaving only a seven-colored glow.
That night, the two moons of the Casa continent overlapped for the first time, hanging low as if people could reach out and touch them.
From then on, the plague disappeared from the land, the forests sprang back to life, and people obtained enough food through farming and animal husbandry.
To give thanks for the goddess's gifts, people designated that day as the Harvest Festival.
It symbolizes gratitude and harvest.
—From *A Collection of Mainland Fairy Tales: The Gods*
(Waaaaah, you all treat me like a heartless writing robot, just reading without leaving a trace. Hundreds of clicks, single-digit favorites. I'm going to go crazy and start a new story, then destroy everyone else's writing!) (Single rhyme! skr~skr~)
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