Chapter 169 Canned Fruit
Zhong Jing is a man of action. He does what he says and immediately gives instructions.
The soldiers were very busy at this stage, with people working everywhere.
Zhao Liya has explained everything that needs to be explained, and now she just has to wait a few days to see how the canned food turns out.
She'd open one can in a few days to see if it came out alright. If it came out alright, then her plan was basically right. She'd take three cans home and wait about two months before opening them again. If they came out alright, she could officially start preparing.
With nothing else to do these days, Zhao Liya and Shu Yan traveled around the area, did some research, and cooked some dishes, feeling quite relaxed and at ease.
Five days later, Lin Mo, Yu Xiaofang and others finally came out of the mountains.
Yu Xiaofang had obviously gained a lot and was smiling from ear to ear.
Zhao Liya smiled and said, "You guys came back at the right time!"
The can is perfect for opening and tasting.
Zhao Liya called Zhong Jing over and opened the can with anticipation and nervousness. She scooped a little for each person using a small bowl and said, "Everyone, try it and see how it tastes!"
Yu Xiaofang smiled, "Xiaoya and sister-in-law have made delicious food again? We came back at the perfect time, haha!"
Everyone tasted the canned coconut, which was sweet but not greasy, smooth and refreshing, with a strong coconut flavor. It is indeed a very popular little dessert. In places where it is not available, it can still have a large market.
“It’s delicious, really good!”
"It tastes very sweet, and I think it's good too."
"If we can sell it to the Jiangnan region, we won't have to worry about finding a market."
Zhao Liya smiled and said, "I thought so too."
If we take the sea route here, it's not difficult to reach Jiangnan. If we make Jiangnan the main sales area and position the north as a place where "scarcity makes things valuable," we'll definitely be able to find sales.
In this way, the lychees will not be wasted.
Zhong Jing also thought the canned coconut was delicious, but—
He wondered, "What does this have to do with lychees?"
Didn't you say you wanted to help him solve the lychee problem? But this is coconut.
Shu Yan knows all this!
Shu Yan smiled and said, "General Zhong, if you can do this with coconut, then you can do the same with lychees! So, it's the same thing."
"Ah! Look at my brain!" Zhong Jing slapped his forehead in sudden realization. This was his good point: he never minded being told he didn't understand, and he was always open to receiving advice.
Zhong Jing immediately smiled happily and said, "Yes, this way, the lychee problem is solved. Sister Xiaoya, can this be done for all fruits?"
Zhao Liya smiled and shook her head: "Of course not, how could that be possible? But lychees, coconuts, pineapples, and yellow peaches are all fine, and they should all taste good."
Zhong Jing nodded: "Then let's make lychees and coconuts! We can also try pineapples."
Forget about the yellow peaches, there aren’t many.
Zhao Liya smiled and said, "It's still too early to do this, so don't rush. Just wait and see. If it really works, I'll come over and tell you how to build a workshop. You need to build a canning workshop and a porcelain jar workshop. Brother Zhong can secretly inquire about porcelain craftsmen. If they are successful, you can hire them. They don't need superb skills, and the products don't have to be exquisite, as long as they are useful. If you want to make money from this, you have to take care of the lychee forest too, weeding, cultivating the soil, pruning, etc. You can't just rely on the weather."
It's not easy to rely solely on luck for a living.
Zhong Jing nodded. Since so many people were idle anyway, it was perfect for half of them to do daily training and the other half to work.
Zhao Liya added, "There's another problem, which is transportation. Brother Zhong, don't you have several ships under your command? Why not try going up the coast and heading north to see how long it takes to reach Hangzhou? See if you can determine a safe route."
As soon as Zhao Liya finished speaking, everyone looked at her in shock, which actually scared her. She asked in confusion: "What's going on with you?"
"Sister Xiaoya!" Zhong Jing's voice sounded a little detached. "Can we really, really reach Hangzhou City by heading north from Guangzhan Port?"
Yu Xiaofang also said, "Yeah, can we really walk like this? Is it far?"
Now it was Zhao Liya's turn to be surprised!
Ah this - so they didn't know?
She had no choice but to explain vaguely, "Some geography books I read before said it was possible, but I don't know the real situation."
Zhong Jing couldn't wait to say, "That's easy. I'll have someone try it right away! If it really works, that would be great! Sister Xiaoya, thank you so much!"
"I didn't help much, I just talked a lot." Zhao Liya pursed her lips and smiled. "Brother Zhong told people to be careful when they went to test it. It would be best to hire a few experienced fishermen. Perhaps their information would be more accurate and detailed."
Different professions have different worlds. Fishermen who make a living from the sea naturally know more than them.
It is not necessarily true that fishing boats from the south of the Yangtze River have never come to this sea area, but there is no official jurisdiction and no one is specifically in charge, so the people naturally do not take it seriously.
As for Zhong Jing, he was stationed here without any special reason, so naturally he would not care about what was happening on the sea - he couldn't even take care of what was happening on land!
After all, they are so poor.
Zhong Jing was completely convinced by Zhao Liya and nodded without hesitation: "Okay, okay, I'll do as Sister Xiaoya says!"
Zhao Liya thought for a moment and smiled, "I think we should plant two to three hundred acres of pineapples. If the shipping route is confirmed, pineapples are durable and can be shipped to Jiangnan for sale. By then, we can also get fresh coconuts, jackfruit, dragon fruit, etc. I think we can give it a try."
Zhao Liya had a vague impression that the sea route from here to Hangzhou was about seven hundred nautical miles, which was nearly one thousand five hundred kilometers if converted into kilometers.
Zhong Jing's large ship has a very good speed. We saw it when we went to Hainan Island. It is about 30 kilometers per hour at a slow speed, and can reach over 40 kilometers per hour at a fast speed.
By this calculation, even including the time spent anchoring at night, as long as everything goes smoothly, it would take only two or three days to reach Hangzhou City from the port of Guangzhan. This is much faster and more convenient than traveling by land.
By then, even her output in Gaolian County can be taken advantage of - oh no, a free ride!
Or you can also take a boat trip to Jiangnan.
Since I’ve been to Hainan Island, which is so far away, there’s no reason not to go to Jiangnan, which is so close!
Oh my god, if that’s the case, why bother canning lychees? Just sell them fresh!
Of course, if the production volume is high, you can also try to produce some canned fruit, and then sell them when the lychees are almost out of season. You won't have to worry about not being able to sell them.
(End of this chapter)
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