"Add water to the pot, pour in salt, and steam it to produce steam..." The wicked man explained to Xiangli He and Zizhen as he performed the operation.
The salt in the pot melted into the boiling water, and as the fire roared beneath the pot, a large amount of steam billowed out, making it difficult to see what was inside.
Seeing that the cooking time was about right, the wicked husband grabbed two thick cloths and lifted the pot aside. "That's about it. Let the remaining salt solution in the pot cool naturally first."
Then he went to another pot, put the salt blocks into it, and then rummaged through the fire and put a pile of ashes into it.
"This...this is still edible?!" Zizhen's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he looked at the pot full of wood ash, and he subconsciously swallowed.
“Of course,” the wicked man replied with a smile. “The alkaline substances in the wood ash can react with the salt solution. Just add an appropriate amount of water to dilute it and filter out the insoluble matter. Finally, you can get clean table salt by evaporation and crystallization.”
"You two must remember this: this method is best used to refine mineral salts. Otherwise, it is not as efficient as the distillation method, and the effect is definitely purer than the salt scraping method."
He gently stirred the mixture in the pot with a wooden stick, allowing the wood ash and salt solution to fully blend. As he stirred, a fine layer of foam gradually rose to the surface of the pot.
“Next, we need to filter this mixture to remove impurities,” the wicked man said, adding water to the pot and stirring for a while. He then took a coarse cloth from the side and laid it on another clean container.
He carefully poured the mixture from the pot onto a coarse cloth, and the liquid slowly dripped through the cloth into the container below.
The wicked man explained, "This way, the insoluble substances in the salt can be filtered out, and these insoluble substances are mostly toxic and harmful."
After completing the process, he heated the filtered salt solution again to evaporate it. As if by magic, fine, snow-white salt fell down the container walls like snowflakes.
Zizhen and Xianglihe's eyes were drawn to the magical process as if by a magnet, their hearts filled with curiosity and anticipation, ready to witness the miracle.
"Haha, it's done!" The wicked man's laughter was as loud as a bell. It was his first time operating the machine, and when he saw the cotton-white, dense substance on the container wall, he grinned and laughed as if he had discovered a rare treasure.
Understanding doesn't necessarily mean doing!
He was now walking a tightrope, and what was supposed to be teaching Xianglihe and Zizhen was also his first attempt at making something by hand.
He had already planned it out in his mind; there was absolutely no problem with his approach. If he couldn't extract the essence, then he would have to send the two of them back to continue pondering it.
Fortunately, he succeeded!
The wicked man was overjoyed. He quickly wrapped the container in coarse cloth as if protecting a baby, gently took it off the fire, and then took the knife handed to him by Zhang Erhe, carefully scraping the refined salt off the container wall.
Zhang Erhe hurriedly held up the earthenware bowl to catch the refined salt, his careful manner as if he were holding the whole world in his hands.
Seeing this, Xianglihe and Zizhen rushed over like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey, surrounding the wicked husband and Zhang Erhe, using their bodies to form a high mountain barrier, fearing that a gust of evil wind would blow away the refined salt.
"Scratch...scratch...scratch..." The wicked man's palms were slightly sweaty. His movements were as meticulous as embroidery, as if he were afraid of making the slightest mistake. Therefore, he was extra careful when scraping, as if he were carving a unique work of art.
Fortunately, everything was safe and sound, and a small mound of fine white salt had piled up at the bottom of the earthenware bowl.
The wicked man casually handed the knife and container to the guard beside him, and then quickly dipped a finger in the salt and put it in his mouth.
The moment it entered his mouth, a pure, unblemished umami flavor exploded in his cavity, making his heart beat a few beats faster.
The wicked man was excited but also somewhat dazed. The purity and delicacy of the refined salt exceeded his expectations, as if he had returned to the future.
He let out a long sigh of relief, turned to look at Xiang Lihe and Zizhen, and said with a smile, "Try it, this is non-toxic refined salt that we extracted ourselves, and the taste is extremely pure."
Zizhen and Xianglihe couldn't wait any longer. They each dipped their fingers in a little salt and carefully put it in their mouths. Their eyes immediately lit up, and their faces showed an expression of disbelief.
"This...this taste...it's salty but not astringent, not bitter. Is this non-toxic refined salt?" Zizhen asked excitedly.
The wicked man smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, this is what real salt should be. The salt from before was impure. Putting aside whether it was poisonous or not, it didn't taste good when added to dishes!"
To be fair, he could barely tolerate food without much seasoning, but once salt was added to the dishes, no matter how good your cooking skills were, the dishes would always have a slightly bitter and strange taste.
Now he can finally eat purely salty food!
Xianglihe and Zizhen were so engrossed in the pure taste of the refined salt that Zhang Erhe was both curious and envious. However, without his wicked husband's order, he dared not reach out to taste it and could only watch the two of them with eager eyes.
The wicked man took in his expression, then glanced at the guards present and laughed loudly, "When has this Grand Commandant ever told you so many rules?"
"If you want to try it, then try it!"
As the wicked husband spoke so generously, Zhang Erhe and his guards all showed expressions of surprise and delight.
Taking advantage of his proximity to the source, Zhang Erhe eagerly dipped his finger in a little salt and carefully put it in his mouth. In an instant, his eyes widened as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Wow, this tastes absolutely amazing!" Zhang Erhe exclaimed. "Compared to this, the salt I used to eat was like mud!"
The guards also stepped forward and each tried the magical refined salt. Satisfied smiles appeared on their faces, and they all praised it highly.
"Grand Commandant, you are truly a divine being!" a guard exclaimed excitedly. "With this refined salt, our meals will be so much more delicious from now on!"
Well, another foodie!
Looking at everyone's reactions, the wicked man felt a great sense of accomplishment. Looking back, he could say that he had personally pushed civilization forward by leaps and bounds.
Refined salt was just the first step he took in propelling Chinese civilization to a great leap forward!
"Everyone, don't rush!" The wicked man waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down. "Although this refined salt is good, the refining process is complicated, and the production is currently limited."
"If we want to spread this technology throughout the world as soon as possible, then let's hone the Qin sword, conquer those coastal countries, and implement the salt-making method on the coast. It's simple to operate, efficient, and produces a lot of salt!"
"I dare to guarantee that everyone in the world can eat pure white, non-toxic fine salt!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
