Before they knew it, it was July, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter. Perhaps because pregnant women are naturally sensitive to heat, Yan Qingqing lay in bed and didn't want to move at all.
She increasingly missed the air conditioning and cold drinks of her previous life. Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing suddenly sat up in bed. She couldn't build an air conditioner, but ice cubes were no problem for her.
These days, ice is something only wealthy families use; in the countryside, the luxury of using ice simply doesn't exist.
Moreover, ice-making in ancient times was a closely guarded secret, and ordinary people had no access to it.
Yan Qingqing felt like she was going crazy from pregnancy; she hadn't even thought about making ice. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen ice since arriving here and had simply forgotten about it. No wonder people say pregnancy makes you stupid for three years.
Because of the hot weather, all the workers who worked for Yan Qingqing's family moved to the new house, where Li Xinniang was in charge, while Yuan Huiniang stayed at home to take care of Yan Qingqing.
Yuan Huiniang was feeding the chickens in the yard when Yan Qingqing rushed out. Yuan Huiniang quickly put down what she was holding and asked, "Mother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yan Qingqing shook her head and replied, "It's nothing, I'm just feeling really hot, so I was thinking of getting some ice to cool down."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang exclaimed in surprise, but then she was in a dilemma. Where could she get ice for her mother-in-law in the middle of summer? Ice was something only wealthy families used, and although her family had some savings, they really couldn't afford it.
But since her mother-in-law had spoken, and Yan Qingqing was pregnant, Yuan Huiniang thought for a moment and said, "Then let Erlang think of a way. He must know some rich people in business. Let's see if we can buy some."
Yan Qingqing knew immediately that Yuan Huiniang had misunderstood, and that she would be seen as a spendthrift mother-in-law again. She quickly waved her hand and said, "I'm not going to buy it, I can make it myself."
Yuan Huiniang was utterly stunned. Her mother-in-law must have been switched at birth! Being clever and good at business was one thing, but to even know how to make ice… that was…
Yuan Huiniang dared not think any further. Yan Qingqing roughly knew what Yuan Huiniang was thinking, but this was nothing. If she couldn't even accept this little thing, she would be even less able to accept what would happen in the future.
Yuan Huiniang knew she had been too obvious, but upon reflection, she realized that having such a powerful mother-in-law was a blessing for their whole family, so what was there for her to worry about?
In that instant, Yuan Huiniang understood and quickly asked, "Then how do I do it? Mother, just tell me and I'll do it!"
Yan Qingqing looked at her swollen belly. She really didn't want to move, so she instructed Yuan Huiniang, "Go to the saline-alkali land and bring back some of the white crystals. I need them."
Yuan Huiniang didn't dare to hesitate after hearing this, and quickly agreed, picked up her tools, and went to the field.
Making ice is actually very simple; all you need is saltpeter. However, Yan Qingqing couldn't find any natural saltpeter at the moment, so she had to extract it herself.
The main component of saltpeter is potassium nitrate, which is also found in saline-alkali land or the white frost on the roof tiles of old houses. Of course, it can be used not only to make ice, but also to make gunpowder, though most people don't know that.
Of course, potassium nitrate collected from the ground or rooftops is not pure, so it needs to be extracted.
This substance is easily soluble in water, and it's also very easy to purify.
Simply put the collected materials into water, let the impurities settle out, take the white liquid on top, and then dry it in the sun or by drying it.
Thinking about this, Yan Qingqing couldn't wait any longer.
There was a lot of saline-alkali land in those days, and Yuan Huiniang was very efficient. She quickly brought back a small basket of alkali frost.
Yan Qingqing couldn't wait a moment longer to start purifying potassium nitrate. After fiddling around for most of the day, she finally finished before dark.
Yuan Huiniang watched the whole thing and saw that her mother-in-law didn't try to hide anything from her. She felt even more ashamed. How could she have thought of her mother-in-law like that today?
Yuan Huiniang still doesn't understand what kind of amazing skill her mother-in-law has taught her.
By evening, the whole family was using ice. Yan Qingqing ate ice cubes while enjoying the cool air in the yard, feeling a refreshing coolness throughout the yard.
Yan Qingqing was pregnant, and Yuan Huiniang didn't dare let her eat too much, so she advised, "Mother, you're still pregnant. Eat a few pieces to cool down, but please don't eat too much."
Yan Qingqing knew she meant well, and plain ice cubes didn't have much flavor, so she sighed, "It would be great if we had some fruit. We could make some fruit salad, or even just chilled fruit would be delicious."
These days, fruit is very precious, and it's mostly seasonal fruit. Yan Qingqing never dared to dream of such a thing when her family was poor. Now, although her family's life is better, there are many children in the family, and she can't eat alone.
Yan Qingqing only mentioned it casually, but Li Xiang'an kept it in mind, thinking that he was really unfilial. He went to the city to do business every day but never thought of buying his mother some fruit.
Li Xiang'an looked at the ice basin in front of him and said, "Mother, there are not many people in this world who know how to make ice, and they all supply those high-ranking officials and nobles. If we start this business, wouldn't we make money quickly?"
Yan Qingqing knew that Li Xiang'an had a good business sense, and she herself wanted to do the same, but the problem was that she couldn't. So she replied, "Yes, it's easy to make money, but it's easy to lose it too."
The children were shocked. What had their mother just said? Was she just trying to scare them?
Seeing that they didn't understand, Yan Qingqing explained, "I'm not trying to scare you. Ice making is extremely profitable, and very few people know how to do it. It's all controlled by powerful families, and it's even the lifeblood of some large families. If we take away their cake and eat it too, do you think they'll let us off the hook?"
We currently lack the strength to compete with others; the more valuable resources we offer, the faster we'll perish.
This is why Yan Qingqing didn't expand after starting two small businesses; she wanted to see how the feedback went, and so far, no one seemed to be targeting them.
After hearing Yan Qingqing's words, the children fell silent, especially Yuan Huiniang. Her heart was in turmoil, wondering how much her mother-in-law trusted her so much that she could so easily pass on such a secret technique to her.
Yes, in Yuan Huiniang's mind, this method of making ice had become a secret technique.
Li Xiangping, being the most composed, said, "Mother is right. We can't be impatient for quick success. We need to take it slowly. Our lives are already much better than before."
So remember this: if anyone asks about this ice, you must say it's because your second brother spent a lot of money to buy it from the county town because Mother is afraid of the heat. If anyone lets the cat out of the bag, don't blame your eldest brother for punishing them with family discipline!
Li Xiang'an and the others shrank back upon hearing this. When did their eldest brother learn from their mother to use family discipline? It sounded quite frightening.
Yan Qingqing found it somewhat amusing to see Li Xiangping scaring the younger children; indeed, in their family, there was always someone who could subdue someone else.
Seeing that it was getting late and that she had to get up early to do business the next day, and also feeling sleepy, Yan Qingqing waved her hand and said, "Alright, go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."
The children all nodded in agreement.
Yuan Huiniang helped Yan Qingqing back to her room and settled her down to sleep before returning to her own room to rest.
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