"Ah!" Before Qian Sanbao could ask anything else, he saw his eldest niece disappear in a flash.
However, Qian Sanbao was always obedient. If his eldest niece asked him to make sugar water, he would do it. He was confident that his niece would be able to turn the sugar water into popsicles. That was how confident Qian Sanbao was in Qian Xiao.
In Qian Sanbao's mind, his eldest niece was the smartest person. But as for sugar water, would his mother allow him to touch white sugar?
He glanced at the soiled clothes, drew water from the well to soak them, and then slowly made his way to his mother's door.
The old lady glanced at the third son by the door: "What's wrong?"
"Mom, can I use some white sugar?"
"What do you need white sugar for? That stuff is very precious, don't you dare waste it."
"No, Mother, Erdan asked me to make some sugar water."
"Ah, Erdan told you to? Well, wait here, I'll get it for you now. How much sugar water do you want? Come on, I'll do it myself. What if you mess it up again?"
Qian Sanbao... Am I still your son? What? Your granddaughter doesn't even need to ask about the sugar, but if your son wants some, he'll just gobble it up.
Of course, he only dared to think these words in his heart; he would never dare to say them aloud.
The four little ones followed Qian Sanbao around, asking, "Dad, when are you going to take us to get popsicles?"
"Huh? What popsicle?" The old lady's ears were still sharp.
"Well, I was thinking of bringing back popsicles for the five kids to try, but they all melted by the time I got home, so the kids didn't get to eat any. That's why Erdan said she'd melt some sugar water for me to make popsicles when she gets back."
"Nonsense, what kind of weather is this to freeze things? I think we should just have a bowl of sweet soup each and enjoy it."
"Are you stupid? What kind of weather is this? Why would you bring popsicles home?" She and her husband are perfectly fine, so how could they have such a dim-witted son?
"Hehe, well, I was so happy that I forgot about this. Mom, let's make some sweet soup first. If Erdan says it's okay, then it's definitely okay."
"Dad, will we really get to eat popsicles?"
Following the sound, Qian Sanbao saw his son, who was drooling and looking at him expectantly.
He patted his son's bare head and said, "If your eldest sister says she can make it, she definitely can. We just have to wait." If all else fails, he'll take the kids to the commune for a meal tomorrow. He figured his wife would still pay for the popsicles.
Qian Xiao's family is quite supportive when he tinkers with things at home, as long as he doesn't mess things up.
Qian Xiao's two thin legs moved swiftly, and in no time she arrived at Old Zhang's house: "Grandpa Zhang, are you home?"
"What's wrong?" Old Zhang slowly walked out and saw Qian Xiao covered in sweat. He thought something had happened to the Qian family.
"Wait here, I'll grab the medicine box and come with you right away," Old Zhang said anxiously, about to go back into the house.
"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking of asking you for something."
Old Zhang breathed a sigh of relief: "What do you need? Go find it yourself, just don't waste all those good medicinal herbs I have."
"I don't want your medicine. I remember, didn't someone send you a lot of saltpeter last time?"
"Oh right, I just need some medicine. I don't know what that idiot was thinking, sending me a whole sack. That stuff is poisonous, why would I need so much? And what do you need the saltpeter for? It's all stored in the cellar, go get it yourself."
"I just suddenly remembered that saltpeter can be used to make ice, so I thought I'd make some popsicles for my younger brothers."
"Then you have to be careful, this thing is poisonous, you can't eat it directly."
“I know Grandpa Zhang, I can make it edible by steaming.”
Old Zhang trusted Qian Xiao a lot; although she was mischievous, she never caused trouble. "Then can you do it?"
"Yes, I'll explain it to you, and you can check if my steps are correct."
Qian Xiao muttered to himself, explaining the method of making ice with saltpeter that he had seen in the video. Old Zhang nodded, "Your method is good; the ice made from it is edible."
"But you should eat less of it. Girls should avoid eating these cold foods."
"I understand, Grandpa Zhang. Would you like me to bring some over for you to try after it's done?"
Old Zhang waved his hand: "I won't eat it. I'm getting old, and maintaining my health is the most important thing."
Qian Xiao knew this would happen; the old man was terribly afraid of death and spent all his time trying to figure out how to maintain his health.
"Found it, Grandpa Zhang, I'll head back now."
"Hurry up, hurry up."
The saltpeter was in large chunks, and Qian Xiao had to break it down into almost powder before he stopped. Otherwise, it would have taken who knows how long it would have taken to dissolve such large chunks of saltpeter.
Qian Sanbao stood aside and looked at it, asking, "This thing can make ice?"
"Yes, but this thing is poisonous. None of you are allowed to touch it, and you absolutely cannot eat it, remember that?"
Qian Sanbao and the four eggs all nodded. They never disobeyed their eldest sister's orders. If their eldest sister (niece) said not to touch them, they would absolutely not touch them.
"Third Uncle, bring me that wooden bucket from our storeroom." We don't use that bucket much at home, mainly because it's too heavy.
"Fill up the water again."
"knew."
Qian Xiao remembered that there were a few small bamboo tubes at home. She found them, washed them clean, poured the sugar water into them, and inserted a few small wooden sticks into the middle.
Put saltpeter powder into a bucket and stir vigorously. Slowly, the water in the bucket becomes cloudy, and you can clearly feel a cool breeze coming from near the bucket.
Qian Xiao found a small aluminum basin, which conducts heat quickly. He filled it with water, put the bamboo tube inside, and finally placed the aluminum basin into a wooden bucket. He sealed the bucket and gestured to his third uncle to put it in the cellar.
"Alright, just wait. I reckon we can eat it tonight." Qian Xiao wasn't sure if the painting would turn out well, but her confidence dispelled her doubts.
"Erdan, is this all?" The whole family gathered around to see how they made ice.
"Well, let me explain it to you..." Qian Xiao began to explain the principles.
Everyone in the courtyard was so confused they felt like their eyes were turning into mosquito coils, but they still couldn't understand it!
Grandma Qian really couldn't understand: "Um, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll go see what dishes we have left." Before she could finish speaking, she had already walked away, her small feet not slowing her down at all.
"Right, right, the village chief said he wanted to talk to me, how could I forget?" Old Man Qian quickly made an excuse and left.
Auntie slapped her forehead: "Oh my god, those clothes haven't been washed yet!"
Third Aunt still had some conscience: "Third Brother, come inside and help me move these boxes."
Qian Xiao looked at the four bewildered little kids and her second uncle who had left without a reason, and snorted: "It's not like I'm willing to educate you. If you don't want to listen, then don't."
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