Chapter 140: The people have become poor, with no more money to be squeezed out (Please subscribe and read on)
It was another busy day. It was not until after lunch that Zhao Huan had time to sit in the conference room of Funing Palace and take care of things that concerned him.
The paper contained what Zhao Huan had thought of as the essential skills for a time traveler to make a fortune: soap, perfume, liquor, tea, the Maritime Silk Road, arms and equipment, clothing stores, etc.
Doctor Sun lowered his head to study and analyze the growth and egg-laying data of the hens in recent days, and the progress was encouraging.
"This unwanted soybean meal is a perfect addition to the diet for the pullets. They've grown significantly faster. The pullets in cage 1 and cage 2 are almost the same size. At this rate, they'll be laying eggs in two months at most."
"This comparative experiment is really a good thing. Between the two, only one variable is set. Whether it is good or bad, the result is clear at a glance." Doctor Sun kept praising.
"How much do you think we should sell these eggs for?"
?????
"Um, sir, we only have 500 pullets. Even if they lay eggs, they're used to hatch chicks to expand our business. We can't sell them yet..."
Zhao Huan slapped his forehead and said with a wry smile, "I'm going crazy thinking about money now. They say a year's plan starts with spring. In such a huge court, there's nothing else to do. Everyone is here to ask me for money. I'm also poor!"
Zhao Huan sighed, "We have to find a way to raise money. If we keep going like this, we won't even be able to get the research funding."
Doctor Sun said, "If you want to make money, try to get the money from the landlords and wealthy families. The people are already poor and there is nothing left to squeeze out. If you squeeze them any more, you will just suck their blood out of them."
Zhao Huan nodded in agreement: "Taking advantage of the people's money is like taking food from a beggar's bowl. I cannot bear it."
Doctor Sun added, "I have some experience in making money through business. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to continue my research."
"Rich people's money is easy to earn. You'll find that the poorer you are, the higher your expectations are. One ounce of silver might be several months' income for a poor person, and he hopes that this ounce of silver will bring you the best value possible."
"For the wealthy, one ounce of silver isn't even enough for a meal, so their expectations aren't high. They might even just be happy to be served."
"The truth I've learned is that it's better to earn the pocket money of a rich person than to earn the living expenses of a poor person."
Zhao Huan: Imperial Physician Sun is truly an all-rounder!
In fact, Zhao Huan also thought so. What's the point of making a few dollars from the people?
He made money not for pleasure, but to subsidize the national treasury and benefit the people.
The simplest thing should be soap. Nowadays, rich people use pancreas, while ordinary people use soap beans. They are hard and can rub off a layer of skin on your face. Moreover, they are very ineffective in removing grease.
Unlike spirits and perfumes, the cost of making soap is extremely low, and the production process is very simple. It doesn't even require a special workshop and can be done in the kitchen.
Zhao Huan had once DIYed soap in chemistry class and was deeply impressed. So he decided to take advantage of the time today to try making it and then write down the production process.
It is better to make money as soon as possible. Zhao Huan asked Doctor Sun to select some trustworthy craftsmen and guards, and asked Shao Chengzhang to arrange people to buy some fat pork, straw and lime powder.
At this time in the afternoon, Zhao Xi was learning to read and write with Li Qingzhao. Zhao Huan thought that it would be a pity to miss the opportunity to take a chemistry class, so he called them to join him.
After more than half an hour, everything was ready. The Funing Palace was guarded by layers of imperial guards. This secret recipe was related to Zhao Huan's first pot of gold, and it must not be leaked out.
Zhao Huan looked at the two items in front of him and prepared to start teaching: "Everyone present today is my confidant. Today I will teach you a unique secret recipe for getting rich. You all, just wait for your great wealth and enjoy it."
Zhao Huan had a large iron pot set up in the middle of the yard, with boiling hot water in it.
Zhao Huan had the pork fat put into hot water to steam, and then said, "What we are making today is called soap. It is similar to pancreas, but it is a hundred times more effective than pancreas."
"Soap is a general term for metallic salts of fatty acids. The main ingredient is sodium stearate, with the molecular formula C17H35COONa."
"Soap removes dirt because it contains special molecules with one end that is hydrophilic and the other that are lipophilic. At the interface between water and oil, soap emulsifies the oil, allowing it to dissolve in the soapy water. At the interface between water and air, soap surrounds air molecules to form soap bubbles. The soap's action dissolves previously water-insoluble dirt in the bubbles, ultimately removing it completely."
While explaining, Zhao Huan wrote the chemical formula for making soap on a special small blackboard.
(C17H35COO)3C3H5 + 3NaOH heating 3C17H35COONa+C3H5(OH)
According to Zhao Huan's explanation, the water in the pot has been boiled dry. The floating oil residue is scooped out, and the remaining red liquid is lard.
"Don't throw away the oil residue. It's still quite crispy when dipped in salt. You can also use it to make flatbread (dumplings). It's very crunchy and delicious."
Zhao Huan heard the sound of swallowing saliva, and looked in the direction of the sound. It was actually Li Qingzhao. Can you be hungry just by looking at this?
If there were a Song Dynasty on the tip of your tongue, you would be drooling. I never thought you would be such a Li Qingzhao.
"The next step is to make wood ash." Zhao Huan found another large iron pot, put a lot of bean pods in it, and then lit it.
After it was completely burned to ashes, the ashes were taken out and placed in a small basin beside it. Some clean water was added, and immediately a basin of black water was obtained...
"Don't underestimate this basin of black water. It's all thanks to it. It contains potassium salt."
Zhao Huan added lime powder to the black water, stirred it evenly, and then filtered out clear alkaline water through filter paper.
"It's almost done." Zhao Huan poured alkaline water into the lard in the big iron pot and stirred it continuously.
Until Zhao Huan's hands were sore, the clear lard in the iron pot finally turned into a white yogurt-like state.
"This is the saponification reaction I just explained. Although it's not easy to understand, it's really simple to operate. Anyone who has seen it once can complete it."
"However, the problem here is that we need to determine the right ratio of lye water to lard to make the best soap. Doctor Sun knows the convenience of comparative experiments and can organize them to conduct them."
"Also, you could consider adding a flower or pigment to the soap to make it look better and smell better."
"Doctor Sun, I'll leave this to you. The task of improving the soap is now up to you."
"Yi An, do you have any ideas? Do you want to write a poem or something like, for example, using soap makes your skin feel better or something like that?"
Li Qingzhao: ...
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