Chen Qingqing stretched and slowly woke up from her dream.
She glanced out the window; the sun was already high in the sky.
She got up and gave the unconscious man a routine check-up. The blood clot in his brain had been completely absorbed, but he still didn't wake up, which puzzled her. Could it be that she had really saved a vegetable?
That shouldn't be the case. He's already had a full checkup and is fine. Could it be that he doesn't want to wake up...?
Unable to figure it out, she stopped thinking about it and decided to personally deliver the man to Fukuda-in in town after she finished making the brown sugar.
Last night, she spent more than ten taels of silver to treat Da Bao and Chen Zhanliang. This system is really expensive. Making money is the most important thing right now.
The Wu family's old house.
Chen Zhanshan moved the mountain of beets to a cool, dry place.
Mrs. Lin sat on a stool washing the beets.
Chen Qingqing originally wanted Chen Dabao to go home and recuperate after his leg was fully healed before bringing him back.
But Da Bao absolutely refused and insisted on staying to help.
Having no other choice, Chen Qingqing assigned him a task: to chop the cleaned beets into small cubes.
This way, he can work while sitting down, and his leg injury won't get wet.
As for sugar production, she only learned about the process by chance when she visited a sugar factory in modern times. Although it is not difficult in modern times, as it is all mechanized and controlled by microcomputers, it seems very simple.
Now she has to use the oldest method to make sugar, which seems simple but is actually very difficult, and can easily lead to failure.
However, she wasn't worried, after all, she was incredibly intelligent.
The first step in sugar making from beets is to cut the washed beets into small pieces, grind them with a stone mill, and then filter them repeatedly through a sieve. The final step is to boil the sugar.
Chen Qingqing recalled the sugar-making process in her mind, but did not slow down the speed at which she chopped vegetables.
An hour later, bowls and bowls of beetroot chunks were ready.
Looking at the beets cut into small cubes, Lin was puzzled and couldn't help but ask Chen Qingqing.
"Qing'er, we've been washing and chopping this stuff, are you trying to make it into pickled vegetables? This stuff tastes sweet, will it taste good if we pickle it into salt?"
Chen Qingqing was amused by her words, "Mother, I'm not pickling vegetables, I'm planning to boil brown sugar."
"Make sugar?" Lin looked incredulous. "You're saying this stuff can make sugar? That's impossible!"
"Yes, although I've never eaten candy, I know that candy is definitely not made from this stuff. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Chen Zhanshan also stared wide-eyed in surprise, looking incredulous.
After all, raw sugar is quite expensive. If they could really make sugar, it would definitely sell very well, and their family would have no worries about making a living in the future.
Chen Dabao was even more stunned. He never expected that this ugly lump could be used to make sugar. He was curious about how his sister Qing, who had grown up with him, had become so smart and capable.
Seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Chen Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
The three nodded repeatedly, their eyes full of anticipation.
Lin glanced at the chopped beets. "Qing'er, what's next?"
"The next step is to grind it with a stone mill."
"Huh? It has to be crushed too?" Mrs. Sun was completely dumbfounded.
The daughter had her reasons for doing this, so Mr. and Mrs. Chen didn't ask any more questions and carried the chopped beets towards the village entrance.
Upon arriving at the village entrance, Chen Qingqing poured the chopped beets onto the stone mill.
Chen Zhanshan pushed the stone mill, and the beet chunks were crushed bit by bit.
The juice from the beets flowed down the gaps in the stone mill and into the wooden barrel through the groove.
At this moment, a group of villagers gathered not far from the stone mill, curiously discussing the matter.
"Look, what is Qingya doing? It looks like she's going to crush those beets."
"That's right, what are we going to do with it after grinding it up?"
"Can't you tell? I told you yesterday that Qingya was definitely going to raise pigs. Look, she's grinding this up to feed them. Pigs fed with this stuff will have really fragrant meat!"
"Get out of here! What are you talking about, feeding pigs? You look more like a pig to me. Who would spend tens of taels of silver to raise pigs for fun? That's just crazy!"
"That's right, that makes sense, it's definitely not about raising pigs."
"Then why are you talking about her?"
"In my opinion, since they're crushing these beets, they must be trying to mix them into their grain so they won't go hungry."
"What you're saying is even more impossible. In my opinion, they're definitely going to make something delicious."
......
Listening to the whispers of the villagers, Chen Qingqing didn't want them to know too soon, but it wasn't a secret that she had bought so many beets; the villagers would find out sooner or later.
Besides, she had already planned it out in her heart. If she wanted to run the business long-term, her parents and Da Bao would definitely not be enough. She would have to recruit people from the village. So, it was no big deal to leak the news now.
She laughed and said loudly, "Uncles and aunts, please stop guessing! I'm preparing to make sugar!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers were immediately in an uproar.
"Make sugar? Qing girl, don't try to fool us. How can this vegetable be used to make sugar?"
"That's right, I've never heard of making sugar from vegetables."
Chen Qingqing shook her head and smiled, "This is a new method I've learned. Just wait and see."
Although the villagers were skeptical, they said nothing more and watched them continue their work with curiosity.
All the beets were ground into juice, and Chen Zhanshan carried it back to the Wu family's old house.
Chen Qingqing took out the cloth bag and filter she had prepared beforehand.
Put the ground beets into a cloth bag and squeeze out the juice. To extract the sugar completely, rinse them with water.
Finally, use a filter to repeatedly remove small impurities until the sugar water becomes clear.
Looking at the pot full of water, Chen Qingqing was filled with anticipation. The most crucial moment had finally arrived.
She hurriedly instructed Chen Zhanshan, "Father, you can start the fire now. Remember, after the pot boils, you must simmer it over a low flame. Don't let the fire get too strong."
"Qing'er, I understand. This is similar to making tofu; too high a heat will easily burn it. Once it tastes burnt, nothing will taste good. But don't worry, I can definitely control the heat."
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. The heat during the sugar boiling process is crucial."
"Alright, Dad promises not to let it burn." Chen Zhanshan didn't delay any longer and hurriedly gathered firewood to start a fire.
Before long, the broth in the pot began to boil...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
