The broth in the pot began to boil and bubble, and a sweet aroma gradually filled the air.
Chen Qingqing stirred the food continuously with a spoon, occasionally giving instructions to Lin Shi and Da Bao beside her.
"Remember, you must stir constantly while cooking."
This is done to ensure the sugar syrup is heated evenly, preventing it from sticking to the pan or burning at the bottom.
Pay special attention: once you notice the syrup thickening, you must increase the frequency of stirring; you must not be careless in the slightest.
If the mixture isn't stirred promptly and burns, the resulting sugar will taste bitter.
Madam Lin observed very carefully and nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Qing'er, this technique isn't difficult, I can learn it."
"Sister, I've remembered it too." Chen Dabao also looked very serious.
Chen Qingqing kept repeating the same actions, and as time slowly passed, the syrup in the pot gradually thickened.
She continued, "During the process of boiling the sugar, you must pay close attention to the color and viscosity of the syrup."
When the syrup darkens in color and becomes increasingly viscous when stirred, there's no need to heat it further.
As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful of syrup and slowly poured it down.
"Look, if you can pull out thin threads like this, it means the sugar is almost ready and can be taken out to cool."
Chen Zhanshan was completely captivated by the rich aroma of sugar. He never imagined that these vegetable dumplings could actually be boiled into sugar.
"Qing girl, you are really capable of making such a precious thing."
"Yes, if I hadn't seen you do it step by step with my own eyes, I really wouldn't have believed that this thing could make sugar." Lin was also completely shocked.
Chen Qingqing was quite satisfied, after all, she only knew the theory and had never actually done it before.
I never expected that my first attempt at making brown sugar would be so successful.
She quickly poured the cooked syrup into a container she had prepared beforehand, and said with a smile, "Try it and see how it tastes."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhanshan immediately stretched out his finger, carefully dipped it in the syrup, and tasted it.
Mrs. Lin hurriedly asked, "Honey, what does it smell like?"
"Sweet, so sweet!" Chen Zhanshan felt a sweetness spreading in his mouth and immediately beamed with joy. "So sweet, this taste is absolutely amazing."
"Let me try it."
Lin also gently dipped her finger in the mixture and put it in her mouth. Her eyes immediately lit up as she felt a refreshing sweetness fill her mouth. She nodded repeatedly.
"It's delicious, the sweetness is so good."
Chen Dabao swallowed hard, then hurriedly stepped forward and took a bite. He couldn't help but clench his fist and exclaimed excitedly, "So this is sugar! It's absolutely delicious!"
Seeing this, Chen Qingqing also took a bite. It was sweet and fragrant, with a faint molasses flavor.
"Great! We succeeded! Now we can open a sugar mill and sell sugar."
"This is a rare item, and I heard it sells for quite a high price," Lin said excitedly.
Chen Zhanshan grinned from ear to ear, "That's right, it sells for 100 coins a pound in town. If we can sell it, it'll be a very profitable business."
Lin was shocked. "One hundred coins a catty? That's too expensive. Will anyone buy it?"
“That’s true. One hundred coins can buy five liters of fine rice, but if you want to buy millet, that’s twenty liters.” Chen Zhanshan looked troubled. “Qing’er, do you think this stuff will sell well?”
Chen Qingqing knew that sugar was a luxury item in ancient times, and only nobles and the wealthy could afford it.
Even in today's industrialized world, white sugar and brown sugar have become commonplace and essential items in people's homes.
However, in times of war, sugar becomes an essential strategic reserve, just like food and medicine.
Sugar was a scarce commodity in those days, so she wasn't worried about sales at all.
Chen Qingqing smiled and said, "Don't worry, Dad, candy is a good thing, it will definitely sell well."
"That's good." Chen Zhanshan hesitated for a moment. "Dad is good at working, but he probably can't sell candy in town."
Madam Lin chuckled. "Honey, what kind of business can we do with our brains? In my opinion, we should just stay home and help Qingya make sugar. As for sales, we don't need to worry about that."
Chen Zhanshan nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, let's just work for Qingya, and forget about selling candy."
Hearing what the two said, Chen Qingqing was both amused and exasperated, and felt completely numb.
To teach them how to make sugar, she explained each step in detail.
She just hoped that her parents could have a way to earn money so that she could continue practicing medicine.
It seems she was overthinking things. Oh well, since that's how it is, she'll be the boss.
Once the sales channels are established, Da Bao can deliver the goods; it shouldn't interfere with her other tasks.
Even if she can't sell them, she's not worried. After all, she has a spatial ability. Once she's earned five hundred taels of silver, she can have the system recycle them once she opens the trading system.
With that thought in mind, she stopped worrying about it.
"Since your parents are unwilling to go into business, I won't make things difficult for you. You just need to work. I'll pay you wages, one tael of silver per person per month. Is that alright with you?"
Lin's hand trembled, and her eyes widened. "Qing'er, I won't pay you for the work, as long as you have enough to eat."
“Your mother is right. You still have to support Xiaohan’s education. If we take your money, what kind of people would we be?” Chen Zhanshan shook his head repeatedly. “We can’t take it. We absolutely cannot take this money.”
"Father, Mother, it's only right that you earn wages for your hard work. As for Chen Han's studies, you don't need to worry about it. Since I promised to support him, I will keep my word. You just need to help me make the candy."
Besides, sugar making is no easy task. If you insist on not getting paid, then I won't need your help.
Chen Zhanshan wasn't greedy. He knew better than anyone that if his daughter hadn't found the ginseng, his family of five would probably have starved to death long ago.
His daughter was generous; she didn't squander the money and treated her family with genuine kindness. What more could he ask for?
Although he is the head of the family, he is not confused. His daughter's abilities far surpass those of everyone else in the Chen family, and things will only get better with her in charge.
"One tael of silver a month, that's more than thirty copper coins a day. That's not much. I work harder carrying heavy loads at the docks, and I only earn ten copper coins a day."
Now I can stay home and work, and I don't have to go hungry at noon. The work is easy, and eight coins a day is quite a lot for me.
"Alright, Father, stop refusing. Consider this money your daughter's way of showing filial piety." Chen Qingqing said with a mischievous smile. "Besides, the candy hasn't been sold yet. I only gave you empty banknotes, and I don't have any money to give you now. What are you refusing for?"
Chen Zhanshan's eyes were full of smiles. "Okay, Dad will listen to you."
Lin smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't worry, Qing'er, we'll take care of making the sugar."
......
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