Old Mrs. Chen's eyes lit up, and she suddenly understood.
Although she had heard of brown sugar, she had never tasted it. Such a precious thing, if she could learn how to make it, wouldn't she become rich!
At that time, not only will we not have to worry about the tuition fees for the third son, but we will also have wine every day and meat at every meal.
Her eyes were brimming with a mischievous grin. "Ruolan, do you mean we should go in and secretly learn how to make sugar?"
Chen Ruolan nodded. "Grandma, you don't know how to make sugar either. What good will it do if my grandpa manages to steal a few beets? But if we can learn how, that would be a different story."
Grandma Chen's heart pounded with excitement. "Ruolan, you're right. Brown sugar is a rare commodity. If we can really learn how to make sugar, that would be an amazing thing. In less than a year or two, our family will be rolling in money and become incredibly wealthy!"
Having overheard their conversation, Old Man Chen swallowed hard. "Old woman, secretly learning a trade isn't something to be proud of. If that brat finds out, she definitely won't let us off easily."
Besides, brown sugar sells for 100 coins a pound; who would be foolish enough to buy that stuff to eat? Even if we made it, we might not be able to sell it.
"You think you're so thrifty? There are plenty of rich people. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean others can't." Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.
Chen Ruolan chimed in with a smile, "Grandpa, Grandma is right. Although brown sugar is expensive, it sells very quickly in town, so there's no worry about finding a market for it."
Old Chen shook his head, looking resistant. "Then I won't go. That little girl is too clever for her own good. If she finds out what I'm up to, I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble."
"You old coward, you're such a coward! Fortune favors the bold, how can our family live a good life if we don't take a chance?"
Grandma Chen frowned impatiently, "Hurry up and go. If you can learn it, our Chen family's ancestral graves will be emitting auspicious smoke."
Old Chen scratched his head, looking reluctant. "Old woman, I think we should forget it. I'm not very bright, I won't be able to learn it even if I watch it."
"Look at you, you useless thing. You can eat anything and be good at nothing."
"If you think I'm stupid, why don't you do it yourself? Why are you ordering me around?" Old Chen muttered under his breath.
Old Mrs. Chen was aggressive and started cursing, "You good-for-nothing, you're stupid, you can't learn it the first time, why don't you try a few more times?"
"Look at you now, you've been scared terribly by that brat! You won't even go near her. What are you afraid of? She's not going to eat you!"
Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Chen Ruolan frowned and impatiently interrupted them.
"Alright, stop arguing. If you don't want to go in, then don't go in. You can just ask Chen Dabao when you get back tonight."
Mr. and Mrs. Chen nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, Ruolan is the smartest."
******
At this moment, Lin saw many villagers outside the courtyard, all craning their necks to look into the yard, and a sense of unease arose in her heart.
Although boiling sugar from beets is a bit tedious, it's not difficult to learn. She memorized all the key points after watching it once.
Nowadays, there are many envious and eager people. If someone with ulterior motives learns from this, wouldn't that cause a lot of trouble?
Thinking of this, she quickly reminded her, "Qing, look, there are so many people gathered outside. We shouldn't have told anyone about making sugar. If someone learns how, it might affect our business."
"Yes, we need to be more careful in the future, so that no one with ulterior motives can take advantage of us." Chen Zhanshan also looked cautious.
Chen Qingqing was full of confidence. She had already thought of what they were thinking. They couldn't hide the fact that they were making sugar, unless they stopped living in Nanshan Village.
Her eyes lit up. Why not have her parents move away from here, buy a piece of land in a remote place in Qingshui Town, and build a big house? Wouldn't that save them a lot of trouble?
This way, they avoided getting entangled with Old Man Chen and his wife, and also didn't have to worry about arousing the jealousy of others.
Once the sugar factory is built, we'll ask Zheng Zhong for some sugar beet seeds and encourage villagers around Qingshui Town to plant sugar beets, which will bring them some income.
Thinking of this, she tentatively asked, "Father, Mother, since you have this concern, I have a good idea."
Chen Zhanshan hurriedly asked, "What idea do you have? Tell me about it."
“Let’s leave Nanshan Village and find a place where no one knows us, then we won’t have to worry about anything.”
Chen Zhanshan frowned and waved his hand, "No, no, as the saying goes, there's no place like home. Home is always good, but away from home, everything is difficult."
No matter what, we were born and raised here. Nobody wants to leave their hometown unless absolutely necessary; it's a terrible feeling.
Madam Lin echoed in agreement, "Qing'er, nothing beats home. No matter how good it is outside, I still feel more at ease at home."
Chen Qingqing looked helpless. If her parents agreed, they could stay away from the odd couple, Old Man Chen and his wife. But since her parents were reluctant, then so be it.
She shook her head and smiled, "I was just saying. Don't worry, even if someone learns how to make sugar, it's okay, since they don't have the ingredients yet."
Lin's heart skipped a beat. "There are no raw materials available right now, do you mean there will be a lot of these beetroot dumplings in the future?"
"Yes, Mother, growing sugar beets is not difficult. As long as we taste the benefits, someone will eventually find sugar beet seeds, so large-scale planting is only a matter of time."
However, you don't need to worry too much. Even with ample raw materials, we can focus on improving the sugar-making process and quality to create a unique brown sugar.
Chen Zhanshan nodded thoughtfully, "Qing girl, what you said makes sense, but how can we improve the craftsmanship and quality?"
Chen Qingqing smiled mysteriously, "Dad, don't worry about these things. I'll have my own way. As long as our family works together, we won't have to worry about not making money."
Madam Lin sighed softly, "Ah, I hope so. But it's not good for these people outside to keep staring like this. We need to think of a way to get rid of them."
"It's alright, let them watch if they want!"
"Qing girl, you really managed to make brown sugar!" Wu Baoan's excited voice came from outside the courtyard, and then he pushed through the crowd and walked in.
Chen Qingqing straightened up, moved a small stool and handed it over, "Uncle Village Head, you're here, please sit down."
Wu Baoan waved his hand, "Qing girl, don't bother. I heard from your aunt that you made some sugar, so I came to join in the fun."
He took a deep sniff and said, "It really smells like sugar, it smells so good."
Chen Qingqing smiled and used a knife to cut a small piece from the cooled candy, handing it to Wu Baoan. "Uncle Village Head, why don't you try this candy?"
Wu Baoan eagerly took it and put it in his mouth. "This is the taste, but it seems to lack the flavor of mulberry. Although it is still delicious, the sweetness is a little weak. I don't know if I'm right?"
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