Chapter 52 [VIP]
After sending the letter, Liang Boqing was no longer in a hurry; he would at least have to wait until after the spring harvest next year to see the results.
During this period, in addition to lecturing his three disciples and requiring them to write ten calligraphy samples every day, he didn't even spare Wang Ying, who was also dragged into practicing calligraphy with him.
"Old Liang, I can't take the imperial examinations, so why should I practice calligraphy with them?"
"Even if you can't take the imperial examination, you still have to improve your handwriting. Look at your terrible handwriting, it's worse than chicken cutlet."
Wang Ying wasn't annoyed by the scolding; she just smiled and said, "It's good that you can recognize it."
"Your handwriting reflects your character. If your handwriting is bad, others will have a much worse impression of you. Which young lady or gentleman from a prominent family in Kyoto doesn't have beautiful handwriting?"
"Oh dear, I'm just a country bumpkin, I might never be able to go to Kyoto in my lifetime."
Liang Boqing angrily picked up a ruler and smacked him, "Nonsense! With my guidance, these three mediocre talents will surely rise to prominence!"
Actually, there was something else he didn't say: it was such a waste for Wang Ying to keep her skills hidden in the mountains and fields. Her breeding skills could support so many people!
If the opportunity arises in the future… perhaps he could enter officialdom as a young master (or a prince). Such things have happened before; there's even a precedent of a young master becoming a prime minister in the Qi Dynasty. It's just too difficult to succeed…
Wang Ying couldn't refuse the old man, so she had no choice but to practice calligraphy with the three of them. Over time, she actually developed a beautiful hand of small regular script.
However, the only drawback is that, having gotten used to the simplified characters from his previous life, he often misses strokes when writing, which infuriates Old Master Liang.
After practicing during the day, the two continued practicing in their bedroom at night.
Wang Ying used her finger to recite the "Ode to the Long Pavilion" on Chen Qingyan's chest. Halfway through reciting it, her hand slipped into her waistband, and then someone grabbed her hand and began to manipulate it.
In fact, the two of them have only used their hands to comfort each other for so long, and have never used any other methods.
Wang Ying had a wild idea. She took a new calligraphy brush from the table, dipped it in water, and wrote on it. The brush tip was soft and slightly cool, and when it brushed against the tip, it made Chen Qingyan tremble all over.
"Brother, stop fooling around..."
Wang Ying pressed down on his chest to stop him from moving, and slowly inserted the tip of the brush into the small hole to disperse the dewdrops.
Chen Qingyan could no longer control himself. He grabbed the man's mischievous hand, flipped him over, pushed him down, and slowly inserted the calligraphy brush into his body.
This was Wang Ying's first time being invaded, and she didn't feel any rejection. A boy's body is different from a man's, and the pen slid across her body, giving her a slightly itchy sensation.
Wang Ying couldn't help but bite her lower lip, swallowing the moan in her mouth. After stirring for a while, that place was already incredibly wet.
"Brother, I want to..." Chen Qingyan leaned down and kissed the corner of his mouth, then kissed his way down his chin to the birthmark on his neck. After a few licks and bites, Wang Ying surrendered.
"Then slow down..."
Chen Qingyan was overjoyed; her brother had finally agreed!
(A river crab crawls by)
The consequence of their indulgence was that neither of them had any energy the next day. Chen Qingyan was beaten with a cane six or seven times by the teacher in one morning, which made Liang Boqing so angry that he grabbed his fishing rod and ran out to go fishing.
*
As the weather gets warmer day by day, the vegetables in the fields ripen one after another, and the vegetables in the shops are not selling well.
I bought six strings of cash last month. Yesterday, Dunzi went to town to deliver vegetables and came back saying that the vegetables in the shop couldn't be sold and had all rotted because of the warm weather.
Wang Ying plans to replace vegetables with ice, but the key is how to sell the ice.
Ordinary ice is also sold in the city, costing ten coins per foot. It is only used by wealthy families to cool off in the summer. Ordinary people simply cannot afford it, and even if they could, they would not be willing to spend the money.
Wang Ying didn't want to sell this item, firstly because the demand was low, and secondly because it wouldn't fetch much money.
He wanted to sell popsicles and ice cream. In the hot weather, people would be willing to spend a penny or two to buy a popsicle to cool off.
After making the decision, Wang Ying had someone make a wooden mold and asked the village children to help shave the popsicle sticks.
Wang Ying didn't let them work for nothing; she gave them five coins for every hundred sticks they shaved, and the older children could earn ten coins a day.
Next came the preparation of the popsicle liquid. Wang Ying planned to use maltose and goat milk for flavoring. Since there was no lemon juice to remove the fishy smell, she used a sour herb ground into juice to neutralize the fishy smell of the goat milk.
After mixing, boil the mixture in a pot, let it cool, then pour it into a wooden mold and refrigerate it in the experimental field for an hour. When you take it out, the popsicles will be formed!
Wang Ying unmolded one and tried it. The taste was average, much worse than modern cream popsicles, but it was quite good in ancient times when food was scarce.
I took it out at noon and let a few people try it.
Chen Qingsong, holding up an ice pop, asked, "Sister-in-law, what is this?"
"This is called a popsicle. Try it and see how it tastes."
"Mmm, delicious!" In this sweltering heat, eating one of these can really cool you down. Seeing how happy the three of them are, Old Liang couldn't resist trying one too.
"I've had iced drinks in Yangzhou before, but this is the first time I've ever had them frozen on a wooden stick like this. How is it made?"
Wang Ying was prepared; he had experimented with the method of making ice with saltpeter when he was in high school.
Put the prepared saltpeter into a wooden basin and pour in water. Then fill another porcelain bowl with water and put it in the basin. Soon the water in the bowl will gradually freeze into ice.
Chen Qinghuai exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law, is this magic? I've seen sorcerers in Laizhou perform similar spells!"
"What kind of magic is this? It's just a simple chemical reaction. Saltpeter absorbs heat when it melts in water, which lowers the temperature around it and causes it to freeze into ice. Moreover, this saltpeter can be reused. Once the water has completely solidified, the saltpeter can be scraped off and reused."
Of course, this is just a cover-up. Making popsicles is more convenient in the experimental field. You can put them in and leave them alone, and they will freeze solid in no time.
This move amazed everyone, and even the well-informed Liang Boqing had to admit that this young Wang Lang was truly capable!
After the group ate three popsicles in a row, Wang Ying quickly advised them, "These things are cold and shouldn't be eaten in excess, or you might upset your stomach."
Old Liang waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's so hot, we can eat something refreshing." As a result of their gluttony, the four of them scurried around for half the night, and dared not eat any more the next day.
After the tasting, the popsicles received unanimous praise, and Wang Ying began mass production.
Aside from the time it takes to prepare the ingredients, it's quick with Uncle Chen's help.
I didn't dare make too much the first time, afraid it would all melt before I could sell it all.
First, two hundred popsicles were made. After unmolding them, they were put into a wooden box and wrapped in three or four layers of straw and cotton quilts for insulation. Early in the morning, Wang Ying took a car to town.
Today happens to be market day, and I met many people from the village along the way. After the spring harvest, every household has some surplus grain, which they take to town to sell for money or exchange for daily necessities.
The group walked towards town in twos and threes, carrying baskets on their backs. When they saw Wang Ying, they all greeted him, "Young master, are you going to town?"
"Yes, go buy something."
"My lord, please walk slowly on your journey."
"good."
Upon arriving in town, Wang Ying didn't go home immediately but went to the shop first.
It had been a long time since I'd been to the shop. As soon as I pulled over, the lady who ran the sesame oil stall next door came up to greet me, "Manager Wang, it's been a long time!"
"Sister-in-law Song".
"I heard from your sister-in-law that you went back to the village. So you're back?"
"No, I just came to deliver some things."
Dunzi carried the wooden box full of popsicles down, and Wang Ying casually took one out and handed it to her, saying, "Vegetables don't sell well in the summer, and the shop can't be idle. I'm planning to sell these white sugar popsicles. How do you like them?"
Madam Song chuckled, took a bite, and immediately exclaimed, "Oh my, this is delicious! How much is it?"
"Two coins for one, three coins for five."
"The price isn't expensive! Give me three, I'll take them to my kids at home to try."
Unexpectedly, business came in so quickly. Wang Ying quickly took out three sticks and handed them to her, saying, "Eat them quickly, otherwise they will melt in the warm weather."
"Sigh, let me go get the money for you."
"It's free. It's not worth the trip for just a few coins. If you like it, please help me spread the word."
Madam Song was overjoyed at having gotten the better deal, "Alright, I'll definitely have the child spread the word for you!"
Once inside, Qingyun, Lin Qiu, and Lin Sui were all there. The three of them happily gathered around Wang Ying, exclaiming, "Sister-in-law is back!"
"The popsicles I told you about last time are finally made! Come and try them out, see how they taste."
Qingyun unfolded the layers of quilts and said, "Sister-in-law, why did you wrap up so many things?"
"To keep warm, since it's so hot, you'll melt if you don't cover yourself well. Remember to wrap it up properly after you take it."
"Why!"
Qingyun took out popsicles and gave one to each person. The milky white popsicles were about the length of a palm and half a finger wide. They had a milky aroma and were sweet when you took a bite. They would melt into water in your mouth in no time.
"It's delicious!"
"Even if it tastes good, you can't eat too much of it. This stuff is cold in nature, and eating too much can easily upset your stomach. Qingsong and the others ate too much yesterday and had diarrhea for half the night."
The three of them couldn't help but burst into laughter. Lin Qiu took out the account book and said while eating, "Business has been bad these past few days. Yesterday we only sold two hundred coins, mostly tomatoes. We couldn't sell any other vegetables."
"It's alright. Starting tomorrow, Uncle Dunzi will stop delivering vegetables. From now on, the shop will only sell popsicles, priced at two coins each or three for five coins, until it gets cold and then we'll switch to vegetables."
"Only two coins? That's too cheap!" Chen Qingyun thought that such a delicious popsicle would sell for five coins.
"Small profits but quick turnover. This stuff has low cost, so even if we sell it for two coins, we can still make a lot of money."
Wang Ying made the maltose herself, and she could just ask the villagers for the goat milk; they wouldn't accept money from her. Her only expense was the money she spent on making sticks for the children, which didn't cost much.
Besides, Wang Ying had other considerations. The things he sold were things that ordinary people couldn't afford. If the prices were set too high, it might attract the envy of unscrupulous people, and it might be difficult to do business in the future.
After reviewing the accounts, Wang Ying divided the money she had earned during this period into three parts: one for herself, one for Lin Qiu and Lin Sui, and one for Qing Yun.
The three months' earnings totaled over seventy taels of silver. After deducting expenses, each person received twenty taels of silver. The children were all a little embarrassed to suddenly receive so much money.
Lin Qiu said, "Sister-in-law, this...this is too much, I can't accept this money."
"Take it. We're getting married soon, and there are expenses everywhere."
Qingyun said, "Sister-in-law, please keep my share for me. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to get married."
Lin Sui also said, "I'm not in a hurry, big brother, please keep it for me~"
"You little brats, are you teasing me?" Lin Qiu raised his hand as if to hit them. The two children ran out laughing and ran into a few kids who came to buy popsicles.
These children belong to the family who own the sesame oil shop next door. They hadn't had enough of the three sticks earlier, so they asked their mother for money and came back to buy more.
"Is this the shop that sells popsicles?"
"right!"
"We want to buy three!"
Lin Qiu took the money and quickly handed them three sticks.
It was so hot outside, and the three kids were happily munching on popsicles when someone asked, "Hey kid, what are you eating?"
"Popsicle".
"Where did you buy it? How much was it?"
"I bought it from Wang's vegetable shop up ahead, it's so sweet!"
"What? It tastes sweet too?"
Several people couldn't resist going over to ask about the price. It was affordable, and even on such a hot day, they were willing to buy one to try. Soon, more and more people were buying popsicles, and a long queue formed at the door.
Two hundred popsicles sold out in less than an hour, and many people who didn't get any asked if they would be sold again tomorrow.
Wang Ying hadn't expected the popsicle business to be so good; it seemed she would have to increase production when she got back!
A note from the author:
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