bayedsolid Chapter 148: Return to Daqing Village
Chapter 148: Return to Daqing Village
Shen Wanning smiled mysteriously and explained, "This ice cube is not bought, I made it myself."
After she said that, Yan Hui became even more curious. "Sister Wan Ning can make ice? Even in the summer? In the capital, we usually dig ice out of the river in the winter and store it underground. We take it out and use it in the summer of the following year. Even so, by the time summer comes, the ice will have already melted and only a small part of it will be left. Therefore, ice is very expensive and only wealthy families can afford it."
Shen Wanning explained, "These ice cubes are usually made the night before and can be used the next day. This is ice made from saltpeter. Take out two basins. One large basin and one small basin. Fill both basins with water. Place the small basin inside the large basin. Make sure the water in the large basin covers the small basin. Add saltpeter to the large basin to cool it down. The small basin will slowly freeze into ice. After the water in the large basin solidifies, the saltpeter will reappear. Then scrape it off and continue making ice."
Yan Hui blinked, bewildered. "I just kept hearing Sister Wan Ning talking about basins, but I didn't understand what to do."
Shen Wanning chuckled, "I'll show you how to do it later. It should be able to freeze by evening."
"Okay, okay. If I learn how to make ice, I will open a shop selling ice when I return to the capital. Wouldn't that be very profitable?" Yan Hui cheered.
Lin Jingyou nodded in agreement and said, "I haven't heard of Wan Ning's method before. You read it from a book, right? But from what you said, this saltpeter can be reused, so the cost of making ice is not high."
"Yes, these milk teas with added ice cubes cost two cents more, so in the summer, we can earn more by selling iced milk tea." Shen Wanning continued.
"What's wrong with Wan Ning's brain? How can she come up with so many bizarre ideas? Comparing yourself to others is really frustrating!" Yan Hui exclaimed, taking a big sip of milk tea. "Mmm! Delicious! It's icy cool and a little sweet, so delicious! Wan Ning, why didn't you open a milk tea shop a few years earlier? It's a pity that you opened a shop when I was about to leave Qinghe County, ah!"
Yan Hui drank a large bowl of milk tea, burped, and complained to Lin Jingyou beside him, "Brother Jingyou, why did you take me to have breakfast? You made me drink only one bowl of milk tea, otherwise I could have had a few more cups, ah!"
"Sugar is added to milk tea. Eating too much sugar is bad for your teeth and your body. Drinking one or two bowls occasionally is enough. If Brother Yan wants to drink it, I will definitely drink a few more bowls next time I come to Qinghe County." Shen Wanning said with a smile.
The few of them stayed in the milk tea shop for another day. Lin Jingyou occasionally helped to serve milk tea, while Yan Hui went back to take a nap. When it was time to eat, they came to Mingyue Tower to drink milk tea to their heart's content. When they were hungry, they drank more. They repeated this process until they had tried all the new milk tea products and were satisfied.
After finishing the work at the milk tea shop and closing it, Lin Jingce drove them back to the Lin residence in a carriage, took the clothes of Lin Jingyou and Yan Hui, and the four of them returned to Daqing Village.
When Lin Jingyou arrived home, he saw the village had changed so much that he almost didn't recognize his own house. The fields next to Lin's house were full of cotton seedlings, while on the hilltop was a lush green forest of tea and various fruit trees.
Some villagers took advantage of the coolness after sunset to work on the hilltops, while those who had nothing to do sat in front of their thatched huts to enjoy the cool air.
Since they still shared a room with eight people, they discussed and decided to buy a large pot and build a simple earthen stove out of mud. They took turns steaming buns each day and pooled their money to buy rye flour. This way, they could save on food while also being simple and convenient.
When they got home, Aunt Zhang was very surprised to see them. "Hey, Third Brother, why are you back? Aren't you in Fuzhou?"
"I'll stay here for a few days and then go back to Fuzhou before the results are announced." This was the third time he had answered this question. After that, he introduced Yan Hui to Aunt Zhang.
"Oh, this little fat boy... I remember him. He's the one who treated everyone to milk tea last time. He's so kind!" Aunt Zhang patted Yan Hui's hand and said.
"Mom, let's go put our things down first and come out to talk later."
"Okay, you go first. By the way, the guest room on the left is occupied by Mr. Yu, who is here to teach us how to grow tea trees. I'm going to clean up the guest room on the right for Xiaohui to stay in." Aunt Zhang didn't know Yan Hui's identity, so she just called him by his nickname.
"Okay, thank you very much, auntie. I've been troubled by you these days!" Yan Hui said sweetly.
"This is the first time my third child has brought a friend home to stay with him since he's grown up! You must have a special relationship with him!"
"Of course not. Brother Jingyou and I have the best relationship. We are close buddies!" Yan Hui said proudly.
"That's great!"
After the greetings, everyone packed up their things. After dinner, except for Yu Qian who went back to his room, everyone else sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air.
Aunt Zhang talked to them about the recent events in the village, including the matter of refugees, etc.
Just as they were talking about the Emperor's plan to investigate the tax exemptions, Yan Hui slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, I was saying I forgot something! It's this matter. Half a month ago, I received a letter from my father saying that the Emperor would conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. I was going to tell Brother Jingyou about it, but when I went to look for you, you were not in the room, so I forgot about it. Fortunately, Sister Wan Ning was smart and resolved this matter."
Lin Hu interrupted, "Grandma, is this uncle what everyone calls a hindsight expert?"
Lin Jingcheng was embarrassed and pushed him gently. "What are you talking about, kid? You can't be so rude. Apologize to your uncle quickly."
Lin Hu immediately apologized obediently, "I'm sorry, uncle, I shouldn't have said that. It's not nice to say such things, even if you think so in your heart."
Shen Wanning was almost laughing so hard that she almost hurt herself. Lin Jingyou lectured her, "Xiao Hu, don't say things like that in the future. Don't comment on others casually. Just be yourself. Do you understand? Besides, uncle didn't keep it from us on purpose. How can you accuse him of being a hindsight expert?"
Lin Hu lowered his head and apologized sincerely this time, "I'm sorry, uncle, I shouldn't have said that to you just now."
Yan Hui didn't bother with this kid, and laughed it off, saying, "Children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint. This kid is honest."
Lin Jingyou said seriously, "Even if they are children, they should not casually discuss the right and wrong of others. They must be corrected in time, otherwise it will be too late when they grow up."
Shen Wanning nodded in agreement. When it came to educating children, his views coincided with hers.
This time, Lin Hu listened to them attentively and did not dare to interrupt.