PFC Chapter 212 Ice Making
Chapter 212 Ice Making
Upon hearing this, Ye Yi's expression faltered, then his lips curled up in a teasing smile. He said slowly, "Everything is normal at the villa now. It's just that my cousin, after learning that you left, looked a little disappointed. Fortunately, this girl is very strong-willed and soon calmed down and regained her composure. I think she was comforted by the contents of your letter. How about you put your work on hold and take some time to return to the villa to see the situation with your own eyes?"
Ye Yunzhou seemed oblivious to the teasing in his words. He simply shook his head, his expression serious, "No. Your Majesty has been unwell lately, and matters in the capital are complicated. No mistakes can be made. I need to keep an eye on everything myself to feel at ease, and I can't leave the capital easily. Send some people to keep an eye on the situation at the villa. If there's anything difficult that requires assistance, they can go ahead and do it without reporting."
Ye Yi looked at Ye Yunzhou's serious expression, curled his lips, and sighed helplessly: "You are still so boring."
After he finished speaking, he moved his body, quickly put away his playful expression, replaced it with a serious look, and said slowly: "Of course, I have already arranged this. Don't worry."
As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously swept over his tired face, her brows slightly furrowed, and her words were full of concern: "If you have time, you should rest more. Don't put all your thoughts on affairs and work yourself to death all day. If you overwork yourself, what will you do in the future?"
Ye Yunzhou listened to these caring words and his expression eased a little. "I understand. You can go and do your work." After that, he raised his hand and waved, signaling Ye Yi to leave.
Ye Yi sighed again. Seeing him like this, he didn't say anything more. He could only turn around silently and gently close the door for him, leaving Ye Yunzhou alone in the room to continue his busy work.
.........
There were quite a few cellars in the villa, twelve in total, large and small. Luo Shuiyao numbered them 1, 2, and so on, according to their proximity.
At that moment, she led the group to the entrance of Cellar No. 1, having just brought in the various items needed for ice-making from the courtyard. Zhuangzi's outspokenness had drawn a crowd, all of them curious about "ice-making" and filled with confusion about how it was actually made. Luo Shuiyao stopped Manager Liu from trying to drive them away and allowed the crowd to watch.
In the yard, everything needed to make ice was already ready. Liu Yu took the lead, striding forward a few steps, staring at Luo Shuiyao with his sparkling eyes, his face full of eagerness to try.
Luo Shuiyao stood beside them and calmly gave orders: "Go, put the small wooden basin into the big one."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuangzi took a step forward and put the small wooden basin in place neatly.
"Pour clean water into the small wooden basin." Luo Shuiyao then gave the order.
Upon hearing this, Zhuangzi immediately picked up the bucket and slowly poured water into the small wooden basin.
"Pour some clean water into the big wooden basin." As soon as the order came out, Liu Yu was quick-eyed and quick-handed. Together with Zhuangzi, one carried the bucket and the other held the basin. The two cooperated tacitly and placed the water in the right place in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that the water was ready, Luo Shuiyao pointed to the powder prepared beside her and said softly, "Take a spoonful of saltpeter powder and pour it into the large wooden basin."
Luo Shuiyao hardly needed to elaborate on what happened next. The onlookers stared intently at the two wooden basins. The water in them seemed to be under a spell, its temperature rapidly dropping and slowly cooling. Soon, a thin layer of ice formed on the surface.
Zhuangzi's curiosity piqued, and he couldn't help but reach out and gently poke at the thin ice. With a crack, the ice shattered, and a piercing chill instantly shot up along his fingertips, making him shiver in the scorching heat and drawing chuckles from those around him.
Zhuangzi looked embarrassed and quickly turned to look at Luo Shuiyao, hesitatingly asking, "Miss, have I gotten into trouble?"
Luo Shuiyao smiled lightly and shook her head, her tone gentle: "It's okay, it will continue to freeze later, just watch carefully for now."
Zhuangzi had originally thought that only a thin layer of ice would form on the surface, but after hearing Luo Shuiyao's words, he couldn't help but wonder if the entire basin of water would eventually turn to ice? With this thought, he immediately forgot about his previous rash behavior and hurriedly lowered his head to the side of the wooden basin, staring at the water without blinking, full of anticipation for what would happen next.
Seeing that Luo Shuiyao had no intention of stopping them, the others could no longer suppress their curiosity and rushed forward. In the blink of an eye, a circle of people gathered around the wooden basin. Everyone stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks to look inside, wanting to see what wonderful changes this magical ice-making method would bring.
Everyone watched intently for nearly half an hour, staring intently at the water in the basin. They watched as the water slowly froze, the surface of the ice gradually expanding and thickening until it turned into a solid block of ice.
Exclamations and praises erupted from the surroundings. Zhuangzi, incredibly excited, reached out and picked up the wooden basin, shaking it vigorously. Seeing the ice stuck firmly to the bottom, unable to pour out, he realized the basin was also frozen. He hurriedly shouted to Luo Shuiyao, "Miss, it's done, it's done!"
Luo Shuiyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though she wasn't entirely certain. For the past few days, she'd spent her days alone in her room, experimenting repeatedly, meticulously mixing the saltpeter dosage. After numerous trials and adjustments, she finally presented her ice-making method to the public, hoping to reassure them.
The farm now supports over a hundred people, and the daily expenses for food and drink are quite high. Everyone sees it and is anxious about it. Luo Shuiyao also understands that she did this in public today just to reassure everyone. Only when everyone feels at ease will they be more motivated to work in the future.
Seeing everyone's excitement, Luo Shuiyao also smiled. Seeing that everyone had calmed down a bit, she walked gracefully into the crowd, raised her hand to signal for silence, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "I know everyone's been worried these days. It's probably not easy to support hundreds of people in the village with just the malt sugar business."
"But today I have good news for everyone. Our malt sugar is selling extremely well in the capital! From ordinary people to high-ranking officials, they are all our customers. The managers in the capital have already negotiated deals with all the pastry shops. So, don't worry!"
At this point, she looked around at everyone with a blazing gaze and raised her voice, "Let's divide the work like this: some people will focus on making malt sugar and store it in the cellar; the other part will be responsible for making ice. Let's work together to fill all 12 cellars. Do you have the confidence?"