PFC Chapter 159 Production
Chapter 159 Production
Chapter 159
Luo Shuiyao gently tucked the corner of the quilt for her and said with a faint smile: "Then you should get well soon. When you recover, I have a lot of things that I can help you with."
Yu Xiu nodded obediently when she heard that.
The two chatted for a while. Luo Shuiyao saw that although her face was pale, there was strength in her eyes, so she felt relieved. She told the maid to take good care of her and then said goodbye and left.
After returning to the house and having breakfast, she took Zhuangzi and Harunobu Anji to the cellar.
Because she had instructed Manager Liu to personally count the number of young and strong laborers in the village this morning, the person who led the way naturally fell on Manager Liu's son again, and it was most appropriate for him to take on this task.
Liu Yu walked ahead of the group, holding a dim oil lamp. He raised the lamp higher, trying to illuminate more area.
Chun Xing looked at the grain in the cellar, most of which was malting, and gasped in pain. "Are the Jing'an Marquis's family not afraid of divine retribution for acting this way?"
Although she had been a servant in the Marquis's mansion since she was a child and had never experienced the suffering of the common people, she had heard about their affairs from the old nanny and knew that food was precious. Seeing the Jing'an Marquis's mansion wasting food like this, she couldn't help but speak indignantly.
Compared to the heartbroken look on Chunxing's face, Zhuangzi, who came from a poor family, had an even gloomier and more terrifying expression.
Chun Xing had never seen it, but Zhuangzi knew it. Last year's floods had devastated many farmers in Jiangnan and other regions. They had no choice but to sell their children for food, creating a devastating scene. If it weren't for Your Majesty's wisdom and prompt action, the tragic situation of famine and devastation seen throughout the dynasties would have been repeated.
Every dynasty has explicitly prohibited price gouging. However, these individuals, driven by profit, have always devised countless ways to circumvent the prohibitions. They hold back and secretly inflate grain prices, a tactic often practiced by the wealthy and powerful. However, the imperial court cannot raid other people's properties without cause, so it can only suppress this practice and subsequently intensify the crackdown, hoping to instill fear in these individuals and deter them from committing such evil acts.
But even so, such incidents still occur frequently and cannot be stopped fundamentally.
Zhuangzi walked forward and gently stroked the wheat that was sprouting, his eyes full of heartache.
Seeing them like this, Luo Shuiyao understood their thoughts very well, so she didn't keep them in suspense and directly told them what she was thinking. "Have you ever heard of maltose?"
Liu Yu's mind raced. As soon as he heard the word "malt," he immediately guessed it was something made from sprouted wheat. "Is it sugar made from sprouted wheat?"
Luo Shuiyao glanced at him appreciatively and said, "Yes, this candy is made from sprouted wheat. It's low-cost and tastes really good."
"How could that be? How can malt be used to make sugar? I've never heard of it." Zhuangzi's face was full of disbelief.
Chun Xing was tongue-tied and didn't know how to respond, and her eyes were full of suspicion.
Luo Shuiyao looked at their different expressions, their barely concealed disbelief clearly visible, but she didn't respond much, just chuckled and said, "Whether it's possible or not, empty words are not enough to prove it. Today I will take you to do it once, so that you can have a good taste of malt sugar."
Chun Xing took a step forward, walked to Luo Shuiyao's side, stretched out her fingers and gently pulled her sleeve and shook it, her eyes full of flattery. "Miss, I want to see it right now, can we do it today?"
Luo Shuiyao nodded and said, "Of course."
After saying this, she looked at Liu Yu, who was sitting silently in deep thought, and instructed, "Take Zhuangzi and the others to prepare a large pot and place it above the cellar. Also, prepare some firewood. Chun Xing and I will go pick some malt."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yu suppressed his curiosity and took Zhuangzi out of the cellar.
After seeing Zhuangzi and Liu Yu leave, Luo Shuiyao didn't want to waste time, so she immediately rolled up her sleeves and planned to go with Chun Xing to load some malt.
However, Chun Xing hurriedly held her back. "Miss, it's really inconvenient for you to do this kind of work in this wide-sleeved dress. It's easy to get your clothes dirty. Just tell me how much you need, and I'll pack it up."
Luo Shuiyao looked down at her wide sleeves and long skirt, thinking that this job was indeed inconvenient, so she nodded. "Okay then, you take the basket and fill it with malt, and I'll help you from above. When you're done, I'll pull it up. Just fill half a bag first."
Seeing that Chun Xing still wanted to say something, Luo Shuiyao quickly stopped her and said, "Okay, don't you want to try the malt sugar? Then don't waste any more time, let's get started. Zhuangzi and the others will bring the pot over soon, so don't be too late."
After hearing this, Chun Xing finally nodded. "Well, Miss, if you're tired, just tell me. It won't be too late to ask Zhuangzi to pick up the things when he arrives."
Luo Shuiyao nodded and said, "Okay, let's get started."
Then she went up to the cellar, and Chun Xing took a basket and filled it with half a basket of malt and handed it to her.
Luo Shuiyao dropped the rope and hoisted the basket. Although it was a bit heavy, it wasn't too strenuous. With one person loading the bag and the other pulling it, they soon finished pulling half a bag of malt.
The two men placed the malt they had pulled up on the ground.
Luo Shuiyao shook her slightly aching arm and breathed a sigh of relief. This body had been kept too delicate by the Luo family, who never allowed her to work. Her physical condition was only slightly better than those of the ladies in the inner chambers. After just this little bit of work, she felt half her arm and shoulder ache.
Seeing this, Chun Xing hurried forward and pinched her arm, with a hint of self-blame in her tone: "Miss, are you feeling uncomfortable? I should have asked Zhuangzi to come and help you."
Luo Shuiyao waved her hand and said, "It's fine, just a little sore, it's fine now."
Seeing Chun Xing's self-blaming look, Luo Shuiyao chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Okay, I'll sort out the malt here first. Go and bring over the glutinous rice we soaked last night."
Chun Xing's eyes widened. "Is this the glutinous rice you asked me to ask the kitchen nanny for yesterday?"
Luo Shuiyao nodded and said, "That's it. Drain the water and bring it all over."
Chun Xing went back to the yard to get glutinous rice.
Luo Shuiyao carefully examined the malts and found that they were growing very well and the grains were full, which was indeed a good material for making malt sugar.
A little later, Zhuangzi and Liu Yu came running over, one holding a bundle of firewood and the other holding a pot. Luo Shuiyao hurried forward to help, and together they set up the pot.
Liu Yu tactfully started a fire.
Just at this time, Chun Xing also came back with a basket of soaked glutinous rice.
Seeing this, Luo Shuiyao took off her shawl, tied up her sleeves, and began to work. The others stared at her movements intently.
She tried hard to recall the delicacies she had seen in her previous life and the live broadcast content of the pastoral blogger.
To make malt sugar, you must first select wheat grains with full grains and soak them in water until the grains absorb water and swell.
Next, the soaked wheat grains are taken out, drained, and allowed to grow to the appropriate length before use. However, they skipped this step because the wheat grains had already grown into malt on their own.