binnovel Chapter 97 Unexpectedly, she's a rich woman.
Chapter 97 Unexpectedly, she's a rich woman.
Forty eggs weren't many, and Xu Fang quickly prepared them.
"The egg white wine is boiling, right?" Song Jiaojiao asked as she poured water into the pot.
"Okay, roll it on every side."
"Yes, boiling it in white wine is mainly for sterilization, so that the water used to soak the salted eggs won't grow mold. Now we'll start boiling the water for soaking the salted eggs. Five catties of water to one catty of salt. Today the eggs are small, so five catties of water is about right. If they were normal-sized eggs, one catty of water would usually be enough for about ten eggs." Song Jiaojiao poured the water into the pot and added the salt.
"These are Sichuan peppercorns and star anise. The star anise is similar to the spices used in braised pork intestines. Soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes beforehand so that the broth won't taste bitter."
Drain the star anise and Sichuan peppercorns and pour them into the pot.
"Bring it to a boil over a high flame for about a third of a minute, then let it cool naturally. During this time, it is absolutely forbidden to let it come into contact with raw water or oil."
Song Jiaojiao carefully explained the precautions, and Xu Fang also took them seriously. She knew that if it was successful, this would be another new delicacy.
By the time the water for soaking the salted eggs cooled down, it was already afternoon. Since the kitchen in the new house was occupied, Xu Fang was afraid that if she accidentally got oil on the eggs, all her efforts would be wasted. So, she prepared lunch at the old house and brought it over.
After lunch, the water was almost ready to cool.
"This earthenware jar also needs to be free of oil and water. It's best to pour in some white wine to sterilize it. Make sure your hands are dry and free of oil. Place the eggs one by one, stacking them up layer by layer. Once the eggs are in place, you can add cooled water, seal the opening with oil paper or gauze, and place it in a cool, ventilated place. It should be ready in about half a month."
As Song Jiaojiao spoke, she worked on the task at the same time. After finishing, she put the items into a well-ventilated and shady place in the warehouse.
After pickling the eggs, Song Jiaojiao first went to the sweet potato shop to settle everyone's wages. She also had some questions for Aunt Li.
"Auntie, do you grow mung beans in our village?"
"Mung beans? Yes, they are, but not many. They are usually planted after the wheat harvest. I don't know if they are still available now. What? Do you want to harvest mung beans?" Aunt Li thought that they didn't taste good and weren't filling, so not many people grew them.
"I do want to buy some. Please ask around and see if anyone has any extra. I'll buy them at five coins per pound." Song Jiaojiao thought that the yield of mung beans was still high, and two pounds could produce half a pound of flour, so she didn't offer too low a price.
"Five coins? Are you kidding me? This stuff doesn't taste good, not many people eat it. Isn't that too high a price?" Aunt Li was shocked to hear that it was five coins a pound. Sweet potatoes only cost two coins for three pounds. Why would she pay such a high price for these beans?
"Auntie, this is the price. Don't worry, I won't lose money if it's actually made." Song Jiaojiao winked mischievously at Aunt Li.
"Okay, I'll go ask her later. I don't know how your head is so full of new ideas." Aunt Li tapped Song Jiaojiao's head, wondering why there was such a big difference between people, and why this girl wasn't her daughter-in-law.
What Aunt Li didn't know was that Song Jiaojiao had prepared new food before she arrived, and when she found out, she was truly shocked.
Aunt Li truly lived up to her reputation as the leader of the village women. Even before dinner time, many villagers were already bringing mung beans to Song Jiaojiao's courtyard.
"Jiaojiao, is it really true that you're buying mung beans for five coins a pound?" Everyone still found it unbelievable and kept asking Song Jiaojiao to confirm.
"Yes, everyone's here to sell mung beans, right? Come over here to weigh them." This time, not many families came carrying baskets on their backs; most people were carrying hampers, and the beans were mostly around 10 or 20 pounds each, with very few weighing 20 or 30 pounds.
The villagers only felt it was real after receiving the money. They never expected that these beans, which weren't very filling, could sell for such a high price. Although the yield wasn't great, they grew quickly, maturing in less than two months. And they were all planted when the land was idle, so it was practically free money.
"Jiaojiao, are you going to buy more? My family still has some, can we sell them?" an older woman asked Song Jiaojiao.
"I'll take them all, as long as they're dried. I'll take them all in the future." Song Jiaojiao thought that even if the starch project didn't succeed, there were many ways to eat mung beans. They could be boiled into mung bean water, which is refreshing and cooling in the summer, or they could be boiled into mung bean paste, which is also a good snack. If all else failed, they could even sprout mung beans. In the winter when there weren't many vegetables, they might be able to make a small profit.
Having received the answers they wanted, everyone bid farewell to Song Jiaojiao. Those whose families lived nearby went back to their parents' homes before dark to inform them. As a result, the villagers of Qingshui Village, who usually went to bed early, could still hear dogs barking quite late that night.
The village doesn't grow much. Despite the large number of people, Song Jiaojiao actually received less than 200 jin of mung beans. However, the yield of mung bean flour is quite high; 200 jin can yield 50 to 60 jin of starch.
Song Jiaojiao soaked ten catties of mung beans overnight, planning to try it out tomorrow. She happened to have a millstone at home, but it was a bit small; if she wanted to make a large batch later, she would need to order a larger one.
Time flies, the night passes quickly, and today is another beautiful day.
After breakfast, Song Jiaojiao, along with Meng An, Meng Qi, and Xu Fang, started grinding mung beans. Don't underestimate just ten pounds of mung beans; it took them a full hour to grind them all.
The next step is to wash the mung bean dregs. The mung bean dregs are quite thick and not as easy to wash as sweet potato dregs. You can only put the ground mung beans into a bag sewn with gauze and keep washing them with clean water until no starch comes out.
After washing, the subsequent steps are similar to those for sweet potato starch. First, let it settle, then pour off the clear water on top, add fresh water again, stir, and let it settle again. This is how you get white starch. This process takes about two days, and if the weather is good, drying it will also take about two days.
Thinking about whether the peach branches she brought back from Nanshan Temple had survived, Song Jiaojiao went back to her room, locked the door, and entered her spatial dimension.
She hadn't been here since the last upgrade, but the first thing she noticed was how much bigger the warehouse was. Song Jiaojiao had been worried that with the increasing variety of items, the warehouse wouldn't be able to hold them all, but this upgrade had unexpectedly doubled its size.
Even the tiled house has been enlarged considerably, and now includes a guest room and a bathroom. At the foot of the bed in the master bedroom, rows of silver coins are laid out on the floor.
Song Jiaojiao hadn't expected such a big surprise. She counted the money and found there were 1000 taels of silver. Since she was already there, she counted all the silver in the box on the table.
After counting, Song Jiaojiao realized she was quite wealthy. She had 1578 taels of loose silver alone, plus 750 taels of silver notes from last time, making a total of 2328 taels. This was after wages had been paid. With the 1000 taels from today, she felt she could definitely afford to buy a shop in the county. She had said she would go and take a look last time, but she had forgotten. It seemed she would need to make a separate trip.