novelraw Chapter 64: Sugar
Chapter 64: Sugar
Chapter 64: Sugar
2025-03-22
Daoist Master Qingyi hesitated, agonized, but ultimately couldn't resist the allure of the picture album and agreed.
"I need time to experiment, and the five pieces of equipment you listed are not enough!" Daoist Master Qingyi said sternly.
"So, let's refine the earlier items first and use the results to get more equipment," Wen Gu replied calmly. "These things are in the Zhao family's storeroom, and no one has snatched them up yet, but you never know when someone talented might show up. You need to hurry."
Daoist Master Qingyi: "..."
He lowered his head and flipped through the picture album again.
He knew this was the "dog scholar's" trick.
But this promise of riches was too enticing!
So many good things waiting for me!Having made up his mind, he picked up his brush and circled the equipment he needed: "Five isn't enough, add two more!"
He wasn't going to follow the "dog scholar's" demands; he had to fight for more benefits for himself.
Wen Gu looked at what he had circled and nodded: "Alright, I'll go and get these items for you. You hurry up, and I'll give you a bit more material. It's harvest season, don't delay!"
Stop loafing around and get to work!
I haven't been idle, and you're still so relaxed!
Wen Gu had Chang Shun take the circled equipment to the Zhao residence. Soon, the alchemy room equipment was brought by horse-drawn carriage to Qingyun District and placed inside the house.
Daoist Master Qingyi, enticed by the charming alchemy room equipment in the picture album, began to work diligently.
Purifying coarse salt was old hat for him, and having a Daoist acolyte as a helper made it even more efficient, posing no challenge.
But this sugar...
The Daoist Master was unfamiliar with it. Following Wen Gu's suggestions and his own experience, he began to refine it.
He experimented, but was unsatisfied.
He re-melted and tried again, still unsatisfied.
He continued to improve and experiment...
The experimental materials provided by Wen Gu included not only the slightly-less-white sugar from his maternal aunt but also some杂色糖 (mixed-color sugar) provided by Wen Gu himself, for the Daoist Master to decolorize.
The decolorization methods recorded in Wen Gu's memory might not have included all the details and could even be misleading. Therefore, he only offered slight suggestions, leaving the technical work to the professional.
He had already explained the desired end product to Daoist Master Qingyi. The rest was left to technical experimentation and challenges.
Back at Jingxing District, Wen Gu assigned tasks to the laborers: clearing out junk and building collective dormitories according to his blueprints.
Even if all four hundred people were accommodated in one district, there would still be some space left. However, more people could be settled in gradually.
After some time, when the villagers in the district had adapted to the pace of life, they would bring over their relatives remaining in the village.
There was no food left in the village; they would freeze to death in winter or starve to death.
Once the district was more populated, there would be more construction projects. Wen Gu wasn't afraid of having too many people!
After the initial clearing and replanning of the district, some dilapidated courtyards with scattered walls were all dismantled.
The excavated bricks, stones, and other materials were sorted and piled up.
Then, using existing building materials, construction of collective dormitories began.
During this period, more and more groups from the southern lands arrived in Xin Prefecture City, ranging from dozens to hundreds or even thousands of people.
Some arrived by boat at the nearest dock, escorted by the Xiànsòu Army.
Those large boxes filled with goods caused much discussion in Xin Prefecture City.
He Da and others continued to leverage their advantage as idlers, going out to chat, brag, and watch the excitement, then bringing back the latest news about all the goings-on in the city.
As long as they could deliver this news to Wen Gu, they would receive their due payment.
He Da was very satisfied with this arrangement. He and his companions had no other special skills, but they had a distinct advantage in this area.
Yu Er was busy with the blacksmith shop. He Da currently had no competitors, but he dared not relax. There would surely be other talented individuals competing in the future, so he had to seize this opportunity to solidify his position.
Wen Gu listened to the news brought back by He Da.
It seemed the people traveling north by boat were concentrating their journey in this period. In a few more days, the river would freeze over, or they would have to wait until spring for the ice to thaw.
And these wealthy households brought a great deal of supplies!
Therefore, the focus had to be on these wealthy households; they had the goods!
He Da was excitedly telling Wen Gu which wealthy household had arrived in Xin Prefecture City today and how many cartloads of goods they had brought.
A Daoist acolyte from Qingyun District found Wen Gu to inform him that Daoist Master Qingyi had refined another batch of finished products and requested the Foreman to inspect it.
Seven days had passed, and the Daoist Master had finally achieved satisfactory results?
This was faster than Wen Gu had anticipated.
The Daoist Master was indeed extremely talented!
It seemed he could set up more stages and add more burdens.
Wen Gu arranged his current work and quickly went to Qingyun District.
When he arrived, Daoist Master Qingyi was sitting in a chair, pondering.
Upon seeing Wen Gu, the Daoist Master simply said, "These should be what you wanted."
On the table in front of them were two round plates.
One plate contained white granulated sugar, and the other contained a block of sugar with an ice-like luster.
In terms of quality, it didn't meet Wen Gu's requirements and was still a distance from industrial-era products, but by current standards, it was already top-notch.
Wen Gu nodded with satisfaction: "Thank you for your hard work, Daoist Master!"
Daoist Master Qingyi paid no mind to this expression of gratitude that even a dog wouldn't heed.
A look of confusion crossed his face as he pondered:
"Where on earth did you study to learn this?"
He always considered himself well-traveled and knew many wealthy families and various luxury items. He had seen rock candy, but he had never encountered sugar of such quality.
If Wen Gu hadn't asked him to refine sugar, he wouldn't have even thought it possible to produce sugar of this color!
"Did you really see such sugar in the places you traveled to?" the Daoist Master asked.
"Yes," Wen Gu confirmed. "There is too much brilliant wisdom on this land. What you saw before was merely a drop in the ocean."
Daoist Master Qingyi closed his eyes and waved his hand to dismiss him.
"Alright, hurry up and take your sugar and rock candy and get out!"
Wen Gu didn't get angry. He had the Daoist acolytes pack the refined products and then said to the Daoist Master in a gentle tone:
"You've worked hard these past few days, Daoist Master. Please rest. Don't worry, I'll go and sort out the remaining equipment for you!"
As he reached the doorway, Wen Gu remembered something and turned back: "Daoist Master, would you like to prepare a gift?"
Daoist Master Qingyi impatiently opened his eyes and replied, "What gift should I prepare? They're not my relatives. Are you asking me to recommend myself?"
Wen Gu tapped the picture album of alchemy room equipment in his hand: "To equip all this, a thank you is in order, right?"
Daoist Master Qingyi looked at Wen Gu: "Just tell me directly, what do you want me to do? What about what I have interests you?"
Wen Gu: "I recall you mentioning the Purifying Land..."
The Daoist Master angrily rebuked: "You..."
Before the other could begin scolding, Wen Gu quickly said, "Alright, it's not a technical secret. Let me tell you, when I was traveling, I saw soap. Can you improve on it and see which steps can be done now..."
With a flurry of words, Daoist Master Qingyi's expression changed rapidly. Finally, he sighed and picked up his brush to write, muttering, "You better get me those things this time, otherwise..."
Wen Gu took the recipe written by the Daoist Master, checked it, and replied, "Just wait for my good news!"
He returned to his residence in Jingxing District with the new sugar and the soap recipe.
Wen Gu looked at the finished products before him.
The "rock candy" mentioned by Daoist Master Qingyi was not the flavored candy type. In this era, "rock candy" referred to crystalline sugar formations, with a color like amber.
The saying, "Ice plate admires amber, how can it compare to the beauty of rock candy," refers to this type of sugar.
However, the "rock candy" refined by the Daoist Master now could be called crystal sugar.
Wen Gu took out three boxes he had prepared earlier and packed them separately.
He then picked up his brush and wrote for a moment in several exquisitely bound small booklets, folded them, and packed them in the boxes.
He called for Tietou and Chang Shun, and with the three boxes, went to see his maternal aunt.
His aunt had said that if he wanted to visit, he could come directly to the Zhao Residence.
So, he didn't send word in advance. When he arrived, he learned that his aunt had some other affairs, but he didn't have to wait long.
Upon seeing his aunt again, he noticed a slight weariness on her face. It seemed the influx of wealthy households from the south had required a lot of social engagement, draining her energy.
However...
Wen Gu placed the three boxes down.
Aunt, I'm here to revitalize you!!
He said apologetically, "I was a bit impolite the first time I visited. I promised to make it up to you, and as soon as I got these, I rushed to bring them over!"
The three boxes were placed there, very conspicuous. Wen Gu introduced them: "This is for Aunt, these two are for Cousin-in-law and the little nephew, uh... Cousin and Uncle are still being prepared."
Madam Shen perked up and smiled, "You child are truly..."
Wen Gu opened the wooden box.
Madam Shen's words halted. She, who had been leaning back against her chair, now sat up and leaned forward, her eyes wide open.
"This is?!"
Wen Gu handed the wooden box over, allowing his aunt to see more clearly.
"This is the white sugar and crystal sugar that I had the Daoist Master in the district refine."
She gave a few instructions to the maidservant beside her.
A moment later, the kitchen sent over a small plate of sugar.
They were placed together for comparison.
In the box, the sugar was as white as snow. This level of purity made the plate beside it appear to have a thick layer of earth color.
Just then, his cousin-in-law arrived with her young nephew.
Madam Shen regained her composure, her spirit renewed. Her complexion was more rosy than before, and she said to the newcomers with a hint of excitement, "Quick, come over and see the gifts Wen Gu has prepared for you!"
Cousin-in-law, Young Madam Xiao, came from a prominent family in the southern lands and had seen many luxury items.
But seeing the gifts Wen Gu had presented, she was also greatly astonished.
She knew that in the past, there were sugar merchants who produced sugar and rock candy that were ranked as tribute-grade. However, that merchant seemed to be in the Du Clan.
In their current status, their kitchen also had rock candy supplied by their previous merchant, but it was not like the kind Wen Gu had brought out.
In her opinion, what Wen Gu had given them was free of any impurities, as clear as ice! It was truly crystal sugar!
The portion Wen Gu gave to his young nephew also contained white sugar and crystal sugar, but in slightly less quantity.
However, the gifts were not just the items in the box.
Soon, his aunt and cousin-in-law discovered the small booklets attached to the boxes.
The nephew's portion also included one.
Indeed, Wen Gu could have come up with more creative ways to present the sugar, but...
People of status were particularly cautious about food items nowadays.
Especially for this nephew; his cousin's household originally had more than one child. After various twists and turns, only one direct heir remained, and he was the legitimate son.
Therefore, food items could not be given casually. So, Wen Gu did not create elaborate presentations, but instead wrote down the creative ideas on paper.
The portion for his cousin-in-law was suitable for adults, with some that better suited solemn and elegant noble gatherings.
The portion for the child was more childlike.
For most people at this time, sugar was a luxury, but not for the young nephew.
Wen Gu wrote on the booklet various creative ideas, such as fruit candies and lollipops, which could also be made into various shapes.
The child, over five years old, had received an elite education and was well-read. Wen Gu also included illustrations, which he should be able to understand.
Indeed, the young nephew, who had only been slightly surprised upon seeing the sugar, then formally bowed.
But when he saw the illustrated descriptions on the booklet, his entire face lit up. After all, he was only a little over five years old, and his emotions were openly displayed. He grinned and said, "Thank you, Cousin-Uncle!"
Young Madam Xiao also said, "Cousin-Uncle is very thoughtful!"
Seeing that Madam Shen wanted to speak with her cousin alone, Young Madam Xiao took her son and took their leave.
Only the aunt and nephew remained in the room.
Madam Shen looked intently at the booklet in her hand. It described the various creative ideas for sugar, including making medicinal sugars based on the season and physical needs.
But Madam Shen's attention was drawn to another page of the booklet.
"This recipe for soap and medicinal soap, was it also your idea?" she asked.
"Not entirely. I saw such items during my travels, and I also consulted Daoist Master Qingyi in the district. He had made such things before. The current recipe has been improved by the Daoist Master, and he is willing to offer this recipe. However, its actual effectiveness still needs to be confirmed with finished products," Wen Gu replied.
He would not steal credit for the Daoist Master's contribution.
In addition, the improved recipe for white sugar and crystal sugar, developed by the Daoist Master, would also be given to his aunt.
The Zhao family had their own workshops, and giving the recipe to his aunt would allow them to obtain the greatest benefits quickly and stably.
This was not only for dealing with the wealthy households in the Zhao Clan's territory but also for the other five clans.
The competition between the northern factions was fierce, but there were also frequent transactions.
Wen Gu could not yet access the transactions at that level.
Next, the aunt and nephew discussed the profits these recipes could generate at the current time.
Being family, they would never let Wen Gu suffer a loss.
Wen Gu had also managed to secure more benefits for the Daoist Master.
Such technical talent must be retained!
And so, Daoist Master Qingyi of Qingyun District, while catching up on sleep, amidst dreams both sweet and nightmarish, received a large batch of new equipment.
Waking up, Daoist Master Qingyi forgot the contents of his dreams and was now engrossed in the sight of the equipment.
He was both excited and distressed.
The alchemy room equipment was indeed increasing, but there was no place to put it!
Where was his Daoist temple?
Where is my Daoist temple?
"Dog scholar," hurry up and help me get a Daoist temple!
(End of this chapter)