Farming Happiness: Husband, Come and Plough the Fields-Chapter 914: ice making

The surrounding crowd were all wives and ladies of merchants' families. Everyone had a sense of admiration for scholars, but after hearing what they said, they felt very uncomfortable.

And Wu Qi just spoke to their hearts.

Yes, merchants are lowly, so what, have you eaten your rice?

Every copper coin you earn requires hard work, labor, and costs. Unlike a scholar, who eats, drinks, and knows a few words, he is respected by others.

Can write scripts, isn't it amazing? Even low-level actors can write!

When everyone woke up from their dreams, they didn't like the scholar who wrote the storybook.

"Dare to ask Scholar Wu, have you ever been married?"

Miss dare not ask, there are women around, so there are not so many taboos. When the mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law, she became more and more satisfied. Many wives who followed immediately fell in love with Wu Qi.

"Scholar Wu, my family is in South Street, and I own a jewelry store, which is a century-old shop in Kyoto."

A well-dressed lady hurried forward, stopped Wu Qi, and announced her family name.

Her family not only has a shop, but also a lot of properties. There is only a beautiful and beautiful only daughter in the family, and there is no son anymore.

The family needs someone to take care of it. It is not an exaggeration to marry her daughter.

Most of the young ladies who came here to see her had crooked looks, and her daughter, not boasting, couldn't find such a good-looking face.

Their appearance, family background, and wealth are all superior. They are parents, and after a hundred years, the family will be a young couple.

If you can't pass the Jinshi exam, you can only work as a petty official in the yamen. It's better to marry her daughter. If you want to manage the business in the future, you can also have your own home.

"Never married."

Before Wu Qi could speak, Wu Fu hurriedly answered, hehe, it seems that this is someone who has taken a fancy to him, so he quickly threw himself into the arms of the jewelry store owner's daughter, and don't bother her in the future.

"Really?"

The woman was ecstatic, and she pulled Wu Fu to ask questions, leaving behind Wu Qi with a livid face.

He regretted it very much now, what are you doing talking about it? He felt like he was shooting himself in the foot.

"My husband's family name is Xu, you can call me Mrs. Xu."

Mrs. Xu was very enthusiastic. Seeing this, the other wives also squeezed to the front row.

Good things can't be taken by the Xu family. The Xu family is rich, and they are not bad!

"Scholar Wu, do you like that kind of appearance? Tall, short, fat and thin, have you ever had any preferences?"

"By the way, are you still planning to take the Juren exam?"

"Where is your hometown?"

Everyone chattered and surrounded Wu Qi in the middle.

Wu Fu saw Wu Qi slumped, squinted his eyes, and invited his wife into the shop with a smile on his face.

Right now, she really wants to eat, drink, and celebrate!

The young lady of the Xu family is very fond of Wu Qi, and now Wu Qi's elder brother has called him so, and everyone who listens is numb.

Li Haitang shook his head and entered the shop, where Mrs. Wang was carrying a plate of spicy chicken and putting it on the dining table.

As soon as the spicy chicken came up, it was immediately robbed. Li Haitang was afraid that those people would bump into him, so he entered the private room.

After a while, Wu Fu entered with a tray, and there were all kinds of food in it. There were several kinds of steamed buns and pastries, and there was also a piece of pizza.

Li Haitang's face was full of black lines, if Wu Fu's appetite came to the shop, she should close the shop as soon as possible.

"lady."

Cuiniang is now managing the shop. She has been researching expenses and costs recently, and she has some ideas, so she wants to talk to Li Haitang.

"Cui Niang, are you still used to it?"

Li Haitang took a bite of the pizza, it was dry but tasted good. There is no cheese, and I always feel that something is almost there. It seems that I have to find a way to research the cheese.

"Habit."

Cuiniang didn't talk much, she was still a little embarrassed. Madam said that because of being divorced, she gave birth to a few daughters, and she always had no confidence.

In the shop recently, she has been much better, but before speaking, she habitually hesitates, fearing that she will say the wrong thing and make Madam unhappy.

Cuiniang thinks a lot, thinks heavily, and can't let go.

"Speak up if you have something to say, it's okay to say something wrong, you don't need to hide it."

Li Haitang shook her head, Cui Niang was used to being oppressed by her former husband's family, and her submissive temperament would not change for a while.

She grabbed the handkerchief in her hand and took out a booklet from her pocket.

In the past few months, the cost of the shop has increased more than before.

After late autumn, winter will be ushered in. Vegetables, etc. are obviously more expensive than before. There are also chickens, ducks, seafood, transported from the sea, and labor costs have also increased a lot. 𝒇𝑟e𝙚𝑤𝙚𝐛𝗻𝐨ν𝚎𝘭.c𝐨m

The shop can't reduce the quality of the dishes, it has to bear the expenses, so the income is not as much as the previous two months.

Winter is about to usher in, and if this continues, the income will continue to shrink. Li Haitang glanced at the booklet and found that the records were clear. She thought for a while and asked, "I remember, we rented a cold storage for an ice cellar. We put in more seafood at a time and put them in the ice cellar. You don't need to toss a few times. The cost Wouldn't it be a lot less?

"

One trip per day, manpower and material resources counted, cost a lot.

Moreover, bringing it back and putting it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh is actually almost the same as the fresh one. After all, there is no technology such as oxygen injection, and the crab will die when it arrives in the shop.

"Ma'am, the refrigerator is also our biggest expense."

Cuiniang pointed to the figure above, the shop would need to spend several hundred taels of silver to rent the ice storage every month, which is really not a small sum.

In winter, Kyoto is not likely to freeze, unless it is three or nine days, it is too difficult for them to store ice.

"Then how about we make an icehouse ourselves?"

The courtyard behind the shop is very large. There are two warehouses for storing vegetables in the house, and only one refrigerator is missing.

If we can build refrigerators, seafood, chicken, duck, and meat, freshness preservation will solve the big problem, so that we don't have to worry about renting cold storage to transport ingredients.

Saving costs and manpower, the more Li Haitang thought about it, the more feasible it became.

"However, only the masters in the palace have the skills to make ice storage, so we can't hire anyone!"

In summer, Kyoto needs a lot of ice cubes, and ice sellers can make a fortune, but the government ordered that private ice-making sales be prohibited.

"We don't buy or sell, we use it ourselves."

Li Haitang is familiar with Daqi's laws, and knows that there are loopholes in this aspect. She uses it herself, and others can't say anything.

The method of making ice cubes is not complicated at all, but one thing is needed, saltpeter.

Saltpeter dissolves in water and absorbs a large amount of heat, which can lower the temperature of water to freezing point and freeze.

As for saltpeter, it shouldn't be difficult to find a way to get it.

"Cui Niang, you reminded me!"

Li Haitang praised Cui Niang, and persuaded her a few words, being busy with the business in the shop is one aspect, and she has to spend time with her daughter when she has time.

Cuiniang always wants to prove herself. As a woman, she has to support four daughters and save dowries for her daughters. She is really desperate. Li Haitang dismissed Cuiniang, and began to think about making ice again, if it was in the Northland. When the mountains are covered by heavy snow in winter, they will be dug in the river and transported to the cellar for storage. Where is it so troublesome, chemical methods must be used.