Yu Xiaocao thought for a while and said, "If you want to open an oyster sauce workshop, the shelf life of oyster sauce is indeed a problem! Winter is fine, and the temperature in the north is low, so it's no problem to keep it for three or two months! If it's summer... it's a bit tricky! "
In the previous life, what were the ways to extend the shelf life of food? Yu Xiaocao frowned, lost in thought. Although Zhou Zixu was anxious, he refrained from disturbing her.
Yu Xiaocao said to herself: "To prolong the shelf life of food, the method of low temperature is generally used. However, there is no refrigerator here..."
"Refrigerator? Is it a box for ice?" Zhou Zixu, who brought Zhou Zixu, couldn't help asking.
"Uh... yes, it's a box for ice?" Yu Xiaocao realized that she had said what she wanted in her heart, but it was difficult to explain what a refrigerator was, so she could only follow what Manager Zhou said.
Steward Zhou pondered for a moment, then said, "It's okay to transport in a box filled with ice. In winter, I'm afraid the cost will be high. Besides, how big is the ice cellar, which can store enough ice for a year?"
"There is another method, just polysaccharides and salt, which can also extend the shelf life. However, in this way, the taste of oyster sauce will definitely be greatly reduced!" Yu Xiaocao shook her head and denied this method.
Zhou Zixu, who was born in an imperial merchant, naturally knows how important "quality" is to commodities. He couldn't help but said, "Is there any other way?"
"Besides, use propolis to preserve it! However, honey is so expensive, let alone propolis. The cost is not much lower than transporting and storing on ice!"
Propolis? Honey Zhou Zixu has heard of it. I don’t know who I heard that drinking honey water can beautify the skin and keep the figure. Since last year, I have been drinking a cup every day. But I don't know what this propolis is
"If only... summer could make ice." Yu Xiaocao's habit of talking to herself whenever she thinks about something has existed since her previous life.
Doesn't ice form naturally at low temperatures? Can it still be produced? Isn't this little girl too whimsical? Zhou Guanshi did not agree with his young master's idea of cooperating with a poor girl to open a workshop.
"Third Young Master, have you ever heard of saltpeter?" Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that she had read the article "Ice Making by Ancient People's Indigenous Method" in her previous life. It seems that since the end of the Tang Dynasty, when people produced gunpowder, they mined a lot of saltpeter.
Since then, there has been a precedent for making ice in summer. Later, people doing business gradually appeared, and they added sugar to the ice to attract customers. In the Song Dynasty, merchants also added fruit or juice to it. Merchants in the Yuan Dynasty even added fruit pulp and milk to the ice, which is very similar to modern ice cream. I don't know, in this rewritten era, will there be an example of making ice with saltpeter
"Saltpeter? Yes, you can buy it in pharmacies. Could it be... that saltpeter can make ice?" Zhou Zixu also heard her talking to himself, and seeing her mention saltpeter, he naturally associated it.
Yu Xiaocao glanced at him appreciatively, nodded and said, "Saltpeter dissolves in water and will absorb a lot of heat, reducing the water temperature and even freezing it."
"Really? How did you know that?" Zhou Zixu was dubious.
Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment, and with a stern face, said: "Where do I know! If you don't believe me, you can go back and buy some saltpeter to find out!"
Steward Zhou stroked the beard on his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "I was sorting out the old books of the second master before he died, and I seem to have seen an example of making ice with saltpeter..."
"Oh? So, saltpeter can really make ice? Steward Zhou, please continue!" Zhou Zixu asked with interest.
Manager Zhou smiled wryly and shook his head, and said, "Second Master has so many books, I don't remember which book mentioned such a sentence. How to do it, let's listen to what Miss Yu has to say."
Zhou Zixu looked at Yu Xiaocao with bright eyes, like a child begging for candy: "Xiaocao, don't be a fool. Say it, say it!"
"You can dig a pond in the workshop, take a large tank, put half a tank of water in it, put the tank in the pool, put saltpeter into the pool, and then pour water into the pool. As for how much saltpeter and water, I will I haven’t done it before, you’ll know after a few more tries.” Yu Xiaocao gave a general direction, and the specific implementation depends on Zhou Shao’s operation.
Zhou Zixu nodded, thinking about how to experiment when he went back. Manager Zhou spoke again: "From what you said, the amount of saltpeter needed is quite a lot. The price of saltpeter is not low!"
Saltpeter ice was originally used to reduce costs. In this way, the cost is not much lower than storing ice in an ice cellar.
Sure enough, he is the foreign manager of the Zhou family, and he still has foresight and foresight. Yu Xiaocao nodded and smiled, "What Manager Zhou said is right! However, saltpeter can be reused. The saltpeter that dissolves in water can be brought out and reused by evaporation and crystallization."
Steward Zhou nodded slightly while stroking his beard, and couldn't help wondering: How could this little girl be so knowledgeable and memorized at such a young age? Compared with him, a big manager who claims to be well-read. Could it be that the Yu family has a background that he doesn't know about
It's no wonder he was so skeptical. At the end of the former dynasty, there were many wars and chaos, and many rich families were lost in the long river of history. Could it be that this small fishing village is home to a family that has declined from the previous dynasty
"Boss Zhou, don't think about it! I have an agreement with Xiaocao, and I won't ask her anything other than business. Why does she know how to make ice with saltpeter, and what does it matter to us? Don't overcomplicate things, I don't want to lose a strong partner!" Zhou Zixu put away the smile on his face and said lightly. His body naturally revealed the majesty and momentum of our young master.
Zhou Guanshi's heart shuddered, and his heart was like a loud bell ringing deafeningly. He put away the distracting thoughts in his heart, bowed respectfully and solemnly and said: "The young master reminded! This old slave is ashamed!"
When facing Yu Xiaocao, Zhou Zixu regained his gentleness and friendliness: "Since the problem of storage and transportation of oyster sauce has been solved, the oyster sauce workshop will be able to break ground when the spring starts. Look, where should the workshop be located?" ?”
"In terms of business, Young Master Zhou must have better vision than an eight-year-old girl like me. You can just figure it out!" Yu Xiaocao did not fail to sense Manager Zhou's probing gaze just now. Fortunately, with Zhou Zhoushao, the great god, suppressing him, nothing would go wrong. She was secretly vigilant in her heart, and she would try to keep a low profile in the future and avoid being a leader.
How could Zhou Zixu fail to notice her faint vigilance? However, his intuition told him that the little girl in front of him was like an undiscovered mine, and the treasure inside could only be discovered by digging slowly and deeply. As for how this "treasure" was formed, why bother to delve into it? He didn't want to let him regret it because of his curiosity for a while.
"I think so! It's good to build the workshop near the pier. The transportation is very convenient both by land and water. It's also near the sea, so it's more convenient to purchase raw materials!" Zhou Zixu expressed his thoughts and asked Yu Xiaocao to tell the staff .
The well-behaved Yu Xiaocao just smiled and nodded without saying a word.
Zhou Zixu rolled his eyes, knowing how to get the little girl to speak. He looked at Xiaocao with a half-smile, and asked, "Would you like to get a share in this oyster sauce workshop?"
Share? Isn't this a modern noun? How did it appear in the mouth of Young Master Wednesday? Could it be... Zhou Shao also wore it this week? Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief.
Zhou Zixu misunderstood what she meant, and said with a smile, "What? I don't know the meaning of 'shareholding'? This is when Emperor Jianwen was still the grandson of the emperor. He set up an ocean-going shipping company and attracted many dignitaries to participate in it. One share. The term 'shareholding' has only spread in the business world. To be a shareholder actually means to participate in a share."
"Oh..." Yu Xiaocao made a false alarm and almost broke out in a cold sweat. But when I heard that I could participate in the oyster sauce workshop, I immediately became interested.
"But... I don't have much money in my hand, only less than one hundred taels..." Yu Xiaocao pulled out her private money from the corner of the wall, scratching her head embarrassingly.
Zhou Zixu looked at the scattered money spread out on the kang, all earned from him, how could he not know the little girl's family background? Originally, he planned to give the little girl a share, but at this moment he thought of teasing her:
"Ahem! I learned this recipe for making oyster sauce from you. Originally, I planned to build the workshop and give you a share. Since you feel sorry, then the money... I will accept it!"
The expression on Yu Xiaocao's face suddenly froze, she watched her money being snatched away by that unscrupulous "black-hearted" businessman, her heart was bleeding!
No, she, Yu Xiaocao, suffers from the boring loss of not eating anything!
"Mr. Wednesday!" She gritted her teeth and said, "Isn't it too monotonous for a huge workshop that only produces oyster sauce?"
Zhou Zixu's eyes lit up: My little ancestor! Just waiting for your words!
"What? Does Xiaocao have any other suggestions?" Zhou Zixu looked at her with great interest.
"I still have two secret recipes for seasoning here! I don't know if Zhou Shao is interested!" Anyone with a discerning eye can feel Yu Xiaocao's obviously aggravated tone when he said "Wednesday Shao". Yo, the kitten is showing its paws!
Zhou Zixu leaned over with a smile on his face, and said, "I'm interested, of course I'm interested! Come and listen!!"
"Hmph!" Yu Xiaocao turned her head arrogantly, and said, "I want these two secret recipes of mine, and I can exchange them for shares!"
Speaking of which, if the workshop is built, whether it is the secret recipe of oyster sauce or the two seasoning recipes that the little girl said, they all get it from Yu Xiaocao. The Zhou family only provided funds and labor.
Naturally, Zhou Zixu would not give up a steady stream of treasures for the petty profits in front of him. He said proudly: "If these two secret seasoning recipes are worth the same as oyster sauce, half of the shares in the workshop will be counted as yours!"
half? Yu Xiaocao originally only planned to ask for a 20% bonus, but this far exceeded her expectations.