Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 85 Traditional Sugar Making Methods
Before long, the two arrived at Wang Fucheng's house.

Wang Fucheng truly deserves his position as the village's production team leader; the conditions are indeed favorable.

Not only was electricity connected, but a black-and-white television was also placed in the house, making countless people envious.

Now was the crucial moment to prove himself, so Wang Chengpeng didn't hesitate and went to the kitchen with the beets.

Perhaps because it had been stored for too long, Wang Chengpeng noticed that the beets in his hand had become somewhat shriveled and looked sickly.

This quality of beet doesn't have a high sugar yield, but it's perfectly adequate for demonstration purposes.

With that in mind, Wang Chengpeng cut off the excess stems of the beets and began to wash them carefully.

To facilitate storage, a lot of dried soil has accumulated on the surface of the beetroots, making them somewhat time-consuming and laborious to clean.

This time, Wang Fucheng no longer put on airs as the production team leader and helped clean up as well. In just a few minutes, the two of them finished cleaning five beetroots.

The next step is to shred the beetroot. Only by shredding the beetroot as finely as possible can the sugar hidden within it be better extracted.

With a series of thuds, accompanied by the sound of the cleaver hitting the cutting board, Wang Chengpeng quickly and efficiently shredded the beetroot in front of Wang Fucheng's astonished gaze.

He asked instinctively, "Good nephew, your knife skills are amazing! When did you learn such excellent cooking skills?"

Wang Chengpeng smiled modestly and said, "It's just a slapstick trick I made up; it's only good for fooling people."

Looking at the perfectly evenly shredded beetroot on the cutting board, Wang Fucheng hesitated, but ultimately chose to remain silent. He had no time to dwell on whether Wang Chengpeng was a good cook or not.

After shredding the beets, Wang Chengpeng filled a small bucket with water and began stewing the beet root shreds.

Under high temperatures, the sugars contained in the beetroot fibers are continuously released and gradually dissolved in water, eventually turning into beetroot residue.

Simply filter the beetroot pulp through clean gauze to get a pot of clean and clear beet syrup.

Continue simmering, controlling the heat to evaporate excess water from the beet syrup, and you will get a pot of beet syrup.

Even though Wang Chengpeng only prepared five beets for purification, the above steps still took him a lot of time.

Further steps, such as crystallization and purification, are required, but these are outside the scope of Wang Chengpeng's demonstration.

After all, he only needed to prove to Wang Fucheng that sugar could be made from beets; he didn't need to actually produce white sugar.

Pointing to the small bowl of still-warm beet syrup in front of him, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

"Uncle, you can try this beet syrup. Does it taste like the candy you remember?"

Smelling the sweet aroma in the air, Wang Fucheng had long been itching to try it.

After receiving Wang Chengpeng's permission, he immediately stuck out his index finger, dipped it in beet syrup, and tasted it.

Sweet, so sweet!

As the unique sweetness of the beet syrup melted in his mouth, Wang Fucheng immediately beamed with joy and said:
"Good nephew, you really have some skill. The taste of this syrup is absolutely amazing."

"If I hadn't watched you do it step by step with my own eyes, I really wouldn't have believed that sugar can be made from beets."

"A few beets can make so much syrup, and the steps aren't that complicated, so it's much more cost-effective than making maltose."

"Although they ultimately failed to produce white sugar, just based on this beet syrup alone, this sugar factory was truly successful!"

In the end, Wang Fucheng practically wanted to open a sugar factory immediately and develop a collective economy for Wangjia Village, since sugar production was far more profitable than grain farming. Through this experience, he also realized that Wang Chengpeng was a capable man. After a moment's thought, he said:

“Good nephew, we shouldn’t bother two people with one thing. We still need your help to oversee the sugar-making process.”

"Don't worry, if our Wangjia Village sugar factory opens up, you'll be the factory manager with absolute authority."

Wang Fucheng's words stunned Wang Chengpeng. His reason for helping Wang Fucheng solve the problem wasn't to become the so-called sugar factory manager, but to be able to take a longer leave. He immediately and politely declined.

"Uncle, you see, the process of making sugar from beets isn't complicated. You can just find someone you trust to keep an eye on it."

"As for me, I have things I want to do, so I won't be the sugar factory manager."

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's refusal, Wang Fucheng subconsciously frowned and said:
"Good nephew, I'm not trying to be mean, but how could you refuse such a good thing?"

"That's the director of a sugar factory. If you became that director, you would be a very popular figure in Wangjia Village. How could you turn down such a good opportunity?"

"Moreover, although the sugar-making method of beets looks simple, it is not simple at all in practice."

"It's only because of you that an ordinary person might not be able to make the syrup even if it took three times as long."

"Without someone as knowledgeable as you overseeing things, how could I dare to open this sugar factory?"

Judging from Wang Fucheng's words, he actually planned to simply cling to Wang Chengpeng and put him in full charge of the sugar factory.
They even seemed to be saying, "I won't let you go until you agree."

With a sigh, Wang Chengpeng refused again, saying, "This beet sugar-making method is actually very simple. It only takes a couple of days and a half of practice to learn. It's not like I'm indispensable."

"Uncle, Cousin Wang Yong is hardworking and reliable; he's definitely a good candidate."

The Wang Yong that Wang Chengpeng mentioned is none other than Wang Fucheng's second son.

Unlike Wang Zhong, who had already become the captain of the militia, Wang Yong was currently unemployed and at home, but he was a good candidate.

Wang Chengpeng had considered having a family member take over as the sugar factory manager, but considering his parents' honest and hardworking nature, he wasn't sure if they would be able to manage the factory effectively.

Most importantly, don't be fooled by how easy-going Wang Fucheng seems now.
Once he realizes the enormous profits the sugar factory can bring, he may not be willing to share the pie with Wang Chengpeng.

The promise of the sugar factory manager position was nothing more than a tempting pie in the sky that could never be claimed.

In this case, it would be better to simply give up the pie that Wang Chengpeng didn't want in the first place, and exchange it for the benefits that he could gain immediately.

As expected, Wang Fucheng immediately hesitated upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's recommendation.

After a moment, Wang Fucheng slowly said, "Good nephew, don't be so polite."

"Wang Yong, he's definitely not cut out for this."

Wang Yong may not be cut out for this job, but his father is the production team leader of Wangjia Village, and his brother is the militia team leader of Wangjia Village. As long as he doesn't act recklessly, he is definitely qualified to be the director of the sugar factory.

Only he could win the hearts and minds of everyone in Wangjia Village.

Seeing Wang Fucheng's hesitation, Wang Chengpeng knew that he didn't want to agree to the condition, but was just too embarrassed to immediately take back the promise he had just made.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Uncle, don't feel guilty."

"If you want me to give up my position as the sugar factory manager, you'll have to agree to a few conditions!"

(End of this chapter)