Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The open space on the east side of the logistics park was originally a wasteland overgrown with weeds.

Three days ago, Gu Mingyue brought people to see it once, and that afternoon she let the "Meideyinchaina" construction team enter the site.

Master Lu and his team worked at a speed as ridiculously fast as he boasted.

Sixty craftsmen worked in three shifts, laying bricks and foundations during the day and erecting beams and roofs at night.

By the morning of the third day, a salt-making workshop covering more than two acres of land had already stood prominently on the open ground.

The house features blue bricks and gray tiles, with a gravel-paved ground for drainage, and large, bright windows on all four sides for ventilation. Two water storage tanks have also been dug in the backyard.

Gu Mingyue came to inspect the workshop early in the morning and walked around it.

My assessment of this project can be summed up in just two words: professional!

Just after 9:00 AM, a horse-drawn carriage stopped outside the logistics park.

Gu Mingli jumped off the carriage and walked over quickly.

"So fast? It's finished already?"

Gu Mingyue stood at the workshop entrance and waved to her brother with a smile.

"Brother, come take a look, is there anything that needs to be changed?"

The brother and sister stepped into the workshop one after the other.

The workshop was divided into three areas.

At the very front was the coarse salt storage area, with several rows of wooden shelves stacked against the wall, on which were placed more than twenty burlap sacks.

Gu Mingli walked over and casually untied the rope of a burlap sack, then reached in and grabbed a handful of coarse salt.

The grayish-white salt grains were rough to the touch, uneven in size, and contained visible mud and impurities.

He brought it close to his nose and smelled it; there was a faint bitter smell.

"Is this the salt sold in the market now?"

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"This is what ordinary people eat. The powerful families control the salt quotas, preventing merchants from refining it. The coarser the salt, the easier it is for them to buy it at a low price and sell it at a high price."

Gu Mingli threw the coarse salt in his hand back into the sack and wiped his fingers on his robe.

The middle area was the most spacious, with four large stoves built side by side.

An iron pot sits on the stove, with a ceramic jar and a bamboo sieve placed beside it.

Clean straw mats were laid on the ground for drying.

At the very back are the water storage tank and the washing area, which is already filled with clean water.

Gu Mingli stood in front of the stove, reached out and touched the edge of the iron pot, then bent down to look at the size of the stove chamber.

"It would be even better if the stove were a bit bigger, so the firepower would be stronger."

"It can be changed." Gu Mingyue turned to look at the door. "Has Hall Master Zhao arrived yet?"

Lu Qinghe poked his head in from outside.

"Master, Master Zhao and his men are already waiting in the courtyard."

"Please come in."

Before long, Master Zhao of the Saltworks Hall entered with forty apprentices.

He bowed to Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli as he entered.

"Miss, young master."

Gu Mingli raised an eyebrow and nodded with a smile. No wonder he was trained by his father.

They are very capable in both speech and action.

Gu Mingyue said to her brother, "Brother, you should coordinate with Master Zhao about the Snowflake Salt. I still need to go with Master Lu to the streets of Kyoto to choose a house to build the Central Bank."

Gu Mingli patted his sister on the shoulder, "Okay, go ahead, leave this to me."

Gu Mingyue was naturally at ease leaving the manufacturing business to her brother.

She greeted Master Zhao, then got into her car and left.

Gu Mingli didn't waste any time; he needed to quickly bring the salt-making team out and then return to the palace to research anti-counterfeiting techniques.

So that Xiao Ye wouldn't be angry if he didn't come to the palace for a few days.

"Master Zhao, what methods do you usually use to refine coarse salt?"

Master Zhao raised his finger and pointed towards the stove.

"The most common method is boiling. Coarse salt is dissolved in water, boiled in a large pot until it dries, and then scraped off to obtain fine salt. Boiling it two or three times repeatedly can remove most of the dirt and sand."

Gu Mingli nodded.

Boiling was the most common salt-making process of that era; it was simple and crude, but the purity was not high.

Only some of the bitter brine and impurities in the salt can be removed, and the resulting salt will still be yellow and astringent.

"Master Zhao, please take a look at this."

As he spoke, Gu Mingli took out a small cloth bag from his sleeve and spread it out on the shelf next to the stove.

The cloth bag contained several items.

A small bottle of clear liquid, a thumb-sized piece of white powder, and a small bamboo measuring spoon.

Master Zhao and his four disciples behind him all leaned over, their eyes fixed on those few things.

"What is this?" asked Master Zhao.

Gu Mingli picked up the small bottle of liquid and shook it.

"Lime water. It's the clear liquid that's filtered out after being mixed with lime and water and left to settle overnight."

He picked up the white powder again.

"This is alkali, extracted from wood ash."

Master Zhao frowned slightly, clearly not quite understanding what these two things had to do with salt production.

Gu Mingli didn't rush to explain, and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his forearm.

"Come on, Master Zhao, let's cook a pot first and see how it goes."

Without saying a word, Master Zhao turned around and waved to his disciples.

"Start a fire."

The four apprentices worked swiftly, chopping wood and stuffing it into the stove. With a flick of the tinderbox, flames leaped up from the stove.

Gu Mingli had two buckets of clean water drawn from the reservoir and poured into the large iron pot, then measured out ten catties of coarse salt from a sack and poured it in with a splash.

"Bring it to a boil over high heat first." Gu Mingli squatted by the stove, staring at the water in the pot.

The fire burned brighter and brighter, and fine bubbles began to rise from the bottom of the iron pot. A layer of grayish-brown foam and fine scum floated to the surface of the water.

Hall Master Zhao leaned over and took a look.

"We usually skim off this layer of scum."

"Yes, clean it thoroughly first."

An apprentice, holding an iron ladle, deftly scraped the foam layer by layer into the waste bucket next to him.

Once the water has boiled completely, the salt water in the pot will turn cloudy and yellowish.

Gu Mingli reached out and picked up the bottle of lime water solution, then slowly poured it into the pot.

As soon as the lime water was put into the pot, clumps of flocculent white sediment immediately surged up from the originally turbid salt water.

Master Zhao's eyes widened suddenly.

"this……"

"Don't rush, let it settle."

Gu Mingli gestured for him to turn the fire down.

Two pieces of firewood were pulled out of the stove, and the fire subsided.

The water in the pot stopped boiling violently, and the white flocculent matter began to slowly sink to the bottom of the pot.

Gu Mingli stared at the pot for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, then picked up the small measuring spoon, scooped out half a spoonful of alkaline flour, and sprinkled it evenly into the pot.

The moment the alkaline solution is introduced into the water, a layer of extremely fine white foam rises to the surface of the salt water.

Master Zhao rubbed his hands together, a little excited. He had never seen anything like this before.

After about half an incense stick's time, Gu Mingli had the fire completely extinguished. The salt water in the pot settled, and the liquid on top visibly became clear and transparent.

A thick layer of grayish-white sludge had settled at the bottom.

"filter."

Master Zhao's apprentices brought over a fine bamboo sieve, with three layers of coarse cotton cloth laid on the sieve surface.

Gu Mingli directed them to carefully scoop out the clear liquid from the top, filter it through a cotton cloth, and pour it into another clean iron pot.

The filtered brine is clear.

"Cook it again."

The second pot was placed on the fire and simmered over low heat. Steam rose, carrying with it a clean, salty aroma.

As the water in the pot decreased, a fine layer of white crystals began to precipitate out from the pot's walls and bottom.

Gu Mingli picked up a clean bamboo strip, gently scraped off a little crystal, and spread it in his palm.

As white as fresh snow, as fine as powder.

Master Zhao leaned over, dipped his rough finger in the mixture, and put it in his mouth.

The pure salty taste spreads across the tip of the tongue.

Master Zhao's finger stopped at his lips, and he stood there stunned.

"No astringency, no bitterness, no off-flavors whatsoever."

His four apprentices behind him also tried it. Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other with surprise and delight.

Zhao Tangzhu finally came to his senses and looked at Gu Mingli with surprise.

"I have never seen such white and fine salt."

"This is called snowflake salt."

"I'll write down the ratio of lime water to alkali for you. You can get the hang of it after practicing with someone for a couple of days."

Master Zhao clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, young master! Don't worry, I'll have someone cook a second batch right now so you can see if the technique is correct."

Gu Mingli nodded with satisfaction.

A professional team is easy to manage; they learn quickly and easily.