Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 340 The Poor Kuja and Coffee Beans

The Land of Nine Serpents evokes a sense of familiarity in any time traveler who arrives here.

This sense of intimacy doesn't come from the scantily clad women on the streets, but from the red walls and green tiles, and the upturned eaves.

The entire architectural style of Kuja is actually Chinese!

Ning Yuan wanted to walk slowly and take his time to look around, but Margaret wanted to see the finished product as soon as possible, so she dragged Ning Yuan around the streets.

"Margaret, you're back from the hunt?"

"Who are you pulling on?!"

"Why did you pick so many red beans?"

Margaret was very popular in Kuja, and people kept greeting her along the way.

Margaret hurriedly replied, "I have something urgent to attend to, let's talk later!"

"What's the urgent matter?!" someone asked curiously.

"An urgent matter that could make a lot of money!" Margaret felt that trillions were too far-fetched, but she should be able to make some money.

She just said that, but Kuja usually had too few entertainment options, so a group of people who had nothing better to do simply followed Margaret and ended up at Margaret's house.

Margaret didn't really care about product confidentiality; after all, everyone in Kuja was family, and what was there to hide from family members?

She asked anxiously, "Can we begin? Is there anything I need to provide?"

"Do you have a grinder?" Ning Yuan asked.

"A grinder? What's that?" Margaret asked, looking bewildered.

"Then, what about the mill?" Ning Yuan asked again.

Margaret remained bewildered.

"Forget it, I'll just do it manually!" Ning Yuan held out his hand: "Give me the red bean!"

Margaret quickly handed over the coffee berries.

Ning Yuan held up a large handful of coffee berries, showed them to the soldiers around him, and then shouted, "Let me tell you, this stuff is called red beans here. It can be made into a drink called red bean tea. This drink, like cola and rum, can be sold all over the world, so it's very profitable. Now I'll teach you how to make red bean tea. Those who want to learn can study it carefully!"

"Making money like cola and rum?" Some women immediately took notice, mainly the warriors of the Nine Serpent Kingdom, who knew a little about the popularity of cola and rum.

If red bean tea could make money like these two things, then Kusha would never be short of money again!

There were also some who laughed and joked without taking it to heart. They were a group of people who were well protected by Hancock and the Kingdom Warriors. They didn't need to worry about Kuja's financial problems or make money. They were just there to watch the fun.

Ning Yuan didn't care. Although this industry was profitable, it didn't need everyone to do it. One or two people wanting to learn was enough.

"First, we need to pick out the red beans that aren't of good quality. The method is simple: Margaret, go and fetch a bucket of water!"

Nine Serpents lacked supplies, but water was plentiful, and Margaret didn't even need to lift a finger; someone immediately brought over a bucket of water.

Ning Yuan tossed the red bean fruits into the bucket and said, "Look at these red bean fruits. The ones that sink are the good ones, and the ones that float on the surface are no good. These need to be picked out!"

These red beans were generally green and unripe, so they naturally floated on the water. Ning Yuan scooped them up and threw them aside. He then swirled the water in the bucket to wash the red beans that had sunk to the bottom before scooping them out.

"The second step is to remove the pulp from the surface of these red bean fruits to get the red beans inside!"

This process should be done with professional machines, but Ningyuan doesn't have any, so they simply rub it by hand.

After a short while, the pulp was removed.

Once the red peel and pulp are removed, the coffee beans inside are surprisingly white.

"As you can see, although the pulp has been removed, there's still a little bit of pulp left on it. This is called pectin. We can leave this pectin in one place overnight to ferment, and then wash it off the next day. I won't show the fermentation process here because I'm short on time!"

As he spoke, Ning Yuan cleaned the white coffee beans in his hand, as he had used a special method to remove the pectin from the coffee beans.

"Fermentation is the third step, and the fourth step is drying!" Ning Yuan said, then suddenly looked up at the entire Nine Serpents.

There isn't even a utility pole. Oh well, that's fine.

"If you don't have a drying machine, you can sun-dry it. The point is to dry it completely. Sun-drying is for easier transport, but if it's for drinking, this level of drying is sufficient!"

In Ning Yuan's hand, the coffee beans that were originally of different colors and shapes now appeared to be in a uniform and neat state, looking like a handful of soybeans.

"So the bean you drink is made from the seeds inside?" Margaret said thoughtfully.

"Yes!" Ning Yuan nodded. "Boil a kettle of water. By the way, do you have any sugar?"

Producing white sugar is not easy either; Ningyuan was worried that Jiushe would run out of white sugar.

Fortunately, a female soldier raised her hand in time: "Yes, I'll go get it!"

With that, he dashed off in a flash.

Margaret was somewhat speechless: "This Vanessa, so impulsive! I have sugar at home too!"

"That's good. Take it out. And boil some water while you're at it. Oh, and do you have a mortar and pestle?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Margaret quickly brought one out of the house.

This thing is an enlarged version of a mortar and pestle, probably used for pounding wheat.

Ning Yuan looked inside and found it completely empty.

However, he rinsed it with water and then threw the coffee beans in his hand into it.

"Crush it, mash it into a paste!"

If the coffee beans aren't dried, then skip the grinding process and grind them instead.

The Amazon has no shortage of workers. As soon as Ning Yuan gave the order, a burly female warrior picked up a pestle and began to pound.

Soon, the coffee beans were turned into coffee syrup, the water was boiled, and the sugar was brought out.

Ning Yuan then scooped out the coffee paste with a spoon and divided it into ten cups. He then poured in hot water, adding sugar to five of the cups and not adding sugar to the other five.

"Can I drink it now?" Margaret asked expectantly, looking at the slightly brownish red bean tea.

"It's ready!" Ning Yuan nodded.

Margaret quickly picked up a glass and took a small sip.

The girl's brows furrowed immediately.

"What does it taste like?" the girls next to them asked hurriedly.

"It's so bitter!" Margaret looked up. "Does anyone really like this?"

"What if I told you that this thing can speed up your cultivation progress?" Ning Yuan asked.

"Huh?" Margaret's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Ning Yuan nodded. "Red bean fruit contains a substance called erythroxin, which can speed up metabolism and burn fat. Drinking a cup before exercise can enhance your workout results!"

"If that's the case!" Margaret's hesitation vanished instantly.

As long as it can enhance our strength, we'll endure any hardship!

Thinking this, she ignored the scalding heat of the coffee and finished the cup in one sip.

"By the way, red beans can also replace the sleep-inducing proteins in our brains, binding to nerve synapses and making people feel neither sleepy nor tired!" Ning Yuan continued, "If someone usually gets sleepy after training for ten hours, drinking a cup of coffee can keep them going for fourteen!"

Margaret couldn't understand many of Ning Yuan's words, but she could understand them because they made her feel neither sleepy nor tired.

So, is this thing really that powerful?

"Can I have a drink?" A somewhat timid voice sounded behind Ning Yuan.

Ning Yuan turned his head and exclaimed, "Wow! How did you grow so tall?!"

The person speaking was over five meters tall. Ning Yuan, who was 1.8 meters tall, looked like a baby standing in front of her.

"Her name is Everlandra, and she's a giant!" Margaret introduced.

"Evelendra, right? Drink if you want!" Ning Yuan said, handing over a cup with sugar.

"Hehe!" Everlandra smiled shyly, then took the cup. She had heard Margaret say that this stuff was very bitter, so she only took a small sip.

"Hmm~!"

"How is it? Is it very bitter?" Margaret asked expectantly.

I can't be the only one suffering! We're all good sisters, of course we should suffer together!

"It's not that bitter!" Everlandra blinked. "The taste is a bit strange, but it's still quite delicious!"

"How could that be!" Margaret's eyes widened, then she suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, yours had sugar in it!"

"Indeed!" Ning Yuan snapped his fingers. "Red bean tea is very bitter, but it won't be bitter once you add sugar. If you still find it too bitter, you can add more sugar!"

"There's such a way to drink it?" Margaret immediately picked up a glass with sugar, took a small sip, and her eyes lit up: "It seems...it really isn't bitter anymore!"

And the taste is really strange.

But it doesn't taste bad!

And towards the end, there's an inexplicable sweet feeling.

Actually, Margaret felt that coffee didn't need to taste that good. Just its function of promoting meditation and keeping one alert was enough to make it a bestseller.

Adding sugar is too extravagant. Wouldn't it be better for soldiers to endure some hardship and strengthen their will?

"Everyone, please try some! We have some with sugar, and if you find the unsweetened ones too bitter, you can add sugar yourself!" Ning Yuan pointed to the remaining seven cups of coffee. "If you don't want sugar, you can add milk; it tastes pretty good too!"

The women of Nine Serpents were very polite; as long as Ning Yuan didn't speak, no one took anything.

Even after Ning Yuan spoke up, they didn't fight over the cup; instead, they politely picked it up one after another.

There were at least thirty onlookers, but only seven coffee cups, which was definitely not enough to go around.

So they each took a sip and silently savored the strange taste of the coffee.

Ningyuan said that if people found it too bitter, they could add sugar, but no one did.

He knew the reason. The Nine Serpents had no shortage of meat, as they could obtain it through hunting and fishing. However, resources like sugar were obtained purely through plunder from outside, making it an absolute luxury on the Nine Serpents Island.

If you can avoid using it, then try to avoid it.

"How was it?" Ning Yuan asked with a smile, watching everyone finish their coffee in turn. "This stuff will have a market, right? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"It seems there really is a market for it!" said the burly female warrior holding a pestle.

"People who like it will really like it, and people who hate it will really hate it, since the taste is indeed very strange!" someone else said.

She didn't like the taste, but when she thought about how the red bean fruit could bring wealth to Nine Serpents, she suddenly couldn't bring herself to hate it anymore.

"As long as there's a market!" Ning Yuan laughed. "It's the season for red bean fruits to ripen, so why don't we all get busy and harvest them?"

(End of this chapter)