"It's all here?" Zhao Jiaren's gaze swept over a pile of wooden barrels.

Looking at Zhao Jiaren's enthusiastic and even somewhat greedy gaze, Hu Yi felt that he was able to do a good job, and he replied happily: "It's all here!" Headmaster, the alkali seller in Shandong told us that they had bought all the alkali that the Mongols had brought in from Zhangyuan. ”

Zhao Jiaren nodded slightly. Because of the strong joy in his heart, Zhao Jiaren didn't realize that he was nodding at all. Soda ash, which I have been wanting to buy in large quantities for several years, has finally arrived, and many things that could not be done before can be continued!

As the second generation of Anhui paper mills, Zhao Jiaren is very familiar with soda ash. It is also clear that China's largest soda ash mine is in Tongbai, Henan, and the soda ash purchased by his paper mill is bought from Tongbai's factory. Zhao Jiaren's purpose in getting soda ash is not to make paper, but to make glass.

In medical school, a lot of glassware is used, and glass tubes and a lot of glass equipment are too expensive to buy, so you have to buy your own materials to fire. Whether it is calcium sodium glass or high boron glass, Zhao Jiaren is more familiar. One of the materials of calcium and sodium glass is sodium carbonate, which is soda ash. There was no soda ash mine in the Southern Song Dynasty, so this matter could only be stopped. The so-called don't fight, don't know each other, the war with Li Pu, the governor of Shandong, put the two sides on the line, and the channel for purchasing soda ash in Mongolia was actually opened because of this.

"Did you test the way I taught you?" Zhao Jiaren asked.

"Try! Those Shandong people are very cunning, mixing other things in it. A total of thousands of catties of alkali, we are carefully checked. Hu Yi replied excitedly.

"How do your steamed pancakes taste?" Zhao Jiaren couldn't help but ask. The cooking cake is fluffy and is a kind of dough bun.

"This ...... We haven't used it, and we won't use it. Hu Yi said embarrassedly.

"I'll try it and give everyone steamed cakes to eat." Zhao Jiaren said briskly. He still remembered his own steaming skills before the crossing, and he didn't feel itchy when he saw that his subordinates didn't dare to use alkaline noodles. If the amount of alkaline noodles can be precisely controlled, the cooking cake can even be steamed with a sweet taste.

"Principal, you will ......" Hu Yi swallowed the word cooking back into his stomach. When the school was opened, Zhao Jiaren asked the blacksmith Zhou Xing to cast a number of large iron pots and cook with everyone. The terms canteen and big pot rice began to appear at that time.

Steaming the cake is a hard work, first send someone to make the cake there to get the dregs of the dough, smell the sour smell and then melt it with water. Zhao Jiaren doesn't need to do this, and the kitchen often does it. Zhao Jiaren called the night school students at the Qingyuan Mansion site together and talked about the principle of saturated solution.

The students knew that salt melted when it was thrown into water, and when it was put into water, it melted when alkaline noodles were put into water, but they were able to understand the concept of soluble and insoluble. If the learning level is relatively low, learn to write the word 'insoluble' on the blackboard. The students who have already started to study chemistry subjects have no teachers these days, and they naturally feel overjoyed to see Zhao Zhizhou, who has learned five cars, start teaching the new course.

In the casserole where the medicine was boiling, the water was churned and the charcoal fire was removed. The sharp-eyed ones saw that the new alkali particles were not dissolved when they were put in. When the water gradually cooled, translucent crystals slowly appeared inside, and everyone was quite surprised.

"It's the same with salt. Don't think that this salt is just drying water, and you can't eat anything that is completely dried. I don't know if you've ever heard of brine, it's poisonous. Zhao Jiaren explained slowly. Although he didn't expect to make this lecture fully understood by these students who had no concept at all, it was better to have said it than not to have said it.

The temperature was controlled, and soda ash crystals were obtained by crystallization. Roughly strained with paper, and then tasted the crystals, it is a relatively pure alkaline taste, and the saltiness in it is almost impossible to taste. The saline-alkali lakes are all in the territory controlled by the Mongols, and Zhao Jiaren does not expect the Mongol brothers to refine them at all.

It took an afternoon for the students who had begun to learn chemistry to try their hand at crystallization and filtration. In the evening, Zhao Jiaren began to talk with various departments. At this time, the lighthouse has been repaired from the north of Quanzhou to Jiaxing Mansion. The low cost of these projects was really completely unexpected by Zhao Jiaren.

With these lighthouses, shipping becomes much smoother. Each ship of Rentong Express has its own surveyor, who has mastered the parameters of each lighthouse, as well as the sea conditions around the lighthouse, and the average speed is much higher than that of other ships. In the past few months, the name of Rentong Express for high speed and safety has been resounding.

"It's just a fraction of what other people's money is, and we mainly ship our own goods. Principal, the cotton and mosquito coil business is really out! Hu Yi happily talked about the latest developments.

Zhao Jiaren can fully understand the gratifying development of cotton cloth, and Britain started with the textile industry. When American slavery nearly collapsed before 1793, the trade in continental and island cotton from the southern United States to England saved American slavery. The cost of shipping thousands of kilometers is not low, and even so, the British still have enough profits. Compared with the British, Zhao Jiaren only carried out a short transportation.

"It won't be long before our main force will go south to Quanzhou. Everyone should pay attention to trimming. Zhao Jiaren finally explained. The Pu family has accumulated for so many years, and has almost controlled the entire route between Quanzhou and the South China Sea, and the war with the Pu family is destined to be bloody. If you say too much, you will lose it, and it will not be too late to talk about those murderous orders after the main force is concentrated in Quanzhou.

"Headmaster. There are many locals in Qingyuan Mansion who want to eat here with us. Do you want to recruit them? Disciplinary Commissioner Yuan Hongjie asked.

This Yuan Hongjie is in his forties, a native of Putian, and a person who has passed the imperial examination. After repeated failures, he was almost forty years old when he finally gave up. The family's money was almost exhausted, and in desperation, he went to Zhao Jiaren to recommend himself as a staff member or clerk, and when he was sent to school, the boss was unhappy. It's just that his stomach is always hungry very fast, and he eventually gives in.

Zhao Jiaren didn't answer, he asked Yuan Hongjie rhetorically: "What do you think?" ”

Yuan Hongjie's eyes lit up, but he didn't answer immediately. He pondered for a moment before replying cautiously, "Headmaster, I think this matter still needs to be done by a guarantor. It is better to have a guarantor on the outside and a guarantor on the inside. ”

Zhao Jiaren nodded to encourage Yuan Hongjie to continue. He used to think that it was a strange system for party members to have referrals. After arriving in the Great Song Dynasty, Zhao Jiaren discovered that this system was not an original creation of the party era, but a long-standing inheritance. In the Song Dynasty, it was difficult to move an inch without a guarantor.

"Headmaster, if there are guarantors inside and outside, then there is no way to recruit the locals of Qingyuan Mansion. I think it's better to find an outside guarantor first, and bring people in to do some peripheral work. Whether you've read a book or not, you'll have to work for a few months. If you look honest, you will be sent to school to study. The guarantor inside is our people, and everyone has to protect one after a while. Yuan Hongjie's voice gradually lowered, but he still insisted on finishing his thoughts.

Others either frowned at this suggestion or couldn't understand it. Zhao Jiaren was also a little surprised, because Yuan Hongjie's suggestion was very reliable. If an organization wants to expand, it must constantly add new blood. Insiders select new recruits, and naturally there will be problems with various small groups. But there is also a benefit to this, that is, those who perform well and have specialties will be selected. It is true that there are fools who will win over fools, but smart people will choose to pull capable people. And this is a guarantor who has joint and several liability. For their own sake, it's unlikely that everyone is messing around.

After staring at Yuan Hongjie for a while, Zhao Jiaren felt that he had a good vision in choosing this as a member of the disciplinary committee.

Facing Zhao Jiaren's gaze, Yuan Hongjie's heart beat faster. It was an idea that he had thought about for a long time, and it was an attempt he had tried to fight for. After following Zhao Jiaren, Yuan Hongjie was more satisfied with his income, and Zhao Jiaren never defaulted on his salary. What's even more rare is that whoever performs well will get more. The effect of distant relatives is minimal.

can stand out among the mud legs and half mud legs, all because Yuan Hongjie has read and is literate. But such an achievement did not excite Yuan Hongjie, who felt that he should have been much better than the mud legs. What he is looking forward to is to become Zhao Jiaren's staff and become the backbone of Zhao Jiaren's subordinates. As Zhao Jiaren's official position continued to rise, he was finally able to recommend people to become officials. Yuan Hongjie is looking forward to that day.

"That's it!" Zhao Jiaren made a decision. After finishing speaking, Zhao Jiaren said to Yuan Hongjie: "You write a charter to show me." ”

"Understood!" Yuan Hongjie replied loudly. Formulating the charter is the work of the staff, even if it is temporary, and Yuan Hongjie feels that he has taken a big step forward.

Zhao Jiaren added: "Use white text. The general command document mode has to be read by everyone. ”

"Yes!" Yuan Hongjie replied without hesitation.

"Is there anything else?" Zhao Jiaren then asked.

"Headmaster, can you go to Baoguo Temple, Asoka Temple, and Tiantong Temple to offer incense. When we were building the lighthouse, the abbots of the three monasteries contributed a lot. Yuan Hongjie said in a relaxed tone. This is another means he has prepared to get close to Zhao Jiaren. Since the most difficult one passed smoothly, this one is of less significance.

Zhao Jiaren's brows furrowed slightly, for him, a materialist, he was a little resistant to going to the temple to offer incense. However, Yuan's advice is correct. When the lighthouse was being built, Xu Yuanzhi, the former governor of Fuzhou, suggested that Zhao Jiaren ask the great monk for help. Ask the great monks of those famous temples to make fortunes to those rich pilgrims, or carry bowls to the local places to make fortunes.

When he first heard this suggestion, Zhao Jiaren felt that this idea was so nonsense that it was necessary to try it. He didn't think it was feasible, but he thought it was good to open his eyes. Unexpectedly, the great monks had a unique vision and agreed very much with this kind act that had a huge impact on society. It was Zhao Jiaren's brother Zhao Jiaxin who met the great monk in Qingyuan Mansion, and the three major temples in Qingyuan Mansion, Baoguo Temple, Asoka Temple, and Tiantong Temple all came forward to help. In the end, I made up more than 300,000 yuan. Zhao Jiaren really owes the great monks a favor, and he has to visit the temple anyway and express his gratitude in person.

"Okay, I'll go before I go." Zhao Jiaren replied.

Yuan Hongjie immediately suggested: "You might as well ask the principal to write a name thorn and send it to the three temples now." Let that there is a preparation over there, too. ”

Zhao Jiaren looked at Yuan Hongjie, and then said, "I'll write it now." ”

Under the gaze of everyone, Yuan Hongjie lowered his head slightly. The expression on his face was humble, and his heart was very proud. The difference between a scholar and a clay-legged person lies in this, if you can't be proficient in human affairs, if you can't conform to the etiquette of the upper class. What is the use of reading?

With Yuan Hongjie taking such a start, the personnel who were not willing to lag behind began to come up with suggestions that they felt could be different. Yuan Hongjie was silent, just watching the joke in his heart. He has been preparing for a long time, and he has also grasped very important things. It is not comparable to something that has been thought up on the fly? Those people jumped out and tossed, just exposing their shortcomings. The only thing that surprised Yuan Hongjie was the squad leader Hu Yi. This guy is only twenty-four or five, and he hasn't read much, so he is calm and calm in the chaos. This patience and generosity are not ordinary.

In the evening, Zhao Jiaren went to rest early. It's still cold, and it's not until the afternoon that it's fully launched. The cake is dough, but it can't be sour. With a slight hair, the dough is fluffy and slightly sour. The masters grinned at the sour dough. The hair is big enough, but the steamed pancakes are so sour that they are hard to swallow.

Zhao Jiaren used a rolling pin to grind the dried alkaline noodles as much as possible, and then dipped the noodles in alkaline noodles and kneaded them repeatedly. The kitchen was crowded with people, and the masters were much more proficient in kneading noodles than Zhao Jiaren, but they had never used alkaline noodles, so they were very careful with their hands.

The kneaded dough is placed one by one, covered with a cotton cloth and awakened. After waking up the noodles for more than an hour, Zhao Jiaren pinched off a small piece and tasted it, feeling that the alkaline noodles neutralized the acid, and the taste was relatively positive. I cut the dough again, and I saw the small holes inside, and I smelled a little sour. Only then did the dough begin to be cut and kneaded into a pancake. Next, there is no need for Zhao Jiaren to do it, and his own masters will basket and steam the cakes.

In the evening, the snow-white pancakes came out of the cage. Asked about the fragrant familiar smell, Zhao Jiaren couldn't help but smile. Pick one up and break it open, the pancake is soft and fluffy inside. It seems that the quality of those Mongolian alkaline noodles is not bad. When I took a bite, it was not sour or astringent, but had a peculiar sweetness.

The one who followed behind couldn't help but drool when they smelled the taste, and when they saw Zhao Jiaren eating first, the one who followed followed arrived at the position first according to the rules of cooking. The master smiled and gave Hu Yi at the front a steamed bun. After taking a bite and eating it, Hu Yi asked in surprise, "Is there rock candy in here?" ”

"What nonsense! Who would put rock sugar in the cooking cake! The master immediately refuted this uninformed statement.

"How can that be sweet?" Hu Yi almost questioned.

"Ask the Headmaster!" The master quickly threw the pot to the culprit.

Why does it have a sweet taste, in fact, Zhao Jiaren doesn't know. And it's not so much sweetness as sweetness, which is the flavor that flour already has. However, Zhao Jiaren did not want to explain that acid-base neutralization is a highly technical method in this era. It doesn't seem appropriate to talk about it in public.

"Let's eat." Zhao Jiaren also adopted the method of changing the topic.

So, everyone's food consumption is about one and a half times that of before, and there are many people who feel that they are not full, and some have no conscience and actually accuse the master of secretly eating more cooking cakes, and the master master angrily rushed out with an iron rice spoon and scolded this group of bastards.

After scolding, the master came to Zhao Jiaren's side with a smile, "Principal, let's go face now!" ”

"Hmm". Zhao Jiaren also hoped that there would be no problem with the alkaline noodles poured by the Mongolian brothers, if everyone vomited and diarrhea the next day, the master was afraid that he would really be scolded to death as a scapegoat.