On the second floor of Niangniang Temple, in Guo Kang's office, Theodora was writing something, but saw Guo Kang carrying a basket and walked in.

He took out a yellow-orange fruit from it and put it on a plate.

"It's ...... Mango? Theodora asked.

"yes." Guo Kang said: "I asked Master Wang to hire experts to specially select the varieties that were ripe at this time and shipped them from Crete. ”

"It worked." Theodora was a little surprised.

"Indians have been breeding for hundreds of years. When Tang Xuanzang went to learn scriptures, this fruit was very famous. Guo Kang said: "Moreover, there are many varieties of this fruit, which ripen all year round. All we need to do is just find a suitable variety and grow it locally, so of course quickly. ”

"Come, taste it." He took a knife, cut the skin, cut the flesh into pieces, and placed it on a plate.

"You eat first." Theodora pointed to the manuscript paper with his pen: "I'll finish writing this." ”

"I've already eaten something better than this." Guo Kang shook his head and sat back down opposite her: "This is all for you." ”

"Have you ever eaten it in your dreams?" Theodora teased.

Hearing this, Guo Kang sighed, nodded, picked up the fork, and took one of the pieces.

Theodora smiled and ate as he did.

"How?" Guo Kang looked at her and asked.

"It's delicious, better than the fruit last time." Theodora said.

"As long as you like. Hey, but it's not cheap right now. Guo Kang chattered, bent down, and rummaged in the box at his feet: "I plan to process these products and buy them in Europe." ”

"We used Cypriot sugar nearby, mixed with this fruit, to make preserves and sweet drinks. My workshop is now able to blow glass bottles with a lot of transparency. Put these things up, process them, and keep them for a long time according to our current test results. This can definitely sell for a good price......"

"Ah, I have these things in my head all day." Theodora shook her head: "Don't pretend, I still don't know you?" You just slam the door and don't want to eat. ”

"This is not called slamming the door, this is called thrift." Guo Kang corrected: "Think about it, if I show what I like to eat, what will other people think? I'm afraid someone will follow suit soon. ”

"Back then, Duke Qi Huan liked to wear purple clothes, and the whole country rushed to follow suit, all of whom admired this extravagant clothing. Qi Huan Gong was very worried and asked Guan Zhong, who suggested that he start with himself. Duke Qi Huan no longer wore purple clothes, and soon, the ministers and attendants in the palace stopped following suit. It didn't take long for people across the country to stop fanatically admiring this kind of thing. ”

"Whether we like it or not, we are all people who are being watched by the whole country. If we all take the lead in advocating hedonistic luxury, how can we convince citizens to suffer and fight for us? ”

"Now we can produce this thing ourselves, so it's nothing to taste. But it's better not to show favor for these expensive goods. The corruption of the morals often begins at the top, which is the lesson of the Roman ancestors. We also have to be vigilant. ”

"What I gave you, you can taste it yourself. If you still want it, I'll bring it to you alone next time, and don't publicize it outside. He admonished.

"I see." Theodora smiled and said, "Just say it once, can I still not understand it?" You're still talking about it every day. ”

"I told you last time that it was better not to run around in such extravagant clothes, and you didn't listen." Behind the table, Guo Kang was not satisfied with his answer.

Theodora looked indifferent, and didn't seem to be listening to him. Guo Kang didn't say anything more, but took out a glass bottle with a wooden cork from the box.

"Give." He put it on the table and pushed it to Theodora: "This is the bottle on my side, and I was going to give it as a gift." I'll give you a taste too. ”

Looking at his somewhat tangled expression, Theodora smiled: "Who was it intended for?" ”

"For those Italian merchants." Guo Kang said truthfully: "Their business network is the widest, show them, the publicity effect should be better." ”

"Oh, it's through the Joanna you just met." Theodora glanced at him, "You've just seen her before, haven't you?" ”

"yes, I met in the morning." Guo Kang nodded, and asked strangely, "How do you know?" ”

"You smell of the perfume she often spills." Theodora told him, "But the taste is very light, I guess I have only been with him for a while." ”

"We're in the barracks, and she's going to visit the Rus." Guo Kang was a little glad that he was thinking about other things at the time, and didn't let Joanna hug him according to their strange etiquette.

But as he spoke, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. Can a human nose be so smart?

He hesitated, and decided not to ask directly, but to have a chance to test it in other ways.

"Can this thing really last a long time?" On the other side, Theodora had already begun to observe the liquid in her transparent bottle, and asked curiously.

"I can keep it for half a month now." Guo Kang replied: "We are still trying to see if we can do it longer." ”

He said, pulling out a corkscrew. The oak stopper on the glass bottle was plugged directly while the liquid in the bottle was boiling while it was boiling, so it was sucked in for a long time. However, before he could hand it over, he saw Theodora grasp the cork, and with a fierce force, he pulled it out directly.

Guo Kang pursed his lips and threw the bottle opener back into the box.

Theodora looked to the side and saw that there was no cup, and he didn't pay attention to the image, so he took a sip directly into the bottle. Then, she pursed her lips and frowned.

"It's not fruity." She commented: "It's so sweet, it's almost like sugar water." ”

"It's sugar water. No way, it's too easy to corrupt otherwise. Guo Kang was a little helpless and thought about it: "If the drink doesn't work, I don't know if the seasoning will work......"

"I see." Theodora listened to him, but shook his head and said, "Then don't think about the taste for the time being, just find a way to extend its shelf life a little longer." ”

"I just ate this fruit, that's why I feel this way. However, it is definitely enough to sell this sugar water to people who have not eaten it. ”

Guo Kang thought about it and felt that this was indeed the case. For Western Europeans, even the sugar water itself is a very popular thing, so it should be fine.

"Let's continue researching. If it can be preserved for many years, as it is ideal, maybe it will be sold to the Ming Dynasty in the future. ”

"Later, when the Ming Dynasty people come, you can ask them if they are interested." Theodora laughed, "By the way, have you figured out the name?" ”

"Name?"

"That's right, the name of the product." Theodora shook the glass bottle: "An impressive name, it will be very good for sales." ”

"What can you call a drink...... Guo Kang picked up a mango, looked at it, and said casually: "It's called Hongwu brand mango juice?" ”

"No, that's too impressive." Theodora almost squirted.

(End of chapter)