Zhuang Keqing was holding a food basket in his hand, but was blocked outside the kiln by the villagers.
She was really not that tall. She stood on tiptoes and stretched her neck, but she still couldn't see what was happening at the kiln door.
"The bricklayer and his grandson went in?"
"Yes, I came to take a look last night. My dear, these two people slept directly against the kiln. One rested and the other turned the handle outside. I don't know what it does."
With their buttocks facing outward, the villagers crowded around to see what was new. They wanted to see if the newly built kiln was so easy to use and could it really be better than the sun?
Zhuang Keqing couldn't squeeze in, so he simply carried the basket and walked aside to wait. The bricklayers and grandsons on the left and right sides would see the dried potatoes with him, so he was not in a hurry.
"Hey hey hey, it's out, it's out!"
Following the gentle shouts of the villagers, the low wooden door of the kiln opened, and an old man and a young man stooped out and walked out. They held a flat dustpan of dried potatoes in their hands, and the smiles on their faces never stopped.
This is the grandson of Li Wa, the craftsman.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
The villagers were very curious and asked, without waiting for an answer, they looked up at the handful of dried potatoes.
All I could see were the finger-thick dried potatoes, which were orange-red and transparent, and looked no different from those that had been exposed to the sun.
"Ah! It looks really good!"
"Yes, the color is also very good."
But some people still don't believe it.
"It looks the same, but it tastes different."
Li Bricklayer didn't explain, he just handed the dustpan to the person, raised his chin and asked him to taste it before talking.
When the villagers saw this, they were not polite. They stretched out their hands to take it, stuffed it into their mouths and chewed it.
Well, it's still hot right after it comes out of the kiln, and it seems to be harder than the sun's rays when you eat it?
But the potato flavor is stronger and sweeter.
Everyone had different expressions. Li Brick saw this in his eyes and continued:
"Today is just the first time to try baking. If you think there is something wrong, please tell us and we will make adjustments."
"I think the taste is just right. It would be better if it could be softer!"
"That's right, it's a bit harsh. I thought I had bad teeth just now!"
The villagers were all talking, and they all thought that the potatoes were overdried.
Mr. Li knew what he was doing.
It was actually the first time that it was baked like this, which was completely beyond his expectation.
After all, he had just gone in and had a look. In the whole kiln, none of the dried potatoes on the shelves, up and down, on the front and back, were burnt, and none of them were wet and sticky. And the handful on the dustpan was in different positions.
on.
But now everyone's evaluation is surprisingly unanimous. They all say that these dried potatoes are dried, which is a great success.
How to say this?
It stands to reason that the heat of a kiln will be somewhat uneven. Even a flat kiln for burning utensils will also have loss parts due to this.
But this time, perhaps because of the addition of a hand-cranked fan, or because the overall temperature in the kiln was not high, the degree of drying was unexpectedly the same, which was an unexpected surprise.
On the other side, the villagers tasted the dried potatoes and saw that the kiln fire had been extinguished and there was nothing new to see. After a discussion that satisfied their curiosity, they gradually dispersed.
When everyone was almost gone, Zhuang Keqing stepped forward and handed the food basket in his hand to the bricklayer and his grandson.
Bricklayer Li shook his head and asked his grandson to take the basket first, while he brought the dustpan filled with dried potatoes to Zhuang Keqing.
"Take a look at this first, are you satisfied?"
"Of course I'm satisfied. No one said anything bad about it just now."
Zhuang Keqing praised it, and twisted a piece of dried potato in his hand and put it into his mouth. It was indeed sweet and firm, and the taste was firmer than before, but there was no other big difference.
"As long as you adjust the size of the fire and the drying time, you can bake different textures according to your requirements."
Bricklayer Li smiled contentedly.
This can be regarded as the most successful kiln he has made in half his life!
"Thank you, Grandpa Bricklayer."
Zhuang Keqing smiled slightly and said, "You will go to my house later, pay for the materials and wages, and then let me cook a table of delicious dishes to reward you."
"Are you paying your wages?"
Mr. Li was a little in disbelief.
Building a kiln was not a trivial matter. He had always thought that someone had raised the issue, and then the village chief had stepped forward and the village had raised the money.
What? He guessed wrong?
So the kiln was this girl’s idea?!
It's no wonder that Mr. Li has been ignoring all kinds of strange signs.
Obviously, from the very beginning when Erli Village invited him to come to the house, to when he agreed to take over the job, and then when he inspected the land on site, Zhuang Keqing was always by his side. Even Li Shi was persuaded by her in the beginning.
But maybe it was because the other party was a little girl that he didn't take it seriously.
Li Baziang had doubts in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled and responded, then he found a place casually, had a simple breakfast with his grandson, and then followed Zhuang Keqing to his home.
Shen Ling and Qin Manzhi were loading goods to the field man.
That day, the tofu was cool enough to hold up, and business was more than twice as good as before.
No, within two days, all the goods he carried last time were sold out, so he hurriedly came to buy more goods to sell.
"Miss Zhuang is back!"
The farmer was very sharp-eyed. He saw Zhuang Keqing leading an old man and a young man from a distance, so he raised his voice and said hello.
"Good morning, Uncle Tian."
Zhuang Keqing also said hello politely with his eyes bent.
"Miss Zhuang, last time you asked me to deliver tofu to Zhao Xiucai's house, I brought the things for you. Now I must go there every four days!"
The farmer knew that it was Zhuang Keqing who had the final say as the banker, so he answered the question very attentively.
Zhuang Qing thanked him and brought in the grandson of the craftsman Li.
When the grandfather and grandson saw the farmer, they were obviously stunned.
This is not the one selling tofu...
The field salesman was doing business in the streets and had a good memory. He immediately recognized that this was a bricklayer from Daxing Village, and he smiled and said hello.
When Li Shi and his grandfather looked at each other, they both saw some surprise in each other's eyes.
Did it turn out that this tofu was made by Miss Zhuang’s family?
Not allowing them to think about it, Zhuang Keqing invited people into the main room.
After bringing tea and fruits in, Fucai came out to let the farmer go and went to the village chief's house to tell him that he would come to his house for dinner, saying it was for a celebration drink.
The field man agreed repeatedly, without asking much about the celebration wine, and after the goods were loaded, he hurriedly pushed the cart out the door.
Zhuang Keqing chatted with the two of them in the house. After waiting for the village chief to arrive, he took off and went to the kitchen to cook.
The completion of this kiln is indeed a big event, and it is indispensable to celebrate it.
So in addition to cooking a table full of delicious dishes, she even brought the potato wine she had brewed before.
At the dinner table, Mr. Li and the village chief had never seen such good wine. Just smelling the aroma of the wine, they couldn't take the cup out of their hands. After taking a sip, they couldn't stop.
In the end, the guests and the host enjoyed a good meal, and the cost of building the kiln was discounted and discounted by Li Brickman to the same amount, which was almost like a door-to-door discount.
Zhuang Keqing couldn't help but laugh. She had prepared enough money for three times.
But in the end, Grandpa Bricklayer cannot be allowed to suffer.
Before seeing them off, she forced Li Shi to stuff two jars of potato wine, which made the greedy village chief's eyes turn red.
"Grandpa, village chief, you are indispensable."
After Zhuang Keqing sent the bricklayer away, he turned around and comforted the village chief with a smile, "It's just that you drank too much today, so it's hard to take it. I'll send two jars to you tomorrow."
The village chief waved his hands happily.
After Shen Ling helped send the village chief back, Zhuang Keqing had time to calm down and think about what to do next.
The village chief’s grandpa has found a way to make sweet potato wine first. Even if there is no Five Blessings in the future, Erli Village can still plan to build its own winery. It’s just a little more troublesome, but what about the potato dregs?
Now that the kiln has been built, is it time to start baking?
She was planning everything and already had an idea in her mind.
The next day, Zhuang Keqing visited the village chief's house early in the morning with two jars of potato wine. He couldn't help laughing when he learned that the old man had been drunk all night yesterday and had just woken up.
People here have never drunk distilled liquor. If they drink this liquor as ordinary brewed liquor just because of its fragrant smell and strong taste, wouldn’t they be very drunk?
Putting the sweet potato wine he had brought with him in the corner of the village chief's hall, Zhuang Keqing found a stool and sat down to wait.
It took at least another quarter of an hour before the village chief staggered out with Li You's support.
When he met Zhuang Keqing, he said that he had enjoyed the wine yesterday.
"Girl, I remember your words. Did you bring the wine today?"
"Grandpa, village chief, don't worry. Everything has been arranged for you."
After saying that, he stood up and pointed to the two small altars in the corner.
The village chief's dim old eyes took a closer look and suddenly smiled.
"Good girl, good girl!"
Zhuang Keqing poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to the village chief, "Grandpa village chief, take a sip of hot tea to moisten your throat."
After seeing the old man take a few sips, she added: "I'm not only here to bring you wine today, I also want to talk to you about the start of the kiln."
The village chief's eyes closed slightly, and when he opened them again, they were no longer muddy and groggy, and reflected some clear light.
