Chapter 21 Saltpeter Making Ice to Relieve the Heat
Jia Cong was speechless for a moment...
Although I had known for a long time that the servants and wives of Rongguo Mansion were not good at anyone who had any idea of their identity. They were all greedy and greedy for money, but they did not expect that they would be so skillful. They were so audacious that they risked their lives for money.
If you are so greedy, aren't you afraid of being beaten?
Sure enough, as soon as I entered the room, I was hit by a stifling heat that made me unable to stay there at all.
The most embarrassing thing is that there is no well in the yard. Even if you want to take a cold bath, the wet nurse and the little maid have to work together to bring water.
If I had known this, I couldn't have asked Wangcai to leave before. This guy is a good half-time laborer. At least he is more reliable than the wet nurse and the little maid in carrying water.
I casually took a stool and sat under the eaves, feeling the heat wave in midsummer. It was not an ordinary hardship.
His body is still in good condition, and he can barely block the heat from outside, and he doesn't even sweat a few drops now.
He glanced at the wet nurse and the little maid, whose faces were unhealthy and rosy. I was afraid they might be suffering from heat stroke, which would be troublesome.
It's not easy for him to go to the big kitchen to fetch water. After all, he is a concubine of a big house. If he fetched water himself, it would be like throwing the wet nurse and the little maid into the fire, so he might as well forget it.
Hey, by the way, if you don’t have ice, you can think of a way to make it yourself.
"Li Ma, the ice in the house is stored in winter, isn't it made temporarily?"
, Jia Cong asked directly, he was indeed a little curious about it.
The method of using saltpeter to make ice has been around since ancient times and has been recorded in many miscellaneous books. It is not a big secret.
It is said that a wealthy family like Rong Guofu collects ice from the frozen river every winter to store it and use it to cool down in the hot summer.
The ice cubes mentioned earlier were the portions of ice cubes that Jia Cong, a wealthy concubine, deserved according to the rules, but he just didn't want to expose Wang Shanbao's family to corruption.
"Is it possible to make ice? I'm afraid the third master is dizzy from the heat?"
Nanny Li couldn't help but shook her head and said with a wry smile: "I know it's difficult for the third master, but it was the same situation in previous years. If you really feel uncomfortable, then just stay in the main room for a while, and it will cool down when it gets dark!
"
Tsk…
Seeing the pitiful look on the little maid's face, she obviously wanted to follow him to the main room to enjoy the coolness brought by the ice cubes, which made her laugh.
"Ma Li, is there any saltpeter in the house?"
Jia Cong didn't bother to explain more and said with a smile: "It's the saltpeter used to make firecrackers!"
"Yes, there is a workshop for making firecrackers in the mansion, and there is plenty of saltpeter!"
Li didn't know why Jia Cong asked this, so she nodded quickly and said, "Third Master, do you need anything?"
In her eyes, although Jia Cong is not very old, he is very different from before, with more dignity.
Yes, it is the majesty of your noble master!
Although she was born into a family in the Rongguo Mansion, she was said to be 'well-informed', but if she was asked to tell the reason for the changes in Jia Cong's body, she could only focus on reading.
Ever since Mr. Cong went to clan school, his body has gradually changed more and more.
But she was asked to elaborate, but she couldn't explain clearly. It was just that Master Cong's life had become easier, and he was valued by the eldest master and his wife. In her eyes, this was the best change.
Therefore, unknowingly, Li respected Jia Cong a little more.
"Then let's get a few kilograms of saltpeter!"
Jia Cong smiled slightly and joked: "There is a book saying that saltpeter is used to make ice. Let me try to see if it is true!"
"Can saltpeter also make ice?"
For a moment, Li felt confused. She had heard wrongly. She had never seen or heard such a statement before.
"I'm going to get the saltpeter right now!"
The little maid Lingque reacted much faster than Mrs. Li, and she ran out of the courtyard in a swish, and a silver bell-like laughter could be heard from far away.
"Don't rush to ask, wait until I try it!"
After waving his hand, Jia Cong stopped the wet nurse from continuing to ask, intending to speak with the facts.
Not long after, the little maid Lingque came back panting and carrying several kilograms of saltpeter. Looking at her sweating profusely and looking very excited, it was obvious that she had been free from her previous depressed state.
When they saw the water basin with saltpeter added, a stream of cold air slowly came out, and the water surface gradually condensed into ice flakes, Li and Lingque couldn't close their mouths.
Saltpeter can actually make ice!
As the air-conditioning filled the entire house, the originally hot summer air dissipated, and it felt indescribably cool and comfortable.
"Third Young Master, this is a way to get money. You must not let it out!"
After the shock, Mrs. Li reminded with excitement: "This time, we have to keep the secret and we can't let others take it away!"
Obviously, she is still very worried about the incident with Hua Lu.
"Mother Li, if you have any ideas, just handle it yourself!"
Jia Cong didn't have much interest in this and reminded: "Making money is making money, and you can't lose Lingque's share!"
Ignoring the little maid's eyes that turned red due to emotion, she said slowly: "You have to know when it's appropriate to stop. Using saltpeter to make ice is not a secret. It's recorded in books. Don't use saltpeter from the firecracker workshop in the house too often!"
He turned around and stopped talking nonsense. He waved to the little maid Ling Que and said, "Ling Que, today's miscellaneous books haven't been read aloud yet!"
The little maid responded, hurriedly took out a volume of miscellaneous books from the bookshelf, and read aloud in the cool room, which was indescribably relaxing and comfortable.
The nanny Li didn't dare to disturb her, so she quietly left the house to work on her money-making plan.
…
After spending more than half a year in the clan school, whether it was Mr. Jia Dairu, who was a perfunctory teacher, or a group of classmates who were highly polarized, they all knew that Master Cong of the Rongguo Mansion had understood all the words in the Three-Character Classic.
This is not a genius at all. Some people are enlightened early. They have already read enlightenment books such as "Three Character Classic" before entering the clan. Knowing a few more common words is nothing.
What Jia Cong needs is this beautiful misunderstanding.
After spending almost half a month, he has finished the first volume of children's books, which are mainly simple and familiar stories such as Kong Rong letting the pear go and Sima Guang smashing the vat.
Of course, the storybook created by Jia Cong cannot be that simple.
The story of Kong Rong letting Li and Sima Guang smash the vat is not interesting, and it is not easy to include content from the Han Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. However, the story of Gan Luo becoming a prime minister at the age of twelve can be written with more exciting twists and turns, and at the same time reveal a little bit of love.
political sensitivity.
After all, he is a 'child of an aristocratic family', and there is limited harvest from simply writing stories to make money. He still needs to match his social status and form a certain influence.
At the same time, he also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of publishing a book to form a book club, and pull out ambitious classmates from ethnic studies to form their own group.
After spending more than half a year in Ethnology, he became more and more dissatisfied with his teacher Jia Dairu's perfunctory teaching style, which was simply a harm to Ethnology students.
Anyway, he has become enlightened and there is no need to keep pretending. He might as well set up a book club to help ambitious classmates try their luck in the imperial examinations instead of being completely ruined by students in the family studies...