Chapter Fifty-two Comparison

  Everyone was drenched, but we all ended up laughing together. In that moment, there were no distinctions between the prince, the nobleman, and the ordinary student.

  Song Jiu makes bread.

  Everyone was overjoyed.

  Last time, more than 20 officials ate well, but Song Jiu didn't have time. He then went to Hebei and continued to develop gunpowder. He was busy running around in circles. A group of officials had nothing to do, looking for food and fun. In ancient times, there were ancient delicacies, such as rice, including er hong fan (two red rice), pan tao fan (盘桃饭), tuo su fan (脱粟饭), wu mi fan (乌米饭), and ling nan's pan you fan (岭南的盘游饭). These dishes used ingredients like stir-fried shrimp, roasted fish, chicken, goose, pork, mutton, and intestines, mixed with ginger, cinnamon, salt, and fermented soybeans as seasonings. After cooking, they were poured over a ball of rice. Doesn't it sound familiar? It's actually the ancient version of "gai chao fan" (盖浇饭), although not as colorful as later versions.

  There are more varieties of porridge, and breakfast also has various noodles, wontons, soup cakes, steamed buns, pancakes, crispy cakes, sugar cakes, steamed cakes, Guanghan cakes, five-spice cakes. If you want to list them one by one, there can be hundreds of varieties. It's not as prosperous as later generations, but far exceeds the various snacks during the Tang Dynasty.

  A group of officials went around searching for similar fruits, from the main store to the wine tower, to various snack shops, including the big sister's small wine shop, someone "investigated" twice, but couldn't find any. The goods are rare and precious, and it was originally a delicious thing, so it spread in a more mysterious way.

  Long prepared, Fu Zhao Shou pulled two doctors aside and said: "Dr. Yan, Dr. Zhang, may I trouble you to lend us some paper for a moment?"

  "No way." The two doctors didn't even think about it and immediately refused.

  "It's borrowing, not begging, we borrow one and return ten."

  "What are you going to use the paper for?"

  Want to bring bread back, this sleeve is wet, how can I put it in? Borrow a paper bag for the bread and then put it in the sleeve. Dr. Yan said: "No way, what kind of body is that?"

  Murong Defeng finally woke up from the grief of his father's death and arrived at Hezhou today with a large group of officials. When he heard that Yan Doctor disagreed, he said: "Doctor Yan, it's really not possible. We'll lend one sheet to make up for twenty sheets. You keep track of the accounts."

  "Add thirty pieces."

  Now a sheet of paper, if not cut out, is very large and can hold many breads. Thirty sheets of paper may be somewhat expensive, but for these officials, it's nothing. Mu Rong De Feng said: "Okay."

  Dr. Yan opened the small storage room next to the classroom and let the official go in to take paper, then record the account. The students did not object either, but were delighted, and even hoped that they would take more, so that later on, more paper with real brush-written characters would be issued.

  Zhao Kuangyi couldn't bear it anymore, and even Fang Zheng's Yan Doctor seemed to be gradually corrupted by Song Jiu.

  He walked into the kitchen.

  Song Jiuzheng brought four painters, Zhu San, and three students who could cook some dishes. Yu Ping and Cui Er were making bread. There were many people, no way. Fortunately, when Song Jiuzheng's father was alive, there were many servants in the house, the kitchen area was large, and Song Jiuzheng had made two extra-large ovens in advance. Otherwise, this group of people might not have been able to eat their fill until midnight.

  Zhao Kuangyi said: "Song Jiu, it is just thing-ology."

  "Er Da Wang, is it? Many people think it's a minor path, a strange skill, Er Da Wang, ask yourself, can this kind of learning be considered a clever trick?"

  Zhao Kuangyi shook his head, it really can't be counted.

  "The Master said, 'Things have their roots and branches; affairs have their beginnings and endings. Knowing what comes first and last will lead one close to the Way. What comes first? Things are investigated and then knowledge is gained; knowledge is gained and then intentions are sincere; intentions are sincere and then the mind is rectified...'"

  "Song Jiu, don't misinterpret the words of a saint," Zhao Kuangyi said with a mixture of tears and laughter: "I'm asking you, what is its cost?"

  Seeing its power, Zhao Kuangyi was overjoyed, but now he thought of its cost, if it was extremely expensive, then its practicality would not be great.

  "The two big kings, the materials used are simple, saltpeter, sulfur and wood charcoal, the original cost of one catty is less than five cents, but it needs to go through a series of refining processes, as well as labor costs, processing costs, and refining costs depend on the quantity used. The more the quantity, the lower the cost, the higher the efficiency, otherwise, the opposite. Labor costs depend on how much salary the imperial court pays to the craftsmen, this process is somewhat dangerous."

  Zhao Kuangyi thought for a moment about the explosion scene and nodded.

  "Remember, not a spark can be brought in, nor any flammable materials, but I think the wages of the craftsmen operating this project cannot be too low, so its cost I estimate will fluctuate between 15 to 25 wen per catty. As for the exact amount, I am unable to predict, only officials who handle gunpowder can predict it. Furthermore, currently the quantity of sulfur is very small, once the imperial court prepares extensively, sulfur will certainly be insufficient, and we must prepare ships to go to Donghai Liu Island to purchase Liu Sulfur, where it is abundant everywhere, bringing some cloth, porcelain, and ceramics, and we can exchange for a shipload. However, the sea has strong winds and high waves, the cost is high, the danger is great, and this will also increase its cost. I plan to set the price at 20 wen per catty. The wooden box earlier held 80 catties, nearly two strings of cash. But its explosive quantity is too large, it cannot be used as a standard example, if used for mining, the quantity should be smaller, otherwise it will trigger a large-scale collapse event. Taking the wooden box as an example, when used properly, its single explosion can equal the amount of ore excavated by 300-400 miners using primitive tools, and may even exceed that."

  This is easier to calculate.

  In the Song Dynasty, ordinary people's daily income was around 100 to 200 wen. Now, with low prices and low wages, even after a whole day of hard labor in the river, they can only earn about 100 wen, sometimes not even enough. Those working in the mines were even more pitiful, earning only 50-60 wen per day. However, it's worth noting that if one person earns 50 wen, then 100 people would be 5,000 wen, and 300 people would be 15,000 wen. The cost is greatly reduced. These are secondary benefits; the key point is speed. With it, the entire mining process accelerates. Even if used nationwide, in a year, it can increase Song Dynasty's mineral production by three to five times! Moreover, it allows for large-scale mining, unlike now, where they're not really mining, but digging tunnels, turning into worm-like creatures crawling inside, wasting 90% of the minerals.

  "Second King, that tomb..."

  "I remember, I promised, isn't it going to happen? You little brat, you know how much of a headache this official will have next."

  Yu Ping already knew some of the situation and couldn't help but laugh.

  "You silly girl, what are you smiling at? He dares to calculate against both the official and the Emperor. You will have a hard time in the future, quickly find another good family for yourself."

  "Second Master, our humble household has done nothing to offend you."

  Song Jiu changed the subject and said: "Second Master Wang, you won't be humiliated. Now we've only solved the problem of opening up the mine, but there's still iron and steel."

  "Don't worry, I won't shortchange you on the steel."

  "No, Second Master Wang, that steel can't be used. I estimate it will collapse before the bridge is even built. I don't need high-quality steel, what I'm saying is that both iron smelting and steel smelting technologies need to be improved, this is what's been giving me a headache after my inspection in Hebei."

  "You also want to hand it over to the imperial court."

  "The country has private households smelting iron and steel, but this is new technology. How can the country let private individuals control it? I developed it, whether or not to hand it over, it's still got to be handed over. One must know when to be content."

  Zhao Kuangyi suddenly understood, and ignored Song Jiu's words. He thought that his foreign teacher must have taught him some Western iron smelting and steel making techniques. Of course, it was easy to talk about it, but actually doing it required experimentation. The bridge and the house could only be built with a large amount of good steel. This was why Song Jiu was worried and felt compelled to research and develop. Thinking of this, Zhao Kuangyi burst out laughing. This gamble was well worth it, otherwise how would they have gotten gunpowder and good iron and steel in the future? With these three things alone, his brother's gamble was already worthwhile. However, looking at Song Jiu's worried expression, he estimated that it wouldn't be easy.

  Yu Ping smiled back at him.

  Zhao Kuangyi saw her for the second time and felt that this young girl was gentle to the extreme. He patted Song Jiu's shoulder and said, "No matter what happens in the future, you must treat Yuniang well."

  But he didn't think of one thing, Song Jiu said good iron and steel, this time he surprisingly didn't suspect a thing. There's gain and loss, digging up someone's ancestral grave isn't very good, but thinking about the three good things, just dig them up then. Ran to under the big Chinese scholar tree, sat down on the stone chair, thinking of how to dig up someone's ancestral grave, must find a suitable reason, otherwise trouble will be huge.

  The first batch of bread was done, the students were still good and didn't dare to rush. These officials had a strong background and didn't care, eating on one side and wrapping with paper on the other, putting it in their sleeves. Dr. Zhang urged: "You can't do this, you can wrap it up, but let the students eat their fill first."

  It's not necessarily that he can't hear, but Zhao Kuangyi sitting here is no less than a tiger. The second pot was only given to the students, and Zhao Kuangyi took one to eat, the taste was not bad. Now Song Jiu has added another ingredient, meat floss. Also, butter, jam, etc., there's no time, and there's no space, so he can only make meat floss. Fragrant and smooth, Zhao Kuangyi surprisingly had a feeling, and took another one to savor in his mouth. No wonder this kid wants to open a real store. It won't do, with this kind of talent, he can't just think about making a fortune, he has to put it on the country's agenda, so Zhao Kuangyi started eating and thinking wildly. Just as he was thinking, the eunuch from the palace came with guards looking for him, Zhao Kuangyi quietly told him what happened and asked him to go back to the palace to report. Complicated things the eunuch may not understand, but this matter is relatively simple, saying: "This is a great joy for the Song Dynasty."

  "Ah, at that time, the emperor's brother saw this name and said a sentence, Song Jiu, Song Jiu, good name. Zhao Kuangyi said in a low voice, can't let Song Jiu hear it, or he will be very proud of himself. He also said: "These fruits are not bad, bring them to the emperor's brother to taste."

  After finishing speaking, Zhao Kuangyi's expression was complex. This Song Jiutai is really bold, daring to think that big brother wants to eat a fruit, and still needs to rely on himself to steal it over.

  "Yes," the old eunuch hastily returned to the palace to report the good news.

  Song Jiu was cooking pot after pot inside, but as soon as one pot came out, it would immediately disappear. As the sun began to set, more than a hundred catties of medium-sized ones were almost roasted, and they were still gone in an instant when brought outside. The last two pots couldn't disappear anymore, some had to be left for his two sisters' children to eat. He ran out and asked, "How did you guys eat them?"

  One stone of rice is enough to make over a hundred jin of high-quality flour, two hundred eggs, several jin of meat floss, and other ingredients and seasonings. Even if Wu Song had a stomach, it would have been full long ago.

  The students didn't dare to speak, and several tens of officials secretly laughed. Song Jiu glanced at their sleeves, and even found that Zhao Kuangyi's sleeves were also stuffed full, Song Jiu pointed at them speechlessly and said: "Do you know how much it will sell for each after this?"

  "How much money?"

  "The bad ones cost five hundred wen, and the good ones cost one yuan."

  Zhu San was stunned, "How much money did you spend tonight?" Dr. Yan said: "Song Jiu, you're too black-hearted."

  Everyone was pretending, including him, but a group of students were afraid and only ate a few, not daring to carry any away.

  "Dr. Yan, it's delicious, you can imagine how many ingredients were used and also a lot of sugar was added."

  During the Song Dynasty, there were five main types of sugar products. The first was sugarcane juice, which was extracted from sugarcane and sold as a beverage, but its production was seasonal and limited to southern regions, making it an unviable option for Song Nine. Another type was rock candy, introduced from India during the Tang Dynasty, but that didn't work out either. Then there was brown sugar, also known as red sugar, which was produced in Wu Yue and Later Shu, but due to regional divisions and underdeveloped economy of Northern Song, good quality brown sugar was hard to come by, and inferior ones would ruin the taste of bread. Although it could be used as a substitute, it would lower the grade of the bread, so Song Nine didn't use it either. There was also maltose, a type of caramel candy that cost one coin per piece, but it was clearly not suitable for use. Finally, there was sugar frost, which was not white granulated sugar, but rather an outdated type of rock candy with complex production techniques and low yield. However, it had the advantage of being distinguishable by color, with good quality ones having a distinct purple hue. Unfortunately, high-quality sugar frost was too expensive, with a few kilograms of top-grade purple sugar frost selling for several strings of coins. One kilogram of sugar frost could buy a square meter of Lu Mengzheng's luxurious mansion!

  If it's all high-grade sugar topping, then it's worth the price, but the problem is how much sugar topping can be used?

  Expensive or not, no one paid attention to him, with contemptuous eyes, and then smiled and went back.

  ……

  Everyone who comes has gained something, and the more people there are, the greater the gain.

  The person who gained the most went to the imperial palace. Song Jiu didn't mention that the technique had to be kept secret, and Zhao Kuangyi also thought of it. No wonder that new house was made so strangely. But the problem is that it will eventually be used by the people, what to do? Song Jiu hadn't thought of this, but these two brothers did.

  The remaining harvest was just a big pile of bread.

  Three people from the Pan family came back, with a considerable harvest. They returned home in high spirits, but Mrs. Tian scolded: "You two brothers went out to have fun and brought back Wei Zheng who doesn't study well."

  Only virtue hastily used bread to stuff into mother's mouth.

  The son can bring food back, and he also has a filial heart. Tian Shi ate the bread and said: "This fruit tastes good, where did you buy it?"

  All three brothers were speechless, if they could buy it at a higher price, then just buy it, even if it meant buying fewer, the key is that Song Jiu would not sell now. He mentioned the price, most likely to scare everyone away. Relying on what he created, his future looks promising, why would he still rely on selling bread for a living? And they didn't dare respond, their mother was the most opposed to them getting involved with Song Jiu.

  The three brothers sang in unison, dropped the bread and escaped from the living room. After leaving the living room, Pan Lian'er blocked them again and asked: "What happened to that monkey later?"

  Three brothers stood together in silence, first hunting, then gunpowder, and finally back to Song Jiu's house waiting for bread. That monkey had long been lost on the island of Java.