Chapter 167 There seems to be something going on
It doesn’t have the crispness in my memory, let alone the sweetness.
Today's sugar cane is very hard, and its taste is not as good as that of later generations, and its sweetness is somewhat inferior.
Feng Yong chewed it, spit out the dregs, and shook his head, "Not even close."
When I was a child, there were two types of sugar cane grown in the village. One type had a harder pole and did not taste good when chewed, but it had high sugar content.
A kind of pole is relatively brittle and soft. Although the sugar content is slightly lower, villagers like to eat it, so this type of sugar cane is the most cultivated.
But no matter which one, it is sweeter than this one.
Think about it, the sugar cane of later generations has been cultivated from generation to generation, and the fine varieties carefully selected will definitely be better than this original sugar cane.
Originally, there was no difference in the purchase price of sugar cane from the sugar mills of these two types of sugarcane.
Later on, with the wave of state-owned enterprise reform, sugar mills also began to differentiate between sugarcane varieties.
The one with the hard pole has a high sugar yield rate and good sugar quality, so the purchase price is higher. As a result, most people in the village grow that kind. The one with the soft pole is delicious, but it is There are fewer and fewer people.
This alone made Feng Yong and his friends curse for a long time.
Unexpectedly, two years later, there was another rural reform, and the county where Feng Yong was located was directly excluded from the scope of the cane sugar industry, and inexplicably turned into a jasmine tea planting base.
In other words, we will no longer harvest sugar cane...
There are even unscrupulous businessmen who take advantage of the asymmetric information and take advantage of the situation to cheat farmers and ask them to spend their hard-earned money to plant tea trees. This is really unscrupulous.
From when the sugarcane begins to have a sweet taste to when it is harvested and then planted in the second year after saving the seeds, it is a rare snack for half a year! Is this going to be gone?
What the hell!
Not only were Feng Yong and his friends deceived, but also the people in the village were deceived.
In the past, sugar mills purchased sugar cane and then squeezed out the sugar. Each household would be given a certain amount of sugar compensation based on how much they purchased.
It’s okay now, we won’t harvest sugar cane anymore. Where can we eat sugar in the future?
purchase? Are you kidding? Where did the family get the spare money to buy sugar at that time?
But for a long time, I have been planting sugar cane every year and I am used to eating sweets. Suddenly, the sweetness disappears. How will I live in the future?
People in the village were talking a lot and many were angry, but what could be done? I heard that the sugar mills were gone, how could you still force others to harvest sugar cane?
How about saying that working people are the creators of history?
At this time, the old people in the village stood up and said that the village had survived the same without this sugar factory.
They don’t accept it, so we can handle it ourselves.
That’s right, it’s boiling sugar using the traditional method passed down from our ancestors.
Families in the village who want to boil sugar all set aside a small piece of land to plant sugar cane. Once harvested, they are weighed together, and then gathered together to boil the sugar. The final sugar is divided according to the amount of sugar cane each family has.
The sugar boiled by the local method is not white sugar, but cubes of brown sugar like bricks.
This kind of brown sugar has been with Feng Yong in his memory for several years. Finally, as living conditions improved, people in the village had money to buy white sugar, and gradually no one planted sugar cane to make their own sugar.
But that kind of square brown sugar, in Feng Yong’s opinion, is much more delicious than white sugar.
This is not a lie. Brown sugar boiled by local methods will become a pure green food in ten or twenty years without any additives. No matter how much you eat it, you will not get tired of it. However, if you eat too much white sugar, you will always feel that your taste buds are sour. There is a smell of industrial additives.
It turns out that stone honey is sucrose!
Feng Yong took another bite of sugar cane and sighed. Nowadays, this sucrose is more palatable than white sugar. It is probably due to the poor sugar boiling technology and too many impurities in it.
“Brother, are you okay?”
Zhao Guang walked over cautiously, stared at Feng Yong, and asked.
“What can I do?” Feng Yong glanced at Zhao Guang inexplicably and raised the sugar cane in his hand, “Want to eat?”
Although the taste and taste are not as good as those of later generations, in this era, sugar cane can be regarded as an extremely rare sweet.
“How can I eat this bamboo?”
Zhao Guang laughed dryly. If it weren't for his misunderstanding about his brother's hysteria yesterday, he would have taken action to restrain his brother by this time.
Eat bamboo? What normal person would eat raw bamboo? Although it seems that my brother's teeth are very good, he can actually chew bamboo into pieces.
Zhao Guang looked at Guan Ji for help at the same time. He was a little panicked and asked in his eyes. Is there something wrong with the thing called Shimi that my sister brought here? I eat more than my brother!
“Ignorant, bumpkin, this is bamboo? See clearly, this is sugar cane.”
Feng Yong looked at the poor child who had never eaten sugar cane with disdain.
“Look, the bamboo is hollow and the sugar cane is solid. Chew it and you’ll find it’s full of juice, which is very sweet.”
"This sugar cane is really meant to be chewed," Guan Ji understood Zhao Guang's eyes and immediately explained, "How did brother know about it? Could it be that he has seen it before?"
Looking at my brother skillfully tearing off the sugar cane skin with his mouth and taking a bite of the sugar cane meat inside, I guess he has eaten less of it before.
"Of course I have," Feng Yong spit out another mouthful of dregs. He noticed the strange looks in Zhao Guang and Guan Ji's eyes, and suddenly understood, was it because he felt a little out of manner when he saw himself chewing sugar cane?
Even though he was cheeky, he couldn't help but feel a little feverish. "I'm so out of control. I haven't eaten this for a long time. I couldn't help it when I saw it."
Feng Yong said as he put down the sugar cane with some embarrassment.
Guan Ji smiled understandingly and quietly moved a sugar cane on the table to an angle. One end of the sugar cane also had signs of being chewed.
At this moment, after hearing what Feng Yong and Guan Ji said, Zhao Guang was surprised and picked up a sugar cane, which was exactly the one Guan Ji moved over, and said, "Can you still chew this bamboo-like thing?"
"That's natural. If Erlang doesn't believe it, you can try it."
Feng Yong encouraged.
Zhao Guang was eager to try it immediately.
"I can't give you this one!" Guan Ji was anxious, so she pressed her hand over and handed another one over, "Eat this one."
In other words, Zhao Guang had never seen this thing before, so he didn't notice the traces of bites on it, and he didn't care about it at the moment. He just looked at Feng Yong and brought it to his mouth several times, but he couldn't bring it down.
“Is this...or try again later?”
Zhao Guang laughed dryly and finally put down the sugar cane. His long-term etiquette education made it difficult for him to pass the psychological barrier of chewing sugar cane in public.
“My little brother thinks that stone honey is more delicious.”
I just don’t dare to eat it. I have never even eaten sugar cane. How did you know that stone honey is more delicious?
Feng Yong curled his lips and said, "It's far worse. This stone honey is far worse than the cane sugar I've eaten before."
“Sucrose?”
“The sucrose my brother mentioned is also made from sugar cane?”
"Yes." Feng Yong nodded, "The craftsmanship of making stone honey is not up to par, the color is ugly, and the taste is also unpleasant, which is far worse than cane sugar."
"This sugar cane is only grown in Jiaozhou area. I never thought that my brother has not only seen it, but also seen something more delicious than stone honey?"
Guan Ji felt that it was extremely rare to make stone honey from sugar cane. After all, it was a tribute. Unexpectedly, there is such a thing as sucrose.
“Sanniang likes desserts?”
Zhao Guang was too big-hearted to see Guan Ji's little moves, but Feng Yong did. He even saw the bite marks that Guan Ji tried to hide. His heart moved and he asked a question.
Guan Ji's face turned slightly red, but she nodded generously and admitted, "My little sister has liked sweet food since she was a child."
Feng Yong made a "tsk" sound, thinking that this hobby would really be nothing in future generations, as the streets would be full of desserts.
But in this era, it is really difficult to gain favorability from this aspect.
“What a pity.” Feng Yong sighed, “This sugar cane can actually be grown not only in Jiaozhou. Although it cannot be grown in Hanzhong, it can still be grown in Shuzhong. The further south you go..."
At this point, a sudden flash of inspiration flashed through my mind.
Further south is Nanzhong.
It is not cost-effective to grow food in Nanzhong, but growing sugar cane...
For the current man in Nanzhong, it is a chicken rib. Regardless of him, he jumps too much. One will threaten the confidant of Jincheng Plain.
Leave it alone, it is really a waste of manpower and material resources. What is the use of a barren land?
“Brother is just joking. There is no time to grow food in the huge fields in Shu. Who dares to use them to grow sugar cane?”
When there was no one on Guanji Road, I secretly nibbled sugar cane. Although it was delicious, when I heard that Feng Yong actually wanted to use the land in the middle of Shu to grow sugar cane, I just thought that his brother was fanciful. This idea was too ridiculous.
“Of course it won’t work in Shuzhong, but in Nanzhong, you can give it a try.”
Feng Yong came up with this idea and really felt that he couldn't bear it anymore. "Sanniang doesn't know something. This kind of sugar cane cannot be grown in the north. On the contrary, the further south you go, the better it is."
Market economy and cash crops are not understood by the ancients, but they can talk about benefits.
“Nanzhong needs to be pacified as soon as possible, but what happens after it is pacified? How to pacify it is a big problem. I think it would be good to plant sugar cane.”
Guan Ji only felt that the more she listened, the more confused she became, "I heard that Nanzhong has less flat land and more mountains. If we use it to plant sugar cane and there is no food to eat, wouldn't that force Nanzhong to rebel again? Besides, what's the use of planting sugar cane? ?You can’t just eat sugar cane without eating grain?”
“Sugar cane is of great use.” Feng Yong chuckled, “Exchange sugar cane for food. Besides, it’s rainy in the south, so you can grow sugar cane even on the hillside.”
“Who to trade with?”
"Of course it is me."
Feng Yong pointed at himself and thought that the sugar cane seemed to be really well managed. He exchanged grain for sugar cane, and then used the sugar cane to squeeze sucrose. How many times more expensive was the sucrose than the grain?
There is a good head, really there is a good head!
“Whether the Prime Minister agrees or not to allow my brother to act so nonsense, I think he did it for the sake of stabilizing the overall situation in Nanzhong. But how much grain can my brother exchange for sugar cane? What’s the use of harvesting it?”
Guan Ji looked at Feng Yong with concerned eyes, and she really felt that something was not normal about him.
“Sugar cane is very useful.” Feng Yong repeated what he just said, “At least the sugar cane can be enough for Sanniang to eat.” But as the man spoke, his mouth started to slip again.
Hearing it, this brother could only say a few serious sentences without being formal. Guan Ji was secretly annoyed and kicked Feng Yong again.
This time, a lot of force was used, which made Feng Yong grin in pain.
“Well, I remembered that there are still things in the house that have not been packed away, so I will go and pack them first.”
Zhao Guang secretly admired his brother for being so bold, and at the same time lamented that this tiger girl sister who refused to obey anyone seemed to be finally surrendered. My sister didn't show any signs of being angry at her brother's behavior and behavior. Instead, she looked like a rare daughter.
At the moment, I felt that it was not suitable for me to stay here any longer, so I left with an excuse.
When I left the room, I felt proud that I really had a good eye.
“Brother, why are you talking nonsense in front of Erlang?”
When Guan Ji saw Zhao Guang leaving and no one else around, her face turned red again. She immediately stood up and said, "If nothing happens, I will go back to the house first."
"Why are you talking nonsense? What I said is serious business." Feng Yong said seriously, "This can be regarded as a major matter for the family and the country. Sanniang, please sit down first and listen to me."
Guan Ji's eyes showed suspicion. It seemed that Feng Yong's credit had been temporarily exhausted by her.
Hearing Feng Yong's words, he shook his head, "What brother said, since it is a major matter for the family and the country, you should discuss it with Erlang and the others, or even write a letter to the prime minister. At this time, I introduced it to my little sister. It’s inappropriate for a female streamer to say this.”
Speaking, he smiled slyly again, "My little sister has been walking day and night these days. She is a little tired and wants to go back and rest first."
Feng Yong saw Guan Ji's rare little daughter's smile twice in a row, and felt that she suddenly changed into a different person. She really had bright eyes and good eyesight, which was very lovely.
Seeing Guan Ji pick up her parcel and go out, she picked up a sugar cane on the table and said, "Won't Sanniang take this sugar cane away? Or will you let me eat it later?"
Guan Ji turned her head and saw that what Feng Yong was holding was exactly the one she had secretly nibbled on the road. Then she looked at the half-smiling look of the man in front of her, her face suddenly turned red, and she grabbed it like lightning. Come here, grab the door and leave.
Feng Yong picked up the unfinished sugar cane and took another bite. At the same time, he sighed inwardly. I was not joking just now. I exchanged sugar cane for food. If this was done well, I would not seriously do it.
Why don’t you understand me? Life is really as lonely as snow.
Is the big man short of food now?
It can only be said to be temporarily lacking.
But Zhuge Lao Yao just built Dujiangyan, and he already had the capital for the southern expedition.
In the original history, Hanzhong has always been a deserted land. That's why Zhuge Lao Yao was able to save the capital for the Northern Expedition just by relying on the Jincheng area and scraping together here and there for several years. There is no reason to help develop Hanzhong, a treasure land of the Han family, and there will not be enough food, right?
So, after two or three years, Hanzhong really produces grain, and Nanzhong is also pacified by then. It is not impossible to get some grain to exchange for sugar cane!
The Northern Expedition will cost money and food. Once we have food, if we can get more money, Zhuge Lao will definitely not disagree.
As for the sugar cane that has been replaced, how to produce sucrose? Isn’t that something that can be done with one’s eyes closed?
Shi Mi is just an egg! This thing is astringent and scummy, but it can still be used as a tribute?
And it’s actually liquid, making it inconvenient to transport. It’s a product destined to be eliminated.
When the time comes, I will bring out a brick-like piece of brown sugar. If anyone is not convinced, I will smash it until he is convinced.
Bizhuangtang asked you if you are afraid?
Sucrose was considered a commodity even in later generations.
Any bulk commodity is a money-making thing.
Hmm, you have to think about this carefully. No, you have to write it down in a small notebook first so as not to forget it later.
I thought that if I didn’t write about the salty-sweet controversy, nothing would happen. I never thought that you could argue about writing a candy. Okay, I admit it was my fault for not writing clearly. Because I haven’t eaten white sugar for a long time, I don’t know if it tastes the same now as before. But taking my experience as a child as an example, after eating white sugar, there will be an indescribable feeling in the mouth, but there is no such thing when eating local brown sugar, and it feels better than white sugar. As for the saying that you will get tired of it, it does not mean eating it all the time, but eating it often. Are you really foodies? You can even eat sweets without stopping? Is there anything in this world that you can’t stop eating without getting tired of it?
(End of this chapter)