Salt is a necessity after death, and in ancient times, it was one of the lifeblood of a country, so salt has been controlled by the government since ancient times, from mining to transportation to sales, there are the shadows of the official family in it. Although there are also people who sell smuggled salt, it is a big crime, and if you are caught, you will have to suffer a lawsuit. In ancient times, the main source of salt was sea salt, which was dried on the seashore and transported to the mainland through canals and other natural rivers. However, in ancient times, the technology was not developed, the production of sea salt was limited, and the transportation was not fast, which led to a shortage of salt in the interior. Because of the high cost of mining and transportation, and the salt tax, the price of official salt naturally rose. The best is green salt, which is not used for eating, but is used by the masters of high-ranking officials, nobles and wealthy families to get up every morning and dip some willow branches in them to clean their mouths. Then there is refined salt, which is bought for cooking and consumption by those who have the wealth and power to have a family. But more ordinary people can't even afford to eat this kind of refined salt at home. However, if the human body does not have salt injection for a long time, the body will be swollen, resulting in cerebral edema, consciousness disorders, blurred eyes and inability to see, and severe people can develop coma shock, which is life-threatening. You can't do it without salt, but you can't afford official salt, you don't have much private salt, and you don't dare to buy it, it's just urgent, but you don't have that money, what should I do? Therefore, in fact, most of the poor people in the mainland of Datang eat this kind of salt soil. That is, the salt mine is crushed into slag.

Xia Hongsheng had seen those salt mines, and his family originally ate this kind of salt soil, and it was better during this time, so his sister-in-law went to buy some official salt to use. I don't know how many impurities there are in that kind of salt mine, they are all pieces of walnut-sized yellow-brown crystals, which can be crushed with a twist of the hand, Xia Hongsheng has tasted it, and he still remembers it vividly, in addition to saltiness, there are all kinds of strange smells, sour, astringent, and bitter...... It's like death. Eating those salt mines is not eating salt at all, but taking poison, which is chronic suicide!

Xia Hongsheng looked at the bucket of turbid, yellowish and white, like lime water in front of him, sighed and shook his head, remembering what the middle-aged scribe said at noon, the people's livelihood is suffering!

"Hongsheng, come and eat! What are you doing there?! "My sister-in-law cooked gruel and came to call Xia Hongsheng.

Xia Hongsheng didn't go over to eat, but just turned his head and said to his sister-in-law: "Sister-in-law, do you believe that I can make refined salt from this barrel of salt mine?" ”

"What?" The woman was a little surprised, the refined salt of the official family has always been transported from the seaside, and these salt mines can also be turned into refined salt. Joke right, the big guy in the salt mine still doesn't eat much? I haven't seen it turn into refined salt.

"Sister-in-law, crush this salt ore and dissolve it into water, then filter the salt water, filter out the impurities, and finally put it in a pot to boil and analyze, it should be able to crystallize the refined salt that people eat." Xia Hongsheng said to his sister-in-law: "Sister-in-law, where is the linen cloth at home, bring two pieces over." ”

Although my sister-in-law didn't understand what Xia Hongsheng wanted linen for, she quickly took out two pieces of linen, the family was poor, and there were no brocades and silks, but linen cloth was a must, and the clothes on her body were not all there! Xia Hongsheng also ran to bring another empty bucket over, and shoveled some leftover charcoal from the fire, returned to the bucket, took a stick and stirred it in the bucket, and then covered the mouth of the barrel with a sackcloth, and slowly poured the bucket of salt water into another empty bucket.

After a while, when a bucket of salt water was poured, the linen cloth was full of gray-black slag. When the linen cloth is removed, the solution in the bucket becomes brown and lighter in color, but there are still many impurities. The process of filtration is very simple, the woman knows it after reading it, and she helped Xia Hongsheng to filter it back and forth between the two buckets with a linen cloth several times, and the light red solution was left in the bucket.

Xia Hongsheng hugged the broken charcoal with a linen cloth, ran to scoop the water and rinse it, and when the black water was exhausted, he asked his sister-in-law to take a funnel over, stuffed the burlap bag wrapped with charcoal into the funnel, squeezed it tightly, found a shelf, fixed the funnel on the shelf, and then poured the solution in the bucket into the funnel.

Xia Hongsheng looked at the funnel a little nervously, although he watched the people in the village next to the school do it, but it was the first time he practiced it. Fortunately, after a while, the pale cyan solution slowly flowed out, Xia Hongsheng hurriedly reached out and took a few drops to taste, it was not bad, only salty, not bitter, and now this salt is definitely safe to eat.

"Haha, that's right, sister-in-law, put up the pot, pour these things into the pot and boil over low heat, and keep the water dry, and the crystals that come out are good salt." After a while, Xia Hongsheng saw that the solution was filtered clean, and then he carried the half bucket of salt solution, stood up and said to his sister-in-law.

The woman did so, took an iron pot and put it on the fire, then took the wooden barrel and slowly poured the half bucket of solution into the pot, and then covered the pot.

The solution gradually boiled, and the water in it became less and less, Xia Hongsheng's sister-in-law nervously watched the solution tumbling and bubbling in the pot, steaming hot.

The water in the pot gradually dried up, and the white salt grains were like snow, delicately spread on the bottom of the pot.

Xia Hongsheng stretched out his finger and dipped it in his mouth to taste, well, yes, it's really good salt.

When I looked back, I found that my sister-in-law was standing there a little trembling, and even pointed a finger at Xia Hongsheng, her eyes blinking, but she couldn't speak. After a long time, he asked in a shocked whisper, "Hong...... Hongsheng, you really made good salt from the salt mine! You...... You told your sister-in-law, where did you learn the scallion pancakes, the later oily noodles, the things you taught your sister-in-law, the wooden utensils you made, and the method of making salt today? This is still taught in the academy?! ”

"This ...... Well, do you remember the old man I told you to meet in Laojun Mountain, this is all what he taught me. Xia Hongsheng didn't care whether his sister-in-law believed it or not, he opened his mouth and said, and then turned around and went out. But as soon as he went out, he stuck his head in again: "Sister-in-law, when you come back tomorrow, bring more salt and soil back, let's make him good salt, the court prohibits the sale of smuggled salt, let's just don't sell it, we make it ourselves and eat it secretly at home, haha!" ”

Xia Hongsheng ran back to the house, but the woman hurriedly followed, followed Xia Hongsheng into the house, and as soon as she entered the door, she said to Xia Hongsheng with a straight face: "Hongsheng, you sit down, sister-in-law has something to say to you." ”

Seeing his sister-in-law's solemn face, Xia Hongsheng had no choice but to sit down obediently at the table, and the woman also sat down and said to Xia Hongsheng: "Hongsheng, sister-in-law doesn't know where you learned these things, and if you don't want to tell your sister-in-law, your sister-in-law won't ask anymore." The two of us in this family depend on each other, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you are already so old, and your sister-in-law didn't even notice it. Hongsheng, you want to do your best for the family, for the sister-in-law to share, sister-in-law knows, but Hongsheng, as long as there is a sister-in-law in this family, it will definitely hold on to prevent it from falling, you just have to study hard, listen to the lectures, sister-in-law can inquire about it, the head of the academy, it is said that he is a big man in Chang'an City, if he can get his recommendation, participate in the scientific examination, and embark on the official career, your father and brother will know it, and will be happy to be tight. Our Xia family, if there was a scholar at the beginning, your father and brother would not have been dragged to the battlefield and there would be no bones. No matter how much my sister-in-law supports her, she is just maintaining a family, and my sister-in-law is a woman, my Xia family needs you to revitalize the family business after all. Hongsheng, sister-in-law is grateful to you for spending so much effort for our family, but sister-in-law still wants to sue you and spend more time on your studies, which is better than anything else. Sister-in-law is not afraid of hardship, as long as you can have a chance, even if your sister-in-law is dead, she is willing to leave with a smile! Hongsheng, listen to your sister-in-law, study hard, don't mess with your mind anymore. ”

Let's say, the woman just looked at Xia Hongsheng like this, and Xia Hongsheng was weak - he had no intention of embarking on the road of scientific research at all, he didn't have that interest, and he didn't have that ability. The scientific examination is not a matter of stealing a few ancient poems and ancient texts to fool the past, even if it is fooled, you have to go to the palace to accept Li Shimin's interview, Li Shimin is such an eloquent and domineering master, how can he be so easy to fool? Originally, Xia Hongsheng planned that the first priority was to make money, and when he earned enough capital, he had a material basis for other things he wanted to do. But now that my sister-in-law said this, and it sounded so sad, Xia Hongsheng hesitated for a while.

"Yes, Hongsheng strictly obeys the teachings of his sister-in-law." Xia Hongsheng was a little confused by what his sister-in-law said, stood up and solemnly saluted the woman, and went back to his cubicle.

Xia Hongsheng came from a later generation and did not take the reading exam seriously. In later generations, he graduated from kindergarten to university, worked for several years and went through ups and downs, and finally went to be a rural teacher. But now it is different, in ancient times, studying for the imperial examination was almost the only way to achieve success. Being an official is the collective ideal of the whole society, and it is even more true for scholars, so it is understandable that my sister-in-law has this thought. It's just that Xia Hongsheng didn't think so in his heart. Educate one side, for the benefit of all people, he thinks he doesn't have that ability, relying on the knowledge and experience he brought from the later generations, small fights, mixed food and clothing worry-free, if you can become a gentleman, it would be better, haha, rich in the pocket, wandering around, that folding fan pretends, flirting with the little maid at home is enough, plain and calm, relaxed and comfortable. It's a pity that this ideal can't be told to the sister-in-law, otherwise, it is estimated that the sister-in-law will be greeted with a stick.

Xia Hongsheng didn't change his mind because of his sister-in-law's words, he just lay down in his clothes, hehe, the future is still long!