Li Shanhao said that he persuaded Cui Xiufang to go to the workshop today to test the secret recipe, and made an appointment with Cui Geng to go to the Li family's gray sugar workshop the next day to try the secret recipe.

The next morning, it was just dawn.

Jiangdu County Ya, inner house.

Cui Xiufang broke in through the window again, grabbed Cui Geng's ears, and shouted: "Big lazy worm, get up quickly, don't delay today's business." ”

"Oops~~ You've been flying windows and climbing walls all day, can you knock on the door next time?"

Cui Geng rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "What time is it?" ”

"It's just over the fifth watch, what's the matter? This girl loves to fly windows and climb walls, do you care about me? Cui Xiufang said lightly.

"Okay, okay, what do you like?" Cui Geng subconsciously stretched the quilt.

"Still sleeping? Hurry up, didn't you say okay, let's go to Li Shan's gray sugar workshop this morning? ”

"This ......" Cui Geng's face turned slightly red, and said, "Wait a while, you go out first!" ”

"Why?"

"The official is used to sleeping naked......"

Yes~~

A sharp female voice is delicate and delicate, giving infinite reverie to the servants on duty

……

……

Every inch of land in Yangzhou City is expensive, and a gray sugar workshop that is not very profitable, the Li family will naturally not arrange it in the city.

Cui Xiufang and Cui Geng beat their horses and whipped their horses, and went out of the city for thirty miles before they reached their destination.

But I saw that outside a small village, countless sturdy men wore red scarves on their heads, each with a blade, three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, and surrounded a huge courtyard with a single family.

A young man with a capable look greeted him and said, "Little Li Dafu, see Cui County Order!" Wait a minute, and the little one will immediately report to my master. ”

After a while, Li Shan personally greeted him and let Cui Geng and Cui Xiufang into the workshop.

To tell the truth, what should the sugar workshop look like, Cui Geng only had a vague impression in the absurd dream, and when he saw the appearance in front of him, he couldn't help blurting out: "So simple? ”

"Uh......"

Li Shan explained: "The old man in this sugar workshop didn't pay much attention, and the people below were all messing around. ”

"The official didn't say this......" Cui Geng muttered: "What the official means is that this gray sugar workshop is so simple and can still make money, it seems that our newly opened workshop has a lot to do!" ”

Li Shan's eyes lit up and said, "How can you say this?" ”

Cui Geng pondered slightly, and said, "Now is not the time to talk about this, let's try to see if the yellow mud water can make frosting." ”

The process is also simple, first find a large urn over, pick in two loads of loess, and then add water and stir vigorously.

Wait until the stirring is well before stopping, and wait quietly.

Finally, the yellow mud water is divided into two layers, the top is a clear solution, the bottom is the yellow mud, and the real use is the above layer of clear liquid.

Li Shan looked at some doorways inside, and said with emotion: "Cui County Ling just said yellow mud water yesterday, and the old man thought it was mixed with yellow mud water, and he dared to be so exquisite." ”

Cui Gengdao: "It's done now, you can take the gray sugar, pour it with yellow mud water, and the frosting will appear." ”

Although he had already explained it yesterday, Li Shan was still a little skeptical and did as he was told.

As a result, a miracle happened!

As soon as the gray sugar meets the yellow muddy water, the color suddenly fades, and it is getting closer and closer to the eye color of the frosting.

After Li Shan read it, he said thoughtfully: "The old man knows why Lijingmen is unwilling to expand the scale. ”

In fact, Cui Geng has always been a little strange, to say that the imperial court does not care about the interests of sugar production, it can be reluctantly explained.

But what about Lijingmen? They opened a sugar workshop just to make money, making sugar expensive, it seems that the profits are huge, but how can there be small profits and quick turnover?

Li Shan slowly said his guess. First, the method of decolorizing and changing gray sugar into frosting is too simple, and it will be used as soon as it hits the eye. In order to maintain the technological superiority of the Imperial Court or the Lijingmen, it was necessary to limit the scale of the industry.

Second, the cost of making frosting is quite not low, the sugar on the top is white, but the sugar on the bottom is even darker, and can only be removed as waste. You know, even gray sugar, which is used as a raw material, is expensive.

After saying the two reasons, Li Shan sighed slightly and said, "Although we have also mastered the method of making white sugar, it seems that it is difficult to get a million yuan a year." ”

Cui Geng shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true, in fact, it's not just about keeping it secret, it's not just about making sugar." Secrecy is to be guaranteed, but it is to prevent gentlemen and villains,"

"What do you mean?" Li Shan was puzzled.

Cui Geng knew that during the reign of Li Zhi of Tang Gaozong, the sugar workshop exclusive to the imperial court had already invented the process of pouring yellow mud water to decolorize sugar. However, it has been kept secret, and it has not been taught skills to folk sugar mills. The purpose is to monopolize the icing process, but also to maintain the superiority of the royal court, and the icing is specially supplied to the royal family and the court dignitaries.

The sugar industry really developed, and the icing process was popularized among the people in the Song Dynasty.

Now that Lijingmen has mastered the icing process, and he and Li Shan have also mastered the icing process, this secret recipe cannot be regarded as a monopoly. Sooner or later, this extremely simple recipe will also be passed on to the craftsmen in the workshop.

So Cui Geng's meaning is to expand the scale as much as possible, and as for confidentiality, if you can keep it secret, you can keep it as secret as possible, but it's really nothing if you can't prevent it.

Because as long as you keep the secret recipe for a few years, you have made a lot of profits in the past few years, and you are already satisfied.

After Li Shan listened, his face collapsed, and he said depressedly: "It's only been a few years......

"What? Mr. Li thinks that such a simple process has to give up seventy percent of the molecules, which is a loss? ”

Cui Geng looked at Li Shan and said, "We are fighting in the ring with Lijingmen, and we can't rely on this official and your disciples." After all, Lijingmen opened a frosting workshop in order to obtain funds. But behind the Lijing Gate stood Lai Junchen. If we want the court not to favor them, we must have the support of the Shangguan Sheren. So give her three percent, it's not unjust at all! As for the official......"

"Cui County ordered Mo to say it again, Li didn't mean that."

Li Shan hurriedly said: "If there is no Cui County order, the contemptible people will never think of the method of making frosting with yellow mud water, and they are willing to gamble and lose, there is nothing to say." ”

"Refreshing, Mr. Li is a person who does big things!" Cui Geng gave a thumbs up and asked, "But once our frosting comes out, Lijingmen will know that they no longer have the exclusive advantage of frosting." At that time, they will be willing to expand the scale, lower the price, and compete directly with you in order to seek funding. At that time, I wonder how Mr. Li is going to deal with it? ”

Li Shan's current identity is the biggest thief in Yangzhou City, but he is not a serious businessman, so when it comes to doing business, he really doesn't have the two old guys Quanzhou Lin Zhixiang and Zhang Yuanchang thieves.

Seeing Cui Geng's question, he hesitated a little and said, "What does Cui County's order mean that we are competing to reduce the price?" ”

"Competing to reduce prices is just a means, we solve the problem from the root and minimize the cost of gray sugar. In this way, the price war started, Lijingmen lost money and lowered the price with us, but we made money to play with him! ”

Saying that, Cui Geng himself was happy: "How can this money-losing business fight the price war to the end?" When the time comes, see how long Meng Shenshuang can hold on? ”

"Selling at a reduced price, and still making a lot of money? Is this possible? Cui Xiufang, who was on the side, opened her eyes wide and expressed disbelief.

However, Li Shan heard the key and asked urgently: "Could it be that Cui County Ling even has this way to reduce the cost of gray sugar?" ”

"Of course, if I don't take you for nothing, can you be willing?"

Li Shan laughed and arched his hand: "Don't make fun of it, please also ask Cui County Ling to explain, Li will listen!" ”

Cui Geng hummed and spoke slowly.

In this era, the principle of sugarcane sugar production is almost the same as that of later generations, but Cui Geng can still make some technological improvements.

Don't underestimate these improvements, the cost savings are not a small number.

First of all, sugarcane, this thing consumes water, fertilizer and labor, so that if you plant sugarcane on a piece of land one year, you can only grow something else the next year, otherwise the yield of sugarcane will be miserable.

So, the price of sugar cane is quite not low.

So how can you save money? Of course, it wasn't Cui Geng who instructed the sugarcane farmers to farm, and he didn't have that ability.

But he had a way to increase the efficiency of sugarcane juice.

Nowadays, all sugarcane is crushed by stone mills to extract juice, which is very inefficient, only about 30% of the juice yield.

But Cui Geng knows that two wooden reels or stone reels are squeezed with each other to squeeze the juice, so that the juice yield can reach sixty percent!

What is this concept?

This is equivalent to doubling the price of sugarcane raw materials!

Also, in the process of making frosting, one of the steps to clarify the sugar solution is to add milk or egg white.

Let's not talk about the price of these two things, if you really produce frosting on a large scale, where can you buy so many eggs?

But Cui Geng knows the reason why he uses egg whites or cow's milk, because they are essentially proteins!

Well, you can replace it with something cheaper that contains protein, right?

Soy milk go!

Not only is the cost more than half lower, but it is also easier to find raw materials.

In addition, a similar approach can be used for multiple steps.

……

Through Cui Geng's narration, Li Shan carefully estimated that the cost of just making gray sugar was only one-third of the original.

In other words, even if he sells the gray sugar at the original price, he will have at least two hundred percent profit.

In an instant, Li Shan was full of confidence in fighting a price war.

His face was full of red light, and he secretly thought, hum, Meng Shenshuang, Meng Shenshuang, you wait for Lao Tzu, let's count the new hatred and old hatred together!

……

It only took half a month for a new frosting to be made!

On this day, it was night again.

Jiangdu County Ya, inner house.

Cui Xiufang broke in through the window again and said happily: "Erlang, look! What is it? ”

I slept soundly in the middle of the night, and I was woken up again, damn, Cui He was no longer able to complain.

Despite the current beauty, he was still quite unhappy and said unhappily: "What? Isn't it just frosting? It's not like I haven't seen it! ”

"You've seen it?" Cui Xiufang pouted and said disdainfully: "Don't brag!" It's not like I've never seen the frosting concubine sold by Lijingmen, how can it be so white? The frosting in our workshop is a hundred times stronger than theirs! ”

Of course, Cui Xiufang's words are a bit exaggerated, but it is several percent stronger, which is true.

It's not surprising to think about it, Cui Geng's method is basically equivalent to the craftsmanship of the Ming and Qing dynasties in the later generations, and it is only strange to be able to make white sugar as white as snow!

Cui Geng said: "Did Li Shan say that our frosting price is geometric?" ”

"It's not decided yet, but at least twice as long as Lijingmen...... Ah, no, three times, right? ”

"No!" Cui Geng shook his head and said, "Help me tell Li Shan, the original price of frosting is better than silver, let's sell it at half of the original price of Lijingmen, and we don't want much!" ”

"It's... Sell at half the price of Lijingmen? Cui Xiufang mistakenly thought that she had misheard.

Cui Geng nodded heavily and said, "You heard it right, it's this price!" ”

Suddenly, Cui Xiufang's eyes were full of little stars, and she said in a slightly admiring tone: "Cui County Order, do you know what the concubine admires you the most?" ”

"I want to hear about it!"

"For an official, but not greedy for money at all! It's not like those local officials at all, who can't wait to rip off a layer of land. ”

As she spoke, she paused slightly, her voice became smaller, and she said weakly: "If you change your greed again, you will... Even better! ”

Cui Geng: "......"

This little girl's brain is open......

Here, the beautiful woman chuckled, blushed, and jumped out of the window!

Looking at the distant Qianying, Cui Geng muttered, Sister paper, brother does not regard money as dung, but spares his life, no matter how much money he has, he must have a life to enjoy, right?

Soon, there was a trend of eating sugar in Yangzhou City!

Who doesn't love sweets? It's just that it was too expensive in the past, so I was reluctant to eat it! If you don't eat it by half all of a sudden, wouldn't it be a big loss?

As a result, as soon as the frosting in the Li family's workshop came out, it was in short supply. As for the icing that is yellow in color and twice as expensive as Lijingmen, no one cares about it at all.

……

……

On this day, Ruyi Building.

Meng Shenshuang's face was gloomy and he was about to drip water, and said coldly: "Li Shan seems to be an enemy of this manager, what do you think?" ”

Kneeling in front of him was Bai Qiuhe, the shopkeeper of the Lijingmen Frosting Workshop.

Bai Qiuhe said: "Or, let's also reduce the price?" The profit of frosting is very high, even if it is halved, we will also make a lot of money. ”

"Price drop?"

Meng Shenshuang paced back and forth, stopped, looked at the portrait of an old man in the room, pondered for a long time, and then shook his head and said, "Price reduction, no!" ”

"But if we don't reduce the price, our frosting won't sell!" Bai Qiuhe said.

"Don't worry, the manager has his own way." Meng Shenshuang said, "Our Lijingmen is making money from sugar workshops, which is true. But we are not serious merchants, so why should we attack the enemy's strengths with our own shortcomings? ”