The Crown Princess is busy fishing

Lin Yuge leaned closer for a look, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Brother, it's saltpeter! This is a really good thing!"

She recalled the various uses of saltpeter.

Putting aside the dangers of gunpowder, the fact that they could make ice with saltpeter alone would provide them with considerable convenience.

Overjoyed, he immediately squatted down in excitement.

He carefully collected the crystals from the ground and put them into the cloth bag he had brought with him.

At this moment, Lin Qingzhou slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I remember now!"

“I saw this thing at Guixu Temple outside the capital. Back then, the alchemy room of Master Guixu had this thing.”

Lin Yuge recalled that ancient alchemists did indeed use saltpeter to refine alchemy.

My older brother said he had seen this thing in a Taoist temple, so it's not surprising.

Lin Qingzhou still looked bewildered.

She urged him hastily, "Brother, quickly find me more of this stuff, so I can use it to make you something delicious when we get back?"

Hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Lin Qingzhou immediately perked up.

He replied with a smile, "Okay, then I'll have to look for it carefully."

"But little sister, what delicious food do you want to make with this saltpeter? I can't imagine it."

As he spoke, he began to carefully search the surroundings for saltpeter, leaving no corner unchecked.

Lin Yuge smiled mysteriously and said, "Once we get back and make it, Big Brother will know."

The others, seeing the two of them engrossed in collecting, also curiously gathered around.

Zhang Meng sidled up to the two of them and asked, "What are you two looking for? You seem quite interested."

Lin Qingzhou smiled and looked up, saying, "We found saltpeter! Yu Ge said we can use it to make delicious food!"

"Saltpeter? What's that?" Zhang Meng asked, looking puzzled.

Li Er, standing nearby, also craned his neck in curiosity.

Lin Yuge pointed to the white crystal on the ground and explained, "This is it. I know a way."

"We can use it to make ice. With ice, we can make a lot of delicious things, like smoothies and chilled fruit."

Moreover, I need it for something very important.

Everyone looked surprised upon hearing this.

Daya blinked and said, "Really? We rarely see ice here."

Cui Cui excitedly added, "Yes, I really want to try the ice cream made with saltpeter as soon as possible."

The others found it somewhat unbelievable, but they realized that Lin Yuge did indeed know quite a lot.

They chose to believe her and all expressed their willingness to help.

So, led by Lin Yuge and Lin Qingzhou, the group began to collect saltpeter together.

They searched the cave thoroughly, not missing a single saltpeter crystal.

After collecting what was outside, the group continued deeper into the cave.

On one side of the cave wall, there are several damp spots where water is constantly seeping out.

Around the falling water droplets, many glistening saltpeter crystals gathered.

Lin Yuge walked over to observe out of curiosity.

"Look, there should be groundwater here, which contains some special minerals."

It reacted with other substances here, which is how so much saltpeter was formed.

Lin Qingzhou excitedly joined in.

"Perhaps there's more saltpeter around here. Let's search along the direction of this water flow."

Following the water flow marks on the stone wall, they continued their search and, sure enough, found some more saltpeter hidden in a corner.

The group collected a lot more until all the bags they had brought were full.

Only then did they pack their things and prepare to go back.

Li Er looked up at the sky outside the cave.

He urged, "Hurry up, everyone. It's getting late. We need to hurry, otherwise it will be very dangerous to walk on the mountain road after dark."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickened their pace.

Finally, after checking the surroundings one last time to make sure that everything was taken, they began to walk out of the cave.

Each person carried a basket of lychees on their back and held a basket in their other hand. Zhang Meng's basket also contained two bamboo tubes of honey.

In addition, there were several bags of saltpeter that had been collected.

With their bountiful harvest, the group descended the mountain and headed home in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The next day, after breakfast, Lin Yuge thought about all the lychees she had brought back the day before.

He then carried a basket to Wen Jizhong and brought him some saltpeter and a few pieces of mirabilite mixed in with the saltpeter.

"Grandpa Wen, I've brought you some good stuff."

Wen Jizhong took the lychees from her hand with a neutral reaction.

Upon seeing the saltpeter and mirabilite, his eyes lit up and his expression became excited.

He hurriedly held the crystals in both hands, saying, "They are indeed good things."

He carefully put the things back into the house and handed Lin Yuge a bottle of medicine.

He said awkwardly, "Take it, remember to use it. I have more if you need more."

Lin Yuge readily accepted the gift and replied with a smile, "I understand, Grandpa Wen. I'll bring back any good medicinal herbs I come across in the future."

Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Wen Jizhong's eyes.

He waved his hand, urging her, "Go on, I have things to do."

He then turned and went back into the house.

Lin Yuge shook her head and turned to go home.

When I got home, I looked at the remaining lychees and thought about using them to make some canned lychees and brew a few jars of lychee wine.

She peeled and pitted the lychees, put them in a pot, added water and rock sugar, and simmered them slowly.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of lychees.

As Lin Yuge stirred the lychees in the pot, she thought about her discovery in the cave yesterday, feeling quite pleased with herself.

With saltpeter, the fish caught could be preserved for a longer time, allowing their fishing boats to travel to farther places.

At this moment, Lin Qingzhou was fiddling with the saltpeter in the yard, preparing to try making ice with saltpeter according to Lin Yuge's method.

He found a large basin, filled it with water, and then placed a small basin inside the large basin, which was also filled with water.

Next, he carefully placed the saltpeter into the large basin of water.

Eyes fixed intently on the water's surface, anticipating a miraculous change.

After a while, the water in the basin began to cool down slowly, and a thin layer of icy mist gradually appeared on the surface of the water.

Lin Qingzhou exclaimed excitedly, "Little sister, come out and see! It looks like it's done!"

Hearing her elder brother's call, Lin Yuge rushed out and saw the changes in the basin.

It worked! I was so glad I still remembered what I had learned before.

"Brother, could you stir the water in the big basin? Maybe it will ripen faster."

Lin Qingzhou nodded and carefully stirred the water outside with a wooden stick.

The two continued to observe, and as time went on, the water in the large basin grew colder and colder, while the water in the small basin gradually froze into ice.

Finally, a large block of ice was successfully made in the small basin.

Lin Qingzhou excitedly urged, "Great! Little sister, we have ice now. We can make iced lychees!"

Lin Yuge nodded.

She ladled out the cooked lychee preserves and set them aside to cool.

Then carefully break the ice cubes in the small bowl, put them in a bowl, and pour the canned lychees on top.

A delicious serving of chilled lychees is ready.

Lin Yuge took a bite; it was icy and refreshing, a perfect combination of the sweetness of lychee and the coolness of ice, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Lin Qingzhou also picked up a bowl and ate happily.