Wife's Observation Log

The first sample made by Master Wang will naturally be sent to Lan Wei's lips to check whether it is qualified. It shouldn't be too much, therefore, Lan Wei's first request is to ask Master Wang to study it, don't make a mountain of crisps the size of a washbasin, even if Lan Wei is in good health, it won't hurt to eat so much for Xie Zhen up.

Master Wang expressed embarrassment, which was far from his cognition. After all, since the Tang Dynasty, if you want to have a decent banquet, the bigger the Sushan Mountain, the better. Because Lan Wei and San Huo are not too strict, the more Said that he was still getting more and more energetic, and said: "Even the Sushan Mountain of Prince Zhanghuai in the Tang Dynasty is as big as a bonsai, so shouldn't the Sushan Mountain for our Royal Highness be more magnificent?"

Lan Wei can understand him when he thinks about it. Because of Xie Zhen's health and Yishui's meticulous care, Su Shan may not be able to appear on the menu of Qingning Palace. Lan Wei herself probably didn't want to miss it, so she told Master Wang that if you want to be grand, don't make it too big, the real food art should be more delicate, let him try to carve a pavilion first, and teach her later.

Master Wang stopped and went to study, and Lan Wei started frying sugar.

The pot Lan Wei asked for was a relatively small one. She spread a thick layer of white sugar on the bottom of the pot, poured some cold boiled water and started to simmer on a low heat until the sugar melted slowly. Feel free to chat with Sanhuo.

Sanhuo knows how to cook, but he doesn't know much, and he is better at medicine. Seeing the syrup foaming, he asked Lan Wei if it was time to cook it. Lan Wei said wait until it turned reddish brown or It's thicker.

But after finishing speaking, Lan Wei suddenly felt something was wrong: "Let's put it in the pot? Can Sushan be put in the pot?"

Well, the knowledge blind spot.When making candied apples, the apple pieces should be wrapped in flour batter and fried. After the fried apple pieces are thrown into the caramel, stir and boil, then the candied apples are finished when they come out of the pan. How do you fry the ice cream?Or how can it not be melted by simply putting it in caramel?

In response to this problem, Lan Wei first thought of the fried ice cream that he had heard about, but it seemed to require edible paper or something, which was obviously not a feasible idea.Then Lan Wei began to try hard to recall what the romantic caramel gold circle in her memory was like, but to no avail.

"Of course Sushan can't be put out of the pot, Mr. Lan, what do you want to do?" Sanhuo looked curious.

After Lan Wei found out that it was wrong, she felt that it must be a different way of Western food, so she was a little hesitant to say it, but she really didn't want to fail, so she described the result she wanted.

Sanhuo thought about it and said, "It sounds a bit like drawing sugar figures, but it's not on a flat surface."

Having said that, Lan Wei felt that it was indeed very similar. Since it was not fried ice cream directly, it should be a decoration made by drawing silk. However, she tried it a few times on the empty plate, even if she just used a small spoon to pull it in circles, it would still As it should be, it sticks and collapses together, and it can't be three-dimensional at all. It's useless to control the timing of the fire and cooling.

Master Wang finished all the ice sculptures and pavilions on one side, and carefully placed them in the ice bucket for fear of melting, and didn't directly drizzle them with cream cheese.After concentrating on it, he turned around and saw that his immediate boss, Sanhuo, and Master Lan had already made more than a dozen plates of caramel "bracelets", and finally stepped forward: "My lords, why don't you use a mould?"

Master Wang seems to have researched everything from aristocratic desserts to folk sugar figurines. After understanding the needs of Party A, Mr. Lan, he asked Sanhuo to find a clean marble box, which can just hold the level of ice sculptures. After disinfection, he put it on it. Apply a layer of sesame oil, and then ask Lan Wei to stick the chopsticks around the square box to make circles. This idea is obviously correct. After a few tries, Lan Wei has the caramel gold silk circle she wanted.

The rest is to learn the skill of pouring cheese like Master Wang, which is actually similar to caramel drawing.After a lot of tossing, it's not even lunch time yet.

Lan Wei carried the food box with San Huo on the way back. When they arrived in front of the Qingning Palace, San Huo said that she would not dare to go in because His Highness was dealing with official business, so she would not send them off.Then Yishui came out to meet him. Considering that normal people's feet would not be able to run out of the hall so quickly after hearing Sanhuo's words, it seemed that the two had a good understanding.

Previously, Lan Wei’s report was not in the front hall, but in the small study room at the back. The size of this room is impossible for the female officer of Shangshan to move into a big round table for eating like when she was approving the files last time, so she has been thanked by the general public. Zhen is waiting for her in the bedroom.

Since there is an element of "waiting", there must be stares at each other when they step into the bedroom. Xie Zhen smiled when he saw her. Although his eyes have the nature of running water and cold, but the spring water when the ice and snow melt is the most fascinating My heart is soft.

"Lanlan is amazing." She praised without hesitation, "Tang Palace only dared to 'light the crispy mountain in the warm gold plate', but Lanlan lit the crispy mountain with golden yarn for me."

After complimenting Xie Zhen, he looked at Lan Wei, and then continued, "I just don't know how to place chopsticks."

It’s really hard to say anything, especially Lan Wei asked Master Wang to carve a pavilion with eaves and horns, which is too artistic. It would be strange to eat the pavilion cover first, but if you eat the candy rings that are intended to be low walls first, it seems like Also a little too tired.Lan Wei covered her face and struggled for a while, then threw the question back: "You can do whatever you want."

Xie Zhen finished eating honestly, but obviously she doesn't often use such sweet food. Although she praised a lot of words like "cheese like a rose", "melting milk and flowing ice, the lingering fragrance of lips and teeth", she must drink this ice cream A cup or two of hot tea...

While eating ice cream, Lan Wei began to think about what made Xie Zhen worry. Recently, Lan Wei has nothing new in her ears: on the military side, Jing Xian and the others are repairing the fortifications step by step in the border town, and sister Chang Yuan is rectifying the Jingwei; In terms of industry, the Tiangong Institute has just been completed; then only Yao Chengsi's paper money economy is left.

"Sister Yao is not going well?"

Xie Zhen didn't shift his gaze to Lan Wei because of Lan Wei's question. Instead, he deliberately turned to the door behind her. His brows sank in the blink of an eye, and then he regained his superficial calm: "Sichuan merchants drive the two lakes. , it seems not easy."

Yao Chengsi is the chief envoy of Sichuan, and the pilot currency system reform is in Sichuan. It is indeed logical to use Sichuan merchants as a communication tool. However, the terrain in Sichuan is steep and complicated, and Tianfu is self-sufficient in fish, rice, and Sichuan embroidery. It is unnecessary for Sichuan merchants to expand their business. There is no motivation, Lan Wei quickly understands.

But the problem is solved.

Either policies and money encourage Sichuan merchants to go out, or abandon Sichuan merchants and support other local merchants.

Policy money may be spent in vain, and if businessmen from other places are not well selected, they will still go to the dead end of Sichuan businessmen.

Transportation in the Ming Dynasty was not so developed, and it would take three months for Yao Chengsi to come here quickly. Besides, she received the newly created title of chief minister of the five provinces, and it was not suitable for her to enter Beijing casually.

Credibility is always unclear, so Xie Zhen and she can only exhaust each other's thinking and write down all directions in detail, so that the other party who gets the letter will not waste another letter because one of the points is overturned. time.This amount of thinking really made Xie Zhen a little haggard.

"Shanxi merchants may be better." Lan Wei said. Shanxi merchants began to rise in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and reached their peak in the Qing Dynasty. They were famous for their salt industry and bank accounts.Who hasn't heard of the name of Rishengchang, the "Daughter of Rishengchang"?

Well, Xie Zhen has never heard of it.

After all, it is a matter of later generations. Lan Wei knows that the Shanxi merchants will stand out through the interpretation on the screen and the stories passed down by word of mouth. For now, it is difficult for Xie Zhen to see how the Shanxi merchants are superior to the Shu merchants.

"One is that the land in southern Shanxi is narrow and densely populated, and going out to do business is already an irreplaceable way of making a living; the other is that Shanxi produces mines, which always have to be transported outside to make a profit; third, they are known for their credibility. They set up some private banknotes to promote banknotes, which can be more secure among merchants." "Speaking loudly" is actually a word that can be used on Lan Wei, her logic and thinking are very clear, and the last one is even more thank you Zhen wanted something.

Xie Zhen showed approval, and added: "In addition, the amount of mineral transactions is too large, and paper money is very beneficial to them... But the idea of ​​​​private banknotes is really wonderful. Since paper money is private, why can't it be used again?" Revived by private hands? Exactly."

She returned to the table and began to write vigorously. Maybe she was a little excited, so she abandoned Yu Kai. Wei said, "Lanlan, come here."

If someone else's handwriting is so messy, Lan Wei must not be able to read it. It is precisely because she is familiar with Xie Zhen that she can see every word of her into her eyes and heart. Xie Zhen's writing is exactly what Yao Chengsi strives to promote Shang, the reasons one, two, three, and four are basically the same as what Lan Wei said, but the cursive essay, written in one go, is more organized than the sentences in the dialogue, and there is even a sense of beauty in a parallel essay at the beginning.

Lan Wei is proud of Xie Zhen in her heart, and feels that this is a real genius who will succeed wherever he is placed. Even if he doesn't engage in politics, can't draw, or can't write beautiful characters, there will probably be famous stories handed down to the world.

"Take it and copy it and send it to Sichuan, and then ask them to write a copy for you. I will present it to the emperor tomorrow morning."

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Additional historical background:

White sugar, after the emergence of the yellow mud water sugar method in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the production cost of white sugar in my country was greatly reduced, making it one of the main export products. (However, as of the 11th year of Changning, it should still be the Babylonian way of refining sugar with wood ash, which is still not cheap.)