Chapter 713: Chapter 713: Grinding Fragrant Oil
Qiao Changshun and Qiao Dami went to fetch water with their ox cart. By the time they returned, Qiao Xiaomai had cooked the soy milk.
She scooped the cooked soy milk into a wooden barrel, then placed the barrel into a bigger container full of water to cool down the soy milk.
Drinking freshly boiled soy milk in hot weather, even delicious as it was, could be overwhelmingly hot.
She left Qiao Changshun and Qiao Dami in charge of delivering the soy milk while she continued cooking. By that time, Zhuang Lühe, Qiao Zhaodi, and Qiao Yindi had ground out two more barrels of soybeans.
After cooking three rounds of soy milk, she had delivered it to both the Engineering Team and all those busy at work. The family each have chugged down two bowls, and the leftover could be used to make tofu.
In the evening, Tong Sanlang returned.
He was holding a pottery jar, with Shopkeeper He trailing behind him.
“Ah? Shopkeeper He, what brings you here?” Qiao Xiaomai greeted him with a sunny smile.
“Sanlang’s sesame oil brought me here!” Shopkeeper He responded with a hearty laugh.
“Huh?” Qiao Xiaomai was caught by surprise, she instantly looked towards Tong Sanlang.
Tong Sanlang handed the pottery jar she was holding to her, “Take a sniff.”
The pottery jar was just over a foot tall. Qiao Xiaomai took it, and without even removing the lid, she could smell the scent of sesame oil. The moment she removed the lid, the rich and aromatic scent instantly wafted out. Qiao Xiaomai involuntarily took a deep breath.
Typical sesame oil was always fragrant, but this particular batch was produced from sesame seeds irrigated with Spiritual Spring water, which resulted in an aroma five to six times richer than ordinary ones. It was rich yet not cloying, carrying a faint refreshing fragrance.
“When I was pressing the sesame oil, the scent was so intense that many passersby caught a whiff. That’s when Shopkeeper He came,” Tong Sanlang explained.
The usual aroma from the oil mill was already lovely enough to make passersby instinctively take more deep breaths, but the quality of the sesame seeds Tong Sanlang used this time was extraordinary, to the point where people weren’t just taking extra whiffs, but they stopped dead in their tracks outside the oil shop.
The mill was drawing an audience solely by pressing oil, which was enough to show how tempting the aroma of the oil was.
The shop owner asked Tong Sanlang more than once about how he grew his sesame seeds, even offering to buy the oil from him.
But Tong Sanlang turned them down.
Among the onlookers, there were also people asking for the price, wanting to buy the oil.
Bailu Town was not at all lacking in rich individuals.
But Tong Sanlang turned them down as well.
Finally, Shopkeeper He arrived.
Since Shopkeeper He was family, Tong Sanlang agreed to sell him the sesame paste but not the oil.
As a result, Shopkeeper He came running, planning to buy some sesame seeds. The source of this content ɪs Nove1Fire.net
Sesame seeds could only be used to extract oil, to make sesame paste, or to be used as a condiment. Therefore, Qiao Xiaomai only planted ten acres. Upon learning Shopkeeper He’s intention, she asked, “So, how much are you planning to buy?”
Shopkeeper He pretended to weigh the question, then quoted, “Three thousand jin. You know that our Gulai Residence has many branches in Daqi, and we can’t just supply to Bailu Town.”
She held back the urge to roll her eyes and said, “Shopkeeper, I only planted ten acres this year, which yields about three thousand jin. If you take all, what would I eat?”
“Oh, Miss Qiao, your family only has a few mouths to feed, how much can you possibly eat in a year? You wouldn’t need more than ten jin, would you?” Shopkeeper He attempted to reason with Qiao Xiaomai.
Qiao Xiaomai chuckled, then turned to Tong Sanlang and said, “Left some soy milk and tofu pudding for you.”
“So, I just happened to be in time. Pour me a bowl too,” Shopkeeper He spoke up nonchalantly.
Qiao Xiaomai gave a slight smile, saying, “All right then.”
After eating, naturally, it was time to discuss the purchase of soybeans.