Food starts with Mapo Tofu

Chapter 848 Knowledge
After Meng Tie said this, he looked at Li Xu expectantly. In the entire imperial court, except for the household department, he was the only one who paid attention to spells.

The Ministry of Industry itself is the guiding agency set up to take charge of construction engineering matters.

All government-run industries such as civil and water conservancy engineering, machinery manufacturing, mining, metallurgy and textiles in the country are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Industry of the Great Xia Dynasty is also in charge of the foundry of some Daxia Tongbao.

Therefore, they usually require a lot of calculations.

As for the number of spells, apart from the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Industry, it is the Superintendent of Tiansi, but what they count is another thing.

So Meng Tie became very interested after hearing that Chen Nian could actually calculate this kind of thing.

As the Empress of Great Xia, Li Xu usually only needs to care about the outcome of the court affairs, and she can't manage such details.

It was also for this reason that she didn't ask much before. As for making dim sum, she asked a few questions, it was simply because she was more interested.

"I don't have the calculation process you mentioned. If you want to see it, you have to find Chen Nian."

After hearing this, Meng Tie turned his head to look at Fu Xin again: "Master Fu, if I ask Chen Nian to borrow a draft to watch, can he lend it to me? If this thing is a family heirloom of Chen Nian, I will think of other ways to see if I can persuade them."

Fu Xin smiled: "Master Meng has to talk to Chen Nian directly, because his character will not be selfish to these things."

"Thank you, Master Fu."

Li Xu looked at Meng Tie's appearance and thought for a while: "Meng Tie, then I will give you a task. Then you have to see Chen Nian making ice with your own eyes."

"The minister obeys the order."

Afterwards, Li Xu asked the two to retreat first.

But before the two left, he still ordered Wang Jin to take them to find Chen Nian.

After a while, outside the imperial dining room.

Chen Nian just came back and prepared to pick up a bowl to eat. After the meal was ready, he only took two bites before being called away by the emperor.

Now I can finally have a safe meal when I come back.

As a result, when Chen Nian was halfway through eating, Wang Jin came to the imperial dining room again.

"Master Chen, are you eating?"

"Don't eat it yet, the adults in the court have something important to ask you, and eat later."

Chen Nian looked at Wang Jin in a daze, wondering if he could let him have a good meal?
It is understandable that the emperor told me to go there just now, but what is going on with the ministers in the court now?

Could it be that seeing me making cakes for the emperor so well, I feel that I am conniving the emperor's extravagance and lust?
"What kind of thing is this!"

But Wang Jin came calling again, so Chen Nian had to put the bowl on the table again and went outside.

As soon as he came out, he saw Fu Xin standing beside him, and he was relieved. With Fu Xin here, he probably came to ask him to be held accountable, and Fu Xin was still smiling.

This kid is usually a bit perverted, but he is not short-hearted, his good brother is about to lose his head, and he can still laugh.

It's just that Chen Nian, the middle-aged man standing beside Fu Xin, doesn't know him.

"Master Fu, this lord..."

Chen Nian didn't know what Meng Tie's name was, so he could only call him that.

"Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Meng Tiemeng, Minister of the Ministry of Industry. In fact, we came here this time because of the ice-making with saltpeter that you and Your Majesty mentioned earlier."

Chen Nian thought to himself, could this be the Ministry of Industry coming to ask for his formula?
I have never heard of people in this world using saltpeter to make ice before. Could it be that they came here for this?

"That's easy to say. I'll demonstrate it to the two adults later. According to the weather and temperature, it's fine to increase or decrease the ratio as appropriate."

Chen Nian didn't intend to hide this thing XZ, because it was unnecessary, if it was outside the palace, this kind of formula was still worth holding in hand, but when he entered the palace, even he belonged to the emperor, and even more Don't talk about the knowledge in your own mind.

But Meng Tie shook his head: "Master Chen, I didn't come here for this matter. Our Ministry of Industry also has the method of making ice with saltpeter. The main reason is that I heard from Your Majesty that you, Master Chen, calculated the saltpeter when making ice. The ratio to water, I came here this time just to ask Mr. Chen if it's convenient for me to borrow your calculation process."

"So you already know how to make ice with saltpeter?" Chen Nian was taken aback after hearing this.

But he quickly figured it out, just like many technologies in reality, some technologies just discovered are first used for military use, and then for civilian use.

"In terms of the calculation process, there is nothing wrong with showing it to you, but I'm afraid you won't understand it." Chen Nian said.

"Master Chen, although I still can't imagine how to calculate such matters, at least I was born as a Jinshi back then, and I got a high score in the subject of arithmetic. Even though it looks a little difficult, I should still pay attention to it." It’s impossible not to understand.”

Meng Tie has this self-confidence. Earlier, Fu Xin said that few people in the court could surpass Chen Nian in terms of spells. He actually didn't believe it, but because of Fu Xin's face, he didn't say that, but now he heard that Chen Nian directly Said he couldn't understand, and he finally couldn't help it.

Because usually there are any key civil engineering projects in the Great Xia Dynasty, he will participate in the calculation.

But Fu Xin has learned a lot from Chen Nian, including the numbers and various symbols that Chen Nian taught him at that time.

It's just that he didn't say anything, because he wanted to see Meng Tie's expression when the time came.

Chen Nian saw that Meng Tie was so confident, so he took out the draft paper for calculation from his clothes: "Master Meng, please have a look."

Meng Tie reached out to take the draft papers. At the same time, he was thinking about how he could not understand such ordinary calculations, but the next second he was stunned, because he found that he really could not understand. !
It's not that he doesn't understand the meaning between the lines, but that he doesn't even know what the symbols drawn on it are.

There are circles, horizontal lines, and some crooked lines, which obviously look strange, but they are all kinds of strangely shaped lines that feel very harmonious when put together.

"This……"

Now Meng Tie finally understands the meaning of Chen Nian, let alone himself, even the Taoist priests from Supervisor Tiansi can't understand it.

"Master Fu, can you understand?"

Meng Tie suddenly found that Fu Xin was gloating, so he asked.

Fu Xin leaned over and took a look: "Some of the symbols on it are recognizable, but I can't understand what they mean when they are put together. Although I lived with Brother Chen before, he taught me some, but It's not that deep."

But Meng Tie still doesn't believe it, because he has never seen this kind of symbol before, and it doesn't look like some characters, but when these symbols are put together, they give people a very regular feeling It doesn't look like it was scribbled.

"Master Chen, I really don't understand this."

Chen Nian knows this.

"Master Meng, why don't we go inside first, I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I'll tell you while I'm eating?"

"Alright."

Meng Tie's thirst for knowledge is very strong, and when he heard that Chen Nian was willing to tell himself, he also wanted to hear whether Chen Nian was writing indiscriminately.

So the three of them entered the courtyard of the imperial dining room together.

The other royal chefs saw the ministers coming, although they didn't know what was going on, they didn't want to disturb them.

In this way, while eating, Chen Nian first explained the meanings of the numbers from 0 to 9 to the other party, and then explained the usage of tens to hundreds of thousands.

"Can you still express it like this? If my Great Xia Dynasty can use this kind of measurement, wouldn't it be much more convenient and save a lot of effort!"

The more Meng Tie listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Chen Nian shook his head: "Master Meng, it is not suitable for the government to count in this way. Although it is easy to write, it is also easy to be tampered with. If someone with superb skills adds a 0 on top of 0, or a Forget it, wouldn't that be 8 and 6?"

"That's true, but it should be feasible to use this method to count normally." It is also easy to promote.

"really."

Chen Nian did not say anything to allow the other party to vigorously promote this counting method, because in ancient times, no matter what kind of change was risky.

As long as it is a change, it will inevitably touch the interests of some groups.

Chen Nian doesn't want to get involved in this kind of thing. As for the other party wanting to implement this method later, it's not his own business.

Then he told Meng Tie what the various letters in it meant.

"All in all, this calculation method is to calculate the specific dosage ratio by calculating the heat released by the reaction of saltpeter with water and the temperature node at which the water itself condenses into ice."

Although Meng Tie and Fu Xin nodded repeatedly, they still struggled.

After all, this is already the knowledge of high school and university, and they haven't even attended junior high school, so it is naturally not so easy to understand.

"But according to what you said, Master Chen, how are these formulas and the melting and boiling points of each material obtained?"

"It was developed by the warlock who taught me at the beginning, and it probably passed many tests." Chen Nian naturally couldn't explain to him that these knowledge will be learned by everyone in school thousands of years later.

"It's amazing!"

"It's amazing. Master Chen still knows where the sorcerer is now. There are such strange people among the people. If they can come to the court, it must be a blessing for the court and the world."

"I don't know. After he finished teaching me, he continued to travel around, and I never saw him again." Chen Nian came directly to ask questions. Anyway, he couldn't find him, and I was the only one who knew.

Meng Tie's eyes were shining: "Then Master Chen knows other formulas?"

Chen Nian knew what the other party was up to, so he shook his head: "I don't know much about civil engineering, but I know a little about materials, and the main thing I know is food."

"Then what else is there to calculate in terms of food?"

"That's a lot. If you want to start from the beginning, you probably won't be able to finish it in half a year."

Chen Nian said it easily, but Meng Tie was extremely shocked!
Can't finish the calculations here for half a year?

What a vast amount of knowledge that should be!
"What about the material?"

"In terms of materials, the things I know can probably be talked about for three or four months, and I don't know more."

Meng Tie's hands were trembling at this moment, but he was still a little unwilling: "That tall man... really don't know where he is now?"

"Master Meng, I really don't know about this."

"Master Chen, are you willing to work in our Ministry of Industry? I will recommend you personally. With your ability, you will definitely be able to be honored in the Ministry of Industry."

"Master Meng, forget it. If I wanted to be an official, I would have taken the imperial examination with my father and brother. Compared with these things, I would rather be a cook."

"Oh, what a pity." Meng Tie shook his head with a very regretful expression.

But at this time Fu Xin said: "Master Meng, why don't you let Brother Chen teach you?"

Meng Tie raised his head: "I do have this intention, but I'm afraid of Brother Chen..."

His address for Chen Nian has become the same as that of Fu Xin, and has become a brother.

"I can teach, it's not a problem." Chen Nian readily agreed, anyway, no matter where you are, you need contacts, if you can get on good terms with these ministers in the DPRK, maybe you can let them take their mansion Take out some of the chef's specials in exchange.

All contacts are valuable, and there are no more than two manifestations of this value.

Either money or knowledge.

"really?"

"of course it's true."

"Then I'll go talk to His Majesty when I turn around!"

"Well, but Master Meng, although I can leave all these to you, but I am still the imperial chef of the imperial dining room, and I must not delay my work."

"Don't delay, don't delay, I will bring someone to learn when the time comes."

"Okay, Mr. Meng will bring more smart people over."

In this way, after they left, Chen Nian finally had a meal, although the meal was already cold.

That afternoon, Meng Tie brought the saltpeter over. With the emperor's order, he had no resistance to bringing this thing to the palace. He just recorded the weight of the saltpeter for registration.

And Chen Nian also brought two pots under Meng Tie's gaze.

Then put the water drawn from the well into the two basins, and then put the Xiaoshi in the outer basin.

Immediately afterwards they saw saltpeter in the basin inside.

It began to slowly condense into a layer of frost on the surface, and then the inside began to gradually freeze.

For this task, Meng Tie is more of a supervisory role, because he also knows that doing so can indeed make water condense into ice.

So he didn't ask much about the process of making ice, but kept asking questions about the physical basis of aging.

Although he didn't have a deep understanding of physics, he was still able to teach physics until the third year of high school.

This is also due to the fact that the recipes always ask him various questions every time he returns. Originally, he had almost forgotten all this knowledge after graduating from university, but under the pressure of the recipes, he gradually lost all of his knowledge. remembered.

While talking, Chen Nian was also thinking about why he didn't study civil engineering in college, so that he could understand the various data of those forces.

Regarding the knowledge of materials, although Chen Nian did not study this major and direction, he also read some books when he was in school.

After all, the most important thing to study food is biology and chemistry. Even if you usually focus on protein and amino acids, it is easy to get started when you have a basic foundation to look at those industrial materials.

He can also talk about some of the more basic ones.

After the ice cubes were made, Chen Nian knocked off a piece and put it in his mouth, indicating that these ice cubes were edible.

"Master Meng, the ice is ready. This is not poisonous and can be eaten directly."

But Meng Tie is still immersed in the ocean of knowledge, and he nodded in satisfaction when he heard this: "I have learned, I have learned."

(End of this chapter)