Alien landlady

Chapter 106
Seeing that the winter vacation is approaching, in order to prevent Bai Tongtong from running away early, Trim took the first step and forced Bai Tongtong to agree to go back to Tamir with him for the New Year.

When Bai Tongtong went to the street to buy new clothes and gifts, he sent a copy to Seiya, sorry that he couldn't go to her house again this year.

In addition, Bai Tongtong also needs to make preparations for the alkali experiment, buy all the necessary raw materials, and prepare the reagents.

The practice in the salt field is to boil the salt after the weather is cold, and the salt field is left idle until the next year, and no one studies what the crystals precipitated at low temperature. They only know that it is not table salt, and the days go by like this year after year.But in the workshop, soda ash is a common raw material, which is needed for tanning. Bai Tongtong has seen how tannery workers work when customizing loose-leaf books, but their soda ash comes mostly from limestone.

On the day after finishing the last course, Trim ran to Bai Tongtong's dormitory to meet her as soon as he came out of the examination room. His servants and knights had already gone back to Tamir with their packed luggage.

Bai Tongtong also cleaned most of the dormitory and covered it with a dustproof cloth. She sat in the kitchen and drank tea while waiting for Trim. When he came, she slowly cleaned the tea set and put the last After the place was cleaned, the doors and windows were closed tightly, and then he escaped to the Magician's Guild. After two teleportations from the teleportation array, he arrived at the Fancheng Magician's Guild in Tamir.

Before the light teleported in front of her completely dissipated, Bai Tongtong heard a burst of applause first, walked out of the teleportation array and took a closer look, unexpectedly there were many people here to greet her, many of them were acquaintances Xia Tian knew.

With surprise on his face, Bai Tongtong walked towards them with a big smile, called out the names of everyone he recognized, and hugged and said hello to them.

"It's such a surprise. I didn't expect that you would all be waiting for me here. I originally wanted to go to Kama quietly, and didn't want to disturb too many people." Among the people who came to welcome him, the most noble was the eldest son of Duke Kallya. Trim's eldest brother, Samuel.

"My little brother said that you will come to spend the New Year with us. It is our honor. I am so glad that he convinced you. We welcome Miss Tongtong to come and disturb us very much."

Samuel bent his right arm slightly sideways, and Bai Tongtong gently pulled him into his arms. Under his leadership, various senior officers followed behind him, and a large group of Tamir's most distinguished people walked to the Duke's Castle not far away.

The butler led the male servants to wait behind the gate, walked through the long passage to the second floor, and the Grand Duke, his wife, two daughters, and many ladies were all in full costume outside the living room door to greet them.Trim saw his father and mother, and temporarily went back to the bedroom to change.

Everyone sat down in the living room and had a relaxed chat. They talked about the situation of the new land that Tamir annexed in the past six months. More or less earned a small piece of land on the edge of the salt lake for himself. In short, the land that originally belonged to the Kirills has now been incorporated into Tamir's territory.

The butler came to report that lunch was about to be ready, and the gentlemen were invited to go to the restaurant for a drink first. The chat ended temporarily, and the ladies went to the small lounge to get their makeup done. Ah Huang also had a generous reception, and prepared delicious fresh meat for him.

The big dining table in the restaurant was a bit longer than the last time I saw it. Everyone sat down full. The dishes were served one by one, and they chatted while eating. It took more than two hours for the lunch to end.

The guests left one after another after lunch, and the host went to take a lunch break, while Bai Tongtong took off her skirt and robe, put on a heavy winter coat, and asked Trim to accompany her to Kama City.

Kama City is still under construction, so there is no teleportation array available, so Ah Huang has to take the two of them there, and then find someone from the Salt Association to accompany them to the salt field.

After a brief exchange of greetings and an explanation of the purpose of their visit, the president found the person in charge of transporting daily necessities to the salt field to accompany them. In the blink of an eye, the three of them stood outside the gate of the salt field. The cold wind howled in the desolate wilderness. There are no traces of vehicles driving in the short term.

"In such a cold place, it takes a lot of energy to cook salt in winter." Bai Tongtong pulled the brim of his leather hat to block the wind.

"I can't help it. I can't dry salt all year round here." Trim tightened his fur scarf to prevent a little wind from blowing on his skin.

Unafraid of the cold wind, Ah Huang had already jumped into the courtyard from the fence of the big iron gate and slipped into the gatehouse. The soldiers guarding the saltworks immediately came out from the gatehouse to open the gate and greeted them warmly.

Before entering the door, the soldier dutifully asked about Trim's identity, and the accompanying person introduced him on his behalf, and the three were allowed to go through.

With an acquaintance leading them, there was no need for soldiers to bother. The escort took Bai Tongtong and Trim straight to the bungalow where the field manager lived. The stove inside was so warm that the room was warm, and the field manager was sorting out the accounts while drinking a small wine.

Since they are all acquaintances, the cumbersome formalities are saved, but the youngest son of the Grand Duke came to the salt field in person, which still attracted many workers to come to watch, and the small bungalow was crowded with people for a while.

Bai Tongtong didn't waste any time. After exchanging greetings, she was going to Yantian, and she had to bring a rake, shovel and basket. I don't know what she was doing in Yantian in this cold weather. A large group of people followed her with tools to watch the excitement.

After the weather is cold, it is not suitable for drying salt, but there is still enough salt water in the salt pan. The director said that if it is allowed to dry naturally, it will be exhausting to clean up the salt pan before the salt drying next year.

At this low temperature, a layer of white crystals was spread in the salt pond below the water surface. Bai Tongtong randomly picked a piece and asked the workers to rake it out for her.

Two workers stepped into the salt field wearing leather boots, raked out a white hill after a while, and then shoveled it into a basket with a shovel and handed it to Bai Tongtong.

Bai Tongtong carried the wet basket, controlled the moisture with water magic, and obtained a dry white powder.

A large group of people returned to the small one-story house of the field manager again, cleared the table and vacated the tabletop, Bai Tongtong set out a row of bottles and cans, and came to a whole set of soda ash testing experiments, and a by-product of one experiment got a small bottle of baking soda.

Trim was standing opposite the table, facing Bai Tongtong, which was the best place to watch.

After watching the experiment for a while, he gradually lost his attention. He was trying his best to observe the changes in Bai Tongtong's expression, and he always felt that the distorted expression on her face, which seemed to be a smile but not a smile, was a kind of full confidence that everything was under control as expected, which made him He firmly believed that Bai Tongtong knew what was in the salt lake, which was better than table salt. The only thing he was not sure about was whether the salt lake here produced what she knew, which was why this experiment was needed. Expression, the result should be expected to be optimistic.

The onlookers couldn't understand what was being tested, but they also watched quietly, and no one dared to disturb casually.

After Bai Tongtong finished the last experiment, he looked up at Trim who was opposite, and gave him a smug smile. Trim, who had been nervous since the beginning of the experiment, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's all done? Did it meet expectations?" Trim rolled up his sleeves and took over the work of cleaning the equipment. He saw Bai Tongtong first carefully grasping the bottle containing the by-products in his hand.

"Not bad." Bai Tongtong stroked the body of the bottle with her fingers, signaling the director and the escort to stand beside Trim, and the workers also held their breaths and listened carefully to what she had to say.

"In such a cold place, it is wrong for the salt farm to produce salt by boiling salt in winter. I don't know who suggested you to do this, but now you have to change it, if you want to make more money. You have The rich products bestowed by nature have not been fully utilized, and no one has reminded you." Bai Tongtong pointed at Trim mercilessly, "Especially you."

Trim looked aggrieved, "I didn't know that Yantian produces useful things in winter. What I learned from childhood is that Yantian only exposes salt in summer."

"Yes, you have become accustomed to it, so you don't care about it, so you deserve it for working hard all year long but not earning much."

"Tongtong~ Please forgive us, let me tell you what exactly you fished out of the salt pan just now~" Trim begged for mercy, and the others also helped him, "Yes, Miss Bai, please spare us Terri Master Mu."

"Okay, I'll spare you for the time being." Bai Tongtong accepted it as soon as he saw it, and immediately returned to the topic, "It's very simple, those white things in the salt field are soda ash that is more expensive than table salt."

The crowd was silent for a few seconds, and then the pot was fried. They all knew what soda ash was, and occasionally heard about how much it sold in the market, but no one thought that it was produced in their salt fields.

Bai Tongtong clasped her hands, ignored the excited chatter of others, but looked at Trim with a hatred of iron and steel. Soda ash is sometimes used in experiments in the field of magic, which is why she has no good face towards Trim place.

The field manager drove the noisy workers out and told them to go back and get ready to go to the salt fields to catch alkali tomorrow.

After the quietness was restored in the small bungalow, everyone sat down to talk again. Alkali production in the salt lake was great news. The first thing the director thought of was that the fuel cost of cooking salt in winter could be saved, and he had a smile on his face.

"Miss Bai deserves to be a future earth-type mage. She has known for a long time that earth-type mages are called resource information providers. Today is really an eye-opener."

"I'm so surprised today that I don't know what to say. Miss Bai, if you have any good suggestions, please let us know. We will definitely listen to you." The escort sent by the Salt Society said sincerely.

"I don't know anything about business. I can only tell you where there are resources and how to use them. However, since it has been proved that salt lakes produce alkali, the first thing I want to do is to inform those new nobles who own salt lakes to hurry up and build new salt farms. If the site is small enough to build a big one, several neighbors join forces to build a big one, dry salt in summer and catch alkali in winter, and sell all the surplus that is enough for our own use.”

"Yeah, that's right, the new saltworks is important, and this one needs to be expanded. What about the price? Miss Bai thinks we should sell them all at the same price or let them sell their own?"

"I think, even if you want to control the salt field, you can't control the salt field that is so far away. You should just focus on the one in front of you. The price is free for everyone to compete."

"If you set the price freely, wouldn't the price be lower from one family to another?"

"How low can it go? Someone does the business of beheading, and no one does the business of losing money. No matter how low the price is, it will not be lower than the cost. Some people may sell at a loss in order to grab business, but it won't last long. They are all newly sealed. The new aristocrats don't have any money on hand to use it like this, they do business for making money, and they don't go bankrupt just for losing money." Bai Tongtong spoke plausibly.

Ah Huang echoed loudly in agreement, amusing everyone.

The four of them roughly talked about this, and Bai Tongtong couldn't give any good advice. If the Salt Association can really control the soda ash pricing power of the new nobles, it is their ability to unify the price.

When they were saying goodbye to each other after discussing business matters, Bai Tongtong proposed to go to Yantian again to find some new experimental raw materials.

"Hmph, let me just say, your main purpose is definitely not to tell us that soda ash is produced in the salt lake." Trim, who had been weak all the time, straightened his back as if he had grasped the handle.

Bai Tongtong raised his hand and put a chestnut on his forehead first. The people from the Salt Association and the director silently turned their heads and pretended not to see it. Since I have the resources until now, none of you have discovered what I hinted at, so I had to come here in the winter to tell you, and even do experiments for you to see. Since I have worked so hard, of course I ask for rewards, and no one will do it I’ve just said that it’s a loss-making business.”

Trim rubbed his painful forehead, surprised and delighted, "You mean there is a third natural product in the salt lake?"

The people from the Salt Association and the director turned their heads and listened carefully.

"do not know."

"what?"

"The test has never been carried out."

Trim was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed, "Your agricultural experiment!"

Bai Tongtong glared at him angrily.

Thinking of her piece of land that she paid rent but couldn't use, Bai Tongtong wanted to sigh, when will the reconstruction work at the Magician's Guild be completed.

"Since Miss Bai needs those stones for experiments, I'll ask someone to pick up some baskets for you, and Miss Bai will have a cup of tea to rest." The field manager filled Bai Tongtong's tea, put on his coat and went out to call for someone.

Bai Tongtong put the rest of the soda ash in the basket into a small cloth bag. Half an hour later, several workers came in with seven or eight baskets containing carnallite. She dried the stones with a smile and put them in a cloth bag. , with a contented and happy look, said goodbye to the field manager again, and took people back to Kama.

They broke up with the Yanhui people in the city, and Bai Tongtong and Trim returned to Fancheng.

After entering the castle, Bai Tongtong proposed to borrow the kitchen and asked Trim to tell the housekeeper.

"We don't have a tradition of letting guests into the kitchen." Trim pouted. He thought that Bai Tongtong wanted to cook something delicious, but this really violated the etiquette of hospitality. If it spread, people would say that the host's food was not suitable. The taste of the guests, poor hospitality.

"Don't you wonder what the small bottle of powder I just did was for?"

"Curious! But, you can leave it to the cook. Since you are a guest, you must abide by the guest's etiquette and stay away from the host's kitchen."

Bai Tongtong took out the bottle and waved it in front of Trim, "Do you know what this is?"

"do not know."

"You don't even know each other, do you think your cook knows?" Bai Tongtong was persuasive like a good teacher.

"I think she probably doesn't know either."

"Then you want to know the correct usage of this thing?"

"Think." Trim wrinkled his face full of contradictions, in a dilemma.He saw with his own eyes that the powder in this bottle was made from soda ash, and it was estimated that it could be used in food production. If he wanted to know the actual use, he had to go to the kitchen.

"Okay, don't get overwhelmed, just think of the kitchen as a laboratory for experimenting with these things. After all, who said that the kitchen is not a laboratory for chefs?" Bai Tongtong pinched Trim's face to show his strength He patted him on the shoulder to show his encouragement, and led Ah Huang upstairs to the bedroom with big strides.

With a bitter face, Trim called a passing manservant to tell the butler that Bai Tongtong was going to use the kitchen so that the cook could get ready.

The servant panicked and found the housekeeper who was drinking water and resting in the kitchen. As soon as he conveyed the words, the kitchen was in chaos. The maids also cried together with the cook, and the housekeeper lifted her skirt and ran to find the lady.

The madam was chatting with the grand duke in the living room, when they saw the housekeeper with tears in her eyes who had lost all manner, both of them stood up in surprise, and quickly asked what happened. Slumped back on the sofa.

"Oh my God, did we not greet well?"

"I don't think so. They just went to the saltworks, and they will use the kitchen when they come back. There must be some connection." The Grand Duke was still calm, and immediately ordered the housekeeper to call Trim for questioning, and comforted the servants. Thinking too much, "This kid is also stupid. He just told the servants about such a big matter, and didn't go to his parents first."

Trim quickly came to the living room to explain the reason to his parents. Hearing that the salt lake not only produces natural soda ash, but also has unimaginably rich products, the Grand Duke and his wife were so excited that they couldn't sit still, and wanted to talk to Bai Tongtong immediately.

"By the way, didn't she want to borrow the kitchen for experiments? Why don't I go and have a look, and comfort the servants by the way, so that they can cooperate well." Madam rang the bell and called the personal maid to explain.

"I'll go too!" Trim coquettishly held his mother's arm, "I watched her prepare it from soda ash, and I'm going to watch the rest of the experiment."

The couple had nothing to do with the youngest son, and finally agreed.

Bai Tongtong changed into a light dress again and waited in the room for a long time before a young maid knocked on the door with red eyes and asked her to go to the kitchen, where everything was ready.

Looking at the maid who seemed to cry, Bai Tongtong couldn't help but regret whether her request was too much, it seemed that she scared the maid like this.

But when he walked to the kitchen on the first floor, it was Bai Tongtong who was really frightened. In addition to the male and female servants standing in the corner watching, Mrs. Carjado and Trim were also sitting in it.

Nobles regard the kitchen as a gathering place for inferior people, and it is only natural that they never go there. Seeing the two of them, Bai Tongtong was quite frightened, and couldn't help but glance at the ceiling.Well, the ceiling is fine, not because the building collapsed and fell down.

(End of this chapter)