Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination

Within two days, the recruiting and purchasing team of Ju'anzhai sailed south.

This is the first time Ju'anzhai went to Fujian to purchase after its opening. The treasurer of Ji is very careful about this matter, from beginning to end with his own hands, not pretending to be human, wishing to make this trip by himself. But he was old after all, and Cui Xie was worried that he had walked such a long way, and finally decided to ask Mr. Fang, who often runs to the south, to take Mr. Cui’s mate from Cui’s South Store.

The group of people in the Nanhuodian originally relied on the way that only they knew how to make long-distance purchases, and they were a little high-spirited. But since Cui Dahui was sent back to the country, the Nanhuo shop simply asked the young master to sell it. They knew who had the final say in this family, and they all honestly took their tails.

Cui Xie asked them to sign a red contract for business outsourcing with Ju Anzhai, with official certification, and Fang Huo counted them as half of the proprietor. In addition, he is also used to running long distances, has a way, knows how to do things, so he can control those people obediently, and he can't even think of being a demon on the road.

Because Cui’s silk and satin shops and powder shops were also in stock, Cui Xie asked the two shopkeepers to write down the things to buy. Cui’s rented two boats and asked two people who could settle the accounts to **** the boats. The boats form a team and go together.

Because of the high mountains and rivers on the road and the many gates, he took another post from Cui Senyi to Fang Fang and asked him to make some relationship on the road.

This is what they can do in Jingli. The risks on the road can only be seen by the long-distance team dealing with it.

After Fang Fang left, no one looked at the main store in his hometown. The treasurer Ji wanted to manage the affairs of Beijing, so he had to let Cui Yuan go back to take care of it by himself, and by the way send someone back to the text version of the manuscripts from the twelfth and thirteenth volumes.

The text engraving of the Three Kingdoms of Ju'anzhai was bought early, and it is very convenient to add a thin strip of commentary on the outside of the text. In the past few months after Cui Xie took the exam and entered Beijing, although the illustrations could not be updated, the text content was printed 80 times a long time ago. As long as the new illustrations and color envelopes are carved out, the book will be bound.

When the shopkeeper came to Beijing to open a shop, he brought many craftsmen and apprentices. Those apprentices were not very good at printing, but they were all familiar with binding and packaging. They printed and printed in Beijing, and soon the twelfth and thirteenth volumes were published.

He also arranged for a skilled hand to trace the two posters in the store, and according to Cui Xie's idea, he engraved the engravings of the head, face and hands, and asked people to follow the traces to color the rest. If such a large picture is called hand-painted, it takes a long time, and the image is easy to lose shape. It seems that the hand and face are set first. When the picture is drawn, the shoulders and lines are slightly different. It is still alive without looking closely. Beautiful lady, Tuotuoer can sell.

The storekeeper has always taken care of the study affairs in an orderly manner, and Cui Xie doesn't have to worry about everything. What really wanted him to think about was the powder shop.

Since that day, Cui Ting asked him to take him to talk alone, and soon sent in a son of eighteen nine, named Cui Liang, to lay hands with him and learn how to make flower lotion and soap.

There were so many spices and medicinal materials in the soap, and I didn't have it all for a while. Only a few packets of powder were delivered, which Cui Xie didn't recognize. Flowers are easier to buy. At this time, gardenias are in full bloom, and there are several flower gardens in the suburbs of Beijing that can buy them. Because the trial production only requires a few kilograms of fresh flowers, which consumes little manpower, Cui Liang went to see him with the washed and dried flowers that night.

Cui Xie was a hard worker. When he saw him, he asked him to spread some straw mats in the courtyard, spread flowers on top, and put on clothes for work. He also instructed him to carefully wash the retort given by Xie Qianhu, and hit another jar of precious high-grade wine, so that he dipped a cotton ball into the retort to eliminate the poison.

In fact, the wine retort Xie Qianhu gave him is slightly different from the retort used for steaming flower dew:

Generally, the distiller for steaming flower dew is a combination of two small and round parts, the upper retort and the lower kettle, the flowers are directly placed on the bottom of the retort, the grate is on top, and an arc-shaped cover is buckled upside down, and the empty chamber above the cover is used for water injection cooling. There are ring grooves around the grate to collect cooling water. People burn the fire in the kettle, and the water in the retort boils to bring out the essential oil in the flower, and then flows out from the drip opening in the lower part of the retort.

The retort of Qing Dynasty is a long round tube, which is directly placed on the stove to steam; the water outlet is connected to the side of the condensing ring of the retort mouth, and the top of the retort cover is hollow, which can be filled with water, and the steam is cooled by the water in the cover. , Make the steam containing essential oils condense into water and then flow out.

The tools are different, but the principle is the same. They all rely on steam to extract essential oils.

The chemistry book only introduces the ancient distiller incidentally in the chapter steaming wine, without explaining how to use it. Cui Xie had only seen the big steamer for steaming wine, and according to the method of steaming the wine, he asked people to find a copper grate and put it in, put a dustpan flower on the grate, and filled the bottom of the grate with water. When the water inside is hot, open the water injection port on the upper edge of the retort cover, pour crushed ice made of saltpeter, and then pour the water out to continue pouring the ice. When the steam came out cold, it slowly dripped down the drip tube into a plain white magnetic bottle the size of a water cup.

In this way, ice was added to the lid a few times, and at the end of the steaming, only half a bottle of white flower dew was condensed, with a thin layer of essential oil floating on the surface, which looked like a cup of white water.

He watched the dripping nozzle of the dripper slower and slower, he pulled the cloth towel covering his face, told Cui Liang to put out the fire, and followed him back to the room with the essential oil.

The yard wasn't very cool, but when the two of them came out of the sweltering kitchen, when they pulled off their masks, they felt a breeze blowing on their faces, which was extremely refreshing. Cui Liang stuffed the water bottle with a cork stopper. He smelled the fragrance in the wind, and his nose was numb. He sighed: "I used to smell the fragrance and I liked it. I always thought about it when I got rich. The mother-in-law bought a bottle of wipes, but now she only wishes that she would not wipe the powder for the rest of her life."

Cui Xie smiled and said, "I'm afraid you will not dislike her fragrance in the future, but she should dislike you and force you to take a bath every day."

Cui Liang raised his arm and smelled it, then smiled bitterly, "I only feel the uncomfortable fragrance in my nose, but I can't smell it anymore."

When the two of them were steaming in the small kitchen, because the pot was full of flowers, the aroma of the room was steamed out, and it was impossible to tell where the aroma came from. But when he walked from the kitchen to his room with the flower dew, the night wind blew away some of the fragrance of the flowers along the way, and the nose reopened, only to realize the fragrance of the body was fresh and refreshing.

Cui Liang took off his big clothes outside the door, sitting in the side hall wearing only his shirt, holding the bottle in both hands, opening a little cork, leaning up to smell and smell, sniffing, and tremblingly said: "This is the fragrance. It's dew, it doesn't smell bad. Maybe it's because the fragrance of flowers in my nose doesn't smell bad. A few catties of flowers steamed out such a little fragrance..."

Cui Xie asked him, "How does the fragrance from the Western Regions show?"

He said honestly: "It's hard to tell. I haven't seen anyone sell such flower dew made from southern flowers. They are all sweet and strong flavors such as roses and roses. And this flower dew is steamed out of water, but I don't know it can How long does it last?"

Silly boy, this steamed water is pure dew, and there is a layer of real essential oil on the surface. As long as the essential oil does not evaporate, it will be fragrant when it is opened and when.

It’s just that the problem of oil-water separation has to be further studied. The top layer of essential oil can be sold at a high price. It would be a bit wasteful to sell it together in pure dew.

Cui Xie took the bottle of clear dew and smelt it with a fan. He felt that the scent from the fan was clean, with a bit of astringency of grass, without a burnt smell, and it should not be steamed. It's just that maybe because the courtyard is full of fragrance, I didn't feel any special fragrance. As for the fragrance retention effect, let people try it.

He screwed on the lid and said to Cui Liang, "Now it's time to stop the night, you can make do with a room in this courtyard to sleep, and I'll talk about other things tomorrow. When I go out, ask Songyan to help me prepare water for bathing—— Tell him only saponaria, no soap and pancreas, and no incense for tomorrow's clothes. I can't stand the incense, so I have to abstain from incense for a few days."

Songyan quickly asked people to send water and saponaria to the cold room. He disassembled his hair and washed it several times with saponaria soaked water, feeling that he had washed away the smell of work.

The next morning when he went to the room for dinner, he asked Mrs. Cui to borrow a girl, saying that he was going to try the new toilet.

The flowers he steamed in the small kitchen in the yard were filled with gardenia, and the flowers still dried in the yard, and he refused to close the windows when it was hot in the evening. In the morning, the whole body smelled incense. He stayed in the fragrance for a long time and couldn't smell it, but when he went to the room, everyone could smell his scent. They couldn't help looking at him, suspecting that he steamed the fragrance yesterday and liked it too much, so he put it on first. .

Cui Xie said to the old lady without knowing it: "The shopkeeper Cui Ting sent a few kilos of gardenias yesterday, and I took his son to steam the half bottle of flower dew. I just don’t know how it compares to foreign flower dew. I want to ask my grandmother to compare the two."

The old lady smiled and said, "Where can I compare it! Is there any bad, fragrant, and good-smelling flower dew that my grandson steamed? It's better than the one I bought from outside!"

Cui Xie said helplessly: "Grandma said this, not because I am the grandson of your old man, what can I do? Other guests don't think so, we have to compare it at home before we dare to praise it."

He wanted to borrow two people, one to use his own gardenia dew, and the other to use the rose dew he bought, which would last longer than which scent and which tasted better. However, those who try the flower lotion can no longer apply cream, powder, and oil, can not wear sachets, smoke clothes, and have to bear these points before they can use it.

Those girls and nanny are all willing, even Zhang's mother who serves the old lady is a little tempted. Although Sister Yun wanted to try it too, but she was reluctant to learn new makeup, so she had to sit there and learn from the ladies.

Mrs. Cui pointed to two girls who don’t usually like to dress up, and said affectionately: “Just the two of them. Sooner or later, they keep applying powder on their bodies. The aroma is in the flesh, not as good as these two vegetarians. It makes a real fragrance."

Cui Xie naturally agreed, so he asked them to take a bath and change their clothes. They went to the sachets on their bodies and the incense in the house, and stayed away from the person who carried the fragrance. He turned back and asked Xiao Songyan to get his steamed flower dew and the shop sold. Give them a trial. The two girls were overjoyed. Those few were envious and jealous, but they didn't dare to say anything. They all stood aggrieved and looked at Cui Xie secretly, hoping that someday he could steam the flower dew and be his turn.

Cui Xie didn't have time to worry about their careful thoughts, and only said to Sister Yun: "Don't worry, this has just been produced, and there is still room for improvement. I will give you the best after turning around."

The little girl suddenly forgot the tangledness, so she ate an extra bowl of porridge in the morning.

Cui Xie arranged the experimental plan and went to the Imperial College with his schoolbag. He went early, and after sitting for a while, he smelled the scent of Xue Zhai. When his classmates entered, he only smelled a faint scent. I don’t know where it came from. He was also discussing whether there was a Zaifu who was on duty here. Across the house.

When he waited in line to resume the lecture, the people close to him could smell the source of the aroma. Zhang Zhai led the team and smoked in front of him all morning. After he left the hall, he finally couldn't help but ask: "Where did you buy the gardenia incense? Or powder, incense dew? How do you make this incense? Like?"

Cui Xie asked in amazement, "It's still fragrant? I've washed it all."

Zhang Zhaichang said meaningfully, "Where did you get it? Unexpectedly, you would study with the assistant teacher until the evening after you leave school, so you won't delay doing anything else."

A few classmates gathered around him, shaking their heads and laughing: "He Zhong is not young anymore, it is time to understand these things."

No, no, I don’t understand!

Although Cui Xie is a man with 2 T portable hard drives, his heart is still pure!

He quickly explained: "Last night, the family members learned how to steam flower dew. I helped them to look at them. They stayed by the retort for a long time, and the smell was nothing but the smell. Brothers thought of where they went."

A young supervising student went to Wazi and someone believed it, and a young supervising student squatted by the fire to watch people steaming flower dew... Who believed?

Everyone's eyes became deeper. Cui Xie had to explain: "I have a powder shop in my house, and that shop is almost out of business. Several people at home point to the cost of it. I have to help see if it's not? Because I don't think there is anything in that shop. If you don’t believe it, if you don’t believe it, they will make it after some time, and I will show you a few bottles to see."

Several supervising students said whether they believed it or not, "No, you don't have to give it away. Someday your store will have a new product. Let's go and see it. It's okay to cheer you up."

Zhang Zhaichang is a very romantic person. He knows more about these perfumes and the value of flower lotion. He seeks to ask him alone when he is eating at noon: "You really can make flower lotion?"

Cui Xie shook his head: "It's not completely successful. I'm trying it out. If Zhaichang’s wife and Ling Qianjin like these, I will give you two bottles when they are done. Let’s not hide from Zhaichang, I presided over this. I am. The scent of this body is because I steamed flowers in my yard, and the whole yard is so fragrant. I am really not the kind of romantic person."

Zhang Zhaichang looked at his sincere eyes, and followed the flow of the boat to believe: "I have believed in your character. If you go to spend time in the flowers every day, where would you still have the energy to study like this. I didn't look like them." Yes, Jing Ai pushes toward these romantic and gorgeous places."

Cui Xie quickly humbled a few words, and then praised his character.

After praising each other for a while, Zhang Zhaichang looked at him from the corner of his eye and said faintly: "I don't dare to boast, in fact, I also have some understanding of Xiangpin. If there is anything to use as a counselor when making incense , I can also come up with some random ideas."

He didn't know whether he was sincere or polite, but Cui Xie's eyes lit up, staring at him with wide-eyed eyes: "Zaichang is really willing to help me? Brother Yu does have some spice-related questions, and I don't know who to consult!"

That day, he pretended to send two or two of the spices needed for making soap, just to smell it in front of Cui Liang, put some research Poses, and then compare them according to the recipe in the book, so as not to let others. I wondered how he could come up with this recipe with just a tap of his head.

But afterwards, people sent spices, and the paper bags were all bare and there was nothing on it. Only then did he remember that now is not the modern one who buys you everything with instructions for use.

There is no name, and he doesn't know what spices look like. This is just the rhythm of revealing stuff. He didn't dare to mention the word "soap" with Cui Liang last night.

You must know that it is Xiao Cui Xie who really understands fragrance, not him. Cui Liang is a spice that the clerk of powder shop doesn't understand. If he is really sending in a bunch of unnamed medicinal materials, he won't have the ability to pick out the correct spice to make soap!

These two days can still be used as an excuse to prevaricate the past, and when it is done, there will be no way to delay.

He planned to find a spice shop to pick up the ingredients and recognize the name, and worried that the people in the shop would deceive him and give him fake ingredients. It happens that Zhang Zhaichang is willing to help, if he can help identify the true and false, that would be great!

Zhang Zhaichang shook the fan and drove away the strong scent from the tip of his nose. He smiled and said, "If you want me to identify any scent, then you have to stay away from me, otherwise the nose is full of gardenia, what else? But it still smells."

Cui Xie smiled and said, "I just want to buy some spices, but I'm afraid I won't be able to buy good ones. I just want to ask the chief chief to help me see it."

The author has something to say: Pure dew is not very scientific. The freshly steamed flower dew should be grassy and a bit astringent, so let me change it. The article in Chapter 94 has been simply annotated, so students who want to read it can read it again. In fact, the annotations are not very accurate, so I briefly explained the original topic, and posted the first few paragraphs of the original text and some explanations in the two articles.