bookcurios Chapter 162 Making Ice with Saltpeter, Setting Off
Chapter 162 Making Ice with Saltpeter, Setting Off
Someone went to fetch water, and she asked someone to bring her a wooden basin, while she herself simply ground the saltpeter into a fine powder.
After the water was brought over, she poured some water into the wooden basin, and while slowly adding saltpeter powder, she stirred it. The temperature in the basin quickly dropped to freezing point and the water froze.
The onlookers were dumbfounded as they watched the water turn into ice.
"What is this? Some kind of magic that turns water into ice?"
"How did it freeze so quickly?"
Some were genuinely surprised, while others were quick-witted. Shen Lianxing, who was also assigned to guard the supplies, stood outside the crowd and witnessed the rapid freezing of the water.
He asked, "May I ask if it's because of that stone, Miss Meng?"
"That's right. This kind of stone seems to absorb heat when it dissolves in water. Since it's cold anyway, we can use it to freeze the water into ice. When we set off, we can cover the carriage with a layer of cotton blankets so that it won't spill and will melt slowly."
Someone couldn't help but clap their hands, "The further south we go, the warmer it gets. I was worried during the day, but now it's all good, there's no chance of it spilling!"
"Miss Meng, you know so much!"
"Yeah, yeah, we never expected to find such good stuff among the loot we stole!"
"Young girl, what's that rock called?"
Meng Fuqing shook his head, "I don't know either. This time it was just a lucky accident. Young Master Xie knows a lot about military supplies, so I suppose he knows."
After these words were spoken, no one asked what was in the box anymore. After all, no one dared to ask Xie Jin directly.
Shen Lianxing picked up a piece of saltpeter from the wooden box, examined it closely by the light of the burning fire, and then smelled it. He looked up at Meng Fuqing's departing figure, his eyes flashing with undisguised inquiry.
The reason was simple: he just felt that he could solve the current problem by sheer chance, which was somewhat coincidental.
Remembering the question his mother had asked him before, Shen Lianxing lowered his eyes and put the saltpeter in his hand back into the wooden box.
Undeniably, he had never seen a girl like Meng Fuqing in his life, but he was still far from her level and couldn't even get into her eyes.
Moreover, he could tell that Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin had an unusual relationship.
After finishing his meal, Meng Fuqing planned to walk the white wolf for a while before going to sleep.
The term "walking the wolf" intrigued Meng Ali, who exclaimed, "Big sister, I want to walk Little White too!"
Unfortunately, the white wolf was given a very conspicuous pet name because of its fur color.
Meng Fuqing refused outright, "Your short legs can't catch up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white wolf graciously dashed out of the house, with Meng Fuqing following closely behind.
A wolf and a man arrived at a deserted thicket. The white wolf pounced on Meng Fuqing, and the two figures disappeared behind the thicket at the same time.
Meng Fuqing gave Bai Lang extra lessons in the space, and also gave herself extra lessons.
The ivy fence in front of the villa, which had always been a source of envy for the White Wolf, had been dismantled by Meng Fuqing, and the chickens and ducks had been driven to the backyard.
The reason she herded the chickens and ducks to the backyard was simple—she always forgot to feed them.
Compared to when she first bought them, these chickens and ducks have actually become thinner after she fed them.
She scattered wheat seeds in the gaps between the fruit trees in a corner of the backyard; there was plenty of space, so she let them grow freely.
Most importantly, she doesn't have to worry about dealing with chicken and duck droppings, because they will soon disappear into the soil and serve as fertilizer.
The only thing she needed to do was collect chicken and duck eggs; with the vines around, she didn't have to worry about it too much.
The fruit trees in the backyard had passed their growing season and were no longer growing rapidly. After walking around, Meng Fuqing was surprised to find that an orange tree had blossomed with orange flowers.
She picked a fruit and smelled it; the aroma was fresh and pleasant, and she figured she would be able to eat fresh oranges soon.
After harvesting the vegetables that were already ready to be harvested in the front yard and sowing new seeds, Meng Fuqing left the space and went back to get a good night's sleep.
When I woke up the next day, it was already broad daylight.
After a short rest, everyone felt much more energetic.
The water storage project is nearing completion, and the group is freezing the water into ice blocks.
Meng Fuqing, along with Meng Ranran and Meng Ali, took out the thick quilts that had been laid out in the carriage and rearranged them.
They loaded another sack of red pine cones onto the mule cart.
Then she hid inside the house and rummaged through the space, finding a small red clay stove and a chubby teapot that she had collected before, and placed them in the carriage.
The red pine cones lit a small stove, and once it was burning, the whole carriage was warm. It was warm enough to warm your hands and make tea. If there were sweet potatoes or potatoes available, she would have loved to roast them.
The group worked for most of the morning to pack everything up and get everything ready to depart the next day.
Meng Fuqing glanced at Qin Su again.
After being detained for two days, Qin Su's face showed signs of exhaustion and gloom.
But the moment he saw Meng Fuqing, he suddenly smiled again.
"Thank you for your hospitality over the past two days, Miss Meng. I, Qin Su, will never forget it."
Meng Fuqing: ...
She thought she was vengeful enough, but she never expected that someone would hold a grudge for a lifetime after being locked up for only two days.
"It is my honor to be remembered by Young Master Qin. I have come here today to ask Young Master Qin when you plan to write your letter?"
Qin Su lightly twirled the prayer beads in his hand and sat leisurely on the three-legged stool. "The letter has already been written. Would Miss Meng like to see it?"
“I’ll help Young Master Qin get out of here so that the ransom can be paid sooner and Young Master Qin can regain his freedom sooner.”
Qin Su's eye twitched; the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
He took a deep breath and spoke again: "I'll trade Chi Ye's life for Miss Meng to agree to one thing."
Just as Meng Fuqing was about to speak, Qin Su said, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for Miss Meng."
"Just say it."
"Please bring me here, Miss Meng, the man who sparred with me that day. I have something to say to him."
Meng Fuqing frowned slightly.
That day, when Qin Su asked Xie Jin if he was a member of the Xie family, he must have already seen through Xie Jin's background, so there seemed to be no need for him to hide anything.
Before he could speak, Qin Su continued, "Miss Meng must know that although the imperial court is incompetent, it still has the ability to catch a wanted criminal."
Meng Fuqing turned and left, saying, "I'll find it for you right away, Young Master Qin, please wait a moment."
After summoning Xie Jin, Meng Fuqing stopped interfering in their affairs and handed Qin Su's handwritten letter to Mu Sheng.
No one knew better than Mu Sheng and his men where Qin Su's men were hiding.
On her way back to sleep, Meng Fuqing saw a tall figure standing by the roadside in the distance, seemingly waiting for her.
Before she could ask, Xie Jin spoke first.
"Qin Su is plotting a rebellion and intends to recruit me into his cause."
Meng Fuqing: "...I don't really want to know about things that could cost me my head."
Come to think of it, she had forgotten to tell Xie Jin about Qin Su's background. Unexpectedly, Qin Su revealed it to Xie Jin.
"I want to tell you," Xie Jin said softly. "There are some things I don't want to tell you because I don't want to get you involved in trouble, but it seems I can't hide them from you, and I don't want to hide them from you either."
I will tell you everything about my parents in the future.
Meng Fuqing felt inexplicably guilty, and she lowered her head and said softly, "You don't need to do this."
Xie Jin chuckled softly, looking up at the starry sky. "I, Xie Jin, know best what I should and shouldn't do."
The next morning, accompanied by the sound of Meng Bochang's gong, someone delivered three hundred taels of gold and a Chi Ye.
Correspondingly, Qin Su was personally escorted out of the village by Meng Fuqing.
Qin Su, who had only taken a few steps, stopped and turned around, saying, "Meng Fuqing, I will come to find you in a month. Don't forget our promise."
His features were dashing, and his tone was meaningful. After uttering just that one sentence, he turned, mounted his horse, and rode away with his men.
Mu Sheng, Mu Feng, and the others who were originally protecting Meng Fuqing all cast strange glances at Meng Fuqing.