Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 153, Section 152: Casual Chat about Dried Persimmons [Part Two]

The Book of Songs speaks of "breaking willow branches to build a fence".

The Warring States Policy states, "If Yang Heng is broken, he will live; if he is leaned to the side, he will live; if he is broken off, he will grow again."

Therefore, by this time, farmers in Qin had generally mastered the technique of "cutting propagation." Although it was not as standardized and had a higher survival rate as in later periods, it had already become systematic.

The girl said that there were persimmon trees all over Dongxiang, which surprised Qin Shi, but it was not unexpected.

She smiled deeply: "Very well answered, I will reward you with five coins."

"Yes, sir." Wu Zi took the tray from the servant beside her.

On top were neatly stacked Qin Banliang coins; their bright greenish-yellow color, though not particularly dazzling, shimmered with the brilliance of money at this moment.

A chorus of suppressed gasps and gasps rose from the crowd.

The little girl's eyes widened, and she boldly asked, "Sir, is this a gift for me?"

Qin Shi nodded: "Yes."

Then he smiled at everyone and said, "It's harvest season now, and I can't let you all down since I've taken the time to come and talk to you."

"If the answer is indeed true, I will reward you regardless of whether you answer well or badly."

Upon hearing this, the people in the seats below straightened their backs even more.

The children couldn't yet comprehend the strict hierarchy. At that moment, they watched as the equally unattainable servants counted out five Qin half-ounce coins and handed them to the girl, who then clutched them tightly in her sweaty palms...

The Crimson Maiden, who was attending to Qin Shi, thought to herself:
It's called the autumn harvest, but nowadays most people don't have much fertile land. The wheat planting season is long over, and the next crop hasn't even started yet, so it doesn't cause any delay.

But the nobleman indeed appreciated it greatly.

Yet this trick seems to always work.

Sure enough, when Qin asked again, everyone was much bolder than before—

"When you pick these persimmons, do you eat them yourself, or sell them at the market?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, we always select the best ones and take them to the market first. If they don't sell or are not sold out, we bring them back to be made into pickled or dried persimmons."

"My family also makes frozen persimmons."

Everyone chimed in, adding to each other's points and actively answering questions.

Before the village head and the villagers' families could even gather their thoughts, the crowd, who were unusually enthusiastic upon seeing Qin Banliang, had already said everything they wanted to say.

"How are they usually sold? Are taxes payable?"

Qin asked slowly, while a scribe was frantically recording his questions beside him.

“A dou of fresh persimmons costs about five and a half liang. I heard that they are more expensive in Xianyang, where they can sell for eight. But in our Pinyang, persimmons are everywhere, so they don’t fetch a good price.”

"If stored properly, they can be sold during the festive season, with a peck of pickled persimmons yielding 6 persimmons. Dried persimmon slices can be sold for 8 per pound."

"Taxes must be paid. We little people have never evaded taxes. If we sell them, we must pay a tithe, one out of every ten coins."

They chattered away, filling in the gaps and explaining things in great detail.

此时1枚秦半两的购买力约等于后世的2-5块钱，一斗柿子因为储存方式的不同，大约在2-6斤左右。

Therefore, this can be considered high purchasing power.

Of course, this only applies to low-end crops.

For higher-end items like salt, sugar, and cloth, the Qin Banliang (a unit of weight) becomes exceptionally worthless.

Qin Shi nodded with a smile, then continued to ask, "Since pickled and dried persimmons can fetch higher prices during festivals, why do you still sell fresh persimmons?"

The questions from the important person were not difficult at all; the children could all answer them.

However, when it comes to the production process, they are not as meticulous as the adults.

The women, however, had a lot to say about it.

As they chatted for a while, and the other person kept asking them about these little things with a smile, they no longer felt afraid.

As they got into the conversation, it even had a touch of the casual chatter of a villager.

"Alas! You may not know this, but persimmons don't ripen to a sweet ripeness on the branch. We need to pick them when they turn from green to yellow, then put them in a jar, along with a pear or a jujube, and cover them for three to five days until they ripen."

"Otherwise it will be astringent."

"But to make pickled persimmons, they need to be ripened to a point where they are still firm but not fully ripe. Even with quicklime, it's often difficult to mix properly, and the result won't be good..."

Qin Shi was speechless.

Nowadays, there is no food-grade quicklime available, and ordinary people use industrial-grade quicklime, which is coarse and unfiltered, resulting in a higher failure rate.

However, because the amount added is extremely small, the dosage consumed by everyone will not be too much. The quicklime used to filter brown sugar in Xianyang Palace had already undergone layers of washing and screening because it was to be presented to the palace, so Qin Shi only used it in small quantities.

Otherwise, while this dosage might not be fatal to the human body, it is still somewhat harmful.

Of course, besides using quicklime, you can also use salt, sugar, and smartweed to pickle it.

However, Polygonum hydropiper is more suitable for pickling crisp persimmons.

Salt... Because of its small population, the people of Qin had enough salt to eat, but it was expensive, so they used it sparingly every day.

It's simply too much to bear the cost of pickling persimmons.

Sugar... Without a centrifuge, white sugar cannot be made, and brown sugar has only just spread in the Xianyang Palace. There is only a little maltose available among the common people, so this kind of pickling is not feasible.

"The same goes for dried persimmon slices; if they are overripe, they can't be made."

"Being too raw is also not good, but regardless of whether it's raw or cooked, it's still easy to spoil during the sun-drying process..."

This is simpler than pickling; just slice the ingredients, blanch them in boiling water, and then air dry them.

However, since there are no plastic bags available now, complete sealing is impossible. The dried persimmon slices still retain 20% moisture, making them prone to spoilage.

Secondly, the weather needs to be considered during the drying process. If the weather is bad, damp, or rainy, it is normal for mold and mildew to grow.

As for drying...

Nowadays, the gardens and mountains are all privately owned by the king, or state-owned. Common people can only go up the mountains to cut firewood or hunt if they have the permission of the noble or pay taxes.

Even daily firewood might not be enough to cover household needs, let alone dry it.

The idea of ​​traveling back to the Qin or Han dynasties to become a hunter, a sage, or roam freely in the world... is impossible.

In comparison, selling fresh persimmons is cheaper, but the cost is also minimal. If you want to sell them, you can always see the money coming in.

This is a major characteristic of local soft persimmons: they have an astringent taste when unripe, and they break easily when ripe.

Although the people knew that the price would rise when they stored the food for the holidays, they had no choice but to accept it.

Unripe persimmons can be stored for a longer period, but they need other fruits that release ethylene to ripen. If the season is over and other fruits are no longer available, the astringency becomes even more difficult to remove.

The losses will be even greater then.

As for the crisp persimmon, which is easier to transport and preserve, it will only appear in later generations through selective breeding and cultivation.

However, the Qin state does not possess this now.

The fruits that are artificially ripened mature around the same time as persimmons, or even earlier.

For example, the pear fruit and kiwifruit that the women mentioned earlier. The pear fruit is also called "pear" or "pear". The kiwifruit is basically ripe from April to August in the lunar calendar, while persimmons ripen from August to September.

If we delay any longer, we won't even be able to find the ripening agent.

Qin Shi nodded and casually said, "To ripen persimmons, you can also use water chestnuts or bananas."

That is, apples and bananas.

These two ripening agents should be more effective, releasing ethylene faster and more concentratedly, thus ripening persimmons more quickly and stably. However, considering domestication factors, Qin Shi's statement is still conservative.

"Pingpo fruit? I know about that! My sister-in-law's family has some in their fields! I'll go and get two to try this autumn!"

"Even you, sir, know this! Is it a secret recipe from Xianyang?"

"I've heard that noble people all have family traditions..."

"Shh..."

"What is this banana?"

"Never heard of it. Is it exclusively supplied to the Xianyang Palace?"

The Pingpo fruit is similar to an apple that has not yet been fully domesticated, and like the pear, it is a variety native to China.

But in the Qin state, this thing was small, sour, and astringent, and had absolutely nothing to do with apples.

It wasn't until after the Silk Road that various types of naphthalene fruit were brought back, and through various cultivation improvements, it gradually became closer to the apple.

As for the kind that we can eat on a daily basis in later generations, it was not until the Qing Dynasty that it was introduced into China.

As for bananas, given the current transportation situation, these common people in the Baiyue region might never see such fruits in their entire lives.

But that's okay; the seeds of knowledge are always sown in casual conversation. Even if you can't apply them immediately, it's alright; just a few more words can give someone an opportunity.

Wu Zi watched silently from the sidelines. The women, who had been cautious at first, gradually raised their voices and became more relaxed and casual in their conversation.

Qin Jun sat quietly on the high steps, listening, occasionally saying a word or two, which led to more discussion among the group.

Although it appears somewhat disorganized and noisy, it seems to reveal many details.

Looking at the seemingly insignificant scribes on the other side, the two of them were engrossed in writing rapidly, their foreheads already damp with sweat.

She seemed to have realized something.

At the higher level, Qin Shi continued to press for answers until after ten o'clock. Then, glancing at his watch and at the few key points he had jotted down on the parchment, he finally said:

"I called you here today because I once ate a kind of dried persimmon that could be stored for a long time, was exceptionally sweet, and was inexpensive."

"If you can learn this, you can ask someone to sell it to Xianyang or to wealthy merchants in the future, and your family will have an extra source of income."

"I wonder if anyone would be willing to give it a try?"

Of course there are people there!
The first little girl to receive the reward boldly spoke up: "Benefactor! Although I am young, I help my mother with chores every day, and I am willing to try!"

"Now that these persimmon cakes are ready, may I sell them to an important person?"

Qin Shi smiled gently, but his eyes shone brightly: "What a bold and forthright young lady! What's your name?"

The little girl said crisply, "My name is Ugly!"

Qin Shi nodded: "Alright, Chou'er! I will send someone to Pinyang to buy persimmon cakes at the end of September. If you have any, please go!"

"Red Maiden, write this down, and remember Ugly Child's household registration and name."

"promise."

The girl named Chou'er became happy and, ignoring her mother's worries, boldly asked, "If a distinguished person comes to collect it, will they give a few coins or half a tael?"

Qin Shi said, "If you can indeed make such sweet and long-lasting persimmon cakes, I will offer 80 per dou (a unit of dry measure)."

80 pieces? !

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

However, Qin Shi thought it was normal. A dou of fresh persimmons could sell for eight Qin Banliang in Xianyang City. It would take four or five dou of fresh persimmons to make one dou of dried persimmons. This price could only be described as fair, not expensive.

Moreover, the common people also have to pay one-tenth of their income in taxes.

The most important and frustrating thing is that soft persimmons are not actually suitable for making dried persimmons.

Dried persimmons made from soft persimmons are slightly sticky and soft, making them more prone to spoilage during production and storage, and they also require a certain level of ripeness.

Now, after careful consideration, she has determined that the persimmons she wants to teach everyone how to make dried persimmons should not be overripe.

Otherwise, if too much is lost, these 80 coins won't earn much.

However, as a noblewoman, if the price is too high, the persimmon cakes will probably only be available for internal consumption and will be difficult to circulate.

And naturally, the more difficult something is to circulate, the easier it is for ordinary people to exploit it when it is in their hands.

With the Yan family in Pinyang, there's no exploitation, but they are given more security.

In the future, this method for ordinary people will spread to more places. Even if it cannot bring wealth to a family, it can at least allow ordinary people to taste the sweetness of life.

She arrived at this price after weighing all factors, but the crowd below was already in an uproar.

Ugly Boy boldly asked, "Honorable sir, shall we do it now? I also have persimmon trees at home. Shall I pick a basketful first?"

What a clever girl!

Qin Shi asked her, "Are the persimmons ripe now?"

Ugly shook his head: "The ones at my house are not ripe yet. They are still green and unripe on the branches. It will take more than half a month for them to slowly turn yellow."

"But! There's a tree in the nearby ravine, and some of the leaves at the top are already turning yellow!"

"Ugly boy!" The woman beside her exclaimed in surprise, "How can you go into the mountains and forests so casually..."

She looked nervously at Qin Shi on the high platform: That's the King's mountain territory.

Although the hillside was small and there were no tigers, wolves, or wild animals, they would occasionally sneak some firewood to take home... But how could they say such a thing in front of such an important person?

Qin Shi pretended not to hear.

Even the mountains and forests are state-owned resources, and if ordinary people were to seriously investigate the practice of gathering firewood, it would be considered a crime—this rule was utterly absurd to her.

However, this absurd rule continued until the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, when Liu Heng lifted the ban on mountains and marshes, which gradually gave the people some room to recuperate and rebuild their lives.

Although the Qin state has not yet opened up, the Qin dynasty has already been quietly planning to do so.

What does it matter to her if a child glances at the persimmon tree in the valley a few more times?

So she simply nodded: "Alright, you lead the way. I'll immediately send people to pick persimmons of different ripeness, and then I'll write down the processing method so that my servants can teach you..."

"Ugly boy, you must study hard."

Strictly speaking, there are no difficult tricks to making persimmon cakes, so Qin Shi didn't need to do it himself.

To be honest, the results of her personal practice and teaching are probably not as good as when she verbally explains and the other person does it.

At this moment, she took out the production method that had been prepared beforehand on the paper, written in seal script but in plain language—

[Selecting fruit] [Peeling] [Hanging] [Drying] [Kneading]...

It requires neither firewood, lime, salt, nor sugar; all that's needed is for the people to be patient and put in some skillful work.

This cost-free production method is the most suitable direction for them to practice, experiment, and explore.

With the increasing demand for hard persimmons in dried persimmon production, it's possible that decades from now, someone will be able to successfully cultivate hard persimmons.

"Red Woman".

Qin Shi instructed, "This afternoon, you will be in charge of instructing everyone."

The first secretary is not just a personal secretary; there are also workplace changes and needs.

The woman bowed deeply: "This servant will certainly not fail the trust placed in me by the King of Qin."

Here it is! It's a combined chapter because there's a section of explanation in the middle that's hard to divide into separate chapters, so we've put it together. Whenever it's a combined chapter, the word count is the same as the two separate chapters.