Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Yi abruptly changed his mind, swallowing the word "want" back, and just grinned, silently praying that the young master wouldn't ask any further questions.

Fortunately, Zhou Wenqing didn't seem to notice. He lowered his eyes, his attention seemingly focused entirely on the large sack. He stood up with interest and went over to it.

Li Yi quickly and cooperatively untied the rope and opened the bag.

Zhou Wenqing peeked inside and saw that it contained five or six coarse salt bricks, each about the size of a washbasin, stacked neatly in a square shape. Although the shapes were slightly uneven, they were stacked fairly neatly. The surface of the salt bricks was grayish-white and rough, and it was clear that they had not been finely processed, but they were stamped with clear official marks.

Zhou Wenqing's heart skipped a beat, and he paused in his movements.

"Where did you buy it? You were quick."

He asked casually, seemingly without thinking, as he poked at the surface of the salt block, his fingertip immediately covered with a layer of grayish-white powder.

He picked off a tiny piece, about the size of a grain of rice, put it in his mouth, and immediately frowned.

Like salt sprinkled into bitter melon water, the bitterness hit his head, and the saltiness was mixed with astringency. He frowned and spat it out with a "pui".

Li Yi was watching his movements closely. Seeing this, he frowned, quickly turned around, found a bowl of water, and handed it to him, replying casually:

"I found a larger salt shop. They had plenty of stock, so I gave them extra money, and they paid me readily."

He paused, then added half-jokingly, "Anyway, the young master is going to produce refined salt, so he won't lose money."

"You certainly know how to do business." Zhou Wenqing rinsed his mouth with his head down, hiding the surprise in his eyes, put the bowl on the low table, and then glared at him irritably.

His gaze fell back on the sack, and he aimed at a slightly smaller piece, reaching out to grab it. It was heavier than he had expected. He wanted to lift it up to examine it in the light, but then he felt a sudden weight on his arm and almost dropped it.

"Young master, be careful!" Li Yi reached out and supported the bottom, stabilizing the heavy salt brick. "Let me do it."

Zhou Wenqing didn't let go: "Don't worry, my hand is very steady, it won't break."

"No, what I mean is, young master, please be careful not to hurt yourself, that would be bad."

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

He withdrew his hand expressionlessly: "Then you hold it. I'm afraid of straining my wound, so I'll leave it to you."

Then he added, "Lift it up higher, so I can see it in the sunlight."

Tsk! The young master is annoyed again.

Li Yi did as instructed in a good-natured manner, looking as relaxed as if he were holding up a cotton quilt. He didn't even flinch, let alone fall down.

"Alright, it's because my body is too weak, but that has nothing to do with me. I used to be very strong," Zhou Wenqing silently comforted himself, but he lost interest in looking at the salt block.

"Put it down," he said resentfully. "What are you holding it up for? To use as an umbrella to shield me from the sun? I hate how it sheds foam!"

"Isn't this what you asked me to lift, young master?"

Li Yi looked completely innocent, and even deliberately tossed the salt brick around before Zhou Wenqing could glare at him, quickly putting it back into the bag.

He clapped his hands, chuckled, and looked up, saying, "Young master, the coarse salt is all prepared. When would you like to begin?"

"No rush." ​​Zhou Wenqing took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands, then sat back in the rocking chair and swayed back and forth, lazily basking in the sun.

"We have the main ingredient, but there are still a lot of other things we haven't prepared yet. Let's leave them for now, what's the rush?"

"No, young master!" Li Yi's expression quickly fell, his eyes filled with urgency: "What else do you need, young master? I'll prepare it right away."

"Um?"

Zhou Wenqing was lounging in the recliner, only turning her head to look at him, with both arms hanging on the same armrest, like a lazy big cat.

He raised his left eyebrow high: "Ah Yi, I remember you're always the type to eat anything you're given, even taking three bites from the rim of a bowl. How come you're in such a hurry today, even more so than me, a proper glutton?"

"Ah, well..." Li's eyes darted around, and he suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I'm in a rush to recoup my losses! I accidentally bought too much, and if we don't start production quickly to break even, we might not even be able to afford food. Young master, you don't want to be starving tomorrow, do you?"

"Don't try to fool me!" Zhou Wenqing didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply stretched out a finger and slowly pointed towards the kitchen.

"I saw it with my own eyes yesterday; the millet in the rice jar was so full it was almost overflowing."

"That--"

Li Yi drawled, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "So, I'll just be cooking plain porridge tomorrow?"

"Li—one!"

Zhou Wenqing sat up abruptly, grabbed an empty bowl from beside him, and pretended to smash it.

Li took two steps back, a fawning smile on his face, waving his hands repeatedly in apology:

"Young master, please don't be angry, don't joke around. I was just kidding. Tomorrow I'll definitely prepare eight dishes and a soup as an early celebration for your success. Is that alright?"

"That makes more sense."

Zhou Wenqing slumped back into his chair, swayed a couple of times, then suddenly stretched out his hand with his fingers spread wide. "Eight dishes and a soup aren't necessary. Five dishes will suffice. Remember, there has to be meat. If you try to fool me with bland and tasteless food again..."

Zhou Wenqing glared at him, thinking he was being fierce.

"No, no!" Li Yi suppressed a laugh and bowed repeatedly, "I'll do as you say, young master. Five dishes and a soup, but..."

He straightened up, a fawning smile on his face: "Since we're celebrating early, shouldn't we establish this 'merit' as soon as possible? Is there anything else you need, young master? I'll rush over and get it for you!"

"So eager?" Zhou Wenqing glanced at him sideways.

"Hehe," Li Yi rubbed his hands together, grinning from ear to ear, "I just... wanted to see it for myself as soon as possible, to taste that legendary salt that's as white as snow and as precious as gold. Didn't you say you'd let me see it for myself, young master!"

Zhou Wenqing paused for a moment without speaking, and then...

"Alright then." He finally stood up slowly. "Let me think about what I need to prepare..."

He paced around the yard twice with his hands behind his back, frowning in thought. The sunlight cast his shadow long and short, and Li Yi's eyes followed the shadow as it turned left and right.

Finally, Zhou Wenqing stopped. Under Li Yi's gaze, he held up one finger and listed the items one by one:

"First, I need the finest raw silk or fine linen, at least three feet square, the finer the better. If that's not available, then I'll look for newly woven, undyed summer cloth."

—This is for filtering; the finer the filter, the more impurities it can remove.

"No problem," Li Yi quickly replied. "These are all easy to buy. I'll go to the fabric store in a bit."

Zhou Wenqing nodded and raised his second finger.

"Second, go to the pharmacy or the kitchen and look for charcoal. Not the kind of firewood you use for burning, but the kind of hard charcoal that makes a crisp sound when you tap it and has a shiny cross-section. Grind it into an extremely fine powder and sift it through a fine sieve. Remember, it has to be very fine."

—These charcoal powders are the most basic "activated carbon" adsorption layer, which is key to purification and decolorization.

"I'll grind it myself!" Li Yi patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, young master, I'll make it so fine it can float away."

"Third," Zhou Wenqing said, raising his third finger.

"Find white stone powder. If you don't have any, find plenty of clean white clam or oyster shells, wash them, put them in the stove and heat them over a high flame until they are thoroughly heated, then grind them into a fine powder."

This is a crucial step in preparing limewater, precipitating the bitter impurities from the salt blocks.

Li nodded vigorously, continuing to stare intently at him, awaiting his next instruction.

That's pretty much it. Zhou Wenqing thought for a moment and then held up another finger.

"Fourth, prepare two brand new earthenware pots or urns, scrubbing them inside and out until there are no old stains, and cut a few thick, fresh bamboo sections, removing the joints for later use."

—These are used to hold the brine and make the drainage pipes. They must be clean, otherwise all the work will be wasted. I almost forgot.

Li Yi remembered it well, and then asked, "Does the young master need anything else?"

Zhou Wenqing withdrew his raised hand, his expression suddenly turned serious, and he stared intently at Li Yi.

"And this last thing, which is also the most important."

Seeing this, Li Yi straightened his back and said with a firm gaze, "Young master, just say what it is, and I will find a way to get it for you."