NFBE Chapter 205 Extraction of Purslane Hydrosol
Chapter 205 Extraction of Purslane Hydrosol
"First, we need to remove the roots of the purslane and then wash it clean."
Canglan Jingyao imitated her mother's actions with great care, tightly gripping the root of the purslane with her small hands, trying to clean it. However, perhaps because she was still young and lacked strength, despite her great efforts and considerable struggle, the purslane root remained firmly attached to the plant and refused to come off.
As time ticked by, Canglan Jingyao grew increasingly anxious, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but the purslane root in her hand remained unmoved. Left with no other option, she put down the purslane, looked pitifully at Granny Ru beside her, and softly pleaded, "Granny, could you help me get this root off?"
Seeing the little princess's adorable yet persistent appearance, Granny Ru's heart softened, and she smiled and replied, "Your Highness, please don't worry, this old servant will help you." As she spoke, she took the purslane from Cang Lan Jingyao's hand, and with a slight pull, the stubborn root obediently detached from the plant.
With the help of Granny Ru, Canglan Jingyao finally finished processing the roots of the other two purslane plants. At this moment, Su Nuannuan, sitting to the side, smiled at her daughter, her eyes full of love and tenderness.
Next came the step of washing the purslane. Canglan Jingyao carefully placed the prepared purslane into a basin filled with clean water and then began to scrub it meticulously. Because the purslane leaves are quite small and dense, they are not easy to wash, so Canglan Jingyao washed them with extra care.
Su Nuannuan sat quietly beside her daughter, observing her every move. Occasionally, if she saw a spot that wasn't clean enough, she would gently point it out and demonstrate the correct way to wash it. The mother and daughter had excellent chemistry and worked together seamlessly.
In no time, the purslane was thoroughly cleaned. Then, Su Nuannuan and Canglan Jingyao worked together, twisting the purslane into shorter pieces with their hands. This would make it much easier and faster to cook them later.
After completing this step, Su Nuannuan turned and walked to the shelf, taking down an exquisite transparent glass pot and a small charcoal stove. The glass pot was crystal clear, like a fine work of art, and would shimmer with a captivating light if placed in the sunlight.
Speaking of this glass pot, it was a gift specially sent to Su Nuannuan's palace by her third brother, Su Yuan, last year. You should know that making such a glass pot was not easy at the time; this was the highest quality pot among the first batch of finished products.
Su Yuan has long since become the renowned "money bag" of the Azure Kingdom. All the novel items he sells are based on the records in the box of precious books that Su Nuannuan had her father present to the Emperor as a treasure.
Su Yuan reached a close cooperation agreement with the current emperor. According to the agreement, the emperor would provide manpower, while Su Yuan would contribute the venue and ample funds. The profits earned by both parties would be split 40/60, with Su Yuan receiving 40% and the remaining 60% going to the national treasury.
That's right, the silver wasn't put into the emperor's private treasury; instead, it all went into the national treasury. Moreover, these funds were meticulously recorded and kept in separate accounts, stored and managed separately, ensuring that every income and expenditure was clear, traceable, and transparent.
Now, Su Nuannuan has more than just this one glass pot. In fact, she owns several glass pots of different sizes and uses, but the one she is holding now is just the right size and is perfect for extracting hydrosol.
"Jinse, go and get some ice." Su Nuannuan instructed methodically as she skillfully lit the charcoal fire.
Unlike in the past, the use of ice no longer requires the meticulous planning and frugality of yesteryear. Previously, people had to laboriously collect ice during the winter and carefully store it in icehouses for summer use. Now, thanks to advanced technological innovation, the Ministry of Revenue can produce ice using saltpeter. Although this method is more cumbersome and complex, it brings considerable economic benefits!
Since the year before last, the Ministry of Revenue has established a special department dedicated to selling ice – the Ice Bureau. The emergence of this new institution is like a clear spring flowing into the long-parched financial sector, with silver pouring into the national treasury like a tidal wave. Even the Minister of Revenue, who had been troubled by years of financial difficulties, was finally able to hold his head high and smile with joy.
Although the Ministry of Revenue's accounts were already quite full, this Minister, who was always frugal, maintained his usual stingy style and dared not relax in the slightest.
In the imperial court, apart from the Ministry of War, which was in charge of military affairs, it was virtually impossible for any other ministry to obtain funding from the Minister of Revenue! Even within the Ministry of War, not all funds could be easily approved. For the Ministry of War, only military pay could be approved quickly.
Back then, the Emperor had generously approved the decrees for several other ministries. However, no sooner had the decrees been approved than the Minister of Revenue ruthlessly ransacked the Emperor's private treasury, declaring with conviction: "This is an act for the country and the people!"
Since then, in order to protect his private treasury, the emperor had to change his strategy. Now, anyone who wants to receive money must first go to the Minister of Revenue to obtain an approval slip, and then present it to the emperor. In this way, the whole process is completely reversed.
A short while later, Jinse returned carrying a plate of crystal-clear ice.
Su Nuannuan deftly placed the washed and wrung-out purslane into the exquisite glass pot, then added a small amount of water. Next, she took out a flawless, transparent glass and placed it steadily in the center of the purslane. Then, Su Nuannuan turned to Canglan Jingyao beside her and instructed, "Yao'er, put the lid upside down on the pot."
Canglan Jingyao gently reached out with both hands and slowly lifted the crystal-clear, jewel-like glass pot lid. Her movements were extremely gentle, as if she were afraid of accidentally breaking it. Then, she carefully turned the glass pot lid over and gently placed it on the equally exquisite glass pot.
After the lid was inverted, Su Nuannuan stepped forward, bent down, reached out and grasped the handle of the glass pot, slowly moving it onto the charcoal stove beside her. However, the glass pot wasn't placed directly on the charcoal stove, but rather on the fine, sturdy iron mesh above it.
Before long, as the charcoal fire burned brighter and brighter, wisps of steam began to rise from the glass pot. Just then, Su Nuannuan, who had been waiting nearby, quickly signaled Canglan Jingyao to put the prepared ice cubes on the pot lid.
Although Canglan Jingyao was full of doubts, she obediently did as she was told. While arranging the ice blocks, she couldn't help but ask Su Nuannuan, "Mother, why are we putting these ice blocks here?"
Hearing her daughter's question, Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and patiently explained, "Yao'er, the purpose of putting these ice cubes in is to allow the steam rising from the pot to cool down quickly and condense into water droplets. In this way, they will flow down the lid into the glass cup placed inside the pot." As she spoke, her gaze never left the glass cup where water droplets had already begun to fall.
Time ticked by, and as the water in the pot dwindled to almost nothing, Su Nuannuan stepped forward again, carefully using a thick cloth to gently lift the scalding hot glass pot off the charcoal stove. Then, she deftly removed the burning charcoal and retrieved the successfully extracted purslane hydrosol from the pot.
Canglan Jingyao stared wide-eyed at Su Nuannuan's every move. When she saw the bottle of purslane hydrosol that emitted a faint grassy scent, she couldn't help but curiously lean forward and blink her bright eyes, asking, "Mother, is this purslane hydrosol?"