Chapter 289: Class Is in Session

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Class Is in Session

Widow Xie, Ji Xuelan, and Ji Mingfang sat shoulder to shoulder in a row, staring blankly ahead.

A rectangular wooden board hung on the wall in front of them. Ji Huan was sketching on it with a piece of charcoal that had been burned through and cooled.

"Spices with richer aromas and denser textures need to be soaked in hot water for a longer period of time. For those with less of an off-smell and a higher oil content, warm water will do. For those that release their fragrance easily, room-temperature water is fine.

Bitter-aromatic spices contain more impurities and off-smells, so they are usually soaked in white liquor, which acts as a solvent and penetrates them. This makes it easier to remove the unwanted odors.

Of course, the soaking method and duration must be handled flexibly.

Take black cardamom, for instance. When processing it, you first have to rinse it with clean water to remove the smoky flavor on the surface, then soak it in white liquor. White cardamom also needs to be rinsed with clean water first to get rid of any residual sulfur taste before you can move on to the liquor-soaking stage.

As for spices whose aromatic compounds are fat-soluble, simple soaking won’t be enough to fully release their fragrance. They must also be stir-fried."

Ji Xuelan raised her hand. "If the processing method involves stir-frying, does that mean we have to stir-fry them again after soaking?"

"The two steps have different purposes, so they don’t conflict."

After answering her question, Ji Huan thought for a moment and added:

"Normally, we won’t need this second stir-frying step. It’s mainly for individual spices, which are fried in an oiled wok before cooking a dish. That’s different from the dry-frying during the initial processing stage."

"If we don’t need it, then does that mean we don’t have to learn it?"

Ji Xuelan was hoping to lighten her workload, but Ji Huan’s next words shattered her beautiful dream.

"Not necessarily.

While our main product will be compound spices—which are typically processed, ground into powder, and then blended—it’s true that you don’t need to learn any pre-use preparation for those.

But we don’t necessarily have to cut out the single-spice product line.

Compound spices aren’t suitable for every occasion. Take stewing soups, for example; they are better suited for a combination of various single spices. When customers come to buy them, we’ll need to explain how to use them, which means you first need to understand the ins and outs yourselves.

And if we decide to branch out into other food products later on, just understanding won’t be enough. You’ll have to know how to make them too."

’After hearing all that, the pressure felt even greater...’

Ji Xuelan gritted her teeth, silently repeating the mantra ’you can never have too many skills’ a few times before asking, "What should we pay attention to when stir-frying with oil?"

"When stir-frying with oil, the oil temperature is key. You must avoid high heat and hot oil, or you’ll easily scorch and burn the spices. You also need to pay attention to the order in which you add the spices to the wok.

Slower-releasing spices go in first, like star anise, cassia bark, and black cardamom. Faster-releasing ones go in later, like bay leaves, cumin, and thyme. This ensures that their fragrances emerge at roughly the same time.

Generally speaking, smaller particles release their fragrance more quickly, while slower ones are usually just bigger pieces. So for things like star anise, cassia bark, and black cardamom, you can crush them before adding them to the wok along with the faster-releasing spices. This can save a lot of time."

Ji Mingfang raised his hand to interrupt. "If that’s the case, then during the earlier soaking step, should we also break open the large, hard spices before soaking them?"

"Thinking on your feet, not bad at all."

Besides a thumbs-up from Ji Huan, Ji Mingfang also received looks of admiration from Ji Xuelan and Widow Xie.

He coughed, slightly embarrassed.

Ji Xuelan looked at her younger brother, her eyes filled with pride.

Widow Xie, on the other hand, felt a mix of envy and anxiety.

Seeing the two siblings ask one insightful question after another, she could no longer sit still.

’We’re all listening to the same lecture, so how come their minds are so sharp, while mine feels like it’s gone all rusty?’

Widow Xie held her breath and stared intently at Ji Huan, trying to find a loophole or seize on a topic she could actually follow.

Ji Huan could tell what she was thinking with a single glance and suppressed a laugh as she continued.

"Additionally, there are some special spices that can neither be soaked nor stir-fried. Before use, they must be steamed in a steamer to fully release their fragrance.

Take bay leaves, for example. They are the air-dried leaves of the laurel tree and possess both a piquant and an aromatic fragrance. However, only by steaming them can you maximize their aromatic qualities. If you were to process them by stir-frying, it would only enhance their pungent, sharp flavor."

"Wait, wait." It was finally Widow Xie’s turn to raise her hand. "Wuan, this bay leaf you’re talking about... we don’t have any, do we?"

Her question made Ji Mingfang and Ji Xuelan realize it too.

"And some of the other ones you mentioned earlier—I don’t think we’re growing them in the fields either."

This question really hit the nail on the head.

"Some spices aren’t suited for the climate and soil here in the Northern Pass. Others take many years to mature before they can be harvested. We can’t do anything about the first kind, and we don’t have time for the second."

"Then what are we going to do?" Everyone started to worry.

"I already have a solution."

Back when the medical equipment workshop was just being set up, it required a lot of materials. Some could be found in the Northern Land, while others had to be sourced from the South.

Xin Ziqi had commissioned a merchant guild that specialized in procurement. Before they departed, he specifically sent Ping’an to ask Ji Huan if there was anything she needed them to bring back.

So, Ji Huan made a list of all the spices she might need that they didn’t have and entrusted it to him.

Speaking of which, she actually felt quite embarrassed. Xin Ziqi had once again paid for this batch of spices out of his own pocket.

It had been half a year since they started their hand cream collaboration in March. They had received several payments, which had just now offset the initial costs, and they were only recently entering a state of profitability.

The moment Xin Ziqi received the repayment, he wanted to give Ji Huan her share of the profits.

But firstly, this was his initial investment, and as far as she knew, he had borrowed it from a childhood best friend.

Secondly, the pharmaceutical workshop’s next key research project was an anesthetic, and the medical equipment workshop needed funding for everything from its establishment to large-scale production. Money was needed everywhere.

At such a critical juncture, how could Ji Huan accept the money?

Her original plan was that since she wasn’t managing anything directly, she would wait until they were profitable to take her share. Then, she would reinvest her profits into the pharmaceutical and equipment workshops to help ease some of Xin Ziqi’s burden.

Who would have thought that instead of helping, she would end up owing him yet another debt?

Even though the sum wasn’t large, it was an indisputable fact that Xin Ziqi was having cash flow problems.

All the returns from the hand cream had been poured into the pharmaceutical and equipment workshops, but it was still just a drop in the bucket. After much deliberation, Xin Ziqi had no choice but to shelve the anesthetic project for the time being and focus all his efforts on hand cream and equipment production.

Once those two projects turned a profit, he would use the money to support the research and development of the anesthetic.

Xin Ziqi had never mentioned a single word of these difficulties to her. It was only recently that Ji Huan had learned about them by chance from Ping’an.

This was also the reason she was in such a hurry to start making money.

"It’s been a few months now. This season is good for travel; by going over both land and water, they can save more than half the time. I even went to town the day before yesterday to ask, and I estimate they should arrive very soon."

Hearing her say this, everyone felt relieved.

They were just a little curious. Why was that Doctor Xin so enthusiastic? Why was he willing to help with everything?

Ji Huan didn’t reveal their partnership, merely explaining that Xin Ziqi was just a naturally kind and helpful person.

Fearing they would ask more questions, she quickly said, "Alright, that’s all for today. Class dismissed. Go home and digest everything we’ve covered. We officially start tomorrow."

As soon as they heard the words "class dismissed," no one could be bothered to ask her anything else. Each one of them was in a frantic hurry to get home, a complete reversal from the days they were working.

This was especially true for Widow Xie. For the past few days, the words she most wanted to hear were "class dismissed."

Before, when Dacheng had wailed and screamed, refusing to go to his private tutor, she hadn’t understood. Now, she finally did.

’Heavens, it really is pitiful,’ she thought. ’To live for more than half my life, only to be dragged back to class.’

These past few days, whenever she got home, her two children would greet her by asking, "Mom, is your class over? What did you learn today?"

Widow Xie left in a hurry. Ji Mingfang lingered behind. Ji Xuelan assumed he had another question for Ji Huan, so she didn’t wait for him and headed home to start making dinner.

"Wan..." Ji Mingfang began, a hint of hesitation and struggle on his face.

Seeing his expression, Ji Huan knew his question would have nothing to do with spices.

And sure enough—