Chapter 366: Well done!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The canned food was a patent invented by a French chef who discovered that food sealed in gla.s.s containers was not perishable if it was properly heated.
Coincidentally, Napoleon was troubled that his soldiers could not eat fresh fruits and vegetables. After the food in the can was heated up, being stored in a sealed environment allowed it to have a maximum shelf life of a few years, so it was popularized.
Crab was a good ingredient. Be it crab roe, crab meat, or crab sauce, they were all enthusiastically sought after in the modern market.
If it was made into canned food, not only could it be sold for a good price, but it would also make the world exclaim at the craftsmanship and storage time of the canned food.
The craftsman had the technology to make gla.s.s. According to Bai Wutong’s request, he quickly made more than 10 gla.s.s jars of different sizes.
Bai Wutong picked up the gla.s.s jar and looked at the opening carefully. The masters held their breaths nervously, afraid that the gla.s.s jar made would not meet Bai Wutong’s requirements.
Bai Wutong used her fingers to test the thickness and tenacity of the gla.s.s again. Among the dozen or so gla.s.ses, she finally picked out three gla.s.s jars that met her standards.
Bai Wutong praised the craftsmen, “Well done!”
The craftsmen looked at each other and revealed relaxed smiles. They boldly asked Bai Wutong why she wanted these thick gla.s.s jars.
Bai Wutong did not hide it. “Use it to store crab sauce.”
As soon as she said this, the craftsmen immediately looked surprised.
Even though the cost of gla.s.s had decreased, it was still more expensive than a clay jar. They did not understand why Bai Wutong would choose to use a gla.s.s Jar.
However, on second thought, Bai Wutong was the consort. She was the one who had improved the gla.s.s, and she was not short of money. She could use whatever she wanted. It was not a big deal.
Bai Wutong did not know what they were thinking and brought the jar to the iron refinement factory. The factory manager was Zhao Yuan, but Zhao Yuan was too busy, so Liu Jin led the workers to make the lid needed for the jar.
Bai Wutong tried the gla.s.s and iron lids one by one and chose the ones with the strongest sealing power.
Then, she filled the gla.s.s jar with water and all kinds of food and carried out a sealed pressure-resistance experiment.
However, the hardness and sealing of the lid were all substandard. Even if it was twisted as tightly as possible, there was still a leak.
Bai Wutong was dissatisfied, and Liu Jin was so anxious that he was sweating.
He had only been promoted to deputy director for a few days. He could not be removed just like that.
He hurriedly said, “Consort, I’ll continue to improve it now. It’ll be done soon!”
He had already known Bai Wutong’s requirements for the lid just now. Firstly, it had to be perfectly compatible with the gla.s.s jar, secondly, it had to be airtight, and thirdly, it had to be of good quality.
Previously, when he was making it, there was no gla.s.s jar to take reference from. Now that Bai Wutong had brought the gla.s.s jar and there were ready-made iron pieces, Liu Jin felt that he could definitely make it immediately.
Bai Wutong nodded. “Then give it a try.”
“Don’t be nervous. If you can’t do it, I won’t blame anyone. Just slowly improve it. ‘
Even though Bai Wutong was so gentle, if he could not even satisfy the Consort with an iron lid, as the deputy factory manager, Liu Jin could not afford to lose face, especially with so many people eyeing him covetously.
After a round of hammering, not long after, Liu Jin referenced the gla.s.s jar to make a lid.
He filled the water himself and tested it. No matter how hard he shook the gla.s.s jar, it did not leak. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief and take it out to show Bai Wutong.
Bai Wutong was very satisfied and praised Liu Jin and the others. Apart from requesting them to speed up their communication with the gla.s.s workshop to produce iron lids, she also made new production requirements.
They had to make pure iron cans, machinery that could automatically produce lids and gla.s.s jars, and can sealing machines.
Without needs, there would be no inspiration. Without pressure, there would be no motivation. After Bai Wutong issued the task, Liu Jin had a headache and discussed it with the other experts in full swing.
Fortunately, Bai Wutong did not say that she wanted them to complete the task immediately.
Liu Jin communicated with the gla.s.s workshop people and quickly produced a batch of can lids. He even made a can sealer in advance.
As long as he placed the can full of crab sauce on it, once the machine pressed down and rotated, the excess air would be expelled to achieve true airtightness.
According to Bai Wutong’s experience, if the food was stored in a jar, the quality a.s.surance could reach at least a year.
Auntie Yang had previously received a notice to lead the female workers to make the most delicious and clean crab sauce.
For this, they were wearing special work clothes and even hair nets.
Everyone was extremely enthusiastic. They were extremely nervous even when a small stone appeared in the crab. They were afraid that the quality of hygiene would be substandard and Bai Wutong would be disappointed.
After the crab sauce was ready, Bai Wutong got someone to send over a few more food canning machines.
The gla.s.s jars were placed under the food canning machine. The crab sauce moved along the tubes. They could manually control the switches, fill the gla.s.s jars, cover them, and send them to the sealer for sealing.
The beautiful gla.s.s jar attracted the attention of all the female workers. They were afraid that if they knocked the gla.s.s jar while working, they would not be able to pay for it even if they sold themselves.
Hearing Auntie Yang say that it was a container for them to store crab sauce, all the female workers were shocked.
If they filled such an expensive and exquisite bottle with crab sauce, the crab sauce they made would definitely be sold for an astronomical price!
Seeing their expressions, Auntie Yang’s reaction was as exaggerated as when she learned the news. She pursed her lips and said, “Don’t just stand there.
Hurry up and get to work. The weather is hot, so we can’t put in crab sauce.”
Everyone looked at each other and asked hesitantly, “Auntie Yang, how much silver will it cost to break such an expensive bottle?” If it was too expensive and they had to compensate, no one would want to work anymore.
Auntie Yang explained, “The price of gla.s.s jars is not very expensive. Each jar is priced at one tael of silver. If it’s damaged, it will be deducted from your monthly salary. As long as everyone is careful, how can it be damaged?”
Such a beautiful gla.s.s jar was even clearer than gla.s.s. It was actually only one tael of silver. Everyone suspected that there was something wrong with their A female worker liked gla.s.s jars very much and immediately suggested, “Auntie
Yang, can you sell me ten gla.s.s jars for one taels of silver?”
Auntie Yang also wanted to buy dozens of gla.s.s jars in one go and show them off. She had never seen such a high-end container in her life.
But this belonged to the Imperial Court!
It was useless for them to think about it!
Auntie Yang said solemnly, “This belongs to the workshop. The things in the workshop are equivalent to the things of the Imperial Court. Selling and taking away the things of the Imperial Court is a capital crime!”
“Every gla.s.s jar here is registered. When the goods are shipped, they will count the quant.i.ties. If you want to buy gla.s.s jars, you should work hard and save more money. When the gla.s.s factory has extra manpower to produce them, we’ll be able to buy them!”
The female workers immediately said in surprise, ‘They’ll even sell gla.s.s jars separately in the future?!”
Auntie Yang raised her chin proudly.. “Of course, if the Consort said it herself, how can it be fake!”