Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Success in Crude Salt Purification
Thus, the decision was made. Chen Mo instructed Hu Changshan to make a trip to Quanyang County and called for Zhang River, selecting two skilled hunters to bring the furs obtained in recent days to accompany Hu Changshan.
The reason Chen Mo made this selection also had an element of surveillance.
The group had lunch at Chen Mo’s home. After bidding farewell to their families, they immediately set off for Quanyang County.
After Zhang River left, Chen Mo had someone summon Han Wu and instructed: "Take people to the riverbank to collect shells, I also want the mussels from the lake, the more, the better."
Many people, upon hearing about shells, thought they were only found at the seaside.
In fact, not just at the seaside, they can be found by the riverbank, field edges, and lakesides, and even in sand and stones.
"Shells, mussels?"
Han Wu was puzzled, mussels were understandable since their meat could be eaten, but what use were shells, which could be easily gathered from the riverside in handfuls.
However, Han Wu dared not disobey Chen Mo’s instructions and immediately took people to work on it.
The reason Chen Mo wanted to collect shells and mussels was because calcium carbonate in the shells, when heated and decomposed, can yield quicklime.
And for rough salt refinement, quicklime is essential.
While Han Wu took people to collect shells, Chen Mo called for others to dig a two-meter-square pit in an empty space behind the village.
He instructed experienced villagers to build a small earthen kiln, with ventilation openings prepared in advance.
"Immortal Master Chen, are you going to fire ceramics?" A villager experienced in ceramics couldn’t help but ask when he saw Chen Mo having people build an earthen kiln.
Chen Mo was taken aback: "You know how to fire ceramics?"
"I learned from a master in the city before, but I wasn’t very good at it," the villager scratched his head.
"What is your name?" Chen Mo thought that firing ceramics was also a skill, and asked Wang Ping to take note of him in case he might be needed later.
"Liu Gui." The man named Liu Gui thought Chen Mo really intended to fire ceramics and immediately began talking about things to watch out for in ceramics firing, hoping to be valued.
"I’ll remember you," Chen Mo casually replied, then instructed him to fetch some firewood.
"Alright."
Liu Gui nodded enthusiastically and soon returned with a pile of firewood, accompanied by several people.
On the other side.
Han Wu, leading dozens of patrol team members, searched for shells by the river.
To the villagers, shells were useless items that nobody wanted, thus there were many on sandbanks and riversides. In a short time, they gathered a basketful.
"Go to Dadong Lake next and help the fishing team find more mussels," Han Wu said as he picked up the basket and spoke to the patrol team.
"Captain Han, what does Immortal Master Chen want so many shells for? You can’t eat them," someone asked.
"Since it’s Immortal Master Chen’s order, he naturally has his reasons, why are you asking so many questions, just hurry and go," Han Wu replied.
"Then Captain Han, since we’re gathering these shells and mussels, can our families share in it tonight?"
Han Wu pondered for a moment before saying, "First register with Wang Ping, I’ll ask Immortal Master Chen."
Soon, Han Wu found Chen Mo with a basketful and explained the situation.
Chen Mo thought it over and agreed.
It was then that he realized that without incentives, people’s hearts were not so willing.
It seems that making money is urgent.
Chen Mo stacked the firewood in a pit, laid shells on top.
Seeing this, Han Wu was puzzled and couldn’t help but ask.
To this, Chen Mo could only give a vague response: "Confidential."
The truth was, these steps were only theoretical for Chen Mo, having only experimented with it in middle school with complete materials, not having to produce quicklime himself, thus he wasn’t certain if it would work.
If it failed, wouldn’t that be embarrassing and lower his prestige in their hearts.
Fortunately, science also works in this cultivatable otherworld.
Shells aren’t durable to heat, in less than an hour, Chen Mo obtained what he desired.
Afterwards, he hastily returned home, took out tens of pounds of rough salt previously bought from the cellar, and went to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Chen Mo set up a large cauldron, poured the produced quicklime into it, and had Han Wu bring water to pour into the cauldron.
The quicklime and water reacted chemically, swiftly emitting a burst of white smoke.
The puzzled Han Wu seeing this, thought Chen Mo was displaying some immortal technique again.
While stirring with a wooden stick, Chen Mo had Han Anniang measure a few pounds of rough salt and boil it in the kitchen with water.
The reason for not adding all the rough salt in one go was due to Chen Mo’s concern about wasting it if it failed, preferring to experiment first before refining it all if successful.
Chen Mo didn’t let Han Wu remain idle, having him burn some plant ash, worrying he wouldn’t know what it was so Chen Mo explained.
"Uncle, is the saltwater boiling?" Soon, Han Anniang’s voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Sister-in-law, pour it into a barrel and bring it out,"
Chen Mo instructed, while in his own pot the lime water slurry was finished.
Subsequently, Chen Mo sought out a pottery crock.
At this time, Han Wu appeared with a pottery jar filled with plant ash.
Chen Mo sequentially added saltwater and lime water into the pottery crock.
Han Anniang, Han Wu, and Song Min, witnessing this, were somewhat stunned.
Mixing them together like this, wouldn’t the salt be wasted.
The ratio of saltwater to lime water Che used was 2 to 1, as he remembered the teacher specially emphasized adding excess.
As he added, Chen Mo had Han Wu come over to help stir.
Soon, precipitate began to form from the reaction between the lime water and the saltwater.
To expedite the reaction of carbon dioxide, Chen Mo added some filtered plant ash.
After completing these tasks, the sun had set in the west.
Next, just wait.
...
Luckily, hard work and determination paid off.
The next day, before dawn, Chen Mo woke up to inspect the pottery crock.
At first glance, it looked decent, numerous precipitates had formed at the bottom.
Chen Mo filtered out the precipitate, poured it into a pot, started a fire, and began boiling.
As the water boiled and evaporated, the pot’s bottom began to form white crystals.
Seeing these crystals, Chen Mo knew he was likely successful.
At this time, Han Anniang and Song Min had awakened, witnessing Chen Mo busy in the kitchen, and couldn’t help but inquire. Upon learning Chen Mo was boiling something from yesterday afternoon, they were surprised.
Seeing the light of dawn outside the kitchen, to not delay absorbing innate spiritual qi, Chen Mo asked Han Anniang to keep an eye on the boiling, ensuring the water all evaporated.
While Chen Mo was outside absorbing innate spiritual qi, Han Wu arrived too.
He encountered something he couldn’t understand while practicing his sword in the morning and sought advice from Chen Mo.
Chen Mo provided guidance to Han Wu while absorbing innate spiritual qi.
Time slowly passed by.
"Uncle, it’s done."
Suddenly, Han Anniang’s voice echoed from the kitchen.
Chen Mo was reluctant to waste any time absorbing innate spiritual qi, so he asked Han Anniang to scoop out the white crystals from the pot.
In the kitchen, Han Anniang used a bowl to scoop out the white crystals, then walked out to give them to Chen Mo, saying: "Uncle, what is this?"
"Flour?" Han Wu curiously leaned over to have a look.
"Try it and you’ll know," Chen Mo said with a deliberately mysterious tone.
Upon hearing this, both Han Wu and Han Anniang dipped their fingers and tasted a bit.
As soon as it touched their tongues, both of their brows knit tightly.
So salty.
"Is it salt?" Han Wu hypothesized, but this salt was too fine.
"Do you notice any difference from the salt you had before?" Chen Mo asked.
Han Wu tasted some more, the bitterness was gone, leaving only the salty taste.
Curious, Han Wu asked how this salt was made.
Upon learning it was from yesterday afternoon, Han Wu was astonished and exclaimed, "It’s truly the immortal technique!"
ps: Another Chapter to come.