Chapter 31: The Stone Mill and the Stone Grinder

Thinking of this, Zhao Hai quickly entered the space. When he was in the space, he really didn't like others watching him, but to reassure Merlin and the others, he had to bring them into the space to see. The Buda family still needed to rely on them.

This time, Zhao Hai wanted Merlin and Meg to know the situation in the space to boost their confidence. The crises in the Black Earth Wasteland were one after another, and if Merlin and the others lost confidence, everything would be over.

After entering the space, Zhao Hai immediately bought radishes. This time, it was three seasons' worth of radishes, costing a total of 1,500 gold coins. Adding the 50 gold coins he already had, he now had 1,550 gold coins. If he used these gold coins to plant radishes, he could plant ten seasons' worth of radishes.

Zhao Hai wasn't against using radishes for seeds, but radishes were different from corn. When they matured, the main part eaten was the root, and he wasn't sure if the space would allow them to save seeds. Even if they could save seeds, the number of seeds would be very small, far less than the high yield of corn. Therefore, Zhao Hai didn't use radishes for seeds.

Selling radishes could still earn a lot of money, and selling them outside would earn even more. As long as Green returned, they could sell the radishes. Then he could buy some books about the continent's plants, which would help him decide what to plant. He currently knew too little about the plants on the continent, making it difficult to develop.

Zhao Hai had no choice. Now that he had sold the radishes, he could still harvest another season's worth of radishes tomorrow. He told Green that he only had 80,000 pounds of radishes, which was enough for one season.

However, although he now had over 1,500 gold coins, it wasn't enough. The radishes could be harvested three times a day, meaning the gold coins he had would only last for three days. After three days, he would have to sell radishes again.

Zhao Hai felt quite helpless. His current level was too low, and he couldn't even buy some high-grade seeds. He could only wait. At this rate, he didn't know when the space would upgrade.

After leaving the space, Zhao Hai lay on the bed and soon fell asleep. He realized that he seemed to be particularly sleepy. He had already slept in the afternoon, but he could still fall asleep at night, which was quite unbelievable.

The next morning, Zhao Hai was woken up by the sound of the radishes maturing in the space. When he entered the space, he found not only the radishes but also the corn was almost ripe.

Zhao Hai immediately harvested the radishes and planted another bag of radish seeds. He checked the corn, which would mature in a few minutes. Zhao Hai didn't want to go out, so he washed his face and rinsed his mouth with the water in the space and waited there.

Looking at the corn, Zhao Hai felt quite hungry. He used to live in the north, and although corn wasn't a staple food at that time, it was still good to eat occasionally. However, the corn at that time was high-yield and not as tasty as the sticky corn from the past. Most of it was grown with chemical fertilizers, which made it less flavorful than corn grown with organic fertilizers. So, Zhao Hai only ate it occasionally.

However, when he visited his rural relatives, he once had a delicious cornmeal pancake cooked in a large iron pot. It was incredibly tasty.

The cornmeal pancake was completely different from the cornmeal pancakes bought in the city. Although the cornmeal was coarse, the pancake was very fragrant. The bottom of the pot was stewed with vegetables, and the lower part of the pancake was soaked in the vegetable broth. One side was crispy, and when you bit into it, you could taste the fragrance of the cornmeal and the crispy texture. The part soaked in the vegetable broth was even more fragrant.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but salivate. He came back to his senses and swallowed a few times, but he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Although he had eaten cornmeal porridge and cornmeal pancakes, he didn't know how to process them. He knew that processing cornmeal was relatively simple, just removing the husk and the core. However, processing cornmeal was more complicated, requiring the corn to be processed into corn grits and then ground into cornmeal.

If he were on Earth, processing corn would be very simple. He could find a grain processing plant, turn on the machine, and it would be done in a short time.

However, here it was different. There were no grinders or mills, so the corn couldn't be processed.

Zhao Hai sighed. At that moment, the space's notification sound rang again, indicating that the corn had matured. Zhao Hai immediately harvested the corn and replanted the two acres of land with corn. Then he stared at the cornfield, deep in thought. The yield of corn was high, but the processing was a problem. He wondered how people in the past ate corn.

Suddenly, Zhao Hai had an idea. Corn must have appeared before grinders and mills. In the years without machines, did people just boil the corn kernels? People back then weren't that foolish, so how did they process corn?

Zhao Hai walked around the space a few times, habitually touching his forehead, thinking about how people in the past processed grains.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. He finally remembered two things. He had only seen these things on TV and had never used them himself, nor had he seen them used in modern rural areas, so he hadn't thought of them.

The stone mill and the stone grinder!

Yes, these two things. When Zhao Hai visited his rural relatives, he had seen a millstone, but it was already dismantled. No one in the countryside used it anymore. Out of curiosity, he asked what the millstone and the stone grinder were used for. He learned that they were used to process grains and flour.

The main materials for these two things were stone and wood. Although there weren't many stones available in the mountains now, it should be enough to make a stone mill and a stone grinder. The stones weren't too hard to find, and the small trees on the mountain would suffice.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn't stay in the space any longer. He immediately came out and looked at the sky. Meg and the others should be up by now. Zhao Hai quickly opened the door and walked out.

As soon as Zhao Hai came out, he saw Meg and Ju carrying copper basins heading towards his room. Seeing Zhao Hai, Meg was surprised and quickly said, "Young Master, why are you out? You haven't washed up yet."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's fine. I've been up for a while and have already washed up. Ju, how is your brother? Has he gotten up?"

Ju, who was standing behind Meg with her head down, quickly replied, "Thank you, Young Master. An is already better and is waiting outside to meet you."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "No need to be so formal. Just come in. Let's go to the living room. Call An in, I have something to ask him."

Meg and Ju were a bit surprised but didn't say anything. They immediately responded and followed Zhao Hai to the living room.

In the living room, Meg put down the copper basin and stood behind Zhao Hai, while Ju went outside to call An.

The inner castle was divided into the main castle and the servants' quarters. The main castle was where Ye Hai and the others lived, while the servants' quarters were small houses for the servants, located behind the main castle. Now, Ju and An lived in the servants' quarters. Although they were now commoners and had been given a surname by Zhao Hai, their status was still far below that of Meg and the others. Meg and the others were trusted confidants, while Ju and An were just ordinary servants.

Soon, Ju led An into the room. An was tall and lean but looked strong.

He no longer looked like he was on the verge of death, but he still kept his head down and didn't dare to speak.

Ju walked up to Zhao Hai and said, "Young Master, An is here."

Zhao Hai nodded, looked at An standing not far away, and smiled, "Call him over. No need for such formalities. I have something to ask him."

Ju immediately called An over. As soon as An reached Zhao Hai, he knelt down and bowed, saying, "An greets Young Master. Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life."

It seemed that Ju had already told him what to say before he came, so he called Zhao Hai "Young Master" instead of "Master." Zhao Hai nodded and said, "No need to be so formal. You are now part of the Buda family, and saving you was the right thing to do. Stand up and speak."

An bowed again and said, "Thank you, Young Master." Then he stood up but still kept his head down, not daring to look at Zhao Hai.

Seeing An's demeanor, Zhao Hai frowned. He didn't like people acting like this, as it made them seem like slaves. He sternly said, "An, look up. Remember, you are now part of the Buda family and a commoner. When you go out, you represent the Buda family. Don't always bow and act like a slave. That will make people look down on the Buda family."

Seeing that Zhao Hai seemed angry, Ju and An both knelt down and bowed, saying, "Please punish us, Young Master."

Zhao Hai felt quite helpless and said, "Alright, stand up. Don't kneel so easily." Seeing that both of them had stood up and An's posture had straightened a bit, Zhao Hai continued, "An, I have a question. Do you know how to work as a stonemason?"

An quickly replied, "Yes, Young Master. My father was a stonemason, and I learned some of his skills. Although I'm not very proficient, I can still make simple things."

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "That's good. I'll draw two designs. See if you can make them. If you can, organize a team to mine some stones and make what I need as soon as possible."

An's heart tightened, but he bowed and said, "Yes, Young Master."

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End of the chapter.