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墨書 Inktalez
Now they were still in the stage of being "unrecognized gems," practically free resources! Of course, selling them directly wouldn’t work; they were sour and astringent, and no one wanted them. They needed to be processed!
What should I make? Jam and wine required containers and technology, with high initial investments and long cycles. The simplest and most feasible option was to turn them into Dried Fruit!
Making Dried Fruit was relatively simple; all it required was a large amount of sugar and a drying area. The finished product could be stored for a long time, and with its sweet and sour taste, it would definitely be popular in this era of scarce snacks!
Without hesitation, I got to work! I first made up an excuse about wanting to collect some herbs in the back mountain to avoid my family's gaze and secretly headed to the valley where the Wild Kiwi grew most abundantly. Sure enough, the vines were laden with unripe fruit, densely packed—a scene of bountiful harvest.
I estimated that just the yield from this valley would be enough for my initial attempts.
Next came the issue of sugar. In this era, sugar was a scarce commodity supplied by rationing, and our household's sugar tickets had long been used up. Buying directly from the black market? Too risky and too expensive.
Then an idea struck me—I thought of someone: Old Ma, the procurement officer at the supply and marketing cooperative. Old Ma was an old comrade of my father’s, and they had a good relationship. The cooperative often dealt with white sugar or Brown Sugar that was nearing expiration or had damaged packaging, selling it at much lower prices.
I secretly approached Old Ma, first giving him two rolls of my hand-rolled "fine tobacco leaves," then shared my "dilemma"—wanting to make some sweets for my family but struggling due to a lack of sugar.
Seeing me as the daughter of an old comrade and appreciating the "fine tobacco," Old Ma indeed softened up and promised to keep an eye out for any sugar that needed to be processed. A few days later, he informed me that a batch of Brown Sugar bags had been damaged during transport and could be sold to me at internal processing prices.
I was overjoyed! Using all the "secret stash" I had saved since my rebirth, I bought those dozens of pounds of Brown Sugar! Although it was damaged goods with some impurities mixed in, it was more than enough for me!
With the sugar issue resolved, it was time for harvesting and production. I couldn’t let my family know; I feared they would stop me or cause unnecessary trouble. So, I got up before dawn every day under the pretense of gathering firewood or wild vegetables and sneaked off to pick Wild Kiwi in the back mountain. I specifically chose large, plump fruits that were not yet fully ripe; these were perfect for making Dried Fruit.
I hid the harvested Wild Kiwi in an abandoned storage room in the backyard. After everyone fell asleep at night, I would sneak in, light an oil lamp, and start processing.
Peeling, slicing, cooking with Brown Sugar and a small amount of water, then draining them before laying each piece on clean straw mats that I had prepared beforehand to dry on the roof of the storage room.
This process was extremely laborious. I could only sleep three or four hours each day while also managing farm work at home and dealing with occasional disturbances from Qian Guifen and Zhao Chunyan.
But I gritted my teeth and persevered. Watching those green fruit slices gradually become translucent under the sunlight while exuding a sweet-sour aroma made me realize that my efforts were not in vain!
After half a month, the first batch of Kiwifruit Preserves was finally completed! They had an enticing deep brown color, a soft texture, balanced sweetness and acidity, along with a unique fruity fragrance! It turned out even better than I had expected!
Next came the challenge of how to sell them and turn them into real money! Selling them directly in town? That would be too obvious and attract attention. Moreover, as a young girl exposing myself to business dealings in this era would surely invite gossip.
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