Wang Shoujie didn't pay much attention to these minor setbacks and instead shifted the topic to the main issue: "By the way, Second Brother, the live fish in your fish market are the most valuable, right?"
"Yes, except for the Spirit Fish, some high-quality live fish are the most valuable. The carp, mandarin fish, and other species are renowned for their freshness and are highly sought after by wealthy families and merchants. The only requirement is that they must be fresh and alive." Wang Shou Yi furrowed his brow and continued, "Sixth Uncle's fishing boat has a live water tank, and after unloading the fish, we need to use special horse-drawn carriages to transport them to Changning Garrison City overnight. Even with the shortest possible time, many errors can occur, and six or seven out of ten fish may die, reducing their value by half and making them only suitable for sale as fresh fish."
Wang Shoujie thought for a moment before saying, "So, the transportation costs and the mortality rate of the live fish are two key issues. If we can solve these two problems, even if the catch doesn't increase, we can still earn an extra 70-80 gold per year."
He was inspecting the family's various industries to see if he could optimize each production link using his modern Earth thinking, which could increase the family's output.
"If Fourth Brother can find a way to reduce the mortality rate of the live fish, I'm confident we can earn an extra 70-80 gold per year," Wang Shou Yi said, his face filled with concern. "Those dead fish are all pure profit."
"I can't say for now, I need to see Second Brother's original plan."
"Follow me, Fourth Brother," Wang Shou Yi led Wang Shoujie to the backyard of another courtyard, where two horse-drawn carriages were parked. Unlike ordinary carriages, these didn't have passenger compartments but instead had large wooden barrels installed. Wang Shou Yi explained, "One carriage is for transporting live fish and water, and the other is only for transporting live water. We need to replace part of the water in the fish barrel every hour. However, even with this method, many fish still die, and I'm considering adding another carriage for live water, but that would increase costs significantly."
As soon as Wang Shoujie saw Wang Shou Yi's live fish transportation method, his eyes widened in surprise. Sixth Uncle's daily catch of valuable live fish was already limited, with a maximum of around 1-2 tons per day.
The transportation method was astonishingly complex, and the fish barrels were unexpectedly simple, lacking any oxygenation or filtration systems - it was just a matter of changing the water To change the water, they even used a separate horse-drawn carriage for water, and Wang Shou Yi was considering adding another one.
Of course, not all human elites neglected natural sciences. However, even if they did research and achieve some results, they would keep their knowledge secret and not share it with others.
Wang Shoujie, who had no ideals in his previous life, would often go fishing with friends during holidays. After catching a lot of fish, he even bought oxygen pumps to try to keep the fish alive, but he discovered that the fish would still die quickly. After some research and learning, he understood some simple principles.
To keep fish alive, the water tank needed to meet three conditions. First, the water had to have sufficient dissolved oxygen, as fish needed oxygen to survive, and the oxygen in the water was limited. The more fish in a tank, the more oxygen was consumed, which could be addressed through oxygenation.
Second, the water quality had to be clean, as fish waste and food residue would produce ammonia and nitrite, which were factors in fish death. This could be solved through water changes and filtration.
Moreover, temperature is another crucial factor. The higher the temperature, the more active the fish are, and the more oxygen they consume, producing more toxic substances like ammonia. Therefore, maintaining relatively low water temperatures is also very effective.
Combining these three points, the two men entered Wang Shou Yi's study, where Wang Shoujie thought for a moment and drew a simple diagram on paper. The diagram showed a circular wooden bucket with a filtration system on top, where the filtered water would flow back into the bucket in a rain-like pattern, utilizing the simplest principle of drip irrigation to increase oxygen levels.
Wang Shoujie explained the principles of oxygen and toxic substances in simple terms to Wang Shou Yi.
Wang Shou Yi, who had been in the fish business for over 10 years, quickly grasped Wang Shoujie's principles and exclaimed, "Listening to Fourth Brother, I suddenly understand many things. Previously, our elders only told us to change the water, saying that fish need to eat the 'living air' in the water, and if the air is insufficient, the water becomes 'dead water,' and the fish will die. Fourth Brother's idea is to use the drip irrigation method to increase the 'living air' in the water, which I never thought of."
"This is based on ancient texts, but whether it's effective or not requires further experimentation," Wang Shoujie nodded, thinking that the concept of 'living air' was easier to understand than the term 'oxygen.'
"Fish eat 'living air' and excrete 'dead air,' and their feces in the water produce toxic gases. By filtering the water through cotton, activated charcoal, and sand, we can remove the toxic substances, making the water safe for the fish, and they won't die," Wang Shou Yi said, becoming more and more excited.
Wang Shoujie's theories were like opening a new door to a new world for Wang Shou Yi, clarifying many previously unclear things.
"You understand the principle, Second Brother, so let the craftsmen make a few small devices to test," Wang Shoujie said, glancing at the time. "It's getting late, and I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
As the clan leader, Wang Shoujie wasn't there to invent or create things. Moreover, knowing is easy, but doing is hard, and it's uncertain whether he could do it well himself.
As long as Wang Shou Yi understood the principles, he could take care of the rest.
"Don't hurry off, Fourth Brother," Wang Shou Yi pulled him back. "You rarely come to the fish market, and Second Brother hasn't had a chance to treat you well. Let's have lunch at the Hundred Delicacy Pavilion, where the live fish are all supplied by us, and the dishes are all exquisite. Second Brother, there are still several things you haven't explained, like the siphon effect and the principle of using a manual pump to increase oxygen in the water..."
Wang Shoujie listened to Wang Shou Yi's "ten thousand whys," although it was a bit overwhelming, but he knew it was a good thing. If Wang Shou Yi could truly master this, the fish business would become more prosperous, making a significant contribution to the family.
In the Changning Guard, it wasn't just the Wang Clan's fish market, but over 10 families were operating fish businesses, with the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan being larger in scale.
The better the Wang Clan's fish market performed, the more wealth it would create, and in reality, it would also squeeze the living space of its competitors.
Therefore, Wang Shoujie spent more time on "enlightenment education" with Wang Shou Yi. The siphon effect and manual pumps required pipes, which were relatively crude in this world, with only bamboo, ceramic, and copper pipes available, but they would suffice.
Even if manual pumps couldn't be made for now, using the simple siphon principle to suck out the water from the bottom layer and having workers manually pour it into the filtration layer would work. This would greatly increase the transportation capacity and live fish rate.
Wang Shou Yi listened with rapt attention, even pulling Wang Shoujie to ask questions nonstop during lunch at the Hundred Delicacy Pavilion.
"Second Brother, is the Hundred Delicacy Pavilion really one of the best restaurants in Changning Guard?" Wang Shoujie ate the dishes at the Hundred Delicacy Pavilion, feeling that the taste was average, but the ingredients were of high quality.
Of course, the seasoning standards were still higher than those of the Wang Clan's family chefs, and there was a significant gap in taste compared to Earth.
"Fourth Brother, this meal cost 32 large copper coins and 73 small copper coins..." Wang Shou Yi's face turned black, complaining bitterly, "This is all the hard-earned private savings of my brother, and you're not satisfied with such a delicious meal?"
Wang Shoujie touched his chin, guessing that the flavor was due to monosodium glutamate, which was ubiquitous in food on Earth, raising his threshold for deliciousness.
If he could produce monosodium glutamate, wouldn't it become an industry?
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]