Han Mo nodded with satisfaction as the three of them agreed.
"Although the three of you cannot go out, your monthly pay will not be reduced. As long as you complete the tasks I assign you on time and in full, each of you will receive 10 guan in monthly salary! If you wish to get married, you can directly inform the soldiers outside, and they will bring portraits for you to choose from!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, the three of them became excited.
Even though they didn't know what they would be doing next, just hearing about these benefits was enough. At this moment, as long as they weren't asked to die, they would do anything, even murder and arson.
"Li Qingping, you come in with me. The other two stay outside. No matter what happens, or under any circumstances, you are not allowed to inquire about what the other is doing!"
"Yes!"
Upon entering a large room, Han Mo directly called Li Qingping inside, leaving the other two outside the door.
"The task you have to do is quite simple. I will do it once, and you will follow along and watch. Do not ask why, just repeat my actions. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Seeing Han Mo's serious expression, Li Qingping did not dare to say anything more and quickly nodded in agreement.
"These items are all identical. Just follow my method to assemble them, and that's it!"
As Han Mo spoke, he opened several large wooden chests placed beside them.
Then, he moved out strange-looking components and assembled them onto a large stove in the corner of the room.
"This object is called a Tian Guo. When you use it, add water to the top of the Tian Guo, add the purchased wine below, and then steam it over a small fire. Keep going until wine flows out from here. Discard the first part that flows out, and store the rest separately in these two jars!"
The operation of the Tian Guo was actually very simple. Even if Li Qingping didn't understand the necessity of doing this, he could still learn it easily.
After explaining the entire process, Li Qingping soon began to try it himself.
It took about an hour, and the entire room was filled with a rich aroma of wine. After distilling it three times, Han Mo finally obtained the first jar of strong liquor.
Carefully scooping out a small cup from the jar and moving it to another corner, Han Mo then took out a fire starter and cautiously moved it towards the small wine cup.
As soon as the fire starter was brought close, a faint blue flame immediately erupted.
"This, this..."
Seeing this scene, Shao Bowen's eyes widened.
"Yes, exactly! I will assign five more people to you later. Of course, these people are just the first batch. Your daily work is this!"
"Sir, aren't we going to sell wine? To travel such a long distance..."
After hearing Han Mo's words, Shao Bowen was completely taken aback.
Undeniably, selling wine was a highly profitable industry. However, the problem was that according to Han Mo's method, the cost of producing this wine was too high.
They were already short of grain. Relying solely on selling wine, plus the consumption during the journey, might still be profitable within the Song Dynasty. But if they were to sell it to the South Seas, it would be hard to say.
"Sir, please be patient. Aren't there two people waiting outside?"
Han Mo smiled but said no more. After explaining a few more key points to Li Qingping, he directly picked up the jar of freshly distilled wine and walked out.
"Wang Yicheng, come in with me!"
Moving to another room not far away, Han Mo once again called Wang Yicheng inside.
"Don't ask me why. Just remember every step I take, and then repeat each step carefully!"
As Han Mo spoke, he took a thick mask from the corner.
In this era, there was no cotton cloth or non-woven fabric, so the masks had to be made from hemp cloth.
Although the hemp cloth at this time might not reach the level of non-woven fabric, after overlapping it five times, Han Mo felt that it should at least be somewhat effective.
"Sir, be careful!"
Seeing Han Mo walk towards a porcelain jar beside him, Shao Bowen quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"I know it's green vitriol oil. As long as I'm careful, it will be fine!"
Han Mo naturally understood that the so-called green vitriol oil was what was known as sulfuric acid in later generations. He was using sulfuric acid and alcohol to produce diethyl ether.
Although the laboratory equipment Han Mo had was indeed a bit crude, and the diethyl ether produced contained a lot of impurities.
However, he was not using this substance directly as an anesthetic, so even if there were some impurity issues, it wouldn't be a big problem.
"Watch carefully. This process requires caution with the temperature. I know you used to be a cook, so this shouldn't be too difficult for you. Remember, maintain this temperature until after the green onions are added to the pot and bubbles start to form!"
The optimal temperature for this reaction was around 140 degrees Celsius, but in an era without thermometers, Han Mo could only explain it to a cook in this manner.
"I understand!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Wang Yicheng immediately grasped the general idea.
"Although this smells like wine, this stuff is not something humans can digest. Don't think about stealing a sip and no one will know. Even this small cup is enough to get you drunk to death!"
Watching his throat move up and down, Han Mo added with a cold smile.
"Little one..."
"Alright, no need for further explanation. You need to watch closely. If your hand trembles even a little during this process and it gets on your body, you'll know the consequences!"
As Han Mo spoke, he poured a little sulfuric acid he was holding onto the ground.
As a puff of smoke rose, a small pit was immediately corroded into the bluestone floor.
"Hiss—"
Seeing this, fine beads of sweat broke out on Wang Yicheng's forehead.
"I will have some gloves prepared for you, but you also need to be careful during this process. You must be extremely cautious. A single mistake can be fatal! Also, whatever flows out from here, under no circumstances should you inhale it!"
Han Mo spoke as he pointed to a small jar placed at the other end of the copper pipe.
As for diethyl ether with a lot of impurities, if one inhaled too much of it, even Han Mo didn't know what the consequences would be...
"Yes!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Wang Yicheng took a deep breath again and responded.