William's Choice

The next morning, early at William's house.

The warm winter morning sun dappled on the branches, descending from the sky with a lingering warmth, illuminating every dust mote in the air, gently steaming away the night's chill and turning it into mist.

It was the first day of the new week, and William Aescul had no intention of doing any strenuous work.

Taking advantage of the comfortable morning sun, he moved his old recliner outside.

Squinting, wrapped in a slightly darkened blanket, he enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

However, he hadn't been comfortable for long when, in a daze, he heard a loud noise—specifically, the sound of the fence being broken through.

Everyone knew about fences; whether foreign or domestic, they couldn't withstand a forceful breach for long. It was just that, under normal circumstances, people wouldn't do such a thing.

It was broad daylight, and even thieves wouldn't come calling at this hour. Thus, in his daze, William Aescul had only one thought:

Good heavens, could the Dutch have invaded?

1665 was in the middle of the famous Anglo-Dutch Wars, with John Bull and the Netherlands fighting four major battles and countless smaller skirmishes.

Although Woolsthorpe was inland, there was no telling if a small detachment might sneak in for some behind-the-lines harassment.

Thinking this, William Aescul instinctively let out a low growl.

Just as he was preparing to rush to the cowshed to grab a cow dung stick and play Lu Bu, a face appeared before him, its features contorted with excitement, but with a familiar brow and voice:

"Uncle William, Uncle William! Wake up! Wake up!"

Seeing this, William Aescul's mind went blank for a good few seconds before his voice suddenly rose:

"Little Isaac? Even you, with your thick eyebrows, have betrayed Great Britain?"

"?"

A visible hint of confusion appeared on Little Ox's face, but he quickly dismissed it. He gently tugged on William's sleeve and lowered his voice:

"Uncle William, I'm telling you, we're going to be rich!"

Pulled by Little Ox, William naturally woke up. He frowned and asked:

"Little Isaac, what exactly happened?"

Little Ox didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced around warily, tilted his chin towards the house, and said:

"Uncle William, let's go inside and talk."

"What are you up to?"

William looked at Little Ox, then at Xu Yun, who was following behind him clutching a package, and hesitantly let them into the house:

"...Fine, follow me."

As soon as they entered, Little Ox darted to the window and, with a rustle, pulled down a somewhat tattered curtain.

Then, uncharacteristically not chattering with Lisa, he led Xu Yun directly to the table where they had eaten before.

Besides Xu Yun, Little Ox, William, Lisa, and Mrs. William, only Lilani was present among the remaining three sisters.

It was worth noting that compared to last time, this rascal seemed a bit more well-behaved; at least his face wasn't covered in as much mud.

Little Ox then placed Xu Yun's package on the table and quickly took out a few roasted potatoes. He dipped them in sauce and offered them to William and the others:

"Uncle William, please try this first. Auntie, Lisa, Lilani, you all try it too."

William took a potato and brought it to his nose, twitching his nostrils slightly:

"What is this, strawberry jam?"

Little Ox shook his head and played coy:

"You'll know when you try it."

William hesitated for a moment. Trusting Little Ox, he finally ate half the potato.

The potato had been taken out of the oven by Little Ox not long ago. Although it had cooled down somewhat on the way, it was still slightly warm under Xu Yun's deliberate protection, perfect for eating.

As soon as the sticky potato entered his mouth, William's taste buds registered a wonderful blend of sweet and sour.

This flavor wasn't as refreshing as mint, but it inexplicably lifted his mood, instantly opening his appetite.

William's left hand holding the potato and his lips seemed to move uncontrollably. Before his brain could process the next reaction, he pushed and bit, swallowing the entire potato.

He then mechanically chewed the potato, staring blankly at his fingers, which were still stained with a little bright red sauce.

After a moment, he looked at Little Ox and asked:

"Little Isaac, what is this stuff?"

Little Ox no longer played coy. He patted Lilani, who was licking her fingers, and said:

"Tomato sauce."

The tomato sauce Little Ox mentioned was not ketchup, but a transliteration of "fānqié jiàng." Therefore, William immediately understood the raw ingredient and exclaimed:

"Tomatoes? My God, aren't those poisonous?"

He then strode forward, intending to stop Lilani from continuing.

Seeing this, Xu Yun, who had been prepared, smiled slightly and stepped forward, repeating what he had told Little Ox earlier.

As previously mentioned, William was also a graduate of Cambridge University, and he had even obtained a degree in Natural Sciences.

Given the level of educational attainment in 1665, this was roughly equivalent to a doctoral degree from a top-tier university in later generations.

Combined with some observations from his rise to prominence in the preceding years, William was quickly guided by Xu Yun to the same line of thinking as Little Ox, and was successfully persuaded.

"Ketchup?"

William glanced at Lilani, who was busily munching on potatoes dipped in ketchup, and asked Xu Yun:

"Mr. Fat Fish, are you saying this is a special sauce from the East, and you're willing to share its recipe with us?"

Xu Yun nodded, looking at him calmly:

"That's right, this is a sauce developed by a chef named Yuan Zhou from the East. It's very simple to make. If Mr. William is willing, we can partner up for this business."

William looked deeply at the young man from the East, still with a hint of confusion on his face:

"Mr. Fat Fish, since you possess such a technology, why not go into business for yourself?"

"Of course, it's because of my friendship with Mr. Newton."

Xu Yun patted his chest, putting on an expression of deep camaraderie with Little Ox, then sighed and said:

"Given the current situation with the Black Death in London, I'm afraid I'll have to stay in Woolsthorpe for a while. I can't contact my parents at the moment either. I can't just stay here eating and drinking for free, can I?

Besides, the market for ketchup is definitely not small, it could even be European-level, but its replication cost is simply too low, making it impossible to monopolize.

If I were to go it alone, I'm afraid a bunch of imitations would pop up on the streets before I could even sell it in Grantham.

Instead of making less money myself, it's better for us to work together to figure out how to earn more guineas during the technical window before it's fully cracked."

After saying this, Xu Yun looked at William calmly and stopped speaking.

His explanation contained both truth and falsehood, not entirely lies, nor entirely facts.

The falsehood lay in the reason for offering the technology, while the true part was his assessment of the replication market.

Currently, the biggest barrier to producing ketchup in England—or rather, in all European countries except Italy and Spain—was not the recipe, but the ingrained belief that tomatoes were poisonous.

The method for making ketchup is actually very simple: just cook the tomatoes, mash them, then add sugar, salt, and cooking oil (Xu Yun used butter back then), and stir slowly in a certain proportion.

This technology wouldn't be deciphered in a day or two, but at most two weeks.

After all, if it were a truly complex process, Xu Yun wouldn't have been able to figure it out so easily, would he?

Once people's perception of tomatoes being poisonous began to change, ketchup would become ubiquitous within days.

It's like the local Liangpi. The market for Liangpi nationwide is definitely not small, but have you seen any single person or company monopolize it?

In some small towns, you can even find "Shaanxi Liangpi" being sold by people speaking the local dialect.

This is the inevitable result of a lack of technical barriers, and it's also one of the reasons Xu Yun chose ketchup:

Ketchup's taste is inherently compatible with Europeans, but due to the short replication window, the time to make money is relatively limited.

This way, it could improve the living conditions of Little Ox and William's families, without derailing Little Ox's future life path.

If it were something with technical barriers, like soap or pleasure cups, Little Ox might have become obsessed with money for the rest of his life.

The scene returned to the room.

Looking at the ketchup in front of him, William pondered for a moment and said:

"Mr. Fat Fish, I have no objections to doing business together, but the specific profit-sharing ratio..."

"Mr. William."

Just as William was about to discuss the profit distribution, Xu Yun suddenly interrupted him:

"Mr. William, we can discuss the profit-sharing ratio later, because we are still missing one person, an indispensable partner."

Upon hearing this, William and Little Ox exchanged glances and asked in unison:

"Who?"

"Think about it."

Xu Yun pointed to the ketchup on the table and explained:

"For educated people like yourselves, it takes guidance to understand why tomatoes are 'deadly.' What about ordinary people?

With the knowledge base of those commoners, they probably wouldn't even understand a reaction like acid dissolving lead. How would you convince them to buy ketchup?

Just because the taste appeals to them? That's clearly impossible. No one would risk their life for a little bit of delicious food."

Xu Yun looked at the two men, who were deep in thought, and smiled, spreading his hands:

"So, we must find someone highly respected, someone who can gain the trust of others with the simplest words, for example..."

"Pastor Yarlin of St. Titus Didymus Church."