Chapter 39 - 039 Sorghum Burn

Zhong Yuying struggled to carry a bucket of swill and poured it into the innermost pot (rural stoves generally have two to three pots; the innermost one is used to cook pig food). She added chopped pigweed, mixed in some chaff, and prepared the pig food. The pig in the house was the lifeblood of the family. Every spring, her father Zhong Liangcai would borrow money to buy a piglet, raise it for a year, and sell it whole during the New Year to make some money. The money from the pig sale was the bank for the next year’s expenses for the family, all of which came from this pig. Therefore, this pig was treated like a VIP in their home, even more important than her status. Zhong Yuying continuously stuffed firewood into the stove, the dancing flames casting a beautiful red glow on her pale and slender face, making her look quite pretty. However, her expression at the moment spoiled that beauty. Zhong Yuying frowned, her eyes vacantly staring at the stove. Nearly a week had passed, and that fool Tian Zhaodi still hadn’t come to find her. Did she really have to take the initiative to visit? Zhong Yuying did not want to go to the Tian family at all, mainly because the people in the Tian family never treated her well. Despite originating from middle farmers, Zhong Yuying always held herself in high regard, feeling that their treatment was an act of disdain. But continuing to wait like this wasn’t a solution either. Daddy had been asking several times these past few days why Tian Zhaodi hadn’t come to their house? Daddy has always strongly supported her befriending Tian Zhaodi. Every time Tian Zhaodi came to their house, Daddy and Mama enthusiastically brought out the best things from the house for that fool to eat, never sparing a thought for their own daughter. However, her friendship with Tian Zhaodi elevated her status somewhat at home, unlike her older sister and younger sister who couldn’t go to school, had to do heavy farm work every day, and were often scolded and beaten by Daddy. In comparison, she had it much easier, only needing to do house chores and she could also go to school. Of course, the reason Daddy wanted her to go to school was to facilitate a good relationship with Tian Zhaodi. But she didn’t care, as long as she could go to school and become an educated person. In Zhong Yuying’s heart, she truly thought the brainless Tian Zhaodi couldn’t compare to a single one of her fingers. No, she couldn’t let that fool Tian Zhaodi slip away from her grasp. Zhong Yuying furrowed her brows, deciding to visit the Tian family tomorrow. She would put aside her pride and coax Tian Zhaodi back first. These days without Tian Zhaodi’s food supply, her mouth felt tasteless and she lacked energy in her work. Having made up her mind, Zhong Yuying smiled, looking quite proud and certain that Tian Zhaodi would surely come back under her control. Tian Sisi didn’t know she was in Zhong Yuying’s thoughts. Right now, Tian Sisi was taking advantage of nap time to check the rice wine she brewed previously in the Space. The wine had already seeped out. Tian Sisi dipped her finger to taste it, brightening up immediately, the wine was pure and even tastier than the rice wine she used to buy in the supermarket in her previous life, and it also had a higher alcohol content, probably around twenty degrees. She really was a genius! Proudly, Tian Sisi poured out all the wine from the jar. Ten pounds of rice yielded about thirty pounds of wine. Tian Sisi widened her eyes, even though she wasn’t knowledgeable in brewing, she knew this number was extraordinary. She had once heard from a friend that when rural people brewed rice wine, ten pounds of rice would typically yield ten to fifteen pounds of wine; unexpectedly, her first attempt produced so much. Excitedly, Tian Sisi filled numerous clear glass bottles from the supermarket with about thirty pounds of wine. The color of the wine wasn’t as clear as the rice wine she had seen in her previous life, instead it had an amber hue, which was very pretty. This must be related to the wine yeast fruit, and perhaps the reason she was able to produce so much wine was also due to the wine yeast fruit. Tian Sisi had harvested all the crops, ploughed a part of the land, burned the rootstocks into ash to fertilize the field, and replanted seeds. This time she planted half of the twenty-something acres with rice and the other half with sorghum, which is a main ingredient for making liquor. Since men generally like drinking liquor, this kind of drink had a big market. Tian Sisi took out ten pounds of the harvested sorghum and, following the notes, steamed the sorghum, cooled it down, and then mixed it with a yeast fruit pulp for fermentation. Since the liquor was meant for Old Man, Tian Sisi added a drop of Jade Liquid from Jade Pond. After complete fermentation, she distilled the steamed and fermented sorghum. The vapor from the distillation, after cooling, dripped out as liquor. As far as Tian Sisi knew, 100 kilograms of sorghum could produce about 60 kilograms of liquor. Based on that ratio, her ten pounds of sorghum should yield about six pounds of liquor. But in the end, Tian Sisi distilled ten pounds of liquor, which meant one pound of sorghum produced one pound of liquor. She obtained a full ten pounds of liquor. This confirmed that the wine yeast fruit not only improved the success rate of winemaking but also doubled the yield compared to regular yeast. What a treasure! Tian Sisi ran out to the courtyard, laughing silly as she looked at the densely packed wine yeast fruit trees. All these were money! Moreover, she discovered that whenever she picked a wine yeast fruit, a new one would grow back in its place, meaning the number of wine yeast fruits in the courtyard remained constant. Haha, heaven truly does not deceive me! Tian Sisi ran out of the Space, took Old Man’s empty liquor bottle, and filled one up from the Space. One bottle was about two to three pounds. Tian Sisi, holding\">"; Old Man, startled by her sudden shout, turned and gave her head a playful slap. "You little imp, your grandpa is getting old and can’t take your scares." Tian Sisi giggled as she swished the bottle of wine in front of him, and indeed, Old Man’s attention was successfully captured, "Ah Nan, where did this wine come from?" "Grandpa Bai Yuan gave it to me, and he even taught me how to brew wine. Grandpa, give it a try. How does it taste? If it’s good, I’ll brew some for you tomorrow." Tian Sisi poured a small cup, and the Old Man sniffed eagerly, Ah, what fine liquor! Just by the scent, he could tell it was a good wine. He couldn’t wait to gulp down the wine in his cup, and afterwards, he kept smacking his lips, signaling his granddaughter to pour some more. "No way, Granny said you should not drink too much, Grandpa." Tian Sisi flatly refused, as the Old Man had chronic injuries, and Granny Zhao had set a rule that he should only be allowed one to two glasses of wine a day, no more. The Old Man’s face fell immediately, but Tian Sisi was not the least bit intimidated and teasingly asked, "Grandpa, is the wine good?" "Not bad, comparable to Moutai. Where’s it from?" "From Grandpa Bai Yuan. He said that I could brew wine to sell in the future and even let you and Second Grandpa drink it." Tian Sisi emphasized the latter part of her sentence, and sure enough, Old Man’s eyes brightened. "This is indeed good news, Ah Nan, if you’re short of money, Grandpa will spend for you. Just brew some for Grandpa to enjoy first, having just this little cup a day is really not satisfying!" The Old Man tried to play the sympathy card with a sorrowful face. "No need, I want to earn money myself. Grandpa, you cannot drink too much, Granny said...." "Oh, what does your Granny know? Back in the day, I drank two kilograms of liquor and still managed to have the Japanese running for their lives." Tian Sisi found this amusing, but seeing the rare longing on the Old Man’s face, she couldn’t bear it. Loving wine was Old Man’s greatest passion in life, and the wine was even mixed with Jade Liquid; a little more probably wouldn’t hurt, so she poured him another cup. "This will be just one more cup then. If you don’t obey, I won’t give you any of the wine I brew in the future." "Little Housekeeper," the Old Man playfully scolded but seeing his granddaughter’s stern face, he softened, "Alright, Grandpa will listen to Ah Nan from now on. Whatever Ah Nan allows me to drink, I will drink." Content, Tian Sisi handed the glass to the Old Man, who received it and savored it slowly, unwilling to finish it all at once. He kept relishing it; truly a fine wine, it had been years since he had tasted wine this good. PS: Special thanks to anna0626, Fat Girl 0915, I Love Myself XX, and other enthusiastic ladies for their support, thank you all!