Chapter 45 You can use it when you call me

In an era when brewing technology was extremely underdeveloped and skills were passed down from generation to generation, brewing was a family secret that was kept strictly secret. Ordinary people could understand one part of it but not the other. Even if you tried to figure it out on your own, it would be impossible to get started.

But Sangzhixia is different.

Due to the hardships of life, she was forced to be multi-talented in her previous life.

She knows a little bit about anything that has to do with plants. She has also studied which traditional winemaking method uses different raw materials to reduce costs. Her head is filled with a whole set of data on failed papers.

Catching the anticipation in the old man's eyes, she said with a smile, "I read miscellaneous books for fun in my early years, and I've also tried brewing it myself a few times. It's not the best, but it's still drinkable. I'll try it someday when I have time."

The old man said excitedly, "No day is worse than today. If you want to keep this skill secret, why wait until another day?"

"Starting tomorrow, everyone will help you with the housework. You just stay home and focus on brewing wine."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to realize that it wasn't appropriate to bother others just for his own appetite, and immediately added, "Winemaking is a fine craft. If you can do it well, you can make more money from it than burning charcoal."

Aunt Xu originally wanted to say that it was a bit of a waste to use grain to make wine, but after hearing this, her desire to make money was immediately illuminated.

"What the old man said is true. In the wine shops outside, a jar of muddy wine sells for half a penny of silver. The profit we can get back is quite a lot."

The old man has been muttering these past two days that the charcoal-making business will be difficult to do in a few days due to heavy snow blocking the mountains, so he asked them to grit their teeth and grab more firewood before the cold wave comes in case of emergency.

When that time really comes, if I can manage the wine-making business at home, no matter how strong the wind and snow are, it will not affect the money I can make!

Those who were about to object stopped talking after a moment's thought. No one would go against money.

Xu Yu swallowed the fragrant little fish in his mouth and said slowly, "I heard that the winery needs a lot of things to make wine. Do the furnishings at home have enough?"

Sang Zhixia quickly listed them in her mind and thought, "Maybe there are some important ones missing, but there's no need to rush."

"That's okay too."

"If you have an idea, just try it. If there's anything missing, I'll try to get it back."

While they were talking, the last basket of small fish in the pot was taken out, and the lid of the pot on the other side, which was stewing fragrant pig's trotters, was also opened.

The pig's trotters were stewed slowly over firewood for a long time until they were soft and tender. The unique gelatinous aroma of gelatin and the sweet fragrance of soybeans were intertwined in the air, drilling into people's nostrils like hooks.

Aunt Xu, who didn't quite believe that this thing could be delicious, took a look and was salivated by the yellow liquid in the pot.

"You know what, this smells pretty good."

It tastes better than stewed meat.

Sang Zhixia neatly divided the braised pig's trotters with soybeans in the pot, brought it to the table and said, "Second Aunt, try it. You can't go wrong with this flavor."

No one can resist soft braised pork trotters!

At the beginning, some people were reserved and thought it was not elegant to chew it with their hands, so they ate it very carefully.

But the little baby who got it right away chewed it so deliciously.

Xu Mingyang asked for the third piece with his mouth drooling, and the others also started to try their hand.

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table, and everyone's attention was focused on the pig's trotters in their hands.

Xu Yu pulled out the muscular tendon and placed it in Sang Zhixia's bowl. When Sang Zhixia looked up in surprise, he said calmly, "I agreed with the owner of Fengchunlou today to deliver charcoal every ten days before the snow starts. If we can do that every ten days, we can burn more at home and save having to borrow a truck all the time."

The village chief's family refused to accept the money for renting a car. Every time they went there, they had to borrow a mule cart, and the favor they owed was more troublesome than the money for renting a car.

The old man nodded in agreement: "Since they don't want to accept money, we can't forget etiquette."

"Don't forget to give me a thank you gift every time you borrow my car. I can still afford this."

Xu Yu hummed, lowered his head and continued to pull out the large tendon.

Sang Zhixia didn't do much herself, but the meat in the bowl kept popping up.

Xu Minghui gave him an ambiguous look, lowered his head and ate without saying a word.

After dinner, the old man regretted that he couldn't enjoy the meal with two glasses of wine, and the old lady got busy with other things.

The weather is getting colder, and everyone in the family, young and old, is still wearing thin clothes, but such thin clothes cannot keep out the cold wind from the northwest.

However, the amount of cloth and cotton purchased was limited, so how to distribute them became the current problem.

Sang Zhixia was the first to be excluded.

"Your parents just gave you a ready-made one a few days ago, so it doesn't count as yours this time."

Xu Wenxiu seemed to want to say something, but Sang Zhixia just smiled at her and shook her head.

"That's what Grandma said."

The clothes her mother had sent were specially made into a padded jacket to keep out the cold, and even her shoes were carefully sewn with multiple layers, but she really didn't need them for the time being.

The old lady was very pleased with her sensibleness and continued, "I just checked. The cloth they bought is all in large pieces. If they make something simple, it will be enough for the whole family."

"Each family distributes the material and cotton according to the number of people, takes it back to their own rooms and makes it in their own space."

Although everyone present was used to wearing clothes made by others, they were all good at needlework and had no objections to this.

Although Sang Zhixia didn't know how to do it, she was prepared for this. She took the material given to Xu Yu back to the west shed and started looking for a place to hide it without thinking.

Seeing her hiding things all over the house like a mole, Xu Yu's lips curled up slightly.

"You can put it anywhere. No one will come into our house."

Sang Zhixia sighed and said, "It would be a waste to keep it hidden, but I don't dare to take it out for the time being."

"Do you think I'll be scolded if I go to ask my mother-in-law for advice?"

She felt that this job should not be too difficult, she just needed some guidance.

But it seems a bit unreasonable that a girl who grew up in the inner courtyard is not good at needlework?

Xu Yu felt the temperature of the medicine bowl and handed it to her, raising his chin to signal her to drink it while it was hot.

Seeing her hesitant, he said slowly, "Zhizhi, you are already very capable. You don't need to know everything."

You don’t have to choose not to learn something you don’t know, and you don’t have to choose not to do something you don’t want to learn.

Everything is her freedom.

Sang Zhixia didn't expect him to be so open-minded. She plucked the cotton at her fingertips and laughed out loud: "You're not picky, but this is also good."

"Forget it, just keep it for now and talk about it later."

She packed her things and slept soundly, and the next day she prepared to go into the mountains to collect syrup from the sugar maple trees.

With the experience from the first time, when Xu Yu returned to the place, he consciously started drilling holes in the tree trunk without her saying anything.

The pottery jars I bought were put to use. After they were placed securely, the sap from the tree trunks dripped into the jars through the bamboo tubes, so there was no need to watch them all the time.

Xu Yu originally wanted her to go back and rest for a while, but Sang Zhixia stood up and said, "I want to find something."

Although it's not the right season, you might be able to find it if you look carefully.

Xu Yu subconsciously said, "You go home and I'll go look for her."

“You may not know him.”

She picked up the sickle on the ground and said, "Whether the winemaking business can be successful depends on whether we can find all the necessary items."

"Keep busy yourself. I'll be back to see you in a bit."

Seeing that she was about to go into the woods alone, Xu Yu grabbed her wrist and put something in her hand.

"Hang this around your neck."

Sang Zhixia looked at the little thing in her hand and was a little confused: "What is it for?"

"When you call me."

Xu Yu raised his hatchet and chopped off a piece of firewood as thick as his arm. He said calmly, "If you need anything, blow the whistle. I'll come over when I hear the whistle."

"Don't go too far, it's not safe."

After he finished speaking, he squatted down to bundle the firewood, but Sang Zhixia suddenly thought of the noise he made outside the door last night and the wood chips scattered on the ground at the door this morning.

She stroked the edge of the wooden whistle with her fingertips, picked it up and put it to her mouth to try it out, and found that this little thing could actually make a sound, and the sound was quite loud.

When Xu Yu heard the whistle, he looked up at her, his eyes seemed to be asking: Don’t you trust me?

Sang Zhixia was amused by his little look. She played with a wooden whistle with a hole punched in it and tied with a red string, and said with a click of the tongue: "I have to say, your carpentry skills are really good."

Ding's little gadgets are small and exquisitely made, not only beautiful but also very practical.

Xu Yu didn't understand her teasing. He walked over, stretched out the red rope, and hung it on her chest. Looking at the swaying wooden whistle, he emphasized again: "Don't go too far."

Sang Zhixia poked the wooden whistle with her fingertips, her heart softening inexplicably: "Okay, see you later."