Lin Wanqiu smiled and patted his head, then picked up the bucket and added water to the wooden tub: "Nian'an is so thoughtful. With your help, I feel much more at ease. After the soybeans are soaked, let's take them out together and steam them in the steamer, okay?"
“Okay!” Nian’an nodded vigorously, her little face full of seriousness.
By afternoon, the soybeans were finally soaked. They had doubled in size and become lighter in color, easily crushed by hand. Lin Wanqiu and the villagers scooped the soybeans out, drained them, and then spread them evenly in a steamer. Shen Tingzhou had already lit a fire in the wood-fired stove; the roaring flames licked the bottom of the pot, quickly steaming the soybeans until they were cooked.
The steamed soybeans emitted a rich aroma, making everyone present swallow hard. Lin Wanqiu picked up a steamed soybean, tasted it, and found it soft, sweet, and perfectly flavorful. She nodded in satisfaction and said to everyone, "The soybeans are steamed very well. Next, we need to let them cool, then mix in the starter culture and put them in an earthenware jar to ferment. The fermentation process is crucial; the temperature and humidity must be carefully controlled. Everyone must observe carefully and let me know immediately if anything happens."
Everyone agreed in unison, carefully placing the cooled soybeans into the earthenware jars, mixing in an appropriate amount of starter culture, then covering the jars with lids and placing a clean gauze over the lids to prevent dust from falling in. Lin Wanqiu also specially pasted a note on each earthenware jar, indicating the start time of fermentation and precautions, so that everyone could record and observe.
Over the next few days, Lin Wanqiu went to the soy sauce workshop every day to check on the fermentation process. She lifted the lid of the earthenware jar, observed the changes in the soybeans, and smelled the aroma emanating from the jar to determine if the fermentation was normal. At first, the soybeans were only slightly warm and emitted a faint bean aroma; after three days, white mycelium began to grow on the soybeans, and the aroma became more intense; by the seventh day, the mycelium had turned yellow, a small amount of soy sauce began to appear in the jar, and the aroma of soy sauce gradually wafted out.
"Late Autumn, is the soy sauce almost ready?" Shen Tingzhou looked at the sauce in the vat, his heart filled with anticipation. These days, he would accompany Lin Wanqiu to the soy sauce workshop every day, watching the soybeans ferment little by little, feeling both nervous and excited—he knew that this soy sauce was not only related to the family's income, but also to the hopes of the villagers, and could not afford the slightest mistake.
Lin Wanqiu carefully observed the color and consistency of the sauce, and said with a smile, "It needs to ferment for another ten days or so. When the sauce becomes thicker, turns dark brown, and has a rich flavor, our soy sauce will be ready. Then we'll add an appropriate amount of salt and water, and sun-dry it for a month, and the soy sauce will be finished."
"Great!" Shen Tingzhou couldn't help but cheer. "Once the soy sauce is ready, we'll send some to Secretary Zhao and the commune leaders to try and get them to help promote it. Maybe the supply and marketing cooperative will even order a large quantity of soy sauce from us!"
Lin Wanqiu nodded, her heart filled with anticipation. She recalled the various soy sauces she had seen in modern supermarkets in her previous life: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and premium soy sauce, each with a different flavor and purpose. She planned to develop different types of soy sauce after this batch was ready, such as light soy sauce for cold dishes, dark soy sauce for braising, and premium soy sauce for enhancing flavor. This would not only meet the needs of different customers but also increase the income of the soy sauce workshop, allowing her fellow villagers to earn more money.
In the days that followed, Lin Wanqiu and the villagers continued to take meticulous care of the soy sauce. Every day, they would turn the clay jars to ensure the sauce had ample air contact and that fermentation was even. On rainy days, they would promptly move the jars into a shed to prevent rainwater from entering. On sunny days, they would bring the jars out to bask in the sun, allowing the soy sauce to develop a richer flavor.
Nian'an also persisted in helping out, going to the soy sauce workshop with Lin Wanqiu every day to help turn and dry the soy sauce. He would also take the initiative to clean the workshop and neatly stack the firewood in the yard. Watching the soy sauce in the earthenware jars become thicker and darker in color day by day, he felt a sense of pride—he knew that he had also contributed to the soy sauce workshop, and that his mother and father would be very happy when the soy sauce was sold.
A month later, the soy sauce was finally ready. Lin Wanqiu lifted the lid of the earthenware jar, and a rich aroma of soy sauce wafted out. The dark brown soy sauce glistened with an oily sheen, looking very appetizing. She scooped up a spoonful of soy sauce, tasted it, and found it to be perfectly seasoned, with a rich and mellow flavor, even better than the soy sauce sold in stores.
"Great! Our soy sauce is a success!" Lin Wanqiu shouted excitedly, her voice filled with joy. All her hard work these past few days had paid off; she had finally made a satisfactory soy sauce. Not only would it bring income to her family, but she could also lead her fellow villagers to prosperity. Her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Shen Tingzhou also came over, tasted the soy sauce, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "Wanqiu, you're amazing! This soy sauce tastes even better than I expected. Let's fill a few bottles tomorrow and send them to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town so they can see how good our soy sauce is. If they're satisfied, we can sign a contract with them, and then our soy sauce can be sold in every corner of the county town!"
“Okay!” Lin Wanqiu nodded, her heart filled with anticipation. She knew this was just the beginning of the soy sauce workshop, and there was still much to be done—such as expanding production, developing new varieties of soy sauce, and establishing sales channels. But she believed that as long as she and Shen Tingzhou worked together, with the support of the villagers, there was no problem they couldn't solve. The soy sauce workshop would definitely thrive and become a pillar industry of the Hongqi Production Brigade, making everyone's lives more prosperous.
That evening, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou prepared a sumptuous dinner and invited the villagers who had helped them to their home for a meal. At the dinner table, everyone enjoyed dishes cooked with freshly made soy sauce—braised pork ribs, soy sauce fried rice, and cucumber salad. Each dish was made exceptionally delicious by the addition of soy sauce.
"Late autumn, the dishes made with this soy sauce are so delicious!" Aunt Li exclaimed while eating braised pork ribs. "These ribs, cooked with our own homemade soy sauce, are even more fragrant than those in city restaurants! Once our soy sauce is sold out, it will definitely be in high demand!"
“Yes,” Aunt Wang chimed in, “From now on, we’ll not only be able to earn money at the soy sauce shop, but we’ll also be able to eat such delicious soy sauce. Our lives are getting happier and happier!”
Seeing everyone's happy faces, Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She raised her glass and said, "Thank you all for your help these past few days. Without you, our soy sauce workshop wouldn't be able to make such good soy sauce. In the future, let's work together to make the soy sauce workshop even better, so that more people can enjoy our soy sauce, and let the reputation of our Red Flag Production Brigade spread throughout the county, and even the province!"
"Great!" everyone responded in unison, raising their glasses to toast the success of the soy sauce workshop and to a happy future.
Moonlight streamed into the courtyard, casting a silvery glow on the blue brick and tile houses. Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou stood side by side in the courtyard, watching the happy smiles of their fellow villagers, their hearts filled with happiness and anticipation.
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