At the same time, enjoy a cool summer.
After returning from buying the wine, Fatty told Jing Zhe what had happened on the way, adding at the end, "That guy was acting suspiciously, he was obviously no good! I pretended not to know anything, and after he left, I secretly followed him and saw him go into the watermelon shop diagonally across the street!"
"Fatty's awesome!"
Jing Zhe gave him a thumbs up.
"He won't have discovered anything, will he?"
"Won't!"
Fatty said smugly, "That guy looks so stupid. He was completely fooled by me, but he thinks he's so clever!"
Jing Zhe gave him another thumbs up, thinking to himself that Lin Tong had sent someone to inquire about information, but he probably never dreamed that he would encounter their movie star.
It's practically a play within a play!
"Based on your analysis, that person is trying to steal our ice-making method?"
"Yes."
Fatty was very confident about this. "Although he didn't say it explicitly, the implication was too obvious. I didn't give a definitive answer either, and deliberately acted hesitant. I reckon they'll have to send me money soon!"
Fatty had completely figured out the opponent's tactics and even guessed their next move, which made Jing Zhe give him a thumbs up for the third time.
Fatty was flattered by Jing Zhe's praise and pulled his brother Big Face over as well: "Young Chief, to be honest, everyone in our family is shrewd! With my brother and I here, one will help you manage the business inside the shop, and the other will take care of the trivial matters outside. You can rest easy!"
"Awesome!" (voice cracks)
Jing Zhe praised Pang Qiu once again, and said emotionally, "I never would have imagined that a small place like Mangshan could nurture the two of you! To have both a sleeping dragon and a phoenix by my side is truly a blessing from heaven!"
"Hehe, hehe..."
Fat Ball and Big Face laughed hand in hand, looking just like fools.
Jing Zhe praised the two of them before getting down to business.
"If your analysis is correct, they will contact you again by tomorrow at the latest. Then, do this..."
...
After lunch break, Jing Zhe asked Hanhan to send someone to find a few iron pots and some vacuum bamboo tubes to deliver to the backyard.
The advantage of Hanhan and his group is that although they don't know what Jing Zhe is going to do, they don't waste words and immediately do what they are told, making them extremely efficient.
The iron pot was quickly found, and under Jing Zhe's guidance, they spent the whole afternoon setting up a strangely shaped, winding device. The hollow bamboo tube was connected to a large empty jar, the purpose of which was unknown.
Hanhan stared at the strange object he had never seen before, his curiosity piqued, and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, what is this?"
Jing Zhe smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough!"
Then he sent Hanhan and others to guard the four corners of the house to prevent outsiders from entering or hiding in the corners.
This is a simple alcohol distillation device.
The principle of alcohol distillation is very simple. It mainly relies on the fact that alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. By heating, the alcohol turns into vapor and evaporates. Then, when it cools, it condenses, and the purified alcohol is obtained.
Jing Zhe naturally understood such a simple principle.
The most crucial aspect of the operation is controlling the heating temperature. If the temperature is too high, the alcohol and water will evaporate together, and the resulting product after condensation will still be low-concentration alcohol, which will not achieve the desired purification effect.
The distillation apparatus that Jing Zhe had made first heated water, using the water temperature to heat the purchased cloudy liquor, causing the alcohol vapor to condense again at the top, enter the bamboo tube, and flow out the purified alcohol, or in other words, a stronger spirit with a higher concentration.
This method is not difficult, and it is easy to imitate if someone sees it. That's why Jing Zhe sent Hanhan and others to keep watch, which shows how much he values this distillation device.
In this era, there are no patents to apply for, so keeping things confidential is of paramount importance.
…………
Once everything was ready, Jing Zhe poured in all ten catties of cloudy wine that Pang Qiu had just bought, and then started heating it. As drops of wine flowed out of the hollow bamboo tube, a rich aroma of wine gradually filled the backyard.
When the flow of the wine from the bamboo tube became extremely slow, Jing Zhe knew that the turbid wine was almost distilled. He took out a small ladle, scooped some wine from the jar, tasted it, relaxed his brows, and then burst into laughter.
He finally managed to make this strong liquor!
Although the liquor was only around 40 or 50 proof due to the rudimentary equipment, it was definitely a strong liquor for people who had only ever drunk liquor with a proof of 10 or 20 proof in this era!
If it were to be sold, there would be absolutely no market for it!
But he didn't make the spirits to sell; he had other purposes.
Jing Zhe looked at the jar; it weighed about three or four jin (approximately 1.5-2 catties), meaning that the alcohol distillation device could only produce less than half of the required amount of spirits each time.
Although the amount looks a bit small, at least the prescription is strong!
The strong liquor in the jar was poured out and then poured into the original jar that contained the cloudy liquor. The two-jin jar was now filled with only two jars.
Jing Zhe walked around the backyard, still feeling uneasy, so he dismantled the distillation apparatus.
At this moment, Fatty and Silly came looking for them, drawn by the aroma of the wine.
When Fatty saw that three of the five jars of cloudy wine he had just bought were already empty, he was both surprised and curious: "Young Chieftain, where is the wine?"
Jing Zhe pointed to the two jars of strong liquor, "They're over there!"
"But this is only two jars..."
Fatty walked over, and before he could finish speaking, he noticed the difference between the two jars of wine. Without even bending down, the rich aroma of the wine wafted into his nostrils, making him feel intoxicated.
"This is?"
"Try it!"
So, Fatty picked up a jar, tilted his head back, and drank it.
"Good wine! Very strong!"
Hearing this, Hanhan couldn't resist grabbing the wine jar and taking a swig, exclaiming, "Good wine!"
He then asked, "Young Chieftain, what is this?"
"Strong liquor!"
"Strong liquor?"
The two of them said in unison.
They had only heard of those barbarian tribes living in savage lands, who spent their days outdoors, enduring wind and rain, and nomadic on the grasslands, so their wine was a little stronger than theirs, but only a little.
It is said that only foreign royal families possess the strongest liquor, which shows how precious it is. But where did this strong liquor come from?
His eyes were full of doubt as he looked at Jing Zhe.
"This strong liquor is what I just made—I used the ten catties of cloudy liquor that Fatty bought. The production of this strong liquor is not high; ten catties of cloudy liquor can only yield these two jars of strong liquor."
Upon hearing this, both of them gasped in astonishment.
The young chieftain is indeed formidable!
Is there anything he can't do?
————
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