Chapter 184 Brewing
After Sang Luo had rested, she asked Chen An to pack some bananas, fresh grapes and hawthorns in a basket and send them to the three brothers Shen Jin to taste. She didn't worry about the meat and dried goods, because Chen Lie would definitely take Shen Jin out next time, and she would make arrangements then.
Shen An and Shen Ning had been fed before, so they only cooked for their eldest brother and sister-in-law. The brother and sister tried all kinds of fruits and looked very satisfied.
Looking at the baskets of wild fruits, the brother and sister were looking forward to the mountains outside the valley. When they heard that a transfer station and safe area would be built to dry things and make smoked meat, Chen An suddenly became excited and sat down at the table to discuss with Chen Lie who was still eating: "Brother, take me with you. Xiao Jin and I can take turns going out with you. This way we can get more mountain products. We just need to be a little careful on the road. I am very good at climbing trees and I am also good at archery. I should be no worse than Xiao Jin."
I can't say it's better, but it's not worse either. He really put a lot of thought into it before entering the mountains. After entering the mountains, he mainly studied. When there was enough space inside the valley, he would get together with everyone to play every day.
After hearing what he said, Shen Lie thought about it for a moment and felt that it was feasible. He would continue to advance in the direction of Zhou's house. The way there was relatively safe. He only needed to find a central point in the second half to make a safe zone. He had to pay special attention to the short section of road that had not been cleared. Xiao An was smart and could be protected.
Besides, he couldn't just leave Xiao An in the valley to take care of Xiao Jin, and waste everything he had learned.
He is also ten years old, one year older than Xiao Jin.
He nodded: "Okay, let's go together the day after tomorrow morning."
Shen An was so happy that he almost jumped up.
Sang Luo also smiled. Although it was tiring to go out, it was really good. It was comfortable to be stuck in this valley all year round, but there was only a small space to walk on. It was really uncomfortable. At least that was the case for her. She felt refreshed after going out.
Another point, although Sang Luo didn't know what Chen Lie was thinking at the moment, she actually thought the same thing as Chen Lie. Although she asked Chen An and Chen Ning to learn to read and write, there was no imperial examination in this era. For now, what Chen Lie taught them was the real livelihood skills for the common people at the bottom of the world. Although reading is good, these things cannot be ignored.
Shen Jin is pitiful, and giving him a hand is what she really wants to do, but Shen An and Shen Ning are the ones who have supported each other since she came into this world. It is impossible for her to devote unlimited resources and energy to Shen Jin just because she feels pity for him.
Even though Chen An had no intention of arguing, he wanted more to get out of the valley, to put his knowledge to good use, and to contribute to his family, but he took the initiative to bring Sang Luo up because he really thought it was a good idea, and seeing Chen Lie agree, she was in a good mood.
Chen Ning was close to Sang Luo, and he came up to her and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you very tired after being outside for so many days? Have you encountered any danger? I saw two more wolf skins."
When Sang Luo said this, her eyes lit up. "I hunted one of them. I shot it from very close, but it's useful to practice archery. Don't waste it. When things are more peaceful outside, you can go to the mountains with your brother. The most important thing is to have the ability to protect yourself if something happens."
For a girl, especially in ancient times when public security was not very good, it was very important to have the ability to protect herself.
Chen Ning's eyes lit up and she asked about the process. The two sisters-in-law gathered together to talk and laugh, which was very lively.
After dinner, Shen An quickly collected the dishes and took them to wash.
Sang Luo was not idle either. She asked Chen Lie to fetch two buckets of water and patted Chen Ning: "Sister-in-law will teach you to make something new."
When he heard about making something new, even Shen An, who had just walked away with the bowl in his hand, stopped and turned to look at Sang Luo: "Sister-in-law, what delicious food are you going to make?"
Sang Luo chuckled: "Wine, it takes a long time to ferment. You can't eat it today."
These days outside the mountain, we have dried at least 30 kilograms of raisins, filling up a small cloth bag. If Chen Lie picks more outside later, I think there will be more. So we are not going to dry the raisins that we picked today, but to make some wine.
Before Shen An and Shen Ning realized anything, Shen Lie, who was about to go out to fetch water with a bucket, was stunned and looked at Sang Luo in surprise: "Making wine?"
Even though Chen Lie didn't have much experience, he knew that a recipe for making wine like this could make a fortune, and if anyone knew it, they would keep it firmly in their hands.
His throat rolled over, and he lowered his voice a bit, worrying about whether someone would pass by outside, and said, "Keep this recipe for yourself."
After hearing what her elder brother said, Shen Ning realized that what her elder sister-in-law wanted to teach her was not so simple. She also looked at Sang Luo for a moment: "Sister-in-law, I don't want to learn anymore, right? If you need to fetch water or do something else, just tell me and I'll help you. When you're done, just close the door and do it. I'll go play with Xiao Jin for a while."
Sang Luo looked at the reactions of the brothers and sisters and smiled: "Well, do it behind closed doors, but you don't have to avoid them. It's okay to learn it, just don't tell anyone."
If it were an outsider, Sang Luo would naturally avoid them, but as for these three brothers and sisters, she didn't have much intention of avoiding them.
Separated by time and space, thousands of years of time gap, what the ancients knew might not be known to her, and what she knew that the ancients did not know was not few, so if she wanted to hide it, she simply didn't eat it, and if she had to cook it in front of the three brothers and sisters, there was no point in hiding it. She taught Shen Ning a lot of things, not just this one.
Shen Ning was still thinking about the valuable recipe his elder brother had mentioned, so he turned to look at Shen Lie.
Sang Luo saw that the brothers and sisters looked like they were about to get burned, so she laughed and said, "Okay, if things are peaceful outside, if I use this recipe to make a living, who can really expect me to do it alone? I've taught you to make tofu and other things, so this one is no different. If you really want to do that, remember that the recipe is mine, and don't use it to make money or profit without my consent, and don't leak the recipe to outsiders."
This sentence made Shen An and Shen Ning, who had been working with him before, laugh. The two little brothers and sisters responded repeatedly: "This is natural."
Chen Lie felt as if something hit his chest lightly.
What he heard was no longer a prescription, but the future - spoken by Sang Luo, as well as Xiao An, Aning and his future.
Perhaps she didn't pay much attention when she said it, but her heavy heartbeat became uncontrollably faster. Joy was like bubbling bubbles, softly, lightly, and floating in the air, sprouting out from her heart one by one and bubbling up.
The corners of his lips rose, and his eyebrows were also filled with smiles. He no longer cared about what was being discussed in front of him. He picked up the bucket and said, "I'll go get some water."
After everyone left, Shen An turned his head to look outside the cave. He blinked. Is the eldest brother smiling? Is the eldest brother so happy that the eldest sister-in-law taught them how to make wine?
…
He moved quickly, and just as Shen An had finished washing the dishes, Shen Lie brought back two large buckets of water.
The brothers and sisters were much more concerned about the wine-making technique than Sang Luo. After asking Sang Luo what she needed, they moved water, ceramic basins, and drying racks into the cave, lit two oil lamps, and locked the door from the inside.
Wild grapes are very suitable for making wine. The white layer on the surface is wild yeast, and natural fermentation can be carried out without adding yeast. When industrial wine is brewed, the company's own vineyards are guaranteed to have no fertilizers and pesticides. The grapes are not washed before brewing, which can better preserve the natural yeast. ①
They picked the fruits in these ancient mountains, so naturally there were no pesticides. But she couldn't get over it in her heart, so Sang Luo asked Chen Lie to bring in water and just rinsed them briefly, which could preserve the yeast as much as possible and also wash away some dust.
Shen Ning washed most of the grapes in the basket, and only then did he find that there were a lot of leaves at the bottom of the basket. When he saw what kind of leaves they were, he almost jumped up with joy: "Sister-in-law, did you pick the fairy leaves?"
Shen Lie was stunned for a moment, Shen Ning had already whispered to his eldest brother: "The leaves for making fairy tofu."
Her eyes sparkled as she washed the grapes and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you making the magical tofu tonight?"
Sang Luo smiled: "I brought it back to satisfy your cravings. Let's make it after washing the grapes."
"Is there no work back there?"
"No, these grapes need to be dried before they can be used." As he spoke, he called out to Chen Lie, "Help me take out the basket and put some clean gauze on it."
The big round basket was usually placed behind the storage shelf in the house. It was taken out and placed on the drying rack. It was covered with clean sandpaper, and the two of them spread the washed grapes on it together.
As for Shen An and Shen Ning, the brother and sister went to make the fairy tofu together.
Last year, she did a lot and became very skilled at it, so Sang Luo didn't have to do it at all.
While waiting for the tofu to solidify, the family of four did not want to waste the oil lamp. Instead, they each had a small slate and practiced calligraphy at the same table.
Shen Lie looked at Shen An's progress and saw that he had already learned the entire Thousand Character Classic. He was quite envious, as he had only memorized less than a hundred characters.
Naturally, Sang Luo also discovered what Chen Lie had discovered, and asked about the homework.
Chen Anyuan also wanted to say, "I can already recognize and write the Thousand Character Classic. Sister-in-law, Yun Zheng said that I can copy the Jijiupian. I will copy it when I have time and make bamboo slips."
At this point, he asked Chen Lie again: “Brother, let me make a copy for you too.”
Shen Lie subconsciously looked at Sang Luo. Compared with the copy made by Chen An, he obviously liked the copy made by Sang Luo better.
Sang Luo met his gaze and understood inexplicably. She smiled and said, "Okay, you just stay at home for a day. I'll make two copies of the bamboo slips later. I'll copy your eldest brother's copy, and you can copy yours yourself."
Chen Lie was still practicing calligraphy with his eyes lowered, but the corners of his lips were already curled up.
Chen An was stunned. His sister-in-law was still copying. Her handwriting was much better than his. He didn't have the courage to mention it just now. Now he opened his mouth and tried to say, "Sister-in-law, why don't you help me copy my book? Your handwriting is beautiful."
Chen Lie, who was just joking, immediately raised his eyes and said, "You have been learning to read since last year, and it has been almost a year. Just copy it yourself. If you are afraid that you can't write well, ask your sister-in-law to copy it for me first. You can practice more on the stone tablet. When you can write well, you can use pen and ink to write on bamboo slips. Your handwriting will improve only when you have pressure."
The whole article was full of twisted logic, Sang Luo looked at him and smiled: "Your elder brother is right."
Shen An finally reacted and looked at his elder brother in a daze.
Chen Lie didn't blush: "Practice calligraphy well."
Shen Ning couldn't help but lower his head and laugh.
The temperature in the valley was lower than outside, and even lower in the cave. The family ate the first portion of the magical tofu this year. Chen Lie found it particularly fresh as it was his first time eating it. However, influenced by Sang Luo, they all knew it was not good to eat before going to bed, so they only tasted a little and saved it for the next day.
After living in the small cave for a few days, Sang Luo was fine, but she was a little uncomfortable and she would think of the past few days together. Chen Lie was in a difficult situation. They were obviously very close, but because they were closer before, they felt far away now. After tossing and turning for a few times, he finally fell asleep after half an hour.
…
The next morning, Sang Luo got up and soaked some wood ears and beans for making porridge. The first thing she did was to clear out an empty pottery jar, boil water to disinfect it, and then start brewing wine after it cooled down.
Winemaking is not that difficult when you explain it, but it is hard to figure it out on your own if no one teaches you, especially the small details that need to be paid attention to, which are often the key to success or failure.
Sang Luo was not secretive and told her three brothers and sisters everything they needed to pay attention to when making wine.
In fact, if you have rock sugar, adding some rock sugar can produce sweet red wine, which has a sweet taste and excellent flavor. Of course, you can also add no sugar and the resulting wine will be dry red wine, which is also good. Each has its own merits.
The amount of fresh grapes brought back was not particularly large, and there were not enough jars at home, so not much wine was brewed. The grapes had to be squeezed with clean hands, so I didn't let the three siblings help them, I just gave them instructions throughout the process.
But this process actually seems to be very, very relaxing, and Shen Ning's eyes are so bright.
If she does it again in the future, she will definitely give it a try.
This was not a difficult task, and it was done in a short time. The jar was sealed and hidden on the shelf: "It's cool in the cave, wait for more than half a month and then see."
After finishing all the work, they opened the door and moved the drying rack and basket out of the cave. One reason was that they needed them, and the other was to prevent people from being tied up in the house.
For breakfast, she cooked a not-so-large portion of eight-treasure porridge, and took some flour to make more than ten very thin pancakes. She picked some vegetables and cut the soaked black fungus into shreds outside the door to make vegetable rolls. She asked Chen An to wash and dry the barbecue stone slab and put it aside for later, and asked Chen Ning to squeeze some goat milk.
This thing nourishes people. She, Shen An and Shen Ning all grow taller. In the valley, Sang Luo is still willing to treat herself well.
As for Chen Lie, he was tall enough, so tall that Sang Luo had to look up every time she spoke to him. The two families shared the money, and occasionally gave some to the neighbors. They also had two lambs to raise, and there was not much goat milk, so don't waste it. It was tiring to look up.
However, before Shen Ning left, Qin Fangniang had already gone out. She happened to hear it and smiled and told Shen Ning not to run, she would bring him back soon.
A small can of goat milk was boiled for more than ten minutes before it was served. There was no tea leaves or almonds, and even the vinegar had been used up long ago, so it couldn't remove the mutton smell. But who would complain about the mutton smell of such a good thing?
Shen Ning was asked to watch the porridge in the pot. Sang Luo looked at the ripe bananas at home, thinking that she should save on staple food as much as possible, so she tried to make some banana pancake batter. It was quite laborious, and she was trying to bake pancakes on a slate. After making a few ugly pancakes, she was able to bake them fairly well later.
Using three bananas, an egg and two teaspoons of flour, I made a plate of more than ten banana muffins. I picked an ugly one and tasted it. It was sweet and had the fragrance of bananas. It went well with goat milk.
If you succeed, you can save some food.
I also brushed the stone slab with oil and fried vegetable rolls. The skin was thin and the filling was large. They were fried until the surface was crispy and both sides were golden brown. This breakfast was complete.
Let Chen An and Chen Ning pour a bowl of goat milk, cut a bowl of fairy tofu, bring three banana muffins to the three brothers Shen Jin to share, and also send a bowl of fairy tofu to the Chen family, and the family prepared to eat.
Chen Dashan had already seen Sang Luo frying something on the stone slab, and he hurried over to take a look before the Shen family started eating. On the table was a can of hot goat milk, a bowl of steaming Laba porridge, two servings of pancakes that he had never seen before but looked delicious, and a plate of something that his mother said was called divine tofu.
Tsk, the food of the Shen family always makes people happy at a glance. It is beautiful and appetizing. How do they do that?
I was so greedy in my heart, but I didn't say it out loud.
Sang Luo and Shen Ning came in with bowls and chopsticks. Seeing this scene, she was used to seeing Chen Dashan like this. She smiled and said, "How about we eat something here?"
Chen Dashan shook his head, which was rare: "Sister-in-law, there's no need to eat here. Let's make a deal. If I have a wife in the future, can you teach her how to cook?"
Sang Luo didn't think much about it and said with a smile: "Okay, it's not that difficult."
However, Chen Lie, who had just returned from working outside, looked at Chen Dashan in surprise when he heard this.
After Chen Dashan left, Sang Luo asked him, "Why are you staring at him?"
"Strange." Chen Lie said, "You always said before that you wanted to marry a wife who can cook, but now you have changed your words. Besides, I'm not asking you to teach Aunt Youtian, I'm asking you to teach his wife. Where is his wife?"
Sang Luo, who was serving porridge, paused and looked at Chen Lie, a figure popped up in her mind.
His eyes suddenly became round.
You never know, maybe there really is one.
No way, how old is Zhou Ge this year? He looks a little shorter than her. Well, she has grown a lot in the past six months. She is at least 1.6 meters tall now. I don't know exactly how tall she is. If Zhou Ge didn't eat well since childhood, then he must be about 16 years old, right?
Thinking about how people in ancient times generally got married at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and thinking about how Chen Dashan was two years older than Chen Lie, and how Grandma Chen and Aunt Youtian had often said that the world was in chaos and his marriage would be delayed for who knows when, he immediately felt that what he was afraid of was the truth.
Chen Lie looked at her expression and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Sang Luo would never talk about something that didn't exist. She shook her head and smiled: "Nothing, let's eat."
Chen Dashan and Zhou Ge, apart from the fact that she thought sixteen was too young to get married, they were a good match. The most important thing was that it was obvious that Chen Dashan had fallen in love with her.
Sang Luo curled her eyes. This breakfast was not only a delicious side dish, but also a big and lively side dish.
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①The information about wine making was found on the Internet.
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