After several sunny days, this morning the sun played hide-and-seek, hiding behind the clouds, and a gentle breeze rose from the ground.
Rolling upwards with his clothes rolled up, Tian Sangui sat on the donkey cart, his hands tightly covering his clothes.
While driving the donkey cart, Zhang tightly gripped her dress with one hand.
"Looks like another heavy rain is coming in the next couple of days!"
"Fortunately, four chicken coops were built on the mountain. Otherwise, with this heavy rain, the chickens would have nowhere to hide and would inevitably have suffered an epidemic."
Tian Sangui was relieved and asked Tian Laosi, Tian Da, and Tian Er to call some villagers to build more chicken coops around the courtyard wall to avoid unnecessary losses during heavy rain.
Not long after it was built, things started to change.
"Yes, your aunt and I are going to collect chicks later. You wait for me at the potter's place. I'll come find you when I'm done!"
"Why!"
Tian Sangui responded with a soft "yes" to the wind.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, my aunt's house came into view.
Zhang got out of the car and came to the door, stretching out her hands: "Tie me up! Tie me up!"
Who is it?
"Sister-in-law, it's me! San Gui and I are back!"
A simple "come back" feels like coming home.
When Wu opened the door and saw Zhang, her eyes naturally revealed the closeness of a family.
"Quickly, come inside and have some water, San Gui! Are you hot? Get out of the car, your aunt will pour you some cool boiled water to quench your thirst!"
Upon hearing that there was boiled water available, Tian Sangui immediately jumped out of the car and followed Zhang Shi into the house.
On the way, she was hoping for a glass of cool water to quench her thirst. Wu was so thoughtful; she knew what she wanted and provided it!
In the main room, Wu carried a kettle of hot water straight to Tian Sangui, placed a bowl on the table, poured a bowl of hot water, and handed it to Tian Sangui, whose face was flushed.
She took it without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp: "Auntie, another bowl!"
The cool water instantly relieved the heat and fatigue from the car ride.
Mrs. Wu smiled and poured another bowl, then added water for Mrs. Zhang.
"Sister-in-law, we're going to collect chicks later. You know Zhangjia Village better than I do, so you can lead the way!"
"Don't worry, I heard from the two kids that I've already made preparations."
“My two nephews are very observant; they took a casual remark to heart.”
Wu poured another bowl of water for Zhang and another for Tian Sangui.
"You're their aunt. If they don't dare listen to you, just wait and see how their father and I beat them up!"
"Hahaha!"
Wu treated Zhang like her own sister. Before, the family was so poor that they could hardly make ends meet. It was Wu who went back to her parents' home and brought a bag of millet and sorghum, which saved Zhang, who was starving and skin and bones.
From then on, the two became inseparable, their bond even stronger than Zhang Qiang's.
After resting, Zhang drove the donkey cart, taking Tian Sangui and Wu with her, to Cao Waguan's house.
When Tian Sangui arrived at the door, he didn't need to knock; he simply shouted, and his wife, Luo, quickly opened the door.
"Oh my, it's an important person! Please come in, please come in!"
"Aunt Luo, is Uncle Cao home?"
"Yes, yes, they're firing up the kiln in the backyard. Come in and sit down, I'll go call him!"
"Why!"
Mrs. Luo lowered the gate and went to the backyard to call for someone.
Tian Sangui turned around and gave Zhang a few instructions before the two went their separate ways.
The courtyard is the same as before, but several batches of small earthenware pots are missing, and new colors and patterns have emerged.
"Hey, little girl, it's been a long time since you've been here. You remembered me today?"
When Cao the tiler came out, she saw Tian Sangui sitting in the shade, joking with her in a loud voice.
Upon hearing this, Tian Sangui stood up and said, "Uncle Cao, what are you saying? I've always been looking forward to your cooking. Now that I needed it, I came over without even asking!"
"Haha, have a seat!"
"What kind of jars do you want to make today?"
After a moment's thought, Tian Sangui got straight to the point: "Hmm, no special requirements. Just make me fifty jars of wine, using the popular types available on the market."
"If it works well, I'll order another hundred jars!"
Cao the tiler put down the bamboo cup covered in tea stains, and when he heard that she wanted a wine jar, he immediately put it down and said, "No problem, leave it to me, don't worry."
"May I ask when you need it?"
"The sooner the better!"
They wanted to open the business just in time for the opening.
"Well... the usual way, twenty jars in five days, you can take them first, and the remaining thirty jars in ten days, how about that?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Cao!"
The two talked and agreed on a time. Tian Sangui paid a deposit of one tael of silver and would come back five days later to settle the first batch of accounts.
The Zhang and Wu families acted quickly; as soon as the villagers heard that someone was buying chicks, they hurriedly returned home from the fields to prepare.
In no time, two hundred chicks were chirping incessantly in the bamboo cage.
Ms. Wu was a master negotiator; the original price of two hundred chicks was five hundred coins, but she managed to haggle it down to three hundred coins...
Even so, the villagers' enthusiasm remained undiminished, and some even offered low prices to let Zhang and Wu come to their house to collect the goods.
After picking up Tian Sangui, Wu bid a reluctant farewell to Zhang and Tian Sangui at the usual crossroads.
Zhang's eyes were also red from what she had done, but they returned to normal after a while.
First, they went back up the mountain, and the mother and daughter sorted the chicks back into the two large chicken coops, just like before.
Then crush the tender grass, vegetable leaves, and earthworms and feed them to the chicks.
Because it was too hot, Tian Laosi couldn't bear to see the mother and daughter working in the fields, so he tightened his stern face and pretended to be serious, scolding them to go home and stay there.
The two had no choice but to slink back home.
In her spare time, Zhang would sit under the eaves and make clothes and shoe uppers.
Tian Sangui went into the cellar to check the loquat wine she had brewed.
When the lid, sealed with dry mud, is opened, all the loquats float to the surface of the jar, forming a thick layer, obscuring the juice inside.
Tian Sangui was prepared and took out the bucket, pressing it down hard.
The yellowish liquid carried a sweet, fermented aroma reminiscent of loquat, mixed with the scent of wine.
All the juice flowed into the bucket. Once it was full, I lifted it out and brought it to my lips, taking a small sip.
It has a sweet and sour taste upon first sip, followed by a lingering sweet aftertaste. The loquat flavor in the mouth is amplified as the alcohol evaporates, bringing out the unique sweetness of the loquat.
"Ah, that feels great!"
This wine, once it's served, will definitely be loved by female diners.
Surely even an elegant scholar would crave the taste of loquat.
Tian Sangui was very excited and slowly poured the wine into the wine pot using a bucket, so that everyone could have a taste that night!
Once the wine jars are returned, peach wine will be brewed, ensuring a continuous supply of fruit wine, which will naturally keep customers coming back.
In the evening, Tian Sangui prepared a table of delicious dishes and set out loquat wine, waiting for Tian Laosi, Tian Da, and Tian Er.
Wow, what dish smells so good?
"Wow, there's wine! Dad, come quick, there's wine!"
Tian Er knew best that his father loved wine, and he was even happier to hear that there was wine than to eat meat.
After washing their hands, everyone sat around the square table, and Tian Sangui poured a bowl of wine for each person.
Then, raising a glass to celebrate: "Come on, let's wish our Hefang Restaurant a grand opening!"
"Congratulations on your grand opening! May your business prosper!"
"Dry!"
Everyone tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp!
"Third sister, what kind of wine is this? It's so delicious, even better than the one Dad bought!"
Tian Er was excited and asked Tian Sangui.
Zhang smiled and said, "I used to think that alcohol was sour and spicy and would choke me, but the wine from Sangui is sweet and has a long aftertaste. I don't find it sour or astringent at all!"
"Pour me another cup!" It was rare for Zhang to drink two cups of wine.
I didn't have many feelings about the fourth and fifth grades, only one thing: sweet and delicious!
Old Tian, savoring the taste in my mouth, although it wasn't as strong as his liquor, the flavor was absolutely exquisite!
Tian Sangui chuckled and said, "This is the loquat wine I mentioned last time. It's suitable for men, women, young and old. It's made from pure fruit, so it's healthy and won't harm your body!"
"Wow, this is so delicious! Third Sister, I want more!"
"Fruit wine is good, but don't overindulge. Be careful not to get so drunk you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow!"
Tian Sangui poured wine for Tian Da while giving instructions to his family.
As a result, everyone dismissed it, saying that drinking a whole jar of such a low alcohol content wouldn't cause any problems!
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