Taken out of the cellar
Having slept soundly without any dreams, Fu Zhi Qiao woke up refreshed and, after breakfast, left the mansion with Granny Cui and Ginkgo.
Yu Roulan specifically requested that Granny Cui be taken by her side. Fu Zhi Qiao had been running between the shop and the manor for the past few months and had lost a lot of weight. Yu Roulan saw this and felt sorry for her. She felt that Fu Zhi Qiao was still young and growing, and she would feel more at ease if Granny Cui was there to take care of her.
Ever since Yu Roulan spoke up, Granny Cui has been buying all sorts of tonics and making nourishing soups for her every day, to the point that Fu Zhi Qiao is tired of them.
Defu drove them to the manor in a carriage, where Old Man Gao, Wenshan, Wenjiang, and others were already waiting outside the wine cellar.
Today is the day the wine is taken out of the cellar.
Fu Zhiqiao was both excited and apprehensive. The wine had been brewing for more than half a year, from June to October, and now it was time to see the results.
After the winery on the estate was completed, Fu Zhiqiao moved the wineries in the city to the estate and merged them together, which made it easier to manage centrally. The wineries in the city then became her research and development center. Having only one type of wine in the shop was not enough; her ambitions went far beyond that.
There were four or five guards outside the courtyard, and the gate was locked with an iron chain. When the guards saw Fu Zhiqiao arrive, they hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Master."
There are two keys to the wine cellar, one in Fu Zhiqiao's hands and the other in Wen Jiang's hands. Only by using both keys at the same time can the wine cellar door be opened.
The head guard took out a tinderbox, lit a candlestick, and entered the room first, followed by Fu Zhiqiao and the others.
The wine cellar was dark, so Wenjiang asked a few people to light the wall lamps. As they went, he shouted, "Everyone be careful! Be careful not to touch anything else when you light the fire!"
"yes!"
The people selected by Wenshan all had a hint of pride on their faces, because the wine cellar had a clear rule that no one except those who inspected and patrolled the wine cellar was allowed to enter. Being able to enter meant that they had been recognized by the master.
The lights gradually came on. After entering the wine cellar, there was an open space used for transferring goods. A few steps further ahead, there was a ramp leading directly underground.
Most of the wine cellar is underground. You have to walk down the slope to enter the real interior of the wine cellar. Once inside, the view opens up and a huge space filled with wine jars appears before you.
In the spacious wine cellar, rows of brown wine jars are neatly arranged, each about half a person's height, placed either on shelves or on the ground, creating a rather spectacular scene.
Everywhere you look, there are wine jars.
"Miss, this... I've never seen anything like it!" Granny Cui murmured. She had been working in the inner quarters for many years and had never seen anything like this before. She never expected that in just a few months, the young lady's business would grow so big. Madam would surely be relieved to know this.
Even Old Man Gao was seeing so many wine jars displayed together for the first time, and he managed to suppress his astonishment.
Fu Zhiqiao could not hide her excitement. After working hard for more than half a year and investing so much money, she was finally seeing results.
The cellar area is divided into square blocks, and wines made at different times cannot be mixed together.
The group looked around and stopped frequently before finally reaching the wine storage area, which started with the character "δΈ€". This was the first batch of distilled wine, which had been aged for half a year and was the wine to be shipped out today.
Old Man Gao found a small wine jar in area "one". Unlike the tall wine jars around it, this small wine jar looked out of place among them.
Unlike the large wine jars, the small wine jars were used to offer wine to the god of wine.
Offering sacrifices to the god of wine was a custom of the Great Wei Dynasty.
The purpose of worshipping the god of wine is to pray for him to bestow fine wine, to bless every jar of wine that people brew, and to express their hopes and aspirations.
Fu Zhiqiao took the small wine jar and went outside.
Set up a wine table, wash your hands, burn incense...
The auspicious time has arrived, invite the god of wine!
As the hostess, Fu Zhiqiao had to personally offer sacrifices to the God of Wine. She held grain in her hands, bowed three times before the statue of the God of Wine, and then placed the grain into the square cauldron on the wine table. Once the ceremony was complete, the God of Wine could be invited.
Old Gao poured out three bowls of wine from the small wine jar and set them aside.
The first bowl is offered to heaven and earth, with the wine being forcefully splashed into the sky to express gratitude for nature's bounty.
The second bowl is offered to the god of wine, with both hands placed before the statue of the god, expressing the winemaker's reverence for him.
The third bowl is offered to the winemaker. The bowl, filled with wine, is raised above the head and then smashed forcefully, expressing the winemaker's determination to carefully brew fine wine.
The ceremony is complete; we are ready to open the altar!
*
The tall, strong workers were already moving the wine jars in an orderly manner. First, they moved the wine jars onto flatbed carts, and then transferred them to a separate bottling room. There were people waiting at the entrance of the bottling room to receive them. The division of labor between loading and unloading was meticulous.
The flatbed cart was made by Fu Zhiqiao and several carpenters after several days of research. The entire cart was made of wooden boards, and the wheels were also thickened, so its load-bearing capacity was quite good.
The cellar floor was paved with smooth stone slabs, making it easy to pull carts and saving the workers a lot of effort.
Upon seeing the cart, Granny Cui suddenly realized that the ramp at the entrance was there to make it easier for the cart to come and go. "I wonder how the girl's brain works; how can she be so clever?" Granny Cui thought with pride.
Old Gao wasn't surprised at all when he saw the flatbed cart. Fu Zhi Qiao always managed to come up with something new, so he was used to it.
With so much wine, it would take a while to move it all. Wenshan and Wenjiang supervised the workers moving the wine in the cellar, while Fu Zhiqiao went to the bottling room.
They all changed into all-white smocks.
Before the wine is sold, there is one more process: the wine in the large wine jars is poured into uniform small wine jars.
The large wine jars had all been arranged in numerical order. Fu Zhiqiao had people check the numbers of the wine jars and randomly inspect them one by one in order to ensure that the batch was correct.
Fu Zhiqiao is very cautious when it comes to the quality of wine.
First, use a knife to scrape off the beeswax layer on the mouth of the wine jar, remove the debris, then untie the rope, peel off the gauze, and then peel off the oil paper covering the mouth of the wine jar.
Without the covering, the rich aroma of the liquor could no longer be suppressed, surging out in the sealed bottling room. As soon as a person walked in, the smell of liquor hit them right in the head.
Old Gao sniffed: "It smells so good!" Having brewed wine for so many years, his sense of wine was more acute than that of ordinary people. Just smelling the aroma of the wine made him unable to help but show a satisfied expression.
Fu Zhiqiao wandered around checking for a while, her face slightly flushed from the smell of alcohol.
Just smelling it was enough to make her feel slightly drunk!
"Miss, do we have to check every single jar?" Defu asked doubtfully. With so many jars of wine, wouldn't it be impossible to drink them all and get drunk?
"Um!"
Fu Zhiqiao nodded: "You guys mustn't let your guard down. Remember, the quality of the wine is the most important thing, and there's no room for carelessness!"
Old Gao listened thoughtfully. The longer he stayed by Fu Zhi Qiao's side, the more he would discover her value. He believed that under Fu Zhi Qiao's leadership, Tai Bai wine would definitely become the best wine in the Great Wei.
Defu brought over several porcelain bowls, and Fu Zhiqiao randomly picked a jar, scooped out a spoonful of wine, and shared it with everyone to taste.
All eyes were on her hands.
Fu Zhiqiao held a glass in each hand and poured the wine back and forth between the two glasses to observe it. The wine was clear and transparent with low foam and no turbidity or floating matter. The wine was as smooth as silk and clung evenly to the glass.
She was satisfied with the batch of wine.
The wine, after being aged in a cellar, has a pure grain aroma and no other off-flavors.
"Try it!" Everyone present, except for her and Ginkgo, tasted it.
Granny Cui's reaction was the most obvious. She was already a little tipsy after just two sips. Her face quickly turned rosy, and she looked somewhat dazed.
This demonstrates just how potent this liquor is!
"How is it?" The alcohol content was definitely not a problem. Fu Zhi Qiao looked at the four men, anticipating their feedback.
"This wine... is so strong!" Defu smacked his lips. He rarely had the opportunity to drink wine and didn't know how to appreciate it, so he directly expressed his feelings.
"Not only that, it has a strong aftereffect!" Wenshan and Wenjiang felt it even more deeply. Usually, the two of them would go out to eat after receiving their reward money, but this was the first time they had tasted such an amazing flavor. After drinking a glass of wine, a wave of heat surged from their stomachs to their limbs, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
The most authoritative person to speak on this matter is Old Man Gao, who has tasted both freshly brewed wine and wine that has been aged in the cellar.
Old Gao first raised his glass and smelled it: "Hmm... the caramel aroma has faded, and the wine aroma has become purer."
Just smelling this aroma of wine can make one feel hot and bothered.
Under Fu Zhi Qiao's expectant gaze, he took a sip, closed his eyes, and savored the taste of the wine as it danced on his tongue. "The wine is mellow, slightly bitter but not astringent, with a hint of sweetness. It's spicy but not harsh on the throat, and leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth."
Hearing this evaluation, Fu Zhi Qiao smiled.
Old Gao was already engrossed in the fine wine, and couldn't resist pouring himself another glass, which he slowly drank down. He could hardly believe that such a fine wine had been brewed by his own hands.
After trying several more batches, all of which were of the same quality, Fu Zhiqiao finally felt relieved.
This batch of wine is exclusively for customers who have made reservations, so it needs to be prepared in advance.
After less than an hour in the wine cellar, Fu Zhi Qiao felt like she was about to pass out. She took a handkerchief, folded it into a triangular shape, and wrapped it around her face to cover her mouth and nose. The workers followed suit, covering themselves completely with smocks, triangular scarves, and hats, leaving only their eyes showing, which looked both comical and a little cute.
Seeing that everyone was dressed, Fu Zhi Qiao gave the order, "Let's begin!"
Several groups of workers split up to check the wine jars and packaging paper, fill the wine bottles, apply paste and stick red paper... Everyone completed their respective tasks meticulously.
First, the wine is poured into uniform small wine jars, and then a square red paper with the word "wine" written on it is affixed to the jars before sealing them.
The red paper had been prepared long ago, and it not only had the name of the wine and the date written on it, but also a number she had specially prepared in the corner.
The purpose is to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation.
The ladles used to scoop the wine are custom-made; one scoop fills exactly one jin (500 grams), no more, no less. The amount of wine is pre-set; a jar of four jin of wine only needs to be scooped four times, making the bottling process very efficient.
Fu Zhiqiao took out a jade seal with the character "Fu" on it, which she had specially designed, and handed the jade seal to Defu. After each jar of wine was bottled, a seal had to be affixed to the jar and stamped with the character "Fu" to mark it as truly complete.
Bottling takes a whole day. After the bottled wine is registered, it can be transferred to the warehouse. The workers first put the sealed wine jars in a cart, and then move them onto a horse-drawn cart.
One car, two cars, three cars...
Looking at the orderly workers, Fu Zhiqiao generously waved his hand and gave them a reward.
The workers, having received their reward, worked even harder.
In front of the wine cellar, workers were loading jars of wine into horse-drawn carts. In another half month, this batch of wine would be ready for sale.
With standardized procedures for bottling and transportation, Fu Zhiqiao no longer needed to supervise personally, allowing her to focus on preparing for the opening of the liquor store.
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