distilled spirits
Chapter 26: Distilled Spirits
After dealing with the matters of these two workshops, it was already November and Chu Huaibei was ready to start patrolling.
Thinking about what happened last year, my injury took so long to heal, and a big part of the reason was that the arrow wound became inflamed. I only relied on my body and anti-inflammatory herbs to fight it. If I had used alcohol or iodine to clean the wound, I would have healed faster.
It’s better to get the distilled liquor first, so that the injury can heal faster.
Originally, Chu Huaibei wanted to start with brewing wine, but when he asked his mother, he learned that the palace had its own winery for brewing wine. He was overjoyed as this saved him a step.
Chu Huaibei first went to the Ministry of Agriculture and found a few skilled workers to build a simplified distillation apparatus. This time, she used an empty courtyard within the palace's inner courtyard for distillation. She didn't want anyone to know about this thing, and she was worried about where to put the workshop.
After installing the device in the small kitchen in the empty courtyard, Chu Huaibei worked with Sun Mingsi on it. This was her first time working on this, and she needed to experiment. The only other person free in the mansion was her Hu Zhi. She denied being jealous of him and the child; Heng Heng definitely loved her the most!
"Hu Zhi, the function of this set of instruments is to purify the alcohol in the wine through distillation. High-purity alcohol can effectively disinfect and sterilize external injuries. Well... sterilization means that there are tiny organisms in the air that are invisible to our eyes but always exist. They attach to the wound and make the wound worse. High-purity alcohol can kill them, thereby promoting wound healing." Chu Huaibei first explained to Hu Zhi, then he personally poured the wine into the pot and lit the firewood.
When Sun Mingsi saw that she did it herself, he knew that this matter must not be known to outsiders. He was delighted that she trusted him so much.
A three-finger-wide round tube is connected to the copper pot lid. The round tube first extends one meter to the left, and then spirals downward to the right. A wooden barrel is fixed at the spiral position. The gap between the barrel and the copper tube is stuffed with linen. A hole is dug one-fifth of the way from the bottom of the barrel, and a thin bamboo tube about five centimeters long is embedded in it. The other end is blocked with cloth. Cold water is added to the barrel, and an empty wine jar is connected to the outlet of the copper tube.
As the wine in the pot boiled, water slowly began to drip from the outlet of the copper tube. When a thin layer of wine formed at the bottom of the jar, Chu Huaibei first smelled it and then poured it out.
"This equipment is used for the first time. It's a bit dirty and cannot be used." Chu Huaibei explained.
"Yeah, okay."
"Huzhi, come here. The water in this wooden barrel is already warm. It's time to replace it with cold water. Take an empty barrel and place it here. Remove the stopper on the bamboo and drain half of it. Then fill the barrel up again."
"If there is less wine in the pot, add more wine. When the empty wine jar over there is full, replace it with an empty one and continue." Chu Huaibei explained while operating.
After receiving half of the distilled liquor in the empty jar, Chu Huaibei tasted it first. Well, the alcohol content was at least over 30 degrees. It needed to be distilled a few more times. Maybe the fire was too strong and there was too much water vapor. He needed to adjust it.
Simmer on low heat, and when there is only half of the wine left in the pot, scoop out all the water in the pot and pour in new wine. Simmering like this will make the alcohol concentration of the wine higher. After filling a jar, Chu Huaibei poured the distilled wine directly into the pot and continued to distill it. Only half of the distilled wine was obtained. After taking a sip, Chu Huaibei grimaced at the spiciness. He used a spoon to give Hu Zhi a small spoonful. Sun Mingsi was so spicy that tears came to his eyes, which made Chu Huaibei laugh. It was the first time Sun Mingsi tasted such a spicy wine, and he felt a little dizzy. He had been in poor health since he was a child and rarely touched alcohol.
Chu Huaibei saw his cheeks slowly blushing, his eyes watery as he smiled at her. He thought, "Oh no! Hu Zhi can't hold his liquor, he's drunk." Anyway, the experiment was complete for the day, so he put out the fire and walked towards the bedroom with the drunken beauty in his arms.
They had only walked halfway when the man was already extremely drunk, his left foot tripping over his right. Chu Huaibei had no choice but to pick him up and carry him back to the room quickly.
After returning to the dormitory, Chu Huaibei gently put the person on the bed, only to see that Hu Zhi had fallen asleep drunkenly. After covering him with the quilt, Chu Huaibei leaned over and kissed his rosy cheek, then went out to the dining hall for dinner. He promised to bring him some cakes and pastries so that he could fill his stomach when he woke up.
"Dad, where is Mom? Why doesn't she come for dinner?" Hengheng asked puzzledly.
"Your mother is feeling a little unwell today. She should go to sleep first and will be fine tomorrow." Chu Huaibei made an excuse to coax the child.
"Then Hengheng, can you come visit Mom tonight?"
"Yes, but you can only take a look. You will sleep at Grandma's house tonight."
"Okay~"
The conversation between the father and son made the concubine raise an eyebrow. She knew that her son and Hu Zhi were distilling liquor together today. How could he feel unwell after the experiment? But looking at her son's expression, he didn't look troubled. Forget it, it's a young man's business, she thought.
After dinner, Chu Huaibei took Hengheng to visit his mother. Ever since Hengheng started to practice physical training, he no longer liked to be carried around and called himself a little man.
He picked up Hengheng and let him take a look at his mother. Hengheng felt relieved when he saw that his mother was sleeping soundly. He patted Chu Huaibei's hand and signaled that it was okay.
After sending Hengheng back to his mother's home, Chu Huaibei quickly washed up and went to bed, hugging him to sleep.
Sun Mingsi woke up in the middle of the night hungry. After three hours of sleep, the smell of alcohol had almost dissipated. Chu Huaibei noticed the person in his arms waking up. He got up and poured Hu Zhi a glass of water. When he put it to his mouth, Sun Mingsi took her hand and drank the glass of water. Feeling that he was fully awake, he stood up and sat at the table.
As he was drinking water, he noticed a plate of his favorite snacks on the table. Even though he was extremely hungry, he ate his snacks with an elegant demeanor. Chu Huaibei stared at him intently. She truly thought he was handsome in every way, and his entire appearance met her aesthetic standards.
Sun Mingsi felt a little uncomfortable with Chu Huaibei's eager gaze. After eating six snacks, he wanted to wash up. He was drunk before, so Chu Huaibei just let him sleep. If conditions permit, he still prefers to be clean.
"Huaibei, go to sleep first. I'll go wash up."
Chu Huaibei stood up, pulled Sun Mingsi, who had turned around, with his right hand, clasped the back of his neck with his left hand, and then pressed his slightly thin lips tightly against the beautifully shaped red lips, gradually deepening the kiss.
Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, but after coming to his senses, Sun Mingsi raised his hands and hugged Chu Huaibei's waist tightly. Chu Huaibei kissed him while hugging him and fell onto the bed. He reached out to lower the bed curtain to cover the beauty of the room.
The next morning, the two of them appeared in the dining hall refreshed. Hengheng felt that his father and mother must be hiding a little secret from him, and the relationship between them was more intimate and natural than before.
The concubine saw the clue at a glance, but pretended not to know it.
Today, the two of them continued to distill liquor in the empty courtyard. Sun Mingsi recalled what happened yesterday, pondered for a moment, and said, "Huaibei, since you trust me, can you let my subordinates do this? They are like half family to me and are trustworthy. I can't drink much, and I'm afraid I'll be drunk before I finish drinking."
"Okay, then let them come." Chu Huaibei said without any hesitation.
"I'll go call them in." Seeing Chu Huaibei like this, Sun Mingsi stopped being shy.
As soon as Jin San, Jin Si and Jin Wu came in, they smelled a very strong aroma of wine. Jin San loved wine, and he swallowed unconsciously.
"Watch carefully. I'll demonstrate once. From now on, it's your turn. Distill it as many times as possible to increase the alcohol concentration." Seeing Jin San's eyes glued to the wine, Chu Huaibei specifically stated, "You can drink wine that has been distilled once, but you're not allowed to drink it after more than two distillations. It will damage a healthy person's liver and can even be fatal in serious cases."
"You are allowed to drink a big pot of first-distilled liquor every day." Chu Huaibei said, pointing to a small palm-sized wine pot on the table.
At first, Jin San still despised the King of Zhenbei for being stingy. He could finish such a big wine jug in just two gulps.
Chu Huaibei gave the first batch of distilled liquor to the three people, poured each a small cup, and motioned them to try it.
Seeing their master's gesture, the three men drank without hesitation. Jin Wu, a moderate alcoholic, flushed within two minutes of finishing his drink, but he pursed his lips and feigned composure. Jin San and Jin Si, both of whom could hold their liquor well, felt the spicy, burning sensation in their throats and slicing their way down to their internal organs, forcing them to break out in a sweat in the cold.
"Awesome!" Jin San couldn't help but shout.
The guards had seen all sorts of wine, but never had they tasted such a spicy liquor. No wonder the master was carried back by the prince yesterday.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty and Master, I will do my best." After recovering, Jin San, Jin Si, and Jin Wu knelt on one knee and saluted to assure.
"Okay, then you guys should pay attention to the steps and try to distill more wine within a month. I think we will need it soon. Remember to distill it at least three times." Chu Huaibei explained to them while he was operating it until they were all proficient in it.
Because Jin San and his companions were allowed to take a small pot of wine every day, they did not hide anything and would definitely share the good stuff with their brothers. Soon, the guards knew that the prince could make good wine, and there was even a more mellow wine, but it was said that it could not be drunk and was used to treat external injuries.
One day, Jin Shiqi returned from a mission with a long stab wound on his arm. Upon learning of this, Jin San secretly filled a small pot with triple-distilled liquor, snuck into the house across the street in the middle of the night, untied the bandage, and poured the alcohol directly onto the wound. The pain was so intense that sweat beads streamed down Jin Shiqi's forehead in the cold winter. Had they not undergone the most rigorous training, they would have cried out in agony.
After enduring this wave of stinging pain, Seventeen said, "Hiss~ Jin San, are you trying to take this opportunity to take revenge on me for stealing your wine?"
Jin San quickly bandaged his wound with clean cotton cloth and patted him gently. "I was just worried about finding someone to test it on, and now you've come to my door. Please help the prince test the effect of this alcohol. The prince said that before the wound heals, wiping it with alcohol every day to disinfect it can speed up the healing process."
"This small bottle is used up today. I will come again tomorrow night. If it really works, brothers should bring a small bottle with them when they go out in the future. The prince said it can prevent wounds from festering." Jin San explained.
"Okay, let's give it a try. It's just wine anyway, not some other herb. If there is something similar in the future, please notify me first so that I can be mentally prepared." Seventeen fought for his human rights.
"Well, to be honest, I didn't know that cleaning a wound with alcohol would be so painful. I haven't tried it myself. I can't just cut myself for no reason..." Under Seventeen's sharp gaze, Jin San's voice gradually lowered until he shut up.
"You have a good rest, I'm going back to the palace first~" Jin San couldn't stand the low pressure and escaped directly.
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