"That's good. Is your rice wine ready to drink? Didn't you say it would be ready in three days? Today marks exactly three days, so it should be ready to drink. Peanuts, edamame, and wine go perfectly together."
Upon hearing this, Xu Han smiled and said, "It's about time you can drink. I checked this morning, and I'll prepare some when we get back. I'll also cook some snacks for you tonight to go with your drinks. You've had a long day, so you can have a good drink when you get back."
Grandpa Zhao happily said, "Haha, good, good, cook more peanuts and edamame. Cook some non-spicy ones for Mu'er to eat as snacks."
"Okay, I understand. I'll head back now." Then she said to Mu'er, "Mu'er, let's go pick peanuts together."
Upon hearing this, Mu'er put down the clips she was holding and came over carrying the small wooden bucket. "Mother's here."
Xu Han pushed Ze'er while taking the wooden bucket, and the three of them walked home together.
When she arrived, she hadn't brought any tools and was carrying a large wooden bucket. So, Xu Han told Mu'er and Ze'er to wait by the peanut field while she went home to get her tools.
The soil in the ground wasn't very dry, and Xu Han grabbed the peanut vine and gently lifted it, bringing the peanut out.
Xu Han put the peanut vines into her basket and then used a small rake to dig up the peanuts in the ground.
Mu'er also imitated Xu Han, picking up the peanuts that had fallen on the ground.
Xu Han peeled a fresh peanut. The peanut kernels inside were plump and white, like babies in swaddling clothes, and very tender.
Xu Han picked a fresh peanut and put it in Mu'er's mouth, asking, "Is it delicious?"
Mu'er nodded and gave Xu Han one as well, saying, "It's delicious and sweet."
Xu Han chewed on the peanuts. They were indeed delicious, sweet and completely different from dried peanuts. They were both sweet and crunchy.
"Do you like them? If you do, Mom will save some fresh peanuts for you to eat as a snack when we're harvesting peanuts tomorrow."
"Okay, give some to your younger brother too."
Upon hearing Mu'er's words, Xu Han immediately became serious and said, "Your little brother is still too young; he doesn't have any teeth yet. He can't eat this. Mu'er, you absolutely mustn't secretly give it to your little brother, understand?"
Seeing Xu Han's expression, Mu'er knew that this was absolutely not something that could be done, otherwise her little bottom would be in trouble again. So she solemnly said, "Okay, I won't give it to my little brother."
Meanwhile, Ze'er, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand their conversation and began to protest in a series of babbling sounds.
Xu Han simply turned her head away as if she couldn't see anything and continued pulling up peanuts.
After pulling up a whole basket, the mother and her two children stopped and walked home together.
After arriving home, Xu Han sat under the eaves and began picking peanuts. She put the peanuts she picked into a leaky bamboo basket and then took it to the backyard to wash them.
First, put the cleaned peanuts and edamame into a pot to braise. Soaking the peanuts and edamame makes them more flavorful.
Xu Han even specially made some spiced edamame and peanuts for Mu'er in an earthenware pot.
The adults added more chili peppers to their food, as everyone in the family prefers strong flavors and wouldn't taste the spiciness if there wasn't enough chili.
After finishing all that, Xu Han went to the vegetable garden outside to pick vegetables in the evening. After they finished picking all the vegetables, they all came back together.
I promised to make some snacks to go with the drinks tonight, and of course I'll keep my word.
Not only that, Xu Han also used the rice wine she had just made to cook herself some rice wine dumplings.
The glutinous rice balls are filled with dried goji berries and red dates, making them look especially appealing.
The Taoist priest, unable to wait any longer, took a wine cup and poured rice wine into it. After filling the cup, he immediately began to drink it.
He smacked his lips and said, "Hmm, this wine is good, but it's a bit sweet, which is more suitable for you women."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao and Lu Chuan each came over with a cup. Xu Han couldn't bear to look at them anymore. "Can't you take them to the main room before you start drinking? Why are you all so greedy sitting here?"
To everyone's surprise, none of them paid any attention to Xu Han and started sipping their rice wine, which made Xu Han so angry that she jumped up and down.
Lu Chuan also said, "Yes, it's a bit sweet, but the alcohol content shouldn't be high. I'm absolutely sure I could finish it by myself."
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xu Han stopped talking and carried the food into the main room on her own.
Drink if you want, and finish if you think you can. Xu Han said before that even though rice wine is sweet, it has a strong aftereffect, so don't blame yourself if you get drunk.
After each of the three drank a cup, they took the jar of rice wine to the main room for dinner.
Finally, Xu Han couldn't help but say, "This rice wine has a strong aftereffect, so don't overindulge."
The Taoist priest laughed upon hearing this, looking completely unconcerned. "Hahaha, girl, you underestimate our alcohol tolerance. This rice wine tastes just like sweet water, how could you possibly get drunk?"
Xu Han glanced at the group, then gave up and said, "Whatever, I've already warned you."
Xu Han now only hopes that the others can listen to advice. If the three of them get drunk, she will be the one who suffers in the end.
Grandpa Zhao said while drinking the rice wine, "This rice wine is very smooth, but it's a bit sweet. It would be better if it weren't so sweet."
While drinking the sweet rice wine dumplings she made for herself, Xu Han explained, "This is the first fermentation, so it will taste sweeter. It can be fermented a second time, and the sweetness of the rice wine from the second fermentation will be much less, and the alcohol content will be higher than that of the first fermentation."
"That's great! We'll try the second fermentation of rice wine in a few days."
The group chatted and drank, and eventually the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao started playing rock-paper-scissors. Although Lu Chuan had also drunk quite a bit, he still didn't dare to drink too much.
After all, his wife had just said that this rice wine had a strong aftereffect, and he couldn't get drunk, otherwise how could his wife manage to take care of three drunkards by herself?
However, despite thinking that way, the rice wine didn't seem to have much of a kick, so I ended up drinking a few more cups.
Sure enough, while Grandpa Zhao and the Taoist priest were playing rock-paper-scissors, they felt increasingly dizzy.
The Taoist priest shook his head and said, "What's wrong? Why do I feel so dizzy? Could it be that I'm really drunk?"
"You know what, I'm feeling a bit dizzy too. I'm feeling lightheaded."
"What the girl said is absolutely right, this rice wine has a strong aftereffect! I thought that sweet rice wine couldn't possibly make me drunk, so I unconsciously drank a bit too much. I didn't expect it to be so potent. I can't take it anymore, I'm a little dizzy, I'm going back to sleep now."
After the Taoist priest finished speaking, he stood up unsteadily. He stood up a bit too suddenly and almost fell over.
Seeing this, Lu Chuan quickly helped the Taoist priest up and then took him to his room.
When I returned, Grandpa Zhao was already asleep, slumped over the table.
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