Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao supplemented Mu'er's knowledge about tigers, and Xu Han also shared some of her own understanding of tigers.
And so, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest went for another five days before returning. This time, they didn't hunt a tiger, but unexpectedly, they hunted a big black bear.
Seeing this, Xu Han looked frightened and said, "What's going on in these mountains lately? Why are there so many large animals?"
Lu Chuan explained with a smile, "The Taoist priest and I have checked the area in the past few days, and there are no wild animals near our home. Otherwise, we wouldn't dare let you go out on your own every day."
This black bear was hunted far from here. When the Taoist priest and I were patrolling the mountains, we spotted its tracks and followed it for a long way before finally finding it. Just in case, we decided to kill it to prevent any future accidents.
“Yes, Xiaochuan is right. There are no large prey left on the nearby mountains. Even if there are, they won’t come here. Don’t worry.”
In fact, neither Lu Chuan nor the Taoist priest told the truth. How could there be so few wild animals in the mountains? However, considering the distance and the worries of their families, they hadn't dared to bring any of the hunted animals home recently.
The main reason was to avoid frightening Xu Han and the children at home, and to prevent them from feeling uneasy.
Over the past year, the ecosystem in the mountains and forests has slowly begun to recover. Wild animals that had previously fled have returned to their respective territories, and many other wild animals from outside the area have also joined the community.
However, Lu Chuan did not intend to tell Xu Han any of this. He only wanted Xu Han to know that the area around her home was safe. As for the rest, he and the Taoist priest would handle it.
After finishing their farm work, the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan would often go into the deep mountains, but they never brought back any large prey again. Instead, they would often bring back small prey such as pheasants and rabbits.
A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Han's sweet potato wine has finished fermenting.
During this time, when it rained, Lu Chuan was at home, and Xu Han specially asked Lu Chuan to help her make a still, specifically for distilling sweet potato wine.
That day, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest went into the mountains as usual and were not at home.
Seeing that the sweet potato wine in the wine jar had fermented, Xu Han prepared to start making distilled liquor.
Once the fermented sweet potato wine is opened, you can smell a strong aroma of wine, and you can also faintly smell a rotten sweet potato odor.
This is also the unique flavor of sweet potato wine; some people love it, while others dislike it completely.
However, after distillation, the flavor becomes very faint, and you can't smell it unless you smell it carefully.
The fermented sweet potato wine is thinner than before, resembling the consistency of yogurt, or even thinner than yogurt.
Distilled spirits require a large pot, so Xu Han set up the pot that had been in the yard before.
Put the fermented sweet potato wine into a large pot, and then add an appropriate amount of water to dilute it.
Place the cleaned still on top of the pot, then place the lid for collecting the wine on top, and finally place the top pot on top of the still.
Xu Han used a replacement pot she had bought before, which she had never used before, and this time she took it out to use it.
You can't just use your regular cooking pot at home as a substitute for the "heavenly pot." The bottom of the cooking pot is completely blackened by firewood smoke, and you can't clean it properly, so it's unusable.
The distilled liquor will turn black and contain impurities after using it, and the taste will also change.
After doing all this, Xu Han took out the gauze she had used to make tofu, moistened it with water, and stuffed it into the connection between the steamer and the wine pot to prevent air leakage later.
Not only that, Xu Han even wrapped the water pipe extending from the hinge to collect the wine with gauze, for fear that air would get in and affect the quality of the sweet potato wine.
The area where the large iron pot and the still are connected was also covered with bran left over from grinding flour, which Xu Han sprinkled around it to prevent air from entering.
The large iron pot underneath was always burning. If gauze were used, the temperature would be too high and it would burn, so wheat bran was used instead.
After doing all this, Xu Han started the distillation of sweet potato wine.
Grandpa Zhao, who watched the whole thing from the sidelines, was amazed and would lend a hand from time to time. He didn't even ask about Mu'er's studies and just watched Xu Han distill sweet potato wine in the front yard.
Meanwhile, poor Mu'er was practicing calligraphy and reading by herself in Grandpa Zhao's study in the backyard.
After the fire was lit, the temperature rose quickly, and as time went on, drops of sweet potato wine slowly flowed out of the collecting tube.
"Hahaha, Xiao Han, look! It really has wine!" Grandpa Zhao was as happy as a child and hurriedly pulled Xu Han over to see.
Upon hearing this, Xu Han took a large bowl, placed it under the wine tube to collect the wine, and said as she did so, "The wine that comes out now is called the first brew. This first brew is not to be drunk; it's bad for your health."
Xu Han didn't know how to explain to Grandpa Zhao the various harmful substances contained in the first bottle of wine, so she simply said that it was bad for his health and he shouldn't drink it.
After drinking a little of the first batch of wine, Xu Han brought over another wine jar and started filling it with the first batch of wine.
The wine we are currently receiving is called "first pot wine," which is the wine distilled from the first batch of water in the "heavenly pot."
The first bottle of liquor has a higher alcohol content and a better taste compared to the subsequent bottles, so Xu Han bottled it separately.
Xu Han filled a small glass with wine and handed it to Grandpa Zhao, saying, "Grandpa Zhao, please try this wine. The first batch is quite strong, so please take a small sip."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao chuckled and accepted the sweet potato wine that Xu Han handed him. Following Xu Han's instructions, he took a small sip. As soon as the sweet potato wine entered his mouth, Grandpa Zhao's eyes widened instantly, and he looked incredulous.
Then, reluctantly, he took another small sip of the sweet potato wine and excitedly said, "This wine is really good. It's strong, fragrant, and has a smooth texture. It's much better than the wine I bought before."
Even the finest wines I've had in the capital aren't as good as this. Not bad, not bad at all.
Upon hearing this, Xu Han took a sip and tasted it, but it was too spicy to drink. She preferred the fruit wine she made herself, as this was not suitable for her.
"As long as it tastes good, I'm worried I won't do it well. I didn't expect it to be such a success on my first try."
Although this sweet potato wine looks quite simple, Xu Han kept writing and drawing in her notebook when she wanted to make it. Thanks to the short videos she had watched before, her love for these kinds of things, and her rich experience in making this kind of food, she succeeded on her first try.
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