Ling Yue leaned closer, looked at the instructions, and suddenly realized, "Oh, this machine, like the workbench, can use both solar energy and other energy sources. But now that the sun has set, it seems we can only use oil."
Lu Fan shrugged and smiled helplessly: "Well, it seems we'll have to make do with oil for now."
"It's unfair that we're not using oil." An Lan couldn't help but laugh.
Lu Fan found some oil and skillfully added it to the machine, just like feeding a fine horse.
With everything ready, the brewing option appeared on the screen as expected.
The first one is rice wine. The icon shows a bowl of steaming, fragrant rice wine that makes your mouth water just looking at it.
The second is rice-aroma baijiu, with an antique wine jar pattern that seems to tell the story of the long-standing baijiu culture.
The third is sake, with a simple Japanese-style icon that exudes a fresh and elegant vibe.
Lu Fan looked at the screen, then turned to An Lan and Ling Yue and asked, "Which kind of wine do you think is better?"
Ling Yue straightened his back and said seriously, "I think rice-flavored baijiu is pretty good. We are true Chinese, and baijiu is our tradition. We must try the taste of this machine-made baijiu."
An Lan also thought about it seriously: "I still prefer rice wine. It's sweet, has a low alcohol content, and is easy to drink."
Lu Fan looked at them and had a sudden inspiration: "How about this, let's brew a little of each of them. This way, we can satisfy Ling Yue's wish to drink baijiu, let An Lan taste sweet rice wine, and also try out what sake tastes like. It's a win-win-win situation, isn't it wonderful?"
An Lan and Ling Yue exchanged a glance, both agreeing that the idea was good and nodding in approval.
Lu Fan smiled smugly and decisively selected all three types of liquor on the screen.
As he pressed the start button, the machine emitted a deep and powerful roar, and the rice and water in the funnel slowly entered the machine, as if starting a mysterious brewing journey.
A countdown then appeared on the screen.
05:59:43
An Lan looked at the countdown: "It looks like it will take six hours. Having seen the efficiency of the ecological tank and the workbench, it's really a bit hard to get used to seeing something that takes so long."
Lu Fan patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't rush, good things come to those who wait. This brewed wine will definitely taste better if we wait a while."
The three of them chatted amongst themselves, and although they were a little disappointed, they all understood that the waiting process was also part of the brewing process.
So they leisurely returned to the living room, turned on the TV, and while passing the time, they looked forward to the unique taste of the three kinds of wine six hours later.
After watching TV, the three of them prepared to go to sleep.
After taking a shower, Lu Fan saw An Lan lying on the bed, engrossed in reading a book, looking so focused that it seemed as if everything around her was irrelevant.
He smiled slightly, climbed onto the bed, and gently pulled An Lan into his arms.
An Lan was startled by the sudden movement, but she quickly recovered, found a comfortable position in his arms, and continued reading as if nothing had happened.
Lu Fan couldn't help but smell the fragrance in An Lan's hair. When he looked up, he realized that she was no longer reading the same book as last night.
His curiosity was piqued, so he leaned closer to look as well.
When he saw familiar names like "Fugui" and "Fengxia," he knew what book it was.
He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I didn't expect you to read a book like 'To Live.' I thought you girls would prefer romance novels."
An Lan noticed his smile, looked up, and said with a smile, "Isn't a truly good book something that can be read by both men and women?"
Lu Fan asked with a smile, "So, which part do you like the most?"
An Lan thought for a moment and replied, "Didn't we give Fengxia away because we needed to support Youqing's schooling? Later, Fengxia was having a hard time and ran back home. On the way back, Fugui felt sorry for his daughter and decided not to give her away again. He carried her back on his back. I think that in that era, he was willing to raise his daughter. I think he was very brave, at least more so than most people."
Lu Fan couldn't help but nod. As a woman herself, An Lan certainly hoped that Fengxia wouldn't be given away.
An Lan continued to praise, "I really admire Yu Hua's writing style. It has a smooth and natural feel, like a babbling brook that draws you into the story without you even realizing it. The characters in the book all have a subtle yet intense sadness. Their suffering seems to be arranged by fate, giving a sense of naturalness that makes you feel sorry for them while also feeling that it should be this way."
Lu Fan nodded slightly, casually turning the pages of the book, and said, "Yes, Yu Hua always manages to use the simplest words to depict the cruelest reality. Fugui experienced so much suffering, with his loved ones leaving him one by one, yet he still stubbornly lived on. Every word in this book is like Fugui's sighs."
An Lan put the book aside and looked at Lu Fan with bright eyes: "Do you still remember Fu Gui's old ox? It was like another portrayal of Fu Gui, silently bearing the heavy burden of life without ever complaining. Every time I read the description of Fu Gui and the old ox working together in the fields, I felt particularly heartbroken."
Lu Fan patted An Lan's hair and joked, "Maybe when Fu Gui and Lao Niu are chatting, they'll be discussing those frustrating yet poignant things in life, just like we are now. If Fu Gui knew that years later, we'd be here reminiscing about him and his story, he'd probably find it quite amazing."
An Lan chuckled at his words: "Then Fu Gui will definitely say, 'These two young people are just bored and have nothing better to do than worry about an old man like me.'"
The two burst into laughter, filling the room with a warm and cozy atmosphere.
After laughing, An Lan fell into deep thought again: "Do you think that if Fugui lived in our time, would he have experienced so much suffering?"
Lu Fan thought for a moment and said seriously, "Times have changed, but in any era, there always seems to be a group of people suffering. They have no background and no power, and can only be swept along by the tide of the times."
Many people in life are not lacking in courage, and some are even unafraid of death, but they are afraid of living. Perhaps we have truly lost a kind of courage, a courage to face suffering.
I think we should learn from Fugui and live life to the fullest, even if it's just barely surviving or whatever, as long as we're alive, that's enough.
An Lan nodded in deep agreement: "That's true. No matter what life throws at us, we must live well, just like Fugui."
"It will happen, we all have to live well..."
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