A few days later, lunch was at its busiest for the restaurants and liquor outlets in the street.

In the east of Qingyuan County, Yingchun Fang, Xu Ji Liquor Store.

Datang is rich in Huaminfeng, so it is limited to koji and not forbidden.

Koji is the raw material for sake brewing, and it has always been supervised by the local government. Therefore, in Qingyuan County, there are only a few wineries that make wine.

Even the Cui family's Choi's brewery brews a large amount of liquor every year.

It is precisely because Datang restricts koji that alcohol is not banned from the people. Therefore, there are privately opened liquor shops in each private square in the county town of Datang Prefecture, which is convenient for the residents to drink wine.

If you compare a winery to a winery, the wineries in these lanes are more akin to the distributors of the winery.

Since the Zhenguan period, Xu Ji Liquor has been opened in Yingchunfang, and it has been passed on to Xu Rende for the third generation.

Xu Rende is now 40 years old, and has been taking over the family wine shop for 10 years, and has always bought and sold in the Spring Festival. However, since half a year ago, another Wang's wine shop appeared in the Spring Festival, Xu Ji Wine Store has been diverted by half of the drinkers. Especially a month ago, the Wang family wine store played a price war again, which directly made Xu Ji wine store very popular. Except for some sporadic customers on weekdays, almost all the residents in the Spring Festival Workshop went to the Wangjia Wine Store to sell wine.

This made Xu Rende anxious, and his hair turned gray overnight.

He also thought about countermeasures, and found Cui's Distillery, which had been supplying wine to him, to discuss lowering the price of wine to save some customers, but since he had a new owner, Cui's Distillery has been so strong that he has no room for negotiation.

Xu Rende leaned against the door of the wine shop, watching the former customers run to the Wang family wine shop to sell wine, and couldn't help but secretly regret: "Xu Ji wine shop is probably going to be buried in the hands of me, an unworthy descendant." Alas, what iniquity! ”

A light sigh was full of the infinite sadness and reluctance of Shopkeeper Xu.

"Shopkeeper, I can't blame you either," the guy Erdezi looked at the shopkeeper's haggard face, and couldn't help but sigh with relief, "I heard that Cui Erlang was usurped by the third lady of the Cui family and the account manager, and the adulterer and adulteress are not as good as Cui Erlang." ”

Sanniang Mei Ji and the account manager used a trick to hide from the world and cross the sea, and openly usurped Cui Geng's family business, which is nothing new in Qingyuan County, and the spirit of gossip is not divided into generations.

Shopkeeper Xu seemed to have heard this gossip a long time ago, and there was no surprise on his face, he glared at Er Dezi in a bad mood, and snorted: "You talk a lot, do your job!" ”

Erdezi was reprimanded for nothing, oh, turned around and went to work, muttering as he walked: "It is rumored that the Cui family has a Tibetan wine, and it is all brewed by gods, hum, Cui Erlang will clean up this pair of dog men and women who have lost their conscience sooner or later!" ”

"Huh? Wait a minute! ”

Xu Rende turned his head suddenly, frowned and asked, "What Cui family has a Tibetan wine, it is all immortal brew?" What does it mean? ”

Erdezi shook the rag in his hand and said, "The shopkeeper doesn't know? The streets and alleys outside the square are crazy, and they all say that the ancestors of the Cui family met the gods of winemaking and passed on the art of winemaking, which is why we started making wine in Qingyuan County. Later, the heads of the Cui family in successive generations would brew a batch of immortal liquor and treasure it in the area of Mulan Creek. In order to be backward in the family road, future generations will come up with that batch of treasured wine for a comeback. Tsk, to say that the successive heads of the Cui family really think far enough, no, it's cheaper Cui Erlang! ”

"Bullshit!"

Xu Rende sneered at the first time when he heard this, and said disdainfully: "What kind of wine is brewed by the Cui family, can I Xu Rende still know?" The Mulan roast we sell is brewed by the Cui family, which is nothing more than ordinary rice wine brewed from the water of Mulan Creek, a bullshit fairy brew. Could it be that the gods all drink this kind of scum? ”

"No, no, no, the shopkeeper," Erdezi shook his head again and again, and said, "I've heard that the Cui family's immortal brew is not only cumbersome to brew, but also has a very low yield, so the ancestors of the Cui family didn't plan to brew immortal brew to sell." And the Cui family's magnolia roasting only improved the brewing method of immortal brewing. Shopkeeper, you are a wine connoisseur, our Cui family Mulan in Qingyuan County, the Cao family is drunk, the Xue family is fragrant, whose wine is the most fragrant, strongest and purest? ”

"Naturally, it's the Cui family Mulan burning ......"

Xu Rende blurted out without thinking, and suddenly he glanced at Erdezi in surprise, and after a little retrospective, he couldn't help but doubt: "According to what you say, there is really some truth." Erdezi, does the Cui family really have a wine collection? ”

Erdezi shook off the rag again, nodded and said, "It's really true, it's crazy outside." Otherwise, why did Cui Erlang dare to return to Qingyuan County after being robbed of his family business, it was not the support left by his ancestors. ”

Xu Rende was silent for a moment, and couldn't help muttering in his heart, if he could buy a batch of Cui family's wine collection from Cui Erlang and put it in the wine shop for sale, he might really be able to win back a game and blast this Wang family's wine shop out of the Spring Festival.

From the heart, I saw Xu Rende instantly unfold his frowns, gently kicked Erdezi's buttocks, and said happily: "Then why are you still stupid?" Hurry up and ask where Cui Erlang lives now? By the way, inquire about how to dispose of this Cui family's wine, how much is it worth! ”

Erdezi was kicked this time, but he was happy, threw the rag over the counter, shouted, and ran out of the wine store.

Xu Rende looked at the Wang family's liquor store with the wine flag fluttering in the distance, thinking about the situation after buying the Cui family's batch of liquor, and couldn't help but think about it.

……

……

West of the city, Pailou Street.

The flagpole that is several zhang high rises along the street, the momentum is magnificent, the huge wine flag flutters in the wind, and the wine flag is embroidered with the name of three big buckets - Drunken Immortal Residence.

Pailou Street Drunken Xianju, the largest restaurant in Qingyuan County. People are divided into three religions and nine streams, guests are divided into three, six and nine, etc., Qingyuan County goes up to the county officials, down to the merchant squire Su Xi gathers for a feast and drinks in the drunken immortal residence.

Tang Fuguo, the owner of Drunken Immortal Residence, is in-law with the Xue family among the three major wineries in Qingyuan, so Drunken Immortal Residence only sells a pot of incense brewed by the Xue family.

As soon as Tang Fuguo came out of the private room on the second floor, he quickly walked downstairs to the door of the Drunken Immortal Residence, and waved to the young woman who was selling wine in front of the store, signaling her to come over.

There are many beauties in Jinli, and they should sell their own wine.

Hiring young women to stand in front of the store to sell wine and attract high-rollers on the street to drink and eat is a major signboard of Drunken Xianju, and only the wealthy Qingyuan No. 1 Restaurant Drunken Xianju dares to do it.

The young woman walked up to Tang Fuguo, bowed slightly, and said, "What do you have to call the slaves over?" ”

Tang Fuguo waved his hand and said, "You don't have to be a wine today, you go and inquire about the residence of the Cui family Erlang, where is the Cui family's treasured wine in the past dynasties?" Uh, the wages are still counted! ”

The young woman's beautiful eyes flashed, and she asked in surprise: "Does the owner also believe the gossip on the street?" ”

Tang Fuguo said: "I'd rather believe it, if this batch of Tibetan wine really exists, then I will buy all of my Drunken Immortal Residence." Any restaurant that gets this batch of Cui family's liquor for generations will be greatly disadvantageous to our drunken immortal residence! ”

The young woman hesitated: "But our Drunken Immortal Residence has always only sold a pot of incense from the Xue family, in case the owner of the Xue family knows that you want to buy the Cui family's Tibetan wine, will it ......?"

"You don't have to worry about it."

Tang Fuguo waved his hand impatiently and said, "You just have to do what I tell you." Hurry up, delay the business of the owner, and you don't have to do this work of selling wine. ”

"Oh~" The young woman owed her body again, and turned around and threw herself into the crowd in the street.

Looking at the disappearing figure of the woman, Tang Fuguo pulled a lock of beard at the corner of his mouth, and said to himself: "My in-laws, a pot of incense that has been brewed for so many years, is not as good as the Cui family's Mulan burning." If other restaurants get this batch of wine from the Cui family, then can the signboard of my Drunken Immortal Residence still stand? ”

……

……

At the end of Pailou Street, the four sea warehouses.

The warehouse is open along the street, with the warehouse, which is the size of six facades. In addition to selling foreign goods to Qingyuan, Sihai Warehouse also sells local goods to other places, such as Quanzhou, Lingnan and other places. If Cui, Xue, and Cao's self-brewed liquor wants to be sold to other places, it is basically underwritten by Sihai Warehouse.

The owner of the Sihai Warehouse is surnamed Tian, named Wenkun, 40 years old, a native of Dengzhou, Henan Province, and has been operating the Sihai Warehouse in Qingyuan County for ten years.

Tian Wenkun is doing business from south to north, so he is also relatively well-informed. When there were still rumors on the street that the Cui family had a wine cache, he had already sent four or five guys from the warehouse to inquire about the truth of the matter.

After noon, the men returned one after another to report to him what they had heard.

"The proprietor has already found out that Cui Erlang has rented Zhouxifang in the south of the city since he returned to Qingyuan after his family business was taken away."

"The owner, the little one saw the original housekeeper of Cui Mansion, Mao Bo and Cui Erlang's envoy, and the little servant went out of the city early the day before, but when he came back, he drove an ox cart. The ox cart was fully loaded, covered with a layer of haystacks, and some wine jars could be faintly seen. ”

"The owner, in addition to us, there are also many guys from wine shops and restaurants hanging around Zhouxifang, and they should all inquire about the batch of wine in Cui Erlang's hands."

"The ...... of the owner"

Tian Wenkun was patient, and after quietly listening to the guys' reports, his expression gradually relaxed, and said: "It's not groundless, it seems that the Cui family has a wine collection, and it's really something." This thing of spreading singing and singing ballads all over the county should be from Cui Erlang's hand. On weekdays, I really underestimate this Cui Erlang who only knows the wind and snow on weekdays. ”

An older guy nodded and said, "What the owner said is very true, Cui Erlang did this, just to let the wine restaurants and restaurants in the county know that he has this batch of wine in his hand, and then coax him to sit on the ground and raise the price." Who in the whole Qingyuan didn't know that Cui Erlang was usurped by Sanniang and the account manager, and he was in a hurry to use the money. ”

"Hehe~" Tian Wenkun pursed his lips and smiled, and said, "In this place of Qingyuan, where can he coax the price no matter how much he coaxes?" This batch of wine is in my hands, and once it is sold to the Lingnan area of Quanzhou, it will definitely make him a lot of money. Fuyao—"

Tian Wenkun commanded the slightly older guy just now: "You pay a few dollars from the counter, prepare a generous gift for me, and follow me to Zhouxifang to visit Cui Erlang in a while!" This batch of Cui family's past generations of wine, we must not let others take the lead! ”

"Understood!"

……

……

South of the city, Zhouxifang.

In the miscellaneous courtyard where Cui Geng temporarily lived, Mao Bo and Chu Jiu used a thick wooden stick to hold the courtyard door to death according to Cui Geng's instructions, and no one knocked on the door to visit.

In the courtyard, there is a faint and rich aroma of wine.

"Just rush to the fragrance of this wine, Erlang's new wine is absolutely extraordinary!"

Erniang and Mao Bo paced back and forth in the courtyard, and they all praised in unison, but soon the two walked outside a house, opened the half-hidden door, and looked at everything in the house.

This room was temporarily vacated by Cui Geng for sake making.

At this time, the room where the wine was brewing was not closed, so the room was full of smoke, and the heat was steaming straight into the courtyard.

Because whether it is the wineries in Qingyuan or the Tang Dynasty, most of the winemaking processes are still based on fermentation.

Usually the grain (basically rice), water, and koji are mixed according to a certain proportion, and then put into a large urn and sealed, waiting for the fermentation to be completed. The fermentation time tends to range from a few days to several months. The winemakers then finish the fermentation process with a sprinkle of lime at about the same amount of time, depending on the experience. After the fermentation process, the wine is slightly filtered and ready to drink.

The fermentation time is too short, the color of the wine is cloudy, and at first glance, it looks a little green. As the Tang poet Bai Juyi said in his poem: "Green ants roast new wine, red clay small stove." "It's just the color of a wine that has been fermented for a short time. Therefore, on the market in the Tang Dynasty, the wine was green and turbid, the alcohol with low degree and sweetness, and viscous wine was basically filed as cheap wine, and it was not of high grade.

But if the fermentation time is too long, the wine will become sour, and it can compete with the old vinegar.

Therefore, what quality of rice to choose, where to use water, how much ratio to mix, what kind of koji to ferment, and how long it takes to ferment are all very elaborate and skillful, and basically each family has its own tricks. As a result, each brewery makes sake, but the quality of the sake also varies.

Among the three major wineries in Qingyuan County, Cui's Brewery's Mulan Roast is the most.

Despite this, everything has changed, and it is the first time in Mao Bo's life that he has seen a winemaker like Cui Geng.

Suspicion is suspicion, incomprehension is incomprehensible, Mao Bo still patiently observed outside the courtyard, and looked at Erniang at the same time, for fear that she would break into the house and disturb Cui Geng and Chu Jiu in the house.

Inside a temporary sake brewery.

On the newly built stove was a huge cauldron with a large wooden barrel several feet high. The cauldron and the barrel are seamlessly connected. In case the connection was insufficient, Cui Geng also asked Mao Bo to invite a craftsman to reseal it with materials.

At the same time, he ordered the craftsmen to make a few small openings in the upper part of the large wooden barrel, and used several carefully crafted copper pipes to extend out, and directly above the large wooden barrel was placed a large cauldron with a shallow bottom, and the carpenter also temporarily made a herringbone ladder on the side.

Cui Geng sat on the herringbone ladder and condescendingly observed the changes, while Chu Jiu was responsible for adding firewood to the big stove and lighting the fire.

"Slow down, slow down," Cui Geng saw Chu Jiu stuffing firewood into it vigorously, and reminded, "Xiao Jiu'er, use slow fire to steam the wine, and steam the wine out little by little." If your fire is too big, you won't be able to drink. ”

Chu Jiu was busy in the house for several days, and he was confused from beginning to end, because his son-in-law's sake making method was too unconventional. He pondered, how can there be steamed wine in this world, this is steamed with fire, won't the wine turn into water and run away~

However, the 100,000 reasons in his heart finally made him unable to hold back, and while slowing down the firewood, he asked: "Childe, why are we different from other people's wine." Originally, I also went to our winery, but there were no such guys at all, and the masters didn't make sake like this. ”

Seeing that this kid finally couldn't help but ask, Cui Geng couldn't help but smile, and said, "I thought that the curious baby had changed sex, no, I still couldn't help it." ”

Chu Jiu wiped the firewood stains on his face, and begged: "Son, you just tell me, so that I can have a long experience, right?" ”

"Well, save yourself from going out and bragging about the lack of drafts."

Immediately, Cui Geng pointed at these guys on the big stove with his hand, and introduced them one by one: "There is a big pot on the stove, which is called the ground pot, and the big wooden barrel in the middle is called the steaming barrel, and as for the shallow bottom pan above, it is called the heavenly pot!" The pot is lined with wine, grain and wine, and after you steam it slowly, the wine will rise. Because there is cold water in the cauldron, the wine will condense into wine on the cauldron, and it will fall on the terrace below the cauldron one by one, flowing out along the copper pipes. That's wine......"

"So amazing?"

The curious baby asked again: "Why does the wine turn into wine when it reaches that heavenly pot, and what kind of way is this?" ”

"It's because... uh..."

Speaking of this, Cui Geng froze for a moment, glared at the curious baby, and said angrily, "Scientific principles, do you understand?" ”

The curious baby Chu Jiu shook his head cutely, indicating that he didn't understand.

Cui Gengxin said, it's right if you don't understand, because he also learned it in a dream. If Chu Jiu said he understood, wouldn't it be the same as him, a ridiculous dream for three months?

Chu Jiu saw that Cui Geng suddenly stopped answering, and asked hurriedly: "Childe, isn't the wine that came out the same as the wine that our winery used to brew?" ”

"Of course it's different!"

"What's the difference?" The curious baby still didn't give up and continued to ask.

At this moment, tick ~ sound!

Cui Geng's sharp eyes noticed that wine began to drip slowly from one of the copper pipes.

Immediately after, tick ~ tick ~ Several other copper pipes were not far behind, and at the same time began to drip wine.

This illustrates......

"It's out of wine, hahaha, it's really out of wine!"

Cui Geng raised his arms and shouted, staggering, and almost fell off the herringbone ladder.

"Really... Really out of the wine? ”

The voice fell, and there was a bang.

The half-hidden door was slammed open, and Maob was agitated and rushed into the brewery first.

Immediately after, there was a pop on the ground.

"Ouch my mother! Cui Mao, you old gangster,, you fell to death the old lady! ”

Erniang, who had been peeping at the brewery behind Mao Bo, was stumbling and fell coldly and gnawed on the mud.

This book was first published in Reading Books