What is your purpose? (1)

The Huan and Zhuo families had known each other since long ago, and were once extremely close, with almost no secrets to speak of, so Zhuo Yujin’s grandfather knew that there were two wells in the Huan family’s backyard, one ordinary, used only for detour, and nothing remarkable; the other one was covered with a heavy green stone slab all year round, and no one was allowed to open it at will, except for making koji to make wine.

This well pressed under the green stone slab hid the spring, the water was clear and fresh, and the taste was extremely sweet. Whether it was used for boiling tea or brewing wine, it could play the role of the finishing touch, no worse than those famous springs known throughout the world.

Zhuo Yujin always remembered that when she was four years old, once when her grandfather was drunk, he took her hand and couldn’t help muttering, saying that if the Zhuo family also had a spring, the wine he brewed would be better than the Huan family. At that time, her grandfather thought she was young and ignorant, and would forget about it, but Zhuo Yujin was very impressed with this unnamed spring. For so many years, she dreamed of winning the Huanjia Distillery and brewing something amazing.

It’s a pity that Huan’s family was well-known in Bianzhou when his father was alive. She was afraid of making mistakes and didn’t do anything, but just waited quietly and patiently. Fortunately, God didn’t let her down after all. None of the two brothers in the Huan family were good at making wine. Father Huan was so angry that he had not had time to explain the uniqueness of the Wuming Spring before they passed away.

Jianmu did not know how to make wine, which made the wine shop continue to fall.

Aunt Lin looked at Zhuo Yujin and found that the beloved lady was dazed. She didn’t dare to speak, so she stood against the wall, and muttered in her heart: Huan’s restaurant is in such a state of despair, but to actually buy it for two hundred taels, it is too much for it.

Zhuo Yujin came back to her senses, waved her hand to the middle-aged woman and ordered, “Go and persuade Zhuo Lian to raise the price to three hundred taels.”

Three hundred taels?!

Aunt Lin took a breath, her face was full of shock, and she trembled and asked, “Isn’t it too much?”

Zhuo Yujin slowly shook her head, she glanced at the maid, and the latter took out the mumbling Aunt Lin, and the room suddenly became quiet.

*
Zhuo Lian didn’t know what happened in the restaurant. At this moment, she and Huan Mother looked at each other, sorted out their thoughts, and said, “The reason why you want to sell the restaurant is because the business in our shop is not good. After getting better, this idea should be dispelled, right?”

Huan Mother sighed with a low expression, “How can it be so easy to run a wine shop? The most fundamental problem can’t be solved. It’s useless to say anything. Forget it, let’s not mention this. Wash the cocklebur with hot water. Squeeze the juice for later use.”

“Mother, I’ve been to Zhuo’s wine shop before, and it doesn’t seem to be the way to do it.” Zhuo Lian said with embarrassment.

“It’s not like this, what should I do?” Huan Mother panicked for a while. Before the death of her husband, she had never intervened in wine making, so she didn’t understand the Huan family’s formula at all. The method of making koji was slowly figured out by her, was there any mistake?

Zhuo Lian patted Huan Mother’s hand to appease her, and said, “I remember the master of the brewery once said that to make a clear-textured rice wine, you need good white flour as the main ingredient, and you can’t bring wheat bran; the medicinal material are not celery and polygonum. It’s the same as Polygonum vulgare, but Chuanxiong, White Aconite, Atractylodes, and melon head.”

“White flour…”

Huan Mother couldn’t help being stunned. A stone of wheat was 300 kilograms, but she could only grind 60 kilograms of the best white flour, not to mention that the medicinal materials were not cheap.

At this moment, Uncle Fu had already fried the wheat, poured it into the willow basket, and wiped his sweat with his cuffs. He looked up and saw Zhuo Lian standing in the room. His brows couldn’t help but furrow and his expression was gloomy.

“Why did Lian’niang come here? The wine shop is stuffy and hot. If you are not used to the smell, please go back first.”

Zhuo Lian could clearly see that Fu Shu was very disgusted with her, or he was very disgusted with the original body, if it was not for Huan Mother’s face, I am afraid that she would be kicked out directly.

“Lian’niang said that there is a problem with our method of making koji, which is different from Zhuo Jia’s wine shop. Uncle Fu, you said that the rice wine is not good, does it have something to do with the koji?” Huan Mother’s face paled with anxious expression, her eyes fell on the fried wheat. If white flour were really used, wouldn’t the grains be wasted?

Uncle Fu asked in a deep voice, “Lian’niang is most bored with wine making, but she still knows the recipe of the distiller’s yeast?”

He didn’t have a good impression of Zhuo Lian. The new wife didn’t need to be diligent but when she entered the door, she wanted to be served by her in-laws. Thinking of Huan Mother’s high fever and still cooking for Zhuo Lian, Uncle Fu felt suffocated with rage.

“Lian’niang, if you stay at home, you don’t need to intervene in the wine shop. Go back.” He waved his hand and urged.

Although Uncle Fu was nominally a domestic servant hired by the Huan family, for so many years, if he hadn’t been helping them, the wine shop would not be able to go on. Therefore, in the face of his cold treatment, Zhuo Lian had almost no room for rebuttal.

“I know that you are angry that I was lazy before. People always have a chance to reform, so let me work in the wine shop. If I don’t make wine as good as you, it’s not too late to kick me out, otherwise I will come back tomorrow, swaying in front of the two every day, I’m afraid it will delay the winemaking.” Zhuo Lian straightened up and said.

Uncle Fu didn’t expect Zhuo’s not only to commit misdeeds, but also to be so brazen. He just wanted to get her out, so he listened to Huan Mother’s persuasion softly, “You give Lianniang a chance. The sake of Zhuo’s family restaurant is quite popular throughout Bianzhou.”

Huan’s mother was kind and didn’t want to embarrass her daughter-in-law, so she interceded.

Uncle Fu sighed and slapped the table fiercely, “You will arrange the steps of making koji today. If something goes wrong, leave the wine shop immediately!”

Zhuo Lian nodded solemnly, she walked to the willow basket, probed the already-fried wheat with her hands, and sighed again with Uncle Fu’s good cooking skills.