Chapter Thirty: The Tavern Under the Banyan Tree
Suddenly, the strong aroma of wine came from the east end of Erjinggou Alley!
This shocked the old neighbors living in Erjinggou Alley——
Obviously, the aroma of wine came from Li Chenan's shop.
"Did he really make wine?"
"It smells much better than the 80 cents a pound of wine I bought!"
"Old Yutou, I tasted Guangling Powder once at my in-laws' house. I'm afraid Mr. Li's wine tastes even better than that Guangling Powder!"
"...Is it so powerful?"
"Don't be too young, Mr. Li. Back when he was selling steamed cakes and straw cakes here, I knew that Mr. Li was extraordinary!"
"Tch! Shopkeeper Zhao, why do I remember that when Mr. Li was selling steamed cakes and straw cakes, you wanted to smash his shop? I remember that when Mr. Li's shop was closed, your face looked terrible.
I laughed so hard!"
"Where is it? I said you, Old Yu, must never smear my name, Old Zhao! If Mr. Li listens to it, wouldn't it ruin the feelings of our neighbors?"
"What are you arguing about? Come and have a look at Mr. Li's tavern!"
So, people rushed to the tavern, only to find that the door of the tavern was closed.
A bright red silk cloth hangs on the lintel of the closed door, covering up the plaque behind it.
In addition, there are two pieces of red silk hanging on both sides of the threshold, which seem to cover up the couplet.
What does this mean?
This tavern seems a bit mysterious in the eyes of the neighbors.
…
…
Tavern backyard.
Cuihua stood behind Li Chenan reluctantly, feeling extremely unhappy in her heart.
Because guarding the coffin shop is very relaxing, and the Four Temples next door can also bring me some unexpected income.
But the newly appointed embroiderer wanted to go to his tavern by himself!
She couldn't refuse, because the shameless embroiderer said it was a mission!
Before his death, her grandfather had repeatedly told her that the mission of Lijing Division must be completed no matter what method she uses!
When she followed the embroiderer here, she found out that he was asking her to learn how to make wine!
The little girl's eyes were wide open.
"Rei Jingsi...when did you have the task of brewing wine?"
Li Chenan is busy brewing the first vat of wine.
Li Qiaoxi was lighting the fire, Li Xiaohua was cutting ingredients, and he was paying attention to the changes in the quality of the distilled wine.
"Do you want me to make up for the money that Li Jingsi owes you?"
The little girl nodded without hesitation.
"Then don't ask, just ask if you learn this brewing method, you will have endless money to spend in the future!"
The little girl's eyes lit up, and at that moment she seemed to see piles of the best gouache from Rouge House in her room.
"real?"
"Why did I lie to you little girl?"
"But grandpa said that the most unreliable thing is a man's mouth!"
After thinking about it, the little girl muttered again: "Besides, your name is Li Chenan!"
Li Chenan took a small spoonful of wine from the wine jar, put it to his nose and smelled it, then took a sip and frowned slightly. The alcohol content was roughly 35 degrees.
It was much worse than I expected, but it was already much stronger than Guanglingsan.
This freshly brewed wine is a bit choking, so it would be best to store it in the cellar for a few more days.
But the conditions here are not met...
Not to mention the wine cellar, now these people living in this backyard are extremely crowded.
He put down the wine spoon and turned to Cuihua, "Isn't the name Li Chenan nice?"
"Ah, sir," Cuihua lowered her head, feeling a little uneasy, but she still whispered: "This name really didn't sound good in the past."
She raised her head, stared at the wine vat with a smile on her face, and showed a bright smile: "But it's much more pleasant now!"
"Why?"
"Because this wine smells so good!"
"Can you drink?"
"I know a little bit. Grandpa used to like to drink it."
"Then try my wine."
Li Chenan took another spoonful and handed it to Cuihua. Cuihua took it and drank it all. After a moment, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Good wine!"
"How good is it?"
"At least it's better than Guanglingsan!"
"Then how much silver do you think a pound can be sold for?"
"... Guangling powder sells for two hundred and fifty cents per catty. Sir, this wine is worth at least three hundred and fifty cents!"
Li Chenan smiled calmly, "Then are you still willing to learn winemaking from me?"
"willing!"
Cuihua agreed immediately, because if this wine comes out, she believes it will definitely become the best wine in Guangling City, no, even Ningguo!
Of course, there is another reason. If you learn how to make wine, wouldn't it mean that you can drink such delicious wine without spending a penny in the future?
"I can give you the method, but you remember, this method must not be passed on to anyone!"
"My subordinates understand that this is a rule."
"Okay, can you read?"
"I somewhat recognize him."
Li Chenan handed the piece of paper with the brewing steps from his arms to Cuihua, "You memorize what is written on it and then burn it. You will be responsible for brewing the next tank of wine."
"……good!"
When Cuihua took the note, she hesitated and glanced at Li Chenan a few times.
Although she is young, she already understands the ways of the world, and she knows the weight of this note!
She even knew that if this note were sold, it would be worth tens of thousands of gold!
But this new boss just handed it over to her casually.
Why does he trust himself so much?
The little girl felt the warmth of being trusted in her heart, so she said: "Don't worry, if this method is leaked... I will be lying in the coffin in the coffin shop."
"Don't put so much pressure on me. This wine...is actually not the best."
Cuihua was startled, "What's the best thing?"
"It's not possible now. Let's sell this kind of bar first. When we make money, we have to buy a brewing workshop. This place is too small and there is no way to brew better wine."
"... Then you can keep the money that Lijingsi owes me for the time being, and then you can give it to me when the workshop is established and a lot of money is made."
Cuihua took the note and read it carefully.
She suddenly felt that her heart was full of hope.
Under the leadership of this boss, the Guangling Prefecture Mirror Division may really be able to regain its former glory.
The backyard of the small courtyard was busy, and three more teenagers came outside the small courtyard.
Qi Zhixue looked at the still closed door, smelled the strong aroma of wine, and turned to Cheng Zhe.
"How about Biruru?"
"The scent is more intense."
"So...this kid really isn't exaggerating?"
Cheng Zhe pondered for a moment and nodded.
Qi Zhixue laughed and shook the folding fan in his hand: "Although it is a small road, if you can find a great road in the small road, I think it is a great skill!"
"I just feel strange, since he can make such good wine, why did he sell steamed cakes and straw cakes before?"
Su Mu thought for a moment and said, "Teacher said... this is called great wisdom."
"how do I say this?"
"Think about it, if he had brewed this wine before, could he still have preserved this brewing method?"
Cheng Zhe was startled, "What Mr. Hua means is...that he has the means to keep this method now?"
"That should be the case. After all, the third lady of the Zhongli Mansion is paying attention to him. After all, the teacher regards him as a year-end friend and even introduced him to his senior, Mr. Liu."
"In Guangling City, even the Huo family would have to think carefully if they wanted to steal his formula."
Chapter completed!