sinovels Chapter 66: Brewing Begins
Chapter 66: Brewing Begins
Xu Chunsheng raised his glass and took a sip:
"Thank you in advance, Uncle."
Mr. Tang also raised his glass and took a sip:
"That's enough. Don't drink too much; the main event is this afternoon."
After Xu Chunsheng agreed, the group at the table began to eat.
A pot of spicy pickled fish is placed steadily in the center, with tender white fish slices lying in the bright red soup, accompanied by golden pickled cabbage. On top are some peppercorns and dried chili pepper pieces, and some celery and scallions are added for garnish. The hot oil brings out a strong aroma that goes straight to your nose.
A plate of golden-brown, deep-fried pork belly, with a crispy and fragrant exterior, is served with some homemade chili powder on the side, offering a new and delicious flavor when dipped in it.
A plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes with hot and sour sauce. The shredded potatoes were not cut evenly, but that did not affect the hot and sour taste at all, making it especially delicious with rice.
Next to it was a bowl of tender pumpkin boiled in plain water. Its green color settled at the bottom of the bowl, retaining its original flavor without too much seasoning. It was sweet and delicious, perfectly balancing the greasiness of the meat dishes on the table.
During the meal, even Tang Yongnian couldn't help but eat more, while secretly observing the eldest sister of the Xu family.
He was dressed simply and neatly, clean and proper, and had a straightforward and unpretentious personality. He would even help his younger sister pick food for him during meals.
The family gets along well, and they discuss and do things together. So far, he hasn't seen any preference for sons over daughters in the Xu family.
Tang Yongnian asked while drinking the pumpkin soup in his bowl:
"Old Xu, I heard you have a third son, why haven't I seen him?"
Upon hearing this question, Xu Hongjun became quite enthusiastic:
"Sanwa is in junior high school in the county. He was specially admitted after ranking first in the town, so we never have to worry about his studies..."
While everyone was chatting after dinner, Xu Chunsheng went to the bamboo shed to check the fire and see if the water in the pot had boiled dry.
To prevent insufficient firepower, a large log was placed in the stove, with small firewood sticks nearby to aid combustion, so there was no need to worry about the fire going out in the middle.
Xu Chunsheng picked up a stick, pushed the firewood pieces in, added some new firewood, and then turned around and went back into the house to join in the conversation.
After the meal, Xu's mother stayed home to clean up and wash the dishes, while the eldest sister went with Tang Changping to the pig farm to check on the piglets' feeding situation that morning.
Tang Yongnian glanced at the old watch in his hand:
"I think it's about time, let's go check on how the corn is steaming."
The Xu father and son followed Tang Yongnian to the earthen stove.
Xu Chuansheng stepped forward and lifted the lid of the wooden steamer, quickly picking down a few kernels of corn from the top. After blowing on them to cool them, he handed them to Tang Yongnian.
"Uncle, take a look."
Tang Yongnian took the corn, rubbed it between his fingertips, flattened it, picked up a kernel, and popped it into his mouth to taste it.
"That's fine, it's no longer undercooked."
Xu Chunsheng and his father, who were standing nearby, followed Tang Yongnian's example, picked up a piece, put it in their mouths, chewed it a couple of times, and then swallowed it.
"Let's put the fire off first, take a ladle, scoop out the corn and spread it out."
Xu Chunsheng and his father quickly placed the cleaned winnowing basket on the prepared cutting board.
The father and son used wooden ladles to scoop the corn out of the steamer little by little and pour it into a winnowing basket. Finally, Xu Chunsheng found two towels, and the two of them worked together to pour out all the remaining corn.
Xu Chunsheng took the small bamboo rake he had made a couple of days ago and carefully spread the corn out little by little to let the heat dissipate quickly.
During this time, Tang Yongnian also told the two about some small problems that are most easily overlooked when brewing wine:
"Chunsheng, remember this well: the easiest things to go wrong in brewing are all the seemingly insignificant little things."
Xu Chunsheng quickly agreed:
"Uncle, I will remember what you said."
Tang Yongnian pointed to the corn in the winnowing basket and first praised Xu Chunsheng, saying:
"You did a great job just now, spreading the corn very thinly so that the heat dissipation is even. If it's spread too thickly, the corn at the bottom will dissipate heat slowly, the temperature will be difficult to control, and it will easily rot and turn sour."
"Then when mixing the yeast, if the temperature is too high, it will easily kill the yeast, and if it is too low, it will not ferment. This all depends on experience, and that is where the difficulty of brewing wine lies."
……
He explained everything to Xu Chunsheng, from how to distinguish the hardness of grains to timing and environmental temperature differences—details that may seem insignificant but are actually very important.
Tang Yongnian took a sip of the tea that Xu's mother had just brought over, then reached out to touch the corn to check its temperature.
"Come over here and try it. Remember this feeling: warm but not hot to the touch. At this temperature, you can sprinkle the yeast."
Tang Yongnian took a grain of yeast, crushed it, and had Xu Chunsheng carefully follow along:
"The yeast powder cannot be poured in all at once. Sprinkle the first layer first, gently mix it evenly, then sprinkle the second layer, stirring as you sprinkle, so that every kernel of corn is coated with yeast powder as much as possible. You can't just haphazardly stir it while you're stirring."
Tang Yongnian demonstrated to Xu Chunsheng as he spoke:
He first gathered the corn kernels from both sides towards the center, then slowly spread them outwards from the center, layer by layer, spreading them evenly. The whole movement was gentle and unhurried.
"This is to ensure that the corn kernels dissipate heat at roughly the same rate, maintaining the internal and external temperatures. Applying light pressure is also important to avoid damaging the kernels and affecting the alcohol production."
After demonstrating once, Tang Yongnian asked Xu Chunsheng to operate in another winnowing basket.
Xu Chunsheng picked up the Jiuqu powder he had just separated and sprinkled it onto the corn kernels little by little. However, at the beginning, he couldn't control the amount of powder he sprinkled, so some kernels were sprinkled while others weren't.
"Gently move the thicker parts to the side. Too much yeast will make it bitter, while too little yeast will result in weak fermentation, less alcohol, and a weak flavor."
Xu Chunsheng put down the yeast powder and spread it evenly. There was so much yeast powder on the corn that it was impossible to separate them, so Xu Chunsheng simply picked them all out.
Then he raised his hand and began to imitate Tang Yongnian's movements, turning the corn little by little.
As he worked, Tang Yongnian nodded in approval.
"Yes, that's it. Take your time, don't rush. You've memorized the technique quite well."
After all the corn kernels were coated with yeast powder, they were put into clean, oil-free earthenware jars.
After filling the corn cob, make a round hole in the middle for ventilation, then cover it with straw and seal it with plastic sheeting to prevent cold air and bacteria from entering.
After watching them finish sealing their mouths, Tang Yongnian gave them another instruction:
"The seal must be tight. We can't let everything else go perfectly and then ruin it at this last step."
"Place the earthenware jar in a dark place to let it ferment. At the current temperature, it should be ready in about seven or eight days. When you can smell the aroma of wine around you, it's almost ready."
After everything was settled, Xu Chunsheng thanked Tang Yongnian again:
"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle. Please take a rest and have some dinner. My dad will have a few drinks with you."
……
A week later.
"Erwa! Erwa! Come quick, there's a smell of alcohol!"