A few days later, Jiang Hao returned to Shibali Slope.
When the men saw Jiang Hao return, they all greeted him. "Brother Zhan'ao, you're back. Did the business trip go smoothly?"
"Very smoothly," Jiang Hao said with a smile.
When he had left, he told Jiu'er that he was going out on business, so naturally, the men also assumed he had gone to conduct business.
Hearing Jiang Hao's voice outside, Jiu'er ran out happily. "You're back!"
"Yep, I'm back."
Taking the shoulder bag from Jiang Hao, Jiu'er heated water for his bath. Jiang Hao stood in the main room while Jiu'er carefully wiped him down with a towel.
"Raise your arms."
Jiang Hao obediently raised both hands.
As she carefully wiped him down, Jiu'er casually said, "I heard the men say that the police chief in Gaomi was killed. Bandits broke into his home and strangled him to death." As she spoke, she gave Jiang Hao an apparently casual glance.
Jiang Hao looked into Jiu'er's probing eyes, a smile curling at his lips. He whispered, "I did it. Don't tell anyone."
Jiu'er's hand froze. "It really was you? When I first heard the news, my first thought was that you did it."
A cold gleam flashed through Jiang Hao's eyes. "He made you suffer back then, so he deserved to die. I said I wouldn't let you be wronged."
Jiu'er's heart instantly felt full to bursting. A mist rose in her eyes as she pressed her face against the man's chest. She had only one thought: she would serve him well from now on.
For the rest of her life!
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Luohan came over and said that the grain had finished fermenting. They were preparing to distill the liquor today, and he asked the proprietress and Jiang Hao to come take a look.
At last, it was time to distill the liquor. Jiang Hao had been waiting for this day.
Jiang Hao and Jiu'er eagerly arrived at the Distillery. Inside, the workers were all busy, and Luohan explained the process of making liquor to them.
"First comes selecting the ingredients—choosing the finest grain and mixing different grains in the proper proportions. Every family has its own Secret Recipe. Then you mix in the yeast. Our distillery has its own aged starter. After mixing in the yeast comes fermentation. That takes the longest, usually around ten to twenty days. Once the grain has fermented, it can be steamed in the pot. That's when the liquor comes out."
"Boss, you two watch from here. I'll take the men and start distilling." Luohan nodded and walked toward the stove, beginning to issue orders.
"Er Zhuang, Da Leng, load the grain!"
"Dazhuang, Er Zhuang, keep the fire strong!"
"Lao Zhong, Chengzi, add cold water!"
The distillery became a hive of activity. Before long, reddish liquor began to flow from the distilling pot.
The first run, the heads, could not be used and was poured out directly. Only after half a barrel had flowed out did the real liquor begin. Watching the sorghum liquor pour from the pot, Jiang Hao was excited as well. This mission was finally about to be completed.
Once the liquor came out, Luohan took a bowl and, somewhat excitedly, filled it. He walked before the statue of the Liquor God, held the bowl with both hands, and murmured, "This new liquor is offered to Grandfather Liquor God. May Grandfather Liquor God bless it with fine flavor." After speaking, he poured the bowl onto the ground.
Everyone else also stood solemnly, and the ritual had a strong sense of ceremony.
Luohan went back and filled another bowl. This time, he slowly brought it to his lips and took a sip. After drinking, Luohan frowned.
Er Dan's Father asked from beside him, "Brother Luohan, how is the liquor?"
Luohan smacked his lips, then handed over the bowl. Er Dan's Father took it and drank a sip, immediately frowning as well. "It's a little astringent."
The others also stepped forward to taste the liquor.
"It really is astringent."
"It's far worse than the previous batch. What happened?"
"Yeah, with this taste, I doubt anyone would be willing to buy it."
"This whole batch may be ruined. Sigh."
Hearing the men say this, worry immediately appeared on Jiu'er's face. Jiang Hao stepped forward, took a bowl, filled it with liquor, and drank a sip. It still had that sorghum liquor taste, but with a bitter, astringent edge.
The previous sorghum liquor had not been particularly good to begin with, but this batch was even worse. It was neither fragrant nor mellow and carried a bitter, astringent taste. Ordinary people probably would not be willing to drink it.
Luohan looked at Jiu'er and asked, "Boss, this batch is probably ruined. No liquor shop would want liquor like this. Should we stop and look for the cause?"
Jiu'er did not understand much about this. She had just been about to follow Luohan's suggestion and say they should stop when Jiang Hao spoke. "Brother Luohan, don't stop. Distill all of it."
"But if we do that, it'll all go to waste. If we wait a day or two, we can look for the cause before firing up the still again," Luohan said.
"I'm not afraid of wasting it. If this batch is ruined, put it on my tab. Since all the grain has fermented, distill it. It doesn't matter if we can't sell it. I'll put up the money for the next batch."
"Besides, I have a Secret Recipe that can change the taste of the liquor. I don't know if it'll work, but I'll try it tonight."
Luohan looked at Jiu'er. Jiu'er now listened to Jiang Hao in everything. "Brother Luohan, listen to him. Distill all of it."
After thinking it over, Luohan decided that since Jiang Hao was paying, they would distill the liquor if he said so. Sometimes, making liquor also depended on luck. Something had gone wrong during this batch's fermentation, and it was highly likely that the whole batch would turn out this way. Even if he waited a day or two, he might not find a way to fix it.
Jar after jar of liquor came out of the still and was carried into the cellar. Jiang Hao stopped Dazhuang and Er Zhuang. "Carry four jars of liquor to Jiu'er's room. I'll see whether my Secret Recipe works."
Dazhuang and Er Zhuang obediently carried four jars up the slope.
After a full day of work, more than a hundred jars of liquor had been distilled. Two men remained behind to watch the stove. Once the furnace was lit, the fire could not be extinguished until the entire batch had been distilled. That was the rule.
After a tiring day, everyone washed up simply and lay down on the kang beds. Several of the men began chatting.
"I think our Distillery might not be able to keep going. We finally got the still running, but this batch is ruined. Who knows whether we can even make another batch?"
"Didn't Brother Zhan'ao say he has a Secret Recipe? Maybe it'll work."
"What the hell do you know? What Secret Recipe could he have? If he had one, he'd have gone to make his fortune at a big distillery long ago. Why would he come to this dump?"
"If you ask me, that cursed luck hasn't passed yet. It's cursed, I tell you."
No one was in high spirits. After chatting a little more, they went to sleep.
In Jiu'er's room up the slope, four jars of liquor sat in the main room. Looking at them, Jiu'er asked, "Do you really have a Secret Recipe that can make the liquor taste good?"
Jiang Hao chuckled, opened the lids of all four jars, and began to pee into them, making sure each one got an equal share.
"Oh! Why are you ruining perfectly good stuff?" Jiu'er scolded coquettishly.
"Heh, this is my Secret Recipe. Don't tell anyone." He wrapped his arms around Jiu'er. "Come on, let's sleep. We'll see the results tomorrow."
"You...!"
Jiu'er stopped after those two words. She could not bear to scold him. Since things were already like this, she would just let him do as he pleased.
Chapter 22 was censored and is currently being restored. It should be back soon.
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