Some People Eat for Free at Home Every Day

Zhao Qingxi said with a smile:

"When our parents were alive, they taught my brother and me all the winemaking techniques they knew in the family."

The most common rice wine and sorghum wine are strong and satisfying to drink, making them the favorites of the men in the village.

There's also sweet glutinous rice wine, which isn't intoxicating and can be enjoyed by both the elderly and children. It's also nice to warm it up in winter.

I also brew osmanthus wine and Taohua wine, both made with fresh seasonal flowers. They are very fragrant and have beautiful colors, which are my favorites.

There are also mulberry wine and plum wine, which are sweet and sour and perfect for refreshing the palate in summer.

During festivals and holidays, we also make yellow rice wine and jujube wine, which are both presentable for entertaining guests and giving as gifts.

Some recipes are passed down from ancestors and cannot be replicated by other families.

When it comes to brewing, I have a fiery temper and a steady hand; my specialty is high-proof spirits.

The brewed liquor is clear and bright, hot to the touch but not harsh, with a strong aftertaste that doesn't cause headaches—it's the most impressive and reliable product.

Men from all around here, when buying wine, always ask me first if I have any homemade liquor.

My younger brother is meticulous and slow-paced, and he is most skilled at making all kinds of medicinal wines.

He was very particular about the prescriptions, and he had an exact grasp of how much of each of the following ingredients—goji berries, ginseng, angelica, and astragalus—was added and how long they were steeped.

The town's health-conscious, elderly customers especially sought out his medicinal wine.

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"That's great. We have everything we need on this mountain. I'll take you to the storeroom to see if there's anything you can use."

Just tell me what you want.

They'll prepare rooms for you then; there are dedicated dormitories here.

Furthermore, you don't need to rush your brewing; brew when you have time, and stop when you don't.

There are no mandatory regulations here.

Zhao Qingxi smiled and said, "Miss, I feel like I'm dreaming. I deal with wine every day, and I feel uneasy if I don't brew wine for a day."

Zhou Wanwan led everyone into the warehouse. As soon as the door opened, the fragrant aroma of grains and medicinal herbs wafted out.

Zhao Qingxi spotted the sorghum, wheat, and glutinous rice at a glance. She walked over, brought the smell close to her nose, and her face lit up with delight.

"These sorghum, wheat, glutinous rice... they're different from what I usually see!"

It tastes better and purer; it's clearly of superior quality.

I can't really explain why, but I just feel that wine made with these things would definitely taste much better and smell much better than usual!

Zhao Qinghe, standing to the side, stared intently at a large ginseng root, his eyes practically glued to it.

"Sister, look! How come this ginseng is so big?"

In all my life, I've never seen such a fine and large ginseng!

He then looked at the angelica, goji berries, and astragalus next to him, becoming more and more excited as he looked:

"And angelica, goji berries, astragalus..."

These medicinal herbs are so good, so authentic, this is... this is so rare!

If you used these to make medicinal wine, it would be such a wonderful tonic!

Zhou Wanwan smiled slightly and said:

"If you think these things are good, then that's fine."

Our village also has Taohua, pear blossoms, plum trees, apricot trees, grapevines, pear trees, peach trees, jujube trees...

If you need to, you can go and take a look at the back mountain.

Alright, you guys should rest now! Tomorrow someone will take you to the distillery, and they'll set up a special place for you to brew wine.

I need to go back to sleep.

I was so tired today Zhou Wanwan I went home and fell asleep as soon as I lay down.

The next day, when she woke up, she heard the Old Scholar Tree report, "Yesterday, those bandits from the mountains came down to find Old Madam Zhou, saying that their things in the mountains had been stolen."

Zhou Wanwan raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what about Old Madam Zhou?"

She was almost furious, because many of these things belonged to her.

"Poor thing! She worked so hard to gather so many supplies, and now they're all gone. I really feel sorry for her," the Old Scholar Tree chuckled.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhou Wanwan entered the living room, she heard Old Madam Zhou cursing:

"None of them are easy to deal with; they still haven't made breakfast."

Some people just stay home and freeload every day, don't they know how shameless they are?

Then Zhou Fu'an, Zhou Fukang, Zhou Fuyu all looked at Zhou Wanwan and her family.

Zhou Wanwan glared at them and said:

Why are you staring at us?

Grandma's talking about you! A bunch of freeloaders, how dare you!"

Old Madam Zhou rolled her eyes in anger. "I'm talking about your whole family."

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said, "Our family never eats your food for free. To be honest, I really don't like what you have."

Old Madam Zhou said angrily:

"You've got quite the nerve! Your family's really made it big now, you even eat different breakfasts than we do."

We can only drink millet porridge and eat pickled vegetables, but it's different in your family.

"These days, breakfasts consist of ten or twenty dishes every day; it's really extravagant."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"That's right! Uncle, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, your mother is talking about you!"

"You're all useless! Tell me, you all work in the government, surely you're not so poor that you can't even afford breakfast?"

Zhou Fusheng also agreed:

"Exactly! I think you guys are just too frugal. After all, you're officials in government offices, different from us ordinary folks."

He's incredibly honest and upright!

Zhou Wanwan was surprised that Zhou Fusheng would say such a thing, and Zhou Fusheng had an expression that seemed to be asking for praise.

Zhou Wanwan quickly chimed in:

"Wow, my eldest uncle, second uncle, and third uncle are all so great!"

Unlike our family, whose awareness is so low.

One breakfast dish after another was served in a continuous stream: crab roe xiaolongbao, abalone siu mai, silver thread rolls, osmanthus sugar cake, jujube paste rice cake, mung bean cake, yam and jujube paste cake, custard buns, red bean buns, fresh meat wontons, almond tofu, hot milk tea, almond tea, bird's nest and rock sugar drink...

Old Madam Zhou swallowed hard and said, "Your family's breakfast is different every day, isn't it?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"Isn't it easy to get tired of eating the same thing every day?"

Wow, this abalone shumai is so delicious!

Fang Ting walked in from outside, saw the Zhou Family's breakfast, and then looked at the breakfast on Zhou Wanwan's table.

He walked up to Zhou Wanwan and said, "Get out of my way! This seat is mine."

Zhou Wanwan didn't even look up, and completely ignored her.

Fang Ting tried to drag Zhou Wanwan away, but suddenly the maid next to her made a move, pinning her to the ground and holding a knife to her neck.

Zhou Wanwan smiled and said, "This milk tea is as delicious as ever. Let's make milk tea tomorrow! I'm craving some."

The maid beside her nodded and said, "Yes!"

Fang Ting struggled desperately, but found she couldn't move at all. Enraged, she cursed, "Zhou Wanwan, you just wait! I'll drag you to the authorities today!"

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

Yesterday I was planning to call your father to give you a good talking-to.

But your father said she's just an illegitimate daughter, and I can discipline her however I want. What do you think your father is really thinking?

Why should I take care of his daughter instead?