Alcohol

The Riverside Tribe were quite happy to exchange with other tribes. Collecting timber, clay, and the like was not an easy task, and every bit they used was precious. If other tribes were willing to carry it over, their lives would be much easier.

Overall, everyone was quite satisfied with the exchange.

As more people visited the Riverside Tribe, they gradually discovered that besides directly trading with the Riverside Tribe, trading with Jian Mo for food was also a good option.

Especially the mushroom sauce, fried fish, and fried meat that Jian Mo makes are incredibly fragrant and taste exceptionally delicious—much better than most other foods.

The items that Jian Mo exchanged weren't many; bringing over a set of materials could get them about a third of the finished products.

Since the finished product will shrink to half or less, this exchange is very worthwhile. After all, if someone with poor cooking skills holds the ingredients, the food they make might not taste good, and they might have to throw it all away.

Jian Mo quite likes it when other tribes come to trade, and it would be even better if they could bring some special information.

That day, when the people from the Red Zheng Tribe came to exchange gifts, they asked about Little Onion:

"Doctor Jian Mo, are you really looking for those kinds of scallions?"

Can we help you look for it too?

"Yes, we can help ask around. If we find it, can we bring it over and exchange it for something with you?"

Jian Mo smiled and welcomed their help in the search, then asked, "What would you like to exchange it for?"

"A knife!" the Red Zheng Tribe member exclaimed without hesitation, "A metal knife!"

They asked Jian Mo, "If we find Xiao Cong, can we come over and exchange our knives with you?"

Jian Mo said, "That depends on how many scallions you bring in exchange. One or two won't do, but a basket or two is perfectly fine."

The people of the Red Zheng Tribe were even more excited. "We're already inquiring. If we find it, we'll bring it to you immediately."

Jian Mo: "Sure, if we can exchange them, I definitely won't let you suffer a loss."

Chapter 79 Alcohol

There's still no news about Xiao Cong, Jian Mo's Flour Fruit.

He opened the earthenware jar on a whim that day, but to his surprise, it smelled strongly of wine, and the Flour Fruit had all fermented and were floating on top of the jar.

He scooped some up with a spoon and tasted it; the wine flavor was very strong, much stronger than fruit wine.

The wine still has a strong Flour Fruit aroma and a slightly Flour Fruit taste, making it very unpleasant to drink and not enjoyable at all.

Jian Mo took a bite, then quickly rinsed her mouth with cool boiled water.

Wu Jiong, standing beside him, commented, "This wine is undrinkable."

Jian Mo: "It's alright, it's not for drinking, we can use it directly. Get ready, I'm going to distill the liquor."

Wu Jiong: "To distill it and make the alcohol you mentioned?"

Jian Mo nodded. "It can be used to make alcohol, or it can be used as a strong liquor for cooking. We'll see how to do it later."

The process of distilling spirits is not difficult; it mainly relies on the difference in boiling points between alcohol and water.

Alcohol has a boiling point of only around 70 degrees Celsius at room temperature and pressure, which is much lower than that of water. A little evaporation can separate them.

Luckily, they had a large iron pot at home. After washing it clean, they poured the wine into it and slowly steamed it. Then they covered it with a lid and used a ceramic tube as a condenser to separate the alcohol from the water.

Jian Mo had been waiting for this batch of alcohol for far too long, but he didn't delay at all. After breakfast, he told the tribe and stayed home to start distilling the alcohol.

They distilled two large vats of liquor from morning till late at night before completing the first distillation.

The distilled spirit still contains a lot of water vapor, so the alcohol content should not be high.

Jian Mo took a taste and could detect a bitter alcoholic flavor and a faint Flour Fruit. It wasn't as bad as it had been in the morning, but it still wasn't exactly delicious.

Jian Mo hadn't tried any strong liquor since arriving here; she only took a spoonful, and her face turned completely red, and she felt a little dizzy.

Wu Jiong put his arm around him. "Your alcohol tolerance is terrible."

Jian Mo raised her eyes and smiled, "I think it's okay, not that bad. I'm just a bit easily offended, and I'm still sober."

Wu Jiong pressed his forehead against his own. "Your forehead is burning hot too. I'll go make you a cup of honey water."

Jian Mo grabbed his collar, smiled, and leaned closer to him, whispering, "Don't soak anymore, just take a nap."

Jian Mo was unusually enthusiastic after drinking, Wu Jiong, worried that he might feel uncomfortable, took him to drink honey water before going upstairs with him.

The two went to bed late that night, and naturally woke up late the next day as well.

Jian Mo had originally planned to distill the wine she had obtained a second time before everyone went out hunting and gathering in the morning, but because she got up too late, she couldn't find the time at all, so she had to ask the tribe for another day to go out on her own.

They distilled the two vats of wine three times in total, and in the end they only got a small jar of wine.

The distilled spirit had almost no Flour Fruit flavor left, and tasted similar to the Jian Mo had drunk on Earth, except it lacked the aroma of baijiu and had more of an alcoholic taste.

Jian Mo carefully placed it in the room, making sure it was away from any source of heat.

They don't need this jar of strong liquor now, but they'll need it when they need to perform surgery or do something else.

Wu Jiong helped him put away the strong liquor. "We can harvest more Flour Fruit this year."

Jian Mo: "Let's not go. It's too cold to go Flour Fruit the water to pick noodles. Besides, Flour Fruit aren't expensive. We can trade some with other tribes later."

This year they have an abundance of supplies, making them incredibly wealthy. Even if they stop hunting and gathering altogether, they should be able to live comfortably just by trading for supplies, let alone exchanging for Flour Fruit.

Wu Jiong: "That's fine, we'll see when the time comes."

Jian Mo imagined, "If we spread the word beforehand, many tribes should want to trade with us for Flour Fruit. If someone comes to see a doctor, I can also ask for Flour Fruit."

Jian Mo is quite satisfied with her current life. They have plenty of food, abundant resources, and harmonious interpersonal relationships. Jian Mo feels she has almost no regrets.