"Childe, if it's something else, I might still be a little worried about whether I can help Childe do things, but when it comes to brewing, it's a natal craft that I've been immersed in all my life, absolutely no problem! As long as the son tells the old slave how to brew, he will definitely do this thing obediently and properly! Zhu Lao slapped his chest with a thump and assured Cao Yi.

"Okay, Zhu Lao, I can rest assured with your words, now the special brewing tools have not been made, these days, you will first follow the brewing method of your Fenzhou Mansion, can you brew Fenqing?" Cao Yi looked at Zhu Lao expectantly, and couldn't help but be happy when he got a positive answer. Thinking that the kindness of my mother at that time has been rewarded today, you must know that Fenjiu is a traditional Chinese liquor, with a history of more than 4,000 years, exquisite craftsmanship, a long history, known for its soft mouth, sweet mouth, aftertaste after drinking, and long aftertaste. During the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was highly respected by Emperor Wucheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty as a palace wine, and was recorded in the 24th History, which also made Fenjiu famous in one fell swoop, and was known as the earliest national liquor and the treasure of the country.

Cao Yi then asked Red Sleeves and the treasury manager to inform him, and gave priority to meeting all of Zhu Lao's requirements in the future. After all, in the future, Cao Fu's wealth income may depend on this seemingly inconspicuous liquor. Zhu Lao also went back in high spirits, and finally there was a time when he exerted his residual heat, and he didn't seem to be very stiff when he walked, and he had the spirit of an old man talking about juvenile madness.

As for the production of the still, naturally let Liu Baiqing arrange reliable people to go to the major blacksmith shops in Jiangning City in batches to build, and then take it home to assemble it by himself after it is built, this is actually not a high-tech tool, if it is found to be imitated by someone with a heart, it will leak business opportunities for no reason, as a modern person who is rampant in copycats and high imitations everywhere, Cao Yi will not make this mistake.

After half a month like this, Zhu Lao came to report that Fenqing had been brewed, and he would see when Gongzi would be free to make a peerless wine according to the wonderful method of making wine.

Cao Yi is naturally very interested in this and full of motivation. The stills had been installed in the brewery of Cao Mansion a week earlier, and now they are only purifying Na Fenqing, which is really sparse and ordinary for Cao Yi, without any technical content, but for people in this era, it is still a bit profound.

"Zhu Lao, you first pour the four jars of Fenqing into the retort, and then burn, do not boil the water, control the heat, remember that the fired wine is divided into three sections of storage, the head and tail of the wine are removed, and only the middle body is left. The middle is mainly to watch the hops, this Zhu Lao I will tell you in detail. ”

The brewing process of liquor is complex, especially the distillation process, but it can be summarized by "pinching the head and removing the tail, watching the flowers and picking the wine".

Don't underestimate such a short sentence, it is like a martial arts cheat, which not only affects the taste of the wine, but more importantly, affects the quality of the wine.

In the distillation stage of liquor brewing, most of them use retort distillation, that is, through distillation of fermented grains, gradually exchange cold and heat, and exchange of vapor and liquid, so that the liquor vapor can be concentrated, and the liquor content of the distillate will be from high to low.

The first wine that came out was called "wine head", and the alcohol content was very high, reaching 70-80 degrees, but these wines tasted spicy and had a lot of aldehydes that hurt the body, and in the modern age of the future, winemakers will generally discard them. The wine flowing out of the middle section is called the body, the degree is about 50-60 degrees, the alcohol molecules are best integrated with water, and the harmful substances are the lowest at this stage, which is the best quality part of the whole pot of wine.

The last wine left is called the tail, the degree is below 40-50 degrees, the taste is not very ideal, the body is turbid, the taste is sour and pungent, and the evil smell is large, and it is often poured out as scraps by the distillery.

Therefore, when picking wine, it is necessary to pinch the head and remove the tail. Pinch off the wine and store it separately for blending wine. The tail of the wine is selected with a suitable distillate, and it can also be used as a blended liquor.

However, when it comes to how to judge the head and tail of the wine, it mainly depends on experience, that is, the so-called flower picking, so that the distilled wine flows into a small container, and the stirred up foam is called hops. When the liquor is slightly lower, the foam is smaller, and it is gradually finely broken, but it is still more durable, called "Erqinghua", and then called "Xiaoqinghua", all of which are the body; There are no hops for a moment after "Xiaoqinghua", which is called "overflowering". The wine that is picked after that is the tail of the wine.

As an expert-level figure who has been dealing with wine all his life, Zhu Lao will be able to understand it in detail by Cao Yi, a master of theory, who explains the principle in detail. One is responsible for guidance, the other is responsible for practical operation, and the two complement each other.

After more than half a day of experiments, in strict accordance with the method of pinching the head and removing the tail to take the body alone, almost every four jars of Fenqing can only distill half a jar of essence liquor, and then blend according to different proportions, and now a total of two kinds of liquor are obtained, one is lower, about more than 30 degrees, and the other is higher, more than 50 degrees.

"Childe, is this brewed?" Zhu Wang looked at the two liquors, and the red rosacea greedily took a sip of the aroma of wine floating in the air, which was a fragrance that had never been smelled before, although it was a little spicy and spicy, but it smelled very good, and he could judge at once that this was definitely a good wine.

"No, far away, it's just freshly distilled liquor, and the taste is not very good, spicy, punchy, sour, fragrant, and the smell of dregs and new wine. It also needs to be sealed in a jar so that it can be matured so that the wine will be less irritating and pungent. At that time, the wine was really good, with a soft body, a harmonious aroma, a mellow taste, and a long aftertaste. ”

As for why it tastes better after sealed storage, Cao Yi, who has crossed over in modern times, naturally knows that it is nothing more than that complex physical and chemical changes have occurred in the storage process of liquor, which has changed the composition and proportion of trace components in liquor, thereby improving the taste quality of liquor and ensuring the stability of the liquor. But let Cao Yi explain to them, you still have to explain to them what physical and chemical changes are, what are trace ingredients, then it is purely asking for trouble.

Zhu Lao and Liu Baiqing smelled the aroma of wine in the air, and then heard the description of their son-in-law, they couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva, eager to drink this kind of wine immediately.

Only the red-sleeved little hand covered his nose tightly, and said dizzily: "Childe, why is this wine so strong when it is burned?" ”

"Haha, the red sleeves said this, this process is indeed called soju, and the taste is very strong when burned, so it is also called burning a knife, just like a knife inserted into the throat, the whole chest is hot!" Cao Yi smiled and touched the head of the red sleeves and said.

"Childe, the name of this burning knife is not good, or Childe will think of a better name for them!" Red Sleeves responded with a smile, and then weakly continued: "Childe, the slave really can't smell this, and now her head is a little dizzy...... The slave wants to go out first......"

"Okay, Zhu Lao, you will distill according to today's steps, remember not to destroy the head and tail of the wine, and then the distilled liquor body will be sealed and stored in two jars according to the two blending ratios, well, I want to think about it, the lower degree of Xiaoqinghua is called 'Taibai Drunk', and the higher degree of Erqinghua is called 'Qinglian', so it's decided!"

Cao Yi waved his hand, and in this way, he gave the name of the peerless famous wine that would be popular all over the country in the Great Yan Dynasty in the future, and was very popular among scholars, talented and beautiful women, and relatives of the emperor!

Then he led the red sleeves back to his yard, and before leaving, he told Zhu Lao that he would devote himself to brewing Fenqing, and then distilling and firing the work of Taibai drunk and Qinglian two kinds of liquor, all the distilled liquor was sealed and stored, and the first batch of wine could be drunk in about half a month, Taibai drunk and Qinglian each took out thirteen jars for other uses, and all the others were sealed for later use, of course, all the wine is the same, the longer it is stored, the more delicious it is.

……

Since that day of distillation and firing, Cao Yi has returned to his original life and rest, and has made a shake of his hands, but after eating breakfast today, he suddenly said to Red Sleeves and Liu Baiqing that he was going to go outside, although Red Sleeves and Liu Baiqing were a little strange, but they still went to prepare.

Pedestrians on the street, busy with traffic, Cao Yi just turned around with nothing to do, Confucius Temple, Qinhuai River, restaurants, lively streets, bright and green painting boats, and wine flags fluttering in the wind.

After wandering around aimlessly, Cao Yi suddenly turned his head and said to Liu Baiqing: "Baiqing, take me to the best restaurant in Jiangning." ”

"Huh?" Liu Baiqing didn't react for a moment, and then nodded yes.

Jiangning, as the capital of the former Southern Tang Dynasty, is full of families, and many dignitaries and dignitaries of this dynasty have moved here, and there are many official eunuchs in Jiangning City, but some of them have been hidden for many years and have no reputation. But when it comes to the richest man in Jiangning, everyone knows everything, and it is none other than Shen Teng and Shen Gong. The Shen family is a famous weaving family in Jiangning, the cloth is exquisite, many years of tribute, and then the emperor of the Dayan Dynasty, there are many industries in Jiangning, in addition to monopolizing most of the cloth in Jiangning, the restaurant next to the Confucius Temple, the painting boat in the Qinhuai River, the fertile land outside the city of Jiangning, are too numerous to mention.

The first restaurant in Jiangning City, since the Qingfeng Building operated by the Shen family, although it is a restaurant, but it is composed of five buildings in the east, south, west, north and middle, each building is three floors high, the overall building is high and low, the eaves are staggered, magnificent, the five buildings have flying bridge railings, light and dark communication. Its east building is a street-facing restaurant, and the roof is composed of four nine-ridge halls (rest mountain style), 30 wing angles, and 12 ridges to form the overall roof, and the architectural shape is intricately changed. After entering the East Building, you can enter the Central Building through the courtyard space. Then connect the south building, the west building and the north building by the central building, each building has the colorful building Huanmen embroidered flag decoration, wherein the west building can also lean on the railing to overlook the Qinhuai River rippling blue waves, the water is rippling, it is really a scenic spot, and the picture is picturesque.

Cao Yi entered Qingfeng Building with Red Sleeves and Liu Baiqing, and was led by the little maid all the way to the window on the third floor of the West Building, ordered a table of signature dishes and two pots of Qingfeng Building's famous town store wine-Biguang, and beckoned Red Sleeves and Liu Baiqing to sit down together.

The dishes were served one after another, the red sleeves filled Cao Yi and Liu Baiqing with wine, Cao Yi picked up the wine glass, put it in front of his nose and sniffed it vigorously, drank it into his mouth and tasted it carefully, which was slightly inferior to the emperor's imperial wine that he took out to drink from the previous treasury, and this dish was also slightly unsatisfactory in the taste of a modern traveler.

In fact, there are business opportunities everywhere in these years, there is no MSG to eat vegetables, and he knows a little about the preparation of MSG, but he knows that he knows that he really wants to make it, and it is estimated that it will take a long time, unless people are specially collected and dried kelp at the seaside, and then scrape the fine crystals on it, which is the natural and original monosodium glutamate, and I don't know whether this era is called kelp or kelp. Then let the blacksmith make a few according to the iron pots of later generations, make a few new dishes, and use modern cooking concepts such as slipping, stewing, roasting, simmering, steaming, frying, crispy, stewing, grilling, stewing, stir-frying, casserole, and wire drawing. It's always more profitable than the current Qingfeng Building, but the chili pepper didn't come over until the Ming Dynasty when the Sanbao eunuch Zheng He went to the West, and now I'm afraid that it can only be replaced by ginger and other items. Having said that, Cao Yi really misses the spicy taste of Sichuan cuisine now.

I also consulted the little guy when I served the food just now, this Biguang is five hundred dollars a pot, the dishes are cheap, a table is always three hundred dollars, that is, one silver and three hundred copper coins, if you operate well according to Cao Yi's ideas and ideas, I am afraid that the profit can be at least increased by one to two times. The reason why Cao Yi went out to hang out in Jiangning City today was to make preparations for his Taibai drunk and Qinglian, and see where to open a restaurant to facilitate the trading of these two wines.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, the liquor was implemented in the Rong Gu system, that is, the wine system. According to modern parlance, it is a special category of government liquor. Obtain a license to make and sell liquor from the government, so that it can be sold in large quantities and wholesaled to other restaurants.

Cao Yi is really bored for a long time before he always thinks about eating, drinking and having fun, of course, it is even better to solve his own eating, drinking and having fun at the same time, and making money. After all, no one will get along with money, and according to his cheap father's character of not greedy for money and not loving money, there is actually no wealth in the family, if you don't make some money in case of emergency, you really don't have any sense of security.

Just thinking about these things, I saw a man coming up from the stairs on the third floor, estimated to be sixteen or seventeen years old, but he was born well, but his eyes were a little thief-eyebrow, which ruined the overall image. Holding a folding fan, the appearance of a romantic and talented man, but now that it is approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather has gradually cooled, this dress is actually quite silly in Cao Yi's opinion, and it feels a bit of a vassal elegance and twisting.

The man came up and saw Cao Yi's table, and bowed his hand from afar: "Brother Cao, I heard that Brother Cao is here today, it's an honor!" Then he came over with two little guys.

It is estimated that it is someone who was known to the owner of this body before, but Cao Yi couldn't recognize it at this time, and his eyes swept to Red Sleeves in confusion, and Red Sleeves whispered: "Childe, this person is Shen Yan, the third son of the Shen family in Jiangning, that is, the young owner of this restaurant." In the words, there was a slight strange emotion.

The man smiled and gradually walked in, although Cao Yi was not very familiar with his relationship with his previous self, he was still very familiar with dealing with this kind of thing, and he would not put any expression on his face, at this time he just smiled and nodded: "Oh, Shen Gongzi, hello." ”

He smiled peacefully, but Shen Yan on the other side was slightly stunned, and then laughed: "I heard that Brother Cao had a serious illness before and his life was dying, and then Jiren had his own natural appearance, and after recovering from his illness, he lost his memory for a period of time, and did a few interesting things...... Brother Cao really has amnesia? Brother Cao, can't he really remember his younger brother? ”

Cao Yi seemed to be a little embarrassed on his face, with sincere apologies, and showed an apologetic smile: "I really can't remember what happened to Brother Shen before, I hope Brother Shen ......will forgive me" Although Cao Yi can't remember this Shen Yan clearly, he can judge from the expression of the red sleeves and Shen Yan's words that this Shen Yan was only afraid of not dealing with him before.

Then Shen Yan introduced all kinds of extraordinary features of Qingfeng Building to Cao Yi as if showing off, and even told Cao Yi that Qingfeng Building is getting a thousand taels of silver every day, although they are all trivial narratives, but in fact, it sounds like a theme on the side: "That is, Lao Tzu, my family is rich, do you envy it!" ”

Cao Yi's occasional polite replies even made Shen Yan unable to hear the slightest perfunctory feeling.

"That's right, the Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns, Jinling Poetry Club, I heard that Brother Cao has been reading poetry books recently, and today's demeanor is really convincing.

At this time, it is the beginning of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, there are countless poetry meetings in Jiangning City, the more famous ones are nothing more than the Jinling Poetry Society held by the He family of the Hanlin Bachelor, the Servant of the Ministry of Rites He Xian and the Huaishui Poetry Meeting held on the painting boat on the Qinhuai River. Dayan is unified in the world, the economy is developed for recuperation, life is extremely comfortable, and it is always the norm to be a vassal after satisfying food and clothing. It is said that it is a poetry meeting, and there are still various performances. Originally, Cao Yi wanted to go to the poetry club to see what kind of Mid-Autumn Festival party of the Great Yan Dynasty was, and by the way, he thought about how to sell his Taibai drunk and Qinglian wines. It's just that now looking at Shen Yan's exaggerated behavior and pretentious tone like a jumping clown, it makes people unhappy. I can only find an excuse to say a word and then leave.