After Wang Xuan returned to the lord's mansion, he was stopped by Hua'er, and after a detailed "report" on the reason for his disappearance for more than two days, he obtained Miss Hua'er's forgiveness.

There was no arrangement in the near future, so Wang Xuan planned to build a winery.

Sake brewing requires experience, especially in the original sake brewing, which is entirely based on experience, and it is difficult to make good sake without going through many trials and errors.

The distillery belongs to the exclusive franchise of the lord of the Wang family, and the location is in the southeast of the Government Affairs Yuan, south of Zhengxi Road, north bank of the Huang River, and west of Fenghu Lake. Thirty zhang from east to west, fifteen zhang from north to south, covering an area of about eleven acres.

On the one hand, the distillery was built here for the sake of secrecy, and on the other hand, it was close to the lord's mansion, which was convenient for Wang Xuan's direct management.

The grains selected for brewing are very simple, as long as they contain starch or sugar, grains, potatoes, fruits, etc. are suitable raw materials for making liquor.

For sake brewing, whether it is the manufacture of koji or the subsequent fermentation, every step is the key, and it is impossible to do without experience. Therefore, Wang Xuan plans to hire a winemaker with certain experience to provide technical guidance, and constantly conduct brewing experiments, striving to make a unique liquor today.

The raw material is rice, which has a high starch content and a low protein and fat content, which is conducive to slow fermentation at low temperatures. At present, there is not so much sorghum to meet the needs of the winery, and other fruit-based winemaking will not be mentioned for the time being, and we will talk about it later.

And the key point is that the rice does not need to be crushed, which reduces the labor intensity, and the time for drinking can be extended by four to five days.

Wang Xuan thought about the layout of the distillery, and by the way, he drew all kinds of equipment and utensils, and asked Yongsheng and the steel mill to try to produce.

At this time, the guards informed Liu Liu, the commander of the construction corps, to ask for a meeting.

Wang Xuan said: "Let him in." ”

"Liu Liu has seen the master. After Liu Liu came in, he gave Wang Xuan a standard military salute.

Then Wang Xuan asked him about his intention, and then Liu Liu knelt down with a "plop", and said a little shyly: "Your subordinates have come to ask the Lord for marriage this time, please fulfill the Lord!"

Wang Xuan looked at Liu Liulai carefully, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his face was indeed in line with the marks of a soldier, but the name was a bit amateurish. The previous few contacts were just an impression, but Liu Liu at this time gave people a sense of perseverance and sharpness.

Wang Xuan felt that he and Qing'er were quite compatible, if Qing'er didn't object to this family affair, it would be preliminarily decided, so he said: "You get up first, you are still very discerning, if you want to say that Qing'er is outstanding in terms of appearance and personality, you two are also a good match." But I can't promise you yet, I have to make my own decisions about this. ”

At this time, Liu Liu's face was as red as a monkey's buttocks, and he stammered: "Back to the Lord, my subordinate is here to ask the eldest lady for marriage." ”

After speaking, cold sweat instantly covered his forehead, and all the preparations of the qi were still in vain, the lord was no longer the little young master he knew before, and the majesty was better than the day a day, and a look could put him under tremendous pressure.

Wang Xuanzheng was thinking about how to explain this matter to Qing'er, and suddenly heard the words "eldest miss", so he subconsciously asked, "Who?"

"The subordinates and subordinates are here to ask the eldest lady for marriage. Liu Liu plucked up his courage and looked at Wang Xuan with his neck and said.

With a crisp sound of "pop", Wang Xuan slapped Liu Liu's left cheek, his face instantly swollen, and the five bright red fingerprints gradually became clear.

"Whip. Wang Xuan's tone was cold, and his face sank like water.

At this time, Liu Liu had already knelt on the ground, and repeatedly said that he sincerely admired the eldest lady and asked the Lord to fulfill the words.

"You have a good plan, and you are still in the mood to ask for a kiss?" said that, he picked up the whip and whipped it down.

The guards stood solemnly, as if the scene in front of them did not exist.

And although Liu Liu was whipped by the leather whip, his mouth still did not stop for a moment, and the eldest lady with a mouth full of grown-up and young lady screamed shortly, Wang Xuan saw that this guy was still open-mouthed, so he simply whipped more than a dozen whips, and then ordered the guards: "Locked up, no eating, drinking, and no visiting for two days, if you don't die in two days, bring it up to see me, and I will continue to smoke." ”

After that, a person left the house and went to the government council.

Wang Xuan found Wang Yu and asked him something about Liu Liu.

Wang Yu understood the significance of the lord of a leader asking a middle-level general in the army, so he introduced it impartially, fairly and objectively.

It turned out that during the Jichi War, Liu Liu fought several times in the city without retreating, leaving no less than five scars in front of him, at that time, the eldest lady and the second lady took care of the sergeants in the city all day long, serving tea and water, which was very morale-boosting.

With the Jichi peace talks, Liu Liu was sent to serve in the Construction Corps, where he continues to this day.

This person is not good at words, but he does things with an atmosphere. It is said that this person is sincere and filial, and his sister's family died in the war during the war, but his mother-in-law escaped a catastrophe.

Wang Xuan quietly listened to Wang Yu's statement and analyzed the authenticity. If the eldest sister's crush is Liu Liu, then the two have already known each other when they defended the city, maybe even earlier.

At that time, the two did not show mutual admiration, so it seems that the two are still in contact after a year of separation, with the deepening of understanding, the continuous temptation of words, the two finally made a private decision for life?

Wang Xuan was also unclear by this plot, and at the same time felt happy for Wang Bi, if he was placed in other collars, this Liu Liu was afraid that he would never be able to get out of the lord's mansion again.

"Do he have any relatives at home?"

"There is also a younger sister, I heard that the second son of Premier Zhao's family intends to marry her, but she has not yet proposed marriage. ”

"My father and mother have passed away?" Wang Xuan asked again.

"They settled in Hedong, and died in the Jichi War, when my sister came to visit Jixiang City, and luckily escaped. ”

"No wonder he is against the red hardliners, in the final analysis, it is my Wang family who owes him. Wang Xuan was moved.

"Don't be like this to the Lord, the king is the king, the minister is the minister, everyone is willing to serve the Lord, how can anyone owe whom. Besides, the Wang family has never treated everyone harshly, and it is really a blessing for Jade to meet the Ming Lord. Wang Yu said with a serious face.

Wang Xuan didn't stay long, and reflexively went to find the eldest sister Wang Bi.

After seeing Wang Bihou, Wang Xuan said angrily: "These people have really eaten the gall of the bear's heart and leopard, that eldest sister Liu Liu has heard of it, just now she actually came to propose marriage, saying that she wanted to marry the eldest sister, and I was so angry that I whipped him hard without saying a word, and now it is still closed." ”

"Ah, he, did he really propose to you?" Although Wang Bi concealed it, the worry in his eyes still made Wang Xuan look clean. Tsk, did you add the word "really" on purpose or on purpose? Women sometimes just have too many thoughts.

"What do you mean by 'really', I can still lie to you, my right hand that is whipping is still hurting. Wang Xuan said exaggeratedly.

Wang Bi didn't know what this cousin was thinking, so she gently helped him knead it.

Wang Xuan didn't care, and said in a consultative tone: "I plan to detain him for two days, and then test him in two days, if you still want to insist, I will reluctantly accept it." How could my eldest sister, such a rare beauty in the sky and rare in the world, be so cheap to him, and marry him when she says she will marry. Wang Xuan said as he spoke, but he was happy first.

Wang Bi couldn't cry or laugh, her cheeks were a little red, but this matter could not be solved perfectly, and the spirit of the whole person was different.

In Wang Bi's stay, the flowers were called, and the four of them had a meal of pork dumplings. During this period, Wang Xuan joked to the second sister Wang Yue and said: "The second half of the eldest sister's life has fallen, what about you?"

Wang Yue didn't eat the rice he said, turned his head and left the table after taking a sip, Wang Xuan shouted in the direction of leaving: "I have prepared the dowry of the eldest sister, if you are late, the good things are someone else's!"

Wang Hua heard that there were 'good things', so she hurriedly said: "Heh, brother, I also want a dowry, I want a good one." ”

Wang Xuan and Wang Bi laughed when they heard this, and Wang Yue, who didn't know why, walked faster.

During the two days that Liu Liu was imprisoned, Wang Xuan had been researching winemaking equipment and koji manufacturing. Since it is the production of distilled liquor, Daqu is used.

Koji acts as a catalyst to ferment the raw material into sake using enzymes. Clinker fermentation and brewing is to add three times cold water to raw rice, and then cook it with fire, until the rice is basically too much, that is, when it is cooled below 36 degrees from the pot, add raw koji seeds and stir, seal and ferment.

With this method, all fermentation is completed in about five days, and then distillation can obtain the finished liquor, and if you want to increase the degree, you can distill it several times.

However, there are a few key points that need special attention during the production fermentation process:

Boiled rice with koji and water should be sealed in a fermentation vessel so that it can ferment without or without air.

If oxygen is present during fermentation, the yeast obtains energy through aerobic respiration, which completely breaks down the sugars into carbon dioxide and water, and at the same time produces a large number of bacteria that greatly reduce the production of alcohol. Therefore, fermentation under aerobic conditions, the product is acetic acid, and fermentation under anaerobic conditions, the product is alcohol.

This is followed by the determination of the fermentation period. The first is to see whether the raw materials are completely and thoroughly fermented, and secondly, after the raw materials have been completely and thoroughly fermented, the fermentation period should be extended by one to two days to facilitate esterification and flavoring.

The sign that the raw materials have been thoroughly fermented is that the rice grains that are being fermented are touched by hand, there is no hard core, no roughness, and they melt when squeezed; the second is to see with the eyes, one is to see the raw materials, and the other is to look at the color.

Wang Xuan spent three days writing down everything he could think of, waiting to be confirmed with the phenomenon during the experiment.

In the evening, Wang Xuan walked out of the room, stretched out his sour arm in the golden afterglow, and sighed that another day had passed, and when the years were like water, the guards lifted Liu Liu out and brought him to Wang Xuan.

After Wang Xuanzhi blossomed, he looked at Liu Liu, who was much haggard, and asked, "Do you still want to marry the eldest lady?"

As soon as Liu Liu heard the word 'eldest lady', he said without thinking: "I think, please see the lord, the subordinate really admires the eldest lady, the subordinate is sincere, and the eldest lady is also willing to stoop to the post, please fulfill the lord!"

This duck-beaked guy has a dead mouth, and everything in his mouth has changed its taste, and the fire that has subsided is about to flare up again.

Be calm, be calm, and treat your brother-in-law in the future with kindness and kindness. Wang Xuan kept comforting himself, so he ......

After more than a dozen whips, this time it was cool, Wang Xuan threw the whip away, and said to Liu Liu, who was covered with scars: "Go back and prepare the dowry, the house will be ready for you, get married after the year, and resign from the military before getting married." ”

Liu Liu was still in a daze, he had never experienced this style of painting, and he didn't react.

The internal guards on the side were the first to coax, this kind of thing was the first time they had encountered it, and they were also happy for Liu Liu.

Seeing that he was still stunned, Wang Xuan was so angry that he kicked up: "What's the matter, why don't I call my eldest sister to have a 'family banquet' with you?"

Liu Liu is sober now, 'family banquet'? Don't be kidding, he got up and ran away, he really couldn't tell that he was a person who had been locked up for two days and had not entered the house. While running, he shouted words like 'thank the Lord for his fulfillment', but he forgot the threshold and mixed a dog to chew.

When the subordinate reported the matter to Wang Bi, Wang Bi smiled indifferently and said, "All of them are unconscious masters." ”