Chapter 11: Going Into The Mountains
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The problem with feeding Little White devastated Su Yu.
If Little White only chose to eat ginseng, who could afford to keep it as a pet?
Judging by the situation, the ginseng that Little White brought back would not even be enough for Su Yu to make a quick buck. In fact, he might not even have enough to feed Little White.
‘Damn it! This is a deep rut!’
With a plaintive look on his face, Su Yu kept the other wild ginseng away. Then, he took his phone to his own wine cellar.
“Hey, I thought you said you would go into the mountains today. Are you not going now?”
“Yeah, why aren’t you going into the mountains? I’ve been waiting for that.”
“Dude, you should keep your promise! Otherwise, we might riot against you!”
Su Yu tried to calm everyone down by stating, “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll go into the mountains today, but I want to settle the brewing first. We will go into the mountains later in the afternoon.”
“Brewing? The liquor? Okay, I give you permission to brew now and go later.”
“Let him brew! Let him brew!”
“You can go into the mountains later in the afternoon. Since it’s still early, show us how you brew the liquor. I’m quite curious about it as well.”
Su Yu read through the comments as he walked to the wine cellar.
The two big bags of sorghum had been soaked in warm water for 10 hours now, and they were in an ideal state for steaming.
Su Yu got changed and started to get to work.
The brewing process was rather complicated. In order to brew the best liquor, he could not skip any of the steps.
After the soaking process came the steaming.
Su Yu carried out the process in front of the camera.
“Before steaming, we need to clean the sorghum first. It’s best to wash it a few times until the water is clean and clear after rinsing.”
Su Yu then started washing the sorghum and changing the water. He had to wash it back and forth for a total of three times. Even the viewers felt tired on his behalf.
“Dude, you are an honest man! You said it’s best to wash the sorghum until the water is clean and you did it! A real pro!”
“You are really an amazing person. I mean, how can the liquor you brew taste bad if you brew it with such professionalism?”
“I didn’t expect brewing to be this tiring. I feel tired for you.”
Su Yu explained, “After cleaning the sorghum, the next step is spreading the grains. So, we have to sprinkle a layer of grains on the steamer with the sorghum in it. After laying out the grains, it’s ready to be steamed.
“Then, the steamer is put into the wok with cold water. The water should be 3 millimeters above the sorghum and grain. Boil the water for 15 minutes and steam it for another 15 minutes.
“After all the sorghum is cooked, the next step is steaming it. Remove the excess water and steam it for 20 to 25 minutes. Next, sprinkle cold water on it. It must be cold water because the difference in temperature will loosen the sorghum skin and cause it to open up.
“We don’t have to sprinkle a lot of water; as long as the water reaches the bottom of the wok, that will be enough. After that, steam it for another 20 minutes, and the sorghum will fully open up. If it’s not fully opened, sprinkle more cold water and steam it again.”
Su Yu explained meticulously as he carried out the steps, seeming really professional throughout the process.
“Judging from the looks of it, you must be a veteran brewer! You carry everything out so smoothly.”
“My family used to brew rice wine as well. I have a question: why don’t you steep the grains directly? Steaming it for around 50 minutes will allow the grains to fully open. Isn’t it more convenient that way?”
Su Yu then told them, “Steaming the grains directly definitely saves a lot of time that way, but after the alcohol is produced, it will lose some of its aroma. This is because when the sorghum is being steamed, the tannins and other substances that provide the alcohol with its unique aroma are wasted in the process. So, it’s not as fragrant when it’s done. My way might be a lot more troublesome, but it retains most of the aroma.”
“I see! I’ve learned something new!”
“Here’s a big thumbs-up! My family has been a brewer for generations. My dad and my grandpa used to talk to me about this, and I can only say that it’s the correct way.”
“An old brewing method? Bro, you are really an honest guy!”
Su Yu then lifted the lid of the steamer.
When the lid was raised, the viewers saw how the sorghum was cooked and had all opened up. Each and every piece looked plump and they were not clumped together.
“Awesome! The steaming process alone is enough to show how good you are! And if you can steam the sorghum this well, it means you are great at doing it!”
“I’m cheering for you, handsome! The sorghums are beautifully cooked!”
“I’m looking forward to tasting the final product! Don’t let it stop there!”
The next step would be the fermentation process.
Su Yu then put the steamed sorghum and yeast into the vat that he had prepared earlier. He also had Xiantai Village’s specialties: the mountain grapes and osmanthus, which were all cleaned and ready.
All the ingredients were placed into the vat for fermentation. Finally, the lid was placed on top, and the liquor would be ready after a few days.
Su Yu actually did something clever at the last step.
There was a saying about brewing liquor: “the water is the blood whilst the yeast is the bone”.
Since Su Yu did not have a lot of time, the yeast that he used was actually from Uncle Zhang, and it was ready-made.
Therefore, he did not have to worry about the yeast. However, in order to brew good liquor, the best water must be used, similar to how the national liquor, Maotai, was brewed.
The water used to brew Maotai had to follow a strict standard; the water they used was the water taken from the Chishui River, a river near the brewery. Water from any other sources was not considered at all.
Therefore, Su Yu put a little more effort into the water that he used for the brewing.
The water he used was actually mixed with the spiritual water from the Spirit Well. He believed that the liquor he brew would surely surprise people. He might even beat Maotai in becoming the national liquor.
Su Yu announced, “Alright, guys, it’s almost done now. The next step is waiting. We just have to wait for the fermentation to produce the alcohol which usually takes two to three days. When it’s done, I’ll start another stream to show you the end result.”
“Okay! After seeing the process, I somehow feel safer buying liquor outside.”
“Keep up the good work, bro. I’m buying what you brew in there!”
“Just keep on brewing! Sales isn’t a problem! I’ll promote it to all my friends and family members.”
Su Yu smiled at the comments. He then took his phone out of the wine cellar.
He looked at the time and saw that it was around 9:30 a.m. It was still early considering he had finished brewing the liquor.
After tidying things up a bit, he prepared to go into the mountains.
“Guys, it’s still early. Why don’t we go into the mountains now? I’ll show you guys what the mountains in my hometown are like.”
“Yeah! We’re finally going into the mountains! Let’s go!
“I’ve been waiting for a whole morning! Finally, we are going into the mountains! It’s definitely a long journey.”
[Promise sent you a Super Rocket]
Promise typed, “My snacks and Coke are ready for you to journey into the mountains.”
[Jiang Ling sent you a Super Rocket]
Jiang Ling typed, “Hey, aren’t you going to have lunch before going into the mountains? It’s almost time for lunch.
“I’ll settle lunch in the mountains. Since there’re a lot of things available, I’m sure it’s not that difficult to settle a meal or two,” Su Yu responded.
He then waved at Little White. “Come on, Little White.”
From the beginning, Su Yu planned to bring Little White on the trip because it could locate and dig up ginseng.
He even planned to rely on Little White’s ginseng-searching ability to settle its own meal. Otherwise, Su Yu would have to spend a fortune just to feed the snake, which he would not be able to afford.
After all, the market price of ginseng was no joke.
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