Chapter 174: I Want to Brew Liquor
When Wen Yao came to deliver the meals and heard about the discovery, she set the food down and bolted up the hill.
“Slow down! Slow down!” Old Madam Luo bellowed from behind, but her shouts didn’t cause Wen Yao to slow her pace in the slightest.
Left with no alternative, the old madam handed the duty of dishing out the food over to her two daughters-in-law and hurried up after her. By the time she reached the top of the hill, panting and gasping for breath, she saw Wen Yao and Wen Xiuyi crouching on either side of the water-filled pit, locked in a quiet discussion about something.
“You wretched girl, running so fast… you’re going to be the death of me!” Old Madam Luo barked.
Wen Yao and Wen Xiuyi were still trying to figure out the scientific principles behind it when they saw the old madam standing there, propping herself up by her knees, looking utterly exhausted.
“Oh my gosh!” Wen Yao cried out, rushing over to support the old lady. “Grandmother, you didn’t chase me all the way up the slope, did you?”
Panting heavily, Old Madam Luo raised her hand and smacked Wen Yao. “You wretched girl, running that fast. Are you rushing to your next incarnation or something?”
Wen Yao grinned. “Grandmother, this is something far better than an incarnation.” With that, she guided Old Madam Luo over to the edge of the pit.
“Grandmother, look!”
Old Madam Luo stared at the pit full of water, completely dumbfounded. “So this is the spring they said was dug up on the hill? How come the water isn’t overflowing?”
She had never expected there to be water on this hill. In all her decades living here, this was the absolute first time she had witnessed such a thing.
Wen Yao immediately gave the old lady a practical demonstration. She ladled out the water from the pit and tossed it aside, only for the water to slowly rise again, stopping right at the brim without spilling over a single drop.
“Good heavens, this is far too magical!” Old Madam Luo was incredulous. Emulating Wen Yao, she ladled the water out herself, and sure enough, it refilled in no time. Only then did she believe that the water would actually replenish itself and stop automatically once full.
Having lived to such an age, Old Madam Luo had never encountered anything like this.
The group crouching around the water pit consequently grew from two people to three.
“Truth be told, this water tastes rather nice,” Old Madam Luo remarked after taking a sip.
Wen Yao worried that the mountain water might harbor parasites or bacteria that could give the old lady an upset stomach. She hurriedly warned, “Grandmother, have you forgotten what my brother said? No drinking unboiled water.”
Ever since Wen Jun began studying medicine under Physician Jin, he had established strict rules for the household. No matter who it was, drinking raw water was strictly forbidden; every drop had to be thoroughly boiled before consumption.
Old Madam Luo wiped her mouth. “We’ve lived this way for decades, what’s there to be afraid of? Still, this water really is different from the water in our well. It has a strange sweetness to it.”
Finished speaking, she surveyed their surroundings. Although it was considered a barren hill, lush greenery flourished everywhere, punctuated by blooming patches of unidentified wild flowers. Old Madam Luo couldn’t help but note, “With this spring, watering the plots on the hill will be much more convenient in the future. At least it saves us the trouble of hauling buckets all the way up from the bottom.”
Wen Yao’s eyes darted around as she suggested, “Grandmother, since you say this water tastes better than the well water at home, why don’t you try using it to make bean paste?”
Sometimes, the flavor of things produced using different water sources could vary drastically. This was precisely why liquor brewed in certain regions tasted exquisite while liquor from other places was thoroughly mediocre; it mostly depended on the quality of the water.
Suddenly, Wen Yao froze, a brilliant flash of inspiration striking her mind.
Brewing liquor?
“Ahhhh! Hahaha…” Could this be destiny? Was the heavens handing their family an opportunity on a silver platter? Wen Yao couldn’t contain herself and burst into a resounding laugh.
Previously, when Wen Xiuyi wanted her to brew liquor, she felt there was no compelling reason to do so without an excellent water source. Yet now, a mountain spring had been unearthed right on their hill—and it was discovered because her father took a nasty spill!
Could this be another form of compensation granted to their family of three?
Wen Yao looked up at the sky.
Thank you, Heavens. Thank you, old fox and little fox.
However, her sudden wild and erratic behavior gave Old Madam Luo quite a fright.
“What are you doing? Yao Yao, Yao Yao!” the old lady cried out urgently.
Wen Yao placed her hands on her hips and laughed uproariously, exclaiming, “Grandmother, our family is about to strike it rich!”
She couldn’t speak for other things, but the liquor starter cultures she could purchase from her space were more than enough to brew the finest liquor in existence. Perhaps the Wen family’s liquor could carve out a legendary name for itself in this world down the line.
The more she thought about it, the more Wen Yao felt they needed to get this venture moving immediately. Not a single day could be wasted.
Right now, Old Madam Luo couldn’t care less about striking it rich. She hurriedly stepped forward to feel her granddaughter’s forehead, deeply terrified that the girl had lost her mind.
Wen Yao pulled the old lady’s hand down, holding it securely in her own, completely ecstatic. “Grandmother, I’m fine, I’m not sick! Hehe, I’ve just come up with another grand master plan to make money.”
Hearing those words made Old Madam Luo’s head ache far worse than if the girl were actually ill.
“Forget about your grand plans for a moment. Look over here, then look over there. Look at your grandfather, your second uncle, and your third uncle.” Old Madam Luo gestured toward the men working all over the hill, saying helplessly, “Let’s resolve the issues with this hill of yours first.”
It wasn’t that Old Madam Luo despised having too much money; it was just that the moment this granddaughter opened her mouth, the entire household would be left with absolutely no rest.
Wen Xiuyi was similarly developing a massive headache. The moment he saw Wen Yao like this, he knew exactly what was running through her head. Although he desperately craved a good drink, his old bones truly couldn’t handle any more physical strain. He quickly chimed in to support Old Madam Luo’s persuasion. “Daughter, let’s leave that matter for later. Let’s finish the tasks right in front of us first.”
“No, Father… I…”
“Alright, alright, Eldest, hurry down the hill to eat. Yao Yao, Grandma is exhausted. Climbing all the way up here has completely drained me. Hurry up and support me back so I can rest.” And ideally, rest until all those wild ideas in your head completely vanish, the old lady thought.
Wen Yao pouted, having no choice but to support the old lady down the hill. She remained thoroughly sullen the entire way back.
Old Madam Luo felt bad for her, but thinking of the huge family, she steeled her heart. Let her sulk; she would get over it after a short while. It was far better than running everyone ragged.
Even after reaching the bottom of the hill, Wen Yao simply couldn’t drop the idea. Since she couldn’t convince her grandmother, she sought out her father.
“Father…”
“Oh, ouch, my head hurts! Father, Mother, I’m going back to lie down!” The moment Wen Xiuyi heard her voice, he began howling in feigned pain, clutching his head as he made his escape.
Wen Yao: “…”
Hmph. Let’s see if you have the nerve to drink the liquor once I actually brew it.
Fuming with resentment, Wen Yao kept a dark, stormy face the entire day, slamming things around as she worked. Both Madam Li and Madam Cai could tell that this little ancestral aunt of theirs was highly displeased.
However, Old Madam Luo had already instructed them: if they didn’t want to be worked to the bone like dogs, they should leave her entirely alone, and she would be perfectly fine by tomorrow.
Though mystified, the two women decided to defer to Old Madam Luo’s seasoned worldly wisdom.
When Old Man Wen finally came down from the hill near dusk, he noticed at a single glance that his beloved granddaughter was unhappy, which instantly broke the old man’s heart.
“Yao Yao, what’s wrong? Who bullied you? Tell your granddad, and I’ll teach them a lesson.”
Before Old Madam Luo could intercept him, Old Man Wen had already shuffled right up to Wen Yao.
Wen Yao had finally found someone who actively asked, so she moved with lightning speed, refusing to give anyone the chance to interrupt her as she spoke up rapidly. “Granddad, the spring water dug up on the hill tastes incredibly good, so I want to brew liquor!”
Upon hearing that she knew how to brew liquor, Old Man Wen was absolutely thrilled.
“If you want to brew it, then brew it! Tell Granddad whatever you need, and I’ll get it sorted for you.” Old Man Wen was thoroughly delighted. If their own family started brewing liquor, wouldn’t that mean he would never lack for a drink in the future? The mere thought filled him with blissful anticipation.
Old Madam Luo shot him a sideways glance, letting out a chuckle before speaking up, “Fine. Whoever agreed to it can be the one to do all the heavy lifting.”
Wen Yao grinned, leaning affectionately against Old Man Wen. “Of course! Granddad is the absolute best grandfather in the whole wide world.”
Old Man Wen found this incredibly gratifying. Seeing his granddaughter being sweet to him instead of the old woman made his heart swell with joy, and he nodded repeatedly. “Exactly, exactly! We grandfather and granddaughter are the closest of all.”
Old Madam Luo didn’t bother arguing the point with him, merely offering a deeply meaningful, knowing smile. “Fine, fine. You two are the closest, you two are the closest.”
