Chapter 184: Brewing Wine

After Sang Luo regained her strength, she asked Shen An to fill a basket with bananas, fresh grapes, and hawthorn berries for Shen Jin and his two brothers to taste. She didn't worry about meat or dried goods since Shen Lie would surely take Shen Jin out on the next trip, and arrangements would be made then.

Both Shen An and Shen Ning had already eaten their fill of supplementary food, so they only prepared meals for their eldest brother and sister-in-law. The siblings sampled various fruits, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

Seeing the pile of wild fruits, the siblings eagerly looked forward to exploring the vast mountains beyond the valley. Upon hearing that an intermediate station would be built as a safe zone for drying and smoking meat, Shen An perked up. He sat down at the table and discussed with Shen Lie, who was still eating, "Big Brother, take me along too. Little Jin and I can take turns going out with you. That way, we'll get more mountain produce, and we just need to be a bit more cautious on the journey. I'm quite skilled at climbing trees and my archery skills have improved. I shouldn't be any worse than Little Jin."

He didn't dare to boast about being better, but he certainly wouldn't be worse. Before entering the mountains, he had seriously prepared himself. While in the mountains, he mainly focused on reading, but he also joined the others for playtime when there was enough space in the valley.

Shen Lie considered his suggestion and found it feasible. They were still heading towards the Zhou family's direction, and the journey there was relatively safe. The latter half would require finding a central location to establish a safe zone, where they needed to be extra cautious on the unexplored stretch of road. Little An was clever and capable, so he could manage the task.

Moreover, he couldn't leave Little An behind in the valley indefinitely to take care of Little Jin, neglecting all the knowledge he had acquired previously. Little An was already ten, a year older than Little Jin.

Nodding in agreement, Shen Lie said, "Alright, we'll set off early morning the day after tomorrow together."

Shen An was so delighted that he almost jumped for joy.

Sang Luo also smiled. Although the journey was exhausting, it was truly refreshing. Living in the valley all year round was comfortable, but it confined her to a tiny space, causing genuine discomfort. For her, venturing out brought a sense of vitality and clarity.

Despite not knowing Shen Lie's thoughts, Sang Luo shared the same idea with him. Although she taught Shen An and Shen Ning to read and write, there were no imperial examinations in this era. In the current world, the skills Shen Lie taught them were the true means of survival for common folk at the bottom of society. Reading was beneficial, but these practical skills were equally important.

Shen Jin's plight was pitiful, and helping him came naturally, but Shen An and Shen Ning were the ones who had supported each other since she arrived in this world. It was impossible to endlessly divert resources and energy towards Shen Jin solely out of sympathy.

Even if Shen An didn't have any intentions of competing, he desired to leave the valley, apply his knowledge, and contribute to the family. His initiative made Sang Luo genuinely happy, and seeing Shen Lie agree, she felt content.

Shen Ning, who was close to Sang Luo, approached her and asked, "Big Sister, were you very tired during your trip? Were there any dangers? I noticed two extra wolf skins."

At the mention of this, a sparkle appeared in Sang Luo's eyes. "I hunted one of them. Although I only hit it from a close distance, practicing archery does pay off, right? Don't neglect your practice. Once it's safer outside, you can go into the mountains with your big brother. Most importantly, having the ability to protect yourself in times of crisis is crucial."

In ancient times, especially where law and order were not well-established, the ability to defend oneself was of utmost importance, especially for young women.

Shen Ning's eyes gleamed as she probed for details, and the aunt and niece engaged in a lively conversation.

After dinner, Shen An promptly cleared the dishes and took them to wash.

Sang Luo was not idle either. She asked Shen Lie to fetch two buckets of water and patted Shen Ning. "Big Sister will teach you something new."

At the mere mention of creating something new, Shen An, who had just walked away with his bowl, paused in his steps and turned to look at Sang Luo. "Eldest Sister-in-law, what delicious food are you making?"

Sang Luo chuckled. "Wine. It'll take a long time to ferment, so you won't be able to taste it today."

During their days outside the mountain, they had sun-dried at least thirty pounds of grapes, filling a small cloth bag to the brim. If Shen Lie found more grapes while he was out, there would still be some left. Therefore, Sang Luo decided not to dry the fresh grapes she picked that day and planned on brewing some wine instead.

While Shen An and Shen Ning were still clueless, Shen Lie, who was about to fetch water, froze in his tracks. He looked at Sang Luo in surprise. "Brewing wine?"

Even with limited knowledge, Shen Lie knew that wine-making recipes could bring prosperity to a family. Whoever possessed such a recipe would keep it tightly guarded.

Swallowing hard, he considered if anyone might pass by and lowered his voice. "Keep this recipe for yourself."

Only after hearing her elder brother's words did Shen Ning realize that what her eldest sister-in-law was going to teach was not as simple as she thought. She turned to look at Sang Luo. "Eldest Sister-in-law, I don't need to learn this, right? Just tell me if you need help fetching water or anything else. After everything is done, you can close the door and work on it. I'll go play with Little Jin for a while."

Seeing the reactions of the siblings, a smile appeared in Sang Luo's eyes. "Alright, we'll do it with the door closed. But there's no need for you guys to avoid it. Learning won't hurt, just don't spread the word."

If it were outsiders, Sang Luo would naturally be cautious, but with these three siblings, she didn't feel the need to hide much. With a gap of thousands of years in time, there were things that ancient people knew that she didn't, and vice versa. There was no point hiding what she knew if it was something edible. She had already taught Shen Ning a lot, so one more thing wouldn't make a difference.

Shen Ning still couldn't get over his brother's mention of how valuable the recipe was. He turned to look at Shen Lie.

Seeing the siblings' cautious expressions as if they had just touched something scorching, Sang Luo chuckled and said, "Alright, if the world ever becomes peaceful, and I decide to use this recipe for a living, do you really think I'd do it all by myself? I've already taught you how to make tofu and everything else, so it's not like this is the only thing. If you're truly sincere, remember that the recipe belongs to me. Don't use it for profit without my consent, and don't leak it to outsiders."

Her words brought laughter from both Shen An and Shen Ning, who promptly replied, "Of course, we understand."

However, Shen Lie felt a gentle nudge in his chest.

He was no longer just hearing about a recipe; he was envisioning their future – the one spoken by Sang Luo, and the one shared with Little An, An Ning, and himself.

Perhaps she didn't give it much thought, but Shen Lie's heart raced uncontrollably. Joy bubbled up like effervescing bubbles, tender and soft, light and fleeting, sprouting gently from his heart, rising upward.

The corners of his lips curled up, and a smile graced his eyes. He no longer cared about the earlier discussion as he lifted the buckets. "I'll fetch water."

After he left, Shen An glanced back towards the cave entrance. Blinking, he wondered, Was Big Brother smiling? Was he that happy because Big Sister-in-law was teaching them how to make wine?

...

Shen Lie was swift, and before Shen An could finish washing the dishes, he returned with the two large buckets of water.

The art of winemaking was something the siblings took much more seriously than Sangluo did. After asking her what was needed, they carried water, earthen basins, and drying racks into the cave. They lit two oil lamps and locked the door from the inside.

Mountain grapes were particularly suitable for making wine. The white layer on their surface was wild yeast, allowing them to ferment naturally without added yeast. In industrial winemaking, unwashed grapes from company-owned vineyards, which had not been treated with fertilizers or pesticides, were preferred to preserve the natural yeast.

Since they were harvesting in this ancient mountain, there were no pesticides used, but the thought still lingered in their minds. Thus, Sangluo asked Shen Lie to fetch water, just enough for a light rinse to retain as much yeast as possible while washing away surface dust.

Halfway through washing the basket of grapes, Shen Ning noticed leaves at the bottom. Upon recognizing them, she nearly jumped for joy. "Big Sister, you also picked the divine leaf?"

Shen Lie was momentarily stunned, but Shen Ning had already whispered to her elder brother, "It's the leaf for making divine tofu."

Her eyes sparkled as she continued washing the grapes, asking, "Big Sister, are we making divine tofu tonight?"

Sangluo smiled. "I brought them to satisfy your cravings. We'll make it after we finish washing the grapes."

"Are there no other tasks left?"

"No, these grapes need to air-dry before we can use them." As she spoke, she called out to Shen Lie, "Help me bring out the colander and lay a clean cheesecloth on it."

The large round colander was usually stored behind the household supplies shelf. Now, it was placed on the drying rack with a clean cheesecloth spread over it. Together, the two of them evenly spread the washed grapes onto it.

As for Shen An and Shen Ning, the siblings were busy making Immortal Tofu together.

They had made so much of it last year that they were quite skilled at it; Sang Luo didn't even need to lend a hand.

While waiting for the tofu to set, the family of four made good use of their time by practicing calligraphy on small stone slabs around the oil lamp.

Shen Lie observed Shen An's progress and was rather envious to see that he had already learned the entire Thousand-Character Classic. He, on the other hand, had only memorized less than a hundred characters.

Sang Luo naturally noticed what Shen Lie had, so she inquired about his studies.

Shen An was planning to share his progress anyway. "I've already learned and can write the whole Thousand-Character Classic. Eldest Sister, Yunzheng said I can copy the 'Quick Study' now. Once I have spare time, I'll prepare the bamboo slips and copy it."

At this point, he asked Shen Lie, "Eldest Brother, I'll make a copy for you too."

Without thinking, Shen Lie glanced at Sang Luo. It was clear that he preferred her copies over Shen An's.

Sang Luo caught his gaze and somehow understood. She chuckled and said, "Alright, you'll only be home for a day, and I'm free anyway. I'll prepare two sets of bamboo slips. I'll copy one for your eldest brother, and you can copy one for yourself."

With his eyes still lowered, Shen Lie couldn't help but curve the corners of his lips.

Shen An was taken aback. His sister-in-law was still willing to copy it for him? Her handwriting was much more elegant than his. He had been too embarrassed to mention it earlier, but now, he opened his mouth and tentatively suggested, "Sister-in-law, could you also help me copy that book? Your handwriting is so beautiful."

Jian Li, who had just been grinning earnestly, immediately lifted his gaze. "You've been learning to read and write for almost a year now. You should do it yourself. If you're afraid of doing it badly, let your sister-in-law make a copy for me first. Then, practice on the stone slab until you can write well. Only then should you use ink and brush to write on the bamboo strips. Pressure will help improve your handwriting."

Despite the twisted logic, Sang Luo glanced at him and chuckled. "Your elder brother is right."

Shen An finally snapped out of his daze and stared blankly at his elder brother.

Jian Li didn't feel embarrassed at all. "Work hard on improving your handwriting."

Shen Ning couldn't resist the urge to bow her head and burst into unrestrained laughter.

The valley was cooler than the outside world, and the temperature inside the cave was even lower. The family enjoyed their first batch of celestial tofu this year. It was particularly novel for Shen Lie, who was trying it for the first time. However, influenced by Sang Luo, they all knew that eating before bed was not advisable, so they only sampled a little, saving the rest for the following day.

Having resided in the small cave outside for a few days, attending to their ablutions and retiring to bed, Sangluo was relatively well-adjusted, though she experienced a faint sense of unfamiliarity, unexpectedly recalling their recent shared moments. Shen Lie, however, found it arduous. Despite the physical proximity being quite similar, it now felt distant due to having been even closer before. After several restive turns, he finally drifted off to sleep only half an hour later.

As a professional novel translator, I will provide an elegant and contextually appropriate translation for each line. Please provide the lines you would like me to translate.

The following morning, early at daybreak, Sangluo arose to soak several clusters of wood ear mushrooms and thereafter immersed the beans needed for her porridge. Her first undertaking thereafter was to clear out an empty terracotta jar, boiling water to scald and sterilize it. She then allowed it to cool before commencing the process of fermenting her homemade wine.

Brewing wine isn't actually a complicated task once you know the tricks, but it's challenging to figure out on your own without guidance, especially when it comes to those small details that often make or break the outcome.

Sangluo didn't hold back and shared all the important points with her three siblings while brewing.

In fact, if rock sugar was available, adding some would yield a sweet red wine with a delightful, sweet taste. Of course, not adding sugar would result in a dry red, which was also good in its own way.

The fresh grapes they had brought back weren't abundant, and their jars were insufficient as well, so the quantity of wine produced was limited. Thus, she didn't let the trio join in the process of manually squeezing the grapes with clean hands, only guiding them throughout.

The entire process seemed incredibly therapeutic, and Shen Ning's eyes gleamed with excitement.

If they did this again, she would definitely give it a try.

The task wasn't difficult, and soon, they finished bottling the wine, storing it on a shelf. "The cave is cool. We'll check on it in about half a month."

With everything done, they opened the door to move the drying racks and baskets outside the cave, both for practical use and to free up space inside.

For breakfast, Sangluo prepared a moderate portion of eight-treasure porridge and made over ten extremely thin pancake wrappers using flour. She then picked some vegetables from outside and sliced rehydrated black fungus for vegetable rolls. She asked Shen An to wash and dry the stone board used for roasting meat, preparing it for later use, and instructed Shen Ning to fetch some goat's milk.

Goat's milk was nourishing, benefiting not only herself but also Shen An and Shen Ning, who were growing taller. In the valley, Sangluo was generous with treating herself well.

As for Shen Lie, he was tall enough, so much so that Sang Luo had to crane her neck every time she spoke to him. They shared with their neighbors, occasionally giving them some supplies, and they also had two little lambs to feed. Since there wasn't much goat milk, it would be a waste to use it all. Besides, looking up was quite tiring.

However, before Shen Ning could go, Qin Fangniang had already left. She happened to hear the conversation and laughed, telling Shen Ning not to bother as she would bring it back later.

A small jar of goat milk took over ten minutes to cook. Without tea leaves or almonds, even the vinegar was used up, unable to eliminate the goats' smell. Nevertheless, who would complain about the scent when presented with such a delicacy?

Shen Ning supervised the porridge on the stove while Sang Luo checked on the ripe bananas at home. Determined to save on their staple food, she attempted to make banana pancakes. It was quite a laborious process, using a stone slab to fry the pancakes. After a few ugly attempts, she finally managed to make them presentable.

With three bananas, one egg, and two tablespoons of flour, she produced a plateful of around ten banana pancakes. Selecting the ugliest one to taste, it was sweet with a natural banana aroma. It complemented the goat milk well.

Success! A meal was saved.

She then brushed oil on the stone slab to fry vegetable rolls, which had thin skins and generous fillings. The outer layer was crispy and golden brown. With this, breakfast was complete.

Shen An and Shen Ning were each given a bowl of goat milk, a serving of divine tofu, and three banana pancakes to share with Shen Jin and his brothers. Additionally, a bowl of divine tofu was sent to the Chen family. The family was ready to start their meal.

Chen Dashan had been watching Sang Luo fry something on the stone slab, and before the Shen family began eating, he hurried over for a closer look. On the table was a steaming jar of goat milk, a soup bowl of fragrant Laba Porridge, two types of pancakes that looked delicious but unfamiliar, and a beautifully mixed dish called divine tofu, as his mother had mentioned.

Hmm, the Shen family's food always lifted one's spirits just by looking at it. It was visually appealing and tantalizingly appetizing. How did they manage it?

Despite his intense craving, he unusually refrained from voicing it out loud.

Sang Luo and Shen Ning entered with bowls and chopsticks, catching sight of this scene. Familiar with Chen Dashan's behavior, she chuckled and said, "Why not have some here?"

Surprisingly, Chen Dashan shook his head. "Sister-in-law, there's no need for that. But I was wondering if you could teach my future wife how to cook? If I ever get one, that is."

Sang Luo didn't give it much thought and replied with a smile, "Sure, that's not a problem at all."

On the other hand, Shen Lie, who had just finished his outdoor tasks, looked at Chen Dashan in surprise upon hearing this.

After Chen Dashan left, Sang Luo asked, "Why were you staring at him like that?"

"Strange," Shen Lie said. "He always mentioned wanting a wife who can cook. Now, he's changed his tune. Moreover, he didn't ask Aunt You Tian to teach but you to teach his wife. Where is his wife?"

Sang Luo, in the middle of serving the porridge, paused and turned to look at Shen Lie. A figure suddenly popped into her mind.

Her eyes widened in realization.

Come to think of it, there might actually be someone.

Surely not. How old is Zhou Ge this year? He seems slightly shorter than her, yes, she's grown quite a bit in the past half year too. She must have surpassed 1.6 meters by now, but the exact height is uncertain. If Zhou Ge had a poor diet since childhood, wouldn't he also be around sixteen?

Considering that in ancient times, people typically married at fifteen or sixteen, and recalling that Chen Dashan is two years older than Shen Lie, it wasn't uncommon for Grandma Chen and Aunt You Tian to fret about how the chaotic times might delay his marriage indefinitely. Suddenly, she felt that her speculation might be accurate.

Seeing her expression, Shen Lie asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

With nothing concrete to share, Sang Luo naturally wouldn't say anything. She shook her head and smiled, "Nothing much, let's eat."

Chen Dashan and Zhou Ge seemed well-suited for each other, apart from the fact that, in her opinion, sixteen was too young to marry. More importantly, it was clear that Chen Dashan had developed feelings for her.

Sang Luo's eyes curved into a smile. This breakfast wasn't just about delicious food; it was also an entertaining spectacle.

Author's Note:

① The wine-making process described was sourced from online information.