By May, Li Wanming finally brewed the wine that satisfied both Xiao Jingnan and his father.
...
It was so difficult.
Truly, it was incredibly difficult.
The moment she saw the father - son pair nodding in approval, Li Wanming almost burst into tears.
She didn't know why. These two men were clearly good - for - nothing weaklings who couldn't carry a load or do any real work, yet they had the most finicky palates.
They could not only tell the raw materials, the brewing process, and the brewing time, but also distinguish whether the water used for brewing was mountain spring or well water, and even which mountain the spring was from and which street the well was on!
Li Wanming pouted and said, "Are those really tongues in your mouths?"
Then she suddenly remembered and asked, "No! How do you know so much about the capital?"
Some of the mountain and place names they mentioned were unknown even to her, a "long - time resident" of the capital for two years.
Xiao Jingnan was holding a scroll of book. He gently tapped her forehead and said, "I learned it from books! As the saying goes, 'Within books, there are houses of gold; within books, there are fair maidens.' Well, within books, there are also place names of the capital... I've told you this before."
Li Wanming didn't believe it. She grabbed the book from his hand and started flipping through it.
How could there be a book that specifically described which place had sweet - tasting water suitable for brewing and which place had turbid water suitable for feeding pigs?
If books were all about this, would she have disliked reading so much?
Xiao Jingnan took the book back from her and picked out another one. He pointed to it seriously and said, "Look, here it says, 'In the west of Yan, they fetched the spring water from Jinlan to brew wine. When they came to Guilin and tasted Ruilu, they mastered the essence of brewing, and its fame spread across Huguang. Even the excellent wine from Jinlan might not be able to compete...' So, books not only introduce geography but also teach people how to taste wine."
This passage was quite literary, and Li Wanming only understood it halfway.
She looked at the cover of the book and saw the words "Guihai Wine Records".
Indeed, this was a book specifically teaching people how to drink wine.
It seemed that reading wasn't always about self - improvement. The ancients were even more indulgent in food, drink, and pleasure than they were...
Li Wanming was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where does it say which place in the capital has good water?"
Xiao Jingnan raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh, that's from another book."
"Which one?"
"Um... Maybe this one." Xiao Jingnan casually took a book from the bookshelf and gave it to her.
As soon as Li Wanming saw it, she felt dizzy.
The words on the cover were not in the script of their dynasty. They were crooked, looking like wriggling tadpoles.
It was an ancient book...
The kind she dreaded the most.
"You can keep it and read it slowly."
She put the book back into his hand and gently rubbed her temples.
Forget it. Don't pursue it anymore.
Xiao Jingnan's strangeness wasn't something that just showed up today.
Which farmer would be out of breath just using a hoe?
Which farmer's wife would think about having a bowl of bird's nest every day?
Which vegetable grower's daughter would break out in a rash just from wearing a coarse - cloth dress?
Xiao Jingnan was abnormal.
And the whole family behind him was abnormal too.
She had noticed this for a long time.
But the problem was, she was also abnormal.
Which girl would go out to find her own husband?
Which parents would tell their daughter that it was okay to "keep the child and abandon the father"?
Forget it. If they were all crazy, so be it.
Like attracts like. It was kind of perfect that the whole family was equally crazy.
...
The wine was brewed. The next step was to find a suitable storefront.
Li Wanming had already thought this through.
She asked Liu Yiyi to find a small shop for her. It didn't need to be too big or in a prime location. The important thing was that it should have a courtyard, be easily accessible, and not be too far from Pingkangfang.
Her wine shop was just starting out. It definitely couldn't compete with the big restaurants in the capital. It could only do some business with individual customers and make some small profits. A bustling location was useless to her, and the rent would be expensive.
The main raw material, lychees, although they had been dried in Fujian, might get damp during the long journey. So, she needed a courtyard to dry them.
Moreover, brewing wine was a strenuous job. Although Cai Wei and Qing Lan had improved their physical strength recently, they were still girls. It would be better for them to be closer to home so that they could go back and rest easily.
These requirements were clear and not too demanding. Liu Yiyi quickly found a suitable small shop for her.
There were two front - facing rooms on the street, a side room at the back, and a small courtyard behind.
There was a huge pomegranate tree in the courtyard. Its blossoms were like burning clouds.
Li Wanming was very satisfied.
She signed the lease deed and paid the rent.
Now, she only needed to buy some necessary utensils, and the wine shop could be officially opened.
There was no need to hire additional staff - there were so many idle people at home.
Uncle Zhong was a bit disapproving of Li Wanming's busyness.
This young girl might be good at managing the household and organizing the servants, but opening a wine shop... Did she think it was just a children's game?
Decoration, purchasing, utensils, raw materials, staff, accounting... There were so many pitfalls in it. One wrong move and she could lose everything!
Li Wanming still looked so innocent. She was being too naive!
However, if she wanted to fool around and the prince and princess were willing to let her do so, he naturally couldn't say anything.
Anyway, if she really encountered difficulties later, he, the chief steward of the prince's mansion, would clean up the mess for her.
Uncle Zhong had been in the prince's mansion for many years. He had experienced countless ups and downs and was used to the treachery of people. He considered himself a shrewd old fox.
Asking an old fox to farm was like forcing a duck onto a shelf - it just didn't fit.
But asking an old fox to manage a shop was definitely making the best use of his talent.
So, Uncle Zhong folded his arms and waited arrogantly for Li Wanming to ask for his help.
But after two days, there was no sign from Li Wanming.
Li Wanming said that the shop was under decoration and there was no need for so many people.
They would be called over when the decoration was finished and the shop officially opened.
Just listen to that!
It was obvious that she had no experience!
Decoration? Did she know how many pitfalls there were in it?
Bricks, tiles, lime, timber... Every one of them could be a trap!
How could it be possible that she didn't need an experienced person like him to oversee it?
Uncle Zhong couldn't hold back anymore. He went to the shop to check it out himself, and that's when he noticed something was wrong.
Li Wanming planned to build a small stove in the courtyard to dry the lychees that couldn't be sun - dried in time.
Since it was a stove, fire - bricks had to be used.
And there were tricks to fire - bricks.
In the Sheng Dynasty, most fire - bricks used by the common people were blue bricks.
Those with higher requirements, or who specifically requested, would use Dingzhou blue bricks, also known as black bricks.
The blue clay from Dingzhou was sticky, thick, and had a fine texture. It was the most fire - resistant.
After being fired into blue bricks, they were hollow in the middle, making them both lightweight and heat - insulating. They could last for hundreds of years.
The only problem was that they were expensive.
So, there were some cunning people who used ordinary blue bricks to pass them off as Dingzhou blue bricks.
After all, on the surface, they were all square blue - black bricks. People who didn't know the business couldn't tell the difference.
Uncle Zhong remembered Li Wanming saying that she had ordered the best Dingzhou blue bricks this time.
But the bricks being unloaded in the courtyard right now were clearly ordinary blue bricks with a gaudy color.
Uncle Zhong noticed this, but he didn't want to tell Li Wanming.
How could he just go and tell her about this?
It would make him seem too eager...
He had to wait for Li Wanming to ask him!
And asking once wouldn't be enough. She had to make three visits like Liu Bei did to Zhuge Liang.
Only after Li Wanming had suffered a setback could his experience be shown!
This way, after Li Wanming entered the prince's mansion, he could still maintain his superior status.
As Uncle Zhong thought about this, his beard twitched.