1980: I have a spiritual spring

Chapter 18: Learning to Brew Wine

morning.

Cenhe Commune Street.

After all 33 large fish were sold out, Qiao Erhe smiled and said to the customers, "Comrades, that's all the fish we have left. Starting tomorrow, my brothers and I will no longer be selling fish here. Thank you all for your support these past few days. We'll meet again someday."

"Oh, what a pity. It will be hard to find such big and cheap fish again in the future."

“Who can argue with that? Other fishmongers either sell their fish for more than these two, or their fish aren’t this big.”

"Comrade, why didn't you say so earlier? If I had known sooner, I would have bought a few more and kept them at home so I could have eaten them for a few more days!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, all the customers felt regretful, especially those who had just bought the fish, who all regretted not buying more.

After the customers had all left, Qiao Dajiang asked, "Second brother, are we really not going to sell fish starting tomorrow?"

Qiao Erhe said, "The money we made from selling fish these past few days is enough to buy feed. It's time to stop."

Qiao Dajiang felt a little regretful, but he also knew that his second brother was right. Their village had only recently distributed land to individual households, and the fish in the river were still collectively owned. No one should have any objections to occasionally catching a few or even ten fish to take home and eat.

But catching more than thirty large fish weighing seven or eight pounds a day to sell for money now has a different meaning. If someone is really envious and reports this to the brigade cadres, even if they manage to get away with it in the end, they will still be in trouble.

Therefore, stopping at this point is a very wise choice.

After selling the fish, the two brothers, familiar with the place, headed to the hot and sour noodle shop for a morning drink. They had been drinking for several days in a row, and both brothers were enjoying it, especially Qiao Dajiang. These past few days had been the best meals he had ever had in his life, and the morning drinks were truly delightful.

After finishing his morning drink, as Qiao Erhe came out of the noodle shop, he pointed to the basket placed at the door and said to his elder brother, "Brother, take the basket back first. I still have some things to take care of. I'll go back after I'm done."

Qiao Dajiang asked, "What do you need to do?"

Qiao Erhe said, "I want to find a master brewer at the winery and learn brewing techniques from him."

Qiao Dajiang asked in surprise, "Why do you suddenly want to learn winemaking again?"

Qiao Erhe said, "Brewing is a craft. Once I learn how to brew wine, if the wine I make tastes good, I can invest in opening a winery and make a lot of money. Even if I don't invest in opening a winery, I can drink the wine I make myself with peace of mind and without worrying about drinking fake wine."

He has recently been thinking about many uses for the spiritual spring water, and brewing wine is undoubtedly one of them. Among them, medicinal wine will be brewed with pure spiritual spring water, and its effects will be absolutely amazing.

Other types of baijiu can be brewed using diluted spring water.

Although he hasn't tried it yet, he believes that with the help of diluted spiritual spring water, the brewed liquor will be absolutely unparalleled.

Qiao Erhe, who has been reborn, knows better than anyone how vast the market for baijiu is. He can create his own baijiu brand in this era. If the baijiu he brews can really have the effect he imagines, not only does it taste excellent, but drinking it for a long time can also have certain health benefits, then what other liquor on the market can rival it?
Qiao Dajiang exclaimed in astonishment, "Fake wine? There's such a thing as fake wine?"

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "Of course there are fake liquors. For example, I heard that some people are buying up empty Moutai bottles and then filling them with mediocre liquor. That's what I mean by fake liquor."

Moreover, doing this is already considered conscientious; some unscrupulous merchants produce counterfeit alcohol that can even kill people. Therefore, to avoid drinking such deadly counterfeit alcohol in the future, I'll find someone to learn the brewing technique. The alcohol I brew myself will be safe to drink.”

Counterfeit liquor in my country began to develop in the early 1980s. In later years, counterfeit liquor became rampant in the market, with an alarmingly large quantity. Qiao Erhe even suspected that the reason he died in his sixties in his previous life was because he drank too much counterfeit liquor.

Qiao Dajiang was dumbfounded, feeling that his second son knew a lot. He stacked the baskets and said, "Alright, I'll go back first. You go and take care of your business!"

……

Alcoholics are born with one skill: the ability to appreciate fine wines.

Generally speaking, a seasoned drinker who has been drinking for decades can tell whether a drink is good or bad just by taking a sip.

In his previous life, Qiao Erhe was also a seasoned drinker with decades of experience, so he naturally knew how to appreciate fine wines. After the age of fifty, he rarely drank bottled wine anymore, and instead drank mostly local bulk rice wine.

In particular, the bulk rice wine brewed by Xiao Fengliang, a master brewer, is the favorite of most drinkers in Qiao Erhe and Cenhe Town.

In his previous life, Qiao Erhe frequently bought rice wine brewed by Master Xiao, buying over a hundred catties at a time. Over time, he became familiar with him. This time, Qiao Erhe planned to learn brewing techniques from Master Xiao.

After parting ways with his elder brother, Qiao Erhe went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a large bag of candy and cakes. He then went to the riverbank and caught a grass carp weighing about ten pounds before carrying the items toward the winery under the supply and marketing cooperative.

In his previous life, Qiao Erhe was Xiao Fengliang's friend, so he naturally knew that Xiao Fengliang had worked as a brewer in a winery under the supply and marketing cooperative in his early years. He worked there until the late 1990s before leaving the company to start brewing and selling his own wine.

Soon, Qiao Erhe arrived at the winery and met Xiao Fengliang, who was in his thirties.

Xiao Fengliang looked at the unfamiliar comrade in front of him and asked, "Comrade, what's your name? What can I do for you?"

Qiao Erhe handed over the large fish and candies he was carrying and introduced himself: "Master Xiao, my name is Qiao Erhe. I am from Qiaojiawan Village, Hongshan Brigade. I have come to you today to ask to become your apprentice and learn the brewing technique. I hope you can grant my request."

Xiao Fengliang hadn't expected the visitor to want to become his apprentice. He didn't accept the gift and instead said, "Comrade Qiao, I'm really sorry, but I don't have any plans to take on apprentices at the moment. You should find another master!"

Qiao Erhe was not surprised to hear this. He did not expect to get the other party to agree to his apprenticeship as soon as he opened his mouth. He smiled and added, "Master Xiao, it is fine if I don't become your apprentice, but I want to learn brewing techniques from you. I don't need you to pass on your core techniques to me, just teach me how to brew wine."

If you agree, Mr. Xiao, I'm willing to offer 100 yuan as tuition.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fengliang was immediately tempted. He could receive 100 yuan in tuition fees simply by teaching the other party how to brew wine, without having to impart his core brewing techniques. This deal seemed like a great deal no matter how you looked at it.

After all, he's not the only person in society who knows how to brew wine. As long as his core brewing technology can be preserved, whether there's one more or one less brewing master, it won't make much difference to him. He'll still get the same salary he's owed at the factory.

Without hesitation, Xiao Fengliang agreed: "If that's the case, then of course there's no problem."

Qiao Erhe smiled and handed the gift over again, saying, "Master Xiao, I'll leave the rest to you."

Xiao Fengliang accepted the gift and said with a smile, "It's nothing."

(End of this chapter)