Shipin Dalizheng

Rong Tang had thought of this a long time ago, but he would never easily say that he would take care of everything, otherwise the villagers would become accustomed to waiting and relying on others.

"As for food, every household in the village should contribute a little. They all benefit from digging ditches. If there is a shortfall, I will add more. These people are the ones who made mistakes in the Bo's Mansion. They only eat but don't pay. If there are villagers who want to join in, they can do it."

The third master lit his pipe and said nothing. He thought for a long time and was about to ask for help. Since so many people were working, they also needed a manager. His Erhe was a good choice.

Then Rong Dajiang said, "Brother Dahai is very thorough in his work and is suitable to be a manager. What do you think, Prince..."

Rong Tang has always thought highly of Rong Dahai, so it would be nice to arrange a temporary job for him now.

"All right, give him thirty cents a day. And find a woman to cook for him."

The Third Master's heart tightened, and he wanted to mention his second daughter-in-law, Qian, but Rong Tang said, "We can't just look for people from the Rong family. We have to make arrangements for the Li and Wang families too. Uncle Dajiang, which family do you think is struggling? Give them priority. Twenty cents a day, please!"

Rong Dajiang said, "That's exactly the reason. Mrs. Li's son died early, and her daughter-in-law has to raise two children and take care of her mother-in-law. She barely has enough food to eat. Let's make arrangements for her family first."

After the matter was settled, Rong Dajiang rushed to arrange things. Rong Tang felt that the Third Master looked a little lonely and unnatural.

The beggar-like servants in the courtyard were led away by the village chief, and finally there was a moment of peace and quiet. The barbecue in the courtyard was almost over, and Doctor Zhang, satisfied with his meal, took away the deer antlers, deer blood, deer penis and other items.

As he was picking his teeth and walking back, he met Rong Wanli, who was supported by Daya and Li Jin on both sides. It seemed that half of his body was still not flexible.

"Yo! It's up!"

Rong Wanli looked at him with resentment and anger.

Rong Zhan and the others knew that Rong Wanli had suffered, and they felt sympathy for him. They helped him sit by the fire and served him diligently, massaging his legs, kneading his shoulders, and feeding him. There was some brotherhood, but not much.

The brothers were friendly and harmonious with each other. The six-member team that went out to deliver goods and purchase goods also returned.

Daya was eating when she saw her father. She quickly stood up to fetch water and washed the mud off their faces.

Rong Dashan and Rong An wiped their sweat and went to see Rong Tang. They were covered in sweat, but they couldn't hide their happy faces.

"Is everything going well?"

Rong An said, "It went smoothly. We delivered the wine to those families and brought back three large carts from elsewhere. Unfortunately, there are not enough carts, so we can only make one trip a day, and three carts can only carry a little over a thousand pounds."

In fact, the jar is heavy. Six people, two in a group, sticking their butts out and trying hard, are the only way they can do it.

"With the money we collected this time, we're planning to build a few carts and hire a few more people. In the future, we can separate the delivery and collection of wine, each doing their own job."

There is no need for Rong Tang to urge them, as they have already realized the need to increase investment and are about to distribute dividends to those who have no vision.

Rong Tang said, "Bringing wine from other places for processing is only a temporary solution. Our ultimate goal is to make our own wine. As for grain..."

Rong An said, "I've asked around in some villages and farms as we passed by, and I've found quite a few people willing to sell grain. We can either send it to them, or we can collect it from them. We'll discuss it later."

Rong Tang remained silent. He planned to gradually let go of the winery business and let them grow faster. Rong An, having worked in a wine shop before, was well-versed in many aspects of the business.

In comparison, Rong Dashan is hardworking and a bit less knowledgeable, but all this will improve later on.

After finishing the serious business, Rong An realized belatedly that there were a few sorghum stalks in front of Rong Tang, and he calmly bit off the skin and chewed it slowly.

"Prince Tang, why are you eating sorghum stalks? Is it delicious?"

"Try it." Rong Tang's eyes flickered. "If possible, maybe we can create another way to make money."

When Rong An heard this, he immediately picked up a piece and started chewing it. As he chewed, his eyes widened, "Why is it so sweet?"

They have chewed sorghum stalks before. In previous years, when there was not enough food, some people in the village would stuff anything into their mouths. When the sorghum stalks are tender, they still have moisture. When the sorghum is ripe, they become firewood.

And it tastes terrible when it's young. Unless there are no sorghum ears, who would be willing to cut the grain and chew the stalks? Isn't that a disease?

"It's average sweetness, like a hybrid."

As he spoke, Chuncao ran out from the room where the wine yeast was kept and said, "Master, our wine yeast is broken."

Rong Tang put down the sorghum stalks and walked over there, and Daya, who was involved in making the koji, also hurried over to check.

Chuncao opened the two baskets and pointed at the wine yeast balls with a bitter face and said, "They've all grown mold and gone bad."

Rong Tang took a closer look. Of the hundred or so meatballs in the basket, less than 30% had hair, a low percentage. But it wasn't a failure. It was their first time making them, so perhaps the proportions weren't perfect. Plus, there were always variations depending on the region.

"It's not bad. The yeast is supposed to have hair. Look at these ones with white hair, they're done. In summer, the hair shouldn't be too long. Pick these out and dry them out in the sun. Check them again tomorrow. If they don't have hair, they're a failure."

Daya looked at the fluffy white balls and couldn't believe it. "Prince Tang, have we made the yeast?"

"This is the sweet wine koji. We'll see about the white wine koji tomorrow. It doesn't matter if the success rate isn't high this time. As long as you make it right the first time, it will only get better next time."

He remembered that another step in making koji was to add old koji as a catalyst, and now they had a type of koji.

Before she knew it, Daya was kneeling on the ground, trembling slightly.

Rong Tang pulled her up and asked, "Why are you kneeling for no reason?"

Daya said in panic: "I, I know the recipe for the wine yeast, I can make it, I..."

"You'll learn it once you know how. The purpose of teaching you is to give you the job of composing music."

"But I'm a girl and I'm going to get married someday...this secret recipe..."

"Don't think too much. When it's time to work, do your job well. When it's time to get married, get married. You only know how to make koji, not how to eat or drink. It's not a big secret. Don't worry."

Even so, Daya was still nervous. She decided to talk to her father and grandfather when she got home and ask them to come up with a plan...

What can we ask them to do? It seems like they can't do anything!

In the yard, three large carts of wine had been unloaded. The six enthusiastic people, at the cordial invitation, ate barbecue and crispy fish, and then went home satisfied.

Only Rong An stayed a little longer to reconcile accounts with Chuncao.

After counting the bills and deducting the cost of hauling wine, Rong An still made a net profit of several dozen taels. He was so happy that he danced with joy.

Chuncao said at the right moment, "Brother An, the business will grow bigger and bigger. Have you considered building a separate workshop? And also large livestock and so on? If the demand increases, we can brew our own wine in the future. Do we need to buy more equipment?"

Rong An looked conflicted. This amount of money would definitely not be enough. He had previously thought about whether he should share some of it first so that the villagers could see the profit and have more trust in this business.

"I'll go home and discuss it with my father and Third Master."

Chuncao didn't urge them. She just listened to the young master's instructions and gave them some suggestions. Whether they wanted to make it bigger was up to them to decide.