Top Scholar

Chapter 39 It’s done!

When the procession arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall, everyone stopped, and the musicians changed to playing "The Tune of Tranquility".

Incense and candles burned brightly on the offering table in the main hall of the ancestral hall, and sacrificial offerings such as pork, chicken, fish, fruit, and wine were already laid out.

The people carrying the genealogy book slowly entered the ancestral hall and gently placed the book box in the center of the offering table. The master of ceremonies called out, "The genealogy book is returned to its place..."

All the clansmen bowed four times in reverence. The genealogist stepped forward, opened the genealogy box, took out the genealogy book, and unfolded a page of the main genealogy to reveal the name of the founding ancestor for the clansmen to admire. At this time, no noise was allowed; only the crackling of the candlelight could be heard, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Su Lu stared wide-eyed at the words on the genealogy: "Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan, pen name Dongpo Jushi, posthumous title Wenzhong, moved from Meishan to Suzhou." He was still quite shocked. He just couldn't understand why his father was omitted. Was Su Laoquan not prestigious enough?
After the genealogy was completed, the patriarch held the genealogy and recited the family precepts to the clan members:

"Study diligently, be filial and compassionate, never take what is not rightfully yours, and govern with integrity!"

The old clan leader would recite a line, and the clansmen would repeat it after him, including Su Lu. He finally understood where the Su family's obsession with studying and becoming an official came from; even though they had fallen into poverty and were now deep in the mountains, their ancestors were still urging them on.

Then the patriarch recounted the family history, with the first 70% focusing on Su Dongpo's legendary life and the last 10% on the family lineage. Their branch descended from Su Quan, the fourth son of Su Dongpo's eldest son, Su Mai, and had resided in Suzhou throughout the Song and Yuan dynasties.

When Hongwu dispersed the rebellion, the tenth generation of Jimin Gong was forcibly relocated to Fengyang and became a military household. In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, he came to this place again with Guo Ying's army, and his descendants multiplied generation after generation. By Su Lu's generation, it was already the sixth generation.

"So I'm actually a sixteenth-generation descendant of Su Dongpo?" Su Lu did some quick calculations, which further fueled his motivation to study.

Finally, the old clan chief led the clansmen in shouting: "Never forget the kindness of our ancestors, and pass it on to future generations!"

After the ceremony, the genealogy book will remain on the altar in the ancestral hall until the ancestral worship ceremony ends the next day, at which point it will be sent to the fifth branch of the family for inclusion in the genealogy. During this period, a designated person will guard the genealogy book closely to prevent any mishaps.

But the clansmen didn't disperse; instead, they set out a lively feast of nine large bowls. This feast, known as the "baba banquet," is equivalent to the entire clan eating their New Year's Eve dinner together.

Inside and outside the ancestral hall, and even along the long alley, long tables were set up, each with nine large, coarse porcelain bowls. These bowls contained dishes such as braised pork with rice flour, braised chicken and duck, sweet and sour fish, and steamed mixed dishes. The cost was paid by Su Ji Winery.

Although the winery's business was declining, not letting the clansmen eat well during the New Year would invite criticism, and they couldn't afford to lose face in front of the Cheng family.

Grandpa Su Lu, the head of the distillery, looked pained, while his grandson Su Lang happily picked up a large piece of braised pork belly and put it in his mouth. "Mmm, delicious, delicious..."

He didn't forget to urge Su Lu, "Eat up! My grandpa said the nine-bowl feast won't last two years. After that, it might only be three or five bowls..."

"what happened?"

"Business at the winery is so bad, huh?" the chubby boy said carelessly. "I heard our wine is half the price of the Cheng family's, but we still can't sell it as well. Hmm, the steamed pork with rice flour is delicious too."

"That's how it is with baijiu," Su Dan, the expert, said with an air of knowledge. "If the taste is slightly worse, the price will be halved."

"So you two study hard, pass the imperial examinations and become scholars, and take our well back." The children had placed their hopes on him and Su Lu.

Unlike Su Lang, they didn't have the same advantages, so they had no choice but to settle down and work. They would never touch a book again in their lives…

"Oh, let's not talk about such depressing things." Su Lang licked his greasy fingers and asked, "When are we going to the Taiping Temple Fair?"

Although the temple fair in Taiping Town can't compare to those in the county seat, it still attracts locals and soldiers from within a hundred miles, offering a dazzling array of delicious food and fun activities. For the town's teenagers, who lack entertainment options, visiting the Taiping Temple Fair during the Spring Festival is a momentous occasion.

Su Lu had already asked his second brother; the temple fair ran from the first to the fifteenth of the lunar month. He then asked the others, "When is it the most lively?"

"The first three days are a bit slow, with everyone exchanging New Year's greetings and returning to their parents' homes. It won't get lively until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, but of course, the fifteenth day is the most lively," Su Lang suggested after finishing his sentence.
"How about we go on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year?"

“Okay,” the boys readily agreed.

"Qiu-ge, why don't you go too? Don't collect debts during the New Year." Su Lang then smiled at Su Lu, "Let him rest..."

“I will go, but I can’t go with you. We’ll meet at the market,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"There are so many people at the market, where are we supposed to find you?" the boys asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, just go to the most conspicuous spot, and you'll definitely find me," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Haha, that's interesting. Let's look for it then." The boys were at the age where they were looking for fun, and they were all very interested.

~~
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the clan members gathered again to compile the genealogy, and then returned to the ancestral hall together. The younger generation paid New Year's greetings to the elders, and the elders gave red envelopes to the younger generation.

After we left, I went with my uncle and father to visit neighbors and offer New Year's greetings. By the time we got home, it was already noon.

"Let's go, let's go," Su Youcai urged his sons impatiently.

"Have a meal before you go?" Auntie poked her head out from the kitchen.

"No, no, we're in a hurry." The three of them then rushed downstairs.

"How can you talk like that? So formal." Her uncle glared at her.

"Didn't you tell me to be nicer to his family of three?" the aunt said, looking aggrieved.

"Fake." The uncle said speechlessly, "I'll pack it in a food box after I finish cooking it and take it to them."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Pack more."

“I know, Xia Ge’er can eat a lot. How could we not let him eat his fill on the first day of the Lunar New Year?” Auntie readily agreed. “Hehe…” Uncle chuckled, not going into details with his gossipy wife.

~~
Su Lu and his two children rushed to He's wine shop in a great hurry. On the way, the neighbors saw them and shook their heads: "These three have gone too far. Who comes to collect debts on the first day of the new year?"

"They're too persistent. I can't afford to owe them money and not pay it back in the future, it's really a killer..."

The three of them paid no attention to the gossip; all they wanted to do was go see the fermentation tank.

As Su Tai strode away, he said, "The sweetness will only appear for a very short time. If left untreated, the sweetness will soon disappear and the alcohol will become stronger."

"Hmm, that's amazing?" Su Youcai had never been inside a winery before, so naturally he didn't know anything about it.

Su Lu, however, was able to use his limited knowledge of chemistry to simply understand the process—brewing is a process of producing sugar from starch and then converting the sugar into alcohol.

The so-called sweet mash should be the product of the first step. At this stage, the amylase in the yeast breaks down starch into sugar. The sugar has not yet had time to be converted into alcohol, which is why it tastes sweet but not alcoholic.

However, if left to stand, the yeast will continue to convert the sugar into alcohol, causing the sweetness to disappear and the alcoholic taste to become stronger... Of course, this is just his wild guess, who knows if it's right or wrong.

The three men arrived at the He family courtyard, where the young widow and her two companions were already waiting eagerly at the winery. He Tiantian, her hands gripping the large, rough earthenware jar, watched Su Tai with a nervous expression. She slowly lifted the gauze covering the jar's mouth, and a sweet aroma wafted out.

Everyone crowded around the vat, looking into it. They saw that the original sorghum paste had been covered with a thick layer of viscous, milky-white liquid.

Su Tai scooped out a ladle of white liquid, wrapped it in gauze, pressed and filtered it to extract the juice, and thus obtained a bowl of sweet wine that was half clear and half cloudy.

"Try it." He subconsciously handed it to Su Lu first.

Su Lu took a sip, and his eyes lit up immediately. "So sweet!"

After saying this, he handed it to his father. Su Youcai took it, tasted it, and then spontaneously composed a poem praising it:

"Red sorghum brews a thick, sweet nectar that melts in your throat and eases your worries."

"This is how I pay my child's tuition; the new urn is opened, and the old debts are settled!"

"What a wonderful poem!" Su Tai and Su Lu quickly clapped their hands, admiring their father's talent for composing poetry anytime, anywhere.

If it weren't for the taboo against his father, Su Lu would have shouted, "Talented! You're so talented!"

Even Madam He was captivated by the conversation, staring intently at Su Youcai for a long time before gracefully bowing and saying, "Second Brother Su is truly kind-hearted; I appreciate your kind words."

She was referring to the last line, "New urns set aside, old debts settled," with Su Youcai naturally referring to her family's old debts.

"Haha, I just wrote a poem to encourage everyone. If we really want to settle old scores, we still need this." Su Youcai said, handing the rough porcelain bowl to Xiaotiantian again.

"Tian Tian, ​​try it, is it sweet?"

"It's so sweet." He Tiantian tasted it, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents, and she held it high for her mother. "Mom, have some too."

The young widow frowned slightly. How many people had drunk from this bowl? But she couldn't refuse at this moment, so she took it, turned it around, and took a small sip.

"It is indeed very sweet." Her eyebrows relaxed as she savored it. "The initial taste is a full and refreshing sweetness, direct yet not cloying, like a mouthful of honey water with a hint of tartness. As it slides down your throat, you can also catch a trace of rice fragrance on your tongue."

"The proprietress has such a discerning palate!" Su Lu exclaimed in amazement. "I just tasted how sweet it was with a hint of sourness."

"That's how bartenders are in a distillery," Su Tai muttered.

“When my late husband was alive, he often let me taste the newly brewed wine, and over time I learned how to make it.” Madam He Cheng smiled faintly and said, “Now we’ll see what it tastes like when we add this sweet wine to the orange juice.”

The old woman brought over a basket of sour tangerines, skillfully peeled them, and placed them on the juicer to extract the juice. The juicer resembled an ordinary bench, leaning forward. One end was a round pressing platform with a juice trough around it. The platform was fitted with a round pressing plate and a hardwood pressing rod.

The old woman placed the tangerine pulp on the press, then pressed down the press lever. The press plate, acting as a lever, squeezed the pulp along with the press platform. The golden orange juice then flowed down the juice trough towards the eagle beak at the front of the press platform.

He Tiantian had already been holding a bowl at the eagle's beak to catch the juice; the three tangerines had yielded more than half a bowl of orange juice.

She handed the orange juice to 'Master Su,' who took a sip and frowned. She then handed it to Su Lu, who also stuck out his tongue after taking a sip.

Even Su Youcai was so jealous he didn't want to write a poem, but under the expectant gazes of his sons, he could only swallow his saliva and compose another limerick:
"The golden pill is squeezed out, glistening with dew; one sip and the battle on the jaw never stops."

The sourness woke me from my drowsiness, and my saliva dripped down the steps as I smacked my lips…

This poem is much worse than the last one. Indeed, poetry should come from genuine feelings, not be forced or suppressed.

"Great!" Fortunately, some supportive brothers applauded in time, preventing him from falling into an awkward situation.

Then Su Tai began to gradually add sweet wine to the bowl.

He wasn't exaggerating. When one part sweet syrup was added to six parts orange juice, the orange juice became sweet and sour, and very delicious!
It works even better than adding sugar directly. Isn't that amazing?

(End of this chapter)