My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 204 First Taste of Winemaking

"So you haven't even started trying yet?"

"Right—" Tong Hua scratched his head, "I've been busy lately, building houses and running a dessert shop."

And he was also caught up in the major events involving the Dark Team and Dark Dialga —

Tong Hua was actually silently complaining in her heart about the last sentence.

After all, the fewer people who know that Fairy Tale Ranch is connected to these major events, the better.

"In short, I just haven't found a suitable opportunity to start."

Tong Hua smiled and changed the subject, casually tidying up the molds beside her. "But now that we're settled in our new home, it's definitely time to put brewing on the agenda."

Jessica nodded understandingly: "That's true, quite a few things have happened recently."

She considerately refrained from asking for details, instead gazing out the window at the fields and distant orchards.

"Well, since I'm here today, if there's anything you don't understand, why don't I teach you?"

"Is it really possible?"

"Of course!"

Jessica patted Tong Hua on the shoulder readily. "I'm an expert when it comes to brewing. But before that..."

She winked mysteriously. "We need to prepare some special tools first."

As noon approached, business quieted down in the shop, and Tong Hua and the Pokémon waited quietly for Jessica to return.

She just said she needed to prepare some special tools, and then hurriedly left.

"So slow—"

Just as Tong Hua was about to make lunch, she heard Jessica calling from outside.

"Little Tong, Little Tong! I'm back!"

Tong Hua went out to greet her at the sound, and saw Jessica unloading several antique wooden barrels from the back of the fiery horse. Sunlight shone on her sweaty forehead, making it glisten.

"These are my treasured brewing barrels," she said excitedly, patting the barrels. "They've been cleaned and disinfected, so you can use them without worry!"

"Ra-beep!" Two Celebi curiously circled the wooden barrel, while the Foam Chipmunk stretched out its little paws and gently tapped the barrel wall, making a crisp sound.

Tong Hua touched the worn-out bucket with emotion: "I will use it carefully."

"If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools!" Jessica smiled and wiped her sweat. "So, where are we moving to?"

Ideally, it should be a well-ventilated, cool, and clean corner, or even better, a large space where the temperature of the fermentation environment can be controlled through air conditioning, insulation, or other means.

As Tong Hua listened to Jessica's professional advice, an idea already formed in her mind.

"Don't worry, I've already prepared for that!" Tong Hua smiled slightly. Fortunately, the budget was large enough, and all kinds of needs were taken into account when building the house.

"There's a cellar over at the new house; we can just use that."

Jessica's eyes lit up: "Great! You've even prepared a cellar? Let me help you move it over there, and I'll also take you to see your new home."

"No need for that trouble, how could we trouble Sister Jie to move it?"

Tong Hua pulled a red whistle from around his neck and stood in front of the house blowing it.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The next second, Jessica suddenly felt the earth tremble as an earth dragon rapidly approached from a distance.

"Worm!"

The worm that was sleeping on the grass crawled out of the soil and affectionately rubbed its head against Tong Hua's clothes.

"Please, Tuotuo the worm." Tong Hua gently patted its hard shell and pointed to the wooden barrels.

The worms emitted a low chirping sound and deftly used their body hairs to roll up the wooden bucket.

"Fiery Horse, stay here and don't wander off."

"Messenger Bird, Pickpocket Cat, I'm leaving the shop in your care."

After giving their instructions, Tong Hua and Jessica, along with the foam squirrel and two Celebi, followed behind the worm. With the worm's help, the wooden barrel was steadily transported to the cellar of their new home.

On the way, Tong Hua suddenly stroked his chin and began to think.

"Well, speaking of air conditioning, it hasn't been installed in the Pokémon House or the barn yet, and there are only fans in the cabin for now."

Currently, only the new house seems to have air conditioning, and the new house has two underground floors with both air conditioning and ventilation ducts.

The hardware is still not quite up to par; it seems the ranch needs a complete infrastructure upgrade soon.

After thinking for a moment, Tong Hua took out her notebook and wrote down all these things.

Upon entering the cellar, a refreshing breeze greets you. Soft wall lamps are embedded in the neat cement walls, illuminating the entire space.

"The light switch and temperature control switch are all together, and the humidity can also be adjusted."

Even Tong Hua was entering the cellar for the first time. Because the construction was entirely entrusted to a construction company, she only took a quick look during the inspection.

Tong Hua curiously explored the control panel on the wall, lightly touching the switch, and the lights immediately brightened. Turning the temperature control knob, the ventilation system immediately emitted a soft whirring sound.

"The design is very professional." Jessica walked closer to take a closer look. "Everything is included, and all the equipment is the latest model."

"Wow!" Green Celebi excitedly floated to the corner shelf, pointing with his little finger at the label on it.

It turns out that the construction company thoughtfully labeled each area with suggested uses, including a constant temperature zone, an aging zone, and a cleaning zone.

Tuotuo carefully placed the wooden bucket in the designated spot, and the foam squirrel nimbly jumped onto the shelf, its little paws lightly tapping as it counted.

"Terrible."

Seeing the rows of brewing barrels neatly arranged, Foam Squirrel felt a great sense of relief.

Jessica nodded and took a brewing notebook out of her pocket.

"For beginners trying it for the first time, it's definitely better to choose mead or fruit wine."

But before that—”

She glanced around, her gaze settling on the stainless steel workbench in the cleaning area: "We need to test the airtightness of these wooden barrels first. How about filling them with some water to make some distilled water?"

Tong Hua immediately understood and poured clean water into the wooden bucket. Jessica carefully checked the sealing ring on the bucket lid and gently tapped the bucket wall to listen to the echo.

"Great job, just like me. These barrels are so well preserved!" She nodded with satisfaction. "The oak aroma is still there."

"Trembling?" The foam squirrel curiously pressed its ears against the barrel wall, then sniffed, but couldn't smell any fragrance.

"The aroma of the wooden barrel will only be released slowly after the wine is filled," Jessica explained with a smile, gently patting the foam squirrel's little head.

Tong Hua squatted to the side, silently carrying out the heating process. The water in the wooden bucket began to gradually evaporate under constant temperature control.

"Well done," Jessica nodded approvingly. "Keep this temperature, and you'll have pure distilled water soon."

When the rabbis curiously approached to observe, glistening water droplets began to drip from the end of the condenser. Tong Hua carefully caught them with a measuring cup; the clear liquid shimmered under the light.

"Now let's test the water quality."

Jessica took out the test strip. "Acidity/alkalinity, hardness—hmm, perfect!"

Jessica smiled as she looked at the neatly arranged wooden barrels. "Then there's no problem. Now it's time to try brewing the wine properly."

"Um."

Tong Hua nodded, and just as he was about to stand up, a familiar notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Successfully completed alchemy once, achievement progress (1/3)]

Tong Hua: "???"

Alchemy?

Huh?

'