The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Ma Guihua happily arrived at the cave dwelling carrying a small jar of homemade wine in a gourd.

"Brother Dachun, Ruoxue, I heard you bought lambs, that's wonderful news! I have a jar of my own homemade ginseng and snake wine here, it's nothing special, but I brought it to add to your joy!" Ma Guihua said in a loud voice, with a hearty smile on her face, as she placed the wine jar on the table.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue were both a little surprised, but since they had come with good intentions, they naturally couldn't be negligent.

Li Ruoxue quickly added a bowl and chopsticks, then went to the kitchen to cut a plate of freshly bought pig's head meat, mixed it with cilantro, and served it as a snack with drinks.

"We also bought some wine, all kinds of wine, we want to try them all. Come on, come on, sit down, let's celebrate this big hunt, haha." Lin Dachun invited them over.

The three sat around the kang table.

Ma Guihua broke open the mud seal, and a slightly spicy, not-so-rich aroma of grain liquor wafted out.

"Before we open the wine, let me make this clear: this wine isn't something you can just drink casually," Ma Guihua said, keeping everyone in suspense.

"This snake isn't an ordinary snake; it's a brittle snake, and I even put epimedium inside it," Ma Guihua joked.

"Sister-in-law Guihua, what do you mean? Is there anything special about it?" Li Ruoxue asked, puzzled.

"Do you want some or not?" Ma Guihua asked deliberately.

"Go ahead and drink! It's just alcohol, not poison. Why can't we drink it? We want to make sea buckthorn wine, and we've bought some at home. We all want to try it. I can drink too," Li Ruoxue said confidently.

"Really? You can drink?" Ma Guihua immediately poured herself three small bowls of wine.

Because it's baijiu (Chinese white liquor), which has a high alcohol content, only a small amount was poured.

"Yes, I will. Let me try it first." Li Ruoxue picked up the bowl and immediately tasted it.

"How is it?"

"It's strong. The taste is a bit strange too." Li Ruoxue tasted it, "but it's very mellow."

"Haha." Lin Dachun laughed too, and then picked up the glass and took a sip.

Lin Dachun took a sip and said, "It's definitely aged liquor; it has a strong aftertaste and a very pleasant finish."

"Sister-in-law, what did you say about this wine?" Li Ruoxue asked.

"Hehe." Ma Guihua laughed and said, "This wine has an aphrodisiac effect."

"what?"

"Yes, that's right, after you drink it, you will~~~" Ma Guihua said very bluntly.

Upon hearing this...

Li Ruoxue's face instantly turned red, and she became shy.

"Oh dear. Why didn't you say so sooner? I've already drunk it." Li Ruoxue glanced at Lin Dachun, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"It's not that exaggerated," Lin Dachun laughed. "Sister-in-law Guihua is just teasing you."

"That's true." Li Ruoxue blushed.

"Haha, anyway, it has nothing to do with me. Come on, Brother Dachun, Ruoxue, let's celebrate... uh, celebrate the addition of a new member to your family!" She originally wanted to mention the deer hunt, but then felt it was inappropriate and changed her mind at the last minute.

Lin Dachun picked up his bowl, said "Thank you for your thoughtfulness," and together with Li Ruoxue, they touched bowls with Ma Guihua and each took a sip.

The liquor is very strong, burning the throat upon entry. It has a typical flavor of homemade brewing, with a slightly off-flavor, but it's potent enough.

After a few sips of wine, the atmosphere became more lively.

Once Ma Guihua opened up, she became even more outspoken. She was naturally fiery, and after a few drinks, she spoke even more bluntly: "Brother Dachun, Ruoxue, I'm not bragging, but even though I live alone, my brewing skills were passed down from my dead husband's family! The Ma family used to run a small distillery in town!"

"There's only one small winery in town now, so I went there today and bought some wine. I don't know how it tastes, but the shopkeeper's daughter said I can come to her if there are any problems." Lin Dachun also took out his own wine to taste the different wines.

Ma Guihua savored the taste of the wine in her mouth, with a hint of pride and a touch of criticism about her family's craftsmanship: "It's just that conditions aren't good right now. We don't have good yeast, and grain is precious, so we can only do small-scale production, making a little for ourselves to drink and exchange for some pocket money. This wine is still a bit rough and can't compare to that from a proper distillery."

Lin Dachun's heart stirred; the words of the distillery manager from earlier that day still echoed in his ears.

He asked casually, "Miss Ma, is your wine mainly made from corn? Have you tried other grains, or... fruits?"

"Fruit?" Ma Guihua's eyes lit up. "How come I haven't tried it! The year before last, there were plenty of hawthorns, and I tried brewing some. It tasted sweet and sour, but it didn't have enough staying power and spoiled easily! It's much more worthwhile to brew grain liquor than to go through all that trouble."

She shook her head, took another sip, and said, "Hey, Brother Dachun, you're interested in brewing wine? I heard you wanted to try using your sea buckthorn?"

Lin Dachun didn't hide anything and nodded: "I went to the distillery in town today and asked around. They said it's difficult to brew wine with sea buckthorn alone, but it might be possible to blend it or make flavored wine. The only problem is that they lack knowledgeable people."

Ma Guihua slapped her thigh: "Hey! You've come to the right person! Brother Dachun, I'm not bragging, but I know exactly how to control the fermentation process and temperature!"

She pointed to her head, "Sea buckthorn is sour, we need to find a way to turn the sourness into a wine-like aroma, and we also need to add some other seasonings... This has potential!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had discovered a new approach: "When your sea buckthorn bears fruit, bring it to me, and I'll give it a try! If it works, we'll figure it out together; if it doesn't, it won't ruin many fruits!"

Li Ruoxue listened from the side, glancing at the enthusiastic Ma Guihua and then at the pensive Da Chun, and her heart also began to stir.

Although Aunt Ma is talkative and outspoken, her winemaking skills and her bold and enterprising spirit might actually be of help.

Slightly tipsy, bathed in warm light.

The simple family feast celebrating the purchase of sheep inadvertently planted a significant seed for future cooperation in the deep processing of sea buckthorn.

The mountains and forests were quiet, but the laughter and conversation inside the cave dwellings seemed to already hint at the rich aroma of future wine.

We drank quite a bit of alcohol, and it had been dark for a long time.

"Oh dear, time flies when we're chatting. Alright, I have to go now. Let's continue drinking another day." Ma Guihua stood up, her face already flushed.

"Sister Guihua, be careful on the road, don't fall," Lin Dachun carefully reminded her.

"I'm fine. This little bit of alcohol won't get me drunk," Ma Guihua said.

After Ma Guihua left, Lin Dachun put away the wine and dishes and closed the door.

at this time.

Li Ruoxue had drunk too much and was dizzy. She lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and made soft snores.