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

With the medicinal herbs properly dried and the food prepared, Lin Dachun felt the time was ripe.

He traded some essential equipment in town: a larger earthenware fermentation vat with a wooden lid, a set of bamboo pipes and a wine collection container.

There are also several small jars specifically used for storing wine.

Although simple, it is much more sophisticated than the traditional farming methods.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

This "east wind" naturally refers to the experienced Ma Guihua.

Lin Dachun took some more eggs and went to Ma Guihua's house.

This time, he got straight to the point and explained his purpose: he wanted her to help him brew a vat of "medicinal wine" using the grains and herbs he had prepared. He said the wages were negotiable, and there would be a share of the profits if the wine was successfully brewed.

Ma Guihua's eyes lit up when she heard that.

She had long heard about Lin Dachun's work on sea buckthorn and transplanting jujube trees. Now that she saw that he had even prepared the black-tailed snake and epimedium for soaking in medicine, and had also acquired decent equipment, she knew that he was serious.

Being able to participate in such an ambitious "big project" and earn wages and dividends, she was naturally more than willing.

"Hehe, Brother Dachun, are you preparing to brew spring wine? Who's it for? Are you drinking it yourself to boost your virility and continue your family line? Haha," Ma Guihua teased.

"Go away, what are you saying?" Lin Dachun's face turned red.

"What else could it be?" Ma Guihua said with a smile, skeptical. "It's for Ruoxue to drink, isn't it?"

"Can you still stand it at night?" Ma Guihua laughed.

Lin Dachun's face darkened.

"Just tell me, will you help or not?"

"Brother Dachun, don't worry! I, Ma Guihua, still have the basics of this grain liquor! Plus, with your medicinal herbs... we'll just improve the old recipe a bit, and I guarantee I'll make you a premium spring liquor!" Ma Guihua patted her chest, full of confidence.

On a fine, sunny day, Ma Guihua brought her treasured, highest-quality packet of yeast to Lin Dachun's cave dwelling.

The first steps in brewing are "making koji" and "saccharification", but this time, due to time constraints, Lin Dachun directly used the finished koji brought by Ma Guihua.

In a corner of the courtyard, a makeshift shed was erected to provide shade and shelter from the rain, where the brewing process took place.

Ma Guihua was indeed an expert, giving decisive instructions.

She first asked Lin Dachun to wash the sorghum and corn thoroughly, soak them, and then steam them.

She kept a close eye on everything, from controlling the heat to managing the steam.

"This grain is the essence of the wine. If it's not steamed properly, the yield will be low and the taste won't be right," she muttered as she turned the grain in the still with a wooden paddle.

After the grains are steamed, they are spread out on a clean bamboo mat to cool. Once the temperature has dropped to a suitable level, Ma Guihua mixes the crushed yeast powder evenly into the grains.

This step, called "lower fermentation," is crucial to the success of fermentation, and she performs it with extreme care.

At the same time, during this stage, dried epimedium is ground into powder and added together with yeast.

Finally, cover the jar with a wooden lid and carefully seal the gaps in the jar opening with yellow mud to keep it airtight, but leave a small vent hole with a bamboo tube inserted.

The earthenware jar was placed in a relatively stable corner inside the kiln, and the rest was left to time and microorganisms.

"Fermentation will take at least a month, depending on the weather," Ma Guihua said, patting the dust off her hands. "During this time, we have to keep an eye on the temperature. If it's too cold, it won't ferment, and if it's too hot, it will easily turn sour. We need to listen to the fermentation process and smell it every few days."

"When will the snake be released?" Lin Dachun asked.

"Once the wine is ready, we'll brew it separately," Ma Guihua explained.

"Then I'll head back now."

"Sister-in-law Guihua, take care! When the wine is ready, I'll call you first to try it, hehe." Lin Dachun was very happy.

After Ma Guihua left.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue had already eaten dinner and were busy with housework when it got dark.

Lin Dachun closed the door to the cave dwelling early on.

"Sister-in-law Guihua said that you brewed the same spring wine as hers, but it's even stronger. Is that true?" Li Ruoxue asked embarrassedly.

"Yes, I think so," Lin Dachun replied.

"If I were to take a sip, that would be terrible! How could I possibly resist? Besides, I just couldn't resist Sister Guihua's wine," Li Ruoxue said shyly, her face flushed and her head bowed.

"It's not for you to drink." Lin Dachun laughed.

"Huh? Oh."

Li Ruoxue wasn't disappointed, but she wasn't undisappointed either; it was a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Lin Dachun noticed and asked with a silly grin, "You want to drink? Sister Guihua still has some wine left. The last two times you drank it, you and I..."

Lin Dachun himself was too embarrassed to continue saying the rest of the words.