Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Jia Cong looked at Chu Lan, barely opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the question, "How much silver is left in the house?"

"Alright, you go ahead and pack up, I'm going to go for a walk outside..." With that, he strolled out of his small courtyard.

Without Li Rong and Chu Lan by his side, Jia Cong wandered around the Rongguo Mansion in a state of unease. The old women coming and going did not treat him, the third young master, as their master. Only when someone passed by would they give a perfunctory bow and leave.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the workshop in the backyard of the Jia family mansion. Before I even got close, a rich aroma of wine wafted out from the cracks in the wall, lingering and lingering towards my nose.

The soft clanging of wooden barrels came from inside the gate. Following the scent, one could see several rows of earthenware wine jars drying in the courtyard. The mouths of the jars were covered with coarse cloth, and the corners of the cloth swayed slightly in the wind, causing the aroma of wine inside to waft out even more unrestrainedly.

A servant was carrying a wine jar out of the workshop. The jar was not sealed, and a few drops of amber-colored wine spilled out and landed on the bluestone slab. This was the place where Rongguo Mansion brewed wine.

There are strong liquors in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber. For example, during the crab feast, Daiyu ate some crab meat and felt a slight pain in her chest, so she needed to "drink a hot glass of liquor".

Jia Cong's heart stirred slightly.

"That's right, money can be earned, but we absolutely cannot miss this opportunity to learn martial arts!"

He had already made up his mind. Since he didn't have to figure out how to make strong liquor himself, there were plenty of ways to make money in this world.

The Jia family never lacked exotic flowers and trees; with strong liquor, how could they not make homemade perfume?

In the Dream of the Red Chamber, among the twelve main and secondary beauties, which one of them could do without perfumes and cosmetics?

Having made up his mind, Jia Cong immediately entered the winery. Being a young master of moderate age, he coughed twice and pointed to a set of equipment that was neither new nor old.

"How much are these distillation equipment worth?"

Although the craftsmen at the distillery didn't recognize him, they knew that his attire couldn't possibly belong to a servant or an outsider. One of the more tactful ones quickly ran forward and bowed.

"May I ask who this young master is?"

"Oh, I am Jia Cong, the son of the master..."

"So it's Third Master Cong. Why are you so interested in this steamer?"

Jia Cong glanced at the man without making a sound; he looked like a minor foreman at a winery. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a tael of silver and stuffed it into the man's hand.

"I recently acquired a brewing recipe and was thinking of finding a mold to take back with me. If you have any older ones, you might lend them to me. I can return them in a few days."

The servant happily pocketed the silver and hurriedly pointed to a set of steamers in the last row, laughing as he said...

"What nonsense are you spouting, Third Master? Everyone in this manor belongs to the masters. This is just a set of equipment for distilling liquor. If you'd like it, Third Master, I'll have someone send it to you right away..."

"Very good, but this matter is not insignificant, so it must not be told to outsiders, otherwise..."

Even if Jia Cong was no better, he was still a master. The servant hurriedly slapped his mouth repeatedly.

"Third Master, please rest assured. I have served in your household for many years, and I am not a gossipy old woman..."

For a penny, he acquired a set of tools that were fairly handy. Liquor was not a rare commodity in the Jia family, and it was almost never seen on the dinner table. People of status drank the mainstream yellow wine.

As for perfume, that's easy to handle. The Jia family has plenty of rare and exotic flowers and trees, so they can have a different perfume every day of the year.

The method involves placing fresh or dried aromatic plant materials into a still, heating them from below and introducing steam to evaporate the essential oils from the plants.

Water vapor containing essential oils is collected and cooled through a conduit. The vapor is then cooled into a liquid and separated according to the difference in specific gravity and density between water and essential oils.

The remaining water contains some essential oils, which is called floral water, and it's basically similar to distilled liquor!

The floral water produced can then be mixed with high-concentration liquor to create a more basic perfume.

The process of making high-proof liquor at Honglou is already quite mature, so there's no need to worry about the distillate heads. All that's left is to collect some raw materials.

The next day after school, ignoring Jia Huan's earnest attempts to persuade him to stay, Jia Cong rushed to the unfinished Grand View Garden. It was early summer, and a large number of exotic flowers and plants were vying for attention, filling the air with a chaotic fragrance.

"This one is good, hmm, this one is not bad either..." Jia Cong, accompanied by his servant Li Rong, picked various flowers while carefully distinguishing them.

In less than half an hour, the master and servant had filled a bag with flowers. Just as they were about to return, they saw a pale blue figure flitting past a small hill not far away. Out of curiosity, Jia Cong waved for Li Rong to go back and sort the flower petals, while he quietly followed.

The figure in green moved with very light steps, carrying a worn-out flower hoe and with a plain silk handkerchief draped over its shoulder, and went straight into the depths of the peach grove along the stone path beside Qinfang Gate.

Jia Cong walked quietly, peering through a few old peach trees. He saw the man standing beside the flower mound, first taking off the silk handkerchief from his shoulder, revealing that it was half-wrapped with fallen petals.

She crouched down, her fingertips gently scattering the petals into the pit, her movements so slow and delicate as if afraid to disturb the slumbering flower spirits. A breeze swept through, and peach petals fluttered down, covering her head and body, making her thin blue silk dress appear even more striking.

Jia Cong's heart stirred. Who else in the entire Rongguo Mansion could have such integrity, besides that Miss Lin who liked to bury flowers?

He didn't want to disturb them and was about to turn away when he accidentally knocked over a dead branch. The soft "crack" sound was particularly clear in the quiet peach grove.

Upon hearing the sound, the figure in green suddenly looked up. Her brows, which seemed to be furrowed but were not, furrowed slightly. When her gaze swept over, it carried a hint of wariness and a hint of timidity, like the bamboo of Xiaoxiang that had just bloomed after the rain, slender yet exuding an extraordinary charm.

"Who is it?" Although Daiyu knew that no one in the Rongguo Mansion would dare to harm her, she still disliked anyone prying into her secrets, and her tone carried a slight hint of dissatisfaction.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Jia Cong had no choice but to straighten his clothes and emerge from the peach grove, bowing first to the other party.

"I am Jia Cong, son of the master. I have offended Miss Lin. I hope you will forgive me..."

Although Daiyu was somewhat temperamental, she was not sharp-tongued towards strangers, and immediately returned the greeting gracefully.

"So it's Third Brother Cong. I heard Master mention your writing yesterday; you must be a diligent and studious person..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong quickly waved his hands and said:

"You flatter me, young lady. It's just some quirky talent, nothing of real progress."

His gaze fell on the plain handkerchief beside Daiyu's hand. The fallen petals inside were stained with some mud, but they still couldn't hide her delicate nature. He then added...

"Just now, my servant and I were picking some flowers and herbs nearby when we happened to see you, Miss. We followed you out of curiosity, not with any intention of spying. Please don't take offense, Miss Lin."