Chapter 394: Wine Barrels
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Even Su Wenxian was envious of his mother. After all, his mother had been busy the entire day with a face full of smiles. Su Wenxian and his father also wanted to busy themselves and do something meaningful.
The village men had nothing to do all day and felt restless. It would have been fine if there were no references for comparison, but Ding Wan had a job and could earn money.
Su Wenxian felt even more uneasy whenever he went out and saw people busy with embroidering. He also wanted to work and feel like a helpful person.
Su Fengzhang no longer bothered to eat. He looked at his niece and said, “Binglan, I’m strong and unafraid of hard work. If there’s anything I can do, please tell me.”
He was anxious, too, since his brothers had jobs to do. Still, he could not find a job or rely on anyone else but his niece. Even his second and third brothers had relied on Su Binglan to find them a suitable business.
He believed in his niece’s capabilities, especially since she had cured his wife. Ding Wan could not have recovered if it were not for Su Binglan. The family did not know how to thank Su Binglan and only wanted to be helpful.
Su Binglan looked at her cousin and uncle’s worried expressions. She could not help but laugh, “Don’t worry, Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian. I have something important for you to do.”
“What is it?” The father-son duo looked at Su Binglan excitedly without blinking.
Su Binglan did not beat around the bush, saying, “I’ve thought about it. We should set up a winery.”
“Winemaking?”
“A winery?
Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian were stunned. Even Ding Wan’s eyes widened. She had mentioned finding her son and husband a job to Su Binglan before but did not know what Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian could do.
Su Binglan said she would think about it, and Ding Wan thought her niece would devise something for Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian to do. However, no one expected Su Binglan to suggest opening a winery.
The family had never considered such a thing because it was too exquisite. Plus, only prominent families had wine recipes. Even if there were free-range wine, it would be a recipe their ancestors would have to pass down in the family instead of sharing with outsiders.
Moreover, Su Fengzhang liked to drink and occasionally went to town to buy wine. That was when Ding Wan was in good health, and his family’s conditions were good. Still, he never dared to buy much since wine was costly for ordinary people.
Su Fengzhang had not had wine in a long time, so he was shocked and in disbelief when he heard his niece mentioning winemaking.
Everyone looked at Su Binglan in a daze, not knowing how to react.
After recovering from her shock, Ding Wan said, “Are we going to make wine, Binglan? Your uncle, cousin, and I don’t know how to do that, especially after hearing how complicated it is.”
Su Fengzhang returned to his senses and said, “It would be great if we could make wine. Then we can drink our very own fragrant and delicious wine.” “We’ll have wine in our village instead of going to town to get some,” Su Wenxian laughed.
The family was thrilled but dared not imagine it, as they kept thinking it was not real. They looked at Su Binglan, waiting for her to speak. The family was nervous and wondered if they could genuinely make wine.
“I know how to make wine since I have the recipe,” Su Binglan said lowly.
“Whoa!”
“What? Did I mishear you, Cousin Binglan?” Su Wenxian’s jaw dropped in shock while his father gasped.
‘My cousin can brew wine! She knows the recipe!’
It was genuinely exciting for the family, and they did not doubt Su Binglan. After all, everyone had witnessed the young lady’s abilities. It would be true if she said she knew how to make wine.
Su Fengzhang rubbed his hands together excitedly, saying, “We’ll do as you say, Binglan.”
He loved making wine and felt energetic just thinking about it. He could only think of that at the moment.
Su Wenxian hurriedly said, “You have me, too, Cousin Binglan. I’m not afraid of learning new things, and I’m hardworking. I want to make wine, too!”
Su Binglan replied, “I’ll let you two handle the winemaking. I’ll need to prepare wine-making equipment and open a winery, so there’s no rush now. I didn’t plan on telling you yet, so I’ll have to consider it.
“Still, since you’re so excited, I’ll tell Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian first. However, you can’t tell anyone else about this.”
Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, Cousin
Binglan,” Su Wenxian said, “I’m the best at keeping my mouth shut.”
Su Fengzhang added, “I don’t ramble to others either. I know it’s best to keep such a thing to myself.”
Ding Wan could not help but laugh as she looked at the father-son duo. ‘You two are like children.”
Although she said that, she was delighted to see her husband and son so happy. Now, the whole family would have jobs to do. After all, one would grow restless without a job to do. Having something to do would make one feel more fulfilled.
One would only find it interesting if one did what one was passionate about. Ding Wan looked forward to the following day and knew she would feel energized after waking up.
Meanwhile, Su Binglan started discussing the winery with Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian.
“Binglan,” Su Fengzhang said, “Are you planning to build a winery before we start making wine?
“We don’t have to wait for the winery to be built since your house is sizable enough. You have three rooms to store many things, so you can place the brewed wine here first.”
“That’s right,” Su Wenxian said excitedly, “Since we have so much free time, we can use it to make wine.”
The father-son duo could hardly wait to get started.
Su Fengzhang said after some thought, “We still need wine barrels. Can we find someone to help us with that? How big do you think the barrels should be, Binglan?
Su Binglan knew how to make wine but needed to consider the details. Now that her uncle had mentioned this, she realized she needed to settle that too.
She said, “We’ll make big wine barrels and small jars. The barrels will be more convenient for storing wine, and then we’ll fill the jars and sell them. We’ll need big and small jars, but I don’t know where to get them.”
Su Binglan thought, ‘Should I build a pottery shop in the village?
However, it was too complicated, so she dropped the idea.
“There’s a family in Willow Village that makes clay pots,” Su Fengzhang said.
Su Wenxian looked at his father. “Didn’t you say the family had stopped
making clay pots? I heard no one bought them even after all the work they put into it.”
Su Binglan was a little confused, “Why isn’t anyone buying their pots?”
Su Wenxian said, “There are many pottery jars out there, so most go elsewhere to get them. The family in Willow Village makes pottery jars by themselves, and only the people in the surrounding villages know about it.
“However, the villagers only buy some as daily necessities. They rarely buy several at a time. That’s why the family stopped making them..”