Miao Shao agreed quickly, put on his clothes and hurried out without having time to wipe off his sweat. Wang Jing thought for a while and whispered to Liu Yan: "General Manager Liu, I need to sign another contract document with the guys here. If this method is leaked, we will pay a heavy sum of money and let them stay in Dapanbao as slaves for generations."
Liu Yan nodded and said loudly: "Don't be in a daze. Today has just begun. Everyone, hurry up and get to work!"
When Liu Yan said these words, everyone in the wine shop stopped being in a dazed state and immediately started busy. After what happened just now, they had already regarded Liu Yan as a god.
Even Qian Zao and the other six brewing masters stopped going crazy and began to work energetically. Liu Yan looked at it with a smile and said loudly: "Each pot of wine must be packed in a separate jar, and it must be stored separately." No one can confuse the mark!"
Later, Qian Zao smiled and said, "I'll write the mark."
Seeing that everyone in the wine shop was excited, Liu Yan turned around and said to everyone: "I am enough here. You are too hot. Go and have a rest."
After watching the wonderful scene just now, everyone felt sweaty and uncomfortable. After hearing what Liu Yan said, they all said hello and went out.
Wang Jing and Wang Yunhe were going to wait at the General Flag Office first. The brewing business seemed to be definitely profitable. They still had to wait for Liu Yan to come over to discuss how to cooperate.
Liu Yan also specifically told: "Shopkeeper Wang, Miss Wang, it's cold outside. You must wait in the outer room until the sweat dries before going out to avoid catching the wind and cold."
Wang Jing thanked him with clasped fists and said to go to the flag hall to wait. Wang Yunhe lowered his head and agreed with a smile.
Then Miao Shao walked at the end, but was grabbed by Liu Yan and said in a low voice: "Tell Xu Xiaoqi and ask him to send a few Ye Ye to keep an eye on them. The Dunjuns do things too according to the rules, and they will inevitably be deceived. Ye Ye Even if you don't accept it, come and support it. From now on, people here are not allowed to go out and can only stay in the wine shop. Then we need to find out where their family members are. Go and do it now, quickly!"
Miao Shao nodded and hurriedly ran out.
The second pot produced the most wine and took a longer time. Then the water was changed twice. The taste of the wine in the third pot was already a little weak, the fourth pot was even weaker, and the taste of the fifth pot was already a little sour.
"The wine produced in the second pot and the wine produced in the third pot can be mixed together, and the taste will be more suitable."
Qian Zao mixed several kinds of wine on the spot. There was no need to tell the proportions, just mix them directly.
"The flavors in Yangzhou and Jiangnan are lighter. If necessary in the future, you can mix in the fourth pot." Qian Zao pursed his lips and said.
After the five pots of wine, the wine and grain have turned into distiller's grains and are quickly cleaned out. This thing can also be sold for money. It is very good pig feed and can be sold to farmers everywhere to make money.
The gauze on the ground pot steamer was taken out and soaked in water, then twisted and spread again. The apprentices nervously placed the wine and food in preparation for the next cycle.
Seeing the apprentices busy here, Qian Zao gave a few words to the apprentice who was lighting the fire, and then ran over to flatter him and said: "Chang Jia, such good wine must be easy to sell. Good wine must have a good name. Chang Jia has a good name." Name it”
Liu Yan pondered for a moment, then said with a smile: "This kind of wine should be called Erguotou wine, but I think it should be named after Dapanbao. This wine is called Dapanbao Shaoguo!"
Qian Zao smiled and clapped his hands and said, "Okay, Dapanbao Shaoguo, I think it won't be long before it becomes popular throughout Shandong!"
In fact, Liu Yan's wine-making technique was the Erguotou wine of later generations in Beijing. The reason why it was given another name was not to avoid suspicion. In the original history, this wine would not appear for another few decades. There is nothing to shy away from.
But Liu Yan thought that if he named Erguotou, other wine-making masters would inevitably figure it out. The name of this Dapanbao Shaoguo was quite satisfactory, and there was no problem of leaking the craftsmanship.
What Liu Yan learned in the past had nothing to do with making wine, but he also knew a lot of knowledge and allusions about wine.
Liu Yan had heard the allusion of Erguotou many times. He said that in the past when he was making wine, the so-called head of the first pot contained too many impurities and was too potent and harmful to people, while the tail of the last pot was too light and was already No more alcohol smell.
The three brothers of the Zhao family in the capital improved the process of making shochu and made Erguotou by pinching off the head and removing the tail, and then marketed it all over the world.
Erguotou is not a top-notch famous liquor, but its brewing process is not that complicated, and it is clear and mellow enough at this price, far better than the same grade of shochu. In addition, it is brewed with sorghum, which is more expensive than rice. I don’t know how much cheaper wheat beans are, but the cost is already much lower.
Just "cut off the head and tail", the quality of soju can be improved a hundred times. This effect is similar to turning stone into gold. This kind of change is particularly dramatic, so it is more memorable.
Liu Yan remembers clearly that in the north, Erguotou is indeed a very popular liquor, and people drink it not just because it is cheap, but because Erguotou tastes really good.
Although the memory of the historical process is relatively vague, Liu Yan can still confirm that the time when the three brothers of the Zhao family improved their craftsmanship to make Erguotou was in the Kangxi period of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. It was several decades apart from now. The only thing that cannot be confirmed is that Did this method of making wine appear in this era?
Information spreads too slowly in this era. No one spread the word about the major events that happened in Wangjiazhuang. It would be good if the neighboring Baihu Office heard about it ten days later. Liu Yan has always been worried that the craftsmanship of Erguotou has been around for a long time, but he just doesn’t know about it. , a Tunpu commander has nothing to do with the brewing of wine, so it is normal not to know.
But this craft is always worth a gamble. The official price of one stone of sorghum is a little more than 200 Wen. If you cooperate with Wang Jing, the price should be much lower than this, but a pound of good wine can always be sold for dozens of Wen. Wine Liu Yan has been paying attention to these data from the workshop. According to this "pinch off the head and remove the tail" brewing method, one hundred kilograms of sorghum can produce more than fifty kilograms of wine. One stone of 120 kilograms of sorghum can produce almost seventy kilograms. The way the wine looks, that is to say, ten times the profit can be easily obtained, and more is not impossible.
Before the wine was released, Liu Yan could not be sure about anything and could only say that he was gambling. But when he came to the winery today, he waited until the second pot of wine came out to see what Qian Zao and the wine masters and apprentices were saying. Shocked from the bottom of his heart, Liu Yan knew that he had done the right thing.
Looking at the busy crowd, with the familiar aroma of wine lingering on the tip of his nose, Liu Yan was really wandering this time. He was wondering, such a simple method, these old craftsmen who have been making wine for more than ten years have not discovered it. .
But it’s easy to figure it out. Everyone opens a wine shop to make a living and earns a little hard-earned money. So why do they have the energy to innovate and invent? Moreover, in this system of masters leading apprentices, everything taught by the master is the truth. I’m afraid Something went wrong after the modification, and it was passed down from generation to generation, until at a certain moment someone had an idea, or someone who was thoughtful summed up the invention and found this method.
In the past, wine was mixed in a jar regardless of the number of pots, and finally mixed together. It seemed that there was no waste at all. In fact, all the bad taste and impurities were mixed in the wine. If you want to drink well, you can only use good water, No one would have thought that it would be so simple to improve the taste of good music and food by increasing costs.
In fact, this method is in the blind spot of people's thinking. Even if it is discovered by chance, it will be regarded as an accident and will not be regarded as an invention that turns stone into gold.
After the method of discarding the first and last pot was proposed, Liu Yan could not offer many opinions on the next work. Qian Zao and a group of brewing masters showed their experience and ability as wine craftsmen, and they gradually adjusted the Tianguo The time and frequency of changing the cold water in the second pot will make the wine produced in the second pot taste sweeter and mellower, allowing each pot of distiller's sake and grains to steam out more good wine.
Qian Zao even found a way to use the discarded first pot of wine and the last pot of wine. He directly mixed the head and tail of the wine into new wine grains, and then steamed the wine. The result was that the wine was steamed. The shochu that comes out has a unique flavor and becomes somewhat mellow and rich.
In fact, Liu Yan only did one of all the work. He just proposed the concept of "pinch off the beginning and remove the tail", but this concept opened a window for Qian Zao and the other six winemakers. experience and knowledge in applying this concept.
It wasn't until night fell and the sky became dark that everyone stopped working. Everyone had a look of reluctance on their faces. Qian Zao and several winemakers had tired expressions on their faces, but their eyes were sparkling.
A jar of fine wine was placed in the winery, with a label written by Qian Zao on it. Miao Shao had completed Liu Yan's instructions and returned here.
The evening breeze blew, and the heat in the winery dispersed a lot. All the people working in the winery were called over. Liu Yan glanced around with a smile, and Miao Shao behind him whispered: "Chief A, in the winery All the people are here.”
"You have done a great job in producing wine today. Qian Zao and several brewing masters will each be awarded two months' wages. The other apprentices will each be awarded one month's wages." Liu Yan said loudly.
Before he finished speaking, there were exclamations of surprise. Qian Zao and other brewing masters and apprentices were stunned and laughed so hard that they couldn't open their eyes. According to the wages negotiated by Miao Shao and everyone, this was a reward of nearly ten taels of silver. After the surprise, everyone knelt down to thank him. Liu Yan smiled and stepped forward to help him up, and then said: "The other craftsmen who built the winery will also be rewarded with another month's wages."
Miao Shao said with a smile: "Then I will thank the master for those craftsmen. I will take care of this later."
After everyone discussed happily for a while, Liu Yan cleared his throat, looked more serious, and said: "From now on, if you or your relatives open a winery, or invest in other wineries, as long as they are I found out that I will destroy his whole family. Although I, Liu Yan, am very good to my subordinates, I am also a person who does what I say."
Just now Liu Yan was talking about rewards and rewards, and everyone was happy. Suddenly the topic turned to such murderous intent. Qian Zao and others subconsciously stepped back, and one of the brewing masters accidentally stumbled a few times. He almost sat down on the ground.
There was a smile on Liu Yan's face again, but this smile was frightening. He said calmly: "You should all know what kind of person I am. If I say the family is destroyed, I will definitely destroy the family. Everyone, please stay with me." "Yu, I won't trap you for the rest of your life. As long as you do well, eat and drink well, your salary will increase every year, but you have to be careful. I will only say this once, don't harm yourself, don't harm your family."
Everyone was silent. Miao Shao, who was behind Liu Yan, was a little stunned and reacted. He immediately pulled out half of the knife and then inserted it back.
The lights of the winery flashed with the light of the sword, and the brewmasters and apprentices in the winery turned pale. Seeing this, Miao Shao raised his voice and said: "The commander of the army is benevolent, but he will never be soft on those who cheat others. Who wants to Thinking about those small-minded people, the whole family will suffer, and I am not afraid to tell you that in this big fort, our commander is the king! If you really want to do something that is sorry for everyone behind your back, don't talk about us. Even if the king of heaven comes, I will forgive you. I can’t help you!”
After saying this, many people's faces turned paler, and several of them trembled. Liu Yan continued with a smile: "You can send a message to your family and ask them to move here. Your family can also come to work here, and the wages will be paid." Take care of it, so that everyone can feel more at ease."
Seeing everyone's frightened look, Liu Yan softened his voice and said, "I am used to saying ugly things in front of you, so that you can have a sense of balance in your mind. Otherwise, if you really break up, you still feel aggrieved. Go back and think about it." It’s not up to you to think through what I’m saying.”
After saying that, he waved his hands and let everyone disperse. When everyone left, their faces were not good-looking and they all looked listless. Liu Yan and Miao Shao were the only ones left in the wine shop. Watching people go out, Miao Shao couldn't help but speak. Said: "Captain A, I think these people are honest people who work hard in life and share the same heart as our winery. What Commander A said will make them feel chilled."
Liu Yan said: "This method of making wine sounds simple. Anyone who learns it can make this kind of wine. Do you think they won't be tempted? As long as you go out and open a small winery, you can make ten times and twenty times the wine." Even if you have no capital, you can invest in stocks with this skill, or be recruited as a son-in-law. They were all happy just now. Do you think it was for the sake of selling wine? They learned the skill for themselves, really let them put this If all the craftsmen are gone, what will we eat? I, Liu Yan, have worked so hard to open this winery, not to be a good person!"
Miao Shao thought about it carefully, then nodded and said: "As the saying goes: three years as an apprentice, three years as a minor worker, and three years as a major worker before you can get into contact with the craftsmanship. Why is this rule because it means that the apprentice has learned to be Shanyu, so he must Use him for ten years, or you'll lose it."
Liu Yan smiled and said: "That's the truth! If they can calm down, I will not trap them for the rest of their lives. I will let them out after six or eight years."
Miao Shao suddenly became anxious when he heard this, and shouted: "Chang Jia, this skill of turning stone into gold must not be released. When the time is up, let's make another batch?"
When he spoke, he made a false gesture of chopping. Liu Yan raised his eyebrows, shook his head and said, "You are quite cruel."
Miao Shao also felt that what he said was too straightforward, so Yu explained with a smile: "I am also thinking about everyone, why bother to make it easy for them with a big fortune."
Liu Yan said: "Don't worry, in six or eight years, we will definitely have bigger business to do. Even by then, we will no longer be limited to this big city!"
