The transparent glass was filled with dark brown liquid. Its color was similar to that of ale brewed from burnt oats, and its smell was extremely unique.
But the cup was still full of strange things. Rurik was very interested in it, and his female relatives expressed doubts.
"Is it the sweet and sour wine brewed by people from the east?" Otto asked casually.
"It was made by Peravina." Aslaki personally helped up the pottery jar and asked Otto if he wanted to taste it.
"Novgorod people make this kind of strange wine. It's good. Compared with bitter wine, this sweet and sour wine is also good."
Rurik sounded a little surprised. The kvass he was surprised by was not a rare thing in old Otto's place.
Thinking about it again, it is not surprising that Otto frequently visited Novgorod in the past and knew and drank kvass.
In fact, the idea of adding oat flour to wheat flour has been around since ancient times. In this era of rough agriculture, it was almost inevitable to mix the two types of wheat. It is common for people to pursue delicious food. Mixing wheat flour with rich stickiness and oat flour with lack of stickiness, baked bread is a beneficial compromise. Even if wheat flour is in the minority, oat flour, which is the majority, can appear in the form of shaped bread.
This kind of bread can be hard, even if it is eaten like chewing wood, its extremely shelf-stable and edible characteristics make it a perfect convenience food in this era.
As for it being made into kvass after being left out for too long...
This was a good idea from the East Slavs. Perhaps after they knew how to make bread, the technology of kvass was also invented. In comparison, the Rus and other Viking tribes have been fishermen since ancient times, and oat cultivation only happened in the past few hundred years. And the Russians, who have never left the fjord, are simply unable to plant. It is only in the past five years that a large number of professional farmers have begun to appear in the Russians.
Otto drank it deliciously, and Rurik tasted it carefully.
At this time, Aslaki's carefully baked bread was cut into densely sliced slices and shared with everyone sitting around the long table, especially the girls.
Slices of bread were placed on the glass dinner plate. Rurik, who had already eaten a bowl of noodles, didn't mind having more bread.
He smelled the strong aroma of wheat, and under the matrix of oil lamps, the almost pure white, fluffy and porous appearance of the bread slices really made him feel that time was a little bit out of place again.
"Did you bake this?" Rurik raised his head again and looked at Aslaqi.
"Yeah. I've always been good at this."
"Eh? Why didn't I know this in Gotland? Is this your secret?"
Aslaqi smiled, she actually wanted to say a lot.
Otto was not surprised. This old guy was very excited after drinking some wine. He really fell in love with this wonderful way of eating wheat after eating lo mein for many days. He also had some unique oriental drinks and interesting slices of bread. , life is endlessly joyful.
But this piece of bread directly refreshed his understanding of bread.
A large piece of bread was as soft as lamb's fur. It had a rich wheat aroma and an indescribable burnt and sweet feeling. An extremely powerful desire to eat took over the mind.
He opened his mouth wide and stuffed the soft bread slices into his mouth in just two clicks, then chewed it deliciously, and a sweet feeling suddenly filled his entire mouth.
Otto swallowed it, patted his chest vigorously and drank the remaining half cup of kvass, letting out a sour and refreshing burp.
He pointed with his big hand: "Aslaqi, you! Did you use honey water?"
"It's honey." She answered calmly.
"Are you really willing to give it up?!"
"I am willing to give it to the Duke to eat well."
These were flattering words, Otto laughed happily, and Rurik naturally heard the deep meaning.
At this moment, Arik became an outsider. He was fully aware of his wife's intentions, but he didn't know how to join them. It was an awkward scene for a grown man to stand here. Rurik felt really bad about it and simply left his seat. Even if it was crowded, he had to pull his cousin to the dining table.
Before, this was perfectly normal.
But Old Otto has completed raising Arik based on tradition. His nephew has already married and established a business, and is already a hero of the dukedom. While he is acting alone, he will treat himself as a guest when he comes to the duke's family. Also because of the change in status, Arik must remain humble and respectful when facing the most noble duke family.
Many times, the young and promising Arik felt that his relationship with his uncle was inevitably alienated. My uncle's life is coming to an end. Although I love my brother, he is a duke after all, and is called the "Son of God" by everyone.
Even if he has achieved great achievements, compared to Rurik's achievements, these military achievements are like the stars and the sun. Although they are both twinkling existences, his younger brother is the shining one and the extremely warm existence.
Arik has an inferiority complex, but Aslaqi, because she came with a purpose, behaved more generously.
A glass bottle stuffed with wooden blocks was placed on the table by Otto with a bang, and then he pushed it in front of Arik: "Drink! We, father and son, drank it!"
Liquor?
Then drink it.
Unexpectedly, Otto, who was in high spirits, quickly ordered his servants to bring more spirits.
"Dad, do you want to get drunk with Arik?" Rurik frowned and couldn't help but feel nervous, "We agreed that there would only be one bottle a day."
"Forget it! Brat. You have forgotten your father for Ross's great cause. I am very happy today. Both of you brothers have become heroes, but it is a pity that I am old. Drink! Alas..." Old Otto thought Tears couldn't help but fall down over some past events, and then turned into the wail of an old man.
Things became extremely strange. Niya held Otto's head to comfort him like a child, but Otto kept crying and yelling: Ogier can no longer enjoy the good days now!
Hearing this, Arik felt relieved. He suddenly pulled off the cap of the bottle, drank a bottle of strong wine, and then said, "Fortunately, my biological father's grave is still here."
Rurik immediately answered: "Then sprinkle the wine on my uncle's tomb. You must do it at night. His heroic spirit will see us in the sky."
"good idea."
Otto's sudden emotional loss was certainly due to his drunkenness, but the most fundamental reason was sadness for his own aging. As a hero aged, he felt increasingly powerless to make a difference, and even took a boat trip to Novo. Vgorod feels exhausted, and now he can only stay in his hometown and stick to the old friends who no longer have much left in their childhood. Being marginalized is really painful, but this is fate.
He noticed that Aslaqi's belly seemed to be growing again, but his eldest niece Peravina's belly was indeed much bigger.
His son Rurik's ability is even more outstanding. Among the female relatives sitting here, there are three of them who have given birth to new life in their bellies.
Nordic women naturally lose their childishness prematurely. Princess Marie and Duchess Carlotta of Ostara all have their bellies puffed out. As for the high priest Rumia, who has more North Asian ancestry, she is almost twenty years old, and is actually a mature woman in today's concept.
How to bake bread so it's soft and fragrant? Rurik intends to ask Aslaki about this matter.
He didn't care that his father and his cousin were drinking happily, he just wanted to figure out the matter. After all, eating a good meal was an important remedy in this era of lack of entertainment.
Aslaqi simply seized this opportunity: "Sir, actually I have something important to tell you this time."
"Is it true that you are here because of something big?" Rurik became more vigilant.
"Maybe it's something big, maybe not. I just have one request."
"Say it, as long as it's reasonable, I'll be satisfied."
"Okay. It's..." Aslaqi composed herself, "It's your mill. I want to see your golden millstone. I want to see its structure and learn from it. I want to build a mill that belongs to my family. , at your service.”
Open a mill? Is this a big deal?
Yes, it is indeed a big deal.
Rurik thought about it carefully, and in this era, a mill could almost be called a "heavy industry" style.
He glanced at his cousin and his father. Given the current situation, it would be ridiculous to say that they were not father and son. Not only did the two drink strong drinks, a large amount of ale was also placed on the table. The two of them were so fierce, but unfortunately the material conditions now were much better than before, and the wine was enough for the two of them to drink to pieces.
Rurik ordered the female relatives who had eaten their fill to go back to their rooms to rest, or they could gather around Mary to review the Latin they were learning with each other.
He only left Aslaqi behind: "It's good to visit and learn from my mill. I can probably guess how you bake bread. Now come with me and take you to the mill to have a look."
It's still March, and even though it's almost April, the frozen sea has begun to show obvious signs of melting, and the whole world is still cold. The thick snow is still there, and it reflects the moonlight and stars like crazy. The whole world is not really dark.
The golden millstone of the mill was still running squeakingly, and the slaves who were lazy to rest hurriedly stood up to grind the mill when the Duke came.
These servants were all captured from Britain, and their laziness was not a problem. Even Yuryrik wanted to move the mill. The bronze millstone was indeed a bit strange, and the sharp sound of metal friction was really an annoying noise in an extremely quiet night.
"You all avoid it. I don't blame you for being lazy." Rurik ordered casually.
Satisfied, Aslaqi walked up and stroked the golden millstone that made this work. They are not real gold, but a type of bronze that is colored like gold. She confidently inspected the ground coarse flour, and the smile on her face gradually faded as she savored it carefully.
"What do you think?" Rurik asked.
"It's a wonderful tool. It's much more efficient than the stone grinding rod I used. However, the wheat it grinds is not very fine. Can I see the structure under the millstone?"
"sure."
Soon, the mercenaries standing guard were called into the mill, and the four of them worked together to unload the millstone above.
Under the oil lamp, the internal structure of the upper and lower millstones was vividly displayed in front of Aslaqi, and she deconstructed its operating mechanism in her mind almost instantly.
She murmured: "With this structure, the wheat grains are ground into powder. It is indeed very different from the stone grinding rod method."
"Of course. It's an invention from the far East, brought here by the Romans. Oh, I hope you understand what I'm saying."
Rurik was inevitably a little arrogant in this regard, but when he asked Asraqi if he understood the structure, he received an extremely firm affirmative answer.
"Oh? You...really understand?"
"Yes. Look at those grooves. They are indeed the key to grinding wheat grains into powder. Unfortunately, my family's wealth is not enough to make so many bronze millstones."
"Are you obsessed with bronze?" Rurik stepped forward and pointed casually: "Bronze is not a good thing, it is just a stopgap measure. I need a lot of flour immediately, and I also need to make sure I can make a good millstone. Now it seems I succeeded."
Aslaqi immediately spoke from the perspective of a businessman: "Indeed, if I use stones, I don't have to spend a lot of money to make stone millstones. Many stones are also very hard and can grind wheat into powder."
"It's such a pity..." Rurik sighed softly: "I am about to finish preparing the last dry food, and I will go to Balmok in a few days. Without these four millstones, I would not be able to process it. Too much flour for bread and flatbreads.”
"If you have enough time." Aslaqi asked weakly.
Rurik turned his face sharply, "Of course I will not hesitate to make a large number of stone millstones. One hundred or two hundred. In the future, Ross will only get more and more wheat. Grinding flour to make bread is an unstoppable trend." Trend. Believe me, people no longer like to eat simple boiled wheat grains after eating bread. Everyone’s desire for delicious meals is unstoppable. You said you want to build a mill? I am still worrying about who to arrange such a mill. A job. Aslaqi, you are exactly as your name suggests, the fairy of the sanctuary."
"You are a noble person. These four bronze mills are really beautiful. Shouldn't you make more?"
Rurik shook his head: "If possible, I would also like to try zirconium bronze or even simple carbon steel, but the cost is too high."
"Could it be that a great Duke would also worry about costs? You are clearly the richest man in the world."
"Put away your flattery! Aslaqi, do you regard me as a businessman? You actually talk to me in an attitude of flattering merchants. I am a duke, and my wealth is not only my own, but also the people of Russia. From now on. I have tens of thousands of children to feed, and I am in trouble when they are hungry. Your proposal is very good. It would be a great help to me if you could build a new mill. If your mill is strong enough, the qualification to process grain will be yours. .”
"Ah! How wonderful."
"If you are willing, build me a lot of mills. I don't care what kind of grinding you use, what I need is always ground flour. If you succeed, these golden millstones will be given to you."
"I...I can! I can make a batch of stone grindstones very quickly, and even..."
While she was ecstatic, she also retained a strange hesitation.
Rurik immediately asked: "Do you want more rewards? Aslaqi, I promise you to process flour for me, and I will naturally reward you."
"I think so, and I also thought of a tool." She began to describe a possibility: "If there is a huge stone mill rod that is pushed and rotated to grind wheat, it..."
"Huh?" Rurik was shocked.
"Your Majesty the Duke..."
Rurik blurted out "niantz" in great surprise, referring to the rotating stone roller.
Aslaqi danced and described her idea, and Rurik was absolutely sure that she was talking about Shi Nianzi.
Perhaps such a heavy-duty wheat processing tool should not have been thought up by a Nordic woman. How could she think of something she had never seen before?
In fact, the prototype of the heavy stone mill is the stone grinding rod, which is pushed by heat to roll the wheat grains into powder. If it is large enough, it can crush the wheat by its own weight. Today, Aslaqi saw the stone grinding disc that rotates to grind wheat grains. Her smart mind instantly thought about the giant stone grinding rod being continuously pushed around a central axis to roll and grind the wheat grains.
The rotating stone grinder was originally in Rurik's plan. Since Aslaqi proposed this equipment configuration, wouldn't it be an afterthought if he jumped out and said that he had thought of it too?
Just think of it as something Aslachi came up with.
"You are so smart! You are really our baby Rose! I would like to call you sister."
Aslaqi was a little confused by such a high praise. After all, she was a woman who had seen the world. She knew that this was a business opportunity related to the future of the old Harald family, and she must seize it.
Are businessmen just second-rate dealers?
No! Although the old Harald family's property in Gotland collapsed, the family is slowly recovering in New Rossburg under the rule of the Rus. Although recovering, the successor of the family fell on the shoulders of a young woman.
In Gotland, the family's only industry is the processing of wool and sheepskin. Aslaqi noticed that the Rus people were doing similar work. The industry was already prosperous, and she felt uncomfortable trying to get involved.
Build a mill to focus on processing flour, and then build a bakery to make a large amount of bread to provide high-quality military rations for the Russian army in the future. This is an absolutely emerging industry. If you seize the first-mover advantage, you will gain future privileges.
After living in Rossburg for more than two years, Aslaqi felt that she had glimpsed the secret of the Ross people's victory. The Russian army is very organized, very good at navigation, and has advanced and sophisticated weapons. What's especially important is that they always stock up on a lot of food before a battle so that they can compete with their enemies for consumption.
Because the benefits are eternal. She has no obsession with Gotland itself. She just wants to revive her family. It doesn't matter where the revival is completed.
Aslaqi and her family have completely taken the position of the Russians. Tonight, they actively asked Ying to build a large number of mills and bake a large amount of bread. This was actually a letter of submission to Rurik that belonged only to Aslaqi.
This time she not only produced a certificate of nomination, but also a guarantee.
She promised Rurik: "When you come back from Balmok, you will see a brand new mill. When my first stone mill or stone mill is built, the wheat will be processed immediately. I will personally spend money to get it from you." I’m here to buy wheat and process it into flour, and I hope you’ll buy it all when you come back.”
This was her condition, and Rurik readily accepted it: "Great. If so, I will give you a suitable purchase price."
Rurik could not come up with a suitable price right away. The labor fee for Aslaqi's mill in the future must be based on the actual situation. His answer was very vague, and Aslaqi didn't care.
In other words, Aslaqi's focus has never been on how much money she can get from working for the Duke. If you think about it this way, the situation is too small.
She hopes that her full performance will benefit her family and lead to a faster recovery.
This is the struggle of a mother, the struggle of a female warrior.
