Chapter 41: The Torrential Rain
The two of them cleared a patch of ground and placed the wine jar in the middle.
All four furry ones crowded over to look, their warm, fluffy heads squeezing between their arms.
Ying Kongtu had no choice but to reach out and push away Jingwei and Dart, who had gotten too close. “Move back a little. Be careful, or the machete might jab you.”
The mud sealing the outside of the wine jar was too thick. After so many years of settling, the soil had practically grown together with the jar, looking exactly like one whole wine-jar-shaped rock.
There was no way to pry this kind of soil open by hand. They could only knock it with the thick back of the knife.
Ying Kongtu judged the angle and carefully tapped the mud on the wine jar with the back of the blade.
He struck the mud several times before it finally loosened and a large piece fell off.
Once the first piece had been knocked down, removing the rest became much easier.
Wen Zhongshan held the wine jar with both hands while Ying Kongtu slowly circled it and tapped.
Soon, most of the mud had been knocked off, revealing the jar mouth wrapped in kraft paper.
After several hundred years, the kraft paper had already rotted away. The moment he reached out and lifted it, it turned into scraps.
Ying Kongtu carefully brushed all the paper scraps onto the ground, then lifted the lid of the wine jar.
In an instant, the aroma of wine drifted out.
The fragrance was so rich, yet extremely gentle, without the slightest harshness on the nose.
It smelled rather deep and heavy, but it also had a very natural, pleasant scent.
The little ones could not help crowding over again.
Xian Niao turned its ears. Tiaozhu raised its right front paw, seeming rather curious and wanting to place it on the wine jar.
Ying Kongtu lifted his arm and blocked them with his elbow. “No. Hey, careful. Don’t let your fur fall into the wine.”
Tiaozhu dissatisfiedly patted Ying Kongtu’s arm with its paw pad, though it did not extend its claws.
Ying Kongtu sniffed it, then brought the wine jar before Wen Zhongshan. “It doesn’t smell spoiled?”
Wen Zhongshan was very certain. “It hasn’t spoiled. It can be drunk.”
“Then let’s dig out the other four jars too.”
Ying Kongtu carefully placed the wine jar in the back basket. He even fastened the lid of the basket, then set it beneath a tree some distance away.
“Xian Niao, help me watch this jar of wine?” Ying Kongtu turned and said to Xian Niao.
Xian Niao said, “Awoo.”
After digging up the first jar, Ying Kongtu gained confidence, and the next four jars were dug out much faster.
By afternoon, they had dug up all the wine.
Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan each carried two jars on their backs.
In addition, Ying Kongtu held the jar they had already opened directly in front of him.
In this manner, they went down the mountain.
After returning home, Ying Kongtu first prepared food for the little ones, letting them eat lunch first.
As for Wen Zhongshan, he only stuffed a bun into his hand to tide him over.
“Let’s taste this wine. Wait, I’ll make a drinking snack.”
Ying Kongtu walked around the house. There were all kinds of dried goods in the attic, cured meat hanging from the beams, and dioscorea stored in the storeroom.
These were all good things, but as drinking snacks, they seemed to lack something.
Ying Kongtu walked around the house twice, and in the end, he could not help reaching into Tiaozhu and the others’ snack basket.
“Tiaozhu, I’m taking a few pieces of dried fish to go with the wine.” Ying Kongtu called out loudly to Tiaozhu and took out a handful of dried fish.
After thinking about it, he took out another small handful.
As soon as he finished, he met Wen Zhongshan’s eyes.
“This dried fish is especially delicious. Good wine should be paired with good dried fish.” Ying Kongtu guiltily lowered his voice.
Wen Zhongshan also lowered his voice, his eyes carrying a smile. “Then today, we can only borrow Tiaozhu and the others’ snacks first.”
This dried fish was made from the large fish that Tiaozhu had brought back from Ai Mountain last time.
They had not finished that large fish at the time, so Ying Kongtu had specially saved a meaty portion and put it into the dehydrator to dry.
He had processed the dried fish very cleanly, so humans could eat it too.
Tiaozhu did not love snacks, so quite a lot of dried fish remained. Unexpectedly, it ended up benefiting the two of them.
They looked at each other and smiled. Ying Kongtu said, “Heat the oil. I’ll make a drinking snack.”
The quality of the dried fish was good enough, so Ying Kongtu made this drinking snack very simply.
He merely waited until the wok was hot, added a large spoonful of snowy-white lard, then put in ginger and garlic to fry until fragrant before adding the dried fish and pan-frying it.
When the dried fish was almost done and the heat in the wok was sufficient, Ying Kongtu poured in half a small bowl of high-proof liquor brewed by villagers outside.
With a sizzle, the liquor hit the wok and instantly sent up a large burst of flame.
The flames carried away the alcohol and also carried off that faint trace of fishiness. At the same time, the wine softened the dried fish, making the fish that had been dried extremely crisp regain a little moisture so it could absorb the flavors of soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings.
The kitchen became fragrant again.
The dried fish in the wok simmered with little sizzling sounds. Ying Kongtu added a large handful of shredded chilies, stir-fried until fragrant and evenly mixed, then added sesame seeds.
At this point, a plate of fresh, savory, dry-spicy dried fish for drinking was ready.
Ying Kongtu served it on a snow-white porcelain plate.
The dried fish was golden, the chilies bright red, and the sesame pale white. It truly had color, aroma, and flavor.
“It’s ready.” Ying Kongtu brought out a plate of fried peanuts from the cupboard. “Let’s drink!”
Today, there were only two drinking snacks, and only two people drinking.
The two sat facing each other and poured wine from the ancient wine jar.
When Ying Kongtu had stored it, what he stored was clear white liquor.
Now, after being dug out several hundred years later, the wine had turned yellow, becoming a color like amber.
Not only had the color changed, but the aroma inside had also changed.
After being settled and urged on by time, its fragrance had become more complex. It smelled sweeter, richer, and heavier.
Ying Kongtu smelled it, then took a small sip.
The wine’s flavor was very deep. There was an obvious gelatinous texture to it. It was very smooth to drink and very fragrant.
It was not stimulating at all. After swallowing it, the fragrance and sweetness rose back up, giving it an extremely unusual mouthfeel.
Ying Kongtu had originally wanted to use the drinking snacks to suppress the intensity, only to discover there was no need at all.
It was a very mellow and gentle wine. Even drinking it by itself was delicious.
After drinking one sip, Ying Kongtu took another.
He lifted his head. Wen Zhongshan was also carefully savoring the wine in his cup.
“Good wine. So fragrant.” Wen Zhongshan praised, “This flavor is very special. It’s different from every wine I’ve drunk before.”
“It’s probably the aroma produced after all kinds of flavor substances inside underwent long fermentation and transformation.” Ying Kongtu savored the wine and said, “Not only is it different from the wine you’ve drunk before, even if I bury another batch now, their flavor probably won’t be the same.”
This wine had been stored for too long, and the fragrance it had transformed into was too special.
This was not merely the result of human brewing. It was also the result of time and all things in the world brewing together.
Back then, Ying Kongtu had buried them underground.
Under the effects of unique temperature, humidity, microorganisms, and other factors, they had slowly mellowed, year after year, changing little by little in subtle ways, finally becoming the flavor they had now.
Ying Kongtu leaned back against the chair.
It really was good wine.
The sunlight spilling over him was good. The wind blowing over was good. The distant green mountains were good. Wen Zhongshan sitting across from him was also good.
Drinking wine in such surroundings made the wine taste even better.
“What a pity. There’s only a little over half a jar left in each of the five jars.” Ying Kongtu swirled his cup. “Because there’s so little of this batch, it feels even better.”
“When we have time, shall we brew another batch and bury it?”
“Sure. Why don’t we ask your friend for the seeds of that green rice? I’ll grow a new batch of rice. When next year’s new grain comes out, we can brew wine.”
The friend who had given Ying Kongtu the rice several hundred years ago had long since passed away. Now, Ying Kongtu could only find his grave.
The old friend was gone, and that kind of rice had disappeared into the long river of history. Yet the wine brewed from the rice he had given still comforted the heart.
Ying Kongtu sniffed the wine in his cup again and said, “Give one jar of this wine to your friend. We’ll slowly drink the rest.”
Wen Zhongshan paused. “You’re not selling it for money? If this kind of old wine were sent to the right auction, the price should be quite high.”
Ying Kongtu said freely, “For wine several hundred years old, every sip drunk is one sip less. Why sell it? As for your friend, he sounds like someone who loves wine. If we send him some to taste, he should be able to appreciate what makes this wine unique. Giving wine to someone who understands wine does not dishonor it.”
Wen Zhongshan nodded. “He really can.”
“Then it’s decided. We’ll give one jar to your friend. We’ll slowly drink this opened jar, and the remaining three jars will be stored away. We’ll open them when we want to drink.”
Ying Kongtu drank in the sunlight, his expression very leisurely.
He truly liked this wine, but he was also willing to share it.
Wen Zhongshan knew that Ying Kongtu regarded him as one of his own, and by extension, Ying Kongtu had also treated his friend Fu Yuan as a friend.
The two of them drank in the sunlight.
The little animals at home came over to sniff, and Ying Kongtu gave each of them one drop.
The little ones were not particularly interested in the wine. Instead, they were interested in the dried fish on the table.
They could not really eat spicy food, and Ying Kongtu did not dare give them any. He had no choice but to return to the kitchen and dig out some dried little fish, giving each of them one piece to slowly chew on while lying in the sunlight.
Going up the mountain had already been tiring, and digging up wine was also physical work.
After drinking together for half the afternoon, Ying Kongtu would not let Wen Zhongshan go home and instead kept him in the guest room to sleep.
Ying Kongtu leaned against the doorway and lazily said to Wen Zhongshan, “I’m not at ease letting you go home alone. Stay here. Xian Niao can keep an eye on us so nothing happens.”
Ying Kongtu also brought out the newly prepared loose sleepwear for Wen Zhongshan and told him to wash up and change.
By the time Wen Zhongshan came out, the bed had already been made.
Even the guest room was well cared for by Ying Kongtu.
The bedding had all been sunned. When one lay down in it, one could smell a pleasant dry fragrance.
Ying Kongtu also washed up and returned to his room to sleep.
The wine had been buried in the mountains for so long, but its alcohol content was actually not high.
Ying Kongtu felt he was not drunk.
Only, after drinking, he was still much more relaxed than usual, his whole body feeling light and carefree, as though floating.
He wrapped himself in the warm, fluffy quilt and soon fell deeply asleep.
Until night, when Ying Kongtu was awakened by heavy rain.
Ying Kongtu had not seen such heavy winter rain in many years.
The rain smashed against the ground. It did not sound like individual raindrops, but rather like clumps of rain, as though someone in the sky were throwing them down, thudding heavily onto the earth.
Perhaps because the mountain god had fallen into a deep sleep, the usual favorable winds and timely rains had disappeared, and tonight’s rain fell especially fiercely.
“Awoo—” Jingwei heard the commotion and cried out in the living room.
Dart also scratched at the door with its paws.
Ying Kongtu lifted the quilt and sat up, about to go open the door for them.
Through the window, a bright white flash of lightning cut across the sky, followed by rolling, muffled thunder.
Good heavens. The thunder in winter was this loud!
Outside, Dart and Jingwei’s cries grew even louder. They were probably a little frightened.
Ying Kongtu hurriedly put on his clothes and went to open the door. The two furry ones immediately squeezed in.
He stroked each of them, while quickly calculating in his heart whether there was anything that needed to be brought in.
The things drying on the roof had all been put away. There was nothing in the courtyard that could not be rained on.
There were also Tiaozhu and Xian Niao. Fortunately, they had already returned to the shrine. Otherwise, in such heavy rain, they would have had a hard time too.
Oh no!
Ying Kongtu suddenly remembered: the pigs on the mountain had not been settled properly!
With rain this heavy, that simple pig shed definitely would not be enough to shelter them.
When it rained, they did not need to bring in things, but they did need to bring in the pigs!
