Chapter 520: Picking Up Chestnuts
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the Chu Village.
Some of the beans were set aside for making tofu, while the rest were steamed. Chu Qingzhi asked several aunts to help grind the beans as she needed to visit the brewery.
Upon her arrival, Du Xiue and others had already bottled the beer for secondary fermentation in the storage room.
Du Xiue, having washed her hands, approached Chu Qingzhi, “Qingzhi, we’ve handled the beer as you instructed. What’s next?”
Chu Qingzhi replied, “Continue brewing beer, this time two thousand catties . Start a new batch every three days without interruption. Understand?”
This seemed like a move towards regular production. Du Xiue’s spirits lifted, “Understood. I’ll start weighing the barley right away.”
Chu Qingzhi admired Du Xiue’s efficiency. If not for being born in ancient times, Du Xiue would have been a successful woman in business.
Du Xiue was excellent in her work, and Chu Qingzhi had secretly told her that if she learned to read just enough to understand the beer brewing process, she would be made a supervisor. Du Xiue had since been diligently learning and was now fluent in the process.
However, she did not stop learning. She still planned to learn more words and was working hard.
“Go on,” Chu Qingzhi encouraged.
Du Xiu’e happily brought everyone to weigh the barley.
Chu Qingzhi walked out of the workshop and looked around. The walls around the workshop had already been built, and it started to seem like a factory.
Nie Huiyang was leading the construction of the egg tart workshop and office area. The site was bustling with activity.
With nothing immediate for Chu Qingzhi to handle, she decided to dig up beer hops from the mountain to plant along the brewery’s walls. This would not only beautify the area but also provide a ready supply of hops for future brewing.
Chu Qingzhi grabbed her basket and small hoe and headed to Tang Jinghong’s house to invite Da Bai for a walk.
Tang Jinghong had finished making Da Bai’s tiger nest. It resembled a giant cat nest but was much larger, with woven patterns that made it quite cute.
Da bai stared at the nest intently. It seemed to like it very much.
“Da Bai.”
Da Bai, upon seeing Chu Qingzhi, immediately became playful and rolled over, begging for attention.
Tang Jinghong showed the nest to Chu Qingzhi, “How is it?”
Chu Qingzhi examined it and praised, “It’s lovely.”
Da Bai rubbed against Chu Qingzhi’s leg, expressing its fondness for the nest.
Chu Qingzhi said, “Da Bai seems to really like it.”
“It’ll sleep there tonight,” Tang Jinghong said, amused by Da Bai’s playful side around Chu Qingzhi.
Chu Qingzhi petted Da Bai’s head, “1 bought some cotton. When my second sister returns, I’ll ask her to make a blanket for you. Your nest might be more comfortable than a bed.”
Da Bai responded with a playful roll.
Tang Jinghong inquired, “Qingzhi, why do you have a basket? What are you doing?”
“Going to dig up beer hop saplings in the forest.”
“I’ll go with you. 1 can carry the basket,” Tang Jinghong offered, taking the basket from her.
Chu Qingzhi patted Da Bai’s head, “Let’s go.”
Da Bai stood up, shaking its fur, instantly transforming from a playful cat to a majestic tiger.
Just as they were about to leave, the young monk’s excited voice rang out, “Miss Chu!” followed by the sound of running footsteps.
Chu Qingzhi turned and smiled warmly, “Little Master!”
The young monk ran up to Chu Qingzhi, his rosy-cheeked face radiating excitement. He clasped his hands in a salute, “Miss Chu.”
Chu Qingzhi returned the gesture, “Little Master, what brings you here?”
“I came to see you,” the young monk replied in his soft, sweet voice, his eyes fixed on Chu Qingzhi with deep admiration.
Chu Qingzhi looked down at the young monk, “I’m going to the forest to dig up saplings. Would you like to come?”
The young monk nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes!”
Chu Qingyan was also interested, “Fifth Sister, 1 want to go too.”
Chu Qingzhi said, “Tell Mother, and then we can go together.”
Chu Qingyan joyfully responded, “I’ll go tell her right away.”
While Chu Qingyan went to find Li Qingyu, the young monk, who had been focused on Chu Qingzhi, was startled by the sight of Da Bai and hid behind Chu Qingzhi in fear, “Ah! A tiger!!”
Chu Qingzhi reassured him, “It’s okay, his name is Da Bai, and he doesn’t attack people.”
The young monk was frightened but gradually calmed down, peeking out slowly from behind Chu Qingzhi…
To his surprise, Da Bai also seemed very interested in the young monk and kept watching him.
Thus, as the young monk peeked out, he ended up staring eye-to-eye with Da Bai.
The young monk was stunned.
The tiger and monk sized each other up until Chu Qingyan returned. “Fifth Sister, I’ve told Mother. Let’s go.”
Leading the way, Da Bai guided the group into the mountains.
Once inside, Chu Qingyan’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she explored the unfamiliar surroundings, “Fifth Sister, can we find ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms in the mountains?”
Chu Qingzhi replied, “Yes, but we need to search for them. Let’s just stick to this path. If we come across any, we’ll dig them up. We have other things to do at home, so after digging up the saplings, we’ll head back.”
“Ok.”
The young monk, also in the mountains for the first time, clung tightly to Chu Qingzhi’s skirt, finding safety in her presence. His eyes, however, were bright with interest.
With Da Bai clearing the path, their journey was uneventful, not even a bird in sight.
Suddenly, Chu Qingyan ran ahead, exclaiming in delight, “Fifth Sister, chestnuts!”
The chestnuts had opened, scattering their fruits on the ground. A small squirrel was picking through them, planning to take some away.
Seeing people approaching, the squirrel quickly grabbed a chestnut and scampered off.
Tang Jinghong asked Chu Qingzhi, “Should we pick them up?” The fruits looked large and full, quite appealing as they lay on the ground.
Chu Qingzhi approached, “Yes, let’s pick them up. We can make something delicious with them tonight.”
They started gathering the chestnuts, filling half a basket. With many more still on the tree, Chu Qingzhi decided to collect them all. With a light flick of her finger on the chestnut tree, all the remaining fruits fell to the ground.
The group experienced a shower of falling chestnuts.
The young monk and Chu Qingyan looked at Chu Qingzhi’s fingers in amazement, marveling at her impressive skill.
Tang Jinghong, pulling a chestnut from his neck and throwing it into the basket, remarked, “If we keep picking, the basket will be full.”
Chu Qingzhi suggested, “Let’s leave the basket here and pick it up on our way back. We can carry the saplings in a bundle without needing the basket.”
“Sure,” Tang Jinghong agreed..
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