Chapter 439: Ecstatic
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Wenxiu genuinely believed so, but he could smell the wine’s rich aroma from the jar his sister held even before she opened it. He felt it was more fragrant than any wine he had drunk.
Su Binglan knew her second brother was being serious. She said, “You can drink some today since we brewed this wine. I’ll watch over you when you drink, but you can’t see any patients until you’re sober.”
Since there were no doctors in the surrounding villages and Hundred Herbs Hospital was closed at night, those feeling unwell would have to visit Su Wenxiu.
That was why Su Binglan was apprehensive about letting him drink. Still, she only allowed him to drink tonight because her brothers and father would be drinking too.
Many men liked to drink, especially in that era. They would even consider it a hobby. Whenever one visited relatives, it was customary to have good wine to entertain one’s guests. However, wine was too expensive, and only a few ordinary people could afford it.
Su Wenxiu’s heart jolted, and he was ecstatic when he heard his sister’s words.
“Can I truly drink tonight, Little Sister?”
He had to abide by some principles since he was a doctor. He suspected he had misheard, but his sister was usually earnest whenever she spoke.
“You can drink since I said so, but no more after this, okay?” Su Binglan said, “Still, I’ll make you other drinks since you like these things. Those won’t have alcohol, yet they will be equally delicious, and you won’t get drunk.”
“You’re so good to me, Little Sister,” Su Wenxiu said, touched.
Su Binglan put the wine down and walked back out. She said, “I still have to bring wine to Grandfather and the others.
She had prepared to leave and send a jar to her grandfather when she noticed all her neighbors had come out. She was surprised because very few would be willing to come out on a cold day like this.
Everyone stuck their heads out, trying to look into Su Fengzhang’s house, but his door was closed, and they could not see inside. The neighbors would naturally discuss things whenever they gathered.
“Do you guys smell something?”
“You can smell it too, huh? Why else would we come out on such a cold day?” “Hahaha, I smell the potent fragrance of wine, too.”
“I’d heard that Fengzhang’s family was making wine, but I didn’t think it was real. I didn’t think they would genuinely make it.”
Although everyone believed in Su Binglan’s ability, they were still suspicious because one could not brew wine simply because one wanted to. Wine would typically have recipes passed down through generations.
However, everyone realized the Su family was severe about winemaking after Su Binglan built the winery. The villagers could not help but come out to discuss it when they smelled the wine’s aroma.
Everyone was still discussing wine when Su Binglan went over. Someone asked her enthusiastically, “Miss Su, did your eldest uncle manage to make wine?”
The villagers were honest and spoke their minds. Since they had asked sincerely, Su Binglan would answer honestly, “That’s right, Uncle Liu. My uncle and cousin have made wine and will sell it soon. You can buy some and try it if you like wine. It’s not expensive, either.”
Many Su Teng villagers’ living conditions had improved exponentially because most of their women worked at the tofu factory or the embroidery shop. The women would receive monthly pay and bonuses to improve their families’ lives so that they could afford to buy things on regular days.
“Miss Su must be telling the truth. My wife and daughter are working as embroiderers, and thanks to her, we can afford some wine.
Everyone trusted Su Binglan when she said the wine would not be expensive. That meant the villagers could afford it.
Su Binglan had also asked the Taos to make small bottles so that Su Fengzhang could store and sell wine. Of course, it also made buying wine much more convenient for the villagers as they could split it.
In other words, foreigners would like these bottles if they wanted to gift wine to others. They could also pour their wine into cups if they wanted to drink it themselves.
“Yeah, someone in my family works at the factory and gets paid, so our lives are much better now. We’re planning to buy more things just before the New
Year.”
“Hahaha, that’s what everyone’s thinking.”
Su Binglan was delighted to see everyone smiling. She felt the villagers were different from before, as their smiles revealed that they were hopeful.
She thought of something and said, “Oh, we’ll open the winery in a few days, and we’ll be hiring, but tell everyone I’ll only hire men this time.”
She had to tell everyone about it in a few days, so she thought it was a good time to tell them now. After all, the news would not take long to spread throughout Su Teng Village.
Of course, she believed the people from surrounding villages would also hear about this in less than a day as they would ask about Su Teng Village occasionally.
Everyone was shocked when they heard her words. The tofu factory and embroidery shop would only hire women. Even Su Fengchen asked women to help with his grilled chicken and roast duck.
The village men were idle and yearned to make money like the women in their families. However, Su Binglan only hired women to work. Therefore, the men became ecstatic when they heard she would hire men to work at the winery.
“Miss Su, did we mishear you?”
Su Binglan looked at everyone’s disbelieving expressions and smiled. “You didn’t mishear me. It’s true. I’ll make a specific notice in a few days, and my granduncle will announce it to everyone then.”
She typically discussed these things with Chief Su, and then he would notify the villagers so everyone would know the announcement was genuine.
Everyone revealed bright smiles when they heard her words.
“That’s perfect, Miss Su! We’ve wanted to work with you for a long time now.” “We’ll all work hard and take it seriously, regardless of whether you’ll hire us.” “Yes, I can imagine working at the winery and smelling wine daily. Hahaha.”
“I heard the tofu factory workers get discounts when buying tofu, and the embroiderers get discounts when buying things from their shop. I wonder if we’ll get discounts if we work at the winery. What do they call it? An employee discount?”
No one would understand such terms in the past. Not only did they understand them now, but they also knew to use such terms in complete sentences..
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