The group spent another two days selecting potatoes, bagging, packing, and stacking them.
Teacher Zhou and his four students also bagged, packed, and stacked the processed corn kernels and cornmeal neatly.
Teacher Zhou used the dryer to dry the peanuts to be delivered, bagged and stacked them, making it convenient for people to pick them up.
As for the remaining peanuts for their own consumption, Mother-in-law instructed them to be left in the drying yard to dry naturally without using the dryer.
Mother-in-law, along with Lin Mai, Cui Qiao, Hu Yuzhen, and Ming Wei, took some time to sort, pack, and box the dried mushrooms, dried wood ears, dried wild pheasants, and dried wild rabbits.
Xiang Xi, along with Xiao Shan, Xiao Shuan, and Lin Mao, used the corn combine harvester to harvest the fifteen mu of soybean fields in a day and a half. They also tilled the fifteen mu of soybean fields, preparing them for planting wheat next year.
Now, only the soybeans were left to be dried and threshed. The group had already prepared all other items, just waiting for the soybeans.
While waiting for the soybeans to dry, everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Teacher Zhou and his four students were now conducting the final debugging of the solar power generation unit's operation.
Xiang Dong and Er Hu, along with Xiao Shan and Xiao Shuan, were finishing up tasks that were not completed before the autumn harvest, installing and debugging water and electricity for the four houses.
Xiang Xi and Lin Mao, driving excavators, followed Uncle De and Uncle Fu to dig deep trenches for the sewage and water supply pipelines of the new houses.
Seeing that the men were all busy, Chen Lan greeted her mother-in-law and then, with Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Hu Yuzhen, and Zhao Xiaoyue, went into the mountains to pick mushrooms and wood ears. Chen Lan also wanted to hunt more game for everyone to get through the winter.
Thus, Ming Wei and the others picked mushrooms for three days, and Chen Lan hunted game for three days. On the fourth morning, after breakfast, Chen Lan was about to take Ming Wei and the others into the mountains again as she had done the previous few days.
Mother-in-law stopped them, telling them not to go into the mountains anymore. Mother-in-law said, "Xiao Lan, you girls don't need to go into the mountains anymore these past few days. You've brought back quite a lot of mushrooms, wood ears, pheasants, and rabbits, enough for us to have a prosperous New Year here in Changbai Mountain."
Ming Wei said, "Mom, the weather is good now, and we don't have anything pressing to do. There are still many good things in the mountains. If we don't gather more mountain goods while the weather is good, we won't be able to go when it starts raining."
Mother-in-law glared at Ming Wei and said, "I say, you! You're already grown up, yet you don't have any foresight. How can you say there's nothing to do? There are plenty of things at home waiting for everyone to do! Have we finished making our autumn clothes? Have you made the fermented bean curd you love to eat?"
Mother-in-law paused and continued to lecture, "We need to prepare to start making fermented bean curd these days. Your Aunt Cui and Aunt Liu and I have to look after the tremella sheds and also sort the mushrooms, wood ears, and game you've collected. We're too busy to do anything else. Now that the soybeans are harvested, we should make the tofu while the weather is good so we can make fermented bean curd. Mai alone can't manage it; you girls need to help out at home for a few days."
Chen Lan quickly stepped forward and took her mother-in-law's arm, saying, "Mother-in-law, can we just go into the mountains for today, and starting tomorrow, we'll help out at home?"
Mother-in-law suddenly asked in a hushed, mysterious tone, "Xiao Lan, has something good been discovered in the mountains again that you absolutely must pick today? Is it ginseng? Is it reishi?"
Chen Lan was amused by her mother-in-law's demeanor and quickly explained, "Mother-in-law, neither. We're not digging for ginseng or picking reishi today. We're going to pick some wild mountain grapes to make wine for you, my mother, Aunt Cui, and Aunt Liu."
When Mother-in-law heard it was for them to prepare wine, she immediately beamed with joy and said, "I've heard that this kind of wine was once a tribute fruit wine from foreign lands to our country's emperor. This is good! This time, your mother and I will have a treat! Hurry up and go! Be sure to be careful and come back early."
So, Chen Lan and Ming Wei and the others quickly found the place where they had picked mountain grapes last time. Seeing the ground covered with grapes that had fallen from the vines, Chen Lan felt it was a pity!
Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen excitedly ran forward, picked a bunch of grapes, and popped them into their mouths one by one. Chen Lan also picked a bunch to satisfy her craving; it was sour and sweet, very appetizing, and with each bite, a clear, sweet grape fragrance filled her mouth.
After everyone had had their fill, Chen Lan found that her teeth felt like they were about to fall out, so sour they seemed.
Chen Lan asked them to try and pick grapes that were dark black. This way, the grapes would have a deep color, and the resulting wine would be beautiful.
Everyone worked diligently, and soon each person had picked quite a lot. Chen Lan looked at the grapes in her own basket and immediately told everyone to stop picking.
Ming Wei asked puzzledly, "Sister-in-law, my basket isn't full yet! Why are we stopping?"
Everyone looked at her, and Chen Lan explained, "I want to pick more too! It's not easy to come here, and I want to bring back more grapes, but I can't! Grapes are fragile and bruise easily. If the basket is too full, the grapes will be crushed. Crushed grapes cannot be used to make wine. If water and air get into the grapes, the wine can spoil easily."
The few of them reluctantly carried their baskets back the way they came. As soon as they returned to the valley, Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen were eager to show off their skills in making wine.
Seeing so many helpers, Chen Lan was happy to have some leisure and directed the four of them from the side.
First, they used scissors to snip the grape berries they had just picked, one by one, along with their stems. Then, they rinsed them lightly with clean water. It was crucial not to wash off the bluish-white bloom on the surface of the grapes, as it was the natural yeast for fermentation.
Next, they spread the rinsed grape berries on a winnowing fan to dry. Then, they carefully picked out and discarded any spoiled grape berries.
Chen Lan purchased several large bottles for making wine from the system, sterilized and dried the large bottles with white wine or white vinegar, ensuring they were as oil-free, water-free, and dry as possible.
Chen Lan gave each of them a pair of disposable gloves and said, "Wear these gloves and crush each grape with your hands. Put them in these bottles, and then layer the grapes and rock sugar in the bottles at a ratio of one part grapes to five parts rock sugar. Do not fill the bottles completely, leave about a third of the space for the grapes to ferment. Finally, seal the lids and let them ferment."
Ming Wei asked, "Sister-in-law, is that it? It's that simple?"
Chen Lan asked humorously, "Then how complex do you think it should be?" Sudan Novel Network
Chen Lan continued, "Of course, there are a few more precautions later; one is to shake the bottles daily to ensure the wine ferments fully and releases gas;
Second, if the bubbles stabilize after about twenty to thirty days of fermentation and no longer produce a large amount of bubbles, the first filtration can be performed.
After another month or so, when there are no more large bubbles on top of the bottle, it means the wine fermentation is complete and the second filtration can be performed.
After filtration, the wine can be drunk. Of course, the longer the wine ages, the stronger the flavor."
Everyone listened and let out a long sigh, saying, "It takes so long?"