Chapter 25 - 24: Sweet Rice Wine

Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Sweet Rice Wine

"First, tell me about the academy cafeteria, especially the breakfast stalls. What do the other stalls sell? What kind of flavors do the students usually prefer? You should know all this, right?"

Connie’s first question cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Ning He had already gone over this information in her head yesterday, so she immediately explained.

"...The academy gives students a monthly meal stipend of eight hundred original coins. They can’t afford meat with every meal, but they can generally afford other dishes. As for flavors, I haven’t noticed any particular preferences. As long as it tastes good, they’ll accept it. The previous breakfast stall sold noodles, dumplings, buns, bean paste, sandwiches, and grilled sausages. They also gave every student a free portion of soy milk or a calcium supplement."

"So you’re saying yours is the only Level 0 stall, and all the others are higher-level?" Connie frowned.

Ning He gave an awkward laugh. "For now, yes. But a Level 0 stall has its advantages, too. Low cost, low price. Someone will definitely still buy from us."

"With a monthly stipend of eight hundred original coins, do you think the students will care about that small difference?" Connie said irritably. After a pause, she added, "But you’re right. If they don’t care that much about the price, then we just need to focus on making our food delicious. While these items of yours will sell, they’re not quite enough to beat the other stalls. If we make too little, it won’t be worth our joining you. You said you have a way to improve the texture of these rice cakes?"

Ning He nodded. "I do. It’s a little more troublesome, but the cafeteria has the equipment, so it’ll just take some extra time. But I still think that’s not quite enough to beat the others."

Ah Huai, who had been silent all this time, looked at the four breakfast items before them and suddenly spoke. "If every item can reach the level of the brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, it should be enough."

"You mean... the seasoning?"

Ah Huai nodded. "Back in the shelter, we didn’t have an advantage in ingredients. We sold so well purely because of our outstanding flavors. The other stalls in the academy cafeteria might be higher-level with a wider variety of ingredients, but I imagine their seasonings are still limited. If you can create flavors like your tomato meat sauce or salad dressing, you’ll definitely have no trouble selling."

Ning He’s eyes lit up. Ah Huai had a point.

Even a high-end establishment like the Golden Pomelo Restaurant could only offer a vinaigrette. The situation with the cafeteria stalls was probably similar. But if she only used soy sauce and vinegar to enhance the flavor, her advantage wouldn’t be significant, and it would drastically increase her costs. The seasonings might even end up being more expensive than the main ingredients.

’With only rice, flour, and beans available, how else can I change the flavor?’

"If worse comes to worst, you can use our family’s sauce," Connie said after a moment of hesitation.

’Special seasoning?’

’It’s not that easy.’

’Didn’t the Golden Pomelo Restaurant resort to such tactics just for two sauces?’

’It’s incredible enough for a chef to know one or two. How could she keep coming up with more?’

It was rare for Connie to be so generous, but her suggestion was not feasible.

Ning He shook her head and sighed. "The academy has a rule: no outside ingredients are allowed in the cafeteria unless they’re made or brewed on-site."

"That won’t work, I’m afraid. Our family’s sauce takes at least three months to ferment. There’s not enough time."

Just as Connie finished speaking, she saw Ning He’s eyes light up, and she shot to her feet.

"I’ve got it!"

"What?"

Ning He’s eyes were sparkling. "Have you guys ever had sweet fermented rice?"

"You mean... wine?" Connie’s expression suddenly became excited. "You know how to make wine?"

"A little. But it should be enough."

Ning He had an epiphany, and inspiration flooded her mind.

’Sweet fermented rice could elevate the flavor of the rice cakes by several levels! I could also make sweet fermented rice with small glutinous rice balls, or with oatmeal. They’re delicious and would go well with the fried dough rings and dough sticks. It kills two birds with one stone!’

Connie suppressed her excitement and said to Ning He:

"Although I don’t know how this sweet fermented rice you’re talking about would pair with these things, I’m sure it will turn out well. But... do you really know how to make it?"

Ning He nodded. "Give me two days. In two days, I’ll bring the results and make a few new things for you."

"Okay. If you really make it, we’ll agree to join you," Connie said seriously.

Ning He grinned. "Deal. I’ll go get started now. I’ll leave these for you to eat. See you in two days."

Ning He said goodbye to Connie and Ah Huai, then headed straight for the food supermarket. She searched every shelf but couldn’t find what she needed.

Finally, she had no choice but to ask a supermarket employee.

"Jiuqu? That’s a specially supplied ingredient. You can only get it if you have a partnership with a food company. Ordinary people don’t brew wine, so a food supermarket like ours doesn’t stock it."

"I see. Thank you."

Ning He walked out of the supermarket, a little worried.

’Without jiuqu, how can I make sweet fermented rice?’

’This is going to be tough.’

Just then, Ning He suddenly slapped her forehead, having remembered something.

’I’m someone with a system!’

Sure enough, she opened the system store and, after some careful searching, found Rhizopus and yeast under the "Microorganisms" category.

She had previously gained a small amount of experience from growing various vegetables in the black mud, which was just enough to buy some.

Ning He felt a little relieved.

’This stupid system is actually useful for something.’

Ning He went back to the food supermarket and bought a small bag of a special variety of rice.

It was a new variety developed by a large agricultural technology company. It had a short growth cycle, was a cross between glutinous rice and regular rice, and was rich in amylopectin. Its texture was soft and chewy, it was more filling than regular rice, and its price was also much higher—eighteen coins for half a kilogram.

Ning He winced at the cost but bought two and a half kilograms, and also picked out a glass container for brewing. After paying, she rushed home.

The supermarket employee’s words had revealed a piece of information: ordinary people didn’t know how to brew. In other words, this skill was very rare.

No wonder she hadn’t seen any alcohol for sale on the streets in all the time she’d been here. The supermarket only had carbonated drinks mixed with artificial flavorings.

’It made sense, when she thought about it.’

’Soy sauce and vinegar brewed from grain were already expensive; wine brewed from it wouldn’t be cheap either.’

’Weren’t her ingredients already costing her nearly one hundred original coins?’

’Besides, rice wine was different from other alcoholic drinks. It was low in alcohol content, very sweet, and even children could drink it. As long as she could make it, she wouldn’t have to worry about sales.’

As Ning He thought about it, her heart grew fiery with excitement. The moment she got home, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

Meanwhile, in front of the shuttered Jinji Meat Sauce Noodle House, several plainly dressed old men appeared.

"This is the right place, isn’t it? Why is it closed?" the old man with the cane asked, frowning as he looked around.

A chubby, middle-aged man walked out from a neighboring shop and shook his head at the group. "I asked. They said it was for operating without a license. It was just shut down this afternoon. Looks like we came all this way for nothing."

Leitel grew anxious. "Do you know where they went? The shop is gone, but finding the person would be just as good!"

"That, I don’t know. There are three hundred thousand people in the Fourth Ring. It won’t be easy to find them."

"Forget it, let’s go back. We can just come again whenever it reopens. They won’t stop cooking for good," the gray-haired old man consoled the others.

Although Leitel was reluctant to give up, there was nothing he could do, so he left with the others.

Elsewhere, Connie and Ah Huai’s younger siblings returned from school.

As soon as they entered the house, the children’s eyes were captivated by the table full of food they had never seen before, unable to look away for even a second.

"Big Sis, did you make all this? It looks so delicious!" exclaimed the youngest, Susan, cupping her chin in her hands.

"A friend of Big Sis made it. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat!" Connie said with a smile, patting Susan’s head.

The children cheered and all rushed to the sink, scrambling to wash their hands.

The children were at a growing age. Although the school provided a simple, free, nutritious lunch, Connie still made them something good for dinner. Ning He had left a lot of food today, so Connie just boiled a cabbage and egg soup, giving each of them a bowl to go with the meal.

"Mmm—Big Sis, this rice cake is so sweet and soft!"

"Yeah, the one with red bean paste is even better! It’s like birthday cake!"

"This crispy pancake is good too! It’s so fragrant!"

Little Susan raised the fried dough stick in her hand in amazement. "Big Sis, this thing is like a sponge! It soaks up the soup, and then it gets soft and sweet. It’s delicious!"

"Is that so? I’ll try it too."

Connie suddenly remembered what Ning He had said about the dough sticks going well with congee or soy milk. She tore off a small piece and dipped it into her soup. The fluffy dough stick quickly absorbed the broth, its once-crispy texture turning tender and pliable.

With one bite, the broth oozed out from the dough stick’s countless pores, carrying its own flavor and that of the soup, creating a completely different, yet delicious, experience.

"It really is delicious."

She looked at Ah Huai with a touch of emotion.

Ah Huai understood what she meant and nodded lightly.

The five siblings ate with great satisfaction. Even Ding Xiang, who usually had a small appetite, ate quite a lot.

After putting the younger siblings to bed, Connie and Ah Huai spoke privately for a bit.

"Have you decided?" Ah Huai asked.

Connie nodded. "I think it’s worth a shot. The noodle shop doesn’t make much, and Ding Xiang and the others are growing up. There will be more expenses in the future. We might as well take a gamble on her."

Ah Huai was silent for a moment.

"Okay. I’ll listen to you."