"Yea-Yeast?" a bewildered expression appeared on the housekeeper's face. From his first day as a housekeeper till today, this was the first time he heard about this.
Luckily, his response was something Yang Chunqiu had expected early on.
After all, the terms "Yeast" and "Fermentation" were new or not used in Yuanling City. And if it does, the breweries he visited yesterday should be the first to put them into application.
Since they do not, the answer to this was obvious.
"What was that?" Housekeeper Liang Sheng asked. Facing something he had never heard before, the housekeeper is naturally curious about what it was and if it actually existed. Perhaps it was something created out of a whim by the young master.
"You can also consider it as a fermentation starter to make wine. Of course, we're only in the trial period currently. We might have to repeat this process several more times to obtain a proper strain of mold suitable for the wine to appear." Yang Chunqiu explained.
"Mold? Is that the colorful and dust-like matter that would give us stomachache if eaten? Don't they only appear on leftover food that wasn't kept properly?" Housekeeper Liang Sheng interrupted. From his words, it seems the mold does exist but wasn't widely known or used for any purpose.
This interruption also tells Yang Chunqiu about how knowledgeable Liang Sheng was.
True to his name as an all-knowing housekeeper, Liang Sheng was quick and adaptable to everything new based on how he responded to Yang Chunqiu. He could have been taken aback earlier, but with time, everything should been manageable.
"Yes, it is," Yang Chunqiu nodded at the housekeeper.
"So, everything we're doing right now was just trials? Would there be a difference if we did not follow the steps properly?" Liang Sheng continued.
"It would hardly change the result, but with better sanitizing steps, the possibility of dangerous, unwanted mold appearing would also be lesser." Yang Chunqiu answered. "Of course... Everything comes from trial and error. This is not something that can be done by taking care of the cleanliness alone." he quickly added.
"I see." Liang Sheng nodded. Through Yang Chunqiu's guidance and the housekeeper's participation, the process went on smoothly, from disinfecting the equipment to cleaning the berries-type fruit.
The fruits were mashed into pulp before dividing into independent, shallow wooden basins.
Because this was their first batch, the basins were left uncovered on the wooden beam above the stove to ensure the temperature surrounding the fruit mash remained warm and controlled. This would allow the mold in the air to come into contact with the mash and kickstart the growth process.
With all the work done by the house servants, Yang Chunqiu was forced by the nanny to take a bath. In the meantime, another kitchen was tasked with preparing his dinner.
This was considered quite a tiring evening for Yang Chunqiu. Barely an hour after dinner, Yang Chunqiu has already started snoring on top of his bed without properly tucking himself inside the blanket.
...
Rooftop, two buildings away from Yang Chunqiu's residence.
"Is there anything wrong with the young master today while accompanying him shopping?" the nanny asked Yang Xuan. Due to the late night and lack of people in the surroundings, the nanny did not employ the same gently spoken impression before the guard leader.
This kind of intimidation was the nanny's true appearance, also known simply as Yang Cuilan. Like Yang Xiao, the nanny was also a member of the Yang External Branch. This household housed all the subordinates who gave up their surname and took up the "Yang" as their own.
"There's nothing different about the young master, except his view on the money seems less wasteful than before. I even saw the young master haggle for the price of the fruit to be cheaper." Yang Xuan replied in a halfway kneeling stance.
"Furthermore, it seems that the young master is interested in the fruits we brought back today. On our way home, he emphasized that if what we're doing is a success, that would start a revolutionary trend, starting from the wine we drink." Yang Xuan faithfully reported everything he heard and remembered to the nanny.
"You should follow the young master well then." said the nanny. "I'm sure you know what would happen if something is amiss when you're with him," she added.
"Of course, Martial Lord Cuilan. This subordinate know his responsibility very well." Yang Xuan quickly responded to the warning.
"The pavilion master will come to the manor later. Arrange ten servants to accompany you and move everything they brought into the Auspicious Yang Courtyard. I want nobody to speak of anything tonight and for the following nights."
"That's all. Dismissed," said the nanny.
"Yes, milord." Yang Xuan left in a hurry like he was threatened with a knife around his throat to do his work.
"Liang Sheng, the more I see our young master, the more I feel something is amiss... Could there be anything wrong with our dear young master?" the nanny asked. While talking with Liang Sheng in private, her tone becomes gentler, more or less like how lovers speak to one another.
"I feel that too... But his changes seem to be moving in a better direction. Since the young master looks so confident, why not we follow him and see how it turns out?" the housekeeper, Liang Sheng, appeared beside the nanny while replying to her.
One arm of his also came around the nanny's shoulder, like a lover.
Obviously, the two were a thing.
A little further into the night, Yang Xiao turned up as the nanny said, leading around fifteen wooden carts. Each cart had some items stacked on them, from sacks of rice to earthenware and some stoves for cooking.
There was also firewood and a sack of lumpy, brown sugar refined from unknown, sugary plants. Their purity seems to be on the lower side, but edible, nonetheless. After hours of moving the goods into the courtyard, Yang Xiao quietly led the convoy of wooden carts off, leaving Yang Xuan and the ten servants to clear the obvious tracks that these wooden carts made a stop here.
This secrecy continues until several days later...