Chapter 22: Medicinal Wine

Early the next morning, after breakfast, He Yuzhu, accompanied by his mentor's wife, Yushui, and Xiaohu, went to the small courtyard to tidy up.

"Zhuzi, what do you plan to do with the medicinal herbs in the east wing?" the mentor's wife asked after wiping down all the cabinets in the pharmacy.

"I’ll find a pharmacy later and sell them off cheaply, along with what’s in the basement. None of us know how to use them anyway," He Yuzhu replied.

In truth, He Yuzhu intended to store these herbs in his personal space. He needed them for medicinal wines and medicated diets. Although the herbs he grew in his space were enough to fulfill these secret recipes, he could use these common herbs to brew lower-end medicinal wines to sell, while the high-end wines could be made with the superior herbs from his space.

"What about the storefront? Are you planning to rent it out?" the mentor's wife asked.

"I don't intend to rent it out. It’s just for Yushui and me to live in. Renting it to someone else for a shop would be too chaotic—it’s better to avoid the trouble. I plan to hire someone to restore the wall next spring when it gets warmer, turning it back into a house so it won't attract unwanted attention," He Yuzhu explained.

"That's a good idea. Your current salary is enough to support you and Yushui. Peace and safety are better than anything else," she agreed.

After another day of cleaning, the small courtyard was finally spotless.

"Zhuzi, all that's left is bedding. Buy some cloth and cotton tomorrow, and I’ll make them for you," she said.

"Alright, Mentor's Wife, I'll go buy them tomorrow," He Yuzhu replied.

The courtyard was now ready; only the bedding remained before they could move in. The next day, He Yuzhu went to the courtyard alone.

He headed to the east wing and began experimenting with medicinal wines. Following the records left by Old Master Hu, he prepared the herbs and brought out the sorghum liquor he had set aside. Using his space to accelerate the aging process, he began brewing. Classic Tiger Bone Wine and Tiger Penis Wine were essential. He also unearthed a palace secret recipe from Old Master Hu’s notes, said to be for a monarch’s vitality and a concubine’s beauty. Under the influence of his space and accelerated time, these two brews turned red and green respectively, undergoing miraculous changes. The red one, for beauty, he named "Red Sleeve," after the poem "Red sleeves adding fragrance." The green one, for vitality, he named "Green Ant," inspired by the Tang poet Bai Juyi’s lines, "New fermented wine with green foam, a small stove of red clay."

He went to the basement of the east wing, cleared out all the remaining herbs into his space, and left the room empty.

After a busy morning, He Yuzhu went to buy the cloth as planned. Thinking about how everything would require ration coupons in the future—and how the annual allotment wasn't even enough for a single set of clothes—he realized he needed to find ways to make extra money to buy and hoard cloth.

After buying the supplies, he headed toward his mentor’s house. Making sure no one was watching, he retrieved the cotton from his space, along with some tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs.

"Zhuzi, why did you buy tomatoes and cucumbers again? They are so expensive right now," the mentor's wife said as she took the cloth and cotton.

"I just thought Yushui and Xiaohu would like them. Besides, you rarely see these on the market; if you don't buy them when you see them, who knows when you'll get another chance?" He Yuzhu replied.

After lunch, He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard. It was too cold for major renovations, so he would make do for now, planning to install a proper bathroom and toilet when the weather warmed up.

Once the mentor's wife finished the bedding, he would move in. He went to the kitchen and organized the rice, flour, and peanut oil he had taken from his space, noting that he still needed to buy salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other condiments.

He returned to the east wing to finish the medicinal wines, using his space to carefully decant them into jars. Since they were medicinal, he used one-catty and three-catty containers.

He set aside 100 catties each of white liquor and yellow wine (divided into various jar sizes). He also prepared 20 catties each of "Green Ant" and "Red Sleeve," and 10 catties each of Tiger Bone and Tiger Penis wine, all in one-catty jars. He even brought out a five-liter barrel of wine. With the jars neatly stored, the entire basement was filled with a faint, mellow fragrance.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a knock. He opened the door to find his second senior brother, Xu Guowei, and invited him in.

"The courtyard looks much tidier now, it's easy on the eyes," Xu Guowei remarked. "When are you moving in?"

"As soon as the mentor's wife finishes the bedding," He Yuzhu said, gesturing for his brother to sit in the living room. He poured him a cup of hot water. "Sorry, brother, there’s nothing else here yet but hot water."

"Hot water is just fine," Xu Guowei said. "I came to see you today because I need a favor."

"What is it, brother?"

"Do you have any more of that wine you gave me last time?" Xu Guowei asked. "My sister-in-law’s father has a birthday coming up. She drank the yellow wine you gave me and loved how warm and comfortable it made her feel. Her father is a big fan of liquor, so we wanted to bring a jar for him to try. I searched everywhere yesterday but couldn't find anything like it."

"Is that all? You should have just asked," He Yuzhu laughed. "That wine was brewed by a friend using ancient recipes. The ingredients are hard to find, so we divided it up among ourselves; it never hit the market, which is why you couldn't find it."

"Wait here, I'll go get you some. Do you still want that 'Worry-Free' white liquor?"

"Of course! Only a fool would say no. That white liquor is smooth, and even after drinking, I wake up the next day without a headache," Xu Guowei said.

"Alright, I'll get you a jar of each."

He Yuzhu went to the basement and, after a moment's thought, also brought out a jar of "Green Ant" and "Red Sleeve."

"Brother, here you go. These two smaller ones are medicinal wines. 'Green Ant' is for men—it’s for vitality. 'Red Sleeve' is for women—for beauty and skin health. They are based on palace secrets. They are mild, not harsh. Just a small cup a day is enough," He Yuzhu explained.

"I'll give them a try," Xu Guowei said, handing over two large ten-yuan bills.

"Brother, no, you've helped me so much, I can't take your money," He Yuzhu protested.

"Friends and brothers settle accounts clearly," Xu Guowei insisted. "If you don't take it, I’ll be too embarrassed to ask for more wine in the future."

"It's just too much," He Yuzhu said.

"I know the value of this wine, not to mention these medicinal ones. Just take it."

Seeing his brother's firm attitude, He Yuzhu stopped pushing.

"How are you going to carry these?" He Yuzhu asked.

"My wife made two cloth bags for the back of my bicycle. They'll fit," Xu Guowei replied.

"Are they sturdy? I don't want them leaking halfway home."

"Don't worry, they're strong."

He Yuzhu helped secure the wine to the bike rack and walked his brother to the gate. "Ride carefully on the way back."

"I know, go back inside now," Xu Guowei said, pedaling off slowly.

He Yuzhu tidied up the room once more before heading out to buy his condiments.