The Precious Lady – Chapter 100

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第100章 葡萄酒

而姚世真的茅草屋此刻还亮着灯火。

夜凉如水,人走茶亦凉透,姚夫人让仆人们收拾了宅院,回头却见姚老爷子竟还铺纸研磨,她走过去只瞥了一眼,笑道:“你当真要为温小娘子请功?”

姚世真推开一小块墨,笑着对老妻说道:“这丫头不是想攀我的裙带关系吗。我已是枯树一根,没什么可攀的。不若给她另指一根高枝儿。这攀不攀得上,全看她自己的本事。”

姚夫人奇道:“你不是向来最讨厌别人攀你的关系吗?”

“哎,小女娃嘛,抛头露面做生意不容易。何况她隔三差五给我送东西来,这吃人嘴软拿人手短,我一老汉也不好占一小姑娘的便宜。”

姚夫人笑,“你呀,你分明就是喜欢这丫头。”

姚世真反问:“难道夫人不喜欢这小女娃?”

姚夫人抿唇笑,“当然喜欢。”

“不觉得这丫头市侩精明?”

“这丫头能从族人手里保住家产,敢招赘上门,可见乖巧外表下是一身反骨,倒是和京都里那些扭捏做派的小娘子与众不同。我喜欢有谋算有韧劲的小娘子,女子存活世间不容易,没点手段和力气不过是任人宰割的羔羊。”

姚世真搂住老妻,“所以,我给魏峥一封书信说明并州饥荒乃温婉献策,那小子知道分寸,不会让温掌柜难做。只是……”

姚世真微微蹙眉,“只是上一封书信,那小子一直没有给我回信。”

“他如今是天水府督抚,日理万机,许是公务缠身抽不出空来。”

“不会。我的书信他从来不会不回。”

天水府一直是大陈朝的军机重地,靠海一带常有倭寇扰民,内有各路豪强世家争权夺利,整个天水府各路势力错综复杂,任谁来了都得被扒下一层皮。

更何况前两任督抚死得不明不白,而今年并州又遭遇大饥荒,流民无数。

这块烫手山芋,据说整个朝堂无人敢接。

而魏峥被陛下钦点为天水府的督抚,听起来宠爱万千位高权重,实则是步步危机,稍有不慎便有性命之忧。

陛下啊…终归是不信任魏家人。

姚世真心里隐约不安,却又没办法跟老妻说,只好转了话题。

姚夫人替他研磨,一盏烛火,红袖添香,岁月静好。

想起姚世真和温婉的赌约,姚夫人笑着问他:“夫君真打算收温小娘子做女弟子?”

“怎会?”姚世真捋须,眼底得意,“自然是哄她的。”

“啊?”

温小娘子临走之前还卷走了程允章那篇策论,说回去要好好钻研,誓要写出一篇比程允章更好的文章来。

“我说的是…她若写得比程允章好,我就考虑收她做女弟子。只是考虑…并非应承。”

姚夫人扶额苦笑,“你一把年纪,何必逗小姑娘玩?那温小娘子走的时候可以摩拳擦掌,一副要大干一场的架势。”

“哼,是她先逗我这老翁的!”姚世真将下午温婉装作不会钓鱼还跟他打赌引他上钩的事情讲给老妻听,姚夫人乐得前俯后仰,“你呀你,当真促狭,难怪温小娘子要请我坐镇,原来防的就是你这老头!”

“哼哼,两军交战,兵不厌诈。人心险恶,那丫头还有的学!”

——————————————————————

温婉并没有着急写策论的事儿。

酒坊的事情一大堆,就制酒一事已经到了发酵的关键环节。

温婉和马师傅时刻盯着,趁着间隙将温婉带到酒库去,又从角落干燥通风的地方掏出一小罐子来,“少东家,这次发酵用了库存量至少大半的酒曲,剩下的酒曲量不够支撑一年。咱得提前做打算。”

这事儿,冯水根也提醒过她。

温婉没有经验,只能问马师傅拿意见,“可有法子绕开程家曲院?”

其他人或许不知,但马师傅却清楚因为并州收粮一事,温家酒坊遭了元六郎的迁怒。无论如何,自己元气大伤,对家酒坊却收获颇丰,放谁身上都不好受。

要马师傅说,这事儿关他们酒坊什么事!

那是老天开眼,是少东家运气好,元六郎冲他们酒坊撒什么疯?

简直是没有道理!

“这几家曲院都是皇商,彼此通气,若程家有意为难我们,只需派人送封信就可。”

“若是打个时间差呢。趁着现在程家人还没有察觉,先去最近的曲院抢购一批。”

温婉又头疼,想起买粮食花出去的几百两,如今酒坊捉襟见肘,几乎是拆东墙补西墙,还有鑫隆钱庄的烂账滚着,哪里还有多余的钱买酒曲?

酒曲可是一笔不小的支出,加上来回路费,怎么也得几百两银子。

所以现在的关键是,无论程家是否卡住他们所需酒曲,他们如今手里都没有银子。

温婉想玩一手灯下黑的计划胎死腹中。

温婉想起很早之前就在考虑的事情,“马师傅,咱们制酒必须用到酒曲吗?我记得…果酒是不需要酒曲的,可以天然发酵。比如葡萄酒?”

葡萄从汉代传入中国,在中国算是历史悠久,虽说陈朝是平行时空,但历史大走向是相同的。

更何况,这一片大陆上的人早在原始社会时期就已经会用果子酿酒。这代代相传,总不至于丢了技术。

显然这问题触及到马师傅知识盲区,他一脸茫然:“葡萄酒?果酒?从未听说过这种粮造之法,倒是听说过药酒,最有名的不就是程家的长春法酒吗?”

温婉摇头,“不是。就是用果子代替粮食制酒,天然发酵,不需要酒曲。”

“从未听说过。”马师傅又笑,“不过制酒方子落到谁家都是珍藏不露,或许世上真有这种粮造之法,藏于某人家里或是年久失传也是可能的。”

温婉眼睛一亮,随后开始比划:“那葡萄有吗?就圆滚滚、黑漆漆的、大约指甲盖那么大,像个小黑球,挂在枝头上,一串一串的。”

温婉不太清楚大陈朝历史,因此不知道葡萄到底是否传入陈朝境内,若是这片土地已经有种植葡萄的历史——

(本章完)

The Precious Lady

The Precious Lady

万金娘子
Author:

The text is as follows: "【The Merchant Lady vs. The Cunning Power Lord】 It is said that the Wen family in Ping County has a fortune made of gold and jewels, even the bowls for eating are made of gold. Unfortunately, Old Master Wen has difficulty producing heirs, with only two daughters. With Old Master Wen gravely ill, the Wen family is about to be stripped bare by relatives. The newly arrived Wen Wan is quite anxious. She desperately needs a well-behaved and docile son-in-law—just as Wei Zheng, the Marquis of Huai'an, who was sent to Jiangnan to investigate a case, is ambushed and left in critical condition, he is knocked unconscious and urgently delivered to Wen Wan’s bed. The amnesiac Wei Zheng becomes the Wen family's son-in-law Zhao Heng. His hand that once wielded a sword turns into one that cooks soup. Finally, Wen Wan diagnoses a pregnancy and without hesitation throws the drugged Wei Zheng into the snow-capped mountains five hundred miles away, leaving him to fend for himself. Meanwhile, she dons a white flower on her head and black gauze on her arm, throwing a banquet to bid farewell to her "suddenly deceased" husband. When the citizens of Ping County mention the merchant lady, they all sigh: This young woman is suffering! Her man is dead, leaving her to live with her old father and two children. Don’t let her wealth fool you; she must be in immense pain. Wen Wan wipes her tears with a handkerchief, repeatedly agreeing, fearing others might see her secretly delighted heart. Later, as the Wen family's fortunes attract envy, Wen Wan is thrown into prison. The one handling the case is none other than the renowned Marquis of Huai'an. The Wen family exhausts all their wealth in efforts, but the case makes no progress. In the prison, a cold-eyed man in a blue shirt asks her, “Merchant Wen, I’ve heard that you once vowed to remain faithful to your deceased husband for life?” Wen Wan trembles: Brother, I was being honest, please let me go."

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