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Chapter 251 Brewing, Commendation and Sacrifice

Brewing begins in midsummer.

Wine is really a magical thing. It is not a natural crop. It cannot be said to be crucial to human production activities, but it can only be said to be completely unhelpful.

But unfortunately, as long as the two-legged beasts are making a living on the earth, regardless of whether they are growing corn, rice, wheat, sorghum or corn, they have independently developed the brewing process.

Even those black guys in Africa who are too lazy to plow the fields know how to collect berries to make wine.

However, their brewing process is very primitive, with natural fermentation, and there has been almost no progress in 1 years.

This led to the fact that although the African natives loved drinking, they were not very good at it. Later, European colonists set foot on the African continent and brought whiskey and brandy. One bottle could drink down a tribe, which was much easier to use than guns.

It can be said that wine culture occupies an important position in the entire history of human civilization.

The origin of wine can be traced back to 1000 million years ago, when a climate change caused large areas of forest to disappear and be replaced by dotted meadows.

Human ancestors who originally lived an arboreal life came to the ground from the treetops for the first time, and for the first time they discovered fruits that had fallen to the ground after being ripe and even had some decay.

In that era of drastic changes in climate and environment, many species went extinct, and these newly discovered foods, even if they were not very tasty, even if eating them made people dizzy, after all, they were an additional source of nutrition.

With millions of years of harsh natural selection, human ancestors evolved the ability to quickly degrade alcohol, limiting the negative effects of alcohol while making full use of its energy. This is an ability that other animals do not have. .

The history of human beings actively making wine exceeds 1 years, and has experienced the development process from fruit wine to mead to grain wine.

The order is determined by difficulty.

The knowledge in junior high school tells us that alcohol is the product of small molecule sugars decomposed under the action of yeast, so the most convenient raw material for making wine is fruit, preferably berries with high sugar content and a certain acidity. It only needs to be brewed under natural conditions. When ripe fruit is left to rest, the yeast on the peel will happily complete the job.

Making mead has one more step than fruit wine: adding water to dilute it.This is because the osmotic pressure of honey is extremely high. If it is not diluted, bacteria cannot grow at all. This also determines the characteristics of honey that does not deteriorate after being stored for a long time.

Grain brewing is the most difficult. You must first find a way to convert the starch in the grain into small molecular sugars, which can be fermented and decomposed by yeast.

Zhang Tian decided to start with the simplest fruit wine.

Summer and autumn are the seasons when all kinds of fruits are ripe, and there are a lot of them. The endless fruits can be used to make wine.

Those overripe fruits that were not picked in time are all collected and can be turned into treasure as long as they are not rotten.

Fire a batch of wine jars and wine-related utensils, remove the cores of various fruits and mash them, so that the yeast on the skin is fully mixed with the pulp and pomace, put them into the wine jar, add appropriate water, and mix thoroughly. After stirring, cover the lid, seal it with linen cloth, press it with stones, and place it in a cool place.

Zhang Tian used the extra wild fruits to brew a total of eighteen jars of fruit wine, each jar has a capacity of one bucket.

The brewing cycle of fruit wine is short, and the fermentation is completed in one or two weeks.

However, newly brewed wine is turbid, spicy, and not suitable for drinking. After a period of storage, it will taste much better when it becomes aged wine.

The few jars of wine brewed in the summer should be almost done. Zhang Tian didn't know what the result would be. If the sealing was not done well, the fruit wine would most likely turn into fruit vinegar.

He suppressed his curiosity and planned to wait until the time of sacrifice before unsealing and inspecting the goods.

……

As winter approaches, everyone gathers in the threshing floor and activity square.

In the center of the square, a small platform was built with soil, which gave it a bit of a rural stage feel.

Zhang Tian took the stage and delivered an important speech, which mainly summarized the production activities of the past year, how much grain was harvested, what materials were stored, and the quantity of each material.

Not everyone is proficient in counting. Hearing the numbers reported by the sky priest are often in the hundreds, and some are even thousands, and he can't help but feel dizzy.

The number is too big!They know that a thousand is larger than a hundred, but how much larger it is, most people cannot tell.

This didn't stop them from grinning and laughing.

Because every time the Sky Priest finishes reporting a number, he will add an explanation: "We won't be able to use up this cold day!"

Everyone's mood gradually increased with the sound of "can't run out", until it reached the peak!There’s nothing more satisfying than a surplus of supplies!

In addition to the progress in production, the population growth in the past year has also been quite rapid, with a net increase of 56 people.

Two reasons contributed to this result: frequent reproduction greatly increased the birth rate, and the popularity of herbal medicine and the purification of drinking water greatly reduced the mortality rate.

The current population is 432.

With their productivity, they can afford far more people than this number. It can be expected that the clan's population will experience explosive growth in the next ten or even decades.

After summarizing, some "advanced individuals" were commended in public, mainly outstanding practitioners in agriculture, pottery, textile, fishery, breeding, construction and other industries, as well as those who made special contributions to the clan, such as improving knot counting. The owl, mint who invented cloth shoes, etc.

He has already informed the chiefs of each tribe about this matter, and the chiefs of each tribe have already informed the winners of their own tribes, and each of them knows it well.

Zhang Tian began to read out the "Commendation List" in public. As he called out names one by one, the winners came on stage one after another and stood in a row behind him, slightly awkwardly.

Have they ever experienced such a scene?Looking at the people in the audience, even though they are all familiar with each other, they still inevitably feel nervous. Nervous but also feel proud, they all hold their heads high and stand upright.

While reading out the names, Zhang Tian will also tell everyone why they won the award, what they have done and what achievements they have achieved in the past year.

At the end, he said: "Those who did not get the reward this time do not need to be discouraged. There will be opportunities in the future. The sky is watching us and the ancestors are watching us. As long as we work hard and live hard, the sky will see it and the ancestors will see it!" Our efforts will not be in vain! Our sweat will not be wasted!”

He and Lin Yu presented awards to advanced individuals.

The prize is a red five-pointed star medal made of pottery and a summer singlet made of high-quality ramie.

Zhang Tian took the lead in applauding, and the audience immediately burst into warm applause. It was their first time to applaud, but they quickly understood the meaning of this move and its application.

Whether it was the award recipients on the stage or the audience in the audience, everyone was very excited.

For modern people, this is already a worn-out motivational method. Elementary school students may still be proud of it, but adults may only sneer at it.

But in this era, judging and awarding awards is undoubtedly a pioneering work, and the effect is quite good. The tribesmen are as if they have been given a shot of chicken blood. At this time, giving them a handful of grass will probably be able to cultivate the fields again despite the cold.

Zhang Tian announced loudly: "Do you still remember the tribal conference? We decided to resume the various competitions at the tribal conference! The competition will be held after the sacrificial ceremony! We still need to discuss the specific arrangements and what items are included. But one thing can be Sure, the winner will receive generous rewards!”

Thunderous applause and loud cheers erupted from the audience!
Zhang Tian's eyes swept over the excited faces, and his mood was equally bright.

Winter is the season for recuperation and recuperation. Since it is the "winter vacation", it has to feel like a vacation. It is not a sin to stay in a small bamboo house all the time.

Sports are the healthiest entertainment activities.

After a hard year, there's nothing more relaxing than a Winter Olympics.Everyone is looking forward to the coming winter.

……

"Snowing!"

"The first snow of this cold day!"

The children wrapped in thick furs rushed outside excitedly, looked up at the sky, and stretched out their hands to catch the falling crystal snowflakes.

Only Xiao Xiao went back to the bamboo house against the flow of people, took out a dozen bamboo strips from under the mattress made of linen and thatch, and counted them carefully: "One, two, three, four...nine, ten, eleven, ten." two."

He counted it three times and confirmed that it was twelve.

There are twelve months in one year!

However, the 12th month of No. 30 does not have 28 days, and today is only [-] days.

Xiao found Tian and told him this discovery, wondering if he had missed two days of memory.

Zhang Tian shook his head and said: "You remember correctly, today is indeed the 12th day of the 20th month. This is because the first snow this year fell two days earlier than last year."

In fact, it’s more than two days. It’s just because one year, which is composed of twelve moon phase changes, is easier to understand and remember than twelve months with five more days, so it is deliberately guided like this.

The owl's eyes lit up: "So there are exactly twelve months in one year!"

Zhang Tian answered in the affirmative and then asked: "How many days do you count in one year of age?"

Xiao Xiao can count to more than a thousand, but he still can't do arithmetic, not even addition and subtraction, let alone multiplication and division.

He could only use a stupid method and count the scratches one by one from the beginning.

After counting three or four bamboo strips, he found a pattern: every time he counted a bamboo strip, it would definitely end up on ten: thirty, sixty, ninety, 120... If it was not ten after counting, it would probably be ten. The number is wrong.

After a while, he finally counted all the bamboo strips and said confidently: "360 days! There are 360 ​​days in a year!"

Zhang Tian nodded and said: "The number of months and days is not fixed. There will be an extra month every few years. You have to keep recording and make adjustments at any time. From now on, mark important dates when you encounter them, such as Snow on the ground, melting ice and snow, breaking frost, the first rain after spring, etc..."

"Understood!" Xiao nodded vigorously.

After the first snow has passed, it is time to offer sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors.

I have been busy farming this year and still haven't been able to find time to build a decent sacrificial place.

Compared with last year, the offerings were much richer: in addition to regular food, there were also plump and juicy bamboo rat meat, fragrant corn porridge, exquisite hemp products... and of course the oldest drink - wine!

On the day before the sacrifice, Zhang Tian led people to bring out ten jars of fruit wine brewed and stored in the summer.

Sacrifice is the most important event of the year, and everyone is actively preparing for it: chefs are busy preparing ingredients, potters are busy making pottery, weavers are busy weaving clothes and quilts, and the "music and dance troupe" is busy rehearsing... In the camp It’s just like the Chinese New Year, so lively!

Suddenly, men shouted loudly: "Here you go! Fresh wine!"

Everyone immediately put down their work and gathered around him.

They had heard about brewing wine for a long time, and the sky priest said that the wine was more delicious than any soup they had tasted before!
Everyone's heart is as curious as a cat's claws.Looking forward from summer to autumn, I only see wine making but no drinking. I am really anxious!

at last!

Everyone looked at it eagerly, and even before they opened it, they were already salivating.

Zhang Tian originally planned to open the seal tomorrow during the sacrifice, but when he saw the appearance of his clansmen, he knew that now was not the time to practice Cun Zhi. He thought that there were ten jars of wine, so it would be okay to open one jar for everyone to try first.

Quickly tearing open the linen wrapping the mouth of the altar, a faint aroma of wine immediately overflowed.

Open the lid and a richer aroma immediately overflows!

The tribesmen all stretched their necks and inhaled the strange yet familiar smell. The smell was like overripe fruit, but it was far more mellow and fragrant.

Zhang Tian also sniffed hard, and then looked into the jar. After storing it for so long, the wine was still a little turbid and needed to be filtered first.

The ancients had the habit of using thatch or kerchiefs to filter wine. Tao Yuanming was accustomed to using Ge turbans to filter wine. Ge turbans can be used, but linen can also be used.

After filtering, Lin Yu took the lead in dipping some chopsticks into it to taste. The wine taste was very light and the fruity aroma was strong. In her impression, the kvass in the Northeast was higher than this.For those who have never drank alcohol, this kind of drink is just right.

"How is it?" Zhang Tian asked.

Lin Yu gave a thumbs up.

When everyone saw this, they couldn't hold back anymore and shouted loudly: "I want it too!"

"Don't worry, I'll heat up the hot wine first! Everyone has a share!"

Zhang Tian put the wine jar on the fire and simmered it. The aroma of wine and fruit filled the air.

"If you want to drink, bring a cup, one by one! Children are not allowed to drink!"

he shouted.

The tribesmen couldn't wait and immediately handed over the wine glasses.The children protested loudly and expressed dissatisfaction.

A jar of wine is just right, and everyone gets a small glass, which can not only taste it, but also avoid getting drunk and causing trouble.

Without saying a word, the men raised their necks and took a sip. The warm wine slid into their mouthpieces, and the unique taste spread, with a strong irritation, which was very heady.

What's even more surprising is that after just a small cup, the body warms up, and even the hands and feet feel warm. It's obviously the twelfth lunar month of winter, but it doesn't seem so cold anymore.

Women should be more polite and take small sips to savor the taste.

The children grabbed their mother's arms, cried and fussed, begging for a little bit, just a little bit.

The women had no choice but to dip some wine into their chopsticks and feed it to the children's mouths.

Suddenly the children screamed: "Ah! It's so spicy! Bah, bah, bah! It doesn't taste good at all!"

Everyone laughed, and the warm laughter echoed on the cold earth for a long time...

(End of this chapter)