Chapter 118: Ancient Medicinal Wine Recipe

Upon entering the Mid-Mountain Brigade, one could see houses built along the slopes, the small village seemingly nestled within the embrace of lush, green mountains. It was common to see the roof of one house level with the foundation of another, and the houses at the highest point of the village stood several dozen meters above those at the lowest.

The entire village was connected by a main road that wound its way up the mountainside. According to Zhang Shanjiang, his home was located in the upper section, further inside.

Along the way, many people greeted Zhang Shanjiang warmly, indicating that the old man held a position of high respect in the village.

Suddenly, a medicinal fragrance wafted through the air. As they walked further, they came upon a courtyard filled with herbs: kudzu root for detoxification, rhubarb for constipation, as well as red sage, red ginseng, forest spirit, and fleeceflower root scattered about.

"Old woman, we have an honored guest today! We must treat him well at lunch," Zhang Shanjiang called out toward the house as he entered the courtyard. He then turned to Xiao Weiguo and said, "Weiguo, let’s go into the main room. The courtyard is a bit cluttered with the herbs I’ve been processing."

"Please don't be so formal, Grandpa Zhang. Just treat me like a younger generation member dropping by for a meal," Xiao Weiguo replied, walking into the main room and taking a seat.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but ever since he entered the house, a faint, intoxicatingly pleasant aroma of alcohol had been lingering in the air. Yet, there was no sign of any liquor in sight.

Driven by curiosity, Xiao Weiguo used his mental perception to scan the room. He discovered a closed-off, man-made storage area against the back wall. Inside were six large glass jars, clearly visible as medicinal wines. One jar contained a large, aged ginseng root that appeared quite valuable. Given the old man’s background as an herbalist, he likely possessed secret formulas for medicinal wines. Xiao Weiguo had originally planned to inquire at places like Tongrentang, but he knew they would be unlikely to sell their formulas. He realized he needed to seize this opportunity and began contemplating how to broach the subject.

Just then, an elderly woman of about sixty years old entered, carrying a bowl of brown sugar water with two eggs floating in it. Xiao Weiguo quickly stood up.

"Young man, sit down, sit down. Things are simple in the mountains, so please drink this. I must hurry back to prepare your lunch," the grandmother said kindly.

"Grandma, you shouldn't have gone to such trouble. Why the eggs? A bowl of plain water would have been plenty," Xiao Weiguo said as he gratefully accepted the bowl.

"I heard everything from Old Zhang. You saved his life today, so you are a great benefactor to our family. Don't be so formal with me," she said before heading back to the kitchen.

Xiao Weiguo sat in the main room, sipping the brown sugar and egg water; he felt almost full just from this. In this era, this was the highest level of hospitality a family could offer, as both eggs and brown sugar were extremely precious.

Out in the courtyard, Zhang Shanjiang was busy slaughtering a chicken. Having little else to offer, he had decided to kill a wild chicken he had caught in the mountains a few days prior—one he had originally intended to keep until the New Year. But it was worth it; for a life-saving benefactor, nothing was too precious. Furthermore, Zhang Shanjiang held a very high regard for Xiao Weiguo.

As Zhang Shanjiang brought the prepared bird to his wife in the kitchen, Xiao Weiguo realized what was happening and hurried out. "Grandpa Zhang, this is too much trouble! A simple meal would have been fine." Had he known, he would have certainly stopped him. He knew that for this elderly couple, this bird was likely their only main course for the upcoming New Year.

"Weiguo, it's already done. Just wait for the meal," Zhang Shanjiang said, pulling Xiao Weiguo back toward the house.

Xiao Weiguo sighed, knowing he couldn't stop them, and resolved to find a way to repay them later.

As they chatted in the main room, Xiao Weiguo learned more about the family. They had a son who had joined the military and never returned, leaving the two of them to live alone.

Xiao Weiguo seized the moment to ask about the medicinal wine. "Grandpa Zhang, since you gather herbs, do you know which ones are good for infusing in alcohol? I'm very interested in how they are paired."

Zhang Shanjiang looked at him with surprise. His family’s medical and medicinal wine traditions had been brought to this remote village to keep them safe and quiet after the wars. After a moment of contemplation, he reached a decision. His son had no interest in the craft, and he himself didn't know how much time he had left. Moreover, Xiao Weiguo was his savior and clearly a person of good character.

He went into the inner room and soon returned with a small, rustic booklet, which he handed to Xiao Weiguo. "Weiguo, these are my family’s ancestral medicinal wine formulas. I have tested them throughout my life, and I can tell you that each one is highly effective. If you are interested, take it. Otherwise, it will likely end up in the grave with me."

Xiao Weiguo stood up in shock, waving his hands in refusal. "Grandpa Zhang, this is too precious! It’s a family heirloom; I cannot accept it. What kind of person would that make me?"

"Take it. Since I have brought it out, I have already thought it through. I only hope that you will use it to save and benefit more people."

Hearing this, Xiao Weiguo accepted the small, palm-sized booklet. "Grandpa Zhang, since there isn't much content here, I will copy it down and leave the original with you."

"That works too," Zhang Shanjiang said, providing him with paper and a pen. Xiao Weiguo was relieved to see a fountain pen; he would have struggled with a traditional brush.

As he flipped through the pages, he realized he had struck gold. The booklet recorded eighteen famous medicinal wine formulas. There was ginseng and goji berry wine, noted for its efficacy in treating fatigue, insomnia, and weakness; kidney-tonifying wine for vitality; as well as formulas for lingzhi, eight-treasure, snake, cordyceps, and deer antler wines.

If he were to combine these with his own spring water, the medicinal effects would be extraordinary. Xiao Weiguo decided he would prepare a batch of the kidney-tonifying wine as soon as possible; he knew there would be a significant market for it.