Lin Zezu felt much more at ease once he had settled the matter of the sorghum spirit. After all, they were living in an era of small-scale agriculture; to mass-produce Linjiang Mellow would require an enormous supply of glutinous rice, which in itself was a massive hurdle. If they were truly to throw all their efforts into such production, it would inevitably send the price of grain across the entire State of Wu soaring.
Ultimately, using sorghum was the safer bet. In this dynasty, sorghum was mostly used as fodder for military horses, and people only turned to it for sustenance during times of famine. Because of this, the cost of sorghum was practically negligible. To improve the flavor of the spirit, Lin Zezu decided to add twenty to thirty percent wheat; this mixture of grains would yield a much more aromatic and palatable liquor.
As he paced back and forth in the schoolhouse, Lin Zezu’s mind never stopped churning over the various affairs at home. Another thing that brought him joy was that Wang Shan and the thirty-five craftsmen dismissed by the Jianxian Bookstore had all been quietly ferried to Li Genshou’s workshop by Fugui in several batches. Wang Shan, that old fool, had been at his wit's end, like a man drowning, and once he was offered a lifeline, he had brought his entire family and followed Fugui onto the metaphorical pirate ship without a moment's hesitation. The other craftsmen had done the same, moving their families to the workshop one after another. To thi…
Chapter 194