r18novel Chapter 65 Chewing Wine
Chapter 65 Chewing Wine
early morning.
Baozi got up very early.
Can't sleep.
The bed in the guesthouse was too soft; it made his back hurt.
He tossed and turned in bed for more than half an hour before finally resignedly getting up, getting dressed, and tiptoeing out the door.
The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps.
When he passed Xiaoxia's room, he deliberately walked quietly.
He still remembers what happened last night.
However, he didn't think much of it.
Girls get angry, it's normal. They'll be fine in a couple of days.
That's what he thinks.
Stepping out of the guesthouse, a blast of cold air hit me, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms and mist.
Baozi took a deep breath and felt completely refreshed.
He stood at the door for a while, looking around.
The village is still asleep.
There were no tourists, no vendors, and no children running around.
Only a few early-rising crows perched on the roof, tilting their heads to look at him and cawing hoarsely.
Baozi ignored them.
He closed his eyes, his hands hanging down at his sides, palms down.
The primordial energy flowed out of his body and spread in all directions along the ground.
Detect.
The detection of the Earth attribute is different from that of other attributes.
The perception of water-related properties spreads out in concentric circles, gently and evenly.
The fire attribute's ability to detect is like a heat wave, allowing one to sense changes in temperature and traces of life.
And the exploration of the earth element...
Like a root.
Like tree roots, they burrow into the soil from the ground and extend in all directions. Every root touches the earth and senses every stone, every tree, every building, and every person standing on the ground.
Baozi stood still, motionless.
His consciousness spread out with his primordial energy, covering the entire Yosaki.
The concentration of primordial energy beneath this land is uneven.
The steamed buns explored forward little by little along the meridians of primordial energy.
Starry Sky Primordial Qi.
There was nothing at first.
It was just ordinary primordial energy, faint, like the moisture in the air, omnipresent but unnoticed by anyone.
There's no rush with the steamed buns.
He narrowed down the area he was exploring, focusing on the center of the village.
That place has the most people, the most mixed primordial energy, and all sorts of emotions and auras mixed together.
If it were him, he would hide there.
It's easiest to blend into a crowd and be less likely to be noticed.
Baozi opened his eyes, took a step, and walked towards the center of the village.
There were already people in the center of the village in the early morning.
The breakfast stalls are the first to open, steaming from the bamboo steamers, their aroma wafting far and wide.
Baozi's stomach growled.
He resisted the urge to buy food.
Find someone first, then eat.
He drove around the village and found that the car was still on, but he didn't find anything.
The primordial energy of the stars seemed to exist as if it did not exist at all.
Baozi stood under a cherry blossom tree and scratched his head.
"Isn't it in the village?"
He was preparing to expand his detection range beyond the village when he suddenly sensed something.
Very faint.
Following that slight feeling, Baozi walked through a small alley, crossed a stone bridge, and turned onto a road he had never traveled before.
"Arcade".
He froze for a moment.
Then he felt it.
That primordial energy is inside.
Baozi pushed open the door and went inside.
The arcade wasn't large, with a dozen or so machines neatly arranged, their screens lit up with colorful lights.
A strange smell filled the air.
A mixture of plastic, sweat, and fried food.
There was a claw machine in the corner, filled with some dirty plush toys.
The walls were covered with game posters, most of which were faded and curled up at the edges.
At nine o'clock in the morning, there weren't many people in the arcade.
There is only one child.
He sat in front of a racing game console, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his body swaying left and right with the curves on the screen.
Baozi stood at the door, watching the child's back.
The child was about six or seven years old, wearing a sweatshirt with two straps hanging down his back, swinging back and forth as he moved.
Baozi walked over slowly.
The investigator told him that the primordial energy of the stars was emanating from this little thing.
The child seemed to sense something, and his body stiffened for a moment.
Then he suddenly turned his head.
Baozi and his eyes met.
"what!"
The child jumped off the chair and ran away.
Before Baozi could react, he had already squeezed through the gap in the game console and run towards the back door.
"stop!"
Baozi shouted and chased after him.
He's too big.
The aisles between the game machines were too narrow; his shoulder was almost wedged between the machines on either side, and he had to turn sideways to take each step.
The child darted in and out of the aisle like an eel, and Baozi couldn't catch up at all.
By the time he finally squeezed through the last passageway and reached the back door, the child was already gone.
Outside the back door is a narrow alley with gray cement walls on both sides and some puddles on the ground.
Baozi looked left and right. To the left was a dead end, and to the right was a main road.
He chased after it to the right.
After running about twenty meters, I suddenly tripped over something.
A rope.
I don't know who tied it to the corner of the wall; it's very low and thin, and you can't see it at all if you're not paying attention.
Baozi lunged forward.
His body flew through the air for about 0.5 seconds before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Bang!"
The sound was very loud.
Baozi lay on the ground, his face pressed against the cold cement floor.
pain.
He tried to get up by supporting himself on his arms, when he suddenly heard a voice above him.
Hahahaha
Baozi raised its head.
The child squatted on the wall, hands on his knees, laughing so hard he was doubled over.
"That fatso! That's hilarious!"
Baozi looked at him, her expression changing from pain to helplessness.
Then the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
The child was still laughing, laughing happily, completely unaware of his footing.
His right foot was on a brick on the top of the wall, the surface of which had been covered with a pale yellow light at some point.
Earth elemental energy.
The buns were laid out.
"Have you laughed enough?" Baozi got up from the ground and dusted himself off.
The child's smile suddenly froze.
He looked down and saw the layer of light beneath his feet.
"Huh?"
He tried to lift his foot, but he couldn't.
He tried again, but it still didn't work.
He started to panic.
"What...what did you do?"
Baozi patted the dust off his pants, walked to the base of the wall, and looked up at the child squatting on the wall.
"Little brat," Baozi said, his voice carrying a tone that made you want to punch him, "you're still a long way from fighting with your Uncle You."
The child stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, unsure what to say.
Baozi reached out and grabbed the child's ankle.
The child's ankles were so thin that Baozi's hand could easily wrap around them with room to spare.
With a gentle tug, the child was pulled down from the top of the wall.
The child's body somersaulted in the air before being caught steadily by the steamed bun.
He lifted the child by the ankle like a chick, and swayed him upside down.
The child's face turned bright red, whether from blood rushing to the head or from anger, it was hard to tell.
"Put me down! Put me down!"
He began to struggle, his arms flailing wildly in the air.
"Not letting go"
"You...you!!"
After holding it in for a long time, the child finally came up with a brilliant idea.
He took a deep breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Child abduction!!!"
That sound was too loud.
The sound was so loud that Baozi felt like his eardrums were about to burst.
What's even more frightening is that the sound travels very far.
Moreover, although the back alley of the arcade was remote, there was a main road right next to it.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, there were already people on the main road.
Baozi heard footsteps.
Many footsteps.
There were also voices.
"What? Kidnapping a child?"
"Where? Where?"
"Go check it out!"
Baozi's expression changed.
"You..." Baozi wanted to say something, but it was too late.
In less than ten seconds, seven or eight people had gathered at the entrance of the alley.
All eyes were on the steamed bun.
That look in Baozi's eyes felt very familiar.
It's the way you look at bad people.
Baozi opened his mouth, as if to say, "This is a misunderstanding."
But he looked down at himself.
A burly man, about 1.75 meters tall, wearing a black jacket, was carrying a child in one hand, with the child's head down.
He suddenly felt that no matter what he said, it didn't seem to have much persuasive power.
He put the child down.
As soon as the child's feet touched the ground, he sprang out like a spring, slipped through the gaps in the crowd, and disappeared without a trace.
"Hey!" Baozi wanted to chase after them, but the crowd blocked his way.
"Sir, what were you doing just now?"
"Is that child yours?"
"Should we call the police?"
The steamed bun was surrounded in the middle, and it was giving him a headache.
"No, that child..."
He explained for a long time before finally getting the crowd to disperse.
By the time he squeezed out of the crowd, the child was long gone.
Baozi stood at the alley entrance, panting heavily, sweat beading on his forehead.
"The little rascal," he muttered to himself, "can run pretty fast."
He did not give up.
Baozi restarted the exploration.
That primordial energy of the stars is still there.
nearby.
He followed the flow of primordial energy, passing through one alley and then another, until he finally arrived in front of an abandoned building.
Baozi pushed open the door and went inside.
It's a large space inside, which may have been a warehouse or factory in the past.
There's a game console in the corner.
It was an old-fashioned arcade machine, the screen lit up, displaying the game's title screen.
Two large, bright red characters, very eye-catching.
"The King of Fighters".
The child sat on a stool in front of the game console, his hands on the joystick and buttons, but he wasn't playing.
He heard footsteps, turned around, and saw Baozi.
His expression was no longer as smug as before.
There was something else in his eyes.
"You're quite good at finding things," the child said.
"You're pretty fast," Baozi said.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds.
The child looked away first.
He looked at the screen, remained silent for about five seconds, and then spoke.
"Play a game with me."
"What?"
"Play a game with me," the child said, his voice a little softer than before, "and I'll go with you."
Baozi stared at the game console.
The words "King of Fighters" flashed on the screen.
The corners of his mouth slowly turned up.
Are you sure?
"Sure."
Baozi walked to the game machine and sat down on the stool next to it.
The stool was very small; when he sat down, his bottom protruded far off to the sides.
He adjusted his posture, gripped the joystick in his hand, and tested its feel.
The joystick is a bit loose, and the buttons are a bit stiff, but it's still usable.
"Who do you choose?" the child asked.
"You choose first."
The child snorted and selected three characters on the screen.
Baozi glanced at it and smiled.
"Iori Yagami, Kyo Kusanagi, Terry Bogard," he said, "the standard setup."
"And you?" the child asked.
Baozi did not answer.
He selected three people's avatars on the screen.
The child frowned as he looked at the three portraits.
Who did you choose?
Baozi did not answer.
He was just smiling.
The game has begun.
The child operated quickly, his fingers clicking rapidly on the buttons, and the joystick clicked as he pushed it.
His Iori Yagami charged over, unleashing a triple Sunflower attack, followed by a Eight Maidens attack.
For an ordinary person, this combo would take away at least half of their health bar.
But Baozi is no ordinary person.
His fingers moved slightly, the joystick wobbled a little, and the button was pressed three times.
The characters on the screen dodged every attack from Iori Yagami.
Then Baozi retaliated.
One punch, two punches, three punches, a combo, a finishing move.
Iori Yagami's health bar changed from green to red, and then from red to empty.
KO
The child's eyes widened.
"You...do it again!"
Second round.
The child became even more focused, leaning forward with his eyes almost glued to the screen.
But the result is the same.
KO
The third round.
KO
The child pushed the joystick aside, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and his expression changed from shock to defiance.
"How can you be so amazing?"
"I used to spend some time in arcades," he said.
"how long?"
"Two years."
"So impressive in just two years?"
"I stay here from opening to closing time every day."
The child fell silent.
"What's your name?" the child asked.
"steamed stuffed bun."
"Baozi? Real name?"
"Code name".
"So what's your real name?"
Baozi did not answer.
"Come on," he said, extending his hand, "come back with me."
Baozi bent down, reached out with her other hand, and picked the child up from the stool.
"You smell bad." The child wrinkled his nose.
"What does it taste like?"
"The taste of pork cutlet rice."
Baozi paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Yes, I'm a chef."
"chef?"
"Um"
……
……
Meanwhile, at the guesthouse.
Xiaoman was awakened by a strange noise.
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle..."
She opened her eyes and glanced at the bed next to her.
Wen Ranran was still asleep, and Fei Fei was lying on her head.
Xiaoman quietly got out of bed, put on her slippers, pushed open the door, and walked towards the sound.
The sound was coming from the kitchen.
The kitchen door was half open. Xiaoman pushed the door open and saw a scene that stunned her.
Xiaoxia stood in front of the kitchen counter, wearing a white apron, her hair pinned up with a hairpin, revealing her fair nape.
She was holding a bowl in her hand, which contained some white stuff.
She was chewing something, her cheeks bulging.
Then she lowered her head and spat the contents of her mouth into the bowl.
Xiaoman's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Xiaoxia turned her head and saw Xiaoman. Instead of feeling embarrassed, she smiled.
"Mouth-chewed liquor".
"Mouth-chewed sake?" Xiaoman walked to the kitchen counter and looked at the bowl.
The bowl contained chewed rice, which had become soft and sticky after being moistened with saliva.
"It's about chewing the rice balls in your mouth so that the enzymes in your saliva react with the starch in the rice, promoting fermentation."
Xiaoxia explained.
"Then spit it into a bottle, seal it, and it will turn into wine in a few days."
Xiaoman had heard of this thing.
Chewing wine is a very ancient brewing method that dates back thousands of years.
It also has another name.
"Witch's Sake".
This is because such things are usually made by shrine maidens and used to worship gods.
"Is this used for sacrificial rites?" Xiaoman asked.
Xiao Xia nodded.
"The festival in Yoizaki is in three days, and we need to use kuchikamizaki (chewed sake) as offerings."
"My dad originally wanted to make it himself, but..."
Xiaoxia's lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of girlish slyness.
"It's best if the sake is made by beautiful young women, as it will be more fragrant and mellow."
"A beautiful girl?" Xiaoman repeated.
"Yes." Xiaoxia looked at Xiaoman, her eyes shining. "Do you want to give it a try?"
Xiaoman was stunned for a moment.
"I?"
"You meet the requirements," Xiaoxia said matter-of-factly.
Xiaoman looked at Xiaoxia, then at the bowl of chewed rice, and remained silent for two seconds.
"Okay," she said.
Xiaoxia's eyes shone even brighter.
She led Xiaoman to the sink and taught her how to wash her hands.
"Hands must be washed thoroughly and must be free of any odor, otherwise it will affect the taste of the wine."
"And your hair, it needs to be tied up, it can't fall in."
"How long should you chew the rice ball?"
"It takes about a minute. You need to chew it very finely, but don't swallow it."
Xiaoman nodded.
Xiaoxia took a freshly steamed rice ball from the steamer and placed it in Xiaoman's hand.
The rice ball was very hot, so Xiaoman switched hands and blew on it to cool it down.
"Chew it while it's hot; it won't be as effective when it's cold," Xiaoxia said.
Xiaoman put the rice ball into her mouth.
The rice has a simple flavor, with a light sweetness and a subtle fragrance.
She began to chew.
Once, twice, three times.
They chewed very carefully and meticulously.
Xiao Xia watched intently from the side.
"Crush it a little more, crush it a little more."
Xiaoman chewed it a dozen more times.
"Okay, spit it out."
Xiaoman lowered her head and spat the rice ball in her mouth into a clean bowl.
Xiaoxia leaned over to take a look and nodded.
"Good, the particles are very fine, and the humidity is just right."
Then she took another rice ball, put it in her mouth, and started chewing.
The two people stood facing each other in the kitchen, chewing rice balls together.
The scene was a bit comical, but both of them were very serious.
Wen Ranran woke up at some point.
She rubbed her eyes and walked into the kitchen. Fei Fei leaned on her shoulder, still sleepy.
"Sister Xiaoman, what are you doing?"
Xiaoman turned her head, still chewing rice balls, unable to speak.
Xiaoxia answered for her.
"Make wine."
"Making wine?" Wen Ranran walked to the kitchen counter, stood on tiptoe, looked at the chewed rice in the bowl, and then looked at Xiaoxia and Xiaoman's chubby cheeks.
"I want one too."
Xiao Xia looked down at her.
Wen Ranran tilted her head back, her eyes serious.
"Can you chew it?" Xiaoxia asked.
"able."
Xiaoxia looked at Xiaoman, and Xiaoman nodded.
Xiaoxia took a smaller rice ball from the steamer and handed it to Wen Ranran.
Wen Ranran took it, took a bite, and began to chew.
She chewed for about ten seconds and then swallowed.
Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment.
"Ranran, don't swallow, spit it out."
Wen Ranran blinked.
But I swallowed it.
Xiaoxia took a deep breath.
"It's okay, let's try again."
She gave Wen Ranran another small piece of rice ball.
Wen Ranran put it in her mouth, chewed for twenty seconds, and then swallowed it.
Xiao Xia looked at her with a complicated expression.
"Ranran, have you ever chewed gum before?"
"no."
"Do you know what things you have to chew and spit out?"
"have no idea."
Xiaoxia glanced at Xiaoman, who shrugged.
Xiao Xia sighed, squatted down, and looked Wen Ranran in the eye.
"Ranran, look at me."
She put a rice ball in her mouth, chewed for about thirty seconds, then lowered her head and spat the rice ball into the bowl.
"See? You need to spit it out."
Wen Ranran nodded.
Xiaoxia gave her a third rice ball.
Wen Ranran put it in her mouth, chewed it for about a minute, then lowered her head and opened her mouth.
A small clump of chewed rice fell from her mouth into the bowl.
I didn't swallow it.
Xiaoxia smiled.
"Yes, that's it!"
Wen Ranran smiled too.
Xiaoman felt a warmth in her heart when she saw her smile.
The three of them continued chewing.
One rice ball, two rice balls, three rice balls.
The rice in the bowl kept increasing, becoming stickier and stickier, and eventually resembling a clump of paste.
Xiaoxia put the chewed rice into a glass jar, pressed it down with a wooden spoon, and put the lid on.
"Alright, leave it for three days, and it'll turn into wine."
She picked up a pen and put a label on the bottle that read "Festival-grade Kuchikamizaki (chewed sake)".
Then, below the label, there was another line of small print.
"Produced by: Xiaoman, Xiaoxia, Wenranran".
Wen Ranran stood on tiptoe, looked at the words, and smiled slightly.
"Ranran is also on it."
"Yes, Ranran is on it too."
Xiaoman squatted down and looked Wen Ranran in the eye.
Are you happy?
Wen Ranran nodded, then shook her head.
"What's wrong?"
"I ate two rice balls," Wen Ranran said, her voice a little embarrassed. "Will that affect the taste of the wine?"
Xiaoxia smiled, a very happy smile.
"No, every bite Ranran makes is very important."