Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Brewing Master
Ten adults plus one child, the barley Lynn previously bought in Kent Village was already eaten up by yesterday!
More grain food needs to be purchased.
Moreover.
Within a week, nearly two hundred pounds of smoked fish in the smokehouse also need to be sold.
Plus, the brewery needs barley to start the next round of brewing!
The next morning.
Three hundred pounds of beer were all packed into wooden barrels and carried by oxen.
Lynn, along with Red Kuisi and Lex, arrived early at Kent Village.
Kuisi’s familiar calling echoed from the roadside.
"Smoked fish, smoked fish, delicious smoked fish! Perfectly salty and savory, great with meals and drinks!"
"Freshly baked smoked fish! Crispy on the outside and tender inside, fragrant and enticing, come and taste!"
She seemed to have memorized these two selling lines firmly, repeating them word for word.
Some passing villagers merely glanced briefly before looking away.
Indeed, just as Lynn had guessed.
The villagers from nearby villages are limited and the smoked fish market is only so big.
In between Kuisi’s calls, Lex was also shouting.
"Exquisite craftsmanship, supreme quality, Lex Beer, start a luxurious journey on the taste buds!"
As the voice called out, the surrounding villagers passing by turned their gaze towards Lex.
Is this really the way beer is peddled at the village market?
And now it’s spring plowing, not yet the harvest season, they haven’t had time to brew their own beer.
Upon hearing the word beer, they instantly felt their mouths water, unable to resist swallowing.
"How do you sell this beer? How does it taste?"
Lex’s face remained calm, "Beer brewed by Master Brewer Lex, the taste is naturally excellent!"
"Three pounds of beer for just one penny!"
The villagers standing in front of Lex were full of confusion and amazement.
"Lex? Master Brewer?"
"Give me three pounds of beer!"
Despite Lynn teaching Lex how to do advertising to enhance the hype of the beer.
The beer sales were still somewhat disappointing.
These villagers are simply too poor!
Occasionally, a few higher-paid artisans would spend money to buy, but ordinary villagers can hardly afford drinks.
Instead, smoked fish sold faster than beer.
Lynn frowned.
This time selling beer was indeed too simplistic on his part.
In the afternoon, as the sky grew darker.
Lex approached Lynn, "Master Lynn, beer sales aren’t looking too good... up till now, only about thirty pounds have been sold."
Lynn furrowed his brow and spat out the dog-tail grass from his mouth.
The smoked fish was nearly sold out, but only thirty pounds of beer had sold, earning ten pence.
This was even under the premise of Lynn’s taught advertising lines.
Just as Lynn was about to speak.
A young man in a gray robe, with embroidered and trimmed sleeves and collar, walked over.
It was none other than the merchant, George Dalton!
George saw the wooden barrels laid out on the ground and asked.
"Young master, may I taste this beer?"
"I’ve smelled the aroma of beer from afar coming from the barrels..."
Lynn nodded, "Of course."
With Lynn’s indication, Kuisi quickly scooped a ladle of beer from the wooden spoon, poured it into a small bowl, and handed it to George.
George took it with his hand and, under Lex’s expectant gaze, drank it down in one go.
He swirled it around in his mouth a few times, swallowing slowly.
Savoring deeply with a hint of surprise.
Returning the clay bowl to Kuisi, George praised without restraint.
"Young master, this is the best beer I’ve ever had! Sweet with a touch of bitterness, light and herbal... is it rosemary?"
Lex’s face was full of delight.
Besides getting a full meal, nothing is more exciting than having your labor admired by others.
Lex spoke, "Yes, dear merchant sir, rosemary... I added rosemary!"
George’s eyes lit up, a look confirming his suspicion.
"Beer with this flavor will definitely be favored by the town’s nobles..."
He looked at Lynn, asking, "Young master, how much for your beer?"
Lynn stood up and walked towards George, "There should be another two hundred seventy pounds here, at the tavern price in town, one penny for three pounds... ninety pence, and these beers are yours."
George’s gaze swept over, quickly calculating in his mind.
He spoke, "I can only offer you eighty pence, the Church’s requirements on liquor sales have become quite strict..."
Lynn said, "No problem."
Right now, Lynn is eager to sell, George lowering the price a bit is normal.
Moreover, the Church does have a certain regulatory control over alcohol.
Putting it nicely, it’s to reduce binge drinking and maintain stability and harmony.
Putting it bluntly, the Church just wants a cut in the brewing business!
Eighty pence isn’t too low of a price.
The merchant George took away two hundred seventy pounds of beer.
Of course.
Lynn asked George to leave the barrels behind, eighty pence didn’t include the barrels.
Looking away, Lynn turned to Kuisi.
In her hand, she held a heavy cloth bag full of pence.
Over two hundred pounds of smoked fish, gained two hundred pence.
Plus eighty pence from beer sales combined...
Two hundred eighty pence in hand!
Although less than expected, all beer and smoked fish were sold.
Labor products only become goods once exchanged into pennies!
Both beer and smoked fish have a consumption deadline.
If unsold, they’ll just be wasted in hand.
Along with Kuisi, Red, and Lex, to the Blacksmith Shop.
Welcomed warmly by the blacksmith, Lynn stood before a feldspar board displaying iron products.
The blacksmith’s words were enthused, "Young master, what do you need to purchase this time? If you want better iron farming tools, I can customize them here."
Lynn’s gaze passed over each one on the feldspar board, they were all just simple iron products.
From the Blacksmith Shop, purchased two Iron Scythes, two Iron Hoes, two axes... several different types of iron farming tools as reserves.
Also bought some iron bands and nails for making barrels.
Directly spent thirty pence.
With the remaining pence, Lynn bought all food.
A hundred pounds of wheat, five hundred fifty of barley, and twenty pence in vegetables.
Along with a few smoked fish and several hundred pounds of wild boar meat in the smokehouse.
Enough for them to eat for a while!
With the oxen carrying the barley and wheat, Lynn and the four returned to the cabin by nightfall.
Fortunately, there wasn’t an encounter with a pack of wild wolves.
In the kitchen.
Guy, who was busy making dinner, first saw Master Lynn outside the cabin.
He put down the mixing stick in his hand and went to greet him.
"Gavin, Wilbur, Master Lynn is back, come and help quickly!"
Two burly men came out of the cabin, respectfully calling Master Lynn.
They began unloading bags of barley and wheat from the oxen, storing them in the kitchen.
A few women also came out of the cabin, watching the bags of grain, their faces filled with joy.
Lynn stood at the cabin door, watching the busy bustling figures, feeling a sense of contentment.
Finally, there seems to be a sign of development.
Lex navigated through the moving figures and came to Lynn’s side.
His tone slightly worried, "Master Lynn, should we continue brewing beer?"