Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen
In the five days, Su Shaobai wasn’t idle. Using the remaining two thousand1I think the author forgot they only gave the MC 3000 points. But let them cook I guess? credit points, he bought wine bottles, baskets for holding grapes, and some tables and chairs. Mother Tang even cleared out the basement for him.
According to Tang Xinghe, that basement had been dug by her father a hundred years ago. Back then, when alien civilizations had pushed all the way to the Empire’s central star system, and enemy warships were about to enter the Imperial Star, panic swept the people. Shishi Star was the only route to the Imperial Star—billions living there either moved or fled. Father Tang didn’t want to leave and thus dug the basement as a shelter.
A hundred years ago, when the Empire’s armies were in retreat, everyone thought they’d become prisoners. At that moment, the young emperor—who had just led a rebellious army to capture the Imperial Star but had yet to ascend the throne—fought fiercely against the alien invaders and eventually drove them out. This battle secured his throne, and even Prince Levi stopped opposing his enthronement. The young emperor was once the Empire’s savior, but over time, grew more and more unstable, imposing heavy taxes and penalties, murdering countless people, while noble clans ran rampant and the government neglected its duties. A century later, the old generation still held some residual feelings for him, but the new citizens preferred Prince Levi, a gentle ruler who cared for the people and kept battling the powerful clans.
After hearing all this from Tang Xinghe, Su Shaobai gently stroked his little kitten and murmured, “Tuanzi, from now on, we’ll stay here on Shishi Star. That tyrant sounds scary—we should stay far away.”
Tuanzi the Tyrant: “…”
The Tang family’s basement was very well built, as it was designed for habitation. The walls were sealed with a cement-like soil layer and wooden insulation. There was one bedroom and one living room; the temperature inside was excellent, especially suited for fermentation. Hardware was ready, and for software—grapes—Su Shaobai had already picked and tasted. They were delicious; in fact, the best grapes he had ever eaten. Only then did he learn these grapes were almost three hundred years old, planted by Grandpa Tang.
In the 21st century, Su Shaobai knew the longest-living grapes were just over 180 years old, with an ordinary lifespan of 60 to 70 years. The older the grapevine, the richer the wine it produces. This fact stirred him deeply.
Time flew by. Besides the preliminary work, the wooden barrels and basins arrived by delivery. Su Shaobai carefully washed and dried them, waiting eagerly for the livestream to start. Tang Xinghe and Tang Xingchen were quite worried. They didn’t know that during Su Shaobai’s absence from StarNet, people had dragged him into a heated controversy involving Hera. Many were eager to watch him fail.
Su Shaobai took his debut seriously. Early in the morning, he got ready. Opening his livestream and stepping outside with the flying camera, he found that quite a few people were already online. Five days ago, his announcement said the stream would start at 7 AM, but it was just past 6 AM. Summer mornings were bright early; many who had to work had already gotten up and set reminders. Hearing that someone about to brew was making breakfast, they logged in.
“Good morning, everyone. Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Su Shaobai. Let me make breakfast for you!” he said, heading downstairs.
The dozen or so people who had just entered the stream were stunned. Had they come to the wrong livestream?
The two kids upstairs were still asleep. Mother Tang was watering the plants in the front yard and picking some vegetables as well. Su Shaobai poked his head out to greet her, then went into the kitchen. Today, he was making shredded chicken noodles. First, he stewed half a chicken while mixing flour with warm water to knead a dough, greasing it and letting it ferment. The entire process was clean and precise. When he started pulling the noodles, the livestream viewers were amazed. Despite the dough looking so large, he kept pulling it thinner and thinner, thread-like and endlessly stretching.
Livestream chat:
[Are you sure you’re not a food streamer?]
[Damn, this is incredible! It didn’t break once. That skill qualifies you as a senior chef, better than being just a brewer!]
[Oh my god, look at those tender white noodles floating in the water—makes me want to eat them.]
[Forget brewing for now, streamer, activate the holographic tasting feature! Even if I can’t swallow, I want to experience the texture and flavor.]
Su Shaobai knew about the holographic five-sense function. After thinking it over, he agreed it was a good idea.
After the noodles were done, he served them in a bowl topped with shredded chicken, some sesame oil, two stalks of greens, and chicken strips, making everyone drool.
Su Shaobai felt a little strange, especially when he served a bowl to the viewers in the livestream. Watching them praise the chicken for its tenderness and smoothness, the noodles for their chewiness, and the soup for its delicious taste, he found it odd.
The Tang family was also amazed by Su Shaobai’s skills. Tang Xingchen’s mouth was full of oil from eating, and even Grandpa Tang praised the taste, saying it eased his mental pain.
After breakfast, it was time to pick grapes. It was already 7:15 AM, and the livestream’s viewer count started rising. People from all walks gathered: the roughly ten-person tentative fan club, onlookers, Hera’s fans, other brewing fans, and even many distillers and brewers joining with alternate accounts.
As more people streamed in, what caught their attention first was the intense discussion about the shredded chicken noodles—hand-pulled, handmade noodles described as amazing. Some accused the commenters of lying, but others envied them, saying they would have logged in earlier if they’d known there was breakfast.
The current online viewer count was 3,200.
[Here we come! Let’s see how that reckless young ‘brewer’ with no certification stomps grapes.]
[Wow, so many people. Besides celebrity streams, it’s the first time I’ve seen this many on a stranger’s first day.]
[Hmph, just riding the hype.]
[Let’s expose his true colors.]
As the crowd grew, Su Shaobai began brewing. Today he wore a smog-blue T-shirt and black linen tapered pants—a simple look that made him look youthful. Many in the chat shouted that Su Shaobai should be in school.
“It’s summer break!” Su Shaobai had wanted to say he disliked studying but thought there might be students watching, so he kept quiet.
The baskets were bamboo woven by Su Shaobai himself. Because they hadn’t dried fully, their surface color looked very appealing. Many viewers asked where they were bought.
“Our focus should be on picking grapes,” Su Shaobai smiled at the chat and headed to the vineyard. The Tang family grew quite a lot of grapes, about two acres in total.
“The older the grapevines used for winemaking, the richer the wine.”
Su Shaobai handed the basket to Tang Xingchen and used scissors to clip the grapes.
Early in the morning, the black grapes were still covered with dew, looking crystal clear, plump, and firm. Each bunch weighed one to two pounds, and they harvested nearly thirty-five pounds in total.
The grapes were carried up to the second-floor terrace, where blooming flowers added vibrant color to the morning. Behind the camera, the orchard stretched out—a beautiful scene. Those used to living in high-rise buildings and working in bustling offices felt envious, chatting excitedly about moving to a place like this.
The storage room was where Su Shaobai kept his brewing equipment, but it was small, so he ultimately decided to do the preparatory work on the terrace. After bringing the grapes upstairs, he also moved out the wooden barrels and basins and began rolling up his pant legs.
[Is this the official start?]
[Oh my god, is the streamer really livestreaming how to brew wine? Brewing techniques are so tightly guarded by brewers and distillers—not shared easily—and this guy is so generous?]
[I heard he’s going to stomp the grapes with his feet. I’m here to see how he does it.]
[Ahhh, yeah, me too—I’m here because of that.]
[Haha, I’m here because I heard he got into a fight with Hera’s fans. I want to see for myself.]
The chat was lively, everyone talking at once. Su Shaobai set the stream to randomly read out a message every two seconds, so even without looking at the page, he could hear everything.
“I don’t know who he is,” Su Shaobai said, pouting. His usually confident expression took on a youthful charm. Many onlookers in the chat were stunned. [Oh no, I’m becoming a fan.]
The grapes needed to be rinsed, destemmed, and rinsed again—a traditional process, and that’s what the viewers expected. But then Su Shaobai’s next move shocked everyone.
He brought a basin of water, washed and dried his feet and calves, pushed the basin aside, then picked a few bunches of grapes from the table into a wooden tub and stomped on them.
Livestream chat: …
[Whoa, he really stomped on them?]
[No way, they aren’t even washed or destemmed! Starting like this?]
[Oh my god, there must be so many bugs in there—how terrifying.]
[Ahhh, I can’t take it! The grapes looked so tasty, now they’re trampled—I lost my appetite.]
[Wow, I finally saw the legendary grape stomping—though that legend only started last week.]
[Ahhh, they’re all squashed now. His feet are turning red!]
[Would anyone dare drink wine made like this? Think of all the bacteria.]
[Ugh, this is too scary. The streamer’s just doing it for clicks!]
[If you don’t understand, ask—what’s the difference between using a machine and feet?]
[Even if the streamer doesn’t want to crush with a machine, couldn’t he use his hands? Why feet?]
“The alcohol produced during fermentation kills those bacteria,” Su Shaobai explained. “As for why use feet—that’s simple. Machines crush the grapes but can’t keep the grape seeds intact. The seeds produce tannins during brewing, and if you don’t control tannins properly, the wine turns bitter. Hands don’t have enough strength to separate the skins fully from the flesh and seeds. Only feet are suitable and allow you to truly feel the ripeness and warmth of the grapes—a sensation neither hands nor machines can replace.”
He continued, “During stomping, the grapes generate a subtle temperature that helps produce the finest, richest wine. In the 21st century, wineries relied on skilled artisans for this step to separate skins from flesh—a process that makes the wine expensive.”
Though the bitterness of wine is usually mild and often negligible, to top sommeliers, it marks the lowest, most inferior drinks.
The chat fell silent for a moment, struck by how sensible Su Shaobai’s explanation was. Suddenly, many felt that his grape-stomping was great and even noble. [What do we do now? Waiting online here, a bit anxious.]
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