British hegemon

Chapter 133 Female Secretary

In the central courtyard of the village of Locklanza on the northern part of Aran Island, mist hangs over the eaves of several wineries.

One of the breweries is experimenting with a completely new brewing method that has never been heard of before—distillation.

This entirely new brewing concept was proposed by Roger, but it was inspired by alchemists' vessels.

In his previous life, Roger smuggled alcoholic beverages in Northern Europe, including Scotch whisky, which gave him a little knowledge of whisky making.

Malting, boiling, distilling, and aging—this is the entire process of making a fine whisky.

Well, I should say the entire process that Roger knew.

The process of malting and boiling is similar to that of brewing regular beer, and the process is also very complicated. However, professional things are done by professionals. Roger simply added a distillation process after the traditional beer making process, and left the rest to the craftsmen who specialize in brewing.

The only two brewers on Arun Island were the owner of this brewery in the north of the island, Gary, the gentry, mayor of Fu Nong Village, and brewer. Gary's brewery naturally became the site where Roger experimented with making strong malt spirits.

In the middle of the workshop was a huge round steamer, big enough for an adult to squat inside and take a bath. This thing cost Roger a whole pound penny.

Above the steamer is an inverted bucket-shaped lid, framed with wood and wicker, sealed with cowhide. At the top of the lid is a round hole about the thickness of a wrist, which connects to a serpentine copper tube costing as much as ten shillings. The serpentine copper tube is immersed in a water tank, and its end extends into an oak barrel.

This equipment was just made three days ago by the artisans of the Milk House Estate and delivered to Gary, a local gentry and winemaker in the north of the island.

But Gary isn't here today; the equipment is being operated by his two brewing apprentices.

"Mr. Roger, this is the second, second attempt, and it still hasn't worked." The speaker was a freckled boy, whose stuttering tone revealed his extreme fear and tension.

Roger picked up a small wooden cup from the broken table, held it to the copper tube, and poured a thin stream of pale yellow liquid into the cup. After the cup was full, he picked it up, looked at it, and smelled it. There was a faint sour and rotten smell.

He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand to his mouth.

"Master~" The freckled boy wanted to stop him, but he didn't dare to step forward.

Roger took a sip of the liquid, then spat it all out with a "pui" sound.

Startled, the freckled boy suddenly knelt down, and the other apprentice, who had been keeping his head down, followed suit.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What kind of rubbish is this? It's sour and smelly." Neil, the black dog, followed suit and drank some of the liquid, then couldn't help but spit it out repeatedly.

"My family spent so much money, and this is all you've produced in return for this stinky, sour liquid?"

Roger remained calm. The emergence of any new thing is always accompanied by a series of difficulties and obstacles, and he did not expect to brew a masterpiece in one go.

He raised his hand to signal the two brewing apprentices to stand up, but the two boys didn't dare to move at all.

"I told you to get up, why are you still kneeling?" Neil the black-skinned dog shouted, and the two apprentices shakily got up from the ground.

Roger glanced at Neil the black dog, then turned back and said gently, "You don't need to be afraid. Distilling spirits isn't something you can do successfully in one or two tries. Use your brains and figure out where the problem lies."

The two apprentices nodded in agreement.

"Black dog, give me the reward."

Neil the black dog paused for a moment, then, after confirming that Roger really wanted him to give him a reward, hesitantly took out two silver pennies from his purse.

"Two pence each."

Neil the black dog reluctantly pulled out two more pennies, walked up to the two men, and said, "My master is kind; you should be more careful in the future."

After saying that, he slapped a few silver pennies into the freckled boy's hand. "Where did that old man Gary go? My master has been here for so long, and he hasn't come out to greet us."

"Sir Roger, I am truly sorry. My father has been invited to Brodick for the knighthood ceremony for the new knights, and may also attend the banquet."

A crisp sound came from the workshop gate.

When the group turned around, they saw Gary's daughter bowing her head in respect to Roger.

Lisa wore a maroon long dress with a silver brooch set with a ruby ​​in the center. The sleeves were wide, and her cleavage was faintly visible.

This outfit is the most fashionable style right now. The fabric comes from Campbell Textile Factory, and with the tailor's high wages, it's enough to cover the expenses of an average family for a year.

Although it was early spring, the weather was still a bit chilly, and this outfit was definitely showing off her looks.

"That old geezer certainly knows how to curry favor with the nouveau riche." Neil, the black-skinned dog, was focused on Gary shamelessly fawning over the gay guy.

Roger, however, grasped the key point. He looked the young woman standing at the door up and down and couldn't help but praise her, "Miss Lisa, your outfit is truly captivating."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sir Roger. My father is not home, but please do me the honor of resting in the hall," the girl replied, her eyes fixed on Roger.

That look could indeed captivate a man's soul; Roger knew it well.

Without hesitation, Roger hummed a few words and left the workshop, crossing the courtyard and following the young woman to the main hall.

The hall was deserted; even the newly hired maids had been sent away.

Roger turned and waved to Neil and Donald, the black dogs who had followed behind him. "You two go and supervise the apprentices as they try to make it again. You don't need to come over unless I tell you to."

Donald was baffled, but Neil the black dog knew the former young master Roger, and with a sly grin, he dragged the big Donald back to the brewery.

The girl did not stop when she reached the hall, but continued walking towards her bedroom.

Seeing the half-open door, Roger didn't hesitate and followed him inside.

This section omits one hour, twenty-three minutes, and four seconds of indescribable content.

In the central courtyard of Lokzalan village, in a bedroom decorated with flower petals and bed curtains, a woman's shy voice trembled as she sobbed softly.

"Marry you? You think you can marry me just because I slept with you? How many women must I have married in my past life?" The man rummaged through his pants, a little impatient at the soft sobbing. He turned and said softly, "What are you crying for? I didn't force you. You delivered yourself right to my lips."

"But don't worry, although I can't give you a formal title for now, I will never mistreat you. If you give birth to my children in the future, I will acknowledge them."

After saying this, the man pulled up his pants, fastened his belt, and strode toward the door.

As he approached the door, the man suddenly stopped.

The woman was overjoyed at the sound, and poked her head out from under the covers, full of anticipation.

"How about this, I'll tell your father to let you come to the Milk House Manor as a maid~" The man originally intended to blurt out the word "maid," but felt that it might be inappropriate, so he changed his words to "be my personal secretary."

"So I don't have to travel that far every time..."

""

"You live so far away, why did you have to go and provoke that commoner girl?"

"You promised me you would choose a good wife, and that's why I agreed to postpone the construction of the chapel. Now you're bringing some wild girl back to the estate."

"I know you can't stay idle, and a wild girl is fine, but why did you have to go and provoke her? Have you forgotten that you almost lost your life for her last year?"

In the lord's bedroom on the second floor of the Milk House Manor, Roger's mother was earnestly giving him advice and instructions.

Roger, sitting across the square table, felt his ears itch with excitement and struggled to suppress a yawn.

.

After his mother had finished talking, he got up, poured her a glass of wine with honey, and handed it to her. "I've already told you, I only have her as my personal secretary, I have no intention of marrying her."

The mother took the wine glass, about to drink, when she heard this and immediately stopped, looking up and scolding, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

"My son, have you ever considered that if that wild girl has a child, which noblewoman will be willing to marry you in the future? Your uncle was one of them..."

Roger immediately became interested and pricked up his ears. "What is it?"

"Well, he's already dead, there's no point in saying all this. I'm telling you, you must find a wife before the end of this summer."

The mother immediately added, "She must be a young lady from a noble family."

"Speaking of noble ladies, your aunt's cousin is the Baron of El County, and he has four daughters."

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