TWO Sorghum Wine 1

TWO Sorghum¹ Wine
1
WHAT TURNS THE sorghum of Northeast Gaomi Township into a sweet, aromatic² wine that leavesthe taste of honey in your mouth and produces no hangover? Mother told me once, making sure Iunderstood that I was not to give away this family secret, for, if I did, not only would ourfamily’s reputation suffer, but if our descendants ever decided³ to set up another distillery they’dhave lost their unique advantage. Without exception, the craftsmen⁴ from our neck of the woodslive by a simple rule: they would rather pass on their skills to their sons’ wives than to theirdaughters. This established practice carries the same weight as the law in certain countries.
Mother said that the distillery was already a going concern under the operation of the Shanfamily. The wine they made wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t nearly as aromatic and rich as the wine thatwould come later, and it lacked the honeyed after-taste. The incident that resulted in the uniqueflavour of our wine occurred after Granddad murdered the Shans, and Grandma, following a briefperiod of discomposure, pulled herself together to display her natural entrepreneurial skills.
Like so many important discoveries that spring from chance origins or a prankster’s whim⁵, theunique qualities of our wine were created when Granddad pissed in one of the wine casks. Howcould a man’s piss turn a common cask of wine into a wine of unique distinction? you ask. Well,this takes us into the realm of science, and you won’t hear any nonsense on the subject from me.
Let those interested in the chemistry of brewing⁶ toss the matter around.
Later on, in order to improve upon the process, Grandma and Uncle Arhat hit upon the idea ofsubstituting the alkali from old chamber⁷ pots for fresh piss – it was simpler, more efficient, andmore controlled. This secret was shared only by Grandma, Granddad, and Uncle Arhat. Iunderstand that the blending was done late at night, when everyone else was asleep. Grandmawould light a candle in the yard, burn a wad of three hundred bank notes, then pour the liquidinto the wine casks from a thin-necked gourd⁸. She did it grandly, with an air of sublime⁹ mystery,in case there were prying¹⁰ eyes, for the astonished peeping Toms would assume that she wascommuning with spirits to seek divine assistance for the business. From then on, our wineprevailed over all our competitors’, nearly cornering the market.

1 sorghum   

n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西

参考例句：

• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
• They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。

2 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

5 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

6 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

8 gourd   

n.葫芦

参考例句：

• Are you going with him? You must be out of your gourd.你和他一块去？你一定是疯了。
• Give me a gourd so I can bail.把葫芦瓢给我，我好把水舀出去。

9 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

10 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》