Eight Hundred and Forty-Three. Very Suitable for Wine Making (3/5)
Because of the snowstorm, Farewell Town has shortened its tourist routes, and the number of tourists will drop significantly in winter. Except for some tourists in the south, most people have no interest in Canada's cold winter.
Therefore, at this time, there were not many people in Papa Hixon's restaurant, only tourists in twos and threes chatting in low voices.
Qin Shiou thought that the old man was worried about business, so he smiled and said, "Okay, Dad, I think you should be satisfied, right? The overall income this year should be good, right?"
Father Hixon nodded and said, "Of course, the business is really good. What are you talking about? Do you want to borrow money?"
As he spoke, the old man laughed, apparently teasing Qin Shiou.
Qin Shiou said: "Then why do you still look sad? Be happy and go outside to see the beautiful snowy island, what a touching scenery!"
The old man rolled his eyes and said: "Xite, boy, you misunderstood me. I am not worried about business, but about my wine! You know, my ice wine has always been the best in town, and many people Love my wine, but damn it, I might not be able to serve ice wine next year."
"What's wrong?" Qin Shiou asked, he really misunderstood the old man.
Papa Hixon lay down in front of the cash register and said sadly, "This year the cold snap and snow came too early. Damn it, the grapes were frozen before they were fully ripe, and they couldn't be used to make wine."
This is not only the case with Papa Hixon. The weather in Canada is abnormal. The cold current swept across the Atlantic coast early, and the grape production in Ontario has also decreased. It is expected that the Canadian wine industry will suffer a heavy blow this year.
While complaining, the father took out a bottle of ice wine, opened the lid and poured a glass for Qin Shiou, saying, "Drink it while you can. My child, drink as much as you want. If you have wine today, you will be drunk today, won't you?"
Qin Shiou took a sip of his wine and said, "If you want to make wine, why don't you go and have a look at my grapes. I checked the vineyard recently and found that although my grapes don't have many fruit, they are full of grains and seem to be of good quality."
The old man shrugged his shoulders and didn't take his words to heart. He knew that the grapes in Daqin Fishing Farm were the first season of this year. Such grapes are not suitable for wine making, and the fishing ground is close to the sea, so the disaster should be more serious.
It was only then that Father Xixon noticed the smoked fish brought by Qin Shiou. He took a look in his hand and his eyes lit up. Said: "Who smoked this fish? It's done well, and the fire is very good."
He is an expert, and he can roughly tell the condition of the smoked fish from the appearance.
The old man tore another piece at the back,
The look of surprise on his face became heavier, and he murmured: "The fish is so tender? There is still a little toughness, which is the result of smoking. But why is the fish so tender? There is almost no fishy smell, and the fresh fragrance is so strong, damn it. This It’s better than the smoked fish I made, haha.”
Qin Shiou also laughed, pointed at himself and said, "This is made by our family's unique skill of smoked fish. You actually said that it is not as good as your craftsmanship? Oh, it is unbelievable."
The old man said: "This is the truth, you have to believe that the smoked fish I cook is the best..."
The two were chatting, and the only diners at the table also left. Before leaving, they left a tip of 20 yuan to the old man, and the old man didn't let them give it for nothing. I gave them a grilled crab leg, saying that it can be used as a midnight snack after heating it up.
Diners leave. Qin Shiou was leaving too, and the old man wanted to keep him for dinner. He said there were guests at home.
The old man quickly cleared the dishes on the dining table, and said, "Okay, then I'll go to your house too, I think you must be short of a western food chef tonight."
Qin Shiou didn't refuse, it just so happened that after Wei Ni was pregnant, no one would cook western food, so it would be best if Father Xixon was willing to help.
Of course, he would let his father take a look at his grapes. He thought they could be used to make wine. The quality might be mediocre due to the first batch, but they were better than those frozen grapes, right?
Qin Shiou opened the car door to pick up the old man, but the old man entered the garage and drove out his beloved car, rolled down the window, patted the door and said with a smile, "It's more comfortable for me to drive my old man."
Papa Hickson owns the oldest pickup truck in town, the current Ford F150.
The Ford f150 is the most classic pickup truck in North America. The first generation was born in 1948, and it has been derived for twelve generations. If the f150 is compared to a family, then this is really a big family.
Papa Hickson’s f150 is the sixth-generation pickup truck launched in 1973. Compared with the current model, it looks very simple, but its durability is very good. In fact, the sixth-generation f150 is the most acclaimed one in Ford’s history. Pickup trucks are strong and durable, and a large number of galvanized sheets are used, which can effectively prevent corrosion and aging.
The old man drove the car into the snow. The roar of the engine was still low and powerful, like a strong old cow. It could be seen that Hixon took good care of this car. The paint was smooth and clear, and every part was well maintained it is good.
Qin Shiou walked over and leaned on the car window and said, "This car is really not bad. It's surprising that it can be ignited in such a cold day."
The old man said proudly: "My old man has been to the North Pole. When we were young, we crossed the whole of Canada together. He is a stubborn and strong old man."
"Just like you."
"Haha, you're right, brat, just like me, an old guy!"
From a distance, the car looks well maintained, but from a close look, it is already a bit out of order. There were originally two silver metal grilles on the front of the car, and there was an aluminum horizontal bar in the middle of the grille. Now the grille has been twisted badly.
In addition, there was originally a Ford logo on the front of the car, which was the four letters ''. These four letters should be very small, but now they are large letters, which were obviously replaced later.
Start the car and heat it up, no problem, the old man will start the car first, and Qin Shiou will follow behind, so that he can respond at any time if there is something to do.
The car drove into the fishing ground, without going to the villa first, Father Xixon followed Qin Shiou to the vineyard directly.
The vineyard stretches over a hundred acres, which is obviously not enough for a truly large vineyard, but it is already large enough for a private person.
Now the vineyards are not as green as summer and autumn, and bunches of grapes are hanging on the vines dejectedly.
The leaves had fallen long ago, and even if there were still a few left, they had turned into a dry yellowish-brown color, unable to float in the sea breeze, and it seemed that they would fall in a short time.
Of course, the current vineyards are not all withered and yellow. There are also red grapes, green grapes and black grapes rippling in the wind, adding a bit of elegance to the dead branches and leaves.
Qin Shiou picked a red grape casually, it was cold and crisp, and when he chewed it, it felt as if a small ice grenade exploded in his mouth, it was very sweet and refreshing.
He asked Papa Hixon to taste it, and the old man picked a Riesling instead.
Riesling is specially used for wine making. If you eat it directly, because the skin is thick, the meat is less, the juice is more, and the grains are small, the taste is really not very good.
But Father Xixon was overjoyed after eating the grapes, looked at Qin Shiou in surprise and said, "Damn you, your grapes are very good, very suitable for wine making!" (to be continued)