Chapter 39

If you want to become wealthy, this is the key!

Yang Shouwen, holding Yang Youniang in one arm, quickly rushed into the courtyard and headed straight for the woodshed.

"Yang Sister, what's wrong with Nizi?"

Song Shi looked at Yang Shi with confusion. She had only interacted with the now清醒的 Yang Shouwen for two days, but she had a general understanding of him. She didn't expect Yang Shouwen to have such an agitated side. After two days of contact, in her impression, Yang Shouwen seemed to have a calmness that was different from the ordinary. Even in the face of major events, he wouldn't lose his composure.

Yang Shi smiled bitterly and said, "In response to your question, I don't know why Nizi is like this. Yesterday, before he went to the county town, he fiddled with some things. When I mentioned this to him just now, he became so agitated."

"What did he fiddle with?"

"Alcohol!"

"Alcohol?"

Song Shi asked in surprise, "Does Nizi have a fondness for alcohol?"

Yang Shi shook her head, "Nizi doesn't like alcohol. When the old master was alive, he enjoyed a drink. But in my memory, Nizi never touched alcohol."

The first time, Song Shi didn't notice.

But the second and third times, when Yang Shi called Yang Shouwen 'Nizi' very naturally, it made Song Shi realize that Yang Shi's status in the family at Hu Valley Mountain was definitely not as ordinary as she had imagined. Moreover, from Yang Shouwen's attitude towards Yang Youniang, it was clear that the mother and daughter held a significant place in Yang Shouwen's heart.

Song Shi's eyes twinkled, and she immediately had an idea.

"Yang Sister, shall we go take a look?"

"Sure, let's go take a look."

Yang Shi said and accompanied Song Shi into the courtyard.

"Er Lang, help Yang Molili move the things from the cart inside."

Song Shi suddenly instructed Yang Rui as they entered the door. Yang Rui had also wanted to go see the commotion, but with Song Shi's words, he had no excuse. Standing by the cart with a bitter face, he looked at the boxes on the cart, feeling utterly helpless.

In the woodshed, several dozen jars of alcohol were neatly arranged.

A large, yet crude distiller stood in the center of the woodshed. The fire below had already gone out, but the ashes in the furnace were still visible. Yang Shouwen put down Youniang, walked to the jars, and squatted down, carefully lifting the oil paper covering them. A strong, familiar aroma of alcohol greeted him, and his smile widened.

This is the flavor!

Yang Shouwen took a deep breath and picked up a water dipper from the bucket next to the jar.

He scooped a dipper of alcohol and took a sip.

It was indeed stronger than before, but compared to the alcohol he remembered from his previous life, it had a more mellow taste.

Not as strong as the alcohol from his previous life, but with a touch of mellow.

Given the brewing techniques of this era, Yang Shouwen felt it was already quite good.

"Big Brother Nizi, is it good?"

Youniang squatted next to Yang Shouwen, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

The little girl had been intoxicated by the alcohol fumes yesterday, but after waking up, she had a nostalgic feeling for the aroma. However, Yang Shi kept a close watch, and she couldn't sneak a drink. Now that Yang Shouwen was back, Youniang seemed to have found her mainstay.

She bit her finger and looked at Yang Shouwen.

Yang Shouwen couldn't help but laugh, handed her the dipper, and said softly, "Just a sip."

Youniang nodded vigorously, pursed her lips in a determined manner, and took a sip from the dipper, immediately making a 'ha' sound. Her face turned red, and she opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue, and kept exhaling the alcohol fumes.

"It's not good."

Youniang's appearance made Yang Shouwen burst into laughter.

He poured the alcohol from the dipper back into the jar and carried the jar out of the woodshed.

The sunlight shone on the alcohol in the jar, giving it an amber color with a hint of rouge.

"Good alcohol."

Yang Shi didn't like alcohol, but Song Shi knew a thing or two about it.

She smelled the mellow aroma and couldn't help but praise it.

"Youniang, go get a bowl."

Youniang nodded and ran to the kitchen, returning shortly with a wine bowl.

Yang Shouwen poured a bowl of alcohol, which looked even clearer.

The rouge color became more intense, looking very beautiful.

"Mother, would you like to try?"

Song Shi glanced at Yang Shouwen and smiled, "Is this the alcohol Nizi made? I must try it."

She took the bowl and took a sip.

Her expression changed immediately, and she exclaimed, "It's really good, rich and strong. This might be the best alcohol I've ever tasted."

Changping was a cold and harsh place.

People living here mostly enjoyed a drink, even women. Women like Yang Shi, who didn't like alcohol, were actually in the minority in Changping. Women like Song Shi were more common.

Yang Shouwen's eyes also showed joy, and he said softly, "Mother, how much do you think this alcohol is worth?"

Song Shi thought for a moment and replied, "Nizi's alcohol is different from what I've had before. Besides being more mellow, it has a stronger kick. I can't say for other places, but in Youzhou, a jar of this alcohol would sell for a guan (1000 coins) and still be in high demand... If sold in Chang'an, the price could be several times higher."

This alcohol costs only 100 coins per jar.

Including losses, it would be at most 150 coins per jar.

It could sell for a guan in Changping, and the price would be even higher in Jixian or Fanyang.

As for Chang'an... Yang Shouwen hadn't thought that far. But even so, the profit already made him very happy.

However, maybe there could be some added value?

Yang Shouwen looked at the jar, his eyes narrowing.

After a while, he suddenly said to Yang Rui, "Er Lang, I have a guan. Go to the city and buy some jars. I want the best jars, and don't worry about the price. Get the best you can find, and also buy some ink and brushes."

"What for?"

Yang Rui looked puzzled.

Song Shi, however, shook her head, looking disappointed.

You're still too naive... Although you are a Yang family member, you still have the blood of the Song family. You can't compare to your brother who was foolish for seventeen years. Song Shi took a gold ingot from her waist pouch and beckoned Yang Rui over.

"Follow your brother's instructions and go to Xiangfuju to have them send a hundred of the best white porcelain jars."

"Mother, those white porcelain jars cost 180 coins each."

"Stop complaining and just buy them... Er Lang, in the future, you should follow your brother and learn from him."

Song Shi looked at Yang Shouwen with a disappointed expression, shaking her head.

"After all this work, I'm hungry."

She turned to Yang Shouwen and smiled, "Why don't we have this alcohol with lunch? What do you think, Nizi?"

Song Shi's request, Yang Shouwen naturally wouldn't refuse.

Yang Shi went to prepare lunch, while Yang Molili sat on the steps of the front yard, playing with a laundry mallet.

Yang Shouwen sat on the porch, watching Youniang play with Bodhi and the dog.

Song Shi tidied up the room and then came to the front hall, sitting next to Yang Shouwen.

"Nizi, what do you plan to do with this alcohol?"

"Huh?"

Yang Shouwen was taken aback and looked at Yang Shi with confusion.

"Don't tell me you made this alcohol just for yourself to drink. Yang Sister told me you're not a drinker. If you put so much effort into it, you must want to sell it."

Song Shi is indeed a smart person.

Yang Shouwen hesitated and said softly, "To be honest, Mother, I did make this alcohol to sell and add some income to the family. Father works in the government, and though we have enough to eat and wear, the daily expenses for entertaining guests are not small. I originally planned to hand over the income from the official land and rely on this alcohol to maintain our life here. Since you asked, do you have any ideas?"

Song Shi smiled and said softly, "Nizi's idea is good, but do you know how to make this alcohol sell well?"

"Um..."

Yang Shouwen, having no experience in business in his previous life, was at a loss.

Song Shi said, "Good alcohol needs to be known. Changping is a remote place. Even if you calculate everything, how much alcohol can you sell in a year? If you sell it cheap, it's not worth it; if you sell it expensive, you don't know who to sell it to. Many people look down on merchants, but they don't realize that there is a lot of knowledge in business. My father could build a large business from furs, and he had his own business skills. Unfortunately, my three brothers... didn't learn how to do business and spent their days scheming, leading to their downfall.

"Nizi, if you trust Mother, why don't you let me handle the alcohol? This way, you and your father won't have to show your faces, avoiding any impact on your future. And Mother can add another business to the Yang family."