Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

"Giddy up!" Shen Song's shout interrupted her thoughts.

"Sister Qiongju, we've reached Shenjia Village!"

Shen Qiongju lifted the curtain.

In the distance, wisps of smoke rise from the village nestled against the mountains and beside the water. A faint aroma of fermented grains wafts through the air.

That was the smell she had been accustomed to since childhood.

However, there seemed to be a discordant, noisy sound mixed in with this flavor.

Before the mule cart even entered the village, Shen Qiongju heard a powerful roar that shook the snow off the trees.

"Bullshit! I've been brewing wine my whole life, do I need an old woman like you to teach me how to do it?"

"That's how you sprinkle the yeast! You don't know anything!"

Shen Qiongju frowned.

It was the voice of my cousin, Shen Huaide.

"What happened?" she asked in a low voice.

Shen Song also looked embarrassed: "The Second Master's temper... I'm afraid he's gotten into another argument with the workers in the workshop."

Shen Qiongju rubbed her temples.

Her cousin was a good man, protective and righteous.

But it's precisely this temper of his that's like a firecracker, easily ignited. Moreover, he's conservative and stubborn, always believing that the methods passed down from his ancestors are inviolable rules and cannot be changed in the slightest.

The mule cart stopped at the entrance of the distillery.

The dilapidated walls have been renovated, and several newly built factory buildings are taking shape. Compared with Shen Qiongju before her exile, it is completely transformed.

At that moment, a group of villagers had gathered at the gate to watch the commotion.

Shen Huaide swung the wooden spoon in his hand with a whooshing sound, spitting all over the woman's face.

"Get out! All of you get out! You bunch of idiots!"

The woman was also a woman of strong character. After being humiliated in public, she took off her apron, threw it on the ground, and, with red eyes, tried to rush out.

The surrounding villagers, who were watching the spectacle, pointed and whispered, some gloating, others shaking their heads and sighing.

The workers who were steaming rice were so startled that their hands trembled, and the scalding hot rice steamer almost tipped over to the ground.

There were also a few honest and unassuming people who huddled in the corner, not daring to utter a sound. Their hands mechanically repeated the action of sprinkling the koji powder, but because they were flustered, the powder was sprinkled in patches, like dogs eating mud.

The entire distillery was in complete chaos.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the acidic odor of over-fermentation.

"Second Uncle."

A clear, cool female voice cut through the noise; it wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness.

Shen Huaide was in the middle of a tirade when he suddenly heard this voice. He turned around and saw that it was Shen Qiongju. His anger did not subside; instead, he felt even more aggrieved.

"Qiongju, you've come at the perfect time! Look at this group of people, they're practically here to collect a debt! They've ruined such good sorghum!"

He pointed to the unevenly mixed pile of fermented grains on the ground and stomped his feet in distress.

Shen Qiongju did not respond.

She released Shen Song's hand and slowly walked into the crowd.

The woman who was about to leave paused when she saw the young lady of the house arrive. She wiped away her tears and stood there with her neck stiff.

Shen Qiongju walked up to the pile of wine lees.

She squatted down, stretched out two fingers, picked up a little bit of lees, smelled it, and then put it in her mouth to taste it.

The crowd quieted down.

Everyone stared at this usually delicate young lady.

Shen Qiongju stood up, took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and glanced at everyone present.

"This vat of wine is ruined."

Her voice was calm, yet it struck like a heavy hammer.

The men turned pale.

Shen Huaide slapped his thigh: "I told you! This looks like horse piss!"

"But we can't blame them."

Shen Qiongju changed the subject, her gaze falling on Shen Huaide, "Uncle, it's your fault for not teaching him well."

Shen Huaide was taken aback, then exploded: "I didn't teach them well? I've shouted myself hoarse! I told them to let it cool down, to let it cool down, to make it warm but not hot to the touch before mixing the koji, and they were all like blocks of wood!"

"My uncle's hands were the hands that had touched the yeast for a lifetime, and their hands were the hands that had tilled the land for a lifetime."

Shen Qiongju walked to the large pot that was still steaming and reached out to feel the temperature of the rim.

"Can your 'warm but not hot' and their 'warm but not hot' be the same temperature?"

Shen Huaide opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Shen Qiongju turned around and looked at the fearful farmhands.

Most of these people were villagers from Shenjia Village. Some came to earn money to support their families, while others were forced to come by their families. The quality of these people varied.

The woman who argued with Shen Huaide earlier is called Aunt Wang. She's the most efficient worker, but also has the most explosive temper.

The skinny man in the corner who was always working silently but always making mistakes was Li Laosan from the east end of the village. He was a well-known honest man, but he was a bit slow on the uptake.

There were also three or four young girls and young wives standing to the side, led by Chunxing, their faces showing panic and fear.

"Shen Song," Shen Qiongju called out.

"Hey! Sis, I'm here!" Shen Song rushed over.

Go get some paper and pen.

Shen Qiongju walked to a large blue stone in the center of the courtyard, which was where the workers usually rested.

"From today onwards, Shen Family Winery will not support idlers or muddle-headed people."

Her eyes were clear and bright, even carrying a sharpness she had never shown in the Pei family.

Fifteen minutes later, a red paper was pasted on the most conspicuous pillar in the distillery.

Shen Qiongju stood on the steps, holding a thin bamboo stick in her hand.

"From now on, we won't be mixing everything together like a pot of porridge anymore."

She pointed the bamboo stick in her hand at the three idlers on Li Laosan's side to the left: "You are strong, so you are responsible for carrying water, transporting grain, and chopping firewood. You will be paid two coins for every hundred catties of grain you transport. The more you work, the more you will earn."

The three idlers' eyes lit up.

Before, it was the same whether you did a lot or a little, and you'd even get scolded. Now, there are clear prices, which is great!

The bamboo stick then pointed to Aunt Wang and her group of nimble women: "You are all meticulous. You will each take turns washing the rice and steaming it. How long should the rice be steamed? I will have someone make an hourglass. Once the hourglass runs out, it must be taken out of the pot. If it's too early, you'll be penalized; if it's too late, you'll also be penalized."

"The specific allocation is up to Aunt Wang."

Aunt Wang was stunned. She stopped making a fuss about leaving and listened attentively.

Finally, Shen Qiongju looked at Li Laosan, this honest but clumsy man.

"You're in charge of cleaning the vat and sealing it with mud. This job doesn't require quick thinking, just patience. If it's not clean enough or sealed properly, you'll have to redo it without pay."

Li Laosan shrank his neck, but then breathed a sigh of relief.

He knows how to clean the vat, as long as he doesn't have to mix that deadly yeast.

Clear division of labor and clear rewards and punishments.

"As for mixing the broth..."

Shen Qiongju looked at Shen Huaide and said, "This is a technical job, and it's the lifeblood of our Shen family liquor. Besides my uncle, currently only Lao Zhang, who has been with my uncle for ten years, and Shen Song are capable of doing it."

"Chunxing is meticulous, so she came here to learn how to compose music. The others are not allowed to even get involved until they have completed their apprenticeship."

Upon hearing this, Chunxing glanced at her gratefully.

As Shen Huaide listened, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

The moment the girl divided the crowd, the chaotic scene instantly came together in order.

Those guys who were previously like headless flies now know what they're supposed to do, and no one is busy doing things blindly because they don't know what to do anymore.

"besides."

Shen Qiongju turned to Shen Huaide and said, "Second Uncle, from now on, don't let anyone touch the temperature with their hands. Place a raw egg in the center of the fermented grains, and while it sits, silently count to ten. If the egg is half-suspended, that's the right temperature. No one is allowed to rely on their senses."