Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

A burnt smell instantly overwhelmed the aroma of the wine.

"What happened!" Shen Huaide rushed over and stomped his feet in distress at the mess on the ground.

The young man, Er Gou, was new. He had worked all day and stayed up until midnight, so he couldn't stay awake any longer and took a nap.

In the blink of an eye, the fire in the stove burned too brightly, and the wine mash was boiled dry. The high temperature caused an excessive temperature difference between the inside and outside of the earthenware jar, which eventually cracked.

This vat could have yielded at least thirty catties of good wine, and now it's all wasted.

Er Gou was so frightened he couldn't speak, he just kept kowtowing and muttering, "I'll pay, I'll pay..."

How can a young man who can't even afford a meal compensate me?

The surrounding workers also stopped what they were doing, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Shen Qiongju stepped forward, looked at the broken earthenware jar and the spilled wine, and the last bit of hope in her heart was completely extinguished.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her inner turmoil, and said to Shen Huaide, "Uncle, take him to rest over there, don't frighten him."

She then turned to the group, her voice soft but clear: "Everyone is tired. Once this part of the work is finished tonight, go home and rest. You'll be paid tomorrow as usual."

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and dispersed.

Soon, the once bustling workshop was left with only Shen Qiongju, Shen Huaide, and Pei Zhihui, who hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end, in the corner.

"Qiongju, what are we going to do?" Shen Huaide asked, his face full of worry. "We've already lost thirty jin, what about the rest..."

"I know," Shen Qiongju interrupted him. "Uncle, you've had a long day, go and rest. I'll think of something."

Third Uncle wanted to say something more, but seeing Shen Qiongju's unusually calm face, he finally just sighed and turned to leave.

The huge shed finally fell completely quiet.

Only the fire in the stove gradually died down, occasionally emitting a soft "crackling" sound.

Shen Qiongju walked to the mess, squatted down, dipped her finger in the still warm wine, and brought it to her nose.

Despite the burnt smell, a faint aroma of alcohol can still be detected.

However, the aroma is far from the rich and intense flavor of "first-pressed roast".

This is just "Erguotou" that has been distilled once; its alcohol content is not high, and its taste is far from up to standard.

To get the strongest "first-pressed" flavor, you must cut off the beginning and end and take the most essential part.

Low output and long processing time.

That's why it's precious.

Her mind raced, going through all the possible methods.

Buy more food and start a new kitchen? It's too late.

Discussing reducing the quantity with our esteemed guests? That would be tantamount to ruining our reputation and causing endless trouble.

In her desperate situation, a thought she had overlooked suddenly appeared in her mind like a flash of lightning.

Since the spirit obtained from one distillation is not strong enough, then... what if we distill it again?

Using low-alcohol spirits as raw materials, the spirits are purified through secondary or even tertiary distillation!

This method, later known as "re-distillation," can produce distilled spirits with extremely high alcohol content.

However, the cost of doing so would be frighteningly high.

Using wine to make liquor is no different from burning silver.

But for now, this is the only way!

The deposit given by that distinguished guest was generous enough to cover this high-stakes gamble.

Shen Qiongju's eyes lit up instantly, and all her dejection and anxiety vanished.

She suddenly stood up, and because she stood up so quickly, her vision went black for a moment, and she swayed.

A hand caught her arm just in time.

The hand was long and slender, slightly cool, and carried a faint, bitter herbal scent.

It was Pei Zhihui.

He had somehow appeared behind her.

"You've figured it out?" His voice rang out in the empty shed, with a barely perceptible hoarseness.

Shen Qiongju steadied herself and subtly withdrew her arm, creating distance between them.

She looked up, meeting his probing gaze, but couldn't help but let a confident smile curve her lips.

"I've got it."

She looked at him and said clearly, word by word, "I want to buy all the liquor available in Guangwu County."

Pei Zhihui's gaze froze for a moment.

Buy up all the liquor in Wuxian County?

He looked at the woman in front of him; there was no hint of a joke on her face.

Those eyes, which always held a gentle and submissive quality, were now burning with a light he had never seen before, a light that was almost insane.

"Nonsense."

He uttered two words, his voice colder than the wind and snow outside.

"The quality of wines on the market varies greatly; most are just bland, watery liquors. What's the point of buying them?"

"Naturally... it's for making liquor." Shen Qiongju's smile deepened.

Pei Zhihui frowned, clearly not immediately grasping the deeper meaning in her words.

Shen Qiongju did not offer any explanation.

She turned and walked to an empty table, picked up the charcoal pencil she had just used to take notes, and began to draw quickly on the clean surface.

She didn't draw the kind of precise blueprints that Pei Zhihui did, but rather a simple flowchart.

A wine bottle points to a steamer, and above the steamer, a condenser tube points to another wine bottle.

"Ordinary winemaking uses grains as the base, and the wine is distilled after fermentation."

Her voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, carrying a resolute strength.

"But what if we use the spirit as a base and redistill it?"

She drew a heavy circle on the second bottle with a charcoal pencil.

"The alcohols in the liquor have a lower boiling point than water. Each distillation increases the concentration of alcohols. Theoretically, by repeating this process, we can obtain a stronger liquor than ordinary liquor in the shortest amount of time."

Pei Zhihui's gaze fell on the hastily drawn but straightforward diagram on the table, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He understood instantly.

To refine wine with wine.

This is an inconceivable, yet perfectly logical, method.

Simple, direct, and effective.

The cost is enormous losses and high expenses.

This requires immense courage and decisiveness.

He raised his eyes and re-examined Shen Qiongju.

Under the lamplight, her profile was bathed in a soft glow, which softened the weariness between her brows, leaving only an astonishing, radiant focus.

She was no longer the weak and helpless widowed sister-in-law who couldn't even keep track of the accounts in the Pei family's backyard.

At this moment, she was like a general strategizing, calmly analyzing the battle situation and decisively finding the only dangerous path to victory.

A strange, indescribable emotion quietly spread through his heart.

.

The next morning.

Shen Huaifeng, who was resting at home, was stunned by his daughter's plan.

"What? You...you bought all the liquor from Wang's and Li's, those rival brands? Girl, are you out of your mind?!"

Shen Huaifeng thought this was simply a fantasy.

The Shen family has been fighting with those wineries for so many years, and now they're rushing to give money to their rivals?

"Father, please trust me just this once." Shen Qiongju stuffed a heavy bag of silver into his hand. "This matter must be done as soon as possible, and secretly. Don't let them know that it was our Shen family that bought it."

Seeing the unwavering look in his daughter's eyes, Shen Huaifeng finally had his cousin, Shen Huaide, take the silver and leave with some skepticism.

Soon, the first batch of low-alcohol liquor purchased from other distilleries was quietly transported back to the workshop.

Shen Qiongju personally took charge.

She had a small still set up, which she had specially made to study the alcohol yield of different grains.

She skillfully inspected every joint of the cookware and adjusted the angle of the condenser coil.

Pei Zhihui stood to the side, arms crossed, watching quietly.

He neither offered help nor spoke, but simply pondered and scrutinized her every move.