The Koi Wife of the Prime Minister

"Look, she was just an ordinary village girl yesterday, how come she is rich today?"

"Well, that's strange. Did she hide the family fortune secretly?"

"That's impossible. My dog ​​didn't hear anyone coming last night."

"That means she made a lot of money from her paper-cutting business."

"Oh my, how can you make so much money by cutting paper?"

Shen Yan was quite surprised to hear the neighbors' comments. She originally thought that her paper-cutting business was just a small way to make a living, but she didn't expect it to cause so much discussion.

"Shen Yan, I heard that you brought a big bag of things home yesterday. Did you make a fortune?" a neighbor asked curiously.

Shen Yan smiled and shook her head, "No, it's just some things the family needs."

"But your family has never seen you so rich."

"Maybe I'm just a little luckier." Shen Yan smiled but said nothing, unwilling to talk more about this topic.

"I heard that she is going to take Wang Jun to see the teacher today!" another neighbor interrupted.

"See the teacher? What does this little girl want to do?" someone asked curiously.

"Is it for learning?" someone else guessed.

"Oh, I really don't understand young people any more."

"No, it's because of Wang Jun. Wang Jun should be going to school." Someone made a guess.

"Oh, that's true, but Wang Jun is a child of the Wang family, why is she worrying so much?"

"Maybe he's thinking about the house deed."

The neighbors' discussions rose and fell, like an unstoppable flow, but Shen Yan was silently thinking about his future path in his heart.

On the other side, Shen Yan had already brought Wang Jun to the academy and found the teacher.

Shen Yan led Wang Jun carefully through the courtyard of the academy. The many students seemed to become particularly quiet at this moment. They looked at this little woman who usually only did housework with curiosity.

Wang Jun, who followed behind her, seemed a little reserved, but his eyes were shining with a desire for knowledge.

In front of the academy, the teacher sat on a slightly old wooden chair, flipping through the book in his hands attentively.

He is a scholarly leader in the village, and his every word and action is respected by the villagers.

Shen Yan knocked on the door gently. The teacher raised his head, his gaze paused on her and Wang Jun for a moment, then nodded slightly to signal them to come in.

"Master, I'm Shen Yan, and this is my younger brother Wang Jun." Shen Yan bowed respectfully.

The Master smiled and nodded, "Shen Yan, you are here. Is this the prince you want to bring to see me?"

"That's right, Master."

Shen Yan led Wang Jun to the teacher, "He is a smart and hardworking child. I hope the teacher can take him in so that he can receive a better education."

The Master looked at Mr. Wang and asked, "Mr. Wang, what books have you read?"

Wang Jun replied a little nervously: "I...I have read some children's books in the village and learned some basic arithmetic."

The teacher smiled and said, "Very good, very good. It is a good thing for a smart child to be willing to learn."

He asked Wang Jun a few more questions, trying to understand his basic knowledge and learning ability.

Shen Yan stood aside, waiting for the teacher's reply.

After some inspection, the teacher put down the book in his hand and said to Shen Yan with a smile: "Shen Yan, you have a good eye. This child has potential. I am willing to take him as my apprentice and teach him knowledge."

When Shen Yan heard this, she was suddenly filled with joy. She knew that this was a door opened for Wang Jun's future.

Soon, Shen Yan took Wang Jun home.

Now that Wang Jun had studied, Shen Yan felt full of energy again.

She had an idea and was ready to start brewing wine.

Shen Yan had started fermenting the rice a month ago, and now the rice is almost fermented and can be used to make liquor.

Shen Yan's heart was filled with joy and anticipation. She decided to use her winemaking skills to offer a glass of fine wine to her husband and the villagers.

She returned home and looked carefully at the fermentation barrel in the corner. The rice in it had been soaked for a month and gave off a faint aroma of wine.

She took out a clean wine bag, carefully poured the fermented rice into it, and then gently tied the bag. This wine bag was inherited from her ancestors and was made of special cotton cloth, which was breathable and did not leak wine, ensuring the quality and taste of the wine.

Next, Shen Yan hung the wine bag in a well-ventilated corner, allowing the wine to flow out naturally, maintaining the appropriate temperature and humidity to promote the fermentation process of the wine.

Every day she carefully observes the state of the wine and adjusts the environmental conditions to ensure the quality of the wine.

After several days of waiting, when the wine began to emit slight bubbles and emit a strong aroma, Shen Yan knew that the fermentation was nearing the end. She prepared the tools for steaming the wine, a huge steaming pot with clear water at the bottom and covered with fine bamboo strips to allow the steam to evenly penetrate the wine bag.

Shen Yan carefully placed the wine bag into the wine steamer, covered the pot, lit the fire underneath, and let the water begin to boil and produce steam.

She always paid attention to the control of the heat and did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

As time passed, the whole room was filled with the aroma of wine and steam, and Shen Yan became more and more excited.

Finally, when the steam escaped from the edge of the lid, the wine in the wine bag had almost evaporated.

She quickly took out the wine bag and carefully poured the steaming wine into a clean wine jar.

Then filter out impurities using fine cloth.

Finally, she sealed the wine jar and placed it in a cool and ventilated place to allow the wine to settle naturally and improve the taste.

Shen Yan looked at the sake in the jar and smiled with satisfaction.

This is not only a bottle of fine wine, but also Shen Yan's hope for the future.

After making the wine, Shen Yan thought about grinding tofu because she had bought soybeans the day before.

Shen Yan began to clean the millstone. It had not been used for a long time and was covered with dust.

Shen Yan picked up the grinding wheel, gently brushed off the dust on it, and then carefully checked every part to make sure they were clean and dust-free. The grinding wheel was an heirloom of her family, made of solid granite, and the surface had been polished very smooth by the traces of time. It looked like it had gone through years but was still solid and reliable.

She placed the grinding wheel on a stable table, then took out a small bag of soybeans and washed them carefully with water. She gently rubbed the soybeans with her hands and kept changing the water until no more impurities came out.

After washing the soybeans, Shen Yan put them into a large bowl. Then she took out a small bowl and poured some soybeans into the funnel in the center of the millstone. She gently turned the millstone, watching the fine soybean residue being ground out, and the soybean milk flowing out of the funnel and slowly accumulating in the bowl.

As Shen Yan ground the beans, she kept adding water to maintain the consistency of the soy milk. Her movements were skillful and orderly, and her technique was adept, as if she was communicating with the grinding wheel.