Traveling through ancient times: living a different life

On the morning of the sixth day of the New Year, the sun was shining brightly. Biyue went to the backyard to see the chestnut horse. There was a new member in the family and she had to get to know him.

There were only a few cabbages and radishes in the backyard. Dahong's family huddled in the chicken coop. When they saw Biyue coming in, they didn't move. The newly bought bay horse stayed in the empty room next to the carriage. The three sides of the stable were made of earth walls and there was a straw curtain in front, so it shouldn't be cold.

"Hello, Bay Horse, are you cold here?"

"Happy New Year! Biyue, I'm not cold, there's a lot of dry straw in here. I heard Brother Niu introduce you to me and I know you can communicate with us. And the sweet water your father gave me that day cured me of all my illnesses. If I were in the military camp, I could go to the battlefield again, but I can't go now. I was sold to your family. Your family treats cattle and horses very well."

"You still want to go to the battlefield? Why?"

"Because I am a war horse, just like a general who leaves the battlefield and cannot kill the enemy, he will feel regretful."

"I didn't expect you to be such an iron-blooded person, but now that you've come to my house, you can't go to the battlefield. If there's a chance, I'll let you go."

"I listened to you. Thank you for healing my old injury. Your sweet water is amazing."

"You're welcome. From now on, you will be a member of the Chen family. I'll give you a name! How about "Hongyun"? Your fur is very beautiful, red like fire. Do you like this name?"

The puppy stood by the stable, listening to the two of them talking.

"I like it very much, thank you!"

After chatting for a while, he turned around to see Brother Niu. Everything was fine, so he took the puppy back to the front yard to warm up by the fire.

Grandpa, father and second uncle were discussing the winery by the fire. The temperature was a bit low these days, so they couldn't do anything for now. We had to wait until the weather got better.

"It's spring now, and I have to take care of the crops. I can't help my second brother, so you have to rely on yourself. Hire five or six people first. We'll be busy later, so hire a few more."

"I can do it on my own, don't worry, big brother."

"The winery uses last year's old grain to make wine, and the lees can be fed to pigs and cows, so it's not wasted," said Grandpa.

"Are you going to make braised food or not? There are not enough people at home now. Let's wait until fourth brother finishes the provincial examination. The weather will be warmer in April and the busy farming season will be almost over. We'll decide then!" said the second uncle.

Biyue sat nearby and listened to the elders talking about these things, and she also believed that they were right, that things should be done one at a time, meals should be eaten bite by bite, just take it slow!

After a few more days, the sky finally cleared up and the ground was dry. Qinghai went to the stonemason Luo's house and asked him to find a few more people to come to the wasteland to repair the ground, clear the stones, and enclose the yard, and build a few workshops inside. The wages were 40 cents a day, including lunch.

The next day, six people came and started to break the big rocks and level the ground. Biyue wanted to get some dynamite, but her house was right next to it and the dynamite was too powerful, so she decided to let the stonemasons do it themselves and I would not interfere.

Qingyun went to buy bricks and tiles, and after a few days of hard work, the house was finally built. When the workers knew that the Chen family was hiring someone, they asked what they were doing and whether they could come to work.

Qinghai said that the village chief would decide on the personnel, and that those in need in the village would be recruited first, and those needed later would be recruited later. Everyone didn't say much after hearing this, and they just hoped that they would be given priority in future recruitments.

Qinghai said he would consider it.

The village chief and Qinghai went to the homes of villagers who were in financial difficulty and asked if they were willing to come and work at their homes. They were paid 50 wen a day. How could they refuse such a good opportunity? They all said they would arrive on time tomorrow.

In the afternoon, Bi Yue talked about her plan with her grandfather, father, and second uncle. "The wine we brew needs to be stored for a certain period of time before it can be drunk. I have an idea. I will do it normally. I will buy some wine from the fairyland, add some well water, and then I can sell it."

"That will work." said the second uncle.

"We need a room. My second uncle will do the wine mixing. The alcohol content of the wine will not be high after mixing. It is divided into three grades. The first grade has the lowest price, only 20 to 29 degrees, the second grade has 30 to 39 degrees, and the third grade has 40 to 48 degrees. The price is determined based on your preference." Bi Yue asked the three elders.

"First grade sells for 2 taels, second grade sells for 5 taels, and third grade sells for 12 taels." said my second uncle.

"Okay! Now divide the workshop into sections. The first section is the steaming room with 5 stoves installed. The middle section is the distillation room. The last section is the wine mixing room. The back section will be divided into a warehouse. Put a few tables in front of the warehouse for packaging the wine." Biyue said to her second uncle.

"Is the wine sold in the county or in the town?" Bi Yue asked.

"First rent a shop in town and find someone who knows accounting. I think Yuanxin is a good choice. He has been to school for a few years and has worked as a clerk and a peddler." The second uncle raised the issue of candidate selection.

Qingyun said, "Okay, I'll go ask him tomorrow, and if he agrees, it'll be settled."

I went to the town to rent a store these days. This store used to be a grocery store, and there is room for people to live in the back, which is just right for my husband and I to live in. Our children are just over one year old, and they are twins, so their grandmother goes to help take care of the children. We can open for business after a simple tidy up.

Three days later, two more people from the village were hired to be responsible for packing and boxing. They were paid only 30 cents a day, without meals, and worked eight hours a day. Many people came to ask about the work.

After the workers left in the afternoon, Biyue took the puppy into the warehouse and told it to stay there at night and bark loudly if anything happened.

I placed an order for 50 bottles of Erguotou, 50 bottles of corn wine, and 50 bottles of sorghum wine, and told them to buy these first. I also ordered a lot of utensils for mixing wine, and I would go back to rest only after everything was done.

The winery is operating in full swing, and for the time being, Qingyun delivers liquor to the town every other day.

On the day the store opened in town, Bi Yue also went to see it. There was a plaque that read "Chen's Winery". There was a long table at the door of the store with a tray on the table. The trays were filled with small wine glasses of different alcohol content from the store. Customers who came to the store could taste the wine for free and enter the store to make a purchase if they were satisfied. Business was very good that day.

Soon the fifteenth day of the first lunar month passed, and Fourth Uncle went to the county to go to school. Qingyun sent him there in a horse-drawn carriage. He also went to the yamen to punch in and brought some wine from home to the county magistrate.

Biyue started going to Dr. Lin's house to study every day. Tingsong also resumed his classes. Tingwei was almost six years old, so considering that the child was still young, he planned to go to school in the summer.