"Let me take a look first."
Picking up a shovel and heading to the corner of the yard, Shen Yuan quickly dug out the wine jar buried underground.
Seeing the intact mud seal, a slight smile appeared on his face, and he carried a jar of wine into the yard.
The moment the mud seal was knocked off, a rich aroma of wine instantly filled the air.
"What a fragrant wine..."
Hu Yufen couldn't help but exclaim as she caught a whiff of the rich fragrance.
Shen Yuan brought a bowl from the kitchen and carefully poured out a bowl of rice wine.
In the white porcelain bowl, the rice wine appeared a crystalline translucent pale yellow, its elegant aroma wafting up, enticing him to take a sip.
"Tsk—"
The wine, sweet but not cloying, had a perfect balance of sweet and sour, reminiscent of the taste he was familiar with in his previous life.
Though the richness was slightly lacking.
Shen Yuan knew this was because he didn't have good wine yeast, and to completely recreate the taste from his past life required time to develop.
Hu Yufen moved closer, seemingly tempted.
But Shen Yuan downed the bowl of rice wine in one go and sealed the jar again.
"Having just given birth, you can't drink alcohol yet."
"Besides, if you drink, it could affect the little ones when they nurse."
Hearing this, Hu Yufen couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
She knew she shouldn't drink alcohol now, but the aroma was so tempting she had wanted a taste.
"Promise you'll save some for me."
"I have to try it when Wenping and Wen'an are a bit older."
As Hu Yufen made her request, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Curiously, Shen Yuan put down the wine jar and opened the yard gate to see Zhao Shuan.
Zhao Shuan stood at the door, taking a deep sniff towards the yard and smiling: "I was busy in the yard when I caught the scent of wine."
"I followed the aroma here... Ah Yuan, did you make this good wine?"
Shen Yuan chuckled and said, "Brother Shuan, you have a keen nose."
"It's homemade rice wine. Come in and try it."
He stepped aside, and Zhao Shuan came in eagerly.
"Sister-in-law... hehe."
Seeing Hu Yufen, Zhao Shuan greeted her with a bashful smile.
Hurriedly, Hu Yufen fetched another bowl from the kitchen, and Shen Yuan poured him a bowl.
Smelling the aroma and looking at the pale yellow rice wine, Zhao Shuan's eyes lit up.
"Tsk tsk... this color, this aroma..."
He lifted the bowl, inhaled the fragrance with a content sigh, and took a large gulp!
"Good wine, good wine!"
After savoring it, Zhao Shuan couldn't help but praise: "This wine is much better than the apricot leaf yellow from Kang's Winery in town!"
Sipping the last of his bowl, Zhao Shuan gazed at the wine jar but felt too embarrassed to ask for more.
"Ah Yuan, did you really brew this yourself?"
Shen Yuan pointed at the unearthed spot and said, "I made a few jars when Shi Tou was born, planning to use them for guests when Wenping and Wen'an turn a month old."
"Don't forget to come, Brother Shuan."
Zhao Shuan eagerly promised, "I'll definitely be there, and you'll let me drink as much as I want!"
Hu Yufen laughed, "There'll be plenty of wine!"
Hearing this, Zhao Shuan reluctantly put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and bade goodbye to the two.
He really didn't dare to stay any longer, afraid he'd end up asking for another bowl.
In the evening, after bringing Ah Nu back and finishing dinner with the family, Shen Yuan went to the yard to train in Pile Skill.
Though the training was excruciating, Shen Yuan knew that once he got used to it, practicing would only bring benefits and no harm.
Late at night, on the bed, the two little ones, full and satisfied, had fallen into a deep sleep.
"How much silver coins do we have left at home?"
Shen Yuan suddenly asked.
Hu Yufen pursed her lips, "We still have a hundred and sixteen taels."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan sighed lightly.
Around this time last year, they had 180 taels of silver. Over the year, reporting the Barbarian Race invasion earned them a hundred taels from the government, and selling firewood and grain earned over sixty taels.
Yet, in the end, their savings continued to dwindle.
Fortunately, they've waived the tuition for Shi Tou's martial arts lessons; otherwise, they'd be down to two digits in savings.
Making money... still need to find a way to make money!
Otherwise, once the little ones are weaned, they won't have enough to cover daily necessities.
"The pigs we kept are all grown now, what if we keep one male and one female and sell the rest?"
Hu Yufen suggested.
She knew the pressure her husband was under.
"It's not time yet."
The piglets are only a year old and still have room for growth.
Besides, those pigs are kept as an emergency backup, and he doesn't plan to sell them unless absolutely necessary.
"With nothing to do in the fall, I'll go to the river tomorrow to catch some fish, hoping to save on buying fish for the full moon banquet."
Hu Yufen sighed softly.
The stretch of the Laishui River near Jinliu Village is only a few dozen miles; other parts belong to other villages.
With no farming tasks after the fall, the village's common people all have the same idea as Shen Yuan, aiming to catch some fish from the Laishui River, either to sell for some money or to improve their family's diet.
With many people and few fish, it's not easy to catch any.
The night passed in silence.
The next day, at dawn, Shen Yuan packed up his fishing nets and other tools, tossed some flatbread as dry rations, took his water pouch, and headed to the Laishui River.
He thought he was early, but upon reaching the riverbank, he found that more than a dozen villagers had already taken up good spots to cast their nets.
These were all common people from Jinliu Village, and after exchanging greetings, Shen Yuan could only pick a decent spot and start casting his net.
But after several attempts, he caught only a few small fish and some loaches.
Seeing others not faring much better, Shen Yuan lost interest.
"Ah Yuan, you're done fishing?"
A villager saw him packing up his net and asked with a smile.
"Just loaches and small fry, not even enough to fill a tooth gap."
The villager laughed, "We don't rely on this for a living, as long as we can take something back to give the kids a little treat."
Shen Yuan nodded in agreement, shouldered his net, and bid goodbye to a few villagers before leaving.
At the crossroads, Shen Yuan hesitated, turning to look in the direction of the Black Water Pool.
The last time he went to the Black Water Pool, he caught a few green fish, which inadvertently provided Ah Nu an opportunity to study under a great scholar.
Now he was thinking about trying his luck at the Black Water Pool again.
It's not that he wasn't afraid of the Tuo Dragon, but recent hexagrams showed peace, suggesting he wouldn't encounter any fatal dangers.
If he's lucky this time and gets a catch, it would cover the fish for the full moon banquet and perhaps earn a little extra.
With this thought, he didn't hesitate further and headed towards the Black Water Pool with his fishing net.