Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 23 Deposits Running Out

"Let's take a look first."

Picking up a shovel, Shen Yuan went to the corner of the courtyard and soon dug out the wine jar buried underground.

Looking at the intact clay seal, a smile appeared on his face, and then he carried a wine jar into the courtyard.

The moment the mud seal was broken, a rich aroma of wine instantly filled the air.

"The wine smells so good..."

Hu Yufen smelled the rich aroma and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Shen Yuan took a bowl from the kitchen and carefully poured out a bowl of rice wine.

In the white porcelain bowl, the rice wine appeared as a crystal clear light yellow, with a delicate aroma that made him unable to resist picking up the bowl and taking a sip.

"Tsk——"

The drink was sweet but not cloying, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour, just the taste I was familiar with from my past life.

It's just a little lacking in terms of its richness and authenticity.

Shen Yuan also knew that this was because there was no good yeast, and that it would take some time to fully replicate the taste of his previous life.

Hu Yufen moved closer, seemingly somewhat interested.

Shen Yuan, however, downed the rice wine in the bowl in one gulp and then sealed the wine jar.

"You can't drink alcohol before you're out of confinement."

"Besides, if you drink alcohol, it will be troublesome if the two little ones get drunk."

Hearing this, Hu Yufen couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

She knew she couldn't drink alcohol right now, but the aroma was just too tempting, so she couldn't resist trying it.

"Then it's settled, you have to save some of this wine for me."

"I'll have to try it when Wenping and Wen'an are a little older."

As Hu Yufen was giving her instructions, there was a knock on the door.

Shen Yuan curiously put down the wine jar in his hand, opened the courtyard gate, and found that the person who came was Zhao Shuan.

At this moment, Zhao Shuan stood outside the door, stretched his head to sniff the courtyard, and said with a smile, "I was busy in the courtyard when I suddenly smelled the aroma of wine."

"I followed the scent here... Ah Yuan, is this the good wine you made?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Shuan has a pretty keen nose."

"Come in and have some homemade rice wine."

He stepped aside, and Zhao Shuan immediately rushed in.

"Sister-in-law...hehe."

Upon seeing Hu Yufen, Zhao Shuan greeted her with an embarrassed smile.

Hu Yufen quickly took another bowl from the kitchen and asked Shen Yuan to pour him a bowl.

Smelling the aroma of the wine and looking at the pale yellow rice wine, Zhao Shuan's gaze instantly fixed on it.

"Tsk tsk...the color, the aroma..."

He picked up the bowl, closed his eyes, took a deep, blissful sniff, and then took a big gulp!

"Excellent wine!"

After tasting it, Zhao Shuan couldn't help but praise, "Your wine is much better than the Apricot Leaf Yellow from the Kang family's winery in town!"

After finishing the wine in the bowl in one gulp, Zhao Shuan looked at the wine jar again, but ultimately didn't have the heart to ask for more.

"Ah Yuan, did you really brew this wine yourself?"

Shen Yuan pointed to the excavated ground and said, "We made a few jars when Shi Tou was born, and we planned to bring them out to entertain guests when Wen Ping and the other girl turned one month old."

"Don't forget, Brother Shuan, when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuan readily agreed, "I'll definitely come, I'll definitely come! You'd better let me drink as much as I want then!"

Hu Yufen laughed: "Plenty of alcohol!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuan reluctantly put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and bid farewell to the two.

He really didn't dare stay any longer, otherwise he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist asking for another bowl.

In the evening, after picking up Anu and having dinner with the family, Shen Yuan went to the courtyard to begin practicing stance training. Although the stance training was extremely painful for him, Shen Yuan understood that once his body warmed up and he adapted, practicing stance training would only bring benefits and no harm.

Late at night, the two little ones had eaten and drunk their fill and were fast asleep on the bed.

How much money is left in the house?

Shen Yuan suddenly spoke up and asked.

Hu Yufen pursed her lips. "There are still 116 taels left."

Shen Yuan sighed softly after hearing this.

At this time last year, the family still had 180 taels of silver. This year, after reporting the invasion of the barbarian squad, the government rewarded them with 100 taels of silver. They also sold firewood for more than 20 taels and this year's harvest of grain for more than 40 taels.

But in the end, the savings dwindled.

Fortunately, the dowry for Shi Tou's martial arts training has been waived, otherwise the family's savings would probably have dropped to double digits.

Making money... I still need to find a way to make money!

Otherwise, once the two little ones are weaned, the family won't be able to keep up with all their needs for food, drink, and diaper changes.

"The piglets in the pen have all grown up. How about we keep one male and one female, and sell the rest?"

Hu Yufen made the suggestion.

She knew how much pressure her man was under.

"It's not time yet."

The piglets are only a year old, and there's still room for them to gain weight.

Furthermore, those piglets were his backup plan for emergencies, and he didn't intend to sell them unless absolutely necessary.

"With nothing to do in autumn, I'll go to the river tomorrow to catch some fish, hoping that we won't have to pay for the fish at the full moon banquet."

Hu Yufen sighed slightly after hearing this.

The section of the Laishui River near Jinliu Village is only a few dozen miles long; the rest of the river belongs to other villages.

After autumn arrived, there was not much farm work to do, and the villagers all had the same idea as Shen Yuan: to catch some fish in the Laishui River, either to sell them for money or to improve their family's meals.

With so many people and so few fish, how easy is it to catch them?
Silent all night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Shen Yuan packed his fishing nets and other tools, filled a few pancakes as provisions, and headed towards the Laishui River with his water bag.

He thought he had arrived early, but when he got to the riverbank, he found that more than a dozen villagers had already taken up good spots to cast their nets.

These people were all commoners from Jinliu Village. After exchanging greetings, Shen Yuan could only choose a decent spot to start casting his net.

But after casting several nets, all they caught were a few small fish, about an inch long, and some loaches.

Seeing that the others were also not doing well, Shen Yuan immediately lost interest.

"Ah Yuan, are we not going to scatter it anymore?"

Seeing him begin to tidy up the fishing nets, a villager nearby asked with a smile.

"They're either loaches or short nails, not even enough to fill a tooth gap."

The villagers chimed in with laughter, "We've got nothing else to do anyway, so it's good to get some to take back for the kids to have a treat. We don't rely on this to make a living."

Shen Yuan nodded in greeting, hoisted the fishing net onto his shoulder, said goodbye to the group, and left.

At the crossroads, Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look in the direction of the Blackwater Pool, and hesitated.

The last time they caught some bluefish at Blackwater Pool, they inadvertently gave Anu the opportunity to become a disciple of a great Confucian scholar.

Now he wants to try going to Blackwater Pool.

But recently, rumors have been circulating in the village that the alligator dragon in Blackwater Pool is causing a lot of trouble. It is said that many villagers who were just passing by have been attacked by the alligator dragon and dragged into the pool along with their cattle.

Now, when they go to Yunshui Town, they'd rather take a longer route than dare to take the road closer to Blackwater Pool.

After much deliberation, Shen Yuan decided to try his luck at Blackwater Pool.

It's not that he's not afraid of the alligator dragon, but the divination results for the past few days have all shown "peace," which means he shouldn't have any bloodshed.

If this trip goes well and yields some results, not only will the fish for the full moon banquet be secured, but we might also make a small profit.

Thinking of this, he didn't hesitate and carried the fishing net towards the Blackwater Pool.

(End of this chapter)