THD Chapter 8

 Ye Shiying finally agreed to give it a try.

Partly because Ye Xiqing's plans sounded surprisingly convincing.

And partly because exciting news arrived from Miao Shuangshuang.

She got the job.

Ye Shiying clutched the radio, hardly believing what she was hearing.

At the time, color televisions were still considered luxury items, but black-and-white TVs had already become common. Even many rural families owned one.

In the countryside, appearing on television was a tremendous honor.

To ordinary villagers, the people inside that little box were practically celebrities.

Yet now her own daughter was going to be on television.

How could she not be thrilled?

With spirits running this high, what was there to fear about brewing a few batches of liquor?

Brew it!

As for whether Ye Xiqing dared to start a liquor-making business with nothing but theoretical knowledge...

Of course she dared.

In chemistry class, she'd performed experiments with even less preparation.

What was there to be afraid of?

Reality, however, was always different from the classroom.

Before she could even take out the thermometer, a large hand stopped her.

Turning around, she found Ye Shiying smiling awkwardly.

"Qingqing..."

"Actually, when steam starts lifting the lid and escaping from all sides of the pot, that's already a sign it's boiling."

Years of farm work had given Ye Shiying strength that made resisting her nearly impossible.

Ye Xiqing silently put the thermometer away.

What a reliable and practical assistant.

Ye Shiying quietly wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

Her niece's methods seemed very scientific.

But not too scientific, hopefully.

---

The aunt and niece spent their days immersed in brewing, losing all track of time.

Meanwhile, Miao Shuangshuang devoted herself to filming.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

When she finally returned home, she was wearing fashionable knee-high boots.

Looking at the familiar entrance to the village, she felt immensely satisfied.

She had returned in triumph.

At that moment, Ye Xiqing and Ye Shiying were collecting liquor.

The first distillation had already become clear and transparent.

Soon they would begin the second distillation.

Without the harsh impurities from the initial process, the second batch retained a rich grain aroma and was always the most popular among customers.

The two were so focused on their work that they didn't notice anyone approaching until a deliberate cough sounded nearby.

They turned simultaneously.

The moment Ye Shiying saw the newcomer, she nearly jumped.

"Ah!"

No wonder she was shocked.

Miao Shuangshuang wasn't the only one who had returned.

Standing beside her was a tall, slender woman.

The newcomer smiled shyly.

"Sister. Qingqing."

It was Ye Shimei.

The instant she saw her younger sister, Ye Shiying forgot everything else and rushed forward.

In those days, the eldest daughter often helped raise her younger siblings. The bond was no different from that of a mother and child.

Ye Shiying looked her sister up and down repeatedly, her eyes gradually reddening.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

"I would've gone to pick you up."

"And look at you—you've gotten so thin."

Ye Shimei coughed lightly and smiled.

"It's all thanks to Shuangshuang."

"She earned some money and wanted to surprise you, so she insisted on bringing me home."

"As for being thin..."

She laughed softly.

"Being thin is all the rage these days. Even people who aren't overweight are trying to lose weight. Everyone envies me."

"What's there to envy? You're so thin you're practically invisible!"

Ye Shiying carried her bag and led her inside, completely forgetting about her own daughter.

"Look, this is Qingqing! Missed her, didn't you?"

Left behind, Miao Shuangshuang was speechless.

Only one person came back? Fine. She was in a good mood today, so she'd let it slide.

This trip had truly been worth it.

She was really going to become a star.

When they first arrived in the capital, nothing had been certain. As a hotel receptionist, what influence did Ye Shimei have? All she could do was nervously observe the members of the film crew coming and going until she finally figured out who was in charge.

Once Miao Shuangshuang arrived, Ye Shimei seized the opportunity. Risking her job, she dragged the girl over to introduce her.

Who was Wu Chunhua?

A former soldier, a decorated veteran, and now the chairman of the National Theatre. Countless people wanted access to her.

Wu Chunhua had seen too many people trying to push their relatives into the entertainment industry. She was annoyed the moment she saw Ye Shimei approaching.

Then she noticed Miao Shuangshuang.

As one of the major villainous female supporting characters in the original story, Miao Shuangshuang had naturally been written as beautiful. But beauty in novels usually came with limits.

Miao Shuangshuang was the exception that shattered those limits. Miao Shuangshuang wasn't especially delicate or refined. But she possessed one striking advantage.

She was tall. Tall enough that people couldn't help noticing her.

She had arrived dusty from travel. Her face wasn't washed, her hair wasn't combed, and she looked exhausted. Yet her moon-bright eyes overflowed with anticipation as she stood there breathing heavily.

Wu Chunhua froze.

The girl was beautiful.

Not the polished beauty of a noblewoman, but the untamed beauty of a wolf running free across the wilderness.

After studying her for a long moment, Wu Chunhua finally nodded.

"Give it a try."

Miao Shuangshuang nearly burst with excitement.

If she had the chance, she would definitely succeed.

She wasn't entirely unfamiliar with acting. In her previous life, she had spent some time in the industry. Regardless of how successful she'd been, she at least understood the basics.

So when Wu Chunhua assumed she'd be difficult to teach, Miao Shuangshuang surprised everyone with her natural performance.

At the time, Wu Chunhua was filming a historical drama about the life of the empire's only female emperor.

Originally, she intended to cast Miao Shuangshuang as a favored concubine—a beauty whose schemes would cause trouble for the empress.

But after seeing her audition, she changed her mind.

She wanted Miao Shuangshuang to play the empress's daughter instead.

The role fit perfectly.

In fact, Wu Chunhua became so satisfied that she decided to expand the character's screen time.

As someone reborn from the future, Miao Shuangshuang knew this drama very well. She never expected the production she stumbled into would become such a massive hit.

Knowing its future success, she practically worshipped Director Wu.

Although she was greedy, competitive, calculating, and opportunistic, her ability to flatter people was second to none. Before long, Wu Chunhua was treating her almost like a daughter.

Thanks to the director's favor, Miao Shuangshuang received numerous opportunities and an impressive salary.

After three months, she had earned a total of five thousand yuan.

"I stand all day at work and only earn four hundred yuan a month," Ye Shimei exclaimed excitedly. "Shuangshuang gets free food and lodging on set, and she still made five thousand!"

She was genuinely proud.

For generations, the Ye family had worked the fields. They had never produced someone like Miao Shuangshuang.

"Hahaha!"

Who wouldn't enjoy hearing their child praised?

Ye Shiying laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

"Oh, that brat just got lucky. Your Qingqing is even more impressive!"

She proudly held up a bottle.

"Take a look at this wine. Guess who brewed it? Bet you can't."

"It was all Qingqing!"

"That's a real skill. It'll definitely be useful in the future."

At the end of the table, Ye Xiqing offered a polite smile.

"Auntie, you're exaggerating. What's the point of brewing wine if nobody buys it?"

Then she raised her cup.

Maintaining her usual quiet persona was easy. She barely needed to act. As long as she said the right things, Miao Shuangshuang would fill in the rest herself.

"Shuangshuang, you're amazing. I've never even heard of half the things you've talked about today."

"A toast to you."

Miao Shuangshuang accepted the cup with a smug smile.

To welcome her and Ye Shimei home, Ye Shiying had prepared an entire table of food.

But stools were scarce in those days. To save space, the table had been pushed against the edge of the kang. Someone could sit cross-legged on the heated brick bed while everyone else used stools.

The arrangement not only saved furniture but also created a place of honor.

Traditionally, that seat should have belonged to Ye Shimei, the guest.

But after a round of polite refusals, it ended up going to Miao Shuangshuang.

Occupying the head-of-household position and looking down at Ye Xiqing from above made her feel wonderful.

For the first time, she felt she no longer needed to compare herself to Ye Xiqing.

Because Ye Xiqing clearly felt inferior to her.

And if Ye Xiqing herself acknowledged that fact, what was left to resent?

Delighted, Miao Shuangshuang lifted the cup.

"Let me taste it."

"Let's see what you've brewed."

Ye Xiqing smiled.

Since it was only a family meal, there was no need to drink heavily. Ye Xiqing had poured Miao Shuangshuang only a shallow bowl.

Miao Shuangshuang had a high alcohol tolerance. She emptied it in a single gulp.

At first, she was simply enjoying the pleasant feeling of being toasted by Ye Xiqing. Only after the liquor slid down her throat and its lingering aroma spread through her mouth did she realize something was wrong.

The wine was good.

Very good.

She looked at Ye Xiqing in shock.

The mother and her two daughters had all worked at the Lu family's distillery. Ye Shiying washed bottles. Ye Xiqing worked in the laboratory. As for Miao Shuangshuang, with her personality, there was no way she could stay inside a factory doing exhausting labor all day, so she worked in sales instead.

Anyone involved in alcohol sales needed at least some understanding of liquor.

One sip was enough.

She immediately recognized the quality of the wine.

It was top-grade grain liquor, comparable to the best blended liquors on the market.

The description sounded contradictory, but anyone familiar with winemaking would understand.

People always claimed grain liquor was superior, yet in actual production, pure grain liquor was notoriously difficult to stabilize. Its flavor fluctuated from batch to batch, unlike blended liquor, which could maintain consistent quality.

That was one of the reasons the Lu family had eventually taken the shortcut of producing blended liquor.

After all, artificial diamonds were often purer than natural ones.

So how could an ordinary customer tell whether something was artificially perfected or naturally exceptional?

Yet the liquor Ye Xiqing had brewed possessed the strengths of both.

It was unmistakably grain-based. One sip was enough to identify its origin.

But none of the usual flaws were present.

There was no sourness.

No bitterness.

No astringency.

The liquor went down smoothly without burning the throat, while its aroma lingered pleasantly afterward.

If a wine of this quality appeared in the Lu family's factory, it would immediately be hailed as a flagship product.

And yet it had been brewed privately by Ye Xiqing?

Miao Shuangshuang stared at her suspiciously.

However, Ye Xiqing seemed completely unaware of her shock.

Looking innocent, she asked,

"Shuangshuang, do you think it's okay?"

"If it doesn't sell well, maybe we can just sell it cheaply."

"I've been worried lately because I don't know who to sell it to."

"Liquor is expensive and grain is cheap. Even if we lower the price, we'll still make a profit, right?"

The more Miao Shuangshuang listened to her cousin's naive rambling, the warmer she felt inside.

This really was the same useless cousin she remembered.

In both her past and present lives, she had never known Ye Xiqing possessed such a skill. The revelation had genuinely shocked her.

But trash was still trash.

Even with a talent this extraordinary, she didn't know how to use it.

Almost immediately, Miao Shuangshuang felt the urge to educate her.

Straightening her back, she spoke in a condescending tone.

"Sell it cheaply? What nonsense."

"What kind of product succeeds by being cheap?"

"You get what you pay for. Don't you understand that?"

She waved her hand confidently.

"Leave the selling to me."

"I'll decide the price."

"Whatever I say it's worth, that's what it'll sell for."

Brewing the liquor was only the first hurdle.

Selling it was the second.

Ye Xiqing had only been in this world for three months. She genuinely had no idea how to handle sales.

But that didn't matter.

A villainous supporting character should be put to good use.

Looking at Miao Shuangshuang with admiration shining in her eyes, Ye Xiqing immediately applauded.

"Wow, really?"

"Shuangshuang, you're amazing!"

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