“Yes, and it has to be a very strong baijiu.”

“How strong are we talking?”

“The stronger, the better.”

“The stronger, the better?”

“Yes.”

At the mention of needing very strong distilled liquor, Geum Gi-ryung and Chief Ha exchanged glances.

Chief Ha asked cautiously, “Uh... Young Lord, you’re not planning to pour the liquor directly on the grain, are you? If grain gets wet, it can mold or rot...”

As if I didn’t already know that?

Thinking his worry was a bit much, I replied, “Of course not. I won’t touch the liquor or the grain, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Excuse me?”

At that, Chief Ha blinked in confusion.

He looked like he didn’t understand what I meant—asking for liquor but saying I won’t touch it?

But Geum Gi-ryung, perhaps still remembering my earlier trust-building moves, skipped over the doubts and asked instead how much I needed.

“How much do you need?”

“One moment. I need to examine the interior of this place first.”

At Geum Gi-ryung’s question, I turned my attention to inspecting the interior of the grain storage.

“Let’s see... one small window, and a single wooden door... Thankfully, the top is sealed well.”

The storage was built like a fortress, and the ceiling was finished with stone. The only entry points were the wooden door and the small window.

The area with the grain seemed to go ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) down deep, but the overall space wasn’t that big.

Roughly ten by twenty paces—around three by six meters. That size would be perfect for efficiently eliminating the pests infesting the grain.

“For each grain pit, I’ll probably need about one large clay jar like the ones used in the Tang household. Ah, and if you can get me some paper and glue as well, that would be helpful.”

I gestured with my hands to show the size of the jars I had in mind. Geum Gi-ryung nodded in understanding.

Then Chief Ha, clearly still worried, spoke up.

“Lord of the Merchant Guild, perhaps it would be best to try this in just one storage area first.”

It seemed he was suggesting a test run to avoid disaster if things went wrong. But Geum Gi-ryung disagreed.

“There’s no need for that, is there?”

Then, Chief Ha quickly explained in a polite tone, watching my reaction.

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t trust the Young Lord, not at all. It’s just that securing that much baijiu would take a few days. We happen to have one jar of baijiu we were planning to drink, so while we’re sourcing more, I thought we could test it in one spot.”

He seemed cautious, as expected of someone in charge of managing a grain warehouse.

Since he explained it reasonably without offending, I nodded.

With this much grain involved, it made sense to be careful.

“Let’s do that. Then, can the one jar of baijiu, along with the paper and glue, be prepared quickly?”

“We’ll grind wheat and rice to make paste, and we have plenty of paper in stock, so it won’t take long. Please wait a moment.”

Chief Ha ran off and gave instructions to a few workers, who immediately began grinding wheat and rice into paste.

Being a grain warehouse, there was no shortage of rice, and tools like mortars and millstones were set up in one corner.

After a short wait, several workers lugged large jars to the front of the warehouse.

They weren’t big enough for me to fit inside, but they were large enough that carrying them required effort. There were five of them.

In terms of volume, they added up to about the size of the jar I had described.

—Clatter.

“These are five smaller jars—will this be alright, Young Lord?”

“Yes, that’s even better.”

First, I carefully peeled back the oiled paper sealing one of the jars and dipped a finger inside to taste the liquor.

I wanted to check how strong it was.

To use it, I had to confirm its alcohol content.

—Tchup.

As soon as the liquor touched my tongue, a sharp, biting sensation spread through my mouth.

The alcohol slid down my throat and hit my stomach, blooming with heat.

A very strong liquor that clearly marked the location of my esophagus and stomach.

Even in my past life, Chinese baijiu like kaoliang could range from 40 to 60 percent alcohol—this one felt like the same category.

‘Oh yeah. This stuff’s strong. Feels like at least 50%.’

The higher the concentration, the better, but this much would already be more than enough.

I pointed inside.

“Please place all of these jars right in the center of the wheat storage.”

“Yes, understood.”

Five servants groaned as they moved the jars inside.

Once all the jars were placed on top of the grain, Chief Ha approached with the prepared paste and paper.

“I’ve brought the paper and glue, Young Lord.”

“Alright. Let’s begin right away.”

With Chief Ha here, I entered the storage room.

Then I tore off all the oiled paper sealing the jars filled with liquor.

—Rip.

As I opened the lids, the sharp scent of alcohol filled the air.

Leaving the jars open, I walked out of the storage and made a request.

“Now, please shut the door and seal every gap around the windows and door with glue and paper. Even the tiniest hole must be covered.”

“Yes, Young Lord! You heard him—seal all windows and doors tightly!”

“Yes, Chief!”

Applying glue and sealing gaps with paper was a relatively simple job.

Soon, the workers finished sealing the door and windows with the glued paper.

I checked every detail thoroughly one last time.

With everything done, I smiled at Geum Gi-ryung and said,

“There. That’s it. Now we just wait about three days.”

“That’s it?”

“Just like that?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

At my words, Geum Gi-ryung and Chief Ha stared at me in disbelief. I nodded and explained.

“Yes. The pests that infest grain can’t stand the scent of strong liquor. Within three days, they’ll all die. Just give it time.”

“Hoho...”

Everyone seemed flustered by how simple and straightforward the method was.

But this really would eliminate every single grain pest—100%.

The reason I’d asked for liquor was specifically because of the ethanol in it.

Ethanol is incredibly effective at exterminating pests—especially those that infest grains.

‘There’s nothing better for killing weevils and grain moths, really.’

People often overlook alcohol because it’s common and widely consumed, but the ethanol that determines its potency is toxic and classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Moreover, when ethanol is metabolized by the liver, it turns into acetaldehyde, which is also highly carcinogenic.

Of course, when diluted and consumed, it just gets you drunk—it isn’t that toxic to humans in small doses.

But for insects, ethanol is an absolute poison.

In my past life, cargo ships transporting grain were required to perform fumigation before exporting or importing, to eliminate any pests in the grain.

Fumigation refers to sterilizing grain using insecticidal substances that are harmless to humans, to prevent infestation by insects that may be present.

And the substance most commonly used for this fumigation was ethyl formate.

Ethyl formate is a volatile compound found in grapes and wine—an eco-friendly substance.

It’s a compound of ethanol and formic acid, and being highly volatile, it doesn’t leave any residue. When it comes into contact with food, it immediately breaks down into ethanol and formic acid.

Therefore, if you have both ethanol and formic acid, it creates excellent sterilization. But if you don’t have access to high-purity ethanol or formic acid, even just strong liquor is more than enough for sterilization at home.

In fact, acetone, which is more easily obtained domestically, is about six times more effective than ethanol against grain pests—but that’s difficult to come by in this era, so ethanol alone sufficed.

‘When using ethanol, it’s important to seal the space like this.’

“Then let’s plan to open it in three days. Ah, and don’t go opening it out of curiosity—it’ll weaken the effect. And absolutely no oil lamps inside. It could start a fire.”

“Understood, Young Sir So.”

“I’ll make sure to warn the workers to be careful.”

The flash point of ethanol vapor is around 120 degrees Celsius.

In three days, the ethanol vapor would saturate the inside of the storage. If someone opened the door carelessly, it could lead to disaster, so I gave the necessary warning and planned to return after three days.

***

From the grain warehouse, I returned to the third floor of a luxurious inn built right beside the Yellow River.

This was one of Geum Gi-ryung’s personal inns. After having dinner with him, I returned to my room and stood by the window, preparing to explain today’s events to Hwa-eun.

They say married men have no freedom, but I wasn’t even married, and I still had none.

‘So you’ll be back in three days, right?’

‘Yes, Hwa-eun.’

The distance from here to where she was staying was about one sijin—two hours—but I still had to come back in three days.

And since the harbor was so crowded, we decided to stay here for those three days, so I was explaining the situation.

‘You better not go doing anything dangerous just because I’m not there, okay? Even if Sister Seol is with you, I can’t feel at ease unless I’m there too.’

‘Come on, Hwa-eun, when have I ever done anything dangerous...’

...

Was silence always this terrifying?

Hwa-eun’s wordless pause sent a chill down my spine, dredging up memories I had buried.

Yeah... I had done dangerous stuff before. I hurried to answer before I dug my own grave.

‘Ah, r-right. Of course. I won’t, Hwa-eun.’

Apparently satisfied with that answer, I could feel her mood soften.

Even after we’d finished talking business, I still had to chat with her for two more hours.

Back in my past life, couples would stay on the phone until they fell asleep—how did they even manage that?

As I was thinking I’d done well by not dating in my past life, Hwa-eun finally finished what she wanted to say.

‘Alright. Then be careful and work hard while you’re there. I’ve also told the kids not to chat in the group while you’re out, just in case it distracts you.’

‘Ah, the group chat, you mean?’

‘Group chat? Oh, I get what you mean. Yes, that place.’

Managing the group chat for me while I was out working—Hwa-eun really was taking care of me like a wife.

Yeah... if she was going to go this far, I had to follow her wishes and avoid anything dangerous.

Just as I was firmly resolving to be careful, her voice came through again.

‘Then get some good rest and talk to me again tomorrow.’

‘Will do, Hwa-eun. You sleep well too.’

The bedtime goodbyes were finished—freedom at last.

She wasn’t officially my wife yet, but if you don’t have a wife, what comes next?

Fried chicken and beer!

After talking for two hours, I was feeling hungry, so I pulled the cord in my room to call for a servant.

Geum Gi-ryung had told me I could order room service whenever I wanted.

—Ding.

“You called for me, honored guest?”

It was already late, when most people would be asleep, but as soon as I pulled the cord, a servant appeared outside my room like she’d been waiting there.

Now that’s what you call a high-class inn.

I opened the door and smiled as I asked, “Yes, is it possible to order a roast duck?”

“Of course, honored guest. Anything else you’d like?”

Just then, Hyang, who’d been perched behind me, tried to stick her head out.

I quickly pulled her back with one hand and made an X with two fingers.

‘Hyang, no! You’ll scare the nice lady!’

—Tssrit? What’s that, Dad?

‘It means no.’

—Tsrurur... Ahh...

As I taught Hyang that the X meant “no,” the servant asked again.

“Honored guest?”

“Oh, could I get something to drink as well? Something... cold and sweet, perhaps?”

“We have sanmaetang, chilled with ice. It’s made with plum and sugar—sweet and refreshing.”

Sanmaetang?

From the sound of it, it seemed like plum tea.

‘Ah, it’s probably plum tea then.’

“That sounds great.”

“Understood. Please wait just a moment.”

Cold plum tea with ice wasn’t a bad idea.

I would’ve liked some makgeolli instead of beer, but I wasn’t young anymore, and I had to be careful with alcohol.

If I could watch a sports match on the side, it would’ve been perfect—but I couldn’t expect everything, so I just stared out the window, imagining roast duck.

—Gulp.

My mouth watered instinctively.

As I was savoring the thought of duck, Bini crept up to the window and asked what I was doing.

—Tsrur? 『Dad, whatcha doin’?』

“Just, uh... looking at the moon?”

—Tssrut? 『The moon?』

At my words, Bini looked out the window at the night sky.

While Bini and I watched the crescent moon together, I slowly lowered my gaze toward the surface of the Yellow River.

—Blub-blub-blub.

Suddenly, near the big island in the middle of the harbor, large bubbles began rising from the water.

“What the... Methane gas from rotting mud?”

I thought it might be methane bubbling up from sediment—but then Bini’s voice chimed in.

—Tsrur? 『Dad, that thing’s hurt.』

“What!?”

Shocked, I turned back toward the water just as Cho approached and asked,

—Tssrut? 『Dad, should I go check it out?』

There was definitely something in that water... and it could understand the kids.