Chapter Thirty-Five: Going to the Zhao Family to Watch the Spectacle

“Han Yuyang.”

“That’s my name. If I’m lucky enough to survive, I’ll repay you those sixty taels of silver and the favor you showed me.”

Moved by Jiang Chen’s sincerity, the man revealed his name.

After clasping his fists to bid farewell, Han Yuyang, just as he was turning away, came back with a curious question for Jiang Chen.

“How did you know I entered your room, and how did you figure out I hadn’t gone far yet?”

Jiang Chen replied, “That’s simple. I pay close attention to the arrangement of things in my room. Even the slightest shift in angle, or the tiniest change in the position of a box’s lid, I can detect it.”

“As for knowing you hadn’t gone far, it was because Wu Yue from my household had just visited. You must have just succeeded in your theft, and since you didn’t want to hurt anyone, you could only hide and wait for her to leave before escaping.”

“But what you didn’t expect was, just as Yue’er left, I returned home. At that point, you were only at the base of the wall in the backyard, isn’t that right?”

Han Yuyang nodded, admitting that Jiang Chen’s deduction was spot on.

“Brother, with your sharp insight and remarkable skills, it’s hard to believe you’re just an ordinary scholar content with the status quo. Take my advice: this mountain town isn’t fit for someone like you.”

“I’m not usually so talkative, but I can’t stand seeing talent like yours buried in a place no one cares about.”

Jiang Chen replied, “Thank you, Brother Han. Take care on your journey. We’ll meet again someday!”

The following morning, Gu Jun hurried to Jiang Chen’s home.

Seeing Jiang Chen engrossed in a table full of dishes, he asked in confusion, “What’s going on? Is today some special occasion?”

For mountain folk, a family of three would normally have only two or three dishes at their table. Yet Jiang Chen, clearly living alone, had filled his table with seven or eight plates—a rare sight indeed.

Gu Jun thought it might be Jiang Chen’s birthday, hence his question.

“They’re all from Wu Yue. She brought them yesterday, but I was busy catching a thief and didn’t have time to eat.”

With Jiang Chen’s explanation, Gu Jun’s interest was immediately piqued.

“What reckless thief would dare steal from your home? Next time he shows up, I’ll make sure he can’t walk away!”

Gu Jun, fuming, swore to help Jiang Chen catch the thief, leaving Jiang Chen unsure how to respond.

If he were to tell Gu Jun that after catching the thief, he actually gave him fifty taels of silver, Gu Jun would likely lose his mind right then and there.

“Let’s not talk about that. Did you learn anything from your night reconnaissance at Zhao’s Winery?”

Gu Jun told Jiang Chen that Zhao’s Winery was ablaze with lights overnight, with workers busy packing the freshly brewed wine into jars—at least a thousand jars by his rough count.

From the look of things, they would soon push this wine onto the market, which would be a significant blow to Jiang Yuebai.

Yet Jiang Chen showed no concern, warmly inviting Gu Jun to sit and join him for breakfast, then mentioning his plan to personally visit Zhao’s Winery today.

“What? You’re going?”

After breakfast, Jiang Chen and Gu Jun headed straight for Zhao’s Winery.

Gu Jun sighed, “Why do you always run toward danger? Zhao He is narrow-minded and sees you as a thorn in his side. Entering Zhao’s Winery is no less dangerous than venturing into Tiger Head Mountain!”

“Don’t worry. Today, Zhao He will greet me with a smile and go out of his way to please me. Even if I slapped him, he’d have to laugh it off.”

Gu Jun was puzzled, wondering if Zhao He had been possessed to behave so strangely.

Meanwhile, Zhao’s Winery was shrouded in silence.

After a night’s frantic labor, the workers were exhausted, yet still had to stand upright and endure Zhao He’s tirade.

“Useless!”

“You’re all useless!”

The area’s richest merchant flushed with rage, veins bulging on his forehead, nearly shouting himself hoarse.

The steward shrank back, not daring to speak. The master’s temper had grown worse lately, and he would now spray them with abuse at the smallest provocation.

This made life difficult for the staff, and it all stemmed from the declining fortunes of Zhao’s Winery—thanks to Jiang Yuebai’s sudden success, which robbed the once-popular Erdao Spring of its market.

For more than half a month, the winery had been busy brewing a new wine. Only a few knew it was a recipe the master had acquired from someone else—the formula for Jiang Yuebai’s wine.

At first, the new brew smelled and tasted much like Jiang Yuebai’s, so Zhao He boldly ordered mass production. But following the secret recipe step by step, the final product turned out to be as foul as dishwater, utterly undrinkable!

Early that morning, upon inspection, Zhao He was terrified. In his rush to seize the market and suppress Jiang Yuebai, he had invested nearly all his cash into this batch.

Just the materials needed to monopolize the brewing process cost him five thousand taels of silver, not counting other expenses.

Now Zhao He had to face a harsh reality: the 1,353 jars before him were all worthless and unsellable.

If he couldn’t turn this wine into cash, he wouldn’t even have the funds to keep Zhao’s Winery running. This was the greatest setback he had ever suffered in his business career.

The steward, seeing Zhao He silent for so long, finally summoned the courage to say, “Master, perhaps we could recommend these wines to our old customers—they might accept them out of loyalty?”

“These wines taste worse than horse urine! Do you think our customers are as foolish as you? Idiot!”

Unable to vent his anger any other way, Zhao He kicked the steward, who howled in pain.

Just then, a servant reported from outside, “Master, there’s a visitor.”

“Send them away! I don’t want to see anyone!”

The servant hesitated, then added, “The young gentleman says he has a way to solve your urgent troubles.”

“Hmm? Who is he?” Zhao He asked in suspicion.

“He said his name is Jiang Chen, and he’s come today specifically to drink with you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao He’s face turned even uglier. “Drink with me? That brat is here to mock me—can’t you hear it?”

“Throw him out with sticks! No, I’ll see him myself!”

Zhao He changed his mind, and moments later, he appeared before Jiang Chen and Gu Jun, flanked by his men and full of fury.

“A fake recipe? So you lured me in—what a clever trick, Jiang Chen!”

As Zhao He spoke, his teeth itched with anger, and he was ready to order his men to take revenge at any moment!