Ding Youtian's admiration for his master is like the endless torrent of a river. In his mind, Blind Liu knows everything about astronomy and geography, and can also brew wine, tell stories, read bones and tell fortunes. He is truly omnipotent.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of introducing her to Yang Jinyu and Huo Jincheng.
Yang Jinyu was fine; his master's family was his family, and his master's master was his elder, so naturally he had to meet them. His doting on the four little ones was almost abnormal. Every now and then, he would order the fourth child to drive a horse-drawn carriage to bring them food and toys, and he also bought a lot of furniture for the old house.
He spent almost all the monthly allowance given to him by his grandfather on the four little ones. He even gave some small gadgets that the prince had given him in the past, such as jade pendants and agate bracelets, to the four little ones. However, when Jian Ning found out about it, she returned them all to him.
The reason was that the things were too valuable and he was afraid that the four little ones would spoil them and would only want to reap the benefits in the future. So Yang Jinyu knew that his master was not actually greedy for money.
There's nothing wrong with liking money. How many people in the world don't love money? As long as you get it in a proper way, there's nothing wrong with that.
But Huo Jincheng said that Jian Ning was playing the long game to catch a big fish, and even Jian Ning's decision to accept him as an apprentice was said to have ulterior motives. He had no interest in Ding Youtian's wine-making master, and only followed him here because he was afraid of offending Yang Jinyu.
"Master, Jin Yu is here. This is his friend, Master Huo." Ding Youtian led them over. "This is my master, and this is our village head, old uncle."
Huo Jincheng recognized Blind Liu at once. This skinny middle-aged man was the storyteller at Xiangrui Teahouse last time. Like Ding Youtian, he could remember anyone who just glanced at him.
"Could it be that Brother Ding, in addition to selling wine, is also going to inherit his master's legacy and start telling stories? This is going to make all the money of the people in the world!" Huo Jincheng's words were full of sarcasm.
Upon hearing this, Ding Youtian's smile faltered slightly, and he immediately retorted, "Mr. Huo must have lofty ambitions, but I'm just a country bumpkin. How dare I dream of the pockets of the people? And how could I possibly dream of that?"
The world belongs to the emperor, who else but the emperor dares to covet the pockets of the people? His words seemed to be an accusation against Huo Jincheng, and Huo Jincheng's face darkened.
He just said it casually, and had no other intention except to ridicule Ding Youtian. His Huo family could not afford such a heavy hat.
Coveting the imperial power is a serious crime punishable by execution of the entire family!
With a chill in his heart, he sneered, "Brother Ding, you have a sharp tongue that kills people without being noticed!"
"Hey, the wine is here..." Yang Jinyu didn't know what was wrong with Huo Jincheng. He actually got into a verbal battle with Ding Youtian. Seeing Tian coming towards them with a tray carrying several bowls of wine, he quickly changed the subject, "Come, try the wine brewed by my master..."
The head of the village was confused and didn't hear the gunpowder in their words. In his eyes, the young master of Pu Ren Tang and the handsome Huo Jincheng were both distinguished guests of Dingjia Village. He hurried forward and personally took two bowls from the tray and handed them to Yang Jinyu and Huo Jincheng.
"Try it! This is really good wine! Youtian and his wife are really capable! With talented people like them in our village, there's no need to worry about the whole village not having a good life!"
In addition to harvesting beans, Jian Ning now also harvests water chestnuts, also known as sorghum. There are many families in the village who grow water chestnuts because water chestnuts are drought- and flood-resistant, and are not picky about the land. They can grow tenaciously even in the poorest land and have high yields.
The five mu of dry, sloping land behind Old Ding's house had previously been used to grow water chestnuts before tobacco. But eating too much of that stuff made it difficult to poop, which was incredibly uncomfortable. The other families in the village who grew water chestnuts, aside from mixing a small amount with rice for their own consumption, basically fed the pigs or sold the rest to pig farmers in town.
It's even cheaper than tobacco leaves.
Now Jian Ning still buys them at the same price as beans, which makes the whole village happy! Except for Old Dingtou's family, who in the village doesn't worship her like a living Buddha?
Huo Jincheng was also a wine lover, having tasted the imperial wine, which was given to his father, the Imperial Tutor, by the Emperor. But he didn't believe that a remote place like Dingjia Village could produce any fine wine or delicacies.
When he first came to Baisha Town, he had drunk the local wine in the town's restaurant. It was almost like sewage, not only unpalatable but also intoxicating.
However, the headman had already handed the bowl in front of him.
As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Yang Jinyu took it with a smile. What's more, Tian was watching from the side. Her husband was seconded by him to work for the prince and he almost made her a widow.
So he took it with gritted teeth, frowned and looked at it, then his eyes widened.
The wine in front of me was crystal clear, without a trace of turbidity at the bottom of the bowl. After taking a sip, the depression in my chest seemed to dissipate completely, leaving my mouth full of lingering fragrance.
"It's really good wine, another bowl!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tian immediately handed over a bowl with a smile and said, "My family's Xiaomai's father is so happy that he lives and dies. How can this wine brewed by Blind Liu not be delicious?"
"That's right. The wine brewed by the old blind man can't be sold to everyone in the world, but at least people within a hundred miles can give the old blind man a bite to eat." Blind Liu said with a smile.
Huo Jincheng sneered. This old man was actually protecting his disciple.
Ding Youtian narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Huo Jincheng.
This guy dared to thorn his master's heart, and he didn't mind giving him a taste of pain.
…
With the help of villagers who volunteered to help, Jian Ning and Tian and Chang quickly loaded the wine from several buyers who came to pick up the goods onto the carriage.
After tasting the wine, several buyers gave it a thumbs-up. In addition to paying off the current payment, they all rushed to pay the deposit for the next batch of wine and increased the quantity.
Jian Ning ordered several tables to be set up in the yard for everyone to have a meal. Except for the village head, clan leader, Yang Jinyu and Huo Jincheng, all the villagers who helped were invited.
The atmosphere was bustling with activity, with many villagers bringing their own tables and bowls, and the atmosphere was even more festive than during Chinese New Year. Game was cooked in the iron pots on the three stoves in the yard, and the aroma filled the air.
The whole yard was filled with adults laughing and children shouting, it was such a festive scene!
Outside the courtyard wall, Ding Gui and Ding Quan looked at the children picking up firecrackers at the door of the old house, listened to the laughter inside, and smelled the aroma of meat wafting out. The two of them were so greedy that their mouths were watering.
"Brother, let's go in and eat later."
"Yeah. At Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt's house, we can eat what others eat."
The two brothers have gone to town to study. Today is a day off as their teacher is out meeting friends. The two brothers were attracted here when they saw a carriage coming into the village and heard the sound of firecrackers.
"We are scholars now, and we are giving them honor by being willing to eat at their house." Ding Gui felt that it made a lot of sense. Apart from his fourth uncle who went to the town to study for a few years, there were only the two brothers in the village.
"Come on, I'll take you in to eat meat."
He dragged Ding Quanxiong towards the courtyard...
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