I caught a cold, guys, and I'm feeling really bad. Please forgive me if this is a bit sloppy.
"Halt! Who goes there!"
Two Qin soldiers drew their swords, and seven or eight Qin soldiers quickly ran up behind them and surrounded the three sneaky figures.
"You bastard, is this brat really that serious?"
"Father...I told you this wouldn't work!"
"My older brother is a devil in sheep's clothing, and you won't believe me even if I tell you..."
The three surrounded individuals showed no fear whatsoever; instead, they began chatting amongst themselves.
This arrogant behavior enraged the Qin soldiers, who stepped forward, their anger rising, wanting to see what these three audacious individuals were like.
"You three dogs... uh... pay your respects to General Meng Ao, General Meng Wu, and General Meng Tian!" Upon closer inspection, the leading Qin soldier suddenly stammered halfway through his sentence, only then realizing that it was actually Meng Ao and his two grandsons. He was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
Upon recognizing the three men, the surrounding soldiers shuddered, quickly sheathed their swords, clasped their hands, and followed suit in unison.
"No need!" Meng Wu waved his hand calmly, showing no anger. "We were just passing through, we didn't expect to be surrounded like this. It's really..."
Meng Ao's smile was somewhat stiff as he asked softly, "It's good that you're more vigilant to prevent thieves from sneaking in. But... is it really necessary to be so heavily guarded?"
Hearing this, Meng Tian and Meng Wu exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of embarrassment in each other's eyes, and decided to say nothing more. After all, it was indeed the three of them who had deliberately "sneaked over"—but they hadn't expected to be caught red-handed.
The leading guard immediately bowed his head: "We were unable to distinguish right from wrong and deserve to die. Please punish us, General."
Meng Ao waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to pursue the matter further: "Alright, you were all just doing your duty. Who should I punish? Should I punish you for protecting them too well? Go, all of you, leave."
Upon hearing this, the other Qin soldiers rose tremblingly, bowed respectfully, and quickly sheathed their swords, returning to their patrol ranks.
The leader stayed behind, hesitating whether to continue escorting the generals, but Meng Wu had already given him a "don't say anything" look, so he could only swallow his concern and retreat in small steps.
After everyone had dispersed, Meng Wu turned to Meng Ao and complained in a low voice, "Father...we've already been caught, are we still going?"
Meng Tian shrugged, a greedy glint in his eyes: "We're already here, and that kid isn't stupid, why go back empty-handed? Go... bring back a few jars of wine first."
As he spoke, he took a few steps forward, gesturing for Meng Wu and Meng Tian to follow. Fortunately, the patrolling Qin soldiers had already dispersed, and no one stopped them, so they continued to walk openly into the depths of the workshop.
Along the way, Meng Tian seemed to be in high spirits, and whispered as he walked, "Let's bring back more strong liquor later - I've been hearing the soldiers talking about it in the camp these past few days, saying that the liquor my brother makes is rare in the world, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it."
Meng Ao smacked his lips, his face full of intoxication: "You were right, kid. This wine is really something else. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
That day, he and Ying Zheng lost face, but the wine was a reason for it, though not entirely unacceptable. These past few days, he had been desperately craving that fine wine, which is why he brought his son and grandson to steal it.
Unexpectedly, that kid had set up such a tight defense here.
After walking about a hundred steps, the three of them passed through a workshop backyard filled with wooden boxes and pottery jars, turned over a low wall, and saw bright lights in the distance.
There were several stoves connected together, with flames blazing. Various copper stills, iron pots, and wooden barrels containing lees were scattered among them, and many craftsmen were still busy at work.
Seeing this, Meng Ao narrowed his eyes slightly: "Working so late, that scoundrel's desire to make money... I think it's even stronger than that miser Meng Can's!"
“Father, look, there seems to be a warehouse over there.” Meng Tian, with his sharp eyes, pointed to a large, dark building diagonally behind them, with people vaguely visible patrolling at the entrance.
Meng Ao and Meng Wu followed the gaze and whispered, "Could there be some newly brewed wine stored inside?"
As the three were observing, they suddenly heard a familiar "hehe" laugh from not far away: "Oh, who said they wanted to take my new wine? That voice sounds so familiar... Could it be the three masters of the Meng family who have arrived?"
The voice was full of mockery, which immediately made Meng Ao and the other two tense up and look in the direction of the sound. In the firelight, they saw a tall but somewhat thin man standing with his hands on his hips—who else could it be but the wicked husband?
"So you're here after all." Upon seeing him, Meng Ao didn't try to hide anything, walking straight over. "What, can't I have a drink with you...?"
Seeing Meng Tian's self-righteous attitude, the wicked husband immediately burst out laughing: "Tsk tsk, including you three tonight, this is the fourth batch!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the pavilion not far away and said, "Take a closer look, who's sitting there?"
The three looked in the direction the wicked husband was pointing, and their hearts skipped a beat. They saw Ying Zheng and his old acquaintances, including Huan Yi, drinking and toasting each other while holding wine jars.
Meng Ao and his two companions exchanged awkward glances, speechless with embarrassment. The wicked man, however, stepped forward with a smile and patted Meng Ao on the shoulder: "General, why be so secretive? Just say you want a drink."
"Ahem..." Meng Ao coughed twice, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
The wicked man winked and said, "Come, come, come with me to sit in the pavilion." Without saying another word, he pulled Meng Ao toward the pavilion.
Meng Wu and Meng Tian exchanged a glance and followed reluctantly. Only when they got closer did they realize that the atmosphere inside the pavilion was already quite lively.
Ying Zheng, his cheeks slightly flushed, was carrying a large wine jar and chatting with Huan Yi. Upon seeing the three generations of the Meng family arrive, his eyes lit up: "Haha, the Supreme General is here too! Come and taste this; this new batch is even better than the last one!"
Huan Yi also picked up his wine bowl, drunkenly calling out, "Come quickly! We were just talking about when you would arrive!"
Meng Tian muttered to himself, "So, you're all here, but nobody called me?"
The wicked man had already deftly brought over a new wine bowl, pouring wine while laughing, "To be honest, I figured you'd come back after tasting this wine. I just didn't expect you to choose to sneak in at midnight."
Meng Ao blushed and was about to explain when Ying Zheng raised his wine bowl: "Enough with the nonsense! Come, Meng Ao, drink this cup first!"
Meng Ao's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the wine bowl, smelling the aroma of the wine, even better than last time. He sighed, turned and glared at his son and grandson behind him: "What are you all standing there for? Like that man behind the stove, once this village is over, it'll be hard to find a drink!"
Meng Wu and Meng Tian quickly stepped forward and took their seats. The wicked man promptly poured wine for everyone, laughing, "Gentlemen, this is all family wine. Come and drink as much as you like; there's no need to sneak in in the dark like thieves."
This remark drew laughter from everyone present. Meng Ao raised his wine bowl, feigning seriousness, and said, "Young man, your wine... is indeed quite good. However... let's not mention this matter again!"
"Hahaha!" A hearty laugh suddenly rang out from inside the pavilion.
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