Zhao Xian breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that some of the policies formulated by the imperial court still had a certain degree of flexibility and were not completely rejected.
"Thank you, Magistrate. I am relieved to hear your words."
"What does wine made from millet look like? Could you show me?"
"Without the magistrate's permission, I dare not brew wine rashly. The wine made from millet is different from the wine sold in shops. Let's call it baijiu for now."
This was the first time Magistrate Cao had heard the term "baijiu" (white liquor), and he was somewhat puzzled by its meaning.
Baijiu is a modern product, which the ancients certainly wouldn't know. Zhao Xian began to explain to Magistrate Cao.
"Currently, there are four types of alcoholic beverages on the market. Your Excellency, please take a look. The wines on the table are two types: Zhuangyuan Red Wine is a type of yellow wine, and Ginseng Wine is a type of medicinal wine. In addition, there are rice wine and fruit wine. All four types of wine have different colors."
Wine made from millet is colorless, just like a glass of water, hence the name "white wine."
Magistrate Cao finally understood. It turned out that the millet wine brewed by Zhao Xian was a new variety. He wondered what it would taste like and began to look forward to it.
"Your Excellency, these few jugs of wine are not baijiu. Once I brew baijiu, I will send it over as soon as possible so that Your Excellency can taste it and compare it with these other wines."
"I understand. Go back and use millet to produce liquor. I'll take care of the brewing permits for you and send someone to deliver them to you in a few days," Magistrate Cao said excitedly.
Having achieved his goal, Zhao Xian prepared to go home.
It was already noon, and Magistrate Cao began to persuade them to stay, as he felt it necessary to treat them to a meal before they left.
"Young Master Zhao, it's lunchtime now. Why don't you have lunch before you leave?"
Zhao Xian did not refuse, and he and Zhao Cheng stayed to have lunch at the county government office.
After lunch, Zhao Xian prepared to leave, and Magistrate Cao asked him to take a few jugs of wine with him.
"No need for that. Next time I will bring the brewed liquor. Your Excellency can open these liquors as well and taste the differences between them."
"Then it's settled. Young Master Zhao must come and enjoy the wine with us."
After Magistrate Cao finished speaking, he ordered the wine jugs to be put away and waved goodbye to Zhao Xian.
After leaving the county government office, Zhao Xian planned to buy some things to take back. He asked Zhao Cheng to wait for him by the roadside while he went into the market.
There weren't many people at the market in the afternoon. At the entrance of the market, Zhao Xian saw a woman standing by the roadside. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, her clothes were tattered, and she had a straw stuck in her hair.
She looked haggard, but she remained focused, watching the passersby.
With straw stuck in his hair, he was clearly trying to sell himself.
In ancient times, a family would only consider selling their children or even themselves when they were in dire straits. This woman had no one else by her side, so she must have been planning to sell herself.
The sun was blazing, it was the hottest time of day, and the woman was already exhausted. If this continued, she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
Faced with such a situation, Zhao Xian could not possibly ignore it, so he stepped forward to inquire.
When the woman saw someone approaching, she mustered her spirits and looked on with anticipation.
"Young lady, what are you trying to do?"
Before the woman could speak, someone nearby answered.
"What could it be? Selling yourself, I guess."
“Now you can buy a maid for only three taels of silver, but this woman is selling herself for eight taels of silver. You know, eight taels of silver can buy two or three wives. Who would want you?”
Before I knew it, several more people had appeared around me.
"Are you going to sell yourself?" Zhao Xian asked in a low voice as he approached the woman.
The woman nodded.
"I heard you're asking for eight taels of silver to sell yourself. Can you tell me why?"
“My father passed away the day before yesterday, leaving behind a debt of five taels of silver. These past few days, creditors have been coming to my door every day. I really have no other choice but to sell myself to pay off the debt.”
In addition, I also want to prepare a dowry for my younger brother. Only after completing these two things can I leave in peace.
I know the price I offered is a bit high, but I have no other choice. I just hope a kind person can help me out; I'm willing to do anything to repay them.
"Your family isn't around. If I buy you, who should I pay the money to?"
“After I got the money, I immediately went home and sent the creditors away. I gave the rest of the money to my younger brother so that he could keep it as a dowry when he got married. I won’t be around to see him anymore, so let him find a wife on his own.”
"You want your younger brother to find a wife on his own? Can he handle it? How old is he today?"
"My younger brother is seventeen this year. He is my twin brother. He is kind-hearted, but a little simple-minded. I won't be by his side in the future. I don't know if he will be able to find a wife?"
After the woman finished speaking, her eyes dimmed. She knew that her younger brother had intellectual disabilities and could barely take care of himself. It was basically impossible for him to find her a wife.
Once she sells herself, she will no longer be able to take care of her mentally challenged younger brother.
Seeing the woman's expression, Zhao Xian spoke up.
"Where do you live? Could you show me around?"
The woman's eyes lit up. Since this buyer wanted to come to her house to take a look, it meant he wanted to buy her.
“My home is in Datang Village, not far from the county seat. It takes less than half an hour to walk there,” the woman said, and immediately got up.
At this moment, the woman was somewhat happy, but also inevitably felt a little sad.
"Take my carriage." Zhao Xian led the woman toward the carriage.
This person also has a carriage, which indicates that his family is quite well-off and should be a wealthy household.
After the two boarded the carriage, Zhao Cheng cracked the whip, and the carriage quickly left the county town. Soon they arrived at Datang Village. The carriage passed through the village and reached the other end of the village before they saw the woman's house.
As soon as the group got off the carriage, a little boy came running towards them, his face covered in sweat.
"Sister Xiaoxiao, where is Da Niu? The two cows at Master He's house are fighting again, and many people are afraid to go near them. Master He's servants are anxious to find Da Niu."
"Oh no, these two cows are fighting again. Why didn't Da Niu keep a closer eye on them when he was herding them? He's probably sleeping in that big locust tree again." The woman didn't have time to say goodbye to Zhao Xian before running towards the village entrance with the little boy.
The big ox should be the woman's younger brother, who was probably herding cattle for a wealthy man surnamed He. He may not have taken good care of the cattle, which led to the two oxen fighting.
Two cows fighting should be interesting; let's go take a look.
The two followed behind the woman and quickly arrived at the village entrance.
There was a meadow at the entrance of the village, and from afar you could see two big water buffalo with their buttocks sticking out, their eyes glaring, their four horns butting together, seemingly locked in a struggle.
A group of villagers stood nearby watching the spectacle, shouting incessantly.
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