Doctor Zhang continued, "Yes, it's Doctor Ling from Jishiditang. We're old buddies. He resigned as Chief Imperial Physician ten years ago and went on a carefree life with the King of Qi, leaving me to suffer. Haha, now I'm free too!"
A few days ago, we met at Jishitang, and I smelled the same aroma of wine there. Was it you who gave it to me?"
Gu Xinran smiled and nodded. "Doctor Zhang, we have a deep connection. I never thought we had a mutual acquaintance. Grandpa Ling treats me like his own granddaughter and even gave me several jars of fine wine as a filial gift."
After hearing this, Doctor Zhang was shocked. It seemed that this wine was not the only one and he also had a chance to get it.
Overjoyed, he eagerly asked, "Do you have any more? Sell some to me, okay?"
Ginseng and antler pills cannot be sold for the time being, but wine can be sold. The winery will open after the Chinese New Year, so it’s not a bad idea to sell it in advance.
Gu Xinran smiled broadly, "Yes, we do, but there aren't many of this high quality. I can only give you one jar of tiger bone wine. This wine is very difficult to make and is very expensive. Our winery charges one hundred taels for a two-jin jar."
We also have ginseng wine for longevity and fruit wine for beauty, fifty taels per jar."
Doctor Zhang's eyes lit up after hearing this. Such good wine was not expensive at one hundred taels per jar. After just two sips, he felt relaxed and energetic.
"Great! Great! Where is your winery? I'm familiar with all the good wineries and liquor stores in Jinzhou Prefecture, but I've never seen anything as top-notch as yours."
Gu Xinran replied awkwardly, "Our winery is still under preparation and will open after the New Year. I hope you will come and support us then."
As soon as Grand Tutor Dou approached the main hall, he heard the news of the winery's opening. His drinking bug was about to come out again, and he immediately said, "Miss Gu, you made this wine yourself? And you're selling it? Bring me ten jars each of Ganoderma lucidum and tiger bone wine!"
Doctor Zhang gave him a bad look, repeated what Gu Xinran had just said, and jokingly said, "Fortunately, this wine is in limited supply, otherwise you would have squandered all your pension money."
While talking about others, he took out two hundred taels of silver from his purse and handed it to Gu Xinran.
"In addition to the tiger bone wine, bring me a jar of each of the other two. When you leave, take my little apprentice with you and have him take them with you."
Gu Xinran was overjoyed. The winery was finally open. She took the banknote and said happily, "Doctor Zhang, you are our first customer. I will give you an extra jar of longevity ginseng wine."
"Okay! Thank you, my friend!"
Dou Taifu was also eager to buy more wine, but Gu Xinran hurriedly spoke up, "Although the medicinal wine is good, you can't drink too much. Just two sips a day will achieve the maintenance effect. When the wine is almost gone, tell Xuanxuan and I'll send it to you at any time."
Taifu Dou stroked his beard, raised the corners of his mouth and the ends of his eyebrows, nodded with satisfaction, and murmured in his heart that this disciple was worth it. There was a hint of kindness in his eyes when he looked at Xuanxuan.
Then he said to Xuanxuan gently, "Starting tomorrow, come to the mansion at 8:00 a.m. every day to study for two hours. My grandson Zhao Zhiying will also be with you.
We will have a five-day break starting on New Year's Eve and continuing on the fifth day of the first lunar month. After you start school, you can come back at the same time on your day off. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
Xuanxuan saluted obediently, "I will follow the teacher's instructions."
Everything was settled, and the three of them stood up and said goodbye.
Grand Tutor Dou asked him to stay and waved to the butler outside the door. The old butler brought an exquisite wooden box, presented it to Grand Tutor Dou, and then retreated.
Grand Tutor Dou personally handed the box to Gu Xinran and said slowly, "This is six thousand taels of silver. Thank you for giving up your life and using the elixir to save my wife. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won't despise it."
Gu Xinran repeatedly refused: "It is my honor to save the old lady. I really cannot accept this thank you gift."
Grand Tutor Dou's face darkened slightly. "Think it's too little? I know this amount of silver is far less than the value of the elixir. Otherwise, I will give you a few more farms."
After saying that, he wanted to call the old housekeeper in.
Gu Xinran hurriedly took it. If she didn't accept it, who knows what would happen and it would hurt her feelings.
She thanked him gently, "Then I would be very sorry to refuse. Thank you, Master Dou, for your reward."
Seeing her accept it, the smile on Grand Tutor Dou's face returned, "Why call me Grand Tutor? From now on, call me Grandpa Dou. Yuxuan and you will have your own affairs."
Gu Xinran responded sweetly: "Okay, thank you, Grandpa Dou."
She felt the six thousand taels of silver were burning in her hands.
Thinking that Chinese New Year is coming the day after tomorrow, I have to give a New Year gift to Master Dou. I will make the Xu Ming Wan tonight and add a bottle of ordinary Shen Rong Wan tomorrow to make it a New Year gift. Giving these will make me feel at ease.
After collecting the banknotes and saying goodbye again, the old butler sent them to the carriage before returning home.
Doctor Zhang's apprentice followed closely behind in a carriage.
It was Xiaomei who was waiting outside the mansion today. After the three of them got in the car, she said with some concern: "While we were waiting, we noticed that someone was acting suspiciously around the Taifu Mansion."
Gu Xinran was puzzled. Since Master Dou was no longer an official, he should have no enemies. Could it be that there was a fanatical scholar who wanted to block his idol at the door?
The Taifu Mansion is heavily guarded, so there must be nothing wrong.
Gu Xinran looked at Duan Yunchi and Xuanxuan. Duan Yunchi shook his head and said, "It should be fine. I will order the yamen runners to strengthen patrols here."
Xuanxuan continued, "I will remind the guard and the housekeeper when I come to class tomorrow."
The problem was temporarily solved and everyone set off to return home.
The carriage rattled along the street. Gu Xinran would occasionally lift the curtain to look out. Duan Yunchi was curious, "Why do you keep looking out?"
Xuanxuan also curiously lifted the curtain on the other side and looked out, but there was nothing.
Gu Xinran's face was filled with worry. "I can't explain it, but I feel like someone is watching us."
Duan Yunchi knew that Gu Xinran was excellent, but he had never heard that her internal strength had reached the pinnacle. He thought that his internal strength was good, but he didn't notice anything at all.
With a look of suspicion, he asked, "How did you find out someone was watching us?"
Gu Xinran herself couldn't explain it clearly, and could only say: "Women's intuition."
There's nothing you can do about it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
Duan Yunchi asked the brother and sister to close the windows and doors of the car. He sat on the bench outside the carriage with a long sword in his hand and asked Xiaomei to speed up the horse. He was alert to his surroundings.
The journey was uneventful and we returned to the Gu Mansion safely.
Grandma Gu and Mother Gu were restless all afternoon because of Xuanxuan's apprenticeship. They ran to the gate from time to time, anxiously waiting for them to return.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the gate of the mansion, Gu's mother noticed it and hurried over to ask the result.
After getting off the carriage, Xuanxuan took his grandmother and mother's hands, grinned with his missing front teeth, and happily announced the good news, "Grandma, Mother, I am now a student of Master Dou!"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hugged Xuanxuan excitedly, with happy smiles on their faces, and felt that their days were getting better and better.
Gu Xinran greeted her grandmother and mother, asked her little apprentice to wait for a moment, and went back to the house to prepare wine.
After sending the young apprentice away and returning to the central hall, Gu Xinran showed the two hundred taels of silver to his grandmother and mother. "Our family's winery hasn't even opened yet, but it's already making money! Don't worry, I will make a lot of money so that you can enjoy a good life!"
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