Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 20

The weather was getting colder day by day, and the days were also getting shorter.

At the slight rise of the morning sun, with the sky just turning a fish-belly white, Qi Nan drove the ox-cart with Lu Sheng to the pier.

It was still early, the river was covered in a thin mist, and there weren’t many people at the pier, only a few scattered breakfast stalls set up.

After paying the ten wen stall fee, Lu Sheng found the spot she had scoped out earlier and set up the prepared banner and long table.

The banner for the distillery was sewn overnight by Yang Yulan. With a base of yellow hemp cloth and bordered with red cotton cloth, the center featured four embroidered regular-script characters: “Lu Family Liquor.” Compared to the single-layer hemp cloth banners on the street, it looked quite eye-catching at first glance.

Red has a stronger visual impact, and Lu Sheng had specifically asked her aunt to add this border so that people could spot the distillery’s banner in the chaotic marketplace right away.

Qi Nan was efficient. In just a few quick movements, he unloaded the wine jars from the cart and arranged them neatly.

The stall next to theirs was a food stall specializing in selling breakfast.

After listening to Lu Hualin’s words the day before, Lu Sheng realized that the most important thing now was to get people to accept the higher-proof distilled liquor (shaojiu).

Lu Sheng had come to the pier early yesterday morning and spent the whole day observing the customer flow at the food stalls on this street. She found that this particular breakfast stall offered a complete variety of food at a good price.

The regular customers were the porters, sailors, and merchants passing through the pier, and these were precisely Lu Sheng’s target clientele for the shaojiu.

Therefore, she made a point of getting up extra early today just to set up her stall right next to theirs, to draw traffic to her liquor stall.

As the sky brightened, the surrounding stalls were set up one after another, and there were many more pedestrians coming and going on the street. The neighboring food stall was steaming hot, emitting the aroma of food.

Lu Sheng directly opened the seals of the wine jars. The mellow and intense scent of the liquor instantly diffused into the air.

Some liquor connoisseurs, following the smell, gathered in front of Lu Sheng’s stall.

Seeing a crowd forming in front of the stall, Lu Sheng took a few empty bowls and ladled half a scoop of liquor into each one.

The liquor was crystal clear with not a speck of impurity. To call it wine, it looked like clear water, but if one were to say it was clear water, the rich and enticing aroma emanating from the bowls was clearly that of wine.

Several onlookers were full of disbelief, exclaiming, “This wine is so incredibly clear.”

“This is shaojiu uniquely brewed by the Lu Family Distillery. Would you gentlemen like a taste?” Lu Sheng said with a smile. “If your alcohol tolerance is low, one sip could keep you drunk for half a day.”

“What kind of taste can one sip of wine give? Is the young lady being stingy?” a tall, robust man in the crowd questioned.

These people were used to drinking rice wine, which they drank by the catty (jin), so such a small sip was truly beneath their notice.

Although the man was being unreasonable, Lu Sheng didn’t get angry. She smiled and warned, “It’s truly not me being stingy, big brother. Don’t let the clear appearance of this liquor fool you; it’s quite potent to drink.”

“I’ve been drinking for over ten years and have never been drunk! I’ll have to see just how potent your liquor is!”

The man took the bowl and downed the liquor in one gulp.

The liquid was crisp and clear on the palate, but because he drank it too quickly, the spicy, choking sensation rushed straight up his nasal cavity, making him involuntarily squint his eyes.

The next moment, the rich fragrance on his teeth was accompanied by a warmth that spread from his throat throughout his chest and lungs, leaving him utterly satisfied.

“Good liquor!” the man couldn’t help but exclaim. “How much is this wine?”

“If you’re buying to drink right away, it’s three wen per liang (ounce).”

Lu Sheng held up the wine scoop she was holding; one scoop was exactly one liang.

“If you’d like to buy some to take home to drink, it’s twenty-eight wen per jin (catty), and if you buy ten jin, it’s only two hundred and sixty wen,” Lu Sheng said, pointing to the various-sized wine jars next to her.

Although this liquor was a bit more expensive than rice wine, its flavor was sweeter and more intense.

“Give me one jin.”

“Alright. But big brother, this liquor is strong. For your first time, you shouldn’t drink more than two liang, or it wouldn’t be good to be drunk and miss your important business,” Lu Sheng cautioned.

Once one person had a taste, the others also picked up the liquor on the table to try.

The morning air was chilly, and a mouthful of liquor brought immediate warmth to the stomach. Many who finished the sample felt they wanted more and bought one liang to drink, and there were also those who liked it exceptionally well and bought ten jin right away.

Seeing the increasing number of people buying liquor, they had already sold more than half of the five hundred jin of liquor they had brought.

Lu Sheng quickly asked Qi Nan to take the ox-cart to fetch more liquor.

When Qi Nan returned, he also brought Lu Hualin and two employees from the distillery.

Around noon, the crowd at the pier gradually dispersed. Only then did Lu Hualin organize packing up the stall. Finally, counting the accounts, they had sold over eight hundred jin of liquor that morning, with a revenue of nearly twenty-three liang of silver.

Lu Hualin was overjoyed. “A-Sheng, you… you really did well.”

Lu Sheng was thinking that the fermenting agent at home was just about ready, and she planned to buy a few small brewing vats on the street, so she didn’t return with Lu Hualin.

“Sister, sister!”

As she reached the entrance of the pottery shop, a little sparrow by the roadside saw her and flew over cheerfully to greet her.

“Xiao Bai, why are you here?” Lu Sheng looked around and asked quietly.

“I followed Ding Laizi. He’s right there.”

The little sparrow flapped its wings toward a restaurant by the roadside. Following the direction it pointed, Lu Sheng not only saw Ding Laizi but also another ‘old acquaintance’—Boss Liao. The two spoke a few words and then turned into an adjacent alleyway.

Sure enough, these two were birds of a feather, plotting together.

Lu Sheng quickly walked two steps, secretly following behind them until they reached the depths of the deserted alley.

“Didn’t I already give you two liang of silver last time? What are you coming to me for again!” Boss Liao’s voice, suppressed with anger, came from the alley.

“Two liang of silver,” Ding Laizi’s sarcastic voice paused, “I heard that Boss Liao swindled the Lu Family Distillery out of over a thousand liang of silver. Is two liang all Boss Liao is willing to give me to send me away? Isn’t that a little too little?”

“Then what do you want?!”

“Two hundred liang!”

“Two hundred liang?! Are you robbing me?!!!”

“Shh, Boss Liao, why so loud? Aren’t you afraid of being overheard?”

“Two hundred liang is too much. After compensating for the shipping costs and fines from that thousand-plus liang, there won’t even be two hundred liang left.”

“Don’t use those deceitful words on me. You didn’t even book the boat, so where would the buyer be?”

“You?! How do you know?”

“I have my ways.” Ding Laizi chuckled menacingly and then threatened, “Boss Liao wouldn’t want the Lu family to know about these things, would you?”

“You scoundrel!”

“Boss Liao, I wouldn’t be a scoundrel if you didn’t need to look for me, would I?” Ding Laizi paused, then grinned slyly, “Besides, I may be a scoundrel, but you, Boss Liao, aren’t exactly a great philanthropist.”

“You!”

“How about it? I’ll also give Boss Liao three days. In three days, I’ll…”

Clatter.

A black cat jumped down from a tree behind Lu Sheng, snapping a small branch.

Cursing under her breath, Lu Sheng immediately turned and ran.

Ding Laizi rushed out of the alley. After seeing the black cat on the ground, he still felt uneasy and turned into another alley to check.

The alley was empty, with only a carriage clip-clopping from a distance.

Ding Laizi returned to the alley entrance, picked up the branch, and examined it before finally feeling reassured.

Inside the carriage.

“Miss Lu, we truly are fated to meet,” Lin Shuqing nodded with a light smile. “Are you…?”

“Thank you, Madam Lin, for your help,” Lu Sheng thanked her with a smile. “Just drop me off after this intersection.”

“Miss Lu, you don’t have to thank me. I should have formally visited you to express my sincere gratitude for your assistance last time.”

“It was just a small favor, Madam Lin, please don’t dwell on it,” Lu Sheng waved her hand.

“A small favor for Miss Lu, but a life-saving grace for me,” Lin Shuqing said earnestly.

“Since we met by chance, why not let me express my thanks with this meal, and fulfill Shuqing’s wish? Please don’t refuse, Miss Lu.”

Since she put it that way, and coupled with the help she just received, Lu Sheng stopped pushing back.

“Thank you for the meal, Madam Lin.”

The carriage left the alley and stopped in front of the restaurant Lu Sheng had just seen.

In the private seating area on the second floor.

Lin Shuqing held the restaurant’s wooden menu card and asked, “Miss Lu, is there any dish you particularly like?”

“Anything is fine with me, you order.”

Lu Sheng was not particular about food and didn’t have any special preferences.

Lin Shuqing nodded, chose a few of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and handed the menu to her maid. The maid took the menu and left.

“I visited Binhe County when I was young, and I have vivid memories of these few dishes, so I thought I’d come and try them again today,” Lin Shuqing sighed with a sense of nostalgia in her eyes. She looked at Lu Sheng and asked, “Is Miss Lu from Binhe County?”

“Yes.”

“Where is Madam Lin from?”

“Actually, if you think about it carefully, I’m also from Binhe County. My grandfather was originally from here and later settled in Qingzhou.”

“Then Madam Lin, are you here for sightseeing this time?”

“I have some business in Binhe County, so I came to check on it.”

“I see.”

Following this topic, Lu Sheng asked about the local customs and traditions of Qingzhou.

The original owner of the body had never been to Qingzhou, and Lu Sheng thought it would be helpful to learn about it in advance, considering Qiang Zhenshu would be going there for his imperial examinations later.

Lin Shuqing had a gentle disposition, spoke softly and smoothly, and answered all of her questions in detail and patiently, making one feel as comfortable as if bathed in a spring breeze.

Throughout the meal, the two chatted happily, and Lu Sheng developed a favorable impression of her, feeling she was someone worth befriending.

After the meal, the two walked downstairs together. Lin Shuqing asked Lu Sheng where she was going, offering to take her part of the way.

“No need, I still need to buy some things,” Lu Sheng said, pointing to the pottery shop nearby.

“Very well, then I shall take my leave first,” Lin Shuqing said with a faint smile, bidding her farewell.

Watching the carriage drive away, Lu Sheng lifted her foot to walk toward the pottery shop, but then heard someone call her name again.

Turning around, Lu Sheng saw Qiang Zhenshu dressed in white.

“Huh? Why are you here?” Lu Sheng walked up to him and asked.

“The ink at home ran out, so I came to buy a new block,” Qiang Zhenshu’s expression was calm. “Was that person you were with just now the woman from White Cloud Temple?”

“Yes. I ran into Shuqing at the restaurant this afternoon. She insisted on thanking me for the last incident, so I had a meal with her,” Lu Sheng said.

Qiang Zhenshu frowned slightly. “Shuqing?”

“Yes, her name is Lin Shuqing, and she’s from Qingzhou. She’s quite a nice person.”

“Are you very familiar with her?” Qiang Zhenshu asked again.

“Ah, not very familiar, we just chatted during the meal.”

“Have you ever seen her before?”

“Before? I don’t think so. But now that you mention it, I feel like I might have seen her somewhere.”

Where was it?

Lu Sheng thought hard, and a scene flashed through her mind.

She remembered.

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