Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 64

The day after returning from Lu’er Village, Lu Sheng had already figured out a countermeasure. She immediately lowered the price of Wuliangjiu (Five-Grain Liquor) from the original twenty-five wen per jin to eighteen wen per jin, two wen cheaper than Jixiang Winery’s price of twenty wen per jin. Furthermore, if a single purchase exceeded one hundred jin, an additional wen would be discounted per jin.

Lu Sheng started a price war. The first ones who couldn’t handle it weren’t Jixiang Winery, but the other wineries that only knew how to brew liquor using the traditional solid-state method.

In less than a day, several managers from familiar wineries sought out Lu Hualin.

Previously, when Wuliangjiu sold for twenty-five wen per jin, other wineries could still sell their rice liquor for twenty-seven or twenty-eight wen per jin due to the difference in flavor. But now, Wuliangjiu was selling for only eighteen wen per jin, which was even lower than the cost of rice liquor. As a result, no one was buying anyone else’s rice liquor these past two days.

Following Lu Sheng’s instructions, Lu Hualin sold the semi-solid state brewing method for fifty taels per copy.

Fifty taels for a method that doubles the liquor yield was truly an extremely good bargain.

The liquor formula sold for a total of three hundred taels this time, which helped recover some of their losses.

Although Lu Sheng sold the semi-solid state brewing method, she still held back two secrets: first, the specific ingredient ratio for the Wuliangjiu, and second, her newly developed yeast starter.

As long as these two things were not leaked, she could ensure that the Lu Family Winery’s Wuliangjiu would have the best flavor while maintaining the lowest cost.

After all, the Wuliangjiu ratio she possessed had been tested by nearly a thousand years of history and was deeply loved and sought after by people.

This way, even when all the other wineries’ Wuliangjiu hit the market a month later, the impact on the Lu Family Winery wouldn’t be too great, but for Jixiang Winery, the outcome was uncertain.

The Wuliangjiu on the market would be of mixed quality, but the Wuliangjiu produced by the Lu Family Winery could rely on its most authentic flavor and high quality at a low price to capture the majority of the market share in the competition.

On the twenty-second, Lin Shuqing came to find Lu Sheng and happened to catch her just as she was about to pick up her child from school.

“I’m also going to the academy to pick up A-Ling, so I can go with you,” Lin Shuqing said with a slight smile, handing a long brocade box to Lu Sheng. “I’ve been busy the last few days and couldn’t get away to bring this to you.”

Lu Sheng took the box and thanked her with a smile, “Thank you so much.”

She opened the box to check, and it was indeed the small weasel-hair brush from Mobao Studio. However, there were two brushes in the box.

Before Lu Sheng could ask, Lin Shuqing smiled and explained, “Tangtang is starting her primary studies, and her Auntie here hasn’t given her a starting-school gift yet. The other one is for her, just a small token of my goodwill.”

“This won’t do,” Lu Sheng quickly waved her hand.

In Xiliang, there was indeed a custom for elders to gift stationery (brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones) when a child started school.

However, the small weasel-hair brush from Mobao Studio cost five taels each, and Lin Shuqing was not considered an elder in Tangtang’s family. Lu Sheng did not dare accept such an extravagant gift.

Lu Sheng turned and went back to the cashier’s desk, took out ten taels of silver, and handed it to Lin Shuqing, saying, “This brush is too valuable.”

“Xiao Sheng,” Lin Shuqing did not take the silver, sighing helplessly. “You should know this amount of money is not much to me. Why be so polite?”

It was just ten taels of silver, and Lin Shuqing truly hadn’t expected Lu Sheng to be so meticulous with the accounts, making her feel a little displeased.

“That’s still not right,” Lu Sheng shook her head, her attitude firm.

She was willing to be friends with Lin Shuqing simply because they got along well, not because she valued her status as a wealthy merchant.

Knowing it was an act of goodwill, Lu Sheng smiled again, slipped the money into Lin Shuqing’s hand, and suggested, “If you truly want to give a gift, we can pick out a block of ink for her at the shop on the way.”

An ordinary block of ink only cost a few dozen wen, and Lu Sheng wouldn’t feel uncomfortable accepting it.

Seeing that Lin Shuqing still wouldn’t take it, Lu Sheng grabbed her wrist and firmly pushed the money into her hand, then glanced at the sky. “It’s about time. We should leave now, or we’ll be too late.”

With that, Lu Sheng walked out the door, completely unaware of the complex expression on Lin Shuqing’s face as she watched her retreating figure.

The two eventually picked out an ordinary block of ink at the stationery shop outside the academy gate, which only cost sixty wen.

The golden crow (the sun) sank in the west.

Lu Sheng wiped the table and said to Qi Zhenshu, who was washing dishes, “I’ll go to my eldest sister’s house with Tangtang in a bit.”

“Mhm,” Qi Zhenshu replied, then thought for a moment and said to her, “I’ll go with you.”

She also wanted to ask Zhuo Yu if there was any new information from Qingzhou.

“Mama, are we going to Auntie’s house to play?” Tangtang asked happily.

“Not exactly,” Lu Sheng said, looking down at her. “Didn’t you break Youjie’s brush last time? Mama helped you find a new one.”

Tangtang’s eyes widened in surprise, and she climbed down from the stool, saying, “Really?”

Lu Sheng put away the rag, went back to the shop, and brought out the box with the small weasel-hair brush to show her.

“Ah, it’s Youjie’s brush!” The little one was overjoyed upon seeing it. She ran back into the house and pulled out the block of ink she had just received today. “Let’s give this to Youjie too.”

Lu Sheng smiled and stopped her: “This is a gift from Auntie to you. You can’t give it to others. Regifting presents is impolite.”

The certain person who had been concentrating on washing dishes paused, glanced at the brush box, and subtly raised an eyebrow, lost in thought.

Qi Zhenshu hadn’t heard Lu Sheng mention buying the brush again after she left that day, so she had assumed Lu Sheng had bought it then.

“Okay,” Tangtang trotted back and put the ink back into her satchel.

Watching her figure run off, Qi Zhenshu looked at Lu Sheng, dried the bowl in her hand, and asked lightly, “Didn’t you manage to buy the small weasel-hair brush from Mobao Studio at the stationery shop last time?”

“Huh? Did I forget to tell you?” Lu Sheng patted her head, realizing she might not have mentioned asking Lin Shuqing to buy the brush. She then said, “I didn’t manage to find the small weasel-hair brush from Mobao Studio at the county’s stationery shop that day. By chance, I ran into Lin Shuqing on the way back, and she said she had a new brush at home and could bring it to me.”

Hearing that name, Qi Zhenshu felt a little displeased. She glanced at the box and asked in a low tone, “Lin Shuqing gave it to you?”

“She didn’t give it to me for free, I paid her,” Lu Sheng explained with a smile. “It’s such an expensive brush; how could I accept it for free? She brought me two, so I gave her ten taels at the market price.”

“Mhm.” Qi Zhenshu hesitated, swallowed the words she wanted to say, fetched more water, and rinsed the bowls again.

Seeing that she was mostly done washing, Lu Sheng wrung out a dry cloth and helped her wipe the dishes.

Once everything was tidied up, the two left the kitchen. Qi Zhenshu pulled down her sleeves, her peripheral vision catching the long box in Lu Sheng’s hand, and she finally spoke: “Was the ink also a gift from her?”

“Yes, she said she wanted to give Tangtang the small weasel-hair brush as a starting-school gift. I thought it wasn’t quite appropriate, so I had her buy a block of ink instead,” Lu Sheng said casually, completely oblivious to the frost starting to form on Qi Zhenshu’s face behind her.

“Mama.”

Tangtang ran out of the room and hugged Lu Sheng’s leg. Lu Sheng picked up the child and then continued, “No matter how rich she is, we shouldn’t take advantage of her.”

“She” and “we”—the difference in intimacy was clear and distinct.

The expression on a certain person’s face instantly went from cloudy to clear.

“She’s gotten heavier again. Let me hold her,” Qi Zhenshu said, taking the child from Lu Sheng’s arms. She then took the box from Lu Sheng’s hand and placed it in Tangtang’s arms, saying, “Take your own things yourself.”

Scholar Street, Zhuo Family Study.

“Ding Laizi said he saw Father with Wang Haoyong the night before his murder?” Qi Zhenshu asked in astonishment.

“Yes,” Zhuo Yu nodded, her expression solemn.

Wang Haoyong was Lu Huaying’s eldest cousin, the Wang family’s eldest grandson who was arrested for involvement in the Prince of Yunzhou’s grain speculation case but was recently released.

Although the Wang and Lu families were related by marriage, the Wang family had always been arrogant since they became wealthy and looked down upon the Lu family as a relative, so the relationship between the two families was not close.

Qi Zhenshu had also never heard Lu Huacheng mention having any dealings with the Wang family.

“Is this true?” Qi Zhenshu asked suspiciously.

She didn’t think the words of a hooligan like Ding Laizi were credible.

“I’ve already sent someone to investigate,” Zhuo Yu tapped her finger on the desktop. “But I think it’s highly likely to be true.”

“Ding Laizi is someone who won’t do anything without a benefit. He told me this simply to redeem himself and avoid his labor service.”

“If I were to find out the matter was false, he would gain no benefit and would suffer additional physical punishment, so why would he bother with such a petty trick?”

“Furthermore, I specially went to the winery this morning and asked Uncle some things,” Zhuo Yu raised an eyebrow, deliberately playing a guessing game. “Guess what I found out?”

Qi Zhenshu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then stated with certainty, “The business with the Guangfu Restaurant in Qingzhou was introduced by the Wang family.”

“Aww!” Failing to stump her, Zhuo Yu was greatly disappointed, feeling that her little guessing game had been boring.

She cupped her hands in admiration and asked curiously, “How did you guess that?!”

Qi Zhenshu curved her lips and said, “The Wang family has always had no private dealings with us, so any contact must be related to the winery. Plus, didn’t you just say you specifically went to the winery to ask Great Uncle? That confirms it’s related to the winery.”

“Furthermore, the Wang family is always in Qingzhou, and Father suddenly took on an order from a Qingzhou restaurant. Combining these two facts, the only possibility is that the Qingzhou business was introduced by the Wang family.”

“But why would the Wang family introduce business to the winery for no reason?” Qi Zhenshu did not believe the Wang family was that kind.

“I suspect the problem lies right here,” the smile vanished from Zhuo Yu’s face. “Ding Laizi said that when he saw Uncle [Lu Huacheng] and Wang Haoyong, the two were fighting fiercely.”

Lu Sheng had starved the gyrfalcon for three days and went to the butcher to cut a piece of pork.

Seeing her open the door to the west wing, Yuling (the parrot) also stubbornly insisted on following her inside to feed the eagle.

Since the gyrfalcon was brought back, Yuling had been flying outside the west wing window these past few days, chattering and muttering to itself through the glass.

When the gyrfalcon saw Lu Sheng enter, it still looked wary, hunkered down in a corner of the cage, and refused to eat even when Lu Sheng offered it food.

Upon seeing this, Lu Sheng intended to starve it for a few more days, but Yuling grabbed a piece of meat with its claw and placed it on the stone dish in the cage.

The gyrfalcon immediately lowered its guard, picked up the meat with its beak, and swallowed it.

‘Baby is so good.’

Yuling chirped happily, praising it, and then grabbed another piece of meat from the small dish in Lu Sheng’s hand to give it.

Lu Sheng guessed that the gyrfalcon was too young, had always been fed, and had never hunted on its own, so it regarded Yuling as a fellow creature rather than food. She thought that perhaps she could teach Yuling to take over the ‘eagle-training’ duties in the future.

She had once seen a parrot training a dog online, so perhaps Yuling could also ‘train’ this fledgling eagle well.

Although she didn’t sense any hostility from the eagle towards Yuling, just to be safe, Lu Sheng still took Yuling with her when she left, not allowing them to be alone together.

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