Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 70

At dawn, the light of the morning sun pierced through the thin mist and spread across the river. The helmsman furled the long sail and slowly approached Qingzhou pier.

“We are also heading to Baihe Academy. Would Scholar Qi care to join us?” Princess Changning asked.

The two had comparable intellects, and after a night of conversation, they found themselves kindred spirits. Although there were slight deviations in some of their political views, their fundamental opinions were generally consistent and often coincided.

Princess Changning was therefore even more determined to befriend her.

“The Princess has important matters to attend to, so Zhenshu will not intrude further,” Qi Zhenshu nodded.

“It’s no matter. I am only visiting an old friend at Baihe Academy and have no government duties,” Princess Changning said.

Finally, thanks to the presence of Qi Zhenshu, Qin Feiyan did not find this journey too oppressive. At the moment Princess Changning invited her to travel together, Qin Feiyan was a hundred percent in agreement.

“Since it’s on the way anyway, Ah Shu, why don’t you travel with us?”

“I apologize for the imposition.”

Finding it difficult to refuse the generous invitation, Qi Zhenshu agreed.

Qingzhou pier was in the northeast of the city, while Baihe Academy was in the south.

The three found an eatery for breakfast, then rented a carriage, and traveled for nearly half an hour before arriving at the academy.

After bidding farewell to the two at the academy gate, Qi Zhenshu found an inn nearby to stay.

As the entrance examination for Baihe Academy approached, the streets around the academy were filled with a constant stream of students.

Baihe Academy was a famous educational institution in Qingzhou, and there were many inns nearby. Qi Zhenshu remembered Lu Sheng’s instruction and specifically found a relatively comfortable inn.

The front of the inn facing the street was used as an eatery, and the accommodation was in the large courtyard behind. The courtyard had about a dozen rooms, and Qi Zhenshu requested a room closest to the inner side of the courtyard.

Trees were planted in the courtyard, which was also separated from the eatery by a high wall, making the overall environment quite peaceful.

After tidying her luggage, Qi Zhenshu sat down to write a letter home to Lu Sheng, informing her of her situation.

Every year, many students from other regions came to Baihe Academy for their studies, so there were people specializing in courier services right by the academy.

However, it would be four days later when Lu Sheng received the letter.

The weather was getting warmer and warmer, and fewer people were drinking high-proof liquor. Coupled with the five-grain liquors made by various families gradually entering the market, the sales of five-grain liquor in the wine shop decreased day by day.

In contrast, sweet rice wine, being a taste that everyone was accustomed to, was not much affected by the weather.

One day, Lu Sheng took time to visit the winery.

Before the peach blossoms bloomed a few days ago, she had improved the sweet wine yeast in the winery and had the winery make some peach blossom wine. She wanted to see how the fermentation was progressing.

“It, it was already brewed yesterday,” Lu Hualin told her, beaming with joy. “In the morning when Liu, Liu Fu came to order rice wine, I, I let him taste it. He, he was so happy that he, he ordered three, three hundred catties.”

Liu Fu is the owner of Fulai Restaurant in Binhe County and a childhood friend of Lu Hualin. Since opening the restaurant, he has been buying wine from the Lu family.

This time, Lu Sheng made a new yeast, so even the pure glutinous rice peach blossom wine had a much higher alcohol yield than before, and thus the price was also lower than usual.

“That is really good.”

It was indeed cause for celebration that the peach blossom wine was sold even before it was put on the market.

“He also said that in a couple of days he will introduce me to the steward of Yu, Yuchun Tower.”

“Yuchun Tower?” Lu Sheng asked, puzzled.

“Yes, Yuchun Tower.”

Yuchun Tower was the most famous pleasure house in Binhe County. If one were to name the place that consumed the most wine in Binhe County every day, it would undoubtedly be Yuchun Tower, that gilded den of iniquity.

If they could secure business with Yuchun Tower, it would indeed be a big deal.

“When the time comes, Uncle can also bring the chrysanthemum wine and the Chinese matrimony vine wine,” Lu Sheng thought and said.

The chrysanthemum wine and Chinese matrimony vine wine made by the winery in the eleventh lunar month had been aged for more than three months and could now be uncorked.

The alcohol content in the flower house should not be too high; if it’s too high, people get drunk quickly, and then the subsequent consumption naturally decreases. Therefore, low-proof wines like flower wine and fruit wine were the most suitable.

“The flower house will definitely need wine all year round. Besides rice wine, we can also make low-proof flower and fruit distilled spirits.”

“There are peach blossoms in the second month, green plums in the fourth, waxberries in the sixth, sweet osmanthus in the eighth, and chrysanthemums in the tenth. We can have different fruit and flower wines all year round, and these wines can be stored for a longer time.”

“When the flowers and fruits are in season, we can make freshly brewed sweet wine. When the season is over, we can use fruit wine preserved in alcohol as a substitute. Although the two are different, both have rich floral and fruity aromas.”

“Right, right, right.” Lu Hualin was even more delighted after hearing this. “I, I will bring them all over later.”

After the two finished discussing, they went to the wine cellar to open the chrysanthemum wine and the Chinese matrimony vine wine. Both wines were fully aged, with a clear aroma and a hint of sweetness.

Leaving the winery, Lu Sheng ran into Lu Huaying who was leaning on a crutch.

Lu Huaying had been hit with the plank in the ancestral hall last time and had been bedridden for more than half a month before she could get up. Her leg still hadn’t completely healed, and seeing Lu Sheng now made her gnash her teeth in hatred.

“You son of a b***h, you brat with a mother but no education!” Lu Huaying said, reaching out to grab Lu Sheng’s hair.

Lu Sheng was too lazy to argue with her, even though she was still so arrogant with a broken leg.

She shifted to the side, avoiding Lu Huaying’s hand, causing Lu Huaying to miss and stumble, falling flat on her face.

Lu Sheng ignored her and simply walked away.

“You heartless mongrel, sooner or later, your old lady…” Lu Huaying cursed resentfully while sitting on the ground, not stopping until Lu Sheng’s back disappeared from view.

The next day, Qi Nan delivered the newly brewed fruit and flower wines to the wine shop. Lu Sheng had Liu Yun write a promotional notice and posted it outside the door.

However, while many people came to watch the commotion, few actually bought anything. In the entire morning, only less than four hundred catties of the three kinds of wine were sold in total. This was a world of difference from the three thousand catties of five-grain liquor sold on the first day.

Out of the four hundred catties sold, three hundred were bought by a wine merchant, and less than a hundred catties were sold retail.

Lu Sheng speculated that one reason was the low alcohol content of the fruit and flower wines, which was not favored by the laborers at the pier. The second reason was the high price of the fruit and flower wines, fifty copper coins per catty, which was much more expensive than the ordinary sweet rice wine at thirty copper coins per catty.

It seemed that to open up sales channels for the flower and fruit wines, they would have to sell them to more restaurants.

Lu Sheng was pondering how to sell the wine to restaurants when she saw Lin Shuqing walk in with a smile. An idea flashed through Lu Sheng’s mind.

Wasn’t the biggest restaurant in Qingzhou City the Lin family’s Qingfeng Restaurant?

“I was running errands here this morning and saw that you’re quite lively,” Lin Shuqing said, examining the new wines on the counter, and asked with a smile, “Did you put out a new wine?”

Lu Sheng was already intending to promote the new wine to her. Hearing her mention it, she went along with it and said, “Yes, the chrysanthemum wine is ready. I was thinking of finding time to bring some for you to taste. It’s a coincidence that you came. Would you like to try it?”

Lin Shuqing had helped a lot when they bought the chrysanthemums, and Lu Sheng had intended to give her a few jars as a thank-you gift once the wine was ready.

“That sounds good,” Lin Shuqing smiled warmly.

“It’s crowded here and inconvenient. Let’s go to the back to the house.”

The shop was full of people coming and going, so it wasn’t suitable for talking business. Lu Sheng invited her to sit in the backyard to talk.

“Come, try this peach blossom wine and chrysanthemum wine. See what you think?” Lu Sheng smiled and poured her a glass of wine.

Not much Chinese matrimony vine wine was made, and it couldn’t be supplied long-term, so Lu Sheng didn’t offer her a taste.

Lin Shuqing held the cup, examined it carefully, and then gently took a sip of each, her movements elegant and poised.

“The peach blossom wine is sweet, and the chrysanthemum wine is fragrant. The alcohol taste is not strong. It’s very good.”

Hearing her evaluation, Lu Sheng felt a little relieved, considering how to promote the wine to Lin Shuqing.

Lin Shuqing glanced at her expression, and before she could speak, she asked, “May I ask the price of these two new wines of yours, Xiao Sheng?”

“Forty-five copper coins per catty,” Lu Sheng directly quoted the lowest price.

“The price is not expensive,” Lin Shuqing curved her eyebrows slightly.

She had recently checked the restaurant’s accounts and still had an impression of the purchasing price of wine. In previous years, the restaurant’s purchase price for chrysanthemum wine was indeed higher than Lu Sheng’s quote.

“I’ll order five hundred catties of each type of wine first, and they can be delivered to the pier along with the five-grain liquor in a few days,” Lin Shuqing said with a smile. “If they sell well, I’ll order more from Xiao Sheng later.”

When it came to business, Lin Shuqing didn’t show any favoritism.

This approach made Lu Sheng feel very comfortable, and she responded with a smile, “Good.”

Five hundred catties was not a lot, but it was a good start nonetheless.

The two chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting close to noon, Lu Sheng said half-jokingly, “Thank you, Boss Lin, for the business. If it’s convenient, may I treat you to a simple meal for lunch?”

“I have something on at home today, so I won’t stay for a meal,” Lin Shuqing smiled and stood up.

“Alright, I’ll keep a note of it. Next time you have time, you must let me make it up to you,” Lu Sheng blinked and smiled.

Lu Sheng walked Lin Shuqing out. Just as they reached the door, she heard someone calling her.

“Miss Lu, Miss Lu.”

Looking up, Lu Sheng saw a young man running towards her from across the street.

She recognized this boy; he was a courier who often ran errands and delivered letters at the pier.

“Miss Lu, you have a letter,” the young man held up the bamboo tube in his hand, ran up to her, and said with a smile.

“A letter for me?” This was the first time Lu Sheng had received a letter since she came here, and she was very puzzled, asking, “Who sent it?”

“Uh, it’s from Qingzhou City.”

Hearing Qingzhou, Lu Sheng immediately realized that it might be a letter from Qi Zhenshu. She quickly asked, “How much is the errand fee?”

In Xiliang, when sending a letter, not only did the sender have to pay, but the recipient would also pay a fee. This way, money could be collected from both sides, which maximized the assurance that the courier would not discard the letter halfway, but would deliver it to the destination.

“Ten copper coins.”

Lu Sheng pulled ten copper coins from her purse and handed them to him. The young man happily took the money and gave her the bamboo tube.

The bamboo tube was sealed with a strip of paper on which was written the address of the wine shop and the four characters ‘For Lu Sheng’s Eyes Only’. It was indeed Qi Zhenshu’s handwriting.

Lu Sheng eagerly opened the bamboo tube and pulled out a rolled-up letter envelope.

Qi Zhenshu reported her safe arrival, saying that she had arrived safely and told her not to worry. She then mentioned that she had followed Lu Sheng’s instructions and found a decent inn.

Lu Sheng carefully read the letter and put it away.

Seeing the joyous expression on her face, Lin Shuqing felt a momentary twinge of melancholy. She pretended not to care and asked, “Is it a letter from Scholar Qi?”

“Yes, Ah Shu said she has arrived in Qingzhou and asked me not to worry,” Lu Sheng smiled lightly.

“Do you need to write a reply? I’ll be going back to Qingzhou in a couple of days and can take it for you.”

“No need,” Lu Sheng shook her head. “I’m going to Qingzhou to see her in a few days.”

Lu Sheng saw that the date on the letter was four days ago. By the time she wrote a reply and had it delivered, she would probably have arrived herself.

Support