Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

Crash—!

The shattering of the wine bowl left the crowd dumbstruck. Everyone who had taken a sip of the so-called Qianli-xiang found only plain water in their mouths. A chorus of curses immediately erupted.

“Damn it! It really is plain water!”

“Manager Du, does Dingxiang Residence take us for fools? Selling plain water for twenty taels a jar? Are we idiots, or has greed blinded you lot?”

“They say big shops bully their guests, but to pull this stunt at the Fengchuan City wine market? I’ve truly seen it all today!”

“I don’t think Dingxiang Residence wants to stay in business anymore!”

The guests, having been played for fools for so long, were absolutely livid, their insults unending. While Dingxiang Residence had backing, the wrath of the crowd was not something to be trifled with. Furthermore, many guests had traveled from other provinces, and not everyone feared Dingxiang Residence.

“Plain water?”

The smile on Du Gang’s face vanished instantly. He shoved a maid aside, filled a bowl, and downed it, only to immediately spit it back out.

“It really is water! How is this possible!”

Du Gang could no longer care about the chaotic scene. He hurriedly signaled his staff. “Quick! Open all the jars!”

“Water, it’s all water!”

“Manager, there’s no wine!”

Two hundred jars of so-called fine wine had all turned into plain water. Du Gang stood there like a wooden chicken, utterly devastated.

“How, how could this happen?”

“Manager Du, what exactly have you done here?”

Luo Yu’s airy voice drifted into his ears. “Didn’t you say it was brewed from the finest grains? Didn’t you say it was buried deep underground for forty-nine days? How did it turn into a jar of water?”

Du Gang snapped back to reality and glared viciously at Luo Yu.

“You! It was you!”

“What about me?”

Luo Yu wore a look of mild curiosity. “Just moments ago, Manager Du was swearing up and down that this was the secret method of Dingxiang Residence. Why are you dragging me into this now?”

Du Gang was so angry that he was speechless. He was like a man eating bitter herbs—unable to voice his own misery. He had thought he’d spent six hundred taels to buy two hundred jars of premium wine to ruthlessly swindle Luo Yu, never imagining that he was the fool who had spent six hundred taels on two hundred jars of water.

No wonder Luo Yu had instructed his butler to say it needed to ferment for a few more days and that the seals shouldn’t be opened easily—he had been afraid the ruse would be exposed.

Luo Yu stepped lightly until he was right beside Du Gang, whispering in a voice as thin as a thread:

“Are you wondering why it still smelled like wine even though it was water? Because the red clay used for the seals was all soaked in my Sanguotou. Did you really think you and that idiot Yao Lin could swindle me?”

“You, you…”

Du Gang nearly fainted from rage, stumbling and falling to the ground.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Before the farce here had even ended, the sound of gongs and drums erupted in front of Tingyu Restaurant.

“Esteemed guests, Sanguotou has grandly arrived! Please, everyone, come taste it!”

“Sanguotou is finally out!”

“Let’s go, let’s go! If we’re late, it’ll all be gone!”

The crowd surged toward Tingyu Restaurant like a tide. Dingxiang Residence was left standing alone, like an abandoned old brothel, ignored by everyone.

Tingyu Restaurant’s display was grand indeed. They had set out hundreds of bowls of wine, and anyone who arrived was welcome to a free taste.

“Now this is good wine! It leaves Dingxiang Residence’s water in the dust!”

“Sanguotou truly lives up to its reputation. This wine is destined to sweep across all of Longxi! This trip was well worth it!”

Whether they had tasted it before or were trying it for the first time, everyone heaped praise upon it, occasionally throwing a snide remark toward Dingxiang Residence. The difference in quality between the two taverns was clear at a glance.

Jiang Shu walked gracefully to the front and cupped his hands. “Esteemed guests, the quality of Sanguotou speaks for itself. I believe you all know in your hearts whether it is good or not.”

“Manager Jiang, stop beating around the bush. Just give us a price! We’re buying!”

“That’s right! Hurry up!”

Such a scene made the surrounding shopkeepers green with envy. When had business ever been this easy, with customers lining up to hand over their money?

“Since everyone is so eager, I won’t beat around the bush.” Jiang Shu announced loudly, “The original price of Sanguotou was fifteen taels a jar, but for today’s wine market, we are giving everyone a sincere price: twelve taels per jar! Buy ten jars, and get one free! I know this price is a bit high, but such a fine wine is worth it!”

“Thirty jars, I want thirty jars!”

“I’ll take twenty!”

The shouts rose one after another. Merchants who had been prepared acted immediately, scrambling to secure the first batch of stock. However, some guests still hesitated, as a price of over ten taels per jar was not cheap for them.

In truth, many of them were wine merchants from other counties, looking to buy Sanguotou to resell and earn the price difference. They had to consider their own profit margins.

Luo Yu seized the moment and shouted, “Buy it! What are you waiting for? Are you going to spend twenty taels on Dingxiang Residence’s water?”

“That’s right, we aren’t idiots.”

“Buy!”

With those words, the crowd was stirred into a frenzy, fighting to place their orders.

In the distance, Du Gang finally couldn’t take it anymore. His vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

“You brat! Dingxiang Residence will be your sworn enemy!”

* * *

At the window of Tingyu Restaurant, Luo Yu and Jiang Shu watched the scene. From morning until dusk, the alleyways were packed with customers buying wine, an endless, bustling crowd.

“City Lord Luo truly has excellent methods.” Jiang Shu smiled slightly. “A simple trick, and you brought Dingxiang Residence to its knees. I am impressed.”

“Hmph. From the moment they showed up, I knew Du Gang was trying to pull something. If he wants to play with me, he’s still too green. Dingxiang Residence relies on the City Lord’s Manor to do business, and Du Gang has always been arrogant. How could he possibly pay double the price for wine without a catch? There had to be a trap!”

Why was he so unconcerned when the wine was seized by the City Lord’s Manor? Because he had been prepared. Meng Hu and Lü Qingyun had transported nothing but water; the real Sanguotou had been moved into Tingyu Restaurant by Dong Chuan under the cover of night, just waiting for the wine market to make a fool of Dingxiang Residence.

Luo Yu’s wit and foresight filled Jiang Shu with admiration. Not just anyone could remain calm under the temptation of double the price. Even if Luo Yu had chosen to cooperate with Dingxiang Residence, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything, and he would have just had to accept his fate.

“Manager Jiang’s marketing methods are also peerless.” Luo Yu laughed. “Selling wine at a low price and offering one free for every ten bought—it made the sales of Sanguotou skyrocket in an instant. I’m afraid the two hundred jars I gave you won’t be nearly enough, am I right?”

“Certainly not enough. That is why today we are only taking deposits, with deliveries to be made by Tingyu Restaurant later. I will have to rely on you to brew more wine, City Lord.”

Luo Yu was increasingly satisfied with Jiang Shu. With his maneuvering, the popularity of Sanguotou had more than doubled. Plus, with the contrast of a black-hearted shop like Dingxiang Residence, the customers naturally knew which wine to buy.

“I have a question.” Jiang Shu’s expression suddenly turned serious. “City Lord Luo has caused Dingxiang Residence to lose all face today. Aren’t you afraid of their retaliation? A mere Dingxiang Residence might not be enough to fear, but they have the Yao family standing behind them. Aren’t you afraid of bringing fire upon yourself?”

“Hasn’t Tingyu Restaurant been fighting Dingxiang Residence for many years?” Luo Yu countered. “Are you afraid?”

“Heh.” Jiang Shu shook his head. “In this world, fear is useless. You’ll only be eaten until not even your bones are left.”

“Then there you have it. If you aren’t afraid, then naturally, neither am I.” Luo Yu swirled the wine cup in his hand. “If others can earn this silver, why can’t we?”

“Hahaha!”

The two of them laughed at the same time, and in a fleeting moment, there was a sense of kinship like old friends.

An old butler appeared behind them at an inopportune time and bowed. “There is a guest in the private room next door who invites City Lord Luo over for a drink.”

“Invites me for a drink?” Luo Yu frowned slightly. “Who is it?”

“The person refused to disclose their identity, but they are wearing an ink-colored robe and claim to be an old friend of yours.”

“Ink-colored robe?”

Luo Yu’s gaze darkened instantly.

“I know who it is.”

NOTES
Wooden chicken (呆若木鸡): A Chinese expression to describe someone who is so shocked or stunned that they stand perfectly still, like a wooden decoy.

Translator’s Note: Luo Yu is playing 4D chess while Du Gang is playing checkers.

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