Chapter Ninety-Two

Chapter Ninety-Two

The next day, Lu Yao still brought two jars to sell at the restaurant. The jar that had been reserved was taken away early in the morning, and the remaining one began to be sold individually.

In the morning, a servant from the Cao family came to ask if they could add another table today, as Cao Wuye wanted to invite a few friends for a meal.

"Of course, when will Wuye come? I'll save him a big fish!"

"If it's around noon, about four or five people. Just arrange five dishes for us."

"Alright." Lu Yao quickly noted it down and would have Zhao Beichuan take care of the arrangements later.

Before noon, Cao Wuye arrived himself, "Shopkeeper Lu, it's been a while."

Lu Yao smiled, "Wuye, what a rare guest, it's an honor to have you here."

"Ha, I've been busy lately." What could a leisurely man like him be busy with? Naturally, it was collecting rent every year.

With many shops in the family, all kinds of people rented them, some owing a year's rent without paying, and others trying to build relationships to get a discount.

But favors were favors, and rent was rent; not a single coin could be short, or how would he rent them out in the future?

So there were many twists and turns involved, and only Wuye could personally go and collect the silver.

"These days, how has your wine been selling?"

Lu Yao understood immediately. It must be that Cao Wuye had been promoting it behind the scenes. He was quite a remarkable person; any restaurant in Ping Prefecture with a bit of character always had his presence.

"Thanks to you, it's been sold out every day recently."

"Hahahaha, I said your wine is good, it will eventually become popular throughout Ping Prefecture, no, throughout the south and north of the river."

Lu Yao smiled bitterly, "Wuye flatters me, we don't have such great skills. I'm afraid this wine won't stay popular for long before it changes hands..."

Cao Wuye was taken aback and instantly understood his meaning, "Has someone inquired about your brewing recipe?"

"Not yet, but it should happen soon."

"Aren't you related to the Liang family?"

"Even if we are related, it doesn't mean they will help with everything. I'm afraid if the other party is too powerful, even the Liang family won't want to get involved."

Cao Wuye scratched his head, not expecting his good intentions to backfire.

"I want to ask Wuye for a favor."

"What is it?"

"You have extensive connections in the city. Do you know who the real owner of the Gold and Jade Building is?"

"Yes, the public face of the Gold and Jade Building is Jiang Yong, but he is just a servant of the Jiang family. The true owner is Prefect's wife, Jiang Ying. Because it has the backing of the government, it has been able to establish itself firmly in Ping Prefecture. Why do you ask?"

Lu Yao said, "I want to ask Wuye to help me make a connection. I am willing to provide half of my wine to the Gold and Jade Building, and split the profits fifty-fifty."

Cao Wuye's eyes twinkled, and he suddenly laughed, "If you were a man, with your sharp mind, you could easily secure a position in Shang Jing."

"Wuye flatters me. I only thought of this out of necessity."

Dividing the wine between the Gold and Jade Building would spread the risk and also allow him to connect with the Prefect. Other taverns and restaurants would think twice before trying to steal the wine recipe, knowing they might offend the Prefect.

Secondly, by delivering the wine himself, the Gold and Jade Building would earn half the profit without any initial investment. Such a good deal, the Gold and Jade Building wouldn't refuse.

A win-win strategy, something ordinary people wouldn't think of. This young man was truly extraordinary.

Cao Wuye agreed readily, "Alright, I'll definitely pass on your message, but I can't guarantee success."

"Thank you, Wuye! Today's wine and food are on the house, drink as much as you like!"

"Is there still wine in the shop?"

"Yes, I secretly prepared some for you knowing you were coming!"

Cao Wuye smiled, "Great, I'll enjoy a free meal today."

*

Lu Yao thought it would be difficult to meet the Prefect's wife, but unexpectedly, she invited him to the Gold and Jade Building a few days later.

In fact, Jiang Ying had already heard of the Lu family's restaurant. At Cao's wife's birthday, they had eaten dishes made by the Lu family, and the taste had impressed even her, who didn't particularly care for fine dining.

Recently, she had heard about a new type of wine he had brewed, which had attracted many wine enthusiasts in the city. She decided to meet this person.

Coincidentally, Cao's wife visited today and mentioned this matter, so Jiang Ying sent an invitation to the Lu family's shopkeeper, asking him to meet her at the Gold and Jade Building in the afternoon.

Upon receiving the invitation, Lu Yao excitedly showed it to Zhao Beichuan.

"The Prefect's wife has agreed to meet me, today in the afternoon!"

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"I can go alone. You take care of the guests first, I'll go home and change."

"Alright."

Lu Yao hurried home, changed into clean clothes, and neatly tied his hair with the hairpin Mrs. Lin had given him.

The Prefect's wife was equivalent to the wife of a vice-governor with military power. Meeting such an important person required proper attire to avoid being looked down upon.

When the time was right, Lu Yao took a small bottle of homemade wine and went to the Gold and Jade Building alone.

Standing downstairs, he looked up at the gilded signboard with the three large characters "Gold and Jade Building," took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

It was the time when individual guests were arriving, so there weren't many people in the hall. A young waiter saw him enter and immediately came forward to ask, "Sir, how many in your party?"

Lu Yao took out the invitation, "I was invited by Lady Jiang."

"It's Mr. Lu, right? Please follow me to a private room on the second floor for a moment; the lady will be here shortly."

"Alright." Lu Yao followed the waiter upstairs, quietly observing this restaurant.

Indeed, the Gold and Jade Building was truly grand!

Just the main hall on the first floor was as big as seven or eight of their family's restaurants, with twelve round tables, each separated by flower screens to ensure guests could dine undisturbed.

Following the stairs to the second floor, there was an independent lounge area straight ahead with long benches and low tables. If guests drank too much, they could sit here to drink tea and sober up.

Next to it were the private rooms, each named, such as Spring Snow Pavilion, Longevity Pavilion, Plum Fragrance Pavilion, etc... There were a total of eight private rooms, and the servant led him to the last one, the Gold and Jade Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, Lu Yao was dazzled by the interior decoration, which could be described as opulent.

The entire ceiling was covered in gold leaf, the round table had intricate gold-threaded edges, and the craftsmanship was exquisite and undoubtedly expensive. Even the hollow parts of the chairs were inlaid with gold threads.

Beside the table stood a huge screen, embroidered with large peony flowers using gold thread. The combination of extravagance and elegance was perfectly embodied in this room, truly living up to the name Gold and Jade Building.

Lu Yao carefully moved a stool and sat down. The servant brought in a pot of freshly brewed tea. After about half an hour, footsteps finally sounded from outside.

The door opened, and a beautifully dressed woman with a pleasant face walked in.

Lu Yao quickly stood up to greet her, "Lu Yao pays respects to Lady Jiang."

Jiang Ying was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Lu Yao, then laughed heartily, "I always thought the owner of the Lu family restaurant was an elderly person. I didn't expect a young and promising gentleman. Please sit, you must have been waiting for a while?"

"No, not at all."

"There was a sudden matter at home that delayed me a bit. Magpie, please have Jiang Yong bring up a pot of this year's new tea for Mr. Lu to try."

"Yes, ma'am." The maid left, leaving only Lu Yao and Jiang Ying in the room.

She got straight to the point, "Lady Cao told me that you want to sell your family's wine at the Gold and Jade Building, with the profits split fifty-fifty?"

Lu Yao nodded, "That's correct."

"We have seven types of wine at the Gold and Jade Building. Though not the best, they surpass those of most other restaurants in Ping Prefecture. Why should I sell your family's wine?"

Lu Yao cleared his throat, "Has Lady tried our family's wine before?"

"Not yet, but I planned to taste it these days."

Lu Yao pulled out a small wine flask from his chest, "I came in a hurry and only brought a little. If Lady doesn't mind, please try it."

There were clean teacups on the table. Lu Yao carefully poured half a cup for her and another half for himself, drinking it first to prove it wasn't poisoned.

Jiang Ying reached out to pick up the wine glass, sniffing the aroma without tasting it immediately. Indeed, the wine smelled as fragrant as rumored.

She took a sip, her eyebrows slightly furrowing.

Lu Yao clenched his fists tightly, cold sweat trickling down his temples. He feared that Lady Jiang might not understand wine and find it too strong to accept, which would ruin everything.

This wine... was the finest she had ever tasted, even surpassing the famous Qinghua wine from Shang Jing!

Jiang Ying put down the wine glass without changing her expression, "There are four major restaurants in Ping Prefecture, and Quanfu Restaurant is more suitable for selling wine. Why did you choose to cooperate with us at the Gold and Jade Building?"

Lu Yao took a deep breath and recited his prepared speech, "Because Quanfu Restaurant's wine is already well-known, I can't collaborate with them. They already have plenty of wines and don't need mine. However, the Gold and Jade Building is different. Among the four major restaurants, the Gold and Jade Building has no particular specialty." Lu Yao paused, seeing that Jiang Ying wasn't angry, he continued, "Without a specialty, you can leverage your greatest strength. I believe Lu Wine will definitely attract more customers to the Gold and Jade Building."

Jiang Ying seemed convinced by this argument. She rotated the teacup, carefully examining the wine inside. It was crystal clear like water, yet its flavor was rich and smooth.

If this wine could be sold elsewhere... it would likely bring in a steady stream of wealth.

The Gold and Jade Building wasn't just in Ping Prefecture; there were branches in Fanyang, You Prefecture, Ji Prefecture, and Shang Jing.

Seeing that she was somewhat interested, Lu Yao added, "I also have my own selfish reasons. I heard from Cao Wuye that Lady Jiang conducts business with integrity and skill, not inferior to any man, and has the backing of the government. Collaborating with you is safe and reliable."

Lady Jiang appreciated his honesty, finishing the wine in one gulp. The spicy taste made her squint slightly, though the years had left marks on her face, she remained a beauty.

"How much of this wine do you have at home?"

"Four sea barrels, about three shi of wine. There are six jars left, totaling 120 pounds."

Jiang Ying sighed regretfully, "That's too little. Even if all of it were sold at the Gold and Jade Building, it wouldn't last more than a month or two."

"The wine can be brewed again. I still have plenty of yeast, and brewing dozens of barrels isn't a problem. However, with fewer hands, it might take some time to produce more. This wine can be supplied to the Gold and Jade Building first..."

Jiang Ying interrupted him, "Will you sell the recipe?"

What had to come eventually did...

Lu Yao mustered his courage and shook his head, "No, if I wanted to sell it, why would I go through such lengths to seek your help? Besides, even if I sold it to you, others might not be able to replicate the taste."

Lu Yao wasn't lying. Brewing wine involves many factors, and the same ingredients and methods might produce completely different flavors due to variations in season, temperature, humidity, fermentation time, and distillation methods.

Even Lu Yao couldn't guarantee that the next batch would taste the same.

The door suddenly knocked, and Jiang Yong entered with a pot of tea, "Madam, this is the new tea delivered this year. Please try it."

"Put it down."

"Yes, ma'am." Jiang Yong carefully placed the tea and bowed out slowly.

"I can provide you with a place and manpower for brewing. In the future, you will be responsible for the winery's business, and 70% of the profits will go to me, 30% to you. What do you think?"

But how can there be high returns without risks? This is already the best solution he can think of so far.

If he insists on refusing and angers Lady Jiang, with her status, she has a hundred ways to make him hand over the wine recipe without spending a penny. It’s better to agree and let both sides be happy.

Lu Yao stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your favor, Madam. I am willing to serve you!"

Jiang Ying looked at him approvingly. This young man was steady and cunning, with excellent skills in brewing and cooking. She really wanted to recruit him to help her.

"How much silver does your small eatery earn in a year?"

Lu Yao told the truth, "More than a thousand guan."

"I’ll give you two thousand guan. Why don’t you come work for me directly?"

"This... Madam... I haven’t thought about it..."

Jiang Ying chuckled, "Don’t worry, Mr. Lu. I was just joking, don’t take it seriously."

Lu Yao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took his leave.

*

When he went downstairs, Lu Yao’s legs were trembling from nervousness. Lady Jiang’s words had scared him into a cold sweat.

What did it mean to be recruited by Jiang Ying? With such a large business, she wouldn’t entrust it to an outsider; he would become a household slave... Xiaodou still had to take the imperial exams, and he couldn’t risk Xiaodou becoming a slave!

After leaving the Gold and Jade Building, Lu Yao took a deep breath and hurried back to his shop.

Zhao Beichuan had been waiting anxiously. Seeing him return, he quickly rushed over, "I was just about to look for you, afraid they might detain you and forcibly demand the wine recipe. Did the manager of the Gold and Jade Building give you any trouble?"

Lu Yao shook his head, "Thanks to Wuye’s introduction, even if she didn’t give me face, she couldn’t ignore Cao Wuye’s face."

Zhao Beichuan thought for a moment, "That makes sense."

"Madam Jiang agreed to cooperate with us."

"Really? Then I’ll send half of our family’s wine over tomorrow. When will we get the money back?"

"It won’t be a fifty-fifty split." Lu Yao recounted what he and Jiang Ying had agreed upon.

"A thirty-seventy split, isn’t that a bit too little?"

"Not at all. The thirty-seventy split is on the wine, not the money. It means we only provide the grain and technology and get thirty percent of the wine for free. Besides, we’re not strong enough yet. Even if we suffer a little loss, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to establish a connection with the Prefect. We won’t have to worry about the wine recipe being taken away anymore!"

Zhao Beichuan relaxed, "I don’t understand business matters. Whatever you say, I’ll do it!"

*

The next day, Lady Jiang sent over five slaves, all with death contracts, as well as a deed to a plot of land in the west of the city.

These five men were all young and strong. Even if bought from a slave market, they would cost hundreds of taels of silver, showing her sincerity.

These slaves would now belong to Lu Yao. In this feudal society, slaves had no rights or property, equivalent to goods that could be bought, sold, and beaten at will. The owner even had the power of life and death over them.

Although Lu Yao was reluctant to be a slave owner, he had to accept the rules of this era. To remain untainted in a corrupt world was impossible, so he had to use these people well.

He first asked for their names. Most slaves didn’t have names; among the five, only one had a name, Shiliu, given by his previous owner.

Lu Yao let him keep his name, while the other four were named Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding, all with the surname Lu.

Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao took them to the place given by Lady Jiang to take a look.

It wasn’t far from West Market. Following the long horse alley to the end, they could see a dilapidated mansion.

This mansion was originally a secondary residence of a wealthy merchant from the previous dynasty. After the merchant’s death, the deed changed hands several times and eventually ended up with Lady Jiang.

Due to its location, it had no practical value and had been left abandoned. Now, it was perfect for giving Lu Yao and his team a place to brew wine.

Opening the gate, the courtyard was overgrown with withered grass.

Lu Yao instructed the slaves, "Your task today is to clean up this courtyard and remove all the weeds."

"Yes," the slaves responded, bowing their heads and quickly getting to work.

Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan toured the entire courtyard.

The mansion was quite large, divided into three sections. The outer courtyard was right after entering the gate, and walking further in led to the central courtyard.

The middle corridor was made of wood and had collapsed due to rain and insect damage, leaving only a few pillars standing. The flower hall, however, was still intact and spacious, making it suitable for wine production.

Continuing further, they reached the former merchant’s bedroom. The main structure was still in good condition, but the roof tiles were overgrown with grass. It would need some cleaning before anyone could live there.

They pushed open the door, and the room was filled with a damp, musty smell. All the furniture and items had been removed, leaving only a bare bed and broken pottery on the floor.

Zhao Beichuan opened the windows to ventilate the room, making the air fresher.

Lu Yao said, "Let the slaves clean this place up. They can live here, saving us the trouble of renting separate houses for them."

Zhao Beichuan nodded. They then toured the adjacent rooms. As they approached the last room, they suddenly heard a noise inside.

Lu Yao peered in curiously, thinking someone might be hiding there. Abandoned mansions often attracted beggars seeking shelter.

But when the door opened, seven or eight black rats scurried out, startling Lu Yao, who let out a scream and jumped onto Zhao Beichuan.

"Don’t be afraid, it’s just a few rats."

Lu Yao sniffed, "What’s that smell? So foul."

Zhao Beichuan stepped in and immediately came out with a grim expression, "There’s a dead body inside. It’s been there for a while."

"Ah!"

"Judging by the clothes, it’s probably a beggar. I’ll have someone come to remove the remains."

The death of such a person would go unreported and uninvestigated; it could only be dealt with privately.

Before long, Zhao Beichuan brought over a slave. This young man was named Lu Shiliu, who had volunteered to help with the cleanup.

He was quite brave, finding a wooden board to carry out the decayed and dried corpse, wrapping it in a mat, and burying it in an uninhabited wasteland outside.

After inspecting the courtyard, Lu Yao had other matters to attend to. He instructed a few people, “Clean up the courtyard today and settle into the nearby rooms. Tomorrow, we will give you other tasks.”

These people nodded their heads in response. Only after Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao left did they lift their heads, seeing a hint of confusion in each other’s eyes.

Was there no whipping or scolding on the first day of recognizing a new master? The new master seemed somewhat kind.