One of the thugs threw the steel pipe he was holding on the ground, glanced at the screwdriver, and quietly asked Zhu Gui, "Can we leave?"
Zhang Qing then slowly said, "Did you really think my brother got away with it for nothing? Let's leave something for everyone." Yang Zhi pulled him aside and said, "Forget it, these people are much more sensible than Niu Er."
Zhang Qing shook his head helplessly and told those people, "Get lost."
The group of thugs scattered and fled as if granted a pardon. Only the blond-haired guy stayed, looking at Zhu Gui with admiration and saying, "Big brother, I'll follow you from now on."
Zhu Gui waved his hand impatiently: "What a load of crap! Get rid of that piece of junk on your head and act like a proper human being. Get lost!" The blond-haired man had no choice but to leave in disappointment.
Zhu Gui stomped on the screwdriver's head, and the screwdriver cried out in terror, "Big brother, big brother, didn't you say you wouldn't hit me?" It had been pricked in the buttocks, and probably had less than 5 teeth left in its mouth. But that was nothing. The bones in its shoulder were also broken by Zhu Gui, and it lay limp on the ground like a half-dead toad.
"I won't hit you, but tell me where Liu Xuan is?"
"I don't know Liu..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Gui stomped on his face, and blood gushed out with a splatter. Yang Zhi shook his head repeatedly, walking closer as he said, "Let me kill him; I can't bear to watch." I quickly grabbed him tightly, and in the end, Yang Zhi sighed and went back.
Zhang Qing said, "Brother Yang Zhi is just too soft-hearted..."
Zhu Gui stepped on the screwdriver, a fierce glint in his eyes, and spat out the words from his throat: "Don't tell me you don't know someone surnamed Liu, or I'll stomp your head into the ground."
“I know him, I know him… but I only have a phone number with the surname Liu. I kept calling him but his phone was off. I’m really not familiar with him. People like him would look down on me.”
"Give me your number! Otherwise, I'll trample you into the ground if you don't turn it on."
Screwdriver pulled out the phone and burst into tears: the phone had been smashed sometime during the night. Of course, he wasn't heartbroken about the phone; he could tell Zhu Gui was furious and was afraid he would actually stomp on it.
Seeing that things had gone far enough, I went up to him and said, "Why don't you ask me for it instead of him?"
Zhu Gui asked in surprise, "You have one too?"
I pointed to the injury on my face and said, "I went to see him this afternoon."
Why didn't you tell me?
"Old Zhu, let's leave it at that. I've already smashed his head into four pieces for you. You can ask Li Jingshui and the others if you don't believe me."
Zhu Gui said indignantly, "Why didn't you let me go?"
"You're a guest, how can I let you do this kind of physical work?" I said with a laugh.
Zhu Gui glared at me fiercely a few times, but knowing that Liu Xuan had already been slightly punished, his anger subsided considerably. He took a step forward, picked up the screwdriver, and asked him, "Do you know why I hit you?"
The screwdriver trembled like a leaf, and he said, "I shouldn't have known someone surnamed Liu."
"And there's more!"
"...I shouldn't have been so blind as to come and collect your protection money, brother."
"And there's more!"
"……I have no idea."
"Hmm, I don't know either. I just don't like the look of you—get lost."
Then Zhu Gui affectionately put his arms around Zhang Qing's and my shoulders and said, "Let's go have a drink."
A weight was finally lifted from my heart; the matter of Liu Xuan could finally come to an end. As I had expected, the heroes, knowing that Liu Xuan had been forced to leave his homeland, stopped trying to stop him.
We entered the bar and saw a table surrounded by people. Squeezing through the crowd, we discovered it was Yang Zhi. This guy was not only ugly but also very quiet; when did he become so popular?
He was carrying a bucket, and in front of him were cups and banknotes. As Yang Zhi poured wine into the cups, he said, "This wine is brewed by my own brothers, so don't give me any money."
Zhang Qing exclaimed "Hey!" and then realized that Yang Zhi was carrying the same bucket of "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Hill" liquor we'd been drinking that afternoon. The group had drunk almost half a bucket that afternoon, and Yang Zhi, feeling bored after returning, had brought it out again. A key characteristic of this liquor is its strong aroma. Soon, one of Yang Zhi's friends couldn't resist and offered to buy a cup to try. Yang Zhi didn't take it seriously, poured him a cup, but didn't ask for money. However, the friend became increasingly addicted and, feeling embarrassed to ask for more, insisted on paying. Gradually, people around were drawn in, partly by the aroma and partly to join the fun. Interestingly, since Yang Zhi didn't say he was selling it, there was no price. People lined up, cups in hand, waiting to buy. When it was their turn, some gave 100, some 50, and the smallest was 20, including a 100-dollar bill.
After the first person paid, Yang Zhi tried to chase after them to return the money, but the others kept urging him to pour more wine. So, the money piled up in front of him grew larger and larger, and Yang Zhi's face turned red with anxiety, even the bluish tinge on his skin faded considerably. He kept saying, "This wine is free—this wine is free—" By the time most of the barrel of wine was poured out, leaving only the bottom, the money in front of him almost covered the table. Those who hadn't bought any began to protest. When they learned that Yang Zhi was a friend of the bar owner, they became even more dissatisfied, accusing the bar of hoarding. Sun Sixin was trying to calm them down when she saw me arrive and explained the situation. I said, "That's easy to solve. Tomorrow I'll hire a truck to go to the village and fill up a whole water truckload of wine, won't that do?"
The bar was filled with a wonderful aroma, which made even the customers in the corners and private rooms drool. They all joined the ranks of those asking for drinks.
Sun Sixin suddenly jumped onto the stage, cleared her throat, and said, "Thank you all for coming and supporting us. Our store has just launched an experimental product, and I believe many of you have already tried it. Now I announce that starting tomorrow, this experimental product will be officially available to our customers!"
"That young man's got a sharp mind," I thought admiringly. Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted, "What's the name of this wine?"
Sun Sixin was startled and quickly searched for me in the crowd. I was also sweating profusely. In my haste, I remembered that this wine was discovered by Wu Song and then brewed by Du Xing, so I mouthed the words to him. Sun Sixin stared at his mouth for a long time, while the people below the stage remained silent, waiting for him to sign in.
Sun Sixin stared at me for a long time before finally understanding that I was talking about four words. Then he put the microphone to his mouth and solemnly said, "This wine is called Five-Star Juniper!" I slapped my forehead.
Immediately, someone in the audience asked: "Do you have six-star?" Another person asked: "How much is a cup?"
Sun Sixin looked at me again. I thought to myself that regular bulk liquor only costs one or two yuan per kilogram, so selling this for five yuan shouldn't result in a loss. So I held up five fingers to him.
Sun Sixin excitedly and emotionally announced, "Our Five-Star Gin will be on special offer starting tomorrow, only 50 yuan a glass!"
Chapter Seventy-Two: Sima Guang Smashes the Jar
Sun Sixin was still quite excited after coming downstairs. He asked, "Brother Qiang, where will we put our liquor after it arrives?"
That's a problem. I asked him, "Do we have enough kegs for draft beer?"
"...Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Besides, where would we put the beer?"
Zhang Qing chuckled and said, "Wine, of course, is put into wine jars and vats."
Upon hearing this, I suddenly understood and said to Sun Sixin, "Tomorrow, go to Erliyao and buy a few large wine vats, and also buy some more jars and small bowls. From now on, we'll sell our wine by the bowl."
Sun Sixin scratched her head and said, "Where should we put it after we buy it?"