I jumped up and yelled, "Liu Laoliu, you bastard!" I angrily told Sun Sixin, "Next time I see this old scoundrel, I'll smash him with a beer bottle—the cheapest kind."
Seeing the worry on Sun Sixin's face, I remembered he had mentioned the incident at the bar. I asked him what happened, but he didn't answer. Instead, he brought me a jar of five-star gin and poured me a bowl. I looked at him suspiciously, took a small sip, and immediately said, "It doesn't taste right."
Sun Sixin nodded and said, "Many customers have complained that the wine we sell now is not even as good as the wine given away in the vat at the entrance. This almost caused a commotion."
I asked, "When did this start?"
"Yesterday, I thought it was just one batch that went bad, so I didn't think much of it. But the wine that was delivered today is still not right."
How did you handle it?
Sun Sixin said, "I told the guests that this is our new variety, and it's free for anyone who wants to drink it."
I smiled at him and said, "You did a good job."
“But this is not a long-term solution. If the wine continues like this, we will lose a lot of customers in less than two days.”
I thought for a moment and said, "Did you call Manager Du?"
“He called, and he said there was no problem at the workshop; he personally went and tasted it.”
I started to worry too. When Sun Sixin told me that something was wrong here, I thought it was someone causing trouble. In that case, it wouldn't matter if some things were smashed. But if the wine goes bad, it's like cutting off our lifeline. My livelihood depends on this brand right now, so I can't afford for anything to go wrong.
I asked him again, "Is Old Wu, the one who delivers the wine, reliable?"
Sun Sixin said, "He is a very honest person and has never delayed anything."
I said, puzzled, "What happened? Could it be oxidized? Have him wash the water barrel that holds the wine, and we'll check again tomorrow."
"I've already done it."
I sat down and was lost in thought for a while when I suddenly remembered something. I looked up and asked Sun Sixin, "Didn't you say that Liu Laoliu and the others are two people? What about the other one?"
Sun Sixin, with her hands hanging down, said, "She's in a private room upstairs."
I quickly stood up: "Let's go!"
When we got upstairs, Sun Sixin pointed out the room to me, and I told him, "Go ahead and get busy."
I pushed open the door and went in. The wall-mounted TV was on, and the subtitles flashed silently. The microphone was next to this man, but he wasn't singing. He was just leisurely eating freshly popped popcorn. This man was wearing a casual hat and a very ordinary T-shirt with the collar turned up, covering half of his face. He looked to be of average to below-average build.
Judging from his composed demeanor, I couldn't tell if this person was my new client. I knocked on the door, but the man remained seated and asked, "Is this Xiaoqiang?" He sounded quite old.
I sat down opposite him: "It's me. You are..."
The man slowly took off his hat and lowered his collar. I immediately concluded that he must be a time-traveling customer.
He still wore a topknot, and three wisps of black beard flowed gracefully below his lips, truly deserving the title of a handsome middle-aged man. My first impression of him was very good, but a sharp glint often flashed in his eyes, suggesting he had once held a high position of power and wielded life and death, though he didn't seem like an emperor. Qin Shi Huang, though amiable, clearly had the typical imperial flaws: when he learned that there were over 200 currencies in circulation, he casually uttered his favorite phrase: "Unify, ha (down)!" Later, I gradually understood that he did this not to make things easier for the people but to save himself trouble, which might be related to his limited intelligence. Those as intelligent as Kangxi, willing to try and master the languages of Mongolian, Han, and Manchu, were ultimately few and far between.
Liu Bang may seem rather sleazy, but he considers issues from the perspective of the masses. Even when he gambles, he uses people with slightly higher-than-average intelligence as his hypothetical adversaries.
The man in front of me, judging from his greedy behavior, must be seeking something more, which means he can only be second only to the emperor.
Faced with such a newly arrived distinguished client, I really didn't know how to greet him. A handshake was definitely out of the question, so I first clasped my hands in a fist and palm salute. Seeing his rather surprised look, I quickly dusted off my sleeves and bowed deeply. But since he didn't look like someone from the Qing Dynasty, I could only sit down again. I couldn't very well kowtow to him, could I?
Fortunately, he could tell that I was trying to be friendly, and smiled slightly, saying, "No need for such formalities."
I asked ingratiatingly, "What is your name?"
He chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "A humble name is not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning at all."
"Tell me about it, otherwise it would seem fake to say I've heard so much about you, wouldn't it?"
The handsome old man could only helplessly say, "My surname is Wang, and my given name is Anshi."
I was really surprised. Wang Anshi! The prime minister of the Song Dynasty, who seems to be quite famous for revising the constitution.
I said, "So it was you who exiled Su's Pork Knuckle?"
Wang Anshi was taken aback, then laughed and said, "You mean Su Dongpo? Su Dongpo is a very talented young man, but unfortunately he is a bit arrogant."
I said, "Serves him right, who told him to change your poem—what poem was it again?"
Wang Anshi said awkwardly, "Those are just rumors from the countryside." Then he changed the subject, "Jiefu (Wang Anshi's courtesy name) has long admired the Peach Blossom Spring. I never thought that I would be so fortunate to have this opportunity after my death. Now that I have arrived in this fairyland, I will have to rely on your care in the future."
My head was spinning for a moment, and I quickly explained, "How can I put it? This isn't some kind of paradise, but it has food and entertainment, so it's not too bad. In short, just stay here with me peacefully, oblivious to the world of Jin and Wei, and don't seek fame or fortune among the feudal lords—"
Wang Anshi coughed lightly: "You've misremembered it, haven't you? The next line is from the Memorial on Dispatching the Troops."
I scratched my head sheepishly and said, "I'm not very cultured," and then said something completely unnecessary, "I'm not even as cultured as Su Dongpo."
After sitting with Lao Wang for a while, I said, "Prime Minister, shall we find a place to stay?"
Wang Anshi said, "Very good." As he spoke, he put on his hat again, turned up his collar, and followed me downstairs to the car.
I drove slowly, pointing out the buildings on both sides of the road and the pedestrians and vehicles around us. Wang Anshi nodded slightly like an old leader inspecting work, occasionally asking a friendly question or two. After we had driven halfway, I started introducing him to my other clients. Wang Anshi expressed that if there was an opportunity, he hoped to meet with Ying Buwei (Wang Anshi's nickname) in an equal and friendly atmosphere to discuss the reform issue.
When I mentioned the Liangshan heroes, Wang Anshi's expression changed slightly. I knew that someone with such orthodox ideas might have prejudices against bandits who had been granted amnesty, so I said, "Actually, they were a group of good kids. In our later generations, there is a saying: 'Officials force the people to rebel.' If it weren't for bastards like Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, they would all be pillars of the country. Have you ever met these two bastards?"
"……No."
"Oh right, maybe a few cycles later than you. If only you could live another fifty or sixty years, you could teach these bastards a lesson. Including Qin Hui later on, he was the worst of them all. Using the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty on him would be a waste of good stuff."
Wang Anshi chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, hehe..."
I said, "I'll introduce you to the soldiers in a bit, the Yue Family Army. They're all loyal and brave; they must have heard of you..."
Wang Anshi's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Yue Fei's troops?"