Chapter 58

【Recite the Saitu website three times, do you remember? If you don't remember, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It's best to share it on Facebook.】

The courtyard in the center was completely enclosed by blue bricks, with eight typical Jiangnan-style houses on each of the four sides. Passing through the gate, a three-meter-high screen wall faced them, adorned with carvings of cranes and pines symbolizing longevity.

Beyond the screen wall was a flower pool covering about two hundred square meters. At each corner of the pool stood a large jar, about one and a half meters high and over one meter in diameter, filled with clear water and floating with green duckweed.

These large jars had two purposes in the past: they were used to raise fish for daily life, and in case of a fire, the water in the jars could be used to extinguish it.

Several families in the courtyard were busy. When they saw Zhao Xinyu enter from outside, they immediately gathered around him, and the first topic was why he hadn't made a single phone call for such a long time.

Zhao Xinyu laughed and looked at Han Li, "Have you finished unloading the truck?"

"Done. Where did you get so many wild mushrooms and black fungus?"

"I've been buying these mountain goods from my hometown. The signal there is almost non-existent."

Everyone nodded. They had thought something had happened to Zhao Xinyu, but they didn't expect him to be busy buying mountain goods.

"Come, take a look at your new home. We've cleaned out four rooms for you. Everything is ready."

"Why clean out so many rooms?"

Han Li smirked, "Du Mengnan asked for one room to be cleaned for her. When we come over to drink, if it gets late, we won't go back. We should at least have two rooms reserved, and one extra room."

Zhao Xinyu nodded and walked to the main house. On the far left was the kitchen, followed by two hollowed-out dining rooms, then two hollowed-out living rooms, and on the far right was an independent room. The remaining two rooms were a suite, which included Zhao Xinyu's bedroom and study.

The furnishings in the rooms, living room, and dining room were all in an ancient style, and the kitchen was already stocked with plenty of ingredients.

Seeing the ingredients in the kitchen, Zhao Xinyu looked at Han Li, who punched him on the shoulder, "Stop pretending. We haven't had your cooking for several months. This is all prepared for you, hurry up."

"There's no one at the vegetable patch."

"There is. Brother Jiang and his wife, and Xiao Peng, are looking after it. By the way, Xiao Peng says you're his master, so he should have a room here too."

Zhao Xinyu nodded, then suddenly remembered the wine he had brewed, "Han Li, go get the wine I brewed. I forgot to tell you when you left."

This made Han Li and the others pause. The entire courtyard had been demolished and rebuilt, and while they knew Zhao Xinyu had brewed wine, they hadn't seen it.

"Does Hei Feng know where it is?"

When Zhao Xinyu finished cooking, Han Li and the others came in carrying two wine jars covered in mud, "Fortunately, that place wasn't touched. If they had started work there, the wine would have been ruined."

"How many jars are there?"

"139 jars."

When Han Li opened the wine jars, the unique aroma of the wine filled the air, drawing everyone's attention. They didn't have the same background as Du Yongchang, and the most expensive wine they had tasted before was only a few dozen yuan, so they thought wine was generally sour and unpalatable.

But now, they sensed something different from the aroma. Those who had planned to drink the Zui Linglong that Zhao Xinyu brought from his hometown were now eager to taste the wine.

Unlike professional wine tasters, Han Li and the others didn't follow any formal procedures. Each of them poured a glass of wine and drank it as they would with baijiu.

Zhao Xinyu, though familiar with wine culture, was from the village and shared their mindset. To him, it was just a drink, and drinking it was the main point.

After the first sip, everyone praised the wine, "Xinyu, this wine is smooth and sweet, though it doesn't have the kick of Zui Linglong."

"This wine has a strong aftertaste, so drink less of it."

"Ha ha ha..."

An hour later, Han Li and the others had finished two jars of wine. When they stepped out of the courtyard, the wind made the alcohol hit them hard, and they all felt dizzy. Han Jun, Lu Ming, and Huang Zhijun even collapsed on the ground.

Fortunately, Han Tianliang and the others were there to help. They carried Han Li and the others to the newly cleaned rooms.

Knowing the strength of the wine, Zhao Xinyu only drank a little and was fine. While Han Tianliang and the others went to the vegetable patch, Zhao Xinyu took Qingfeng and wandered around the area, thinking about how to use the space.

When Han Tianliang and the others returned in the evening, Han Li and the others were still sound asleep. They called out several times but got no response, so they had to eat and go back on their own.

After locking the gate, Zhao Xinyu thought about the nearly one-kilometer distance and considered buying a few electric scooters to make it easier to come and go.

Back in his room, thinking about the upcoming Spring Festival, Zhao Xinyu shook his head. He remembered the Mid-Autumn Festival, which he had hoped to celebrate happily, but Hei Feng had almost been killed, and they had lost their home.

Thinking about the Spring Festival, Zhao Xinyu checked his bank balance on his phone and was slightly surprised. When he left, there was nearly five million yuan in the bank.

The estimated cost for land preparation and construction was around four million yuan, and he had specifically given the bank card to Jiang Fei to handle the matters here.

He had thought there wouldn't be much money left, considering the vegetables would be damaged during the land preparation, and the fish from the Luo River wouldn't sell for much.

But now, there was still over 2.4 million yuan in the bank, indicating that he had been earning money consistently over the past four months.

With money in hand, Zhao Xinyu felt more confident. He took out paper and pen and started calculating the benefits he would give to Han Li and the others, as well as the villagers, for the Spring Festival.

The next morning, before Zhao Xinyu got up, he heard a commotion in the kitchen. After washing up, he heard Han Li and the others looking for something to eat in the kitchen.

He made a large pot of lean meat and millet porridge and a few cold dishes. After eating, they felt better.

"Xinyu, that wine is good, but the aftertaste is too strong."

"You said it was sweet and good, and you drank almost two kilograms. Wine is good, but don't drink too much. A few ounces at a time is enough."

After saying this, he thought about what he had discussed the previous day and shared his ideas with Han Li and the others.

"Xinyu, we'll pass. You have more expenses here, and you'll need more money next spring."

"I've saved money for the spring. You go to the village and take a census. By the way, Han Li, find Brother Jiang and ask him to get a few electric scooters for us to make it easier to come and go."

After Han Li and the others left, Zhao Xinyu thought of Du Mengnan and called her for the first time. They were friends, and she had helped him find the workers for the renovation. It wouldn't be right not to say hello after returning.

Within half an hour, Du Mengnan's car stopped at the gate. As soon as she entered, she punched Zhao Xinyu on the shoulder, "You scoundrel, I thought you weren't coming back," her eyes slightly red as she spoke.

Zhao Xinyu felt a warm feeling in his heart and instinctively stroked Du Mengnan's soft hair, "How could I not come back? This is all my property. Come, I'll show you something that will definitely be useful for you."

Du Mengnan's body trembled, her face turned red, and her eyes sparkled as she followed Zhao Xinyu like a shy bride.

Outside the courtyard, Du Mengnan softly asked, "Zhao Xinyu, what are your plans for next year?"

"Mengnan, you have a wide network. Help me find a storefront in the city. I plan to open a vegetable and fruit stand there."

"That's a good idea, but with so many vegetables, you might attract the jealousy of the local vegetable farmers. You need to be prepared for that."

"The city stand will focus on high-quality produce, so it won't affect them."

They crossed the stone arch bridge to the independent courtyard on the north side. Pushing the door open, they entered a row of sixteen rooms, including four warehouses. Zhao Xinyu went to the second warehouse.

As soon as Du Mengnan entered, her eyes were drawn to the wine jars, still covered in mud, "Is this all wine?"

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