Chapter 48

The carriage first arrived at Mr. Li's residence, which was a very simple house.

It was strange, Mr. Li, a man of letters, still held a certain status in society, but Chuan Huan remembered that this old gentleman had never married and remained a bachelor to this day.

This was something Chuan Huan couldn't understand. With Mr. Li's status, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to marry a wife when he was young, but Mr. Li lived a solitary life. Now over sixty, he naturally no longer had any thoughts of marriage. The old man lived alone to this day.

Chuan Huan didn't know the reason but didn't dare to ask too much. He knew that since Mr. Li hadn't married, there must have been some personal hardship, and he didn't want to touch on his taboo.

Chuan Huan carried the two jars of bamboo leaf green wine and the dried fruit pastries into Mr. Li's simple house. He also brought in the remaining jars of bamboo leaf green wine, knowing that Mr. Li liked to drink, and these wines would be enough for him to enjoy for a while. Finally, he left a portion of the high-quality pastries for Han Yuan, who politely declined but then accepted them.

When parting, Mr. Li tried to give Chuan Huan two taels of silver, but Chuan Huan refused. Without saying much, he got into the carriage. Mr. Li, helpless, exchanged a few polite words with Han Yuan, and the carriage then left, heading directly to the west side of Qingliu City.

Although Qingliu City was not as large as Yunshan Prefecture, it was still quite substantial. The carriage rattled along, and Chuan Huan knew that the Heshengquan brewery was most likely located in the western part of the city.

Inside the carriage, Han Yuan curiously observed Chuan Huan and asked with a smile, "Second Master, you tricked Fan Yishang this time. Aren't you afraid he will seek revenge in the future?"

Chuan Huan chuckled and said, "Looking at him, he comes from a wealthy family. To trouble a country boy like me over a few dozen taels of silver would be too petty." After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "Uncle Han, you... seem to know him well?"

Han Yuan nodded, a look of disgust in his eyes, and said, "Such a person is best avoided... He has ill intentions and is not a good person!" From his words, it was clear that Han Yuan was very dissatisfied with Fan Yishang.

Chuan Huan thought to himself, "Could it be that you have some past with him?"

After a moment of contemplation, Han Yuan finally lowered his voice and said, "Second Master, once you enter Heshengquan, you must abide by Heshengquan's rules."

Chuan Huan nodded and said, "Uncle Han, you can rest assured."

Han Yuan thought for a moment, as if remembering something, and warned, "Yes, the master of the brewery, Master Liang, has a peculiar personality. You... must not upset him, and certainly not offend him, or... even I won't be able to speak up for you!"

Chuan Huan was taken aback. Han Yuan's tone seemed to hold back, making Chuan Huan keenly sense that Master Liang was not someone to be trifled with.

"Is Master Liang the owner of Heshengquan?" Chuan Huan thought for a moment and asked softly.

"That's not the case!" Han Yuan shook his head and said, "Our main owner has a residence in the prefecture, um... but Heshengquan's foundation is in Qingliu City. The main owner has an ancestral home here and occasionally comes to stay for a while."

"I see!"

"However, Master Liang is a relative of the main owner... The brewery is usually managed by Master Liang." Han Yuan said softly, "The main owner has many shops in the prefecture and many things to handle, so he doesn't manage this place much. All major and minor affairs are entrusted to Master Liang."

Chuan Huan nodded, about to say something, when he suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma. He sniffed carefully, and it was a faint wine scent. He heard Han Yuan already laughing, "We've arrived!" He stuck his head out, and the carriage soon stopped. Chuan Huan followed Han Yuan out of the carriage and saw that it was already dark. Not far from where he stood, a vast brewery appeared.

Han Yuan was about to pay the carriage fare, but Chuan Huan had already taken the initiative, asking about the fare and paying twenty copper coins before Han Yuan. Then, under Han Yuan's lead, he walked towards the brewery.

The faint wine scent was floating out from the brewery. Chuan Huan's first sight was a pavilion at the entrance of the brewery, with two lanterns hanging on it. Under the light, he could clearly see the three characters "Heshengquan" written on the pavilion, with a flowing and dragon-like script.

Han Yuan pointed to the brewery and introduced, "On the left is the grain warehouse, where the sorghum, corn, barley, and wheat used for brewing are stored. In the middle is the brewing room...!" He pointed to the right, "There is the wine cellar where the finished wine is stored. The outer cellar is opened regularly, but the inner cellar can only be opened with the main owner's instructions to retrieve the wine!"

Chuan Huan had drunk many types of wine but knew nothing about brewing. He nodded in a daze.

Han Yuan led Chuan Huan into the brewery, and a young servant in a blue robe bowed respectfully, "Master Craftsman!"

Han Yuan nodded and asked, "Is the master in the brewery?"

"Yes!" the servant replied respectfully.

Han Yuan then said to Chuan Huan, "I'll take you to meet the master first!" Chuan Huan nodded, carrying his bag and the pastries, and followed behind. As they walked, he felt the air around him filled with the scent of wine, thinking to himself, "Working in such an environment every day, I wonder if the servants here all have a great tolerance for alcohol?"

Before entering the brewery, he had already felt that the brewery occupied a vast area. Now inside, it seemed even more spacious and grand. Following Han Yuan, they passed several areas, and he saw the servants in the brewery busy at work. Just in the front workshop, he saw about forty to fifty people.

Seeing Chuan Huan's curious expression, Han Yuan smiled and said, "Half of them are old servants of Heshengquan. This brewery has been around for fifty to sixty years. After the first batch of old servants left, their children took over their positions." He chuckled, "My father was also one of the first batch of old servants. I entered Heshengquan at the age of twenty and have been here for more than thirty years...!"

Chuan Huan asked curiously, "Back then, the world was in chaos, and this place was part of the Wuling Kingdom. When the Great Qin Empire conquered the Wuling Kingdom, wasn't the brewery destroyed?"

Han Yuan smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, this is quite a story. When the old owner was still alive, during the Wuling Kingdom, the brewery operated smoothly. Later, when the Great Qin Empire attacked, the defending troops here surrendered after less than half a month. The old owner then thought that our brewery would not be spared and would likely be destroyed by the war...!"

Chuan Huan became interested and asked curiously, "Then why is it still intact today?"

"The old owner was quite courageous!" Han Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, "I remember clearly, at that time, a general of the Great Qin Empire led hundreds of soldiers through here. Smelling the wine, they stopped. The general intended to have his men plunder all the fine wine and then burn the place down. However, the old owner was unwilling to see his hard work destroyed, so he took the initiative to seek out the general...!" He smiled, "Do you know who that general was?"

"Who was it?"

"General Lei Guheng!" Han Yuan said, "One of the four generals of the Great Qin Empire, Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning. The general who led the troops to conquer Qingliu City was this General Lei!"

Chuan Huan said, "Oh," but didn't say much more.

"The old owner found General Lei, and we were all terrified, thinking the old owner would not return... But we didn't expect that not only did the old owner find General Lei, but he also made a bet with him!" Han Yuan's eyes sparkled, "The old owner told General Lei that if he drank three cups of wine, he would get drunk!"

Chuan Huan laughed, "Although I am not well-informed, I have heard that General Lei's greatest passion in life is fine wine!"

"Exactly. The old owner knew this and took the risk because he had heard that the general loved wine. General Lei was indeed a good man. The old owner was just a merchant, and his status was far below that of General Lei, but he still accepted the old owner's bet. If General Lei got drunk, the brewery would not be harmed. If he didn't get drunk, the brewery would be burned down!"

"Since Heshengquan is still intact today, it seems the old owner won that time!" Chuan Huan smiled. He now knew that Heshengquan had such a story, which could be considered a beautiful tale.

"Exactly!" Han Yuan nodded, "General Lei drank three cups of wine, which the old owner had personally brewed. After drinking the three cups, General Lei indeed got drunk and slept for a whole day. When he woke up, everyone praised the old owner, and Heshengquan was thus preserved." He paused and smiled, "Many years ago, after General Lei was appointed as the Pillar General, he came to Yunshan Prefecture and specifically drank the wine brewed by the old owner... Hehe...!" At this point, Han Yuan's face was full of pride.

This was the most glorious past of Heshengquan, and Han Yuan, as an old servant of Heshengquan, felt the same pride, his face glowing with honor.

As they spoke, the two had already passed through several doors and turned into a corridor, arriving at a room. Han Yuan knocked on the door and said respectfully, "Master, I have brought the person!"

There was a moment of silence inside the room, and then a lazy voice said, "Come in!"

The door creaked open, and a thin, dry man opened it. Like the servants of Heshengquan that Chuan Huan had seen, he wore a blue robe, but he had a leather cap on his head. His small eyes darted around, and he was about thirty years old.

Chuan Huan was puzzled. Could this man be Master Liang?

Before he could think more, the man bowed to Han Yuan and said with a smile, "Master Craftsman has returned? I was just looking for you everywhere. Later, I heard that you went to drink wine. Hehe, Master Craftsman truly has good fortune. Inside, you are supported by the owner, and outside, you are supported by others. I really envy you!"

Han Yuan's face showed a slight displeasure, and Chuan Huan frowned. Hearing the man call himself "little one," he clearly was not Master Liang. However, his words were laced with sarcasm, indicating that he and Han Yuan had a strained relationship.

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ps: At 8:30 PM tonight, the Dragon Radio will begin serializing the audiobook of "Guose Sheng Xiao." Those interested can listen in, hehe!

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