Chapter 58

When the sky was completely dark, every household in Ban Shan Village lit up their lights. Nestled among the mountains, the village looked like a cluster of stars in the dark night, breaking the darkness. Suddenly, a dog barked, and the whole village's dogs started barking wildly, making the village lively in an instant. Shouts, scolding, and the sound of doors opening and closing...

Accompanied by this lively noise, Li Jianping led Zhang Kai and Professor Wu into the courtyard of Er Ye's house. Wang Yong was just coming out of the kitchen with a dish, and he hurriedly greeted them: "Professor Wu is here, please come in. Old Li, you take care of them, I'll be right back."

"Do you need any help?" Zhang Kai asked.

"Come on, even if you want to help, you can't. The kitchen here isn't just for anyone to enter," Li Jianping said, pulling Zhang Kai into the house.

"Old man, I brought two guests today, I hope I'm not too much of a bother," Li Jianping greeted Er Ye first.

"It's fine, Wang Yong has already told us. Scholars from the capital? We can't even invite them. Please sit down, we're about to start eating." Er Ye invited Professor Wu and Zhang Kai to take their seats. As for Li Jianping, he was already very familiar and didn't need to be invited.

"Let me introduce you. This is Er Ye, a veteran. This is Er Nai. Old man, this is Professor Wu from the capital university, and this is Wang Yong's friend from the capital, who grew up with your grandson Wang Gang," Li Jianping said, pointing to Zhang Kai last.

Er Nai, who had been smiling and nodding to Professor Wu, suddenly became very enthusiastic when she heard that Zhang Kai had grown up with her grandson. She brought out good tea and a lot of fruit that Wang Yong had brought, and even asked Zhang Kai if he wanted to drink alcohol. It seemed that if Zhang Kai said yes, the two bottles of Maotai that Er Ye had been keeping for years might not survive.

Under Er Ye's nervous gaze, Zhang Kai waved his hands, saying he couldn't drink during work hours. This made Er Ye's heart settle. Li Jianping, however, seemed a bit disappointed. He had often encouraged Er Ye to try the two bottles of Maotai that a leader had given him years ago. If he knew the origin of those two bottles, he might not be so persistent. Those two bottles could be considered antiques, made before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and even given by the Premier, making them very significant.

"The dishes are ready, let's eat," Wang Yong said, carrying two dishes, followed by Zhang Lao, who looked radiant. Zhang Lao had only been in Ban Shan for a few days, but he had already fallen in love with the place. It was very comfortable, and the environment of Ban Shan was particularly good, with green mountains, clear water, and blue skies. The air was even better than in the so-called A-level scenic spots. Just one breath made him feel like he could live a few more days.

Actually, this was the result of Wang Yong's constant irrigation with spiritual spring water. Only a small part of the water's spiritual energy was absorbed by plants and animals, while most of it dispersed into the air. With Ban Shan's mountainous terrain, most of the spiritual energy gathered in the village, making the spiritual energy in Ban Shan Village quite abundant. Young people might not feel it, but the elderly, especially those with health issues, could easily feel the changes in their bodies.

Sitting there chatting with Er Nai, Zhang Kai suddenly saw Zhang Lao behind Wang Yong and jumped up, shouting, "Uncle Er!"

"Sit down properly, what's the big fuss?" Zhang Lao scolded, then said to Er Ye and Er Nai, "Uncle, Aunt, this is the son of the head of the Zhang family, the Secretary of the Northwest. You should have met him before. This kid, like me, doesn't like being constrained. He's always digging up graves outside, I don't know what's so good about it. I tried to teach him cooking, but he refused."

Everyone was shocked. Er Ye and Er Nai were surprised that the young man who had grown up with their grandson Wang Gang was actually from the Zhang family, which meant his father was the future top leader.

Wang Yong was also surprised that Zhang Lao had a connection with Zhang Kai's family. After some thought, he realized it was probably because they shared a grandfather. Yes, that must be it!

Professor Wu, as Zhang Kai's mentor, knew Zhang Kai's true identity. Because of this, he was even more nervous. Zhang Kai's father was the future top leader! And today, three elders in this family were Zhang Kai's seniors. What kind of background did he have!

Only Li Jianping didn't know the situation. He said, "Zhang Kai, you're really missing out. If you could learn even half of Zhang Lao's cooking skills, you'd be a master chef. It's much better than being out in the sun and wind all day. What a waste!"

"That's enough, what are you complaining about? Not everyone is as talented as me!" Wang Yong boasted. When Li Jianping praised the dishes, Zhang Lao had him try making one, but the result was terrible, and he immediately gave up on teaching him.

After dinner, Er Nai insisted on keeping Zhang Kai and wouldn't let him leave, wanting him to stay overnight. It was unusual for her to be so enthusiastic. Was there a plot? Or was she thinking of something else? Maybe she wanted him to be her grandson-in-law? Zhang Kai and Wang Qian would make a good couple, it wouldn't be bad if they got together! While Wang Yong was thinking, Er Ye spoke up.

"Stay, there's plenty of room." With that, Zhang Kai and Professor Wu stayed at Er Ye's house.

The next morning, the petrified tree was cleared, and Professor Wu arranged for a large truck to transport it back to Beijing. The county police escorted the truck, and everyone else returned with it. Zhang Kai stayed behind to spend a few days with Zhang Lao.

In the afternoon, the construction site resumed its usual bustle. People shouted, and machines roared, creating a lively scene. Wang Yong, with nothing to do, took Xiao Keli up the mountain to see Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai. Diao Zhu had been staying at Er Nai's house, enjoying it so much that he didn't want to go home. Wang Yong also fed the chickens, ducks, and geese in the farm with some spiritual spring water, especially the ducklings and goslings, which he didn't feel comfortable leaving without feeding a few times.

Just as he finished feeding them, his phone rang.

"Wang Yong, come quickly, we've found another treasure at the site!" As soon as he answered, Li Jianping's excited voice came through.

"Oh! Another treasure? Zhang Kai hasn't left yet, let him handle it. It's not like it will end up in our hands anyway," Wang Yong said indifferently.

"This time it's different. Zhang Kai is here, and so is Zhang Lao. Come and take a look! Hurry, we need your decision!" Li Jianping hung up.

What treasure could excite Li Jianping so much? Even Zhang Lao went. Could it be something delicious or a precious ingredient? But he hadn't heard of digging up precious ingredients. This land didn't produce truffles or anything like that. Wang Yong was still puzzled and decided to go down the mountain with Xiao Keli.

Holding Xiao Keli, he arrived at the site. A worker saw him and shouted, "Village Chief Wang is here, everyone make way, make way."

Following the narrow path cleared by the workers, Wang Yong walked in. Not far from where the petrified wood was found, there was a dark hole. What was going on? Wang Yong was startled. Could it be a treasure trove? He didn't want to stop work again. This was his first thought.

"Wang Yong, you're in for a big surprise! I went down to check, and it's a wine cellar. There are about ten large wine jars, each holding at least a hundred pounds of wine. And the most valuable thing is that these jars are from the Qianlong era, made for the imperial court! They're all treasures!" Zhang Kai explained, leaving Wang Yong even more confused.

"Wait, this is village land, but you said yesterday that anything dug up belongs to the state, and ordinary people can't own it. Now you're saying I can benefit from it?"

"Because it's left by your ancestors. We found a wooden letter inside, written by your ancestors, explaining everything clearly. I've already confirmed it with your Er Ye, he knows about it," Zhang Kai said enviously.

Wang Yong was surprised. Why hadn't Er Ye mentioned this?

"Your Er Ye wants you to go see him, you'll know then. Don't ask me, we don't know the details," Li Jianping interjected.

Full of questions, Wang Yong went to Er Ye's house. Er Nai and Zhang Lao were sitting in the courtyard, chatting. Seeing Wang Yong, Er Nai said, "Go in, your Er Ye is waiting for you."

Wang Yong entered the house without a word, feeling that there was more to the story. It seemed that only Er Ye and his eldest grandson knew about this sudden ancestor. Entering the house, he saw his Uncle sitting on the sofa with Er Ye, looking equally puzzled.

"You're here? Sit down. I know you have many questions. How did this ancestor suddenly appear?" Er Ye said in a low voice.

It turned out that this was a secret known only to the eldest son and grandson of the Wang family. In the 19th year of the Qing Kangxi era (1680 AD), the distillery technician Zhao Cunren and his two brothers improved the distillation process to purify the liquor: during distillation, the first batch of liquor cooled by the first pot of cold water was called "jiu tou," the third batch cooled by the third pot of cold water was called "jiu wei," and only the second batch cooled by the second pot of cold water was used, which was the most fragrant and called "er guotou."

Er guotou quickly became popular, especially in the capital. At the end of the Qing dynasty, Wang Youde, Wang Yong's ancestor, learned distillation in the capital. His teacher was from the Zhao family. Before the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the capital, the teacher gave the secret recipe and thirty jars of tribute wine to his son and two apprentices, one of whom was Wang Youde. With the secret recipe and ten jars of tribute wine, Wang Youde left the capital and returned home, following his teacher's advice not to distill again until the country was strong, to express his dissatisfaction with the country's weakness and the people's indulgence in alcohol. Wang Youde never distilled again until his death. He then had his two grandsons join the military to defend the country.

Before his grandsons left, Wang Youde told the eldest grandson about the ten jars of tribute wine and the secret recipe, hidden somewhere at the foot of the mountain. He instructed him to retrieve them when the country was strong and no longer subject to bullying, and to pour a jar of wine on his grave to inform him of the good news. He also instructed that this matter be remembered by the eldest son and grandson of the Wang family and not to be disclosed.

Later, Wang Guodong adopted his nephew Wang Dahai to his second uncle, so the matter fell to Wang Yong's father. It's unclear what Wang Guodong was thinking, but he told Er Ye about it on his deathbed, though he didn't have time to tell him the location of the hidden wine. After Wang Yong's parents died, only Er Ye knew about it. If not for the sudden discovery of the cave today, Er Ye would have forgotten about it.

"Zhang Kai has contacted the Zhao family's descendant. I plan to hand over the secret recipe to him. After all, it was created by their ancestors. We don't have anyone in the Wang family who makes wine, and we don't need to rely on this recipe for a living. Ultimately, Wang Yong will make the decision, as the family tradition dictates that you should inherit these things," Er Ye said seriously to Wang Yong.

Wow, what a story! This could be a TV series. No time to think, Er Ye was waiting for a response.

"I have no objections, let's do as you say. With our current situation, these things aren't that important," Wang Yong said indifferently. Before obtaining the small world and Xiao Guang, Wang Yong would have tried to make a fortune with these things. But now, with his abilities, these things were insignificant.

"Don't be like that, at least leave half of the ten jars of wine," Uncle quickly interjected, eyeing the precious wine.

"Look at you, you're not getting away with it. I didn't say I was giving away the wine," Er Ye, a seasoned drinker, had already decided to keep at least two jars for himself.

"No, you two, don't get any ideas. Although the wine gets better with age, there's a limit. These ten jars are over three hundred years old, and we need to have experts check if they're still drinkable. The taste might not be good, so let's not drink them blindly. Wait for Zhang Kai to bring in the experts. If you don't believe me, ask Zhang Lao, he should know," Wang Yong quickly interrupted their fantasies, not wanting them to get sick.

"Yes, Wang Yong is right. The ten jars of wine shouldn't be drunk without inspection. Let's wait for the experts. Zhang Kai has contacted the ninth-generation descendant of the Zhao family, who is a master of white wine. We'll wait for him to come and check," Zhang Lao's voice from the courtyard deflated the enthusiasm of Er Ye and Uncle.

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