In Longmen Town, outside Luoyang City, Tang Lao'er was lying on the counter, watching the people coming and going, sighed, and said to his wife who was sitting by the charcoal basin doing needlework: "This town is becoming more and more lively day by day, but unfortunately there are still no guests in our restaurant." Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info Alas, at the end of the year, the money has been calculated, and the restaurant will be handed back. The two of us worked hard for a whole year, didn't earn half a copper coin, and put all the family money into it. ”

Tang's mother said without raising her head: "If you don't have any money, you can earn it, people have two hands, and they can't be hungry with a mouth." Although you and I are old, our bodies are still healthy, and it is not that we cannot do work. Wait until the spring of the next year, find a garden in the city and continue to plant flowers. We Luoyang people love flowers, and we will never be hungry for people who plant flowers. ”

"That's it. If you make a mistake in your calculations, what can you do otherwise? Donald just sighed again and again.

When the two were talking, they came in from outside with their necks and hands, and said to the old couple: "It's so cold today, I really can't stay outside." The host is good, come to a bowl of wine to warm up. ”

Donald suddenly stood up from the counter and shouted to the little guy: "Hurry up and get wine for the little official!" ”

After speaking, he stepped out from behind the counter, pulled out the stool by the charcoal fire and said, "The little official sits here and warms up a little by the charcoal fire." Why, in such a cold weather, you still come to Qi Dalang? ”

"Yes, I made an appointment with Qi Dalang to meet for a while today, who knew that this kind of weather would happen."

As he spoke, he sat down on a stool and placed a wine gourd on the table.

When Tang Lao'er saw it, he wanted to ask if he wanted to drink with a gourd, but he was afraid that he would lose his manners, so he held back his words. After waiting for a while, seeing that he didn't mean to tell him to drink, he secretly tried that the gourd was full, and silently turned back to the counter.

Tang's mother is a straight person, put down the needle and thread in her hand, pointed to the wine gourd and asked: "Little official, you have a wine gourd with you, do you want to go back from our restaurant to drink?" In such a cold weather, it is necessary to drink some wine to get rid of the cold. ”

Chong Yu was stunned for a moment, and said embarrassedly: "The master has thought badly, the wine in this gourd was brought to Qi Dalang from the city, and he specially entrusted me." I don't have the same alcohol as Qi Dalang, just drink some ordinary wine to ward off the cold. ”

Mother Tang said unhappily: "What kind of good wine do you want to bring from the city?" Does Qi Dalang also dislike the wine in our restaurant? ”

He said: "This is the liquor sold by Zhang Shishilang in the city, it is not much better, but the wine is strong." Qi Dalang is a good wine, and he needs this kind of strong wine to satisfy his cravings, not that he dislikes the host's bad wine. ”

Donald Lao'er snorted behind the counter: "There is wine on the left and right, where can it be strong?" The wine sold in our restaurant has always been based on conscience, and it is not mixed with water in it. Unlike the restaurant opposite, the price is unbelievably expensive, and it has to be sold with water! ”

He smiled and said: "This liquor is the same as burning fire, but it is different from ordinary wine, if the host does not believe it, you can come and taste it, and you will know that what I said is true." ”

Where is Tang Lao'er willing to believe, he really came out from behind the cabinet, took a small bowl casually, and went to the table and said: "Although the little official pours wine in the bowl, I want to taste it, what wine is as powerful as you say!" ”

He smiled, went to the lid of the wine gourd, poured a small half bowl of wine into Tang Lao'er's bowl, and said: "This wine is really strong, the host can taste it in a small sip." ”

The more he said this, the more Tang Lao'er didn't believe it, and when he picked up the bowl, the strong smell of wine came to his nose. At this time, his strength came up, and regardless of it, he drank the small half bowl of wine as soon as he raised his head.

This sip of wine rolled straight from the throat into the stomach like a ball of fire, and all the internal organs seemed to be burned.

Donald shouted "ah", slammed the bowl on the table, ran back to the counter with a straight face, and kept stomping his feet.

Tang's mother looked at the chair monster and asked, "Old man, why do you look like that?" Is this wine really strong? ”

"Fierce, fierce, as hot as fire! Oops, I feel dizzy after taking this sip of wine, I'm afraid I'm going to get drunk! ”

Tang's mother said angrily: "What are you talking nonsense! The wine at home can't be sold, usually you drink it, when do you get drunk after drinking such a small sip? Don't make excuses to be lazy, just watch there! ”

Tang Lao'er only felt that the world was spinning, and his stomach was like a fire, and he was miserable behind the counter.

At this time, Qi Benji came in from outside Shi Ran and talked to him about it. After sitting down at the table, he wanted some snacks and food, and when he turned his head and saw Donald Lao'er's strange appearance, he said to him: "Master, you look unwell, how can you still work here?" It's cold and it's not fun to be sick, so it's better to go back early and rest. ”

Tang Lao'er waved his hand: "It's not in the way, I just took a sip of your gourd's wine, and I didn't think it would be so strong." You don't have to worry about me, I'll just stand for a while, the wine is almost gone. ”

Qi Benji smiled: "How dare you drink this wine casually!" Let me tell you, the wine in the gourd comes from Kaifeng Mansion, the first fierce in the world! Previously, there were sporadic in Luoyang City, but the price was too expensive, and ordinary people couldn't reach it. Later, the Sansi shop opened, and only then did this cheap liquor be sold, but it was all bought up by the people in the city, and it couldn't reach our mouths. Recently, the twelve langs on the mansion of Zhang Xianggong in Fushanpo opened a stall on the side of the Luo River, I don't know where to buy it, there is no shortage every day, and we who have good wine have a good mouth. Master, you can't drink this wine, you'll get drunk if you dip it. ”

After speaking, he said to the little guy on the side: "The weather is cold, cut a plate of good mutton, and I will drink with the farmer!" ”

The little guy agreed, and quickly ran to the back to cut the meat.

In a moment, the mutton was cut, and the wine was already hot, and the servant brought it on a plate.

The two of them sat there, drank a few glasses of wine, ate meat, and said to Qi Dalang: "I know where Zhang Shishilang's wine came from. It turns out that this wine is brewed by the new Cao envoy's family, and it is usually sold to the Sansi shop, and then sold from the Sansi shop. Zhang Xianggong was kind to the Cao envoy before his death, and the Cao envoy took special care of him and sold wine to Twelve Lang, so he never lacked it. Speaking of which, with the care of the Cao envoy, Zhang Shishilang made a fortune and built a straw hut by the Luohe wharf, and only sold this liquor to the people on the wharf and the boatmen who came and went every day, plus some worthless cattle and sheep offal, which was really a good business. ”

Wine is a franchise, and Xu Ping can make wine at home, but he can't sell it himself. At first, it was sold to restaurants in Kaifeng City according to the quota, and later when the scale became large, it was directly wholesaled to the shops of the three divisions, and the shops of the three divisions were sold to the outside in a unified manner. Of course, the shops sell the cheapest liquor, and Xu Ping's family uses sweet sorghum to brew it, which is extremely worthless.

Originally, Xu Ping didn't want to monopolize this business, and the money he made from wine this year was too eye-catching. Who Cheng wanted to give the recipe to the third division and set up a liquor business for making spirits, but the wine produced was not cheaper than buying it from Xu Pingzhuang, and it was extremely troublesome. Zheng Xiang, who promoted the Treasury Division, took charge of the abolition of the liquor business, and still bought cheap spirits from Xu Pingzhuang.

Zhang Shishilang didn't have much capital, so he followed Xu Ping's suggestion and used the method of the Xu family in Baisha Town to sell spirits at the wharf, accompanied by braised tofu and various pigs, cows, and sheep in the water. They are all worthless dishes, just a convenient and large amount of food, which is specially sold to dock workers who do coolies and those who come and go to support boats, and the business is very prosperous.

With Xu Ping's care, there was never a shortage of wine brought by the three divisions to Zhang Shishilang, and the reputation slowly spread, and the drunkards in and out of the city went to him to drink, and there was a lot of income.

Donald Tossed behind the counter for a while, slowly drinking hard, and the talent seemed to come alive again. He still had some alcohol, but he wasn't used to drinking spirits, and he drank too quickly and became dizzy, and there was nothing wrong with him.

Coming out from behind the counter and sitting down at the table between Chong Yu and Qi Benji, Tang Lao'er listened for a while, and suddenly said: "That Zhang Shishilang you are talking about has made a lot of money by selling spirits and those worthless dishes?" ”

"Isn't it, he earns money from coolies and poor people, don't look at one person, there are not many people, but he can't stand many people." Restaurants are staring at the rich, but how many are the rich? There are still many poor people in this world! ”

"It's the way to go! Zhang Shishilang did it, why can't my restaurant do it? Little official, you can tell Twelve Lang for me, how about I also sell spirits here? Although Longmen Town is a small place, it is facing the main road to the south, and the Yi River passes through here, and there are many poor people! Moreover, there is a new dam outside, and I heard that there will be a few fields here in the coming year, all of which are spinning and weaving, and there should be a lot of people! ”

He smiled and said, "What you said is good, but how can I tell Twelve Lang?" I'm not familiar with him again. ”

Tang Lao'er instructed the little servant to serve another plate of good mutton, and said to the seed: "Isn't the adult in your family an official in the transfer department?" With this kind of feeling, you can always speak. ”

Qi Benji is an old patron here, and he can't bear to watch Tang Lao'er's family dump money for this restaurant, and if he sells spirits here, he can drink it conveniently, so he and Tang Lao'er persuaded him to plant a confession.

After drinking this wine, half a plate of mutton was put into the stomach, and the seed felt that his body was warm. After eating other people's soft mouths, he said to Tang Lao'er: "Since this is the case, I will try to say it, but it may be possible, and the master's family doesn't depend on me." ”

"One word for me is a great kindness, how can you blame the petty officials!" Donald said as he added wine to the seed. Let the little maid heat up some more wine, take a bowl for himself, and drink with the two.

At this moment, the door was suddenly opened, and three big men came in from outside, and when one big man entered the door, he shouted: "Brother Du, Ling has returned to Luoyang from Zhengzhou and came to see you!" ”