Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 39
For Wang Xi, selling wine was a minor matter; the key was the nameless academy and how to accept newcomers, a task that required considerable skill.

Having just finished dinner, Wang Xi lay half-reclined on the couch, swinging his toes back and forth as he pondered a solution.

Suddenly, he looked at Sister Hua, who was happily eating beside him, and said, "Sister Hua, when Mei, Zhu, Ju, and Lan were around, they would always feed me these fruits first, but you seem to only care about eating them yourself. Look at you, you've gotten quite rounder lately."

Sister Hua swallowed it whole. "Young master is still too young and doesn't understand the dangers of this world. Of course, I should eat this fruit first. What if someone poisons it?"

"I see." Wang Xi nodded, then added, "I really look forward to someone trying to poison me."

"???"

"correct."

Wang Xi suddenly asked, "Sister Hua, do you know anything about traditional opera, you know, the kind where people perform stories on stage?"

"Oh."

Sister Hua said, "Young master, are you perhaps referring to a military drama?"

"A military drama?"

Wang Xi carefully searched his memory and found that he actually remembered this military ad. To put it simply, during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Shi Le of the Later Zhao Dynasty ordered an actor to play the role of a military officer because a military officer was corrupt. Another actor would then tease him from the sidelines, and this gave rise to a performance style.

Similar to crosstalk, it is witty, humorous, and highly satirical.

It's surprising that even feudal society produces satirical literature. Wang Xi was secretly astonished, but after thinking it over, he couldn't recall anything else. He suddenly said, "I have seen this play about joining the army, but it's the only one I've ever seen."

Sister Hua said, "There aren't many performances like this. There's only this one, but the lyrics are different. Some are very funny, and some aren't."

"That's all there is to it."

Wang Xi suddenly sat up.

Sister Hua was startled: "What's wrong?"

Wang Xi was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing." He lay down again and casually said, "If it's not poisonous, then feed it to me."

"Yes."

Hua Jie looked down and then said in a serious tone, "Young Master, next time when I'm tasting the food, please don't talk to me. Once I start talking, I can't stop. I'll go get you some more."

The next day.

"You all need to hurry up and check again where it's not cleaned properly."

"Master, even if we do have guests today, they wouldn't be here this early!"

"Now you can't even get me to work? I think you've been idle for too long."

"Of course not, we're happy to have work to do."

Before dawn, Bai Siyong was already ordering the bartenders around, as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

In fact, Bai Siyong had always been very worried about cooperating with Wang Xi and his group because the difference in their social classes was too great. He had to listen to Wang Xi's words, whether they were good or bad. However, it didn't matter if Wang Xi made a mistake, but he couldn't afford to make one.

Before they knew it, it was already dawn, and Bai Siyong quickly instructed the bartender to open the door.

"Daddy."

At this moment, Bai Ningsu entered the hall through the back door.

Bai Siyong hurriedly asked, "Is everything ready in the kitchen?"

"Already prepared."

Bai Ningsu nodded and said, "Father, you should go and rest for a while. You've been busy for more than an hour and haven't even had a sip of water. Anyway, no guests will come this early."

No sooner had he finished speaking than three young men entered the shop, shaking their heads and looking around.

That's a slap in the face.

Bai Siyong gently patted the bartender who was still in a daze, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go serve the customers!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

The bartender hurriedly went to greet them, "Three distinguished guests, please come in, please come in."

The young man in the middle said, "Oh! There's a bartender who can talk. I thought this was a room full of mute people."

He doesn't sound like someone to be trifled with.

Bai Ningsu secretly sized up the three people. Seeing that their demeanor and clothing were no different from Wang Xi's, she thought to herself, "I understand now. These three must have been summoned by that dog-headed vulture. They only know how to play these little tricks. But they don't even realize that if these people sit in the shop, no one will dare to come here to eat."

She was about to tell her father her thoughts when Bai Siyong stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, our shop has not been hospitable. We hope the three of you will forgive us."

The young man sized up Bai Siyong and asked, "Is this the place called Yi Xian Jue?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

"This is it."

The young man winked at his two companions, and the three of them found a private room on the first floor and sat down.

Bai Siyong then personally went over and asked, "What would you three distinguished guests like to eat?"

The young man said, "Pour me a full glass of wine first. As for the dishes, bring out the best, but not too many, just enough to fill this table."

"what?"

"Don't you understand?"

"understand."

Bai Siyong nodded and said, "Please wait a moment, distinguished guests."

After saying that, he turned around and went to Bai Ningsu. "What are you still standing here for? Go to the kitchen."

Bai Ningsu hurriedly said, "Father, it's them."

Before she could finish speaking, Bai Siyong said, "No matter who they are, let's do our job first."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ningsu knew that her father had already noticed the problem, and nodded gently, "Daughter understands."

Then she turned and went to the kitchen.

The father and daughter were right; the three were indeed Cui Gu'er, Xue Jun, and Han Xiaohu.

Xue Jun surveyed the shop's decor, finding it quite ordinary and not at all befitting their status. He then asked Cui Gu'er, "Is this really the place? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"Don't worry, Brother Que repeatedly told me, I won't forget," said Orphan Cui.

"This shop is pretty ordinary," Han Xiaohu said curiously. "Why would our Nameless Academy sell alcohol here?"

He already considered himself a student of the nameless academy.

Cui Gu'er shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Anyway, Brother Que just asked us to come and support them and help them with their homework."

Xue Jun suddenly seemed to remember something, "I seem to have heard before that Brother Que took a fancy to the cook at a certain restaurant, could it be this one?"

Han Xiaohu blinked, then suddenly turned around and looked, "Huh? Where did everyone go?"

Turning back, he whispered to Xue Jun and Cui Gu'er, "Could it be that young woman from earlier?"

Xue Jun nodded and said, "That should be right, that should be right, that woman is quite pretty."

Cui Gu'er exclaimed, "This has nothing to do with us. We're just here to drink. If we complete this task, we'll get the exam content."

After a while, a plate of cooked meat and a pot of wine were served. Since the cooked meat was prepared in advance, it was served quickly.

"Pour it up, pour it up," Han Xiaohu urged.

The bartender immediately poured them three glasses of wine.

"It smells so good!" Han Xiaohu exclaimed excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

Cui Gu'er said, "My father loves this wine so much. The other day he got a jar from the teacher, and he really didn't let me drink a single drop."

Upon hearing this, Bai Siyong, who was standing nearby, became even more certain of her thoughts.

However, Cui Gu'er was quick-witted and suddenly glanced at Bai Siyong, "Alright, you can go now, don't disturb our drinking."

"Yes, please enjoy your meal, distinguished guests."

After Bai Siyong left, the three of them quickly clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

"Wow!"

The three of them stuck out their tongues at the same time and smacked them a few times.

"This wine is really strong, oh my."

Han Xiaohu stuck out his tongue a few times, but his face showed an excited expression.

Cui Gu'er blinked, feeling the spiciness. "No wonder my father loves this wine so much. Compared to this wine, what we used to drink was like water, tasteless and bland."

The three of them quickly poured themselves another glass. This time, they were wiser; instead of gulping it down, they sipped it slowly and savored it. Bai Siyong stood not far away, quietly watching them.

Just then, a bartender came over and said, "Boss, it seems they all really like this drink."

Bai Siyong, however, showed no joy. "Go about your business. None of the guests we have today are easy to deal with. If anything goes wrong, I can't protect you."

Just then, four more young men entered, each dressed in silk robes and wearing jade pendants at their waists, clearly indicating that they were either rich or noble.

Bai Siyong's legs and feet became even more agile than the bartender's, and she immediately went to meet him.

The four men merely glanced at Cui Gu'er and the others, the two groups exchanging a few glances, everything understood without a word.

However, this was just the beginning. Guests came one after another, but without exception, they were all young men, generally no older than sixteen.

Within just one hour, the shop was completely full, and it was bustling with activity.

Bai Ningsu, who had been busy in the kitchen for an hour, was filled with curiosity as she listened to the commotion in the main hall. So she quietly came to the main hall and took a look inside, but instead of being pleased, she was worried.

What are you doing out here?

When Bai Siyong saw her daughter, she quickly went over to her.

Bai Ningsu whispered, "Father, you can tell at a glance that these people were called by that dog-headed vulture, so the idea was definitely not Mr. Wuming's."

Before he finished speaking, several middle-aged men entered the room.

A bartender quickly went up to them, "I'm so sorry, our shop is already full."

"It's already full."

"Yes."

Seeing the bartender preparing to usher the guests outside, Bai Siyong suddenly remembered something, quickly went over, and took out a wooden sign. "If you guests are willing to wait, you can take this sign and sit outside for a while. When there are empty seats, I will have the bartender invite you."

"What? You have to queue to eat? Do you think you're the only restaurant in the city? That's incredibly arrogant."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Bai Siyong was covered in sweat and kept nodding and apologizing.

He dared not do it, but he had no choice; it was the hawk's order.

The middle-aged man suddenly reached out and snatched the wooden sign from Bai Siyong's hand. "Remember, call us when there are empty seats."

"Huh? Oh, okay, okay, definitely." Bai Siyong looked at the middle-aged men with a puzzled expression.

Bai Ningsu, standing inside, was full of confusion, thinking to herself, "These people don't seem to be the ones that the dog-headed vulture summoned."

"Oh my, this young lady is really pretty."

Suddenly, a laugh was heard.

Bai Siyong turned around and saw a young man with a flushed face, his eyes darting around and looking at Bai Ningsu. She couldn't help but think to herself, "Oh no!" and quickly walked over.

Before he could speak, a hand suddenly reached out from behind the young man, grabbed him, and dragged him inside. "Don't do anything rash, that's Que Ge'er's woman."

Bai Siyong breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and quickly went to her daughter's side, saying, "Why don't you go back to the kitchen?"

Bai Ningsu's cheeks flushed red like a sunset, and she nodded, "Oh."

He turned and headed towards the back door, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, who's his woman? That's utter nonsense."

They had already finished their first round of this delicacy, but the tavern across the street had just opened. The owner came out, stretched, and suddenly heard a commotion coming from not far away. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Where is that noise coming from?"

The bartender who opened the door immediately asked, "Is this the 'One Fresh Delicacies' side?"

"How is that possible?"

The shop owner said, "It's only been a short time, yet the shop is already so lively, let alone Yixianjue, which is about to close."

After saying that, he suddenly looked delighted and said, "Go and see, perhaps that gull-headed vulture is causing trouble again."

"Yes! I'll go take a look right away."

The bartender quickly ran over, and after a while, he returned, panting heavily, and said, "Boss, no, it's not a disturbance, it's just that the place is really full."

"What's full?"

"The place is full of guests."

"Nonsense, how could that be?"

"It's true, it seems that a local specialty has created a new wine that has attracted all the customers."

"New wine?"

"Mmm, it smells so good! I could smell it from outside the door."

Inside a teahouse at the right intersection of Yi Xian Jue Road.

"Where is that noise coming from?"

A middle-aged man entered the tea stall and looked around.

The waiter at the teahouse said, "It's absolutely delicious."

"A delicacy of unparalleled freshness?"

The middle-aged man said, "I heard that Yixianjue is about to close down!"

"They've come back to life!"

The waiter said, "Today, Yixianjue is selling a new wine called Hero Wine, which has attracted many customers."

"Hero's Wine?"

The middle-aged man chuckled. "Does drinking this wine make you a hero?"

A young customer nearby said, "Drinking this wine may not make you a hero, but only by possessing a heroic spirit can you truly appreciate its flavor."

As he spoke, he shook his head and looked completely absorbed.

"is it?"

The middle-aged man scoffed, "I don't believe it. What kind of wine is so magical? I'll go try it."

Not only the young customer, but almost all the customers under the tea stall laughed.

What are you laughing at?

"This wine isn't something you can just drink whenever you want."

"What's wrong? Is it some kind of celestial wine?"

The middle-aged man turned around and strode towards a fresh delicacy.

But after a short while, he returned, holding a wooden sign, and said somewhat awkwardly, "So you were sitting here in line!"

In front of the West Market Gate.

"Is it real?"

"Why would I lie to you? My son was carried back by others. I heard that after drinking a sip of Hero's Wine, there is no more strong liquor in the world, and the whole street is filled with the aroma of wine."

"Oh my! Now that you mention it, I'm itching to go! Let's hurry up and move on!"

On a nearby carriage, a dark-faced man was grinning wickedly at the two drunkards.

There were three other people sitting inside the carriage: Wang Xi, Li Jieman, and Huangfu Sengnian.

Li Jieman chuckled and said, "Brother Que, you've chosen a really good name for this wine. Just the name alone has attracted all the guests."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "The name of this wine is just icing on the cake. The key is that he not only had the orphans go inside to support it, but he also bribed people outside to speak on his behalf."

At this moment, Wang Shuang suddenly lowered the curtain, kicked Li Jieman, and made a shushing gesture.

The three of them simultaneously gave each other questioning looks.

Wang Shuang pointed outside.

Li Jieman secretly lifted the carriage curtain, immediately gasped, and whispered, "Our father."

Wang Xi frowned. "This is outrageous."

Wang Shuang hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Xi said, "What time is it? Why are they out drinking? They've obviously left early. They're so irresponsible. I have to talk to them."

Three hands immediately blocked his way.

“We haven’t finished school yet either,” Li Jieman said, trembling.

(End of this chapter)