Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Good heavens!

"Seniors, I am so honored to meet you in person. I am incredibly excited. Shall I kowtow to you to express my gratitude?" He said, and was about to kneel down.

Of course, it's just a gesture, a token of respect.

He also knew that these people would definitely not allow him to kneel.

Sure enough, Lao She quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "No, no, no! This is a new society now, we talk about equality, how can you still do this? Get up, get up!"

"Let's have dinner together, drink, and chat!"

"Hey!" Liu Dong sat down and sat in the last seat to keep him company.

The moment the wine jar was opened, the whole room was filled with its fragrance.

Someone took a sip, squinted, and exclaimed, "What excellent wine... the taste is absolutely amazing!"

"I've had this wine before, I never imagined it came from your family, Xiao Liu!"

After taking a few sips, the aroma of the wine had barely settled in their mouths when they immediately began praising Liu Dong.

Liu Dong grinned: "Hey, I didn't brew it. It's a recipe left by the old man... I don't know anything about these things."

"You're still pretending! Little Liu, don't be modest!" Mr. Baishi slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was quite lively.

Mr. Xu, who was playing the erhu, suddenly became interested: "I haven't played in ages, and I'm itching to get back to it. Wan Hua, how about a bit of 'Borrowing the East Wind'? I'll accompany you!"

Mr. Mei waved his hands repeatedly: "Forget it, forget it. I'm just an old man, my voice is gone, and my movements are stiff. People will laugh at me if I sing!"

"Let Xiao Liu give one a try, his voice is really bright!"

Liu Dong smiled awkwardly: "I really can't sing opera... but since you've specifically asked me to, I'll have to bite the bullet and sing one—here's what I'll do: I'll write down a score, and you can play it."

After speaking, he picked up his pen and quickly wrote a new sheet of paper, handing it over.

Mr. Xu took the score, raised his eyebrows, picked up the erhu and tried it out twice.

The moment the music began, it was like the wind entering a pine forest; the moment the fingertips touched the bowstring, the entire courtyard seemed to be enveloped by the sound waves.

Then, Liu Dong spoke:

Everyone was stunned when he shouted that.

With his musical talent, Liu Dong mastered this song perfectly, building up the emotions layer by layer, making listeners' hearts clench.

As the last note faded, the entire audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers.

Only Mr. Mei sat in the corner, two lines of tears silently sliding down his cheeks, muttering to himself, "Well said... even better sung... absolutely amazing..."

"Xiao Liu, your singing today was truly outstanding! It was so captivating!"

"Give me a copy of this sheet music; I'll study it when I get home!"

The way everyone looked at Liu Dong changed; it was as if they were getting to know him all over again.

Before the dinner party ended, Mr. Qi Baishi, still in high spirits, picked up his brush with trembling hands and painted a picture of "Drunken Shrimp" on the spot, which he then presented to Liu Dong.

Others also participated, but they weren't drawn on the spot; they were all drafts he had prepared in advance.

At this moment, Mei Lanfang casually picked up the remaining five catties of old wine on the table: "I'll take all the rest of this wine, don't stop me—I'm a famous drunkard!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

He turned around, pulled out a small note, and shoved it into Liu Dong's hand: "I can't drink your wine for free, take this! Consider it a return gift!"

Liu Dong unfolded it and his heart raced – it was a bicycle purchase quota!

This stuff is hard currency right now!

Can I still buy a used car? Or a new one?

Without this note, even money won't get you anywhere.

Perfect timing! He was just thinking of getting Chen Xueru a new car—how could he use an old car that his own wife rode?

"Thank you so much, Mr. Mei! I won't accept your thanks!"

Mei Lanfang waved his hand dismissively: "No need for formalities! Alright everyone, we've eaten and drunk our fill, I'm leaving now!"

As he walked out, he hummed the tune he had just played.

She left the Qi family compound with a graceful, swaying gait.

It's another morning.

By the end of September, the summer heat had long since vanished, and Beijing was cool in the mornings and evenings, with residents donning jackets as they went out.

Liu Dong pushed his bicycle out of the house.

Upon arriving at the Intermediate People's Court, I ran into Qin Huairu, who was washing clothes.

She looked up and saw Liu Dong. Her eyes flickered slightly, revealing something indescribable—longing, anticipation, and a touch of emptiness.

Liu Dong greeted her with a smile, "Huai Ru, it's been a long time!"

"Hmm..." She composed herself and replied softly, "Brother Liu Dong, it's been so long since I've seen you. Are you working at the steel mill now?"

"Yes, we just went in." Liu Dong nodded.

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu came out of the house.

The two of them had very long faces.

Jia Zhangshi's leg injury has actually allowed her to walk again. Although she still has a slight limp, her recovery is obviously much faster than expected.

Liu Dong was taken aback: It's only been a little over two months? Doesn't it take a hundred days to recover from a broken bone? This old lady's recovery is amazing...

He chuckled and said, "Huai Ru, if Dong Xu bullies you in the future, just tell me, and I'll stand up for you, hehe."

After saying that, he got into the car and drove off.

Jia Dongxu's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He rushed up to Qin Huairu and hissed, "Were you deliberately talking to Liu Dong just now?!"

"He's the kind of person who has bad intentions!"

Qin Huairu glanced at him indifferently, a cold smile playing on her lips: "What can he do to me? You already sent me to borrow someone's seed, and you're worried about someone else making a move on your wife?"

"Keep the hell down!" Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth. "Don't let Mom hear!"

"snort."

Qin Huairu lowered her head and continued washing the clothes, ignoring him completely.

On the other side, in the small tavern at the front gate.

Fan Jinyou walked in wearing a smart Zhongshan suit.

"Good morning, Manager!"

Zhao Yali, Chef Ma, and two workers quickly stood up and greeted them respectfully.

"Hmm," Fan Jin replied with a slightly aloof air. "Old Ma, has the wine come in yet?"

Old Ma nodded: "It's in!"

"I made a special trip to Niulanshan—but the Shunyi Distillery is gone."

"Huh?" Fan Jin was taken aback. "What happened?"

"Now, with the implementation of public-private partnerships, the so-called unified allocation of resources, the higher-ups have merged Shunyi Distillery, Zhanji, Hengxing, and eight other companies, a total of eleven companies, into one factory called Erguotou Distillery."

"This liquor... I got it directly from the factory. Don't worry, it's still 52% ABV, made from pure grains, and the taste is almost the same as before!"

"Alright then!" Fan Jin nodded.

Accountant Zhao Yali looked troubled.

Fan Jin noticed and turned to ask, "Zhao Yali, what's wrong? Do you have a problem with me?"

"How could I!" Zhao Yali quickly waved her hand. "How could I dare to have a problem with you... I just finished calculating the accounts, and now I'll tell you about them."

"Oh?" Fan Jinyou perked up. "Go on."

Zhao Yali opened the ledger: "At this rate, the tavern isn't even making enough money to pay the three of us, let alone give Xu Huizhen a share of the profits."

Fan Jinyou frowned: "So... how much money do we actually save in a month?"