Duke of Zhenguan

Looking at Zhou Si's smiling face, Lin Chuan cupped his hands in greeting and asked politely:

"May I ask what brings you here, Uncle Zhou?"

"Brother Lin Chuan, you really have a bad memory. Didn't I tell you a few days ago that I'm quite fond of your sister? As soon as I had some free time, I brought my brothers to propose marriage!"

"This twenty strings of cash is the betrothal gift, Brother Lin Chuan. Go and ask around, which family would be willing to spend twenty strings of cash to take a concubine? I am truly sincere!" Zhou Si pointed to the wooden box at his feet and said to Lin Chuan with a sincere expression.

"Uncle Zhou, my little sister is still young, I don't plan to marry her off now!" Lin Chuan shook his head.

"Brother Lin Chuan, do you think the betrothal gifts are too little? I'll add another ten strings of cash!" Zhou Si asked with a smile.

"Uncle Zhou, it's not about the money!" Lin Chuan shook his head again.

On Thursday, his smile widened, and he said softly:

"That's a matter of money. I'll just add another ten strings of cash!"

Brother Lin Chuan, forty strings of cash is quite a lot! I could buy a well-trained maid at the Jade Pavilion for that!

"Then Uncle Zhou can just go and buy one, why make things difficult for me?" Lin Chuan asked helplessly.

"I thought so too, but a couple of days ago, Brother Lin Chuan, you not only paid me back, but also bought a lot of things to give away."

I heard that the money came from selling two jars of wine. To be honest, Brother Lin Chuan, I am also a wine lover. I feel weak if I don't have a couple of sips a day. If Brother Lin Chuan had told me earlier that you had good wine at home, I would have bought it. You wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble, would you?

Then I thought, if I were to become related to Brother Lin Chuan's family through marriage, there would surely be plenty of wine, right? So that's why I shamelessly came to ask for his hand in marriage!" Zhou Si said with a smile.

Lin Chuan never expected that the news about selling alcohol would reach Zhou Si's ears. Now it seems that Zhou Si not only has his eye on Er Ya, but also on the alcohol.

Lin Chuan sighed inwardly. Although he knew it would be pointless to say anything, he still spoke:

"Uncle Zhou, the wine was bought by Father from the Hu people; there were only two jars!"

"Brother Lin, although I am a rough man, I am not a fool. If your father had this wine, would he need to come to me to borrow money?"

Thursday chuckled and whispered in Lin Chuan's ear:

"Brother Lin Chuan, think about it. If those powerful and influential people knew that you were the one who produced the wine that could sell for tens of thousands of strings of cash, could you keep it?

"I'm here to help you. Once we're family, Brother Lin Chuan, your problems are my problems!"

"We're really out of wine!" Lin Chuan shook his head again.

"It seems there's no point in trying to reason with Brother Lin Chuan!"

Thursday's face darkened, and he was about to continue speaking when a loafer next to him tugged at his sleeve:

"Brother Zhou, someone's coming!"

On Thursday, he turned his head and saw a dozen or so people on each side carrying shovels, carrying poles and other items, walking quickly towards him, blocking both ends of the alley. The leaders were the brothers Lin Jiu and Lin Shier.

Looking at the crowds on both sides, Zhou Si showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he smiled and waved to the idlers beside him.

"Go tell them I'm not here to cause trouble, I just want to talk to Brother Lin Chuan!"

Several idlers nodded and turned around to stop Lin Jiu and his group.

Thursday turned around and smiled at Lin Chuan, saying:

"Brother Lin Chuan, Lin Jiu and the others can protect you today, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?"

Your sister will eventually leave, right? You still have a few capable brothers under your command. Lin Jiu and Lin Twelve can protect you, but what about the others?

They can't protect you!

Despite such a blunt threat, Lin Chuan remained calm and asked with a smile:

"Uncle Zhou is so brazen, isn't he afraid I'll report him to the authorities?"

"Ha ha……"

As if he had heard an incredibly funny joke, Zhou Si laughed heartily until tears streamed down his face, then leaned close to Lin Chuan's ear and whispered:

"I didn't expect Brother Lin Chuan to be so naive. Brother Lin Chuan, this is Chang'an. If it weren't for the support of a noble person, do you think a refugee like me could have achieved my current status?"

Brother Lin Chuan, let me tell you the truth: if it's really good wine, even I can't keep it, but the benefactor behind me can.

The government is nothing but a tool in the hands of the powerful and wealthy. Do you really think these officials will stand up for us lowly commoners? Brother Lin Chuan, if you think any officials are trustworthy, go ahead and give them a try!

Lin Chuan nodded, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhou Si, and said:

"Thank you for letting me know, Uncle Zhou. I have some things to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer. Take care!"

"Oh!"

Thursday sneered and shouted at several idlers who were already on the verge of fighting with the crowd:

"Let's go!"

Watching Zhou Si and his men disappear into the alleyway on Thursday, Lin Chuan sighed. He had thought Zhou Laosi was just an ordinary thug, but it turned out he was a lackey of some powerful figure.

Zhou Laosi guessed correctly about the brewing incident, and regardless of whether he told the person behind him, the Molotov cocktail wouldn't solve the problem.

Dealing with Zhou Laosi is easy; the real trouble is being targeted by the powerful figures behind him.

We need to think of other ways!

Lin Jiu, carrying a shovel, strode over and asked in a deep voice:

"Big Brother, are you alright?"

"Uncle Jiu, it's alright!"

Lin Chuan gathered his thoughts and thanked each of the neighbors who had come to his aid:

"Uncle Twelfth, Uncle Wang, Uncle Tian... thank you for your help!"

"It's no trouble at all. Next time Zhou Laosi comes, just let Lin Dalang know!"

"That's right, we in Iron Ruler Alley aren't afraid of them!"

"..."

After a few polite exchanges, the people who had come to help gradually dispersed.

Lin Chuan saw everyone off. When he escorted Lin Jiu and Lin Twelve to the alley entrance, Lin Jiu advised them:

"Brother, Zhou Laosi is a ruthless man. Being targeted by him can be troublesome. Why don't you go somewhere else to avoid trouble?"

"Where can we go to escape the dead of winter?" Lin Shier sighed.

"My brother-in-law is a very righteous person. It wouldn't be a problem for me to stay at his house for ten days or half a month..." Lin Jiu said.

Lin Chuan shook his head and smiled as he said to Lin Jiu:

"Uncle Jiu, it's not that serious, I'll handle it!"

You can avoid it for a while, but you can't avoid it forever. Lin Jiu sighed and said softly:

"Be as careful as possible, and make sure Er Ya doesn't go out!"

"I know!"

After seeing Lin Jiu off, I returned home. As soon as I stepped through the gate, Li Shi, who was standing under the eaves, quickly went to greet me:

"Brother, what brings Zhou Laosi here?"

Lin Chuan looked at Er Ya, who was hiding behind Li Shi with a pale face, and replied evasively:

"He somehow heard about my wine business and wanted to buy some!"

Li hesitated for a moment, then asked softly:

"Should we distill the remaining fermented mash and sell it to him?"

"Mother, Zhou Laosi is a greedy man. If we sell him wine, he'll definitely want the brewing method..." Lin Chuan shook his head.

Li's face turned deathly pale, and she asked, completely bewildered:

"What should we do then?"

"Mother, I'll find a way to solve this!"

Lin Chuan's assurances did not put Li Shi at ease. The family sat around the fire, but Li Shi and Er Ya no longer had smiles on their faces.

As night fell, Lin Chuan lay on his straw sandals, wrapped in a tattered quilt stuffed with dry grass, and muttered to himself:

"At worst, I'll just run to the Vermilion Bird Gate and self-destruct!"