Chapter 41: Zhang's Winery

  Looking at the fleeting figure in front of him, Zhao Fei's memories that he had tried hard to forget suddenly came back to his mind. "It was actually her, it really was her." Looking at the mighty cavalry, looking at the exquisite carriage, and looking at the trembling soldiers, Zhao Fei finally realized the gap between them.

  The horse carriage had gone far away, and the city gate once again resumed its bustling scene. However, Zhao Fei stood there stupidly, motionless, not knowing what to do.

  "Little Fly, Little Fly, what's wrong with you?" Zhao Hu used his hand to wave in front of Zhao Fei's eyes, finding no reaction, then pulled at Zhao Fei's sleeve and shouted loudly: "Little Fly, what's wrong with you!"

  "Uh... Dad, I'm fine." Zhao Fei finally came back to his senses. Zhao Hu looked at him with a strange gaze, "What were you just staring at so intently?"

  "It's nothing... just nothing. I was just wondering who exactly was in that carriage, with such a big fanfare." Zhao Fei said casually.

  Before Zhao Hu could speak, Zhao Meng beside him said: "That's the Zhang family's carriage. Do you know the Zhang family? That's the biggest family in our city." As Zhao Meng spoke, he revealed an envious expression. And Zhao Fei nodded numbly.

  "Alright, don't mention those things anymore. Aren't you supposed to go into town with your dad to sell grain? Why aren't you going yet?" Zhao Meng couldn't help but say as he looked at the numb expression on Zhao Fei's face.

  "Right, let's go quickly, Xiao Fei." Zhao Hu called out.

  Zhao Fei nodded and said nothing, following behind Zhao Hu, entering the city with the crowd.

  As Zhao Fei and Zhao Hu walked away, the arrogant soldier who had just arrived came to Zhao Meng's side. Trembling with fear, he said: "Uh, Commander Zhao, I really didn't know he was your relative, so...so..."

  "What relatives, it's just my dad's friend. If the Zhang family's carriage wasn't coming, do you think I'd be willing to take care of this?" Zhao Meng glanced at the departing figures of Zhao Hu and his son.

  "That......" the soldier said in a low voice, but before he could finish, Zhao Meng waved his hand. "It's nothing, go back." Then he turned around and walked up to the city wall. The soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Damn, what a false alarm." He muttered to himself, then continued to return to the gate to stand guard.

  Walking on the bustling street, Zhao Fei's spirit was dazed and he lost his joyful mood. Seeing Zhao Fei's expression wasn't right, Zhao Hu stopped in his tracks, "Little Fei, what's wrong?"

  "It's nothing, Dad." Zhao Fei shook his head.

  "Have you been distracted since just now? Is everything really okay?" Zhao Hu asked anxiously.

  Looking at his father's aged face, and thinking of the miserable situation he had just been forced into, Zhao Fei's heart ached. At this time, he was still thinking about that impossible thing. "I'm really fine, Dad, don't worry, I just felt a little emotional when I saw them."

  "That's all someone else's, what's the point of thinking about it. Forget it, let's go." Zhao Hu shook his head and continued walking forward. Zhao Fei silently followed behind Zhao Hu. Before long, they arrived at a market, an outdoor market. Even before entering the market, they saw people crowded together, the sounds of vendors calling out to customers filled the air. The atmosphere was lively and bustling. Following Zhao Hu to an empty area, Zhao Hu took down a bag of packaged rice from the cart and began to hawk his wares.

  The morning passed in the blink of an eye, and although many people came to inquire about prices, only a few actually made a purchase. Zhao Hu felt somewhat fatigued, so Zhao Fei told him to take a rest on the side while he started hawking his wares. Before long, a young servant dressed in green clothes wandered over, swaying from side to side, and came to a stop in front of Zhao Fei.

  "How did you buy this grain?" The young servant asked Zhao Fei.

  When he saw the customer coming in, Zhao Fei hastily went forward to greet him. "One hundred and twenty-seven yuan. How about we settle the bill?" Zhao Fei had a smile all over his face as he looked at the young servant.

  The young servant looked at it for a moment, then thought for a moment. Then he said to Zhao Fei: "Alright, load all the grain, I'll take them all."

  After listening, Zhao Fei stood there stiffly. "You're saying you've taken everything?" He asked again, not daring to confirm what he had just heard, his face full of incredulity.

  "That's right, why don't you sell it?" The young servant looked at Zhao Fei with a face full of disdain.

  "Ah, sell, why don't you sell? Wait a minute." Seeing that the young man was really buying, Zhao Fei's tone changed. If I had known he was so easy to talk to, I would have asked for more, what a pity!

  "Dad, come quick, big deal." After using several forces, Zhao Fei found that he couldn't lift the grain on the ground and could only helplessly call for Zhao Hu's help. And as soon as Zhao Hu heard it, he rushed over in a hurry.

  "What's wrong."

  "He wants to buy all the grain and have us load it up and send it over," Zhao Fei said hastily.

  "Ah, okay, wait a moment." Zhao Hu exerted himself and lifted the grain onto the cart.

  Seeing Zhao Hu and his son had loaded the grain, "Alright, let's go." The young servant turned around and walked forward, with Zhao Hu hastily pushing the cart behind him.

  Following the young servant, Zhao Fei wandered around the city for several rounds. At this point, he was already confused about where he was and could only follow the young servant forward. As the young servant led them further and further into the wilderness, Zhao Fei's heart couldn't help but tighten. "Is this guy going to rob us or something? Why are we getting more and more remote?" With a suspicious gaze, Zhao Fei looked at the young servant, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

  The young servant brought Zhao Hu and his son to the front of a shop. "Alright, just wait here, I'll go call the boss," said the young servant as he walked in. Zhao Fei looked up and saw four characters written on the door: Zhang's Wine Workshop.

  "Zhang's winery? Could this be opened by Zhang's family?" Zhao Fei thought with his head down.

  "That's right, this is the Zhang family's place. I didn't expect you to be literate, little friend." Just as Zhao Fei was pondering, a voice came from beside his ear. He turned to look and saw a chubby middle-aged man smiling at him. Zhao Fei looked at the chubby man in surprise, knowing that it was rare to see such a person in ancient times. Through observation, Zhao Fei felt that this person was not ordinary, and beneath his kind smile, he revealed extraordinary cleverness.

  "Previously learned some from Mr., don't know who you are, Uncle?" Zhao Fei asked.

  "I am the boss of this wine shop." The man finished speaking, and Zhao Fei showed a satisfied expression.

  "Looking at the young friend's expression, I've already guessed that you're the boss of this winery. Why ask again?" The middle-aged man still had that unchanged smile, looking very approachable.

  Zhao Fei scratched the back of his head. "Heh heh, I just wanted to make sure."

  "Haha, alright, let's get down to business. Young fellow, how much is this grain selling for?" The middle-aged man put away his smile and looked very serious.

  "Shopkeeper, aren't you just joking? Didn't your partner already agree on the price just now? Are you trying to go back on your word?" Zhao Fei pretended to be calm, knowing that this person in front of him was definitely not easy to deal with. If he wasn't careful, he would lose completely.

  "Hehe, you said it was your buddy's promise, not mine. I think your price is a bit expensive, of course we need to discuss it carefully." The shopkeeper smiled at Zhao Fei, who felt his heart sink as he looked at the smiling shopkeeper.

  "Since the boss has said so, I have nothing to say. Let's go, Dad." Zhao Fei turned around and said to Zhao Hu, preparing to push the cart away. Although Zhao Fei seemed resolute on the surface, he was secretly shouting in his heart, "Call me! Call me and I'll stop!" However, to Zhao Fei's disappointment, the middle-aged man did not call out to him, but instead continued to smile at him. Zhao Fei felt anxious and deliberately slowed down his movements.

  "Alright, how long are you going to keep up this act." The middle-aged man finally spoke up, his words making Zhao Fei extremely embarrassed.

  "Haha, you found out." Zhao Fei scratched his head, saying somewhat embarrassedly.

  "With your acting skills, you think you can fool people? If I were really fooled by you, could I still be the boss?" The middle-aged man glanced at Zhao Fei.

  "This... this... heh heh." Zhao Fei didn't know what to say either, and could only smile foolishly.