Chapter 19 Quick Project (IX)
When it got dark, a wealthy family in the village naturally invited the head constable to stay there. Huo Chong, Xu Youlin, and Zhu Erniu led their people to stay in the workshop.
During the day, they had to treat others to meals, and now it was finally their turn to eat. The dishes that had not been taken out in time were reheated, and with other food, a large table was set. Huo Chong sat down, and except for Xu Youlin who looked unhurried, everyone else looked at Huo Chong eagerly as he sat in the main seat and ordered the meal to start.
Huo Chong said nothing, nor did he pick up his chopsticks. According to Shandong custom, everyone else waited obediently. Not long after, Huo Chong's junior apprentice Shi Wang brought over a pot of steamed rice.
When Liu Shiwang sat down, everyone was also attracted by the steamed rice. From the ingredients, the steamed rice contained rice, millet, sorghum, soybeans, red beans, dates, walnut kernels, and even some green and red silk. It was indeed very rich.
From the appearance, this steamed rice was obviously steamed in a pot and then turned upside down in a basin. There was a layer of golden red translucent stuff on the surface . The ordinary grains and fruits covered under this layer of stuff immediately had a sense of mystery. Huo Chong directly picked up a bottle of strong liquor in a glass bottle and poured a lot of it on this layer of golden red translucent maltose. The strong liquor was ignited, and a light blue flame rose from the outside of the grain rice. After a while, the maltose gave off a sweet smell mixed with the aroma of wine due to the heat. Many of the people around couldn't help swallowing their saliva.
When the flames died down, the sweet taste had turned into a burnt sweet taste. Huo Chong then said to everyone, "Eat."
According to the rules, the elders should eat first. Huo Chong picked up some with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. Sure enough, the taste of caramel mixed with the taste of pure green grains, with a little wine aroma, it was indeed delicious.
It was the first time for the others to see such a cool way of eating with flames, so they carefully picked up the food that could be called a dessert. After a while, everyone praised it.
It is true that more people make work easier, and fewer people make eating easier. This large portion was eaten up in a moment. Starting with such a classic dessert, the family feast began.
The wine was made by Huo Chong, and everyone was still not used to it. But not being used to it didn't mean not getting drunk. Soon Zhu Erniu got drunk. He put his chopsticks heavily on the table and said loudly with an emphasis that he was drunk without knowing it: "Brother Huo, it's all your fault!"
Seeing Xu Youlin's surprised expression, Huo Chong smiled and said to him, "Brother Xu, you can get drunk with just one glass of this liquor."
"I'm not drunk! I'm not drunk!" Zhu Erniu disagreed with Huo Chong's statement in the standard manner of a drunk guy. "Today they wanted to smash my workshop, and I will make them pay back in the future."
Xu Youlin lowered his head and looked at his expression. He was probably about to cover his mouth and laugh out loud.
Zhu Erniu was totally unaware and continued to stare at Huo Chong and said loudly: "Brother Huo, I will follow you from now on. My workshop is your workshop!"
Although Zhu Erniu was drunk, Huo Chong didn't care. If Zhu Erniu dared to go to Grandpa Zhu again after sobering up, Huo Chong thought he would stuff Zhu Erniu into the wine vat and make him into human wine.
Zhu Erniu was talking about his drunkenness, and suddenly he started to cry and choke up. After that, he said some incomprehensible words. Huo Chong saw that Zhu Erniu was too inappropriate, so he could only go over and give Zhu Erniu a loving hug. Unexpectedly, Zhu Erniu hugged Huo Chong tightly and suddenly burst into tears, as if he had lost his parents.
Huo Chong felt that he had brought this upon himself. This was the inevitable consequence of paying attention to a drunkard.
After finally persuading Zhu Erniu, the third apprentice brother Li Tieniu had already grabbed Huo Chong's arm and started crying, "Big Brother, today the second apprentice brother beat us. After all, he is the second apprentice brother, how could he beat me!"
Another drunk, Huo Chong sighed. But after so many years of being brothers, it would be strange if the third brother didn't feel uncomfortable when being beaten by the second brother Zhu Youquan.
With these two leading the way, the table was bustling with activity. Some cried while drunk, some cried while drunk, some persuaded others while drunk, some expressed their loyalty while drunk. After all this trouble, Huo Chong finally managed to put them to bed one by one. There were only two people left in the yard who were not drunk.
As soon as he sat down, he heard Xu Youlin, who had been silent all this time, speak, "Huo... Huo... Brother..."
Well! It seems that I am the only one who is not drunk. Huo Chong revised his previous opinion. Then he heard Xu Youlin continue to say: "Huo...Brother Huo, this wine...is really good."
Huo Chong explained: "If I brew some wine that is as good as water, how can I show it to the public?"
"You don't have to tell me, I... I know..., you ordered that thing to show me that there are many ways to use this wine." Xu Youlin's eyes were wide open, but at least what he said was reliable.
Huo Chong really didn't want to take care of a drunkard who was not drunk, so he simply picked up Xu Youlin and threw him on the bed, then slept with several others.
After dealing with these guys, Huo Chong walked back to the yard. The table was a mess, but Huo Chong didn't want to clean it up. The previous beds had been cleared long ago, and now the drunkards were sleeping soundly on them.
Huo Chong took out a few bundles of straw from the fire and spread them in the yard. He lay down in his clothes. The sky at that time was extremely pure, and the stars were so low that they seemed to be within reach.
The crisis seemed to be coming to an end. All that was left to do was to fight back to his hometown and drive out Zhu Youquan and his gang that had occupied the house. To do this before the head of the police came, Huo Chong undoubtedly needed to defeat all the opponents first. I don't know how Xu Youlin managed to get the government, but now the gang that supported Zhu Youquan behind the scenes knew that Huo Chong had someone in the government. The only one Huo Chong needed to deal with was Zhu Youquan.
As he was thinking, Huo Chong opened his eyes and saw that it was daybreak. It turned out that he had slept for a whole night.
The air was cool in the early morning, and the bright blue sky was high and far. Huo Chong got up from the straw bed and saw Xu Youlin coming from the toilet. He said to Huo Chong, "Brother Huo, don't sleep a little longer." He spoke clearly at this time, and there was no sign of drunkenness from last night.
"Brother Xu, I'm sorry for the expense." Huo Chong sighed. Xu Youlin couldn't pay for this alone, Huo Chong had to pay half. But now his pockets were empty, so he could only...
"It didn't cost any money. County Magistrate Xu is my relative, so he is willing to help with this." Xu Youlin replied calmly.
Huo Chong was really stunned, as if, perhaps, Xu Youlin had said something similar at some point in the past.
Seeing Huo Chong's expression, Xu Youlin pulled a stool and sat down, sneering: "Humph! Brother Huo is really a noble man who forgets things easily. When you pinched my neck and threatened me, you said you were going to file a lawsuit."
"Oh... ah... yes... that's the case." Huo Chong finally remembered. It was the case. But...
"Please ask my family to send someone to lock you up. The money still needs to be spent. In the end, I'm afraid I won't get anything back. Besides, brother Huo, I accept what you said. We are in the same boat." Xu Youlin's mind was very clear after sobering up.
Huo Chong felt that there was no point in saying anything more, so he could only say: "I will remember this favor. If Brother Xu knows where the person who cheated you is, I am willing to help."
Xu Youlin waved his hand bitterly, "We'll talk about that later. I'm going to the canal today to bring my people back. Brother Huo, hurry up and make the wine and bottles. Also, Brother Huo, you won't only use colored glaze to make the bottles, right?"
Huo Chong was also happy that his partner was so smart. "Of course, I will make the colored glaze into devices as soon as possible. I think it will sell better."
Xu Youlin didn't say much. He took some food from the table that he hadn't finished yesterday to fill his stomach and went out.
Huo Chong waited for his fellow apprentices to wake up, eat something, and then headed straight for the house. The fellow apprentices didn't say anything along the way, and when they reached the door, they saw it was closed. Huo Chong was about to climb over the wall, when he heard his younger apprentice say, "Big Brother, why don't we knock on the door?"
This suggestion made Huo Chong unhappy, but after thinking about it, he said to his third apprentice brother Tie Niu: "Tie Niu, knock on the door."
Li Tieniu strode forward and knocked hard on the door. Not long after, the door opened. Third apprentice brother Li Tieniu quickly stepped back. The person who opened the door did not close it. Not long after, the door opened completely and seven or eight people came out. Second apprentice brother Zhu Youquan came out with a dark face and shouted at Huo Chong: "Huo Chong, where did you hide the master's money?"
Haha! Huo Chong couldn't help laughing. This fool Zhu Youquan seemed to have searched the house thoroughly. I just don't know if he dug deep into the ground.
In terms of timing, this was indeed the best time. However, no matter how good the timing was, once the basic facts were wrong, the more sophisticated the action, the more ridiculous it would look. Zhu Youquan must have thought that his master Uncle Liu had left all the money to Huo Chong. He probably never thought that his master Uncle Liu had taken all the money and ran away.
But he knew in his heart that Huo Chong would never take the blame. So Huo Chong said with a stern face: "Zhu Youquan, you took the master's money, and you dare to blame him..."
Zhu Youquan's face was already ferocious. Without waiting for Huo Chong to finish his words, he waved his hand and shouted to the people who followed him: "Catch him and search for Master's money!"
