Chapter 44: Brewing

A few years ago, Lin Dong would have immediately overturned the table. But now, reason told him that if he vented his anger now, the only option left would be to move the inn. Moving the inn out of Xilan City, even out of Qiufeng Mansion—just thinking about the time wasted in that process made Lin Dong feel distressed.

Cheng Wencai’s hands wandered back to Hua Hongyue’s dress, his expression calm, as if what he had said earlier was just casual talk with no real meaning. Kuang Tianwei and the others stared at Lin Dong intently, their eyes filled with sneers. Whether he refused or agreed, it was equally beneficial for them.

These few thousand taels of silver spent today were well worth it!

Smiling, Lin Dong said nonchalantly, “There’s no particular reason. It’s just that an expert came to the inn some time ago. Seeing how attentive our service was, he helped set up a few spirit arrays. Unfortunately, that expert has already left. Otherwise, I would have asked him to visit the county yamen no matter what.”

Cheng Wencai smiled without saying a word.

“Is that so? I don’t think so. How could such an expert possibly come to a small place like Xilan City?”

“Exactly! If that’s the case, I’m really curious. I wonder where exactly those spirit arrays are set up on the tables?”

Kuang Tianwei and Lou Jingsong pressed further.

Lin Dong ignored them, turning his gaze to Hua Hongyue and changing the subject, “She must be the top entertainer of Zuihonglou, Hua Hongyue, right?”

“Shopkeeper Lin has good eyes! But you still haven’t answered our county magistrate’s question! It’s just about how to arrange things to make dining more comfortable. Can’t you even tell us that?”

Hua Hongyue replied in a delicate voice, but quickly pushed Lin Dong back. Five hundred taels of silver for accompanying the county magistrate—even if Kuang Tianwei and Lou Jingsong hadn’t given any instructions, she knew what to say at this moment.

“I’ve long heard of your fame! Boss Kuang and Boss Lou are really resourceful, even managing to bring Miss Hongyue along as company,” Lin Dong said with admiration.

“Hongyue has long admired the county magistrate’s talent. With Boss Kuang and Boss Lou arranging it, how could she miss such a great opportunity?” Hua Hongyue gently traced circles on Cheng Wencai’s chest with her finger, saying sweetly, “Being able to dine at the same table as the county magistrate is a fortune Hongyue has worked hard for her whole life to earn.”

“She really knows how to talk!” Cheng Wencai applied slight pressure with his hands, causing Hua Hongyue to tremble delicately. Then he raised his gaze slightly and looked at Lin Dong indifferently.

“If I don’t tear these two wretches apart today, I’m not…”

At another table, the fierce woman was about to lose her temper again, and the maid hurriedly pulled her back.

“Madam, family secrets shouldn’t be exposed! If you scold the master here, and word gets out, he won’t be able to live a decent life anymore. Let’s talk about this tonight, shall we?”
The fierce woman gritted her teeth but gradually calmed down. Yet her gaze toward Cheng Wencai carried both a sense of comfort and blazing anger.
Lin Dong smiled, ignoring Cheng Wencai’s stare. After glancing at Kuang Tianwei and Lou Jingsong’s smug expressions, his tone turned stern: “Don’t you two realize that accompanying a brothel woman could ruin the county magistrate’s reputation?”
“What?” Hua Hongyue’s beautiful face suddenly darkened as she glared at Lin Dong angrily. “What did you say?”
Lin Dong ignored her and demanded coldly, “If this gets out, the county magistrate’s reputation will be completely ruined. I really want to know what your intentions are. Is it just to get hold of the spiritual array at Lin’s Inn?”
The two were furious. Kuang Tianwei stood up abruptly and shouted, “A graceful lady is meant for a gentleman. The county magistrate is busy with official duties all day; he deserves some relaxation. Only those with ulterior motives would think of exploiting this.”
Lin Dong sneered, “A graceful lady for a gentleman? Where do you put the county magistrate’s wife? If you’re looking for a noblewoman, that’s not entirely wrong. But to compare a brothel’s top dancer with the county magistrate’s wife…”
At another table, the young maid chuckled and whispered, “Madam, you were right. None of these men are good. Look at this Manager Lin—just now I thought he knew your identity and was defending you, but turns out he knows nothing and only looks down on brothel women.”
The fierce woman remained silent, her gaze toward Kuang Tianwei and the others gradually filled with anger.
Lin Dong’s words made him smile. If he really praised her to the skies, she would surely guess that he already knew her identity. In that case, he wouldn’t gain as much as he does now.
Hua Hongyue grew angry, her face turning red as she complained, “County magistrate, see how he speaks? He calls me a brothel woman, saying I’m not as good as any noblewoman, let alone the county magistrate’s wife.”
Cheng Wencai glanced at Lin Dong and said soothingly, “What are noblewomen anyway? All the noblewomen in the whole city of Xilan, in my eyes, are not even worth a finger of Hongyue’s.”
“What about the county magistrate’s wife?” Hua Hongyue pressed.

“This…” The might of the “tiger mother” was deeply ingrained in Cheng Wencai’s heart. Hearing this, he felt a slight tremor of fear. Seeing Huahongyue’s pitiful appearance, he couldn’t help but feel pity. Gritting his teeth secretly, he resolutely said, “What is she? Just a tiger mother! If not for our years of friendship, I would have divorced her already.”
“The county magistrate truly is a man of loyalty and righteousness,” Huahongyue said with coquettish laughter.
Remembering the “tiger mother,” Cheng Wencai didn’t dare waste too much time. He still had to fight against Huahongyue later; if he returned too late, it would be difficult to explain.
Reaching out with his right hand, Cheng Wencai took a sip from his wine glass and praised, “Manager Lin, the wine in your inn is also a specialty! Boss Lou said you have an ingredient that can make all wines better. I wonder what that ingredient is?”
Lou Jingsong was overjoyed and stared at Lin Dong without blinking.
Meanwhile, Cheng Wencai was about to draw his sword. On the other side, the “tiger mother” was pulled back by the maid again. Lin Dong realized the time was almost right.
Glancing at Huahongyue, Lin Dong showed a look of disdain before quickly changing the subject, “Comparing a brothel woman to the county magistrate’s wife? County magistrate, that’s inappropriate, isn’t it?”
Cheng Wencai frowned and was about to scold her when Huahongyue, furious, shrieked, “Why can’t I be compared to the county magistrate’s wife? In Xilan County, who doesn’t know that tiger mother is extremely ugly? Who doesn’t know she’s a fierce woman?”
“Shut up! You have no right to speak here!” Lin Dong shouted, quickly activating the inn’s system to turn off the comfort boost for the table where the “tiger mother” and the others were sitting.
“County magistrate, please, stand up for me…” Huahongyue cried, leaning on Cheng Wencai’s chest.
“Manager Lin, do you have the right to scold Huahongyue?”
Cheng Wencai was also angry. Huahongyue was sitting in his arms right now. If he hated her, wouldn’t that mean he didn’t respect him either?
“What if I told her to shut up?”
As the comfort boost was removed, the “tiger mother’s” mood suddenly worsened. Unable to control her emotions any longer, she stood up abruptly.
Cheng Wencai’s body trembled as he stared in horror at the woman wearing a hat and cloak—it was as if he were suddenly in a frozen wasteland, shivering violently. That voice was all too familiar to him, so familiar that it had become a shadow he could never erase in his life.
“What do you think you are?”
Seeing that Cheng Wencai was about to turn hostile, someone stepped in to defend her. Kuang Tianwei and the others were furious to the point of laughing.