Chapter 55: Millennium Jade Dew

In the early morning, as the sun rose on the horizon, a series of crisp, frequent crackling sounds could be heard on Shi Bei Street. At the entrance of the new inn, Lin Dong cheerfully exchanged pleasantries with the neighbors and guests who came to offer congratulations. As more diners entered the hall, his smile grew even wider.

At the entrance, San Jiaoyan and Liu Hao stood on either side, each holding a bamboo pole adorned with long firecrackers, beaming with joy. Zhang Ye was busy tying and lighting the firecrackers, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Inside, the staff were bustling about. Wang Liuze, the manager, shuttled between the diners and the regulars who had moved from the old inn, his smile never fading for a moment.

The festivities continued until noon, when a thick layer of red paper scraps piled up at the inn’s entrance, and the crackling of firecrackers finally came to an end.

Lin Dong had stood outside all morning, listening to the sound of the firecrackers. When they suddenly stopped, his ears felt unaccustomed, buzzing for a while before returning to normal.

After such a busy morning, it was time to return to practicing. Lin Dong sighed, rubbing his stiff face, and was about to enter the hall when Wang Liuze stepped out. Though his face still showed a smile, it wasn’t as natural as before.

“Owner…” Wang Liuze hesitated.

“What is it?” Lin Dong wasn’t too concerned. His face ached from smiling all morning. He figured Wang Liuze must be even more exhausted from running back and forth between the hall and the rooms.

“There isn’t a single diner on the second floor,” Wang Liuze said helplessly. On such a special day, he didn’t want to dampen Lin Dong’s spirits.

“No diners at all?” Lin Dong frowned and looked up at the second floor, but could only see the high rooftops.

Although the new inn had opened, these private rooms not only lacked any discounts but also raised the seating fee from one tael of silver per hour to one tael per half hour. Yet, the comfort of the dining tables in these rooms had increased from twice to three times, and since all the rooms were managed by Chef Jiang Kui, with his cooking skills boosted by three times, they should be more attractive than before.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Dong smiled and said, “Did you forget to inform those diners who used to eat at the old inn about the opening of the new inn?”

Wang Liuze shook his head. “For over ten days, I mentioned it to every diner who used the tables that required a seating fee when they checked out.”

“Not even Mother Tiger came?”

Wang Liuze shook his head again.

Lin Dong felt a bit more at ease. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Even die-hard customers like the tiger mother haven’t shown up. It must be because there’s something going on in Xilan City today, and all the wealthy families have gone there. Have someone investigate.”
Wang Liuzhi thought it made sense and nodded immediately.
“Go ahead with your work! Notify me if any guests come to the second floor. I’m going to the back yard.”
Lin Dong felt helpless. Fortunately, a level-3 inn could only have 20 dining tables to earn experience points, and the already full first floor was sufficient. Having no customers on the second floor only meant less income.
He opened the inn system, deleted all ten tables on the second floor, and added back the ten tables on the first floor that hadn’t been included in the system. Then he headed to the back yard.
After a slight hesitation, Lin Dong went to Old Ding’s room and knocked on the door.
“The door isn’t closed. Come in!”
Lin Dong rubbed his face, and his stiff smile reappeared as he pushed open the door. A strong smell of alcohol hit him.
“Old Master Ding, have you reached the Imperial Sky Realm yet?”
“I’m still thinking about it,” Old Ding replied, lying back on the wooden bed, drinking fine wine while enjoying Liu Xiu massaging his legs for him.
“Alright, then. Take your time, old master. I won’t disturb you.”
Lin Dong nodded. He asked from time to time, and the answer was always the same. Having heard it many times, he had gotten used to it.
Just wait patiently! The old man surely wouldn’t let his sect’s secret technique be lost.
“Wait… I was just thinking of asking you!”
Old Ding grinned at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong felt a stir in his heart. Judging from the old man’s expression, he probably wanted something from him. Maybe he could even obtain the Imperial Sky Realm.
“Well…” Old Ding scratched his head and said with a squint, “All these drinks are good, but it’s a bit boring having only these kinds every day, right?”
Lin Dong laughed. If not for holding back, his smile could have been as bright as the sun.
Old Ding was a super drunkard. Once he encountered good wine, his mind would easily get confused. To make him hand over the Imperial Sky Realm, it was necessary to tie it to good wine.
The chance to get the Imperial Sky Realm ahead of time was right in front of him!
“Old master, it’s not that I deliberately only give you these kinds of wine. It’s just that… good wine is hard to find! These are the results of great effort and hard work on my part to obtain them,” Lin Dong said, forcing a look of difficulty, which, combined with his still-present smile, looked somewhat strange.
Old Ding had known Lin Dong for some time and understood his expression immediately. It was obvious he wanted to raise the price.
Since he wanted to raise the price, it meant he could get other good wines.

With a sarcastic remark about hypocrisy, Old Ding’s mouth stretched open a bit more, and the smile on his face became even friendlier: “Brother Lin Dong, I only have another half year to live. All I want in this life is to taste some good wine. You can’t refuse to help me with this last wish!”
They’re already calling each other brothers? Lin Dong grew even more convinced. He simply took out a bench, sat down, and crossed his legs.
“Elder, I wonder what the best wine you’ve ever had was?”
Hearing this, Old Ding’s eyes lit up with excitement. “If we’re talking about the best wine, it’s definitely the Thousand-Year Jade Dew from Fengji Winery in the capital. Just a small sip, and its flavor lingers for a long time, leaving an unforgettable taste that one can’t forget for decades. Compared to Thousand-Year Jade Dew, even the fine wines you’ve brought me lately, or even the imperial tributes, are nothing but horse urine.”
Lin Dong pressed on, “Is this Jade Dew available for purchase?”
“It’s gone. What’s there to sell?” Old Ding sighed helplessly. “It’s all because I was greedy back then. I drank up the only jar in one go.”
Lin Dong frowned. “Just one jar?”
“That’s right, just one jar. The ancestors of Fengji Winery really should have buried more jars back then,” Old Ding said irritably.
“Elder Ding…” Liu Xiu, standing nearby, stared in shock. “Could you be the wine thief for whom Fengji Winery offered a reward of one million taels of gold?”
“If it’s that reward that hasn’t been lifted after over twenty years, then it must be me,” Old Ding said nonchalantly.
Lin Dong was amazed. True masters truly were masters—see how casually he took it. A reward of one million taels of gold would probably keep even the emperor of the Great Han Kingdom awake at night, worried.
Glancing at Liu Xiu, who was still in shock, Lin Dong hesitated for a moment before choosing silence. Given Liu Xiu’s character, he shouldn’t be motivated by greed. Besides, the reward was from twenty years ago—who knew if Fengji Winery would even honor it now.
Since it had already been drunk, there was no hope left. After thinking for a while, Lin Dong asked, “Besides Thousand-Year Jade Dew, is there any Hundred-Year Jade Dew?”
“I don’t know about that,” Old Ding shook his head. He remembered that when he sneaked into the heavily guarded wine cellar back then, there seemed to be only that one jar.
“There is some, but the price is exorbitantly high,” Liu Xiu suddenly interjected. “When I was in the capital, I heard that Hundred-Year Jade Dew is sold by the tael, and one tael is worth about three thousand taels of silver.”

Lin Dong was speechless. He had originally thought that with the Wine King formula and a few more master winemakers, Lin’s Winery could easily become the best in the Great Han Kingdom. But now it seemed that even with the Wine King formula, without top-tier winemakers, Lin’s Winery couldn’t compare to true elite wineries. Look at theirs—what they produce isn’t even wine; diamonds aren’t that much better.