Love Lock

Chapter 44 Feeling Comfortable
The wind and snow were like the most unrestrained painter in the world, wildly splashing silvery-white paint, completely covering the official road. Zhao Zun and his party were trapped in the post station, unable to continue their journey back to the capital.

Inside the post station, the fire blazed brightly, but it couldn't dispel the bitter cold outside.

Han Lei opened the window and looked at the blizzard outside, then turned back and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh dear! It's true what they say, 'People don't want us to stay, but fate does!' Now we don't know how many more days we'll have to stay here."

Zhao Zun's handsome, sword-like eyebrows furrowed tightly, his expression filled with worry.

If he can't return to hand over the military tally soon, who knows what kind of rumors will circulate in the court, and what kind of trouble it will cause? His mother and sister are still in the capital!
As Zhao Zun was pondering this, Han Lei took out an exquisite mahjong set from her spatial storage and said with a smile, "Zhao Zun, Brother Zun, since you're both free anyway, why don't I teach you how to play mahjong?"

Zhao Zun had something on his mind and was initially uninterested, but he still glanced sideways at the mahjong box that Han Lei was holding in her arms.

Han Lei quickly opened the box, revealing neatly arranged mahjong tiles inside.

Zhao Zun had never seen such a strange thing before and didn't know what was so fun about it. But seeing Han Lei's confident and enthusiastic expression, he didn't want to spoil her fun, so he could only nod.

Thus, a unique mahjong lesson took place inside the post station.

Zhao Zun and his guards sat around the table, listening to Han Lei explain the rules, and occasionally a few silly laughs could be heard from those who didn't understand the rules.

After Han Lei led Zhao Zun and two bodyguards in two practical battles, the interest of the other bodyguards was instantly pushed to the peak, and they were all eager to try.

Han Lei could only buy them all a simple mahjong table. The four guards shared a table, and they went back to their rooms to play.

Inside the inn, every room they stayed in was filled with laughter and joy.

Although Zhao Zun was a novice, he quickly mastered the essence of mahjong thanks to his exceptional intelligence and calm judgment, and even became the "king" of the table for a time. He was ruthless in winning Han Lei's money.

However, the snowstorm continued into the next day. The guards, who had never played mahjong before, remained enthusiastic, setting up the table and starting a game immediately. But Han Lei began to get bored; she didn't want to spend all day circling the mahjong table.

So, she rolled her eyes and pulled Zhao Zun aside, saying, "Since we can't continue our journey, why don't you take this opportunity to visit relatives and friends?"

Zhao Zun was taken aback upon hearing this, then grinned and said, "I have no relatives or friends in Jingzhou."

Han Lei chuckled inwardly; she had long anticipated Zhao Zun's response. So, she suggested, "Then...why don't you go and pay a visit to the King of Jingzhou?"

"The King of Jingzhou?" Zhao Zun asked, puzzled. "I have no connection with him whatsoever."

“But you are all unfavored princes now!” Han Lei hugged Zhao Zun’s arm, blinking her big eyes at him. “Didn’t you say last time that the Prince of Jingzhou was His Majesty’s younger brother, and that because he didn’t participate in the struggle for the throne, Emperor Jing saw that he was dull and had no ambition, so he made him a prince and sent him to Jingzhou?”

“Yes!” Zhao Zun neither praised nor criticized.

“You two are in similar situations. Since you’re already passing by their door, why don’t you prepare some gifts and pay them a visit? Maybe you’ll become friends in the future,” Han Lei encouraged, pressing on.

"Hmm... alright! Since we have nothing else to do, let's go pay them a visit!" Zhao Zun frowned and thought about it, then felt that Han Lei's words made a lot of sense, so he led Pingchuan and two guards out together.

Han Lei was overjoyed when she saw that things had gone smoothly.

As long as Zhao Zun goes out, she can take the opportunity to go out and see if she can make a name for herself in the liquor business here.

Accompanied by several guards, Zhao Zun embarked on his journey to the Jingzhou Prince's Mansion. Han Lei immediately changed into men's clothing, and while the guards were playing mahjong, she quietly slipped out of the post station with Tao Qing and A Mao, heading straight for the market.

Jingzhou has a total of six counties. Taoyuan County is the largest and most prosperous county in Jingzhou, and the Jingzhou King's family lived here.

This place is indeed much more prosperous than Qingshui County. Although it was snowing heavily outside, the shops on both sides of the street were still bustling with people and very lively.

If Qingshui County is equivalent to a modern township, then Taoyuan County is equivalent to a modern seventh or eighth-tier city.

The wind and snow were so heavy that the street vendors hadn't set up their stalls, but the shopkeepers of each shop lifted a corner of their curtains and peeked out from their doors from time to time, shouting loudly to attract customers when they saw someone passing by.

Han Lei wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, her eyes sparkling with endless curiosity and a thirst for exploration of this era.

The three of them wandered through the streets, constantly entering and exiting various shops, observing the goods sold. The shops were filled with all sorts of goods, but the aroma of wine emanating from the tavern in the corner seemed somewhat pungent and weak, making one shake their head in disapproval.

Han Lei had a grand plan in mind for wanting to make it here.

She, Tao Qing, and Amao entered the tavern, ordered two side dishes and a pot of wine, intending to sit down and observe at their leisure. "Girl, this place is much more lively than Beiguan, isn't it? Look, these dishes and wine are better than what we had in Beiguan," Amao said with a smile, picking up the wine pot and filling Han Lei and Tao Qing's cups.

"Stop talking nonsense." Tao Qing rolled her eyes at him.

“Beiguan is far from the capital, so it’s naturally a bit more austere.” Han Lei chuckled, then picked up her wine glass and took a sip of the murky wine.

She smacked her lips, her brows furrowed, and thought to herself, "The ancient winemaking techniques are really backward. The wine they produce is worlds apart from the fine wines I know."

Seeing this, Tao Qing chuckled and said, "Miss, are you complaining about the wine? Or do you have another brilliant idea?"

Han Lei didn't answer. Instead, she put down her wine glass, looked at the two of them, and asked, "Do you know why I had you two with me the whole time when we were working at the pig farm and restaurant in Qingshui County?"

"I don't know." Amao shook his head blankly.

"Because you want us to learn from you," Tao Qing answered immediately.

"Tao Qing, your comprehension is truly remarkable." Han Lei praised generously, then said to Amao, "Amao, you must learn diligently from Tao Qing! There will be many opportunities to use you in the future!"

"Hehe, I know." Amao scratched his head sheepishly.

Han Lei smiled slightly, "I think we can open a winery here and use the technology I know to brew real fine wine so that every corner of the Great Jing Dynasty can taste it."

"Really? Miss, will you brew it like we brewed wine essence in Yong'an City?" Tao Qing asked with a delighted expression, rubbing his hands together eagerly. He couldn't wait to start making a big splash right now.

"Okay!" Han Lei nodded. "Tao Qing, you've already learned the brewing techniques and how to distinguish the alcohol content. I'll provide you with more advanced brewing equipment, and you can directly purchase finished wine from other breweries to process and brew your own."

"Okay! No problem, don't worry, girl." Tao Qing patted her chest to assure her.

"The remaining wounded soldiers will be divided into two teams, a small team and a large team. You will lead the old, weak, and disabled wounded soldiers as the small team, and let them help out at the distillery and learn how to brew liquor from you. The rest of the soldiers will follow A Mao as the large team. The large team will be equipped with electric batons and will be responsible for security and transportation. All the liquor produced will be supplied to restaurants in Qingshui County first. The remainder will be sold within Jingzhou. Remember, you must keep this a secret until the Prince returns to the capital and settles down." Han Lei gave the instructions carefully.

Upon hearing this, A Mao's eyes lit up with excitement: "Don't worry, young lady! I don't know how to brew wine, and I'm not as quick-witted as Tao Qing, but keeping things secret and ensuring smooth transportation are my strengths."

"Good! Now that you two have witnessed the entire construction process of the Qingshui County project and know what to do, I'm relieved. I hope you two won't let me down."

"Yes."

"Yes."

The two spoke in unison and straightened their posture.

Afterwards, the three of them strolled around the streets for a while, found a suitable place to set up a brewery and dormitories, and after making temporary arrangements, they braved the wind and snow to rush back to the post station.

Stepping into the inn, a warm feeling instantly enveloped them.

Hearing the faint sound of mahjong being played upstairs, the three exchanged a glance, smiled knowingly, and headed upstairs.

Once upstairs, Han Lei pushed open the door to her room.

To her surprise, she immediately spotted Zhao Zun sitting at the mahjong table, propping his head up with one hand and leisurely watching her.

Caught red-handed, Han Lei was taken aback. A soft, sweet voice rang out, and she quickly walked over with a sheepish grin.

"Uh...hehe, Zun-ge. You're back so soon? Are you tired? Let me give you a shoulder massage."

"Hmph!" I knew you wanted to sneak out.

Zhao Zun glanced at her and turned his head away.

Han Lei stuck out her tongue and quickly placed her soft little hands on Zhao Zun's shoulders, gently massaging them.

It seems she won't be able to get away with not giving Zhao Zun a proper shoulder massage today, until he feels comfortable.

Thank you to everyone who has been following the updates. Without further ado, here's a red envelope.

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(End of this chapter)