The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 110 The Chen Family Wants to Find a Son-in-Law; Wu Song Returns to Qinghe

Even if he were dead now, I would still despise him!

It's a tragedy to talk about Zhang Wenyuan. Not only did he die, but he was also insulted by all sorts of people, not just the wealthy Chen, but others who were even more vicious in their insults!

After finishing his drink, Chen the landlord looked at Song Jiang.

Song Jiang smiled and drank the wine in his cup to the last drop!

To be honest, this wine is just average, but it's clear that it's a fine wine that Master Chen has been treasuring for a long time. Although it's much better than the wine I drank when I first transmigrated, it's still not as good as the worst white wine I brewed myself!

I glanced at Shi Wenbin. He doesn't drink much, but he drank the wine I brewed myself. I guess it wasn't very good for him!

Soon, after Mr. Chen finished toasting everyone, the dishes were served one after another!

The Chen family is the most prominent family in Yuncheng. Since the county government officials have saved their lives, they are naturally served a constant stream of fine wine and food, just in case the people don't eat well!

Many people might say that it's only natural for the county government to stand up for the common people. But during the Northern Song Dynasty, uprisings were rampant, and bandits were countless. Many officials colluded with bandits, and it was considered good if they didn't stand idly by!

Chen, the wealthy man, naturally understood the reasoning behind it. He was clearly very happy and kept talking nonstop, his excited expression showing that he couldn't hide his joy!

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Master Chen clapped his hands, and a dozen servants came out carrying trays!

The tray was piled high with gleaming gold and shimmering silver, stacked neatly in piles!

Mr. Chen stood up and said, "I am but a humble merchant who has accumulated some wealth over many years. I never imagined that I would be targeted by thieves and nearly lose my family. Thanks to your valiant rescue, I have nothing else to offer but gold and silver as a small token of my gratitude. I hope you will accept them!"

After saying that, he instructed his servants to distribute the money to everyone!

Of course, Song Jiang, Shi Wenbin, and Captain Liu didn't get any, as it would be inconvenient in such a public setting!

The meal was quickly finished. Chen, the wealthy man, sent his servants to entertain the others, leaving only a few rich men and Song Jiang in the inner room!

Inside the room, Chen the landlord took out a piece of paper and handed it to Song Jiang!

Song Jiang took it, opened it, and found it was actually a land deed!

Song Jiang looked at Chen the wealthy man with a puzzled expression. Chen the wealthy man smiled and said, "Clerk, this is my gift of thanks to you. I heard from Master Shi that you wanted to open a restaurant, so I bought a nice building in advance. After some renovations, we can open for business right away. Just sign this deed, and it's yours!"

Song Jiang quickly returned the land deed, laughing, "This gift is too much; Song Jiang cannot accept it!"

The wealthy Chen panicked and hurriedly said, "Clerk, please accept it!"

Shi Wenbin also spoke up, "Accept it! Gongming, Master Chen still needs your help!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "What is it? Tell me first, and let's see if I can do it!"

Instead of answering directly, Chen the wealthy man asked, "What does the clerk think of the wine I've been collecting?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "It has a smooth, mellow taste; it's fine wine!"

The wealthy Chen didn't mince words, stating directly, "But compared to what the clerk brews, it's nothing!"

Song Jiang was slightly surprised! He glanced at Shi Wenbin, who smiled but remained silent.

Song Jiang chuckled and said, "Master Chen, you flatter me!"

"I tasted the liquor brewed by the clerk," said the wealthy Chen. "That liquor is absolutely the finest I've ever tasted in my life!"

Song Jiang remained silent!

Seeing that Song Jiang remained silent and didn't ask any questions, Chen, the wealthy man, composed himself and continued, "This restaurant is a gift for you, sir. I'd like to buy your brewing recipe, and then give you 10% of the profits from each year's sales. What do you say?"

The wealthy Chen was full of anticipation, thinking Song Jiang would agree to such a deal! But Song Jiang smiled, shook his head, and said, "I'm afraid that won't work!"

Chen, the wealthy man, knew all too well the potential of Song Jiang's wine. Seeing that Song Jiang wouldn't sell, he anxiously said, "Twenty percent profit, how about twenty percent profit, clerk?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Master Chen, the recipe is definitely not for sale. My father, Song Taigong, went through a lot of trouble to obtain it. Even my father wouldn't agree to sell it to you!"

Chen was somewhat disappointed, but since Song Jiang had already invoked the name of Song Taigong, he couldn't force Song Jiang, especially since Song Jiang had been kind to him!

But Song Jiang continued, "But I can just sell it as wine!"

Upon hearing this, Chen, the wealthy man, thought there was hope. Although he couldn't get the brewing recipe, Song Jiang was willing to sell it to him, so there was definitely a chance to make a profit; it was just a matter of how much!

Thinking of this, his gaze toward Song Jiang became much more affectionate!

Song Jiang thought for a moment and then said, "Due to limited production, I can probably only provide you with 1,000 catties per month right now!"

Chen was somewhat disappointed. A thousand catties was really not much to him, in fact, very little. But Song Jiang refused to sell the recipe, which was the real problem!

Actually, the most common method of brewing baijiu is not particularly valuable, but Song Jiang was confident that this wine could be made into imperial wine.

When one's wine is personally selected by the Emperor Daojun as imperial wine, even the most ordinary wine will naturally increase in value, not to mention other fine wines. Selling it to the wealthy Chen now would be a loss!

After hesitating for a moment, Chen, the wealthy man, finally spoke up: "Clerk, a thousand catties of wine is really too little!"

Song Jiang smiled and said, "My current production capacity is very limited; I can only provide this much for now!"

Actually, Chen was a little upset. Song Jiang refused to sell the recipe and could only provide so much!

This is like begging for food while sitting on a mountain of gold; he simply cannot understand it!

Song Jiang also sensed Chen the landlord's displeasure. Considering that his grand plan to make money still depended on these people, he didn't want to offend them all at once. So he smiled and said, "I also have a kind of fruit wine, which can be described as a fine wine!"

Chen the wealthy man had naturally heard Shi Wenbin mention this fruit wine, but unfortunately Shi Wenbin had already finished his own, so he couldn't taste it again!

"Bailer, what do you mean?" Master Chen asked with delight.

He certainly knew the value of Song Jiang's wine. If it really became imperial wine, he wouldn't have to worry about making money; in fact, he could make a fortune! Thinking of this, his face lit up with joy!

Song Jiang remained calm and said peacefully, "I really don't have any fruit wine right now, but I can provide you with fifty catties every month starting two months from now!"

Fifty catties may not seem like much, but as the saying goes, rare goods are worth hoarding!

Especially considering the value of this wine, it's not something that peasants, rough men, and brutes are worthy of drinking.

Chen the wealthy man was confident that he could sell these fifty catties of fruit wine for more than a thousand catties of liquor. As for whether he could succeed, only he knew!

Suppressing his inner elation, Chen the wealthy man asked with a smile, "One thousand catties of baijiu and fifty catties of fruit wine, how much do you want, clerk?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "No money required!"

Not to mention Chen the landlord, everyone present was taken aback, unable to figure out what Song Jiang was up to!

Song Jiang smiled slightly and continued, "My liquor costs two and a half taels of silver per catty, but I'd like to barter with Master Chen. What do you say?"

Mr. Chen nodded and said, "Alright, what does the clerk need?"

"Six thousand catties of grain, one hundred pigs, one hundred sheep, ten cows, five horses, two hundred chickens, two hundred ducks, and two hundred catties of wrought iron! The remaining one thousand catties of grain for brewing will be calculated separately!"

After doing some mental calculations, Chen realized that grain was the cheapest commodity, practically worthless. He also had a grain business, so he could simply allocate some of it.

Chickens and ducks aren't expensive, and pork and mutton are only so-so, neither expensive nor cheap. The slightly more expensive items are beef, horse meat, and wrought iron, but the quantity is not large. Wrought iron is the main issue, as it's not easy to obtain, but I have my own ways to get it!

Overall, it's actually a little cheaper than buying with real gold and silver, but not by much. It seems that Song Jiang is very strict about prices, especially when exchanging goods, it's not easy to even bargain!

On the contrary, Shi Wenbin smiled meaningfully when he heard that Song Jiang wanted these things, but he didn't say anything!

After thinking it over for a long time, Chen the landlord took the land deed and handed it to Song Jiang. This time, Song Jiang did not refuse and took the land deed. The two looked at each other and smiled!

Master Chen laughed and said, "The steel will be a little troublesome, but the rest will be delivered to Song Family Village in three days!"

Song Jiang also laughed and said, "A thousand catties of Erguotou will be served in three days!"

Mr. Chen said, "I plan to hire the best craftsmen to help the clerk renovate the restaurant!"

Song Jiang knew that Master Chen was trying to curry favor, reminding him to think of him first when there was something to gain. So he said, "From now on, all of Master Chen's relatives will pay 20% less when they come to the restaurant!"

The wealthy Mr. Chen bowed and said, "I thank you, Clerk Chen!"

Song Jiang didn't stand on ceremony anymore; there would be so many opportunities to cooperate in the future!

Chen, the wealthy man, looked Song Jiang over, sized him up, and then asked, "Does the clerk have someone he loves? Is he ready to marry?"

Song Jiang was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "No!"

Master Chen smiled and said, "What does the clerk think of my daughter?"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "Well-educated, polite, beautiful, and intelligent, she is a rare and wonderful girl!"

Upon hearing this, the wealthy Chen hurriedly said, "I wish to betroth my daughter to the clerk. What do you think, clerk?"

Song Jiang nearly spat out his water and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Miss Chen comes from a wealthy family, while I am merely a clerk. This is absolutely unacceptable!"

Before Chen could speak, Song Jiang stood up and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!" Without waiting for anyone to stop him, he hurriedly left!

The other wealthy households burst into laughter as they watched Song Jiang leave in a panic. They never expected that the wise and brave Song Jiang would be in such a predicament. However, the wealthy Chen could only smile bitterly, knowing that this matter would have to be dealt with later.

Shi Wenbin stared at Song Jiang's retreating figure, lost in thought, a solemn expression on his face.

Finding craftsmen wasn't difficult; they quickly gathered over a dozen, along with apprentices and their families, totaling more than twenty people. They set off directly from Yuncheng to Liangshan!

Song Jiang first went to Song Family Village and asked Song Qing to come to Liangshan with him. Liangshan is currently building a winery. After Song Qing arrives, he will serve as Liangshan's chief winemaker for a period of time. Once the winery is renovated, he will become the manager of the winery!

Time was indeed very tight, and there was simply no extra rest time!

Once on Liangshan Mountain, Song Jiang first had Han Bolong arrange accommodation for the craftsmen and their families. Then, he sent Han Bolong and Wang Dingliu down the mountain to the city to track down the progress of the restaurant's renovations!

Liangshan is developing at a rapid pace, with new changes every day!

Actually, Song Jiang was quite sorry that Guan Sheng, Tang Bin, and Hao Siwen hadn't joined Liangshan. But now that he had seized the birthday gifts, and Guan Sheng wasn't in dire straits, the possibility of him joining Liangshan was extremely slim!

However, when it comes to the birthday tribute, although Cai Jing was dismissed, he was still Zhao Ji's teacher. When Zhao Ji learned of this, he was furious and issued an imperial edict that all prefectures and counties should do their utmost to apprehend the thieves without fail. Anyone who dared to neglect their duties would be dismissed from their post at best, and exiled to the frontier at worst for failing to perform their duties!

Fortunately, the birthday gifts were not lost within Shandong province, so the impact on Yuncheng was not significant!

Even so, Zhu, Lei, and Wu were exhausted, but there was still no progress on the matter.

Only Wu Song knew that the birthday gifts were stolen by Song Jiang's men, so although he seemed to be working very hard, he was actually just going through the motions!

After another half month of twists and turns, Wu Song bid farewell to Song Jiang and planned to return to Qinghe County to visit his brother Wu Dalang!

Song Jiang planned to go to Qinghe County with Wu Song. Before leaving Qinghe, Song Jiang had asked the magistrate of Qinghe to send someone to protect Wu Dalang to prevent Ximen Qing from doing something bad in secret. Although Ximen Qing did not know that Wu Song was involved in Wu Qianhu's affairs, it was better to be cautious than not. The magistrate of Qinghe told Song Jiang to rest assured that he had made such a great contribution and would definitely protect Wu Dalang!

Song Jiang gave each of the constables five taels of silver to prevent them from not doing their jobs properly. However, this time, Song Jiang still hoped to bring Wu Da to Qinghe County so that he could take better care of him!

When Li Kui found out, he also clamored to go, but Song Jiang glared at him and scolded, "You black rascal, instead of training properly, you want to go out and fool around again!"

Li Kui said in a simple and honest manner, "It's fine as long as Brother Liu Tang is handling the training. I haven't been down the mountain in a long time, and I really want to go down and take a look!"

Before Song Jiang could speak, Li Kui continued, "Actually, I don't really want to do training. I'd much rather charge into battle or stay by my brother's side to protect him!"

Song Jiang thought about it and realized that in the original novel, Xiang Chong and Li Gun formed a small squad of 500 men, which was indeed a great weapon on the battlefield!

Thinking of this, Song Jiang laughed and said, "In that case, I'll set up a vanguard battalion for you later. For now, you should hone your skills! As for the Imperial Guards, I'll leave them to Brother Liu Tang!"

Before setting off, Song Jiang gave some instructions, and then led Wu Song and Li Kui down the mountain towards Qinghe County. Dozens of Liangshan "Qilin Army" members also came down the mountain at the same time. Song Jiang had previously left many horses in Qinghe County, and now it was time to return them to their rightful owner. Song Jiang did not travel with them, but instead went with Wu Song and Li Kui!

This time, all three of them rode horses, and their speed was much faster!

The three traveled non-stop and arrived in Qinghe County in two days. Wu Song went home first, but Wu Da was not home. He must have gone to the street to sell steamed buns!

Now that they had arrived in Qinghe County, there was no need to rush. Wu Song first found a stable to house the three horses, and then led Song Jiang and Li Kui to a street that Wu Da frequented!