The First Military God of the Border

Lin Hui unconsciously reached for his waist.

He grasped the dagger he always carried.

Lin Hui was prepared to kill someone and run away at any time.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment when everything was in jeopardy, Wang Hui ran up to greet him with a smile.

"Brother Jiang, what are you doing?"

"Why are you dressed like that?"

After coming up, the man ignored Wang Hui and instead focused his attention on the medicine in Lin Hui's hand.

"Huh? Why are you getting medicine in an alley? Are you going to give it to some escaped bandits?"

Lin Hui remained silent, his expression calm, his hand still gripping the dagger.

Wang Hui stepped forward, stopping Jiang Xiyuan who wanted to inspect the medicinal herbs, and pulled him aside to explain, "Brother Jiang, you can't do that. If you inspect the herbs, it will ruin something important for my master and me."

"You've ruined things between you two, master and disciple. Explain yourself!"

"Brother Jiang, that girl is Song Qingyan's maid at Shiweitian Restaurant. My master likes her mistress, and I like her."

"It's like this, Brother Jiang. It's too cold, and her family member caught a cold. They're so sick they can't get it back, so they asked me to get some medicine to treat them. You know how expensive medicine is these days, so I came down to the alley to get it."

"Brother Jiang, if you investigate, then neither of us, master and disciple, will have any hope left."

The man surnamed Jiang glanced suspiciously at Lin Hui, then at Wang Hui, a lewd smile spreading across his face.

"You two, master and apprentice, are really capable; you appeal to both young and old."

"Thank you, Brother Jiang." As he spoke, Wang Hui took out some loose silver from his pocket and placed it in the hand of the man surnamed Jiang: "Brother Jiang, take this and have a drink with the brothers. Just pretend you didn't see us today."

The man surnamed Jiang accepted the silver with a smile and looked at Wang Hui, saying, "What are you talking about? It's not illegal for family members to take some medicinal herbs."

"Besides, our general relies on Doctor Gong's miraculous medicine."

After saying that, he left with a big laugh.

Lin Hui watched as the man surnamed Jiang walked to the stall opposite before releasing his grip on the dagger.

"Xiao Wan, you should take this brother away quickly. Things have been turbulent these past few days; every pharmacy is being watched by spies from the border army."

The little bowl nodded.

Watching the two leave and turn into another alley, Wang Hui then slipped through the small door.

Lin Hui took the medicinal herbs and stayed by Xiao Wan's side.

The alley was eerily quiet, deserted, with only the echoes of their footsteps in the air.

Lin Hui asked with a smile, "Miss Xiaowan has good taste. This Brother Wang is kind and capable."

Xiao Wan's face flushed slightly.

"Brother Lin, he is indeed a very good person. But you don't know how good his master is to our boss lady."

Lin Hui was taken aback.

Wang Hui's master, also known as Doctor Gong of Wanhetang, is in love with Song Qingyan.

No way, this is too outrageous! An old man has his eye on a thirty-year-old woman, how could he possibly handle her?

Looking at Xiao Wan, whose smile was hard to hide as she spoke, Lin Hui suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Although life is tough in this world, there is warmth and kindness among ordinary people everywhere.

From this perspective, the world isn't so suffocating after all.

Back at the Shiweitian Restaurant, Song Qingyan was still sitting behind the counter working on her abacus. Seeing Lin Hui carrying the medicine, she smiled slightly and said, "Got it."

"Thank you, Madam, I've received it."

Lin Hui prepared to take the medicine and hurry back, since it was already late and if he continued to delay, it would probably be dark by the time he got back.

But just as he was about to leave, Song Qingyan stopped him.

"Brother Lin, last time you were taken away by the military officer, and I didn't have a chance to thank you properly. I've already asked the kitchen to prepare a meal. Eat before you leave."

Lin Hui wanted to refuse, but before he could say anything, Song Qingyan's resentful look broke him down.

I had no choice but to agree.

Inside the private room on the second floor, the round table was kept spotless, and the room was decorated in a particularly elegant manner.

Song Qingyan gestured for Lin Hui to sit down. After Lin Hui sat down, Song Qingyan also sat down. She gave her maid Xiaowan a look, and Xiaowan understood. She went out and gave an order, and soon the waiter brought up the wine and dishes.

There are many dishes, including the venison that Lin Hui had previously sold to Shiweitian Restaurant. Under the chef's careful cooking, the meat is tender and juicy, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth after each bite.

Song Qingyan poured wine for Lin Hui.

"Brother Lin, this glass of wine is for you, to thank you for saving my life."

Lin Hui smiled awkwardly. Although he had indeed saved Song Qingyan, he had also taken advantage of her in that situation.

More importantly, the fact that Song Qingyan had grasped my vital parts is something I still savor vividly.

Lin Hui picked up his wine glass, smiled and waved his hand: "Madam, you're being too polite. If that's the case, I should return the favor with a toast. If it weren't for your discerning eye in recognizing the value of venison, I wouldn't have such a good business partner as you."

Their eyes met, and they both saw sincerity in each other's eyes.

They clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

As the liquor went down his throat, Lin Hui smacked his lips, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

This wine has a faint sweetness and a bit of sourness, but no spiciness at all. It's not satisfying.

So far, of all the wines he's ever drunk, the only one that he can actually taste is the one from Eagle Ridge.

No wonder Shiweitian Restaurant's business is so-so; how can such bland and tasteless wine attract customers?

Since it's a restaurant, the food is only a small part; the alcohol is the key.

Generally, any owner of a large restaurant must have their own unique brewing recipe.

Seeing Lin Hui smack his lips, Song Qingyan asked, "What's wrong? Do you think my wine isn't good?"

Lin Hui didn't hold back: "Madam, I think that since we're running a restaurant, the wine is the most important thing. But I feel like your wine is just like drinking vinegar."

"The color is fine, but the taste..."

Song Qingyan shook her head helplessly: "Who says otherwise? I also hired a brewing craftsman, but without a suitable recipe, we can't compare to those century-old wineries at all."

Lin Hui nodded, tasted all the dishes again, and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious..."

He continued, "Madam, in my opinion, Shiweitian's dishes are extremely delicious, probably the best in Linjiang County, but its business is only so-so. The problem may lie in the wine."

Song Qingyan nodded in agreement: "That's right, I realized that a long time ago. For the harsh border region, alcohol is a daily necessity for every man."

"But I don't have any strong liquor here, so customers naturally won't want to come back a second time."

"Right now, this small number of customers are only supported by the restaurant's dishes; we can't make any money from the drinks at all."

Lin Hui immediately saw a huge business opportunity in the alcoholic beverages.

I possess fully modern brewing and distillation technology.

If I were to collaborate with Song Qingyan, wouldn't I be able to make a lot of money?

He put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "Madam, what if I could brew the best wine in the entire Linjiang County?"

Song Qingyan was taken aback at first, then smiled. In her opinion, Lin Hui was just joking. Brewing wine is no easy task, from steaming the grain to fermentation and finally producing the wine.

The secret lies in the yeast starter.

"Brother Lin, I know you want to help me, but brewing wine is no easy task."

Lin Hui knew that Song Qingyan thought he was exaggerating.

"Madam, it's like this. I've learned how to cook for a few days, and I also have an ancestral recipe at home."

"Madam, why don't you give it a try? It won't interfere with your business anyway, so why not give it a shot?"

Song Qingyan stared at Lin Hui for a few seconds. His face remained calm, showing no signs of stage fright. She immediately stood up from her chair.

"Let's go...to the winery..."