Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

Qi Feng turned his head and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen standing at the door, wearing a blue long robe, with her hair in two hairpins, and a lively spirit in her eyes.

Qi Feng was stunned for a moment before he realized that this person was the little girl he had rescued in the mountains earlier. She seemed to be Zhong Shao's younger sister, and her name was Zhong Lingxian.

Zhong Lingxian hopped over in a few steps, first glancing at the empty shop, then turning to Zhong Shao: "Big brother, are you going to do business?"

Zhong Shao smiled and shook his head: "What are you doing here, girl?"

"My second uncle asked me to deliver something! I saw the door was open while I was passing by, so I came over to check!"

After speaking, Zhong Lingxian turned her gaze to Qi Feng. She was taken aback when she saw Qi Feng's appearance, and then exclaimed in surprise.

"You're the older brother who used to hunt wild boars in the mountains!"

Qi Feng nodded, "Miss Zhong."

Zhong Lingxian's ears turned red slightly, but she quickly returned to her usual carefree demeanor.

"Why did you come to Zhaocheng? Are you going to live here from now on?"

Qi Feng shook his head, glanced at Zhong Shao, and seeing that Zhong Shao did not speak, he truthfully said:

"You and your older brother have taken over a shop, and we'll mainly be staying in Fuxing County."

Zhong Lingxian said "oh" and then turned around and circled the shop twice.

"Brother, what are you selling?"

Zhong Shao smiled and said, "Selling wine."

"Alcohol? That stuff tastes awful. Do you really think so many people like it?"

Zhong Shao was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh and scold:

"Fine, fine, you've been secretly drinking! I'll tell Dad when I get back, and he'll give you a good scolding!"

Upon hearing Zhong Shao's words, Zhong Lingxian immediately stiffened; how could she have forgotten about this?

"Big brother, if you dare say anything, I'll tell Dad about the time you took me into the mountains! See if Dad doesn't beat you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shao touched the tip of his nose somewhat awkwardly.

Last time, when he took his younger siblings into the mountains, they encountered wild boars. If it weren't for Qi Feng's rescue, they don't know how long they would have been trapped.

"Okay, okay, I won't tell Dad, but you just can't drink anymore!"

Zhong Lingxian stuck out her tongue at Zhong Shao, made a face, and ran to the side.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked in from outside, followed by two accountants.

The man was dressed in a gray robe and wore a turban, giving him a scholarly appearance.

"Second Uncle?"

Zhong Shao was taken aback when he saw this person, then quickly walked over, pulling Qi Feng along with him.

"Second Uncle, this is Qi Feng, the one who brewed Qi wine. Qi Feng, this is my second uncle."

Zhong Shoulian smiled slightly at Qi Feng.

"As expected, heroes emerge from among the young. My name is Zhong Shoulian."

Qi Feng cupped his hands in a humble manner towards Zhong Shoulian.

"Hello Uncle Zhong, my name is Qi Feng."

Zhong Shoulian patted Qi Feng on the shoulder.

"Do a good job. Linzhao City is a dangerous place, but with the Zhong family around, no one will dare to touch you."

After saying that, Zhong Shoulian took out a contract and handed it to Qi Feng.

Qi Feng took the contract and looked at it. It was exactly the same as what Zhong Shao had told him, and there were no empty promises in it, which was enough to show the sincerity of the Zhong family.

Perhaps they felt there was no need to bully someone like Qi Feng, or perhaps they felt that Qi Feng had demonstrated his value in the Ma Shuo case. In any case, the Zhong family did not tamper with the contract, and Qi Feng signed it on the spot.

"Make three copies of this document: one for the Zhong family, one for you, and one for the Prefect's residence. Shao'er, take Brother Qi to the yamen to complete the formalities. Make sure you do it properly."

Zhong Shao nodded, and Zhong Shoulian then left.

Qi Feng followed Zhong Shao to the yamen to complete several procedures. By the time everything was finished, it was already dark.

Zhong Shao invited Qi Feng to have dinner at the Zhong family home, and Qi Feng, unable to refuse, had no choice but to accept.

The Zhong family's residence is located in the east of the city. It is a large courtyard with three entrances and three exits, and there are two stone lions at the gate, their backs worn smooth and shiny.

Upon entering the second gate, one is greeted by a screen wall inscribed with the four characters "钟鸣鼎食" (meaning "the sound of bells and the stagnation of food"), written in a vigorous and powerful style.

Qi Feng glanced at it, didn't look at it much, and followed Zhong Shao straight to the backyard.

There weren't many people at the table. Besides Zhong Shao and Zhong Lingxian, only Zhong Shoulian accompanied them. There weren't many dishes, but each one was exquisite.

During this time, Zhong Shao explained to Qi Feng that his father was busy and usually did not come home for dinner, and that his two younger brothers also held important positions and were not currently in Linzhao City.

His second uncle, Zhong Shoulian, came back specifically for the Qi wine matter.

During the meal, Zhong Shoulian asked a few questions about the current situation in Fuxing County, and Qi Feng gave a brief account of what he could say.

Just as they were talking about Ma Shuo's case, Zhong Shoulian suddenly put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming somewhat solemn.

"You absolutely cannot be careless about Ma Shuo's matter. That old fox Huang Dingyuan won't give up easily. Do you think he only wants to bail Ma Shuo out? He's afraid Ma Shuo will speak up!"

Qi Feng paused, his hand still holding the food in his chopsticks. This was pretty much what he had guessed, but he still asked, "What does Ma Shuo know?"

Zhong Shoulian picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Ma Shuo knows perfectly well where those weapons from Duma Village went. Shao'er has already told me that if those things are really investigated, Huang Dingyuan's hands will not be clean. So Shao'er was right to change Ma Shuo's escort route to the eastern line, but don't think that everything is fine. Huang Dingyuan can't be touched openly, but he will definitely do a lot of dirty tricks in secret."

Qi Feng nodded, taking the matter even more seriously.

After dinner, Zhong Lingxian saw him off at the door. The young girl carried a lantern in her hand and walked ahead to light his way.

As they reached the gate, she handed over the lantern.

"Brother Qi, it's dark now, you should carry this back."

Qi Feng accepted it and said thank you.

Zhong Lingxian stood at the doorway, the light from the lantern illuminating half of her face. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Brother Qi, can I visit you in Fuxing County sometime?"

Qi Feng was taken aback upon hearing this, but still spoke:

"Of course."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Lingxian smiled, her eyes crinkling, and turned to run back.

Looking at Zhong Lingxian's retreating figure, Qi Feng was somewhat puzzled, wondering what Zhong Lingxian meant by suddenly saying all this.

However, he also knew that according to the rules of the Zhong family, it was impossible for them to let Zhong Lingxian go so far alone.

On the way back, Qi Feng carried a lantern, still thinking about returning to Fuxing County early the next morning to find the blacksmith shop to order a new batch of condenser pipes. He needed to have all the tools ready before the shop in Linzhao City opened, so as not to run out of supplies for Qi wine.

Qi Feng's inn was located in an alley in the south of the city. As he turned the corner, Qi Feng's pace suddenly slowed down.

At the alley entrance, a figure leaned against the wall, swaying as if drunk.

Qi Feng did not stop and continued forward, glancing at the person subtly as he passed by.

The man's waist was bulging as if he had something on it, and half of a knife hilt was sticking out from under the hem of his clothes.