Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Lu Manyue's face lit up with joy. "Our family has brewed wine before. After hearing what you said, and comparing it with what you said, I understand now."

These four improvements aren't difficult; I can do them.

Liu Yunjuan added, "In a bumper harvest, if we only harvest the middle section of the wine, the yield will be greatly reduced, which will increase costs. Won't we lose money?"

Lu Fengnian nodded. "Mother is very thoughtful. However, we are going to the county to sell wine."

There are many wealthy people in the county. As long as our wine is good, they won't be stingy with their money.

Even with lower wine production, we can still make money by raising prices, and we'll even make more.

Lu Xiaoyu nodded. "I agree with what you said, brother. Last time I went to the county with you, I saw that in those clothing stores, clothes that cost a few taels or a dozen taels of silver were still being bought by people."

Lu Fengnian asked, "Is there anything else you don't understand?"

Seeing that the three of them had stopped talking, he folded the paper and handed it to Lu Manyue, saying, "Hide it well and don't let anyone see it."

These four improvements are not difficult to implement; if others knew about them, they too could brew high-proof liquor.

Lu Manyue nodded and said, "Big brother, I've already written them all down. Why don't you just burn them?"

When I got to the county, I first followed the brewing master to learn and practice my skills.

If the brewing master is reliable and trustworthy, I will teach him this method; if he is unreliable and untrustworthy, I will do the brewing myself from now on.

Alternatively, I can personally handle these four areas of improvement, without allowing anyone else to interfere.

Hearing these words, Lu Fengnian felt much more relieved.

Lu Manyue is intelligent and resourceful; she shouldn't have too much trouble taking over a distillery in the county.

So he put the paper under the oil lamp and burned it.

Then, he got up and said, "Mother, you should rest early. I have something to do and need to go out for a bit. I'll be right back."

Outside the door, Cao Meng and his two subordinates were playing a game of leaf-picking in the courtyard.

"Cao Meng, come with me for a walk."

Lu Fengnian spoke softly.

Cao Meng grunted in agreement, threw away the playing cards in his hand, and followed Lu Fengnian with his two subordinates.

…………

The four of them walked briskly along the mountain path in the night.

After traveling for more than ten miles, we arrived at a village called Erlang Village.

The last time Lu Fengnian came here, he fought a violent battle, killing Wang the Cripple and breaking the arms and legs of more than a dozen people before fleeing for his life.

Returning to this familiar place inevitably evokes a sense of melancholy.

At this moment, it wasn't too late, and most of the villagers in Erlang Village were still awake.

Many villagers gathered in front of their houses and at the crossroads, chatting and joking.

The military uniforms worn by Cao Meng and his two companions were quite conspicuous, and they immediately attracted the attention of the villagers as soon as they entered the village.

Meanwhile, some sharp-eyed people recognized Lu Fengnian and were immediately terrified, their faces turning deathly pale.

Afterwards, the villagers scattered and went back to their homes, closing their doors and windows tightly.

Seeing this scene, Cao Meng grinned and said, "Master, you are the real village slayer in Erlang Village. These people treat you like they've seen a living Yama."

Lu Fengnian smiled helplessly, "Last time I came here, I made a little too much of a fuss, which caused some misunderstandings among them."

…………

Lu Fengnian led Cao Meng and the other two directly to a house in the southeast of Erlang Village.

A sergeant strode forward and gently knocked on the door.

However, there was no movement or response from inside the house.

The soldier increased the force, slamming his fist on the door several times and shouting, "Open the door! Open the door for me right now!"

Lao Tzu knew someone was inside; the lights had just been turned off.

There was still no movement inside. The soldier raised his voice, "If you don't open the door for me, I'll tear the house down."

Only then did a response come from inside the house.

A series of hurried footsteps approached, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a kind face, around forty or fifty years old, poked his head out, asking in a panicked tone:

"Sir, what brings you here?"

"I've been calling for ages before you finally came over. Are you deaf?" the sergeant yelled angrily.

The middle-aged man looked terrified. "Sir, I'm hard of hearing. I've neglected you. Please forgive me!"

The sergeant rolled his eyes. "Is Granny Liu home?"

The middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly, "No, she went back to her parents' house yesterday, and she probably won't be back for a few days."

"I'll ask you one more time, is he here or not?" The soldier raised his eyebrows, looking fierce and menacing.

The middle-aged man's face was pale, his face twitched repeatedly, and he seemed about to speak but couldn't.

The soldier shoved the middle-aged man aside and rushed into the courtyard, followed by Cao Meng and another soldier.

Then, heart-wrenching cries came from the courtyard.

Cao Meng's two subordinates dragged a middle-aged woman with disheveled hair and a face covered in makeup out of the woodshed and threw her in the middle of the courtyard.

"Help! The soldiers are going to kill someone!"

"Fellow villagers, help! These soldiers have no regard for the law!"

…………

The middle-aged woman sat on the ground, shouting at the top of her lungs.

The middle-aged man, who looked honest and kind, stood timidly to one side, trembling and not daring to speak.

There were many neighbors around the courtyard, but upon hearing the woman's cries, everyone shut their doors tightly, and no one dared to utter a sound.

Cao Meng walked up to the woman and said coldly, "If you keep crying and whining, I'll cut out your tongue!"

Upon hearing Cao Meng's cold words, the woman immediately shut her mouth and kowtowed repeatedly to Cao Meng, saying, "Sir, I am just a commoner. I have never offended you. Why make things difficult for us?"

If I have unintentionally offended you, sir, please be magnanimous and let me go as easily as a fart.

"Still pretending?"

Cao Meng sneered, "Don't you have any idea what you've done?"

The woman shook her head repeatedly, "Sir, I really don't know. If I have made a mistake, please point it out and I will definitely correct it."

"They really won't shed tears until they see the coffin."

Cao Meng grabbed the woman by the neck and lifted her to the gate of the courtyard like a chick.

Lu Fengnian stood there with his hands behind his back.

The woman turned pale and her eyes darted away the moment she saw Lu Fengnian.

"Do you recognize me?" Lu Fengnian asked softly.

The woman swallowed hard. "I recognize you. You came to our Erlang Village a few days ago and went to Wang the Cripple's house."

"Is that why you got to know me?" Lu Fengnian pressed, his eyes narrowing and his gaze sharp as a knife.

The woman's face paled even more, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her body began to tremble, her lips twitched repeatedly, and she stammered, ultimately unable to utter a word.

Lu Feng snorted, "Old Liu, I'm giving you one last chance. Explain things clearly."

If you continue to play dumb, I dare to kill Wang the Cripple, so I'm not afraid to kill you either.