The Little Lucky Girl

The leader was awakened by the crowing of a rooster. He rubbed his swollen forehead and took a long time to figure out where he was.

"Brother Yan, are you awake? Did you sleep well last night?" The voice of County Magistrate Tao came from the desk in front.

The leader immediately struggled to his feet and said, "Excuse me, sir. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble yesterday."

Magistrate Tao smiled and shook his head, "Brother Yan is a good drinker. He falls asleep immediately after getting drunk. But his alcohol tolerance is so low..."

The chief's face turned red, and he refused to admit it: "It's not that I have a poor tolerance, it's just that your wine is too strong."

Thinking of the taste of the wine yesterday, the leader couldn't help but recall it, rubbing his hands and said, "Sir, where did you buy this wine? Can you sell me a jar? I want to bring it back to the village for everyone to taste."

The village is built deep in the mountains and the climate is humid all year round, so they are accustomed to drinking a little wine every day to get rid of moisture and keep warm.

As soon as he took a sip of the wine yesterday, he felt a burning sensation from his throat to his heart, and sweat broke out all over his body. It was really a great pleasure.

Magistrate Tao lamented, "I only have one bottle of it, and I was planning to taste it carefully with Brother Yan, but you drank it all like a cow chewing a peony."

The leader also felt heartbroken. Even though they seldom went down the mountain often, they were familiar with the market for wine. Lord Tao was indeed very considerate.

"I will remember your kindness. I will discuss this with the tribe as soon as I get back and give you a reply as soon as possible."

"Don't worry," Magistrate Tao stopped the man, "Although this fine wine cannot be bought, there are still ways."

He said slowly: "We can brew it ourselves."

Seeing the leader staring at him in confusion, Magistrate Tao put down his pen and said, "I think the environment of the village is very suitable for making wine. Why don't we transform it into a wine cellar after everyone moves down? This will also provide the villagers with another way to make money."

"Especially the elderly, they may not be able to adapt once they go down the mountain. It would be better for them to go back to the village to work during the day and rest in their new home at night. This is the best of both worlds..."

Although Tao County was very exciting, he couldn't help but yawn. The leader then noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. "My lord, you didn't stay up all night, did you?"

"After our conversation yesterday, I suddenly had more ideas about the resettlement of the villagers. I planned to write them down, but before I knew it, I wrote until dawn."

Magistrate Tao took a sip of bitter tea and said he was fine. "I know that everyone will feel uneasy when they first come into contact with an unfamiliar environment. I heard that your glutinous rice cakes are very good. Why not let everyone take turns to set up a stall with them in Xiaguan Village? When you are familiar with running up and down the mountain, you will naturally feel less anxious."

"I will open a restaurant in the county town in partnership with someone soon. Then I will use this baba as a snack, which will also bring in more income for the village."

"In this way, in addition to farming, everyone can also make a living by dyeing cloth, brewing wine and cooking. No matter whether you are a man or a woman, old or young, you can find a job that suits you."

The leader felt sad when he heard this. His eyes were red and he bowed deeply to Magistrate Tao respectfully. "Sir, your kindness to us——"

Magistrate Tao supported him, and the two held hands tightly together, "Don't worry, things will get better and better."

.........

When the yamen runners heard that Ming Youyou and his companions had arrived, both those on duty and those off duty tried every means to find an excuse to run back to the house.

"My dear, you are finally here. We have been looking forward to it every day."

"The things have been prepared long ago. Come and see if they are suitable."

"The carpenter and the blacksmith are waiting outside. If there is anything wrong, we can correct it immediately."

Ming Youyou looked at the people gathered around and asked in confusion: "Does Lord Tao want to give you some too? Why are you all so enthusiastic?"

The yamen runners were amused. "This thing is precious. We dare not take it. We just hope to smell it more."

Even Master He couldn't help but come over to join in the fun. Seeing that everyone had surrounded the kitchen tightly and he couldn't get in, he reached out and pulled Luo Xiucai, who was closest to them, out, "Stand aside. Why are you standing so close to me? You're reeking of alcohol. Let's see if your wife will scold you when you get home."

Luo Xiucai bowed to Master He, turned around and stood back firmly, "My wife has been acting strange lately. She likes to smell the smell of alcohol. I'm sure she'll like it if I give her some more."

"I'm afraid your wife will give birth to a drunkard in the future." Everyone laughed.

Master He shook his head helplessly. Seeing that none of the young people were respectful enough to give him room, he had no choice but to rely on his close relationship with Ming Youyou and the others and simply squeezed in.

The yamen runners watched the kitchen door open and close, feeling envious and jealous, but no one dared to move forward. They all knew that the making of "alcohol" was a secret, and they dared not interfere.

Ming Youyou asked curiously, "What about Lord Tao? Didn't he say that he must watch the entire distillation process?"

Master He found an angle where he could smell the scent but couldn't see their movements clearly, and replied, "My lord didn't sleep all night yesterday. He just sent the leader of the village away, and now he's going back to catch up on his sleep. You get ready first, and I'll go call him when it's almost time."

"Okay," Ming Youyou nodded and looked at Zheng Huan and the other two, "Then let's get started. Help me cook these first."

"I'll do it, I'll do it," Feng Xu pushed the other two away and started to work very actively, from lighting the fire and adding firewood to disinfecting and boiling, vowing to take on all the work by himself.

Zheng Huan and Lu Tai knew his little thoughts, so they stepped aside with a smile on their face and helped pass firewood or something, indicating that they would never steal the credit from him.

Soon, the kitchen began to emit a stronger and stronger smell of alcohol. The yamen runners hurriedly took a few deep breaths. This was also the reason why County Magistrate Tao allowed everyone to come over, so that they could help cover up the aroma and attract less attention from outside.

But everyone underestimated the strength of the smell. Magistrate Tao, who was resting in the study, woke up when he smelled the aroma and slapped his forehead, saying, "It's bad."

He hurried out and shouted to the servant who was guarding outside, "Hurry up and light two fires in the yard, and ask Chef Zhang to prepare two sheep and roast them. The faster the better."

Master He, who was enjoying the smell in the kitchen, also realized this and hurriedly stopped the busy people, "The smell is too strong, I'm afraid it will spread to the street outside. Stop the ones behind, we only need to make a small amount today."

This method was come up with by Ming Youyou during the epidemic. She originally planned to make something called "alcohol" to disinfect wounds, but she ended up making a strong liquor that was extremely intoxicating.

Magistrate Tao and his men immediately realized the huge benefits involved and immediately became cautious. They believed that both the secret recipe and Ming Youyou and the others needed to be well protected.

When County Magistrate Tao arrived, Ming Youyou had already purified a small part of it. She happily held it up to show him, "Sir, the new tools are very useful. It's much easier to make the finished product than before."