Chapter Twenty-Six: Returning the Family Legacy
“Little Nightshade, be good, you'll have something delicious soon!”
“Owoo—owoo!”
“What? You want to be lifted high? No problem, big sister will take you to climb a tall tree.”
“Owoo!”
...
Inside the small ancestral hall, Jin Bao'er was holding Little Nightshade, lifting it high one moment, playing hide and seek the next, and occasionally causing mischief around. The two were having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile, Li Zhao crouched beneath the big tree, carefully simmering a pot of dog food. Its main ingredients included: flour, pork, eggs, dried vegetables, river shrimp, refined salt... not only nutritious, but also excellent in taste.
Of course, Little Nightshade had just reached full moon, so dog food could only serve as a supplementary meal. Milk was its main food, but the White Spirit Dog hid deep in the mountains; it was impossible to carry it up the mountain every day to nurse.
Therefore, Li Zhao wandered around Qianlong Ridge and, for half a tael of silver, bought a robust and milk-rich brindle female dog from a hunter to serve as a wet nurse for Little Nightshade.
Two puppies were thrown in as a bonus, perfect companions for Little Nightshade to ward off loneliness.
However, in reality, Little Nightshade showed little interest in the puppies and instead got along famously with Jin Bao'er. Together, they were the ultimate pair for mischief and trouble.
Soon, the dog food was ready. After it cooled, Li Zhao fed Little Nightshade a small bowl, then gently rubbed its belly to help it digest. At that moment, uninvited guests arrived—Chief Steward Hou Si and a young clerk in green, holding a rolled ledger under his arm.
“Your humble servant greets Young Master Zhao!”
“Oh, Chief Steward Hou, what brings you here today?”
“Hehe, I was instructed by the master to deliver a few things to you, Young Master.”
Hou Si respectfully presented a document, its contents clear: Li De would return the Li family ancestral home and the distillery to Li Zhao, who would henceforth manage them independently, bearing all profits and losses, with no further ties to Li De.
There were two copies; Li De had already signed and sealed them.
Additionally, there was a deed for the ancestral home and another for the distillery, both placed before Li Zhao.
In recent days, Li Zhao had been secretly observing the front courtyard, anticipating several scenarios: perhaps Li De would storm in with his sons, furious over the Grass Hall Temple incident; or he would hire thugs to attack him covertly; or even poison his food.
...
Yet he never expected Li De would willingly return the ancestral home and distillery. Was the sun rising in the west today?
Li De, cunning and greedy as ever, suddenly found his conscience, recognized his past wrongs, and now sought redemption by returning the family estate to his pitiful nephew, vowing to be a righteous uncle from here on?
Even if Li Zhao drank a ton of spirits, let a stupid mule kick his head twenty times, and ram his head against the door frame a hundred times, he could never believe such a thing. There must be hidden motives.
“Chief Steward Hou, is Uncle really returning the ancestral home and distillery to me?”
“It’s absolutely true, Young Master. As soon as you sign the document, both the ancestral home and distillery are yours. The master has already announced it publicly, and all the villagers of Qianlong Ridge can testify!”
“What? It’s already been announced?”
Li Zhao easily guessed Li De and Lady Zheng’s intentions. The return of the ancestral home and distillery was merely a pretext; a trap surely lay in wait.
The frustrating part was knowing it was a trap but having to step into it.
First, taking over the estate at fifteen was a long-standing agreement, and he had no reason to refuse.
Second, upon seeing the document, his blood surged and his heart raced, as if some force urged him to accept. Li Zhao realized this was the lingering wish of the young Li Zhao, yearning to reclaim the ancestral legacy. If he refused, the little fellow might act up.
Still, agreeing was not enough; he needed one more thing—the family patriarch’s token!
“When my parents passed, I was still young, so the estate was entrusted to my uncle. Now that I’ve come of age, it’s only right I take over. However, since my uncle wishes to return the estate, why only the ancestral home and distillery? Where is the patriarch’s token—does he hesitate to hand it over?”
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Given that, Uncle may as well manage the estate for a few more years. To be honest, I am in no hurry to reclaim it.”
Li Zhao’s meaning was clear: he would not accept anything less than the entire estate, including the patriarch’s token.
“Well then, Young Master, please wait while I report back.”
Hou Si, having met resistance, scurried back to the front courtyard, returning after nearly half an hour, drenched in sweat and carrying a red lacquered box.
Inside was a square seal, three inches wide, forged from pure gold, its knob carved with a dragon, and the eight characters below: “Heir of King Wu, Descendant of Phoenix and Dragon!”
This golden seal was the Li family’s ancestral token, held by successive patriarchs. It had been seized by Li De along with the estate years ago; now it was finally returned.
Li Zhao carefully inspected the seal, deeds, and contracts, confirming their authenticity before signing his name and affixing his handprint to the document.
At the same time, the young clerk recorded the transfer of estate in the ledger, officially filing it with the local authorities. From then on, any problems with the Li family would fall on Li Zhao.
Thus, Li Zhao had reclaimed the estate—at least nominally. Li De’s family still resided in the front courtyard; when would they move out?
And what schemes lay hidden in this sudden return of the estate?
...
The next day, just as dawn broke, Li Zhao lay sound asleep when Bai Mo burst in...
“Master, big news! The treacherous family moved out of the front courtyard!”
“They really moved? When did this happen?”
“Absolutely, some servants say they left secretly at midnight.”
“Let’s go have a look!”
Li Zhao quickly dressed, washed up, and together with Bai Mo, went to check the front courtyard...
Sure enough, Li De’s family had moved out, taking with them all valuables, leaving only empty rooms and a few old servants, plus Steward Sun, who handled the distillery’s handover.
Li Zhao had been skeptical about the estate’s return; now it was reality, catching him off guard. But things were as they were—he could only take it one step at a time.
He had a premonition, though, that the root of all issues likely lay in the distillery.
“Steward Sun Wangcai, greetings, Young Master.”
“No need for formalities. Wangcai, hmm, a good name!”
“Master, the distillery’s situation is complicated. It’s hard to explain briefly. If you have time, could you come take a look yourself?”
“No problem, let’s head out now.”
He summoned Uncle Cai and Aunt Qing to help manage the ancestral home, while Li Zhao and Bai Mo went to take over the distillery. The carriage was ready, and the three of them set out for the northwest...
...
Fifteen li northwest of Qianlong Ridge lay the Black Dragon River, its waters flowing from Zhongnan Mountain, sourced from the Black Dragon Spring—crisp and refreshing, like sweet dew, of exceptional quality.
To brew fine wine, the first requirement is pure water. Thus, most distilleries in Wu'an County cluster along the Black Dragon River, about forty or fifty in total.
The Li family distillery was on the east bank, occupying twenty to thirty mu. From afar, one could see yellow clay walls, black lacquered wooden gates, and a white cloth banner fluttering in the wind, bearing five bold characters—“De Li Hou Distillery.”
“Everyone, come quickly! Steward Sun has returned!”
“Steward Sun, if there’s no money, we haven’t been paid for three months. Our families are waiting for rice at home!”
“That’s right, even the emperor doesn’t starve his soldiers. If the boss doesn’t pay, we can’t keep working!”
As they entered, a crowd of workers surrounded them, voices rising in hope.
Seeing Li Zhao and Bai Mo, the workers were puzzled—why had the owner not come, but two young men instead?
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“Everyone quiet down and listen. The old master has signed the deed, returning the distillery to Young Master Zhao. From now on, he is our new owner. Come pay your respects!”
...
“What? The distillery changed owners? That spells trouble—maybe they’ll flee early!”
“Who is this new master? Never heard of him before.”
“You young folks don’t know—Young Master Zhao is both the new and the old owner!”
Learning the distillery had a new master, the workers buzzed with speculation. A few elders, knowing the history between Li De and Li Zhao, quietly explained it to others.
To the workers, uncle or nephew—whoever managed the distillery didn’t matter. What mattered was running it well and getting paid, so they could feed their families.
The problem was, the distillery faced serious challenges. If even the uncle couldn’t solve them, what could the young nephew do?
Most workers felt disheartened, considering other options and wondering if their back wages would ever be paid—even a partial payment would suffice.
Meanwhile, Steward Sun produced the roster, introducing the distillery staff to Li Zhao:
One steward—himself, responsible for daily operations.
Two master brewers—elderly, experienced men.
Eight foremen—all with over ten years in the industry.
Sixty-four regular workers—all strong and able-bodied.
...
After the introductions, Steward Sun escorted Li Zhao around the distillery, explaining the grain-brewing process: steaming rice, mixing yeast, fermentation, filtration, high-temperature heating... simple in theory, complex in practice. Any mistake in any step could ruin the wine.
Finally, Steward Sun opened a vat as tall as a person and as wide as two could embrace. Inside was recently failed brew—cloudy, sour-smelling, with over a hundred vats of such sour wine!
Li Zhao tasted a sip, immediately spat it out, saying nothing but pondering deeply.
The kitchen held only nearly moldy coarse grains and salty vegetable chunks; no meat, vegetables, or eggs to be found. Clearly, Li De had been stingy with the workers—making them labor like oxen and horses, eating like pigs and dogs!
Such a heart was unusually black.
After the inspection, Steward Sun invited Li Zhao to the accounting room, brought out a thick pile of ledgers, and explained much, which boiled down to four words: debts like mountains.
The distillery carried heavy debts, three most pressing:
First, three months of unpaid wages to workers, totaling four hundred seventy-two strings of coins.
Second, unpaid bills to several merchants for fine rice, coal, utensils, and other supplies—amounting to two thousand strings.
Third, a supply contract with the largest tavern in Wu'an—Drunken Immortal Tavern—to deliver a batch of Pear Blossom Spring wine worth ten thousand strings within forty days.
Due to operational errors, all new wine had soured. According to the contract, failure to deliver on time meant triple compensation—thirty thousand strings!
Each problem was thornier than the last. No wonder Li De and Lady Zheng returned the estate, then fled—they were setting a deadly trap!
Silently cursing Li De’s ancestors and all their female relatives a hundred times, Li Zhao felt slightly better.
Faced with adversity, what now?
Escape was not an option. To overcome difficulties head-on—that was the way of a true man!
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