Although the recipe of the wine from the Li Family Wine Shop has been modified many times, the core ingredient remains lychees.
The subtle sweetness and aftertaste of the Jinyutang Wine come from the unique fragrance of lychees.
This is the biggest difference between Li Wanming's wine and the wine in the capital, and also the core of the Li Family Wine Shop.
Previously, Liu Yiyi brought her two large carts of dried lychees, which were expected to last her a year.
Who would have thought that in just two months, they were almost used up!
Fortunately, when Li Wanming received Zhao Yanke's order, she had already greeted Liu Yiyi to quickly dry lychees in Fujian and transport another batch over as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would really be out of ingredients now.
Li Wanming first went to the warehouse and then to the silk shop, but didn't find Liu Yiyi.
Strangely enough, the clerk in the silk shop kept hemming and hawing.
He stammered and couldn't get his words out clearly for a long time. He only said that their young lady hadn't come for several days and told Li Wanming to go directly to her home to find her...
This - something wasn't right.
Liu Yiyi was a lively person who couldn't stay idle. Asking her to stay at home every day would be more painful than killing her.
Moreover, Liu's father had returned to Fujian a few months ago to purchase raw silk. With no one to restrain her in the capital, Liu Yiyi wished she could spend every day in the warehouse and the silk shop, learning how to purchase and sell goods and manage the business.
Such an active person, how could she lock herself at home for several days?
While Li Wanming was thinking, she had already arrived at the gate of the Liu Mansion.
As soon as the young servant guarding the gate saw her, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Miss Li San, you've finally come! If you hadn't come, we would have gone to invite you!"
"What's going on?" Li Wanming asked.
The young servant led her inside and whispered, "The master returned to the capital from Fujian a few days ago. Who would have thought that the mistress also came along..."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Li Wanming didn't understand.
Since Mr. Liu took two concubines into the house in order to have a son, Mrs. Liu had been furious. She had driven him out of her courtyard and never talked to him again.
She also ignored all the family business and left it all to Mr. Liu.
For this reason, Li Wanming had once asked Liu Yiyi, "Your father left his legal wife and two concubines in Fujian. Isn't he afraid they'll fight?"
Liu Yiyi had said, "My mother is too lazy to argue with the concubines. They each live in their own courtyard. Usually, out of sight, out of mind. It's fine that they don't bother each other!"
Actually, in the final analysis, Mr. Liu was a bit old - fashioned.
He hoped that Mrs. Liu would show the demeanor of a traditional legal wife, manage the inner courtyard, discipline the concubines, and raise the children... so that when he came back from outside, he could be cozy with his wife, children, and concubines... all together by the kang.
In response, Mrs. Liu had said, "In your dreams!"
"When I started the business from scratch with you back then, why didn't you say that business was a man's business and women should just stay at home and rest?"
"Now that the business is booming and we've established a foothold in the capital, you start acting like the head of the family?"
"You also said that girls aren't suitable for business and the family property must be inherited by a son... When I was selling raw silk with you back then, why didn't you say that women were no good?"
"Our Yiyi is in no way inferior to a son! It's clearly that you just want to have three wives and four concubines and live a dissipated life now that you're rich. Don't drag us women into it!"
"You heartless old bastard. You want me to manage your concubines? No way!"
Mr. Liu was scolded until he looked dejected. From then on, he never dared to mention the harmonious co - existence of wives and concubines again.
So, when Li Wanming heard that Mrs. Liu was actually willing to come with Mr. Liu this time, her first reaction was: That's a good thing.
"What good thing..."
The young servant said with a long face, "Concubine Hua also came along..."
"Ah?"
Li Wanming was stunned. "All three of them came together?"
The young servant's face looked even more miserable. He almost burst into tears the next second. "Not three. It's four!"
Four?
What was going on?
Both concubines came along?
... Wouldn't there be a huge fight?
No wonder Liu Yiyi hadn't been to the shop for these days. It turned out that there was such a commotion at home.
The young servant led Li Wanming. Before they reached the main hall of the Liu Mansion, they heard Mrs. Liu's voice from inside.
"Liu Yisheng, do you hear me? I'm not asking for a divorce. I'm going to divorce you!"
The young servant forced a bitter smile and said, "Miss Li San, I won't go in. You can go in by yourself..."
Then, Mr. Liu's furious voice rang out. "Since ancient times, it's always the man who divorces the woman. When has there ever been a woman divorcing a man? You... you're just being unreasonable and making a scene!"
The young servant bowed slightly and hurriedly covered his ears and ran away.
He didn't want to hear any of the master's privacy!
Li Wanming walked over and saw Liu Yiyi sitting in the corner with a look of despair on her face. So she quickly waved at her and called out in a low voice, "Yiyi, Yiyi?"
"Wanming?"
When Liu Yiyi saw her, her eyes lit up. She glanced at her parents. Seeing that they were arguing intently and no one was paying attention to her, she quickly ran out.
"Why did you come?"
Li Wanming tilted her head towards the inside and asked, "What's going on?"
"Don't even mention it."
Liu Yiyi said with a bitter face, "Some time ago, it was rumored that Concubine Shuang was pregnant. Father was extremely happy. But then, for some reason, she suddenly tripped and lost the baby. Coincidentally, my mother was just passing by. She insisted that it was my mother who pushed her..."
Hmm? This plot sounded familiar.
The favored concubine being arrogant and feigning pregnancy to frame the mistress.
Li Wanming quickly interrupted and said, "Was it because she wasn't really pregnant at all, so she deliberately pretended to trip and framed your mother?"
Liu Yiyi forced a bitter smile and said, "If only it were that simple!"
Hmm?
It wasn't?
Liu Yiyi talked for a long time before Li Wanming gradually understood.
It turned out that Concubine Shuang was really pregnant, but the father wasn't Mr. Liu.
She had a lover outside. Every time Mr. Liu went to the capital to sell goods, they would secretly meet.
Later, she accidentally got pregnant and could only claim that it was Mr. Liu's.
Mr. Liu was so happy that he immediately gave Concubine Shuang two shops.
Unfortunately, as the months passed, her belly couldn't be hidden anymore.
Any discerning person could tell that something was wrong. A two - month pregnancy couldn't possibly have a five - month - sized belly. There was clearly a problem!
Seeing that Mr. Liu was about to return from the capital, Concubine Shuang panicked. So she calculated the day when Mr. Liu would come back.
On that day, she deliberately took a walk outside Mrs. Liu's courtyard and staged a scene in front of Mr. Liu where the mistress couldn't tolerate the beloved concubine and harmed the heir...
Watching the son he had been looking forward to for many years disappear right before his eyes, Mr. Liu was heart - broken. He immediately wanted to quarrel with Mrs. Liu.
Who would have thought that without batting an eyelid, Mrs. Liu waved her hand and ordered someone to carry in a pale - faced scholar who was tied up tightly.
"If you want to know how the child was lost, just ask him."
Mrs. Liu said coldly, pointing at the scholar.
The pale - faced scholar's eyes flickered. He fidgeted for a long time and finally said, "Shuang'er, stop pretending. The mistress already knows..."
"Quickly kowtow to the mistress. The mistress is magnanimous. Maybe she'll forgive you!"
It turned out that Mrs. Liu had known about Concubine Shuang's affair from the very beginning.
But she was angry, so she didn't remind Mr. Liu.
Not until Concubine Shuang got pregnant.
It was Mr. Liu's business if he wanted to keep a few women. She could ignore it. But if a concubine was pregnant with a bastard and wanted to share her child's family property, that was absolutely unacceptable!
In a fit of anger, Mrs. Liu immediately ordered someone to arrest this man and promised that if he was willing to expose his affair with Concubine Shuang in front of Mr. Liu, she would pay off all his debts in the gambling house.
So, Concubine Shuang, who was crying in Mr. Liu's arms like a delicate flower, watched as her lover betrayed her and sold her out completely...