Prescription No. 61, Secret Formula

  Su Lianying was treating Mr. Li's illness at the Li residence, and before she knew it, it was already late afternoon. Originally, Su Lianying did not want to have dinner at the Li residence, thinking of hiring a carriage to return home, but Mrs. Li had set up a family banquet to entertain her, and it was hard to decline.

  Never think that a family dinner is just eating and playing at home. In the absence of outsiders, it may indeed be eating and playing, but if you entertain outsiders, it means that the whole family comes to entertain guests, which can be seen from the nobility or importance of the guest's identity.

  Although Lingwei didn't understand the etiquette of the Swan Country, this kind of thing also happens frequently in modern times. If it's just entertaining ordinary friends, the male host can simply take them out to a restaurant, but if they need to ask someone for a favor or the guest is very important, they will definitely invite their wife to join in the hosting.

  When Su Lianying arrived at the banquet venue, she was shocked.

  Because this was far from the family dinner she had imagined, with the main seat reserved for Mr. Li and the first guest seat reserved for her, all other seats were packed tightly with women.

  These women were dressed in luxurious clothes, with faces that were either elegant or noble, or delicate and pure. At a rough glance, there were at least ten women. Were these... Mr. Li's daughters? It didn't seem like it, because several of them were around the same age as Mrs. Li.

  This can't be...the legendary concubine!?!

  This was Su Lianwei's first time seeing a "concubine" with her own eyes. In modern times, it is impossible to see concubines, but after crossing over to a small village, because of poverty and lack of money to take in concubines. However, whether she saw them or not, this kind of creature still existed peacefully in the world.

  The impression of Mr. Li has plummeted!

  Mr. Li took his seat, and Lianyi also sat down with a seemingly pleasant smile, followed by the usual tedious pleasantries.

  Mrs. Li, née Tao, was about forty-five years old, well-preserved, with thick black hair and fair skin, slightly plump but not clumsy, with the air of a noblewoman. She wore a long dress made of black satin with red peony patterns, extremely elegant and luxurious, with a golden hairpin on her head that sparkled dazzlingly in the lamplight.

  Others, except for one who was dressed gaudily, were all dressed in simple attire. The one who was dressed gaudily, with gold and silver ornaments, had charming eyebrows and eyes, a pair of cherry lips that invited people to taste them, and was a beautiful woman.

  "Lianyuan girl, for the old master's illness, you've worked hard. The old master's body has recovered, thanks to your efforts. I'll toast a cup to you." As she spoke, Mrs. Li raised her wine glass, and the concubines accompanying her also picked up their cups.

  "Madam, you're being too serious."

  Everyone raised their cups and took a sip.

  After drinking the wine, Mrs. Li was still unwilling to give up and ordered her maid to bring a delicate red wooden box, saying it was a gift for Lianyi to express her gratitude.

  Lianyi was rejected, and could only accept the box. When she received it, she found that the box was heavy, and thought that there must be money inside. Lianyi was surprised to find that Mrs. Li was very generous and enthusiastic, unlike what she had expected.

  But afterwards, Liangliang suddenly realized that Mrs. Li had done so for a good reason.

  Then, the beautiful woman with peach lips also raised her glass for a toast, and Lianning accompanied her in drinking another cup. The beautiful woman also gave a gift, which was bigger and heavier than Mrs. Li's box.

  Mrs. Li's face turned awkward for a moment, but soon returned to normal, and even praised the beautiful woman - Peach Auntie.

  Su Lian suddenly realized that Mrs. Li's toast was emphasizing her position as the legitimate wife, subtly suppressing all the concubines, while also showing concern for Mr. Li.

  The Tao lady-in-waiting followed closely behind and presented a gift even larger than that of Lady Li, which was clearly a challenge!

  Lianyi bowed her head and didn't speak, but she felt that the atmosphere at the dinner table was not right. It's really frustrating, why do women make things difficult for other women?

  These women don't know Su Lianwei? She didn't believe it, her notorious reputation had spread throughout the Li Manor, how could they not know? Although no one mentioned it, she could see the surprise and astonishment in their eyes, guessing that they were secretly suspecting why Su Lianwei didn't match the rumors.

  Later conversations were mostly between Mr. Li, Mrs. Li and Tao's aunt, sometimes it was a subtle verbal sparring match between Mrs. Li and Tao's aunt, sometimes it was an enthusiastic and lively discussion, the other concubines mostly remained silent, even if they spoke, they were flattering the first few people who spoke.

  Mr. Li was very calm and composed, as if such a scene had become ordinary and no longer surprising.

  Su Lianwei felt helpless again. What kind of home banquet was this for her? It was clearly just an excuse to find a battlefield and start a fight.

  What's the point of such a luxurious family? Splendid on the outside, sorrowful on the inside. She suddenly missed her small family, so quiet and warm. And who knows... what Big Tiger is doing now, what he had for dinner?

  Delicacies from mountains and seas are in her mouth, but it's like eating wax. She hopes the banquet will end soon, she wants to go home.

  To get back on track, today's Su Liangwei was really dressed up carefully, just to tell Li Yutang that she was living a good life, only in this way could the next step of the plan be carried out.

  However, Li Yutang did not show up, it is unknown whether Madam Li avoided inviting him or he refused to attend.

  She really wanted to see with her own eyes the scene of that bastard being so angry that smoke was coming out of all seven orifices.

  Finally, just before Su Lianwei's patience was about to collapse, this "family dinner" came to an end. The night was already deep, and Mrs. Li naturally wanted to keep Lianwei at the mansion overnight, but Lianwei refused, insisting on returning home. Mrs. Li had no choice but to arrange for a carriage from the Li manor to send her back.

  Li's mansion, Su Liangwei didn't want to stay a moment longer. Firstly, she was afraid of giving Li Yutang another chance to harm her, and secondly, she really detested this dark and sinister family.

  The luxurious carriage of the Li family entered the Su family village, and under the guidance of Lianyi, it arrived at the gate of the house. As usual, Lianyi took out a few copper coins to give to the coachman as a labor fee. The coachman happily accepted them and said many auspicious words. Lianyi smiled and pushed open the courtyard door with two large wooden boxes in her arms.

  As soon as Lianyi entered the gate, Da Hu pushed open the door and came out of the house.

  "Haven't you rested yet? Have you had dinner?" Ling asked casually.

  "No." answered Da Hu.

  Ripples stunned, it was already 10 pm, "How come you haven't eaten yet?"

  The big tiger slightly raised an eyebrow, "Afraid you'll say I'm eating alone."

  Lian Yi only then remembered that once she saw Da Hu eating leftover food, she casually made a joke saying he was eating alone and didn't wait for her, but unexpectedly, he actually listened. He chuckled and said, "Today I finished diagnosing Li Old Master's illness, and Madame Li invited me to dinner, so I couldn't refuse and ate a bit, but I wasn't full, just in time for a midnight snack." As he spoke, he brought two wooden boxes into the room and changed into a set of light and comfortable clothes.

  "Have you taken a bath?" he asked casually. Da Hu goes to Xian Shui Tan for a bath every night, regardless of wind or rain.

  "En." Da Hu replied.

  "Just stay in the courtyard and cool off for a bit." As she spoke, Lianyi scooped up some water to wash her hands, preparing to go into the kitchen.

  In the darkness, Da Hu's eyes flickered slightly, "Aren't you tired?"

  After a day of running around, wouldn't you be tired? But this kind of exhaustion, Ling had long been accustomed to it. Whether in modern or ancient times, perhaps she was just born for hard work. "Not tired." After saying that, she went into the kitchen.

  Looking at the busy figure in the kitchen, Da Hu's eyes softened again and again.

  Night scene, crescent moon, candlelight dinner.

  Four dishes and one soup, two hot and two cold, extremely sumptuous.

  Dahuo buried his head and ate, while Lianyi symbolically took a few bites, but she wasn't actually hungry.

  The evening breeze blew gently, and the ripples in the mouth slowly chewed on the lettuce leaves, looking at their own house, subconsciously smiling.

  The great tiger stopped, suspended in mid-air with the wind and clouds scattered around him. "What are you laughing at?" Was he laughing at his wolf-like eating habits?

  "I feel very happy." Lianyi replied.

  "Happiness?" Da Hu was taken aback, looking around at the clean but shabby house, and then at the narrow courtyard, not to mention status, wealth, or servants.

  "Today, Mrs. Li invited me to dinner, and the table was filled with wives and concubines of different ranks, openly competing and secretly fighting. A home should be a place where one can relax physically and mentally, the safest and warmest place, but the Li household is a battlefield everywhere, where is home?" Ripples spoke out of emotion.

  The big tiger listened, thought, and then nodded his head in agreement.

  "I don't want such wealth and glory. What is the pursuit of life? Is it fame? Is it profit? Life is short, after a hundred years buried in the ground, what can be done with all the gold and silver treasures? Those worldly things cannot be brought to death, but living happily and working hard in this life."

  Lianyi suddenly thought, after modern archaeology excavated various ancient tombs of kings and nobles, they took out gold, silver and treasures for exhibition, and even treasure thieves frequently visited. These poor ancient people, who struggled hard all their lives, thought they would leave with their wealth, but didn't know that these riches would eventually fall into others' hands.

  The big tiger seemed to be thinking deeply and nodded its head again.

  "So, I think life is quite happy now. Although it's tiring during the day, but at night when I get home, I can quietly enjoy my life. Yeah, not bad." Lianyi felt more and more satisfied as she thought about it.

  The corner of Da Hu's mouth slightly hooked up, indeed, this small courtyard was warm and peaceful, making him also fascinated.

  "Oh, right! Mrs. Li from the Li household and Aunt Peach also sent me two big boxes, I suppose there's a lot of silver inside, let me take a look, haha." Without the calm wisdom of daytime, Su Lianhui was like an ordinary lively girl at this moment, happily rushing into the house and carrying out the two large boxes.

  Dahyu reluctantly helped her push the rice bowl and dishes in front of her to one side. Qiancai didn't show off his wealth, she could trust him with it, he was deeply moved.

  Lianyi first opened Mrs. Li's trunk, and indeed, it was full of silver. This trunk of silver was worth at least 300 taels. 300 taels, not a small sum! Lianyi was overjoyed, with this silver, her future life would be secured.

  Although she didn't get carried away, her little face was flushed with a bright red smile.

  Dà Hǔ glanced at the white silver in the box with the corner of his eye, and savored it in his heart. Is she so happy just because of this little bit of silver? The silver notes he gave her before were more than this. If she likes it, he will give her more in the future.

  She put the lid back on and opened the box of the Peach Blossom Lady again. "Wow..." She finally exclaimed in surprise.

  At a glance, it was a box full of jewels. There were jade bangles, pearl necklaces, exquisite hairpins, and earrings. Did Su Lianwei like these accessories? He quietly remembered in his heart, deciding that he would buy them back whenever he came across beautiful accessories in the future.

  Just thinking of this, Da Hu suddenly stunned.

  Then...?

  The two are in a cooperative relationship at this time, and after the matter is over, it will be the end of the cooperation. The two agreed that he would take her out, and she would have to make a living on her own. It can be said that later, the two will go their separate ways, but he just felt that the two will continue like this forever.

  Habits are a terrible thing, he had long been accustomed to having someone wash his hands and adjust his sleeves for him, and having someone accompany him to enjoy the moonlight.

  Dà hǔ de fǎn cháng, Sū Lián Wēi bìng wèi fā xiàn, tā zhèng ná zhe yī zhī jīng yíng de yù jiǎo, duì zhe dēng guāng guān kàn. Zhè zhēn shì gè hǎo dōng xī a, jìng rú cǐ huá zhěn、jīng yíng tī tòu.

  Translation:

  The tiger's abnormality was not discovered by Su Lianwei, who was holding a crystal jade bangle and admiring it in the lamplight. This is indeed a good thing, so smooth and transparently bright.

  Dà Hǔ saw that bracelet, his eyebrows furrowed, his face turned red, and he thought of the low-quality bracelet he had given her before.

  Lianyi caught Dahu's embarrassment out of the corner of her eye and hastily put the bangle back in the wooden box, covering it. "I still like the one on my hand, as the saying goes, 'what goes up must come down', something too perfect is not good, something with a little flaw is better, more down-to-earth." This was absolutely said to comfort Dahu, because how could the crudeness of the bangle on her wrist be described with just a slight flaw?

  After dinner, wash the bowls and chopsticks, close the courtyard door, and extinguish the lights in the house. Another day has passed like this.

  ……

  Unlike Su Lian's peaceful life, a certain courtyard in Li's mansion was on fire.

  "Master, you must believe me, that Liu said Su Lianwei was indeed ravished by a rascal and her reputation was ruined..." Cui'er frantically knocked her head on the ground, her hair disheveled, wailing loudly.

  A loud crash, Li Yutang slammed the cup full of boiling tea water to the ground, ceramic shards and hot water splashing all over Cui'er's body, but Cui'er was completely unaware, she was in a daze, why did Liu say that the plan had succeeded, yet Su Lianhui could still come to Li's house unscathed.

  Suddenly, she thought of something and hurriedly stopped her sobs. "Young Master, Su Lianhui is a shameless person, it's no wonder that she was violated by someone and yet acts as if nothing happened, so she can appear in the Li Mansion like an innocent person. Young Master, you must believe me."

  Li Yutang was furious, and he smashed the account book, paperweight, and teacup. At this point, there was nothing left to smash.

  "This young master asks you, have you found Liu's family in Suzhai village? Were you present at the time?" Li Yutang's voice was less elegant than usual, slightly hoarse.

  Cui'er was flustered but could only honestly say, "As for Young Master's words... there aren't any." She lowered her head in shame.

  Li Yutang coldly snorted, "After that action, can you go to Sujiacun to check the results?"

  Cui'er's heart was empty, "No... nothing."

  "What's the use of you if you can't even do anything? You're useless!" Li Yutang was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He had never been humiliated like this in his life! He could just imagine how Su Lianhui must be mocking him behind his back! Being ridiculed by a stupid fatso made him furious!

  Cui'er was startled, and the young master's question must have been based on something. The young master had never been one to shoot randomly, and she suddenly became even more flustered. "Young master, that...that...Liu Shi...could it be that she's deceiving me?"

  Li Yutang snorted coldly, sat down without a word, closed his eyes and tried hard to suppress his anger.

  Before long, a deep voice sounded from outside, "Young master, Liu of Suzi Village has arrived."

  Cui'er suddenly became excited, as long as Liu came, she could wash away her guilty name, great. "Young master, Liu can testify that the action was really successful, but Su Liangwei is a shameless person..."

  "Shut up," Li Yudang was too lazy to listen to Cui'er's words anymore. "Bring Liu in."

  Before long, Mo Nong brought Liu into the room. When Liu saw Li Yutang, her whole body went soft, her old face turned pink, and even the thick rouge couldn't cover it up. Her eyes kept darting towards Li Yutang with electricity.

  Goodness, this is still the most handsome man she has ever seen in her life! How can he be so beautiful? If she didn't know that he was the second young master of the Li family, she would have thought he was a god from heaven descended to earth!

  Li Yutang felt uncomfortable being stared at, "Liu?"

  "Yes, yes, yes, I am Liu Shi. I pay my respects to the Second Young Master." Liu Shi put on a smiling face and bowed deeply, then continued to send electricity after finishing her greeting. Hmm, hmm, hmm, I wonder what it's like to have an intimate relationship with such a divine man, would it also be as joyful as being a god?

  Li Yutang felt a chill run down his spine, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly like Mount Emei, "You colluded with Cui'er to harm Su Lianhui?"

  As soon as the matter was mentioned, Liu's lustful heart subsided a bit. Beauty is good, but life is more important. Behind her back was Su Lianying, that female Yan Wang, who was feared by many. "Is that so? Isn't it Second Young Master Li's intention?" That Su Lianying was indeed formidable, even guessing what Second Young Master Li would ask, and now her answers were all pre-arranged by Su Lianying.

  Once again confirmed, Su Lianwei, can't afford to offend!

  Li Yutang regained his composure, "Of course it's not what this young master meant, how could this young master have any connection with that rural rascal?" His voice was as calm as usual.

  Liu knelt down with a thud, "Second Master, please be wise! I didn't know that this was Cui'er's own doing. If I had known, I would never have agreed to it. It was Cui'er who used the young master's orders to coerce me. I am innocent!"

  Cui'er knelt down and didn't dare make a sound, knowing clearly that Second Master was pushing all the responsibility onto her.

  "Then answer me honestly," Li Yutang said seriously, "did your actions succeed?"

  Although Mrs. Liu was infatuated with the Second Master's good looks, after all, she had grown older and seen more people and things, so when she saw Li Yutang's hypocritical appearance, she couldn't help but sneer at him in her heart. "Tell the Second Master that it didn't work out," she said, "At the time, I had already spoken to Miss Cui about it."

  Cui'er was startled, "Liu Shi, what did you say?"

  Liu seemed very innocent, "Cui'er young lady, I told you at that time, the action was not successful."

  "You're talking nonsense, you clearly told me it was a success back then." Cui'er said anxiously.

  "Cui'er, you must have remembered wrongly. I said it didn't succeed and specifically told you that those people were tied up at the village entrance, but you've forgotten?" Liu continued to speak according to Su Lianwei's instructions, speaking very seriously.

  "Nonsense! You cheap woman...!" Cui'er wanted to rush up and fight.

  "That's enough." Li Yutang closed his eyes, and his lowered bangs covered the blue veins on his forehead. "Liu, you can go down now."

  "Is...". Liu's lingering gaze, she looked at Li Yutang with all her might, as if she wanted to imprint his beauty in her heart. As she was about to leave, she turned back and added, "If Young Master has any more questions, feel free to call me anytime, no matter how late..." The last sentence was absolutely flirtatious.

  Mo saw the situation and pulled Liu out with one hand, who was reluctant to leave.

  Li Yutang only felt his stomach churning, feeling a bit nauseous, and reached out to touch the teacup, but found it empty. Only then did he remember that the teacup had been smashed.

  Cui'er was so frightened that she trembled all over, not daring to make a sound, and hung her head low. What's going on here? Liu Shi had clearly told her that Su Liangwei had been humiliated, how could this be possible?

  She was no longer wailing loudly, but sobbing softly, "Second... Young Master, Cui'er has served you for many years, loyal to you with all her heart, really... didn't deceive you, really..."

  "Take him out and give him fifty lashes." Li Yutang closed his eyes, his voice was light and flat, without any emotion.

  "Master, don't... Master, please... Master..." The voice grew fainter and farther away as Cui'er was dragged out by the strong and sturdy servant, awaiting her was a private punishment that could beat someone to death.

  Fifty big slaps, even if you don't die, it's half your life gone.

  It was already midnight, and Cui'er had her mouth stuffed and was being executed, unable to utter a single word.

  The study was in a state of eerie silence, filled with chaos, but no one dared to enter and clean up. The personal attendants who served Li Yutang knew their master's ruthlessness and were afraid of being implicated.

  After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Yutang finally slowly opened his eyes, with no more anger on his face, and restored that calmness with a strong sense of deception. His white clothes were spotless, his gaze was distant and empty, and his whole body emitted an icy aura, who would have thought that this immortal, was a ruthless person?

  "Ink is thick." Light-colored lips slightly opened, tone elegant.

  "Yes." Ink flows inward.

  "Call someone to collect it." He picked up the account book again and continued to look at it.

  "Yes." The ink was thick and immediately the maidservants poured in like a school of fish, sweeping up the fragments, wiping the floor, serving tea, and tidying up the desk. In the blink of an eye, the chaos had disappeared, and the study was spotless again. The maidservants finished cleaning up and quietly withdrew.

  Ink is thick, guarding beside.

  He put down the account book, and Li Yutang's lips curled up in a cold smile. "That Su Lianhui is not an ordinary person, she can actually use the counter-spy tactic." He had just been furious, and for a moment he lost his composure, only now did he understand.

  Li Yutang took over more than half of the Li family's industry, and is known to all as a business genius. How could he be played around by such a simple trick?

  "Master, are you going to pardon Cui'er's punishment?" Mo Nong said.

  Li Yutang picked up the account book again, "No need to, simple-minded, this time also give her a lesson, if next time still do things unprofitably, then drive her out."

  "Yes." Mo Nong replied.

  At midnight, Li Yutang was still checking accounts under the lamp, his expression calm and composed, and no one could guess what he was thinking at this moment.

  ……

  Su Lianhui did this for Qingtong, even if she didn't die, she had to pay the price for what she did. As a result, Lianhui won, but she didn't expect that Li Yutang didn't kill or drive out Qingtong, and instead kept her by his side.

  Su Lianwei and Zhou Dafu's prescription really worked, and Mr. Li's body became stronger and more robust day by day. Moreover, he followed Su Lianwei's advice to exercise every day, and his physical recovery was getting better and better.

  Mr. Li's first move was to take back the family business from Li Yutang, bringing him down from his high position and causing all the shopkeepers and business associates who had previously fawned on Li Yutang to now gather around Mr. Li instead.

  What is Qi, and how did it come into being?

  Privilege!

  The Li family business was built by the late Old Master Li and the current Old Master Li over two generations. Naturally, Old Master Li knew to keep his mind steady and develop steadily. As for Li Yutang, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had always had an air of superiority, as if no one else was worthy of him.

  This arrogance is the root of Li Yutang's bad luck, and Mr. Li knows that if he doesn't get rid of it, one day he will hit a wall and end up on the wrong path.

  Rather than having him hit a wall elsewhere, it's better to let him experience it now.

  Mr. Li was a heart of bitterness, but Li Yutang thought that all this was the ghost of Su Lianwei, resentment, accumulating deeper and deeper.

  ……

  On this day, Su Lianwei once again dragged Da Hu to Xian Shui Tan. Lianwei had already checked all the places she could check, but no matter what, she couldn't figure out why the water from Xian Shui Tan was able to brew wine with a unique flavor.

  How strange! It's really strange!

  Dahyu accompanied him, he was a wine lover, had some research on wine tasting, and also helped Lingwei to solve the problem.

  "Big Tiger, do you have any new ideas?" Lianyi crouched on the ground, with a worried and bitter face, which was different from her usual calm and collected demeanor. At this moment, she had shed off her wisdom and was just an ordinary girl.

  "No." Da Hu replied, his gaze stuck on her, the woman's charm and beauty made him feel pity.

  In the sweltering summer, the weather was scorching hot. Lian Yu sat on a large rock by the pond, took off her shoes and socks to soak her feet in the water. The icy cold water dispelled the heat, bringing a wave of comfort. "Come on, Yu, can't you give me some hope?" Lian Yu teased.

  "I'm sorry." Da Hu felt deeply guilty.

  "Ha! What are you apologizing for? You're so serious all the time. I was just joking with you."

  The big tiger suddenly perked up its ears and looked back.

  "What's wrong?" Ling asked.

  "Someone is coming." answered Da Hu.

  "What? Someone?" Su Lianwei hastily got up and prepared to put on her shoes. Although she was a modern person who wasn't afraid of being seen barefoot, after all, this was ancient times, so she had to follow local customs, or else people might mistakenly think that she... That would be truly unjust.

  Lianyi had not yet put on his shoes when that person had already climbed the mountain, very quickly, it can be seen that he is extremely familiar with this road, it's Su Hao.

  "Brother?" Lingling smiled, "Hey, if I had known it was you, I wouldn't have rushed to put on my shoes." She playfully stuck out her tongue and made a face.

  Su Hao had never seen Su Lianwei like this before. In the past, although his second sister was unreasonable, she was lively and lovely. From more than two months ago, his second sister suddenly changed, becoming deep and wise, but also giving people a deep sense of alienation. And now, she seemed to have returned to her childhood self, making people unable to help but get close to her.

  "The water in the pond is icy, be careful not to catch a chill." Su Hao reminded with a smile.

  "Alright, alright, I know. I'll put it on in a moment." Lingling replied, her bright and cheerful voice echoing through the mountains, a joy to listen to.

  Dà hǔ de xīn bēng bēng zhí tiào, yǒu sū hào zài, tā bù gǎn zài qù tōu kàn lián yī, què yòu rěn bù zhù xiǎng kàn.

  Translation:

  The big tiger's heart was racing, with Su Hao there, he didn't dare to sneak a peek at Lianyi again, yet he couldn't help but think about looking.

  "Brother, what are you doing up here, taking a bath?" Ling asked, because Su Hao didn't have a water jug, he naturally wasn't fetching water.

  Su Hao's expression was serious, thinking about how to say it, and finally decided to be straightforward. "Lian Yi, you are a member of the Su family, you have the right to know the secret recipe of this wine."

  "No, Grandpa he..."

  "Listen to me," Su Hao interrupted Lianyi, his tone was unusually firm. "Now that you're sensible, you'll naturally understand Grandfather's original intention. He didn't pass on the secret formula to your father, you, and Third Brother not because he didn't want to, but because he was afraid you three wouldn't be sensible and would sell out the secret formula. Moreover, the secret formula wasn't necessarily passed down to just one person, because this secret formula has Mother's contributions."

  Lian Yi was taken aback, "Daughter? Didn't you say it was a secret recipe passed down from our ancestors? How did daughter get involved?"

  Su Hao sat down on a large stone beside him, as if he wanted to have a long talk. "Actually, this secret recipe is not considered a secret recipe at all. In the past, our family was just an ordinary small workshop, relying solely on Grandfather's hard work brewing wine to support the family. When Mother was still alive, Father was still decent and helped Grandfather with some tasks. Mother was a clever woman who thought that this way of life was not suitable, wanting to make a big change required having characteristics, so she developed a new secret recipe and improved the Su Family Wine."

  Lian Yu was shocked, and after making a fuss for half a day, it turned out that this so-called "ancestral secret recipe" was actually developed by her deceased mother. It seems that Xu Guihua is not an ordinary woman!

  "The daughter discovered that the water of Xian Shui Tan in July, August and September had a unique flavor with an inexplicable fragrance. She had a habit of storing this period's pool water to make tea, so she tried using this water to brew wine, which resulted in the uniquely flavored Su Family Wine."

  Su Hao said slowly, and Lian Yi listened carefully.

  The girl not only created the Su family wine, but also wrote a list of names, listing some people's names, and asked Grandpa to take the wine to invite those people to taste it. As expected, many people liked it, and the Su family wine became famous overnight.

  Then many wineries followed suit, some even moved to the foot of Xianshui Mountain, but fortunately, they did not rush in July, August and September, so they did not discover the secret formula of Su Jia wine.

  Ripples didn't understand, "If Su's wine is so famous, then there must be many people coming to buy it?"

  "Yes, during that period of time, our family indeed earned a sum of money." Su Hao affirmed.

  "Why is it maintained now?" Ling asked again.

  Su Hao was embarrassed, "Second sister, you... should also understand your brother. Let me Su Hao do some work is okay, no matter how bitter and tired I can do it, but... not good at getting along with people. More than a decade has passed, some of the old customers from before have passed away, naturally they will no longer buy wine, and I've tried to push a few times, repeatedly failing, can only rely on fewer and fewer old customers to barely support myself, so..."

  Ripples thought back to when she was at the Li's residence, Mr. Li's obvious probing questions, but Su Hao was completely unaware, honestly answering whatever he had to say, except for the Su family wine recipe which he kept tightly sealed.

  Lianyi shook her head helplessly, Su Hao was indeed not the material for doing business. But speaking of which, why did Qi Ba Jiu, three months' worth of water, have a unique taste?

  "Brother, it's already early July now, has the water changed?" Ling asked.

  "Yes, that's right. To conceal the secret, I deliberately hired those two laborers to fetch water from the mountain every day. In fact, the water was not used at all, but instead, we used the water stored during the 7th, 8th and 9th months of the lunar calendar. During those three months, I also instructed the laborers to carry more water." Su Hao explained.

  Just as Lianyi was about to scoop up some water to take a sip, she saw that her pale feet were still soaking in the water. If she drank it, wouldn't she be drinking her own foot-washing water? She hastily stood up and ran barefoot to the spring, scooping up some water to taste.

  When Dahu saw Lianyi's behavior, he suddenly remembered a previous time when she had just drunk from the pool and he said that Ye Ye bathed here every night. Afterwards, she refused to drink water again. Her silly expression made him laugh.

  Thinking about it, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. One of his greatest pleasures now was seeing Su Lianwei, who was normally calm and collected, look flustered and embarrassed, which he found very cute.

  "Brother, I didn't find any special flavor." Lianyi replied to Dahu, unaware of his abnormality, focusing on tasting the water.

  "It's because this is raw water, and as soon as it's boiled, a faint fragrance will be emitted." Su Hao replied.

  Ripples returned to her original position, sat on the big stone, wiped her feet dry with a handkerchief, and then put on her shoes and socks. Her face gradually became serious, losing its previous playfulness, and a pair of sharp eyes observed the surroundings.

  It was July, the hot summer, and the green trees on the mountain had grown into a canopy. Flowers were blooming everywhere, full of vitality, and the scenery was beautiful. The ripples did not let go of any factor, carefully examining and studying every object around the pond, excluding one possibility after another.

  The white small flowers all over the mountain and fields caught Lian Yi's attention, he walked over to pick one off, put it under his nose for a sniff, but surprisingly there was no fragrance at all. "Brother, what kind of flower is this?"

  Su Hao took a glance, "Oh, that flower is quite special, only our Xian Shui Mountain has it, and it doesn't have a name. We all call it 'Shu Yin Zi'. Very few people like it, it doesn't have a fragrance, and when the girls pick flowers, they never pick this one."

  Lianyi carefully examined the flower, which was somewhat like a modern-day Venus' looking glass, but slightly larger, with flowers dotted along a single stem.

  It's strange that the flower doesn't have a fragrance, but if it didn't have a fragrance, how would it attract bees and other insects? And without the help of these insects, how would it be pollinated?

  Lianyi is studying medicine and naturally has an interest in biology, seeing this small flower makes her involuntarily analyze its growth rules. Is it possible that this little flower also wants to learn from dandelions?

  Suddenly, a golden light flashed through Su Lianwei's mind!

  In nature, the main forces of plant pollination are insects and wind. Since this flower has no fragrance to attract insects, it can only rely on the wind!

  She touched her fingertips to the stamens, and although she couldn't see any pollen, when she lightly pinched with both fingers, she could feel a thin layer of powder. She felt that she must have found the key!

  This flower is different from other flowers, with the characteristic of light and delicate pollen, easily drifting away with the wind, landing on other flowers to complete pollination... but what if it falls into the Fairy Water Pond?

  She thought of a famous tourist attraction in modern times - Rhododendron Drunken Fish. In western Yunnan, there is a Bitahai Lake, which is actually a plateau lake with beautiful scenery. Every May, the lakeside is full of rhododendrons, and when the flowers fall into the lake after they bloom, they are eaten by the fish in the lake. The rhododendron contains a small amount of neurotoxin, and if the fish eat too much, it will be poisoned, float to the surface of the water, hence the name Rhododendron Drunken Fish.

  It's not because of water but plants!

  Thinking of this, Lianyi became excited and started frantically picking flowers. She picked a whole big bunch, wrapped it in her handkerchief, "Brother, Datou, let's go home." Lianyi regained her composure and returned to her innocent and lively state.

  "Huh? You're going back now?" Su Hao was puzzled. His sister was acting strange, she had been thinking hard just a moment ago, but suddenly wanted to go home.

  But the big tiger beside him felt that Su Lianwei must have discovered something. He suddenly found that he liked seeing her smile, and she rarely smiled before, even when there was a faint smile on her lips, it was often a fake one.

  Because of Su Lianwei's joy, Da Hu suddenly felt a sense of relief, the leaves were very green and the flowers were very fragrant. He quickened his pace, following closely behind Lianwei.

  When Ling and Da Hu returned home, they saw Chu Ying sitting on a large stone beside the gate, eagerly waiting with her chin resting on her hands. Seeing Ling return, she excitedly jumped up, fluttering over like a small butterfly, "Ling you're finally back, I've missed you so much!" and directly threw herself into her arms.

  Tears of joy and laughter, this first firefly is pregnant, about to become a mother, still like a child, "Don't run, be careful not to slip."

  The first firefly saw the fresh flowers in Liang's hand and asked, "Are these for me?"

  Ripples smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'll give it to you, hope you like it, but can I borrow it from you before giving it to you?"

  "Alright." Chū Yè pulled Liàn Wēi's hand and they entered the courtyard.

  The big tiger followed behind the two people, seemingly deep in thought.

  ……

  Inside the house, Lianyi used a clean ceramic bowl to hold water, and then took two small flowers and gently rubbed them together. In the sunlight, the transparent pollen sparkled with golden light and fell into the water. After rubbing a few more flowers, she went to boil the water.

  Chu Ying didn't ask much either and quietly watched from the side.

  As the water gradually boiled, a faint fragrance drilled into Lianyi's nose.

  Heavens! She's found the reason!

  "Big Tiger, come quick! I think I've found the reason!" Lianyi hastily shouted, very excited and anxious, with irrepressible joy.

  The big tiger didn't dare to hesitate, and rushed over. As soon as he approached, he smelled that familiar fragrance again. His eyes looked at Su Lianwei in disbelief, and he couldn't keep calm anymore. "Su Lianwei, how did you think of this?"

  It's really unbelievable! It's not that the water is unbelievable, but it's Su Lianhui who is unbelievable. Such a bizarre phenomenon, the Su family has been using this formula for over a decade and hasn't discovered it, so how did Su Lianhui discover it?!

  Su Lianwei, what a remarkable woman! Is there anything in this world that she can't accomplish!?

  "Awesome! Too awesome!" Lingling was so excited that she couldn't contain herself, "You two stay here, I'll go to my brother's house, I want to tell him!" With that, she didn't even wait for Datou and Chuyue's reaction, and quickly ran off to Su Hao's house.

  After a moment of silence, in the wine factory's living room, Su Hao was overjoyed, "Lian Yi you're too clever! In the past I thought you resembled your mother, now I think you truly are worthy of being her daughter!"

  Su Hao was moved by this, but Su Lianwei's advanced thinking had already thought of the future development of the Su family wine. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she had an idea.

  "Brother, you mustn't tell anyone about this. I'm going to the Li residence." Lianyi stood up.

  "What are you doing?" Su Hao asked.

  "I'm looking for Old Man Li on some business." With that, he was about to leave the house.

  "Wait a minute, Lianyi, it just so happens that Old Horse is going to the county seat to deliver goods and settle accounts soon. Why don't you ride with him?" Su Hao said.

  "That's great!" Lingling was overjoyed.

  ……

  Lianyi rode on the donkey cart driven by Old Horse Head onto the road to the county town. Old Horse Head drove the cart, while Lianyi recalled the promise Mr. Li had made to her earlier and planned what conditions she would discuss with him later.

  Just as they were about to enter the gate of Yuewang County, Old Horse suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Oh no, Master Dong asked me to settle the account, but I didn't bring my ledger."

  In front of the county gate of Yuewang, there was a small river called Bai Lang River. Lingling thought that Lao Ma Tou must have wanted to go back and fetch something, but she needed quietness and patience to clear her mind. "Uncle Ma, this little river is beautiful, I'll take a stroll around here to enjoy the scenery, you can come back with the account book later and pick me up, how about that?"

  "Alright, I'm really sorry, Miss Lianyi." Old Horsehead felt very apologetic.

  "There's nothing." Lianyi got off the car and strolled slowly by the river, gazing into the distance with her mind preoccupied with worries.

  Not far away, a luxurious carriage came out of the city gate.

  "Master." It was Mo Nong's voice.

  "En." Inside the carriage, Li Yutang was meditating with his eyes closed.

  Mo Jun, sitting beside the coachman, turned around and lifted the curtain of the carriage, hesitating to speak. "Young Master, I think I saw Su Lianwei."

  Digression

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  From 1 pm to 3 am, although exhausted, thinking of everyone's support, the girl is full of fighting spirit again. So tired and sleepy, goodnight, girl, good morning, everyone.