One hundred

“Ha ha.” Zhang Zhong turned his head and said to Zhang Bao, “You’re right. This kid is indeed somewhat clever, but he lacks a bit of experience. He revealed his true nature after just one trick from me. Business is all about deception and counter-deception; his current approach won’t do at all. He’s far from ready. Take him back and train him well. If he doesn’t show some results, he needn’t come to see me again.”

“Understood, master,” Zhang Bao lowered his head in submission, then continued, “Rest assured, master, I will train Xiao Bo thoroughly. He won’t disappoint your high expectations.”

“Hmm.” Zhang Zhong nodded thoughtfully. “It’s getting late. If there’s nothing else, take him back.” He then gestured toward Wang Bo, who was still in a dazed state, and shook his head.

“Then I shall take my leave first.” Zhang Bao walked over to Wang Bo, grabbed his arm firmly, and turned to leave. Poor Wang Bo remained unconscious as Zhang Bao roughly pulled him away.

“What do you think of that kid?” Zhang Zhong suddenly asked Zhang Bo as he watched them depart.

“That kid…” Zhang Bo, unsure of what Zhang Zhong meant, deliberately drew out his words.

“Answer honestly. Tell me your thoughts.” Zhang Zhong was no fool; after years together, he knew Zhang Bo well.

“He’s not bad,” Zhang Bo replied simply.

Zhang Zhong nodded with meaning. “Indeed, not bad.” Whether he was speaking to himself or Zhang Bo was unclear.

Leaving the Zhang estate, Zhang Bao looked at the forlorn Wang Bo, feeling deeply frustrated at his lack of backbone. He slapped Wang Bo’s shoulder hard. “Come on, snap out of it.”

“Ah!” Wang Bo suddenly regained consciousness. Looking to Zhang Bao beside him, he asked, “Shopkeeper, where are we?”

“Look at you! How did I teach you before? You must remain calm in any situation, never lose your composure. Just look at you now,” Zhang Bao scolded, pointing at Wang Bo’s face with a barrage of words.

Despite Zhang Bao’s torrent of speech, Wang Bo’s expression remained unchanged—though pale as ever. He wiped the saliva off his face from Zhang Bao’s spittle and responded with a placating tone, “Shopkeeper, please calm down, calm down.”

“How can I calm down? I was praising you so much in front of the master, yet you immediately showed your true colors!” Zhang Bao’s anger flared again.

“I really didn’t mean to, shopkeeper,” Wang Bo said bitterly. “What happened today is more than I’ve ever experienced in my life. I just couldn’t control myself.” He looked deeply aggrieved. “You blame me, but who else can I blame? I was tied up for hours, scared out of my wits, and even though I’ve trained my heart, it can’t handle such shocks.” Of course, these complaints remained only in his mind.

“Grrr…” A low, angry growl sounded from Wang Bo’s stomach, silencing Zhang Bao’s relentless scolding.

“You haven’t eaten yet?” Zhang Bao asked.

At this, Wang Bo felt even more miserable. With a mournful face, he said, “I haven’t eaten. I was tied up properly for hours, only recently untied before you came. How could I have eaten anything?” He rolled up his sleeve, revealing clear marks from the ropes.

Seeing the deep, distinct rope marks on Wang Bo’s arm, Zhang Bao’s heart ached. He treated Wang Bo like his own son and could not help but feel pain seeing his suffering. Rubbing his eyes, he pulled Wang Bo closer. “Alright, child, you’ve suffered enough. Come home and eat.”

Wang Bo discreetly wiped away a tear at the corner of his eye. “Shopkeeper, when did you get so sentimental? You’re making me want to cry,” he mumbled softly.

Li Jin from the Zhang family winery hummed happily alone, feeling elated. “That kid is finally gone. The Zhang family winery will be mine from now on. Wahahaha!” His triumphant laughter echoed through the window, resembling ghostly wails that startled several birds preening on the roof. The birds circled a few times before chirping and flying off into the distance.

As Zhang Bao entered, he immediately heard Li Jin’s eerie laughter, and the anger he had just suppressed flared up again. “What kind of laugh is that?” His roar silenced Li Jin, who looked like a duck with its neck stepped on, mouth agape but silent.

“Pfft!” Seeing Li Jin’s ridiculous expression, Wang Bo couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah!” Li Jin took a while to recover. Seeing Zhang Bao’s grim face, his legs trembled. “Shopkeeper, you’re back,” he said softly, stepping forward.

“Where else would I go?” Zhang Bao shot Li Jin a glare. “You said you were out looking for Xiao Bo, but here you are laughing so loudly.”

“Well, well…” Li Jin stammered, unable to explain. He dared not reveal the truth—that he hadn’t taken the search seriously at all and had been indulging in laughter since Zhang Bao left. Then he was caught red-handed, so what could he say?

“Silly fool,” Zhang Bao scolded as Li Jin stuttered, growing angrier. “What use are you to me?”

Hearing this, Li Jin panicked and quickly knelt, clutching Zhang Bao’s leg and crying loudly. “Brother-in-law, I was wrong, truly wrong. Please don’t drive me away.”

Looking at Li Jin’s pitiful state, Zhang Bao was helpless. After all these years together, he did care for him. Seeing Li Jin suffer, his heart softened. “Alright, get up. I won’t drive you away.”

“Really? You won’t chase me off?” Li Jin looked up with a tearful face.

“Mm,” Zhang Bao nodded.

Reassured, Li Jin wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve as Zhang Bao helped him to his feet.

“Let’s let today’s matter rest. If there’s a next time, I won’t be so lenient.” Zhang Bao said sternly, fixing Li Jin with a gaze.

“I understand, brother-in-law,” Li Jin nodded, secretly pleased. “My acting was pretty good, fooling the shopkeeper so easily.”

“Go prepare some food. Xiao Bo still hasn’t eaten,” Zhang Bao instructed, unaware of Li Jin’s thoughts. Seeing Li Jin stopped crying, he gave the order.

As Zhang Bao spoke, Li Jin suddenly realized someone stood behind him—not Wang Bo, who was with Zhang Bao. Li Jin froze. Honestly, he hadn’t noticed Wang Bo before because Zhang Bao blocked his view and it was dark. Plus, Zhang Bao’s loud shout had startled him so much he’d lost all focus.

“What are you standing there for? Go quickly!” Zhang Bao barked, not unkind but still displeased.

“Oh, oh.” Li Jin snapped out of it and hurried off. Zhang Bao called after him, “Remember which bowls to use.”

Outside, under the faint moonlight, Li Jin’s face twisted into a grimace. Clenching his fists, his nails dug into his palms. “Just wait. I’ll repay everything you’ve done to me tenfold.”

Soon, Li Jin returned with Zhang Bao’s treasured ten-year aged wine, placing the jar on the table. Zhang Bao said, “That’s all for now. You can go rest.” Before he finished, Li Jin hurried out.

Ignoring Li Jin, Zhang Bao lifted the jar, broke its seal, and inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma. Carefully, he poured some into a bowl and placed it before Wang Bo with a smile. “Try this. It’s my prized collection.”

Wang Bo swallowed his food and stared at the bowl of fine wine, unsure what to do. He thought, “You’re encouraging a minor to drink.” But seeing Zhang Bao’s earnest eyes and feeling thirsty, he cautiously lifted the bowl.

Bringing it to his nose, he sniffed gently. The wine had a delicate aroma, but not pure—there was a faint sour note. By the dim lamplight, he could see some impurities and a slight yellow tint, unlike the clear modern liquors.

“This is also a fine wine,” Wang Bo thought. Then, “Do I really want to drink this?”

Seeing Wang Bo hold the bowl to his lips but hesitate, Zhang Bao asked curiously, “Xiao Bo, what are you daydreaming about? Why hold the wine without drinking?”

“Ah, nothing. Just thinking,” Wang Bo said, setting the bowl down and pretending to ponder.

“What are you thinking? Tell me,” Zhang Bao sat beside him, patiently inquiring.

“Well,” Wang Bo cleared his throat and pointed at the bowl. “Is this really the ten-year aged wine?”

“Of course.” Hearing Wang Bo’s comment on his wine, Zhang Bao became fiercely protective. He grabbed the jar, eyes blazing, and said, “This jar was personally selected as the best from the whole winery batch, sealed by me. It’s genuine ten-year aged wine.”

“But I think the aroma isn’t pure, and there are impurities in it,” Wang Bo voiced his doubts.

“What do you know?” Zhang Bao scoffed. “This is brewed using Zhang family’s secret recipe, a superior wine far better than ordinary small workshops. Plus, it’s been personally sealed for over ten years. It’s a rare treasure.” He gave Wang Bo a look that said, “You know nothing.”

“A rare treasure?” Wang Bo couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Even cheap bottles from later eras had richer aromas and clearer colors. “Ancient times and modern times are really quite different,” he thought. “Did they not distill back then?” Suddenly, inspiration struck. “Of course! The problem is distillation.” A wave of joy swept over him. “Modern wines are so rich and smooth because they are distilled and purified. If I can figure out distillation, this ten-year aged wine won’t even be a shadow compared to what I brew.” The more he thought, the more excited he became, the more possible it seemed.

Watching Wang Bo’s rapidly shifting expression, Zhang Bao was puzzled. “What’s going on with this kid? His face changes so fast—sometimes confused, sometimes happy.”

“Xiao Bo, Xiao Bo,” Zhang Bao waved his hand in front of Wang Bo’s eyes.

“Ah!” Wang Bo came back to reality and saw Zhang Bao still holding the wine jar beside him.

“What were you thinking just now? Why such a strange expression?” Zhang Bao asked.

“N-nothing,” Wang Bo hesitated, unsure whether to share his idea. After some thought, he bit his lip. “Forget it. Whether it works or not, I’ll study it first. If it succeeds, I’ll tell you then.”