Chapter Fifty-Eight: Never Let Free Traffic Go to Waste

"I'm an old man who hasn't read many books, so don't try to fool me! Is this really wine?"

Just a hundred meters away from the Lin Family Winery, at the corner of an alley, an old man wearing plain cloth asked.

"That's right! This is indeed wine, and it's a pure, potent spirit unlike anything you've ever seen before!"

Standing in front of a temporary stall constructed from wooden boards, Li Tian replied with a proud and beaming smile.

"Then why does this wine look just like plain water?"

The old man continued to voice his skepticism.

"That is the defining characteristic of the white liquor from our Hongwu Winery—not a trace of impurity...!"

Hearing this, Li Tian looked even more smug, then cast a glance toward the nearby Lin Family Winery. "Unlike certain wineries that not only piss on their grain, but also leave their wine full of impurities!"

"What? They piss on it? Is he talking about the Lin Family Winery?"

"Oh! I've heard about this too! I can't believe it turned out to be true!"

"Good thing we haven't gone to buy any yet...!"

Hearing these words, the townspeople immediately felt a sense of relief.

"Today, our Hongwu Winery officially opens! Pure, potent spirits, free for everyone to taste!"

Li Tian made a sweeping gesture with his hand and announced.

"What? Free?"

"Is it really free? Absolutely no money required?"

The townspeople widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Do you see these jars of wine behind me? They are packed to the brim, and every single one of them is wine! A cup for everyone, free to try!"

Behind Li Tian, the wine jars were stacked higher than a man.

And it wasn't just at his street corner.

Every single alley leading to the Lin Family Winery was staging the exact same scene!

"Then give me a cup! Let me taste whether this is wine or water!"

A burly man near the front stepped up first and held out his hand to demand a cup.

"Coming right up!"

The newly hired assistant immediately handed a cup to the burly man.

Before bringing it to his lips, the burly man glanced back at the crowd behind him. "Everyone be a witness for me! I'm drinking this wine, and they aren't allowed to ask me for money later!"

"Got it!"

The townspeople chimed in one after another.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the entire cup of potent spirit went down his throat.

"Hah..."

The burning liquor made the big man's face turn completely red.

"Good wine! Truly magnificent wine! I've never tasted anything so potent in all my life!"

Lowering the cup, the burly man immediately gave a thumbs-up.

Hearing this, the curious townspeople all reached out their hands.

"Give me a cup!"

"I want one too!"

"Let me have a taste...!"

The assistant handed out cup after cup, then refilled them one after another, sweating profusely from the rush.

"Good wine! What a truly fine wine!"

"I never imagined that something so crystal clear could be so strong!"

"This is the strongest wine I've ever had!"

"This wine is a ten thousand times better than the stuff from the Lin Family Winery!"

"Right! Now this is the kind of wine a real man should drink...!"

After tasting it, the townspeople vied with one another in their praise.

Some of them even spontaneously began comparing it to the Lin Family Winery!

Behind the crowd, a carriage was parked by the roadside.

Zhu Xiongying lifted the curtain and observed the situation at the stall.

Zheng He, who was driving the carriage, frowned and asked with a puzzled expression, "Your Highness the Grand Imperial Grandson, just brewing all this white liquor cost a considerable sum of money! Why on earth are we letting the common folk drink it for free?"

"Hehe! That's where you lack understanding...!"

The little fellow smiled cunningly. "I received word that the Lin Family Winery is planning to sell imperial tribute wine today."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Zheng He remained perplexed.

"The Lin Family Winery has been supplying wine to the palace for so many years, so there must be plenty of curious commoners around! If we block the way right now and let the people try the wine for free, it's far more effective at drawing attention than anything we could advertise ourselves at the winery! Free traffic—it would be a waste not to take advantage of it!"

"But... I still don't understand why we have to give it away for free! If we sold this much wine, we could make a tidy profit!"

Zhu Xiongying gave him a light rap on the head with his knuckles. "How is it that your thick skull still doesn't get it? To make the name of the winery spread faster, we have to rely on the common people! Word of mouth passes from ten to a hundred, and soon it will spread across the entire Great Ming!"

"Ah... I see!"

Zheng He nodded, half-understanding.

"Mm! This wine really is exceptional!"

"By comparison, the wine from the Lin Family Winery is utterly bland and tasteless!"

After tasting the wine, the townspeople heaped praise upon it.

Sitting inside the carriage, Zhu Xiongying let out a loud shout, "It tastes like horse piss!"

The townspeople suddenly had a moment of realization. "That's right! What a fitting description, the stuff from the Lin family really is like horse piss!"

"What the hell are you bastards yapping about?!"

Lin Wannian, who had just brought some men out to check on the situation, heard these words and instantly flew into a rage.

He angrily began exchanging curses with the townspeople!

"What? You get upset just because someone called your family's wine horse piss?"

"The wine from your Lin Family Winery is completely tasteless and can't hold a candle to Hongwu Winery!"

"What? Is the wine so bad that people aren't even allowed to talk about it...?"

Lin Wannian's remark instantly incited the fury of the crowd.

Realizing they had superior numbers, Lin Wannian, despite his burning anger, didn't dare to continue cursing.

Taking two deep breaths, he shifted his target to the stall!

When he saw that the person handling the wine jar and pouring it into the flasks was none other than Li Tian, his anger became completely uncontrollable.

"Li Tian? You ungrateful dog, biting the hand that feeds you, you actually came right here to muscle in on my business?"

"Is this main street your family's property? I'll set up my stall wherever I damn well please, what business is it of yours?"

Li Tian was a stubborn old man; how could he possibly swallow such insults?

"You... you guys must have known that my Lin Family Winery was selling tribute wine today, which is why you came here on purpose, isn't that it?"

Lin Wannian wasn't a fool either; upon seeing this group, it all clicked into place.

"Hah...! Someone whose tribute wine plaque was stripped away—even if you gave it away for free, nobody would give a damn!"

Li Tian tilted the wine jar slightly, and the crystal-clear, potent spirit instantly poured out.

"You... you..."

Mentioning the removal of the tribute wine plaque was like striking Lin Wannian across the face in the middle of the street.

So furious that he was left speechless, he snatched a wooden club from nearby and smashed the wine jar in Li Tian's hands to pieces.

"Crash..."

A jar of potent liquor spilled all over the ground.

Instantly, a rich aroma filled the air, and the entire alley smelled strongly of wine!

"He actually went and spilled our wine?"

"It was almost my turn to taste it, and you went and smashed it?"

"Brothers, let's get him...!"

Without needing Li Tian or the assistants to settle scores, the townspeople who had been standing in line waiting for a drink simply lost their patience.

Waving their fists, they charged straight at Lin Wannian!

Lin Wannian hadn't anticipated this counterattack.

Before he could even react, a storm of fists rained down upon his face.

A piercing pain flared up once again in his newly healed face!

The few lackeys he had brought along didn't have time to run and were instantly swallowed up by the sea of people.

They covered their heads and fled in all directions.

Yet no matter where they ran, fists kept raining down on them!

When the crowd finally dispersed, the men had already been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

A few assistants hiding at the shop entrance dragged them back inside to safety!

This time, they had no choice but to swallow their bitter pill in silence.

Beaten en masse by the common folk, appealing to the officials would be completely useless.

After all, it was utterly impossible to identify who had thrown the punches!