Chapter 156: A Living Capitalist

Unaware of Old Zhu's inner thoughts, Li Xian began chatting with the surrounding neighbors.

People were clearly very interested in this young man who claimed to be a neighbor but whom they had never seen before. They eagerly asked where Li Xian lived.

When they learned that he lived in the old courtyard house, which had been empty for a long time and used to be the Revolutionary Committee's compound, they were stunned!

What kind of people lived in Zhumo Village?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were the urban poor. The most successful person in this area was Old Lü's third son, who worked as a deputy director in a glass factory, earning 160 yuan a month, with some side income—this alone made him practically nobility in Zhumo Village.

Now, a man had appeared, handing out *Chunghwa* cigarettes and living in a grand mansion that once belonged to a *Beile* (a noble rank during the Qing dynasty). The wealth gap in Zhumo Village had suddenly widened by more than a thousand times.

"Oh my gosh! That mansion must have cost a fortune to buy, right?"

"Lao Liu, you're underestimating it! Not just the cost to buy it, but to refurbish it would easily require 100,000 to 80,000 yuan. My goodness, with that kind of money, you could buy more than a dozen buildings in the city!"

"So, Xiao Li, what does your family do?"

Faced with everyone's curious questions, Li Xian had no choice but to explain that the house wasn't his but that he was just helping someone else refurbish it and was merely running errands.

Seeing how young Li Xian was and noticing that he didn't carry himself with any arrogance, the neighbors were somewhat relieved and believed his explanation to some extent.

They couldn't imagine what kind of person could be so young and so wealthy. The key point was, if he were really that rich, would he be carrying pig head meat and visiting Old Zhu's house, a makeshift distillery? This didn't match their image of a wealthy person.

While they were talking, Yang Shuzhen, with Zhu Juan's help, had already prepared the meal inside, and a courtyard full of people went into the house.

The neighbors were all good people, and Old Zhu was very happy. Before the meal, he took out some homemade *xiaoshao* (a type of strong liquor) he had brought from Hailin and poured some for everyone.

This wasn't the first time Li Xian had drunk Old Zhu's liquor. He had secretly tasted it when he was a child, and later, when Zhu Feng was released from prison, he occasionally made some with crude equipment. However, perhaps because he was too young to understand alcohol back then, or maybe because Old Zhu was now at the peak of his career, when Li Xian tasted Old Zhu's homemade liquor again, he found himself captivated by its rich flavor.

What is *xiaoshao*?

It's actually a type of fragrant, high-temperature distilled grain liquor similar to Hengshui *Laobaigan*. It's a specialty of small distilleries in the Northeast. The main characteristic of this kind of liquor is its strength!

Some *xiaoshao* can reach alcohol content levels above 70 degrees, comparable to the infamous "knockout mule" from Inner Mongolia.

Good *xiaoshao* has a notable feature: it doesn't cause a hangover. You drink as much as you can handle; if you drink too much, you wake up the next day feeling fine, like a new person. If you don't drink much, it doesn't matter—you'll wake up with no issues, and your head won't hurt. It's different from low-alcohol liquors, which might make you feel terrible the next day.

But Old Zhu's liquor, with a hint of sorghum fragrance when it enters your mouth, warms you like a piece of jade heated in hot water as it goes down. Unlike other *xiaoshao*, it didn't feel as spicy, and the alcohol content didn't seem that high.

Yet after just one glass, Li Xian started to feel a bit lightheaded.

Not only him, but the other neighbors at the table also marveled, "Old Zhu, this liquor doesn't feel strong when you drink it, but it must have a high alcohol content, right?"

Hearing this, Old Zhu smirked, "Of course! Real connoisseurs don't drink that 40-50-degree watery stuff. Today is a big day for us, so would I bring out anything less than the best liquor? Come on!"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately asked, "So what's the alcohol content of this liquor?"

Old Zhu grinned and said, "Over 60, but not quite 70."

"No way, no way!" As soon as they heard the alcohol content, a few neighbors shook their heads in disbelief. They were seasoned drinkers, and they could tell from the taste earlier that the liquor definitely didn't seem like it had over 60 degrees of alcohol, so they immediately started arguing with Old Zhu.

Seeing that no one believed the alcohol content of his liquor, Old Zhu countered, "Look, an atomic bomb is small, but it can devastate a large area. Stinky tofu is tiny, but it can stink up an entire house. You can't judge something just by its appearance; you have to look at what's inside! Right?"

Old Zhu's argument left the entire table speechless. He then proudly raised his glass and bragged about his family's century-old brewing methods and secret recipes, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

While the others were entranced by Old Zhu's words, Li Xian sipped the rich, sweet *xiaoshao* in small gulps, secretly laughing. He knew this was all just Old Zhu boasting. According to Yang Shuzhen, Old Zhu had accidentally fermented sorghum with a different type of yeast when making the starter, which increased the alcohol content without making the liquor too spicy.

After just two glasses, Li Xian started to feel tipsy. In a haze, listening to Old Zhu's endless boasting, he seemed to grasp onto something.

He didn't know how much time had passed before someone woke him up.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a face that looked like a steamed bun. "Hey, how did you end up falling asleep on the table?"

Seeing Zhu Juan, Li Xian immediately perked up.

He waved his hand to show he was fine and noticed that the neighbors at the table were staggering out. He followed them outside.

In the courtyard, he saw Old Zhu seeing off the guests, so he walked over. "Unc... Old Zhu, your liquor is really something. I have a big business opportunity, would you be interested?"

...

Although the liquor didn't cause a hangover, its high alcohol content made Li Xian feel extremely sleepy after leaving Old Zhu's house. Thinking that a few rooms in the mansion had already been tidied up, he decided to stay there for the night instead of returning to Beilin.

The mansion had more than forty rooms of various sizes, and Li Xian chose to stay in one of the south-facing main rooms. Although the room didn't have central heating, Wang Qinghe and the others had found a large number of warm stoves while cleaning out the storage, and after burning charcoal in the room for two days, it was quite warm.

Coupled with the fact that the room had a heated bed, on that moonlit night, with the wind howling outside the carved windows and the room warm as spring, Li Xian slept especially soundly, aided by the lingering warmth of Old Zhu's *xiaoshao*.

The next day.

If he hadn't been woken up by his *Dage Da* (an old large mobile phone), Li Xian might have slept until noon.

This mansion seemed outdated in every way—he even had to use a chamber pot at night—but one had to admit the ancient builders' craftsmanship and wisdom. Perhaps it was because the money had been well-spent, but Li Xian felt an unusual sense of security living there.

The call was from Liu Weihan, who said he had some business in Bangye and wanted to check out the local situation. He asked if Li Xian had time to go with him.

Considering that Liu Weihan's appointment in Bangye had just been decided and was still in the public announcement phase, he wouldn't be able to officially take office until a month later at the earliest, after the announcement period ended without objections.

But now, even though the old county head hadn't retired yet, Liu Weihan was already eager to survey the local situation. It was clear he was really anxious to start his work.

When he found out that Li Xian was already in Bangye, Liu Weihan was quite pleased and said he would arrive in an hour before hanging up.

When Liu Weihan arrived and searched the area near the mansion based on the address Li Xian provided, he couldn't find him. Just as he was about to call again, Li Xian, wrapped in a big quilt and wearing slippers, appeared at the gate of the mansion.

"This is your new home?"

Seeing Li Xian, with sleep still in his eyes, yawning and not yet washed even though it was past nine in the morning, and then looking at the high archway and the courtyard behind him, hidden by a screen wall, Liu Weihan was deeply shocked.

This... this is a living, breathing capitalist from the old days!