Spy Wars: I can get rewards by being a bully!

Chapter 411 The old man who guards the door loves to drink

Because they were all ready-made dishes, they were served quickly, except for the fried dumplings which were a little slower.

The shopkeeper was afraid of neglecting his distinguished guest, so after about a quarter of an hour, he brought out the fried dumplings, and the wine, which was heated in a small tin pot, and even a small fine porcelain wine cup.

When others come to drink, the shopkeeper always uses coarse earthenware bowls. This is not because he is snobbish, because the people who come here are all wine lovers. They can drink half a pound of wine with a few slices of dried radish, and they drink the cheapest sweet potato wine. If you use fine porcelain wine cups for people, wouldn't that make them feel uncomfortable?

Anyway, it was still early, so Lin Ze was not in a hurry. He slowly sipped the wine and ate the donkey meat from time to time.

Fenjiu is clear and crisp. After being stored in large wine jars for several years, its refreshing and sharp taste becomes mellower. Combined with the fragrance of braised donkey meat, the crispness of peanuts, and the sweet, spicy and refreshing frozen radish, it is indeed a wonderful taste in the world.

The careful shopkeeper was relieved to see that Lin Ze could not find any fault, so he started to calculate the accounts again.

He did not forget to add Lin Ze's money into the bill. Even if Lin Ze didn't order any more wine, these things on the table alone would cost several cents. His spending power was impressive.

They drank until it was almost dark. Just as Lin Ze was about to pay the bill and leave, the cotton door curtain was lifted again. A gray-haired old man walked in and said in a hoarse voice, "The old rules, two taels of wine and a plate of rice. Don't fool me, I can taste the water in the wine!"

Lin Ze took a look and saw that this was the old man who was chatting with the waiter at the door of Qi Ying’s old house just now.

It is hard to tell whether this old man is in his sixties or seventies. There are many wrinkles on his face. He should have had a braid before, but after cutting it off, he has a weird half-shawl hair with a shiny forehead.

He is not very tall, but has a straight back and speaks the Xuzhou-Bengbu Mandarin dialect, which makes him look quite imposing.

When he entered the room, he seemed to be talking to the shopkeeper, but in fact, his eyes had already swept over Lin Ze. Lin Ze immediately pretended to be an innocent student, with a timid look of curiosity but embarrassed to look at him any longer.

The old man then found a place to sit down, wondering where this student came from, coming to the alley to drink and using a small cup, so pretentious. When I was his age, I drank from a large bowl!

When the shopkeeper saw the old man, his attitude was even more respectful than that towards Lin Ze. This kind of respect was not the exaggerated flattery that was a bit performative when meeting a stranger, but a kind of tacit service.

First, he took out a blanket and covered the old man's legs. Then he went to serve the wine. The wine should have been left over from the past and was placed in a small jar. Although the old man only asked for a plate of peanuts, the shopkeeper still cut a dozen slices of donkey intestines and sent them over.

The old man still didn't appreciate his kindness. He lit up his pipe and puffed, saying, "Hey, you are confused. Did I light this as a pretext? If you do business like this, you will lose money!"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "My dear sir, please eat it. This is my gift to you. What's the matter? Is there nothing going on in the mansion today?"

The old man seemed to be a regular customer, so he didn't hesitate. He tapped his pipe, picked up the chopsticks and started eating. After two mouthfuls, he picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. The shopkeeper over there quickly poured him another cup.

"What's going on every day? The general is busy and is not in Peking now. He usually doesn't come here for ten days or half a month. Now he doesn't come even more. I am eating and waiting for hunger. When I close my eyes one day, I won't waste so much food."

The shopkeeper flattered, "Everyone knows that you are the general's old family, and you have been here for many years. The general is taking care of you in your old age. Just enjoy your life!"

The old man snorted twice, waved his hand to signal the shopkeeper to do what he was supposed to do, and started drinking his wine.

Only then did Lin Ze pay the bill and leave.

There seems to be no way out in this difficult situation, but maybe we can find a breakthrough from this old man!

Lin Ze didn't come the next day or the day after that, and worked diligently in the office.

During this period, he asked Niu Saner to send someone to the clothing store to buy some clothes for hard workers, and specifically told him not to go in person.

On the fourth day, Lin Ze put on makeup, changed into tattered clothes, ran to Shuai Fu Hutong and stared from afar.

In the late afternoon, the old man went out to drink again.

After a while, Lin Ze went in, with his hands in his sleeves, bent over, and lifted the door curtain to go in. He spoke in the official language of Xu Bang, "Hey, shopkeeper, there is wine but no bowl. What kind of weather is this? It's freezing to death!"

As soon as he spoke, the old man's eyes lit up.

The shopkeeper let Lin Ze in and pulled the door curtain. "It's cold, why don't you come in quickly? The heat will escape. Besides, the sign at the door is so big. This is where I sell wine. How can I not have wine?"

Lin Ze smiled and placed three large coins on the counter. "Give me a bowl of sweet potato. I can't read. The coins on the sign know me, but I don't know them!"

The shopkeeper took out a black pottery bowl and poured him a bowl.

Judging from his clothes, I knew he couldn't afford vegetables. It happened that the pot of fried peanuts from yesterday had not been sold out and were not very crispy anymore. I grabbed about a dozen and handed them to Lin Ze.

"Just eat it together. If you just drink without eating anything, won't it harm your body?"

Lin Ze quickly took it and kept bowing to thank him, "I met a good person!"

The old man over there took a sip of wine and said, "Boss!"

The shopkeeper hurried over and said, "Master Zhong, what do you want?"

"Cut a plate of donkey meat for him to eat with his wine."

The shopkeeper looked at the old man, then turned to look at Lin Ze, who was wearing ragged clothes and had dirty hair. He bent down and whispered, "Mr. Zhong, let me say one more thing. You are kind-hearted, but it is really not worth it. There are so many poor people. Can you take care of them all the time?"

The old man glared at him, and the shopkeeper dared not say anything more. "Okay, you are kind-hearted, I will listen to you."

He went back and cut a plate of donkey meat and put it on the counter. "Hey, man, find a place to sit and eat slowly!"

Lin Ze looked panic-stricken, grimacing anxiously.

In fact, this sweet potato stew is really not tasty, with a strong smell. Lin Ze thought to himself that I have sacrificed my body for the mission. If I really get sick from drinking it, it will be considered a work-related injury.

"Hey, boss, I didn't order this. I don't have that much money!"

"Eat peacefully. Someone is thinking about you. It's time for you to have good luck. Eat, eat."

Lin Ze turned around and saw the old man holding up the wine cup and motioning to him, then took another sip.

"Sir, I can't recognize you at first glance. Do we know each other?" Lin Ze asked cautiously.

The old man smiled and said, "My dear, judging from your accent, where are you from? Pengcheng or Bengcheng?"

"I'm from Pengcheng! Second Master, where are you from?"

Influenced by the Water Margin culture, people there don't call people "Uncle" but "Second Master" instead.

The old man was even happier when he heard this. "Hey, man, I'm from Pengcheng too. Come on, come on, sit down and have a drink together!"