Chapter 1004: Chapter 1004: Seeing Madam Deng Again

The Jiang family had turned into a tangled mess. Jiang Ren disappeared, and Jiang Li, afraid the creditors would come after him, outright declared he had severed ties with the Jiang family.

The elder couple of the Jiang family aged rapidly. Mother Jiang fell gravely ill and passed away not long after.

In the end, it was Jiang Yi who stepped forward and took over the entire Jiang family.

In just four short months, not only did he breathe new life into the Jiang family, but there were even signs of further progress.

When Jiang Yi took over, he didn’t have much money at hand. But fortunately, he was usually the type to keep quiet while being a dependable and generous person–many people were willing to lend him money.

What’s more, everyone knew at the time that Jiang Yi’s wife, Madam Deng, had a cousin, Madam Chang, who was the Vice Minister’s Wife of the central judicial office.

Just based on that connection, everyone was willing to take a gamble on Jiang Yi.

Under Jiang Yi’s leadership, the Jiang family turned danger into safety. Jiang Ren, who had disappeared, suddenly returned, attempting to reclaim control of the Jiang family. Jiang Li jumped in as well, arguing that as a bastard, he couldn’t compare to those of noble status.

At this point, not only the relatives of the Jiang family but even the residents of Jiangyuan County couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Jiang Yi was no longer the man who avoided competition; joining forces with Madam Deng, he drove both Jiang Ren and Jiang Li out.

The eldest and third branches were now reduced to living in a small house on the outskirts of the city, a far cry from their former glory.

These days, the Jiang family was occupied by Jiang Yi and Madam Deng’s household. It seemed the Auspicious Wine Shop had also welcomed a new shopkeeper.

Shu Yu stepped into the shop, hoping to buy the wine she had purchased before. However, seeing the completely refurbished interior, she didn’t know where to find it.

She could only head toward the counter. “Shopkeeper, I…”

“Monarch Lu Xiang?” The woman behind the counter looked up.

Shu Yu was taken aback as well. “Mrs. Deng, you… I thought you had hired a new shopkeeper for this place.”

Madam Deng quickly came out from behind the counter, smiling as she invited Shu Yu inside. “Indeed, we did hire a new shopkeeper, but he’s quite clever. My husband went out of town on business these past couple of days and took him along. So here I am, just keeping an eye on things. Please, Monarch Lu Xiang, have a seat. I’ll have someone bring tea.”

Shu Yu hastily stopped her. “No need, Mrs. Deng. My sister is still waiting for me outside. I’ve just come to buy two jars of wine–the same type as last time.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Deng didn’t insist and pointed to a counter on the left. “I remember. I’ll fetch it for you.”

Her memory was quite sharp; very quickly, she brought out two jars of wine.

Shu Yu had just paid and was about to leave when she noticed a staggering figure approaching.

As soon as the person reached the door, they tripped over the threshold and fell flat on the ground.

Shu Yu was startled and instinctively stepped back a couple of paces, cradling the wine jars protectively.

Madam Deng let out a cry of surprise. “Oh no, are you alright?!” She turned to the shop staff inside and called out, “Xiao Shu, you two, come and give a hand.”

Two staff members rushed over from opposite sides and helped the person up.

The man hung his head low and waved his hand weakly. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Shopkeeper, give me… give me two jars of wine–the strongest ones. *Hiccup…*”

Madam Deng furrowed her brows. “You’re already drunk, and you still want more wine?”

“I’m not drunk! I can drink–still can drink! Get me the wine! Hurry up! Or I’ll… I’ll tear down this lousy shop! Heh, what’s the big deal anyway? It’s nothing special!!”

With that, he waved his hands wildly. “Get it–quickly!!”

When he made that move and lifted his head, Shu Yu got a good look at his face–and it seemed… rather familiar.