The Litchi Road Episode 10 Recap
> The Litchi Road Recap
He Youguang's insomnia relapsed. Coupled with the recent hot weather, he was very unhappy and prone to losing his temper. Zhao Xinmin sent people to build a cool shed for He Youguang's most beloved chicken, Ji Bao, hoping to cheer He Youguang up. A rat infestation suddenly broke out in the residence, and the servants were busy catching rats, delaying the construction schedule. Zhao Xinmin was greatly annoyed. Zhao Xinmin was the chief steward of the Prefect's residence.
He arranged for his nephew to be in charge of purchasing, taking the opportunity to pocket a large sum of money. Unexpectedly, his nephew also siphoned off half, resulting in insufficient funds for building the cool shed. The nephew then bought the strongest rat poison, hoping to poison the largest rat first. Zhao Xinmin was very angry and severely lectured his nephew, urging him to finish the cool shed as soon as possible.
Lin Yinu was squatting on the side, mixing the rat poison. The nephew found him disagreeable, snatched the bowl of poison and put it aside, telling him to go build the cool shed first. He Youguang and Zheng Pingan came out, arm in arm. They called each other brothers, chatted enthusiastically, and agreed to meet again next time. The two reluctantly said goodbye. Zheng Pingan watched He Youguang walk away, immediately perked up and started walking back.
Gou Er thought he was drunk, but he was actually faking it. Zheng Pingan was a Companion Official for Drinking from Chang'an. From the first sip, he knew that what He Youguang had prepared was not lychee wine at all, but a blend of Bing Yu Shao, which had a strong kick. He saw that He Youguang's banquet today was a 'Hongmen Banquet' (a trap), and he had to go alone.
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky, indicating heavy rain was imminent. He Youguang, fueled by alcohol, went onto the rooftop shouting, convinced that Zheng Pingan stayed to supervise how he used the Soldier Fish Talisman. Zhao Xinmin climbed onto the rooftop in the strong wind to persuade him, but He Youguang simply wouldn't listen. Zheng Pingan returned to the post station and brought food for Li Shande along the way.
Li Shande was working overtime to calculate the routes and costs for transporting lychees, and he also took out the embroidery sent by Xiuer. Zheng Pingan liked it very much, but regretted that Xiuer didn't give him one. Seeing Li Shande working so hard, Zheng Pingan wanted to help him, but Li Shande currently lacked money, and Zheng Pingan was powerless to do anything.
Li Shande used the water isolation preservation method recommended by A Tong to store the Sanyuehong lychees in double-layered jars. Four days later, Li Shande invited Su Liang to taste the lychees. Su Liang thought this method was good. Li Shande asked Su Liang for help in finding horses for transporting the lychees. He had planned four transportation routes. Su Liang roughly calculated that it would require at least 3,000 guan. Li Shande only had 996 guan in hand.
He promised to go back to He Youguang to ask for three more transit permits. A Tong also chimed in to help. Su Liang agreed to help and proposed needing four transit permits. Li Shande put on his official uniform as the Lychee Envoy, carrying a large sign that said "Lychee Superintendent", and went to find He Youguang. He Youguang was out doing business with Zhao Xinmin and wasn't there.
Li Shande had no choice but to wait at a nearby tea stall. The waiter asked him to order a pot of tea, but Li Shande was reluctant to spend money, so the owner chased him out. The cool shed for Ji Bao was finally built. Zhao Xinmin invited He Youguang to see it. He Youguang was overjoyed to see his beloved chicken, Ji Bao. Zhao Xinmin casually picked up the bowl of rat poison nearby.
Lin Yinu was instantly terrified, but he was a mute and could only fret anxiously without being able to speak. When Zhao Xinmin realized that bowl was rat poison, he desperately tried to stop He Youguang, but didn't dare explain the real reason. He Youguang didn't listen at all, grabbed a handful of rat poison, and fed it to his chickens. The chickens that ate the rat poison were wiped out. He Youguang was furious and erupted in a rage.
Zhao Xinmin pushed all the blame onto Lin Yinu, picked up a whip, and severely beat him. Li Shande heard Zhao Xinmin's scolding and immediately went to the Prefect's residence to ask Zhao Xinmin for the official permits. Zhao Xinmin promised to give him all the income from A Tong's lychee garden and even assign a few people to help him. However, Li Shande wasn't buying it and revealed his identity as the Lychee Envoy.
Zhao Xinmin couldn't make the decision and had to report to He Youguang. He Youguang was still angry about Ji Bao being poisoned to death. He firmly refused to give Li Shande the official permits. Zhao Xinmin advised He Youguang to give Li Shande the permits first and settle the score with him after the first day of the sixth lunar month. He Youguang had no time to bother with these matters and told Zhao Xinmin to handle everything.
Zhao Xinmin handed the four official permits to Li Shande and also gave Lin Yinu to Li Shande. Li Shande felt sorry for Lin Yinu, took him away, and also named him A Li. A Li was starving. Li Shande paid for him to eat wontons and also found him a change of clothes. A Li ate several bowls of wontons in one go, while Li Shande only drank a bowl of soup.
Li Shande handed the four transit permits to Su Liang. Su Liang was ecstatic and promised to find riders and horses for him. Li Shande prepared several bolts of cloth in exchange for A Tong's Sanyuehong lychees.
