If Time Could Be Turned Back

"Hmph." The system snorted Gao Xing before saying, "Ancient times and modern times are two different timelines. Since they are two different timelines, the space and time are different. You've spent two years here, but time over there has hardly changed; it's still at the point when I first bound you."

It then became smug, saying, "Host, let me tell you, you should cherish me. Otherwise, I can go back to that moment in the modern world and bind myself to another host."

"Alright, don't try to fool me." Zhao Ruxi exposed its lie. "Now that you've come to this time and space with me, the binding process is complete. To break free, you'd have to turn back time and take me back to the moment before I died."

system:"..."

It sighed, "Alas, I made a mistake back then because of my own limitations, and I bound the wrong person. If I were clear-headed, I would have bound a slightly less intelligent, ordinary person. That way, I would be in control of the host, instead of the host controlling me."

Zhao Ruxi's eyes darted around, and she stroked her chin. "System, if you really want to untie me, there is a way. Take me and Xiao Lingyan back to the modern era, turn back time a few minutes, and we'll both be together."

"How is that possible? That would require an enormous amount of energy," the system muttered.

"I'll try my best to accumulate points throughout my life. Maybe I'll have enough by the time I'm old?" Zhao Ruxi tempted.

The system was clearly tempted. "Let's see. Maybe if I level up again, I'll have this feature."

"Yes, let's work hard together."

Zhao Ruxi spread the paper on the table, took out her homemade quill pen, and said, "Alright, now tell me the wine recipe."

The system then gave Zhao Ruxi the recipe for the sealed-jar wine.

This guy must have gotten his hands on all sorts of recipes from somewhere; some are ancient, others are modern improvements—it's quite comprehensive.

This would definitely not work in modern times, as it would infringe on someone else's patent. But now that we're separated by time and space, we can't worry about that anymore.

After Zhao Ruxi finished writing down the winemaking process and precautions, he asked about the brewing equipment. He talked about each system for almost half an hour.

Looking at the pile of information written on the table, Zhao Ruxi was quite satisfied with spending the 60,000 points. She said to the system, "System, I'll have to trouble you to go back to the modern world to look up information in the future."

The system was valued once again, and Zhao Ruxi would need it for many more things in the future, so it was quite satisfied with this risk-free deal.

Zhao Ruxi then drew out all the necessary utensils and marked their dimensions. Only when Matron Yuan couldn't help but urge Zhao Ruxi to rest did she take a bath and go to bed.

The next day, before going to the yamen, she handed a stack of vessel designs to Zhou Chun: "Have these made separately, make two sets in total."

After Zhou Chun took it, she said, "Buy more people when you're buying them, one family at a time. After you've bought them all, have them settle down at the foot of the mountain, then take them back to the capital and arrange for them to live in the estates. Also, select some people from the two estates to come here; I want to teach them how to brew wine."

I don't know the details of a new purchase, so I can't trust it. It's much more reliable to use the old servants from the farm.

Thinking of this, she said, "If you see any suitable estates for sale in Nanyang, let's buy one or two large ones. If our winemaking is good, we can grow glutinous rice on all our estates, so we won't be controlled by others using our raw materials."

"Yes," Zhou Chun replied.

Once you've arranged those things, send someone to buy two or three thousand catties of glutinous rice.

With the system acting as a cheat code, she was confident in successfully brewing the sealed-jar wine. Two or three thousand catties of glutinous rice wouldn't brew much wine. Originally, she should have bought more glutinous rice and stockpiled it. Nanyang has convenient transportation; if she bought glutinous rice here, grain merchants could quickly import glutinous rice from other places to replenish it. Even if she stockpiled more glutinous rice, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the local glutinous rice price.

However, Zhao Ruxi now has a certain understanding of the farmland in Nanyang. She knows that farmers mainly grow japonica rice, while glutinous rice is only grown on the estates of landlords, and even then, the planting area is not large.

There wasn't much glutinous rice on the market to begin with, and after she bought these two or three thousand catties, there wouldn't be much locally produced glutinous rice left in Nanyang. She had to leave some raw materials for Dong's Distillery.

It's not farming season now, so Zhao Ruxi can't plant all the fields on her estate with glutinous rice in time. She'll have to wait until next year. So this year, her distillery can only be used for experimental research and cannot produce large quantities of wine.

After Zhou Chun left, Zhao Ruxi handed another list to Qingfeng: "Collect everything on this list for me; I need it very much. Memorize everything and then burn it. Don't let anyone else see it."

This is a recipe for the raw materials of brewing yeast.

Besides the brewing process, the quality of the yeast is also crucial to the quality of the wine. The yeast used for sealed-jar wine is a specially made medicinal yeast, which is different from other yeasts.

Zhao Ruxi plans to make the yeast herself. Even if someone tries to poach her brewing master from her distillery, they won't be able to make the sealed-jar wine without her specially made yeast.

Since the amount of yeast needed is not large, she can make enough for a period of time in her spare time, so it's not too tiring.

"If you can't find some of the raw materials, just tell me. You don't need to look for them everywhere," Zhao Ruxi added.

She now frequently communicates with Xiao Lingyan. The guards travel between Nanyang and the capital. If she can't find something here, she can ask the all-powerful Prince of Qi to find it; he's sure to find it. Then she can just have the messenger guard bring it over; it's not troublesome at all.

Qingfeng agreed and went too, and then Zhao Ruxi went to the yamen.

She arrived at her room and had just taken out the water conservancy map, ready to work, when a yamen runner rushed to her door, saying hurriedly, "Lord Zhao, the Prefect has arrived. Lord Liu sent me to inform you to go to the door to greet him."

"What? Your Excellency the Prefect?" Zhao Ruxi was overjoyed upon hearing this, put down her pen, stood up, and went outside.

At this moment, everyone in the yamen (government office) began to leave.

Upon reaching the door, Zhao Ruxi saw that the person exchanging pleasantries with Liu Hongyu was none other than her third senior brother, Wu Zong.

Wu Zong seemed to sense Zhao Ruxi's gaze, turned his head to look at her, revealed a bright smile, and raised his hand to bow. "Lord Zhao."

Liu Hongyu and Cai Yaozong were the first to come out. They were still stunned by the new prefect's good looks when they turned around and saw Zhao Ruxi's beautiful face. A thought immediately popped into their minds, "Could it be that Mister Kumu is choosing his disciples based on their looks?"

"Lord Wu," Zhao Ruxi addressed him using the official title and bowed.

The brother and sister looked at each other and both laughed.

Zhao Ruxi asked, "Where is Master? Have they returned to the capital?"

A hint of unease flashed across Wu Zong's face. "I went back. I came over as soon as they left."