Wine is a Good Thing

Old Liu's eyes were glued to the wooden box, his throat bobbing with a "glug" sound.

Madam Liu tugged at her husband's sleeve, "What are you doing? Don't you feel embarrassed!"

Lu Zheng interjected to defuse the situation, "It's my first time visiting, and I didn't prepare much of a gift. I just brought a tea set and three bottles of wine."

"What kind of wine?" Old Man Liu immediately asked.

"A bottle of aged Wuliangye, and two bottles of lighter fruit wine."

"I was wondering, no wonder I smelled a hint of fruit fragrance." Old Man Liu nodded, decisively saying, "That's perfect. We'll drink the wine you brought. Compared to your aged wine, the turbid wine I prepared would be too embarrassing to show."

Madam Liu secretly pinched her husband, and Liu Qingyan also lowered her head, feeling somewhat ashamed of her father.

Old Man Liu pretended not to notice and asked the gatekeeper to bring the wooden box into the main hall and open it. Lu Zheng took the initiative to reach out and took out three one-jin porcelain bottles from the wooden box.

"This is a bottle of Wuliangye, brewed with a blend of five grains. It has a rich and mellow aroma. You can savor it later."

Old Man Liu's saliva was almost drooling, so Lu Zheng knew who Liu Qingquan got her personality from.

"These two bottles are Green Plum Wine and Peach Blossom Brew, sweet and refreshing, moisturizing the skin and beautifying the complexion."

Madam Liu's eyes lit up as well.

"What a beautiful teapot."

As Lu Zheng took out the three bottles of wine, the purple clay teapot set below the wooden box was also revealed, spotted by the sharp-eyed Liu Qingquan.

"Such exquisite tea set, Lu Lang, you are so thoughtful." Old Man Liu said.

Lu Zheng smiled and said nothing.

So, they all took their seats at the table. Old Man Liu sat in the main seat, Lu Zheng sat in the guest of honor seat on the side, and Liu Qingyan sat next to him to accompany them.

Madam Liu sat opposite Lu Zheng, and Liu Qingquan sat at the end.

The clear wine was poured into the glasses, and the aroma of the wine filled the room. Old Man Liu sniffed and exclaimed, "In all my decades of life, this is the first time I've seen such clear, water-like, yet rich and fragrant wine!"

"Thanks to Lu Lang today, I'm in for a treat." Old Man Liu raised his glass.

The five people clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine!" Old Man Liu's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he praised loudly.

Lu Zheng chuckled inwardly. The Great Jing Dynasty didn't have distillation techniques, and the alcohol content was low. Twenty degrees was considered high alcohol content. Isn't Wuliangye at thirty-five degrees top-notch wine? If he wasn't afraid he couldn't handle it, fifty-two-degree liquor would be the best of the best, and it would go straight to his head with one sip!

The Green Plum Wine and Peach Blossom Brew were brewed with modern techniques, and the taste was sweet and refreshing. Madam Liu and the Liu sisters also drank it all in one go without any difficulty.

"The fruit wine doesn't have a strong alcohol taste, but it's still potent. Drink slowly," Lu Zheng said.

"Yes, yes, don't be greedy, eat some food."

Although the seasonings weren't as abundant as those prepared at Lu Zheng's home, the ingredients prepared by the Liu family were very fresh, and the cooking techniques were good, so Lu Zheng found it to be a unique flavor.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, they became slightly tipsy.

Eating and drinking was indeed the best way to build relationships. Only halfway through the meal, the relationship between Lu Zheng and the Liu family had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Old Man Liu knew that Lu Zheng was alone now and insisted on Lu Zheng calling him Uncle Liu.

Lu Zheng also learned that the Liu family had moved to Tonglin County because they had offended the local bully in their hometown.

Old Man Liu was also a doctor and planned to take over a shop in Tonglin County to open a clinic.

Clinic...

Lu Zheng's mind turned, but he didn't say anything. He just turned his head unintentionally while picking up food and saw Liu Qingyan beside him.

At this time, after drinking two glasses of fruit wine, a delicate blush appeared on Liu Qingyan's face, her breath was like orchids, her beautiful eyes were flowing, and Lu Zheng faintly smelled a faint fragrance.

Lu Zheng blinked and quickly turned his head, and then heard Old Man Liu start bragging.

"When I was young, I followed a Great Physician, who was truly able to bring the dead back to life and heal bones. He was a medical star in the world, and there was no disease he couldn't cure!"

"Although I didn't learn much, I can definitely handle the minor illnesses and pains in the county and countryside."

"Hehe, and my little daughter's medical skills are a true inheritance from me, and she can handle things now."

"Daddy is bragging, sister clearly..."

Madam Liu picked up a piece of chicken and stuffed it into Liu Qingquan's mouth with lightning speed.

"Awu awu!" Liu Qingquan hummed and chewed with small bites.

Lu Zheng chuckled, acting tipsy and flushed, pretending not to hear.

A banquet where the host and guests all enjoyed themselves.

After the meal, Old Man Liu had too much to drink, so Liu Qingyan, with her light steps, escorted Lu Zheng to the door.

"Father hasn't been this happy in a long time, I must thank Lu Lang for the wine."

"You're too kind." Lu Zheng nodded and smiled, "We're neighbors, it's only right to help each other out."

Liu Qingyan pursed her lips and smiled faintly, "Goodbye, Lu Lang, watch your step."

Not letting Liu Qingyan come out any further, Lu Zheng waved at her, then took two steps back to his own home.

He woke up feeling refreshed.

Lying in bed, Lu Zheng first added another strand of Light of Luck to his physique, feeling his physical qualities strengthen again.

At the same time, true qi was already circulating rapidly within his body, and it could also be increased.

However, Lu Zheng decided to hold off for the time being.

"A total of twelve strands of Light of Luck. I used seven strands when I learned the Midnight Stillness Breathing Technique, and I'm using another strand today, leaving only four strands."

"Opening the candy store should also count as influencing the fate of Shitou and Ma San, right? Why is there no Luck entering my account? Is it because there was no influence, or is the influence too small?"

"I might go to the White Cloud Temple again soon, and I don't know if Daoist Priest Mingzhang will be able to see my cultivation progress. I can't become too powerful for now."

"No rush, no rush, it hasn't even been ten days since I obtained this Breath Regulation Technique."

Bathing in the sunlight from the window, Lu Zheng began to think about his next steps.

But before he could start thinking, his phone rang.

"Lu Zheng, are you up?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Get up, have lunch with me!"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, good news, come with me on a blind date!"

Lu Zheng complained speechlessly, "You need someone to accompany you on a blind date?"

"The girl said she's bringing a girlfriend to avoid embarrassment, and said I could bring a brother too. Zhao Si and Xiao Leizi are both taken, I'm doing you a favor!"

"I really thank you!"

Lu Zheng was speechless again, "You really deserve to be single, that's just her being polite. Look it up online, it's normal for girls to bring girlfriends, but guys always go alone, who brings a brother?"

The caller was Lu Zheng's roommate, Lao Tong, Tong Muxuan, the oldest of the four roommates, and single for four years like Lu Zheng.

"You talk like you're not single, lecturing me on theory, do you think I don't know how many hairs you have on your body?"

"I..."

"Hurry up, eleven o'clock at noon, let's meet at East Mountain Park subway station. If lunch goes well, we'll do a script murder mystery game together in the afternoon."

Lu Zheng sighed, "Okay..."