Liquor Is a Good Thing

Old Man Liu's eyes locked onto the wooden box, and his throat gave a loud gulp.

Madam Liu tugged at her husband's sleeve. "What are you doing? Aren't you embarrassed?"

Lu Zheng stepped in to smooth things over. "It's my first time visiting, and I didn't prepare any proper gifts. Just a tea set and three bottles of wine."

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

"One bottle of aged baijiu, and two bottles of relatively refreshing fruit wine."

"I was wondering. No wonder I caught a hint of fruity fragrance." Old Man Liu nodded and decisively said, "Perfect. We'll drink the wine you brought. Compared with this aged brew of yours, the cloudy wine I prepared can't even be shown to anyone."

Madam Liu secretly pinched her husband, while Liu Qingyan lowered her head beside them, seeming rather ashamed on behalf of her old father.

Old Man Liu pretended not to notice and had the gatekeeper carry the wooden box into the main hall and open it. Lu Zheng then reached in himself and took out three porcelain bottles, each holding a jin.

"This bottle is Wuliangye, brewed from a blend of five grains. It's rich and mellow, with a deep aroma. You can have a taste later."

Old Man Liu was practically drooling, and Lu Zheng finally understood who Liu Qingquan had inherited her personality from.

"These two are Green Plum Wine and Peach Blossom Brew. They're sweet and refreshing, good for moisturizing the skin and enhancing one's complexion."

Madam Liu's eyes immediately lit up as well.

"What a beautiful teapot."

After Lu Zheng took out the three bottles, the purple-clay teapot set beneath them in the wooden box was revealed, and sharp-eyed Liu Qingquan spotted it.

"What an exquisite tea set. Lu Lang, you've truly put thought into this," Old Man Liu said.

Lu Zheng merely smiled without speaking.

The group then took their seats. Old Man Liu sat at the head of the table, while Lu Zheng sat in the guest seat to one side, with Liu Qingyan seated beside him to keep him company.

Madam Liu sat opposite Lu Zheng, while Liu Qingquan took the last seat.

Clear liquor poured into the wine cups, its fragrance spreading in all directions until the entire room was filled with it. Old Man Liu sniffed and exclaimed, "I've lived for decades, yet this is the first time I've seen such fine wine—clear as water, yet so rich and fragrant!"

"Thanks to Lu Lang today, this old man has been blessed with a fine taste." Old Man Liu raised his cup.

The five of them clinked cups and drained them in one gulp.

"Fine wine!" Splendor flashed in Old Man Liu's eyes as he praised it loudly.

Lu Zheng secretly laughed. The Great Jing Dynasty had no distillation methods, so all their liquor was weak; twenty percent was already considered strong liquor. Wasn't thirty-five percent Wuliangye top-grade wine to him? If Lu Zheng hadn't feared the old man couldn't handle it, fifty-two percent baijiu would have been the true king of liquor—one mouthful and it would go straight to the head!

Green Plum Wine and Peach Blossom Brew had been made with modern techniques, sweet and smooth to the palate. Madam Liu and the Liu Family Sisters also drank theirs in one effortless gulp.

"Fruit wine doesn't taste strongly of alcohol, but it still has quite a kick. Drink slowly," Lu Zheng said.

"Yes, yes. Don't be greedy with the cup. Eat, eat."

Though the Liu household did not have as many seasonings as Lu Zheng's home, their ingredients were all exceptionally fresh and their cooking skillful, giving the dishes a flavor all their own.

Cups and chopsticks crossed, and a faint haze of wine rose in their hearts.

Sharing food and drink truly was the best way to draw people closer. Before the meal had even reached its halfway point, Lu Zheng's relationship with the Liu family had already advanced by leaps and bounds.

Old Man Liu learned that Lu Zheng was currently all alone and insisted that he call him Uncle Liu.

Lu Zheng also learned that the Liu family had offended a local tyrant in their hometown, forcing the entire family to relocate to Tonglin County.

Old Man Liu was also a physician and intended to acquire a shop in Tonglin County to open a medical clinic.

A medical clinic...

Lu Zheng's thoughts turned, but he said nothing. As he reached for another dish, he casually turned his head and saw Liu Qingyan beside him.

After two cups of fruit wine, a delicate flush had appeared on Liu Qingyan's face. Her breath was like orchids, her beautiful eyes shimmered with hidden waves, and Lu Zheng could even faintly smell a subtle fragrance.

Lu Zheng blinked and hurriedly turned away, only to hear Old Man Liu begin boasting again.

"When I was young, I followed a great master physician. He could revive the dead and grow flesh upon bare bones—a living star of medicine! There wasn't an illness he couldn't cure!"

"Though I didn't learn much, treating the little aches and pains of the county and countryside is surely as easy as taking something from my pocket."

"Heh heh, and my daughter has inherited my true teachings. Her medical skills can now be proudly displayed as well."

"Father's bragging. Sister obviously—"

Madam Liu picked up a piece of chicken and, with speed too swift for the ears to catch, stuffed it into Liu Qingquan's mouth.

"Mmfh, mmfh!" Liu Qingquan grumbled as she began chewing in tiny bites.

Lu Zheng chuckled, putting on the appearance of someone flushed and warm with drink, pretending he had heard nothing.

The banquet ended with both host and guest thoroughly satisfied.

After the meal, Old Man Liu had drunk too much. Liu Qingyan was the one who, with lotus steps, escorted Lu Zheng to the door.

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

"You're too polite." Lu Zheng nodded with a smile. "We're neighbors. Looking out for one another is only natural."

Liu Qingyan pressed her lips together in a faint smile. "Farewell, Lu Lang. Watch the steps."

Without letting Liu Qingyan come outside any farther, Lu Zheng waved to her, then crossed the two-step distance back to his own home.

When he woke, he felt refreshed and full of energy.

Lying in bed, Lu Zheng first added another strand of Light of Luck to his physique, feeling all aspects of his physical condition strengthen a little more.

At the same time, true qi was already circulating rapidly through his body, and it could be increased as well.

But Lu Zheng did not strengthen it for the time being.

"I have twelve strands of Light of Luck in total. I used seven when I learned the Midnight Stillness Breathing Technique, and another one today. That leaves only four."

"Opening the candy shop should count as affecting Shitou and Ma San's fates, right? Why hasn't any luck been credited? Did it not affect them, or was the effect too small?"

"I may be visiting White Cloud Temple soon. I wonder whether Daoist Priest Mingzhang can see through my cultivation progress. I can't become too powerful too quickly for now."

"No rush, no rush. It hasn't even been ten days since I obtained this breathing technique."

With sunlight streaming through the window, Lu Zheng began considering his next moves.

But before he could begin thinking, his phone rang.

"Lu Zheng, are you up?"

"I'm up. What is it?"

"Get up. Have lunch with me at noon!"

"What, did something happen?"

"Nothing. It's a good thing. 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'd bring her best friend to avoid awkwardness, and said I could bring a brother too. Zhao Si and Lei Zi both already have someone, so I'm looking after you!"

"I really ought to thank you!"

Lu Zheng was speechless again. "No wonder you're single. She was just being polite. Look it up online—girls bringing a best friend is normal, but men go alone. Who brings a brother?"

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

"You talk as if you aren't single yourself. Now you're lecturing me on theories? Is there a single hair on your body I don't know about?"

"I..."

"Hurry up. Eleven at noon, we'll meet at the Dongshan Park subway station. If things go well at lunch, we'll play Murder Mystery together in the afternoon."

Lu Zheng sighed. "Fine..."