West Rukongai District 1 Runlin'an
Before Shunsui Kyōraku stood in front of Jiunaicang's store, he was still thinking that Haruyama might be exaggerating.
Although Kyoraku Clan is not Five Great Noble Houses, it is not short of money.
No matter how good the wine Haruyama usually uses for entertaining guests, how good can it be? A bottle worth tens of thousands of dollars is worth the sky, and it can cost as much as one hundred thousand. He drank more than a dozen bottles last night, but it was not like Haruyama said it was like burning a mountain of gold.
He pushed the door open and went in.
The light in the store is very soft, and there are rows of wine bottles neatly stacked on the wooden shelves, with different glaze colors. Each bottle has been wiped with a clean cloth and glows warmly under the light.
There is a faint aroma of distiller's yeast floating in the air, not strong, but very mellow, and you can tell it is not a cheap product.
There was an old man sitting behind the counter, slowly wiping a porcelain bottle with a piece of flannel. When he saw someone coming in, he raised his eyelids and glanced at Shunsui. He didn't get up, but just nodded as a greeting.
Shunsui also nodded, then walked to the nearest shelf and looked down at the label.
[Wuying Bingwei]
The name is written neatly and next to it is the price.
Shunsui counted zeros.
Two hundred thousand.
He blinked and counted again, still two hundred thousand.
Shunsui was silent for a moment, then turned to the shelf next to it.
Another row of wine
[Liuying Changrong]
Two million.
Shunsui took half a step back.
The old man behind the counter put down the celadon bottle in his hand and spoke slowly, "What kind of wine does the guest come for?"
Shunsui Kyōraku did not answer, he looked at [Wuying Bingwei]
The old man looked at the Soul Reaper outfit he was wearing, and then looked away
Shunsui stood in the middle of the store, surrounded by wine, each bottle sitting quietly on the shelf, the glaze reflecting slightly under the light, like rows of silent eyes looking at him.
He quickly made a calculation in his mind.
Lieutenant's monthly salary is five hundred thousand.
Wuying Bingwei, two hundred thousand, one bottle swallowed up nearly half a month's salary of Lieutenant...
He drank more than a dozen bottles last night. If they were all at this price, no, if there were a few bottles of Liuying Changrong mixed in
"Hello."
A hand patted his shoulder.
Shunsui turned around and saw a man wearing Shihakushō standing behind him with an adjutant's badge on his shoulder.
"You like this wine too?" The man looked at Shunsui Kyōraku and stared [Wuying Bingwei]
"I just saw you across the street. I've been standing here looking at you for a long time. Do you want to drink but it's too expensive?"
Kyōraku wanted to explain something, but the man didn't give him a chance to speak and continued talking on his own.
"It's okay, it's okay. I understand. Not everyone can drink Jiunaicang's food casually. Come on, come on, I'll treat you to a sip today."
He patted Shunsui on the shoulder, not with much force, but with a warm energy that could not be denied.
"It's okay, it's okay. I understand. Not everyone can drink Jiunaicang's food casually. Come on, come on, I'll treat you to a sip today."
He patted Shunsui on the shoulder, not with much force, but with a warm energy that could not be refused. Then he turned to the counter and waved to the old man proudly. "Have a bottle of Wuying Bingwei!"
The old man raised his eyelids and glanced at him, his eyes paused for a moment on the adjutant badge on his shoulder, then looked at Shunsui behind him, then put down the flannel and slowly turned around to get the wine.
When Oda took the drink, Shunsui clearly saw his hand twitching slightly and the corners of his eyes twitching.
Obviously I feel sorry for his salary
"That... thank you..."
"I'm Third Division Lieutenant, Oda Tenza, what about you?"
"...Shunsui Kyōraku, Eighth Division Fifth Seat."
"Oh, Eighth Division's!"
As he spoke, he put the wine in his arms and walked out of the store. After taking two steps, he turned back and waved. "Follow me!"
Shunsui hesitated for a moment.
Then he followed.
Shunsui hesitated for a moment.
He originally wanted to take a look at the price and leave, but Oda had already taken a few steps and turned back to wave to him, as casually as if he was greeting an old friend he had known for many years.
Shunsui looked at the back, hesitated for a moment and then followed.
There is a small store hidden in the alley diagonally opposite Jiunaicang.
It is a simple resting place, a small room with a few low tables scattered around and a few futons placed beside the table.
Some people were drinking, some were playing chess, and some were taking a nap against the wall with teacups in hand.
Everyone has their own wine flask in front of them, there is no ordering process, there are no waiters, there is only a loose tacit understanding that does not require any greetings.
This is not a shop open for business, but a resting place created by the wandering souls of Rukongai. People who know this place will naturally come, and people who don't know will not take a second look when they pass by.
Oda stopped in front of a low table in the back, sat down on the futon, then took out the bottle of Wuying Bingwei from his arms, and took out a cloth bag from the inner pocket of his clothes.
The cloth bag was opened, and inside were several wine bowls, made of white porcelain, with a light blue pattern on the rim, neatly stacked.
He took out two, pushed one in front of Shunsui, placed one in front of himself, and stuffed the rest back.
Then he opened the wine bottle.
The aroma of wine came out at that moment. It was not the harsh and irritating feeling of strong liquor, but a mellow, soft, refreshing aroma like water drawn from a deep well.
It is unobtrusive, but extremely aggressive. It does not rush into the nasal cavity, but penetrates in. It starts from both sides of the base of the tongue and spreads upwards, reaches the temples and then slowly goes downwards. It makes people feel that their pores are slightly dilated, and every inch of the skin is breathing in the rich and mellow aroma of the wine.
The person playing chess in the corner stopped in mid-air, turned his head and glanced here, then looked away, pretending not to look, but his next chess move was messed up, and even Shunsui, who couldn't play chess, could see this.
Oda poured him a glass, his movements were very steady, the liquid spread a fine sheen in the bowl, and then he poured himself a glass.
"How's it going?"
Shunsui picked up the bowl and took a sip.
The first feeling when the wine enters the mouth is not spicy, but warm, as if someone lit a small lamp deep in the throat. The light is not big, but it is warm enough.
Then the warm feeling went down from the throat, all the way to the stomach, and then back up from the stomach, back to the chest, back to the throat, back to the base of the tongue, leaving a light layer of sweetness with a floral and fruity aroma.
"That's it! It tastes great!"
Oda smiled. There was a sense of accomplishment in that smile that said, "I saw you right." There was also a sympathy that only drunkards can understand.
"Anyone who can stand alone in front of Jiunaicang in a daze is the one who really likes wine."
Oda refilled his second glass, patted his shoulder and said, "I see you are a drinker too. If you want to drink in the future, come to me. But next time, bring your own wine."
Shunsui looked at the wine in the bowl, then looked at the opposite Third Division Lieutenant who had invited him to drink 200,000 bottles of wine less than half an hour after meeting him, and smiled.
"Good"