Chapter 28 Dionysus Festival 06
"Slow down, watch out for the steps, don't fall."
Mrs. Gwen stood in the middle of the front yard, her hands on her hips, directing several servants to carefully carry five heavy oak barrels into the yard.
These five oak barrels were, of course, the secret ale brewed according to the recipe bestowed by the golden cup that day. After five full days of brewing and fermentation, they were finally completed and delivered to the manor today.
Upon hearing that the winery had delivered the wine, Zhu Yu finished his work in the court early and hurried back.
As soon as she stepped into the front yard, before her second boot had even landed on the ground, Mrs. Gwen blocked her way.
"Miss, please disinfect first."
Mrs. Gwen handed over two clean, soft white towels in a gentle but unyielding tone.
Zhu Yu took the towel and subconsciously moved closer to sniff it.
In addition to the familiar smell of disinfectant, you can also smell a light herbal aroma, probably a mixture of sage or other medicines, with a slightly cool scent that soothes your nerves.
"Mrs. Gwen, you are also aware of my immunity, right? This is so troublesome every day..."
"Miss, I know you have a strong immune system," Mrs. Gwen said as she tucked a strand of Zhu Yu's hair behind her ear, "but you are the backbone of this manor, and you can't make any mistakes."
Zhu Yu sighed helplessly. She had already mentioned to Mrs. Gwen that as a "Knight of Light", she had a special physique and a very high immune resistance to the plague, so she didn't need to be disinfected every day like a laboratory bottle.
After her repeated negotiations, Mrs. Gwen finally gave in and did not require her to disinfect from head to toe three times every day when she returned home. She only needed to complete the most basic protective procedures.
Zhu Yu understood that Mrs. Gwen was worried about him, so he did not refute her muttering.
She quickly wiped her arms and neck with a towel, and her eyes quietly passed over the other person's shoulder to look at the wine barrels that she had been thinking about for several days.
Each oak barrel is tightly sealed with iron hoops, the top is wrapped in burlap, and the outer wall of the barrel still has the luster of fresh polishing.
After Zhu Yu wiped the last finger, he immediately pushed the towel aside, turned around and quickly walked around Mrs. Gwen and ran towards the familiar wine barrels.
Mrs. Gwen, who was standing behind her, looked at her excited figure and couldn't help but chuckle. Then she winked at the servants and asked them to quickly bring the wine into the mansion.
After entering the house, Zhu Yu unfastened the buckle of the oak barrel, and the lid of the oak barrel slowly rose up with a "click".
A rich wheat aroma suddenly gushed out from the barrel, as if dyeing the entire space the golden color of the wheat fields when they are first ripe.
The servant beside him took a deep breath subconsciously, with surprise and intoxication in his eyes.
Zhu Yu leaned over and scooped out a spoonful of wine, poured it into the glass and shook it. The amber wine rippled slightly in the glass, with fine foam appearing.
She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, her eyes slightly bright.
The taste was exactly the same as the wine I tasted in the golden cup that day - clear, mellow, with a hint of the bitterness of barley in the aftertaste.
She licked her lips with satisfaction, turned around and asked Maggie:
"Maggie, where is the person I'm looking for?"
Maggie: “They’re all in the backyard.”
Listening to the conversation between the two, Mrs. Gwen's expression tightened and her brows furrowed slightly:
"Miss, what are you doing in the backyard?"
When the plague spread, backyards were often used to isolate the infected.
Anyone who comes near there, even for a short time, could become infected.
Mrs. Gwen had been extremely strict with the prevention and control of the entire mansion during this period. When she heard Zhu Yu's plan, she was naturally nervous.
Zhu Yu just smiled and said in a brisk tone:
"Don't worry, I'm just going to do a little experiment."
Without further explanation, she led Maggie and several servants straight to the backyard.
There was a simple wooden shed against the wall in the backyard, the roof was covered with rough oilcloth, and herbal water and drying cloth for disinfection were placed in the corner.
Three thin figures were sitting in the shed, looking tired.
Their clothes were clean but obviously washed bleached. Two of the girls were snuggling together and looked quite young.
"These three are siblings." Maggie lowered her voice and said, "Their parents were infected with the plague some time ago and didn't survive. After that, they also started to show symptoms, but they are not serious yet."
Zhu Yu nodded and his eyes fell on the oldest boy among them.
Seeing someone approaching, the boy, who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, immediately stood up, protected his two younger sisters behind him, and looked at the person warily.
"Don't be afraid." Maggie stepped forward to comfort her, saying softly, "This is the owner of our mansion, Miss Draka. She is a Knight of Light."
The title of "Knight of Light" really worked. After hearing these four words, the boy's eyes widened slightly and his guard immediately faded away. Even the two sisters who were hiding behind him couldn't help but stick their heads out and look at Zhu Yu timidly.
Zhu Yu stepped forward and asked softly:
"What's your name? Have you ever drunk alcohol before?"
"Lucas, my name is Lucas." The boy answered in a low voice, and touched the tip of his nose subconsciously after hearing the second question, "When I was a child, I secretly drank the wine hidden by my father."
"Oh, right," he added, as if he had thought of something, "I know you, my father... He mentioned your tavern to us before. He said that your Golden Cup Tavern is a tavern that nobles also patronize."
"Yeah?"
Zhu Yu curled his eyes, turned around and signaled the people behind him to bring a large clean ceramic bowl, fill it with beer and place it in front of Lucas.
"My tavern has recently released a batch of new wine with special effects. Do you dare to try it?"
Lucas stared at the ceramic bowl, his expression struggling repeatedly.
He looked down at his two sisters behind him, finally gritted his teeth, and reached out to take the ceramic bowl.
The beer tasted bitter but sweet at first. He drank a few sips and waited for a moment. When he found that there was nothing wrong with his body, he passed the remaining beer to his two sisters.
The three of them quickly drank the entire bowl of ale.
About ten minutes later, the two girls, who had been suffering from a low-grade fever, began to sweat on their foreheads and their faces became visibly red. Lucas was surprised to find that the sickening pressure in his chest had eased a lot.
The lifeless eyes of the three people slowly began to light up.
"I...we?" Lucas looked down at his hands that were no longer shaking, his face full of disbelief. "You...what kind of medicine did you add to the wine? This, this is too magical..."
As Lucas spoke, he turned around to look at his sister, whose expression had also improved. Then he raised his head and looked at Zhu Yu with eyes full of indescribable respect and gratitude.
"Miss, thank you, thank you for saving us... I don't know how to repay you... We will never forget your kindness and grace!"
His tone was sincere, and he then pulled his sisters together to bow deeply to Zhu Yu to express his gratitude.
Zhu Yu just smiled gently and asked someone to bring a few silver coins and put them in his hand:
"This is a reward for your courage in trying new things. I hope you can continue to take good care of each other."
Then she turned to Maggie and said, "Have someone prepare some clean clothes and food and send them away."
Not far away, the servants resealed the oak barrel.
Zhu Yu patted the barrel with satisfaction and said:
"This batch of ale is a success. We can take it to the West End to save people tomorrow."
*
The next morning, Zhu Yu and his servants went to the West District. Five heavy oak barrels were neatly fixed behind the carriage.
The streets in the West District were still tense, with security soldiers shuttling back and forth, and the doctors surrounding the patients looked exhausted.
This time, Governor Albert was waiting at the edge of the quarantine area early. When he saw Zhu Yu get off the carriage, he immediately came forward to greet him.
"Miss Draka, you are finally here. We have cleaned up the place as you ordered, and are waiting for you to cast the light spell."
"Don't worry." Zhu Yu waved his hand at him, then turned back and signaled to the servants behind him, "Bring the wine down."
Several servants came forward and carried out five oak barrels from the back of the carriage one by one and placed them neatly on the ground. This action attracted many people's attention.
Albert was stunned, and the expectation on his face suddenly turned into confusion:
"Miss Draka, what are you...going to do?"
"Is this the preparation before casting a spell on the patient?" the doctor at the side also asked.
"No." Zhu Yu explained, "This is the latest secret beer developed by the Golden Cup Tavern. According to our current observations, it can effectively relieve the symptoms of plague, especially for patients with mild symptoms. There is a high probability that they will be completely cured after drinking it."
As soon as the words fell, the scene fell into silence.
"You're saying... that wine can cure plague?"
Governor Albert's voice rose a few notches, his face full of disbelief.
"You must be kidding..."
"How is that possible? No matter how good the wine is, it can't be used as medicine!"
A few questioning whispers were heard from the crowd, and some medical staff couldn't help but exchange glances, obviously holding doubts about this.
Zhu Yu was about to explain further when suddenly a clear voice rang out from behind the crowd:
"She's telling the truth! She's not kidding!"
Suddenly, a gap opened up among the people, and Lucas came out from it. He stood beside Zhu Yu and spoke nervously but firmly, "I, I was also infected with the plague a few days ago. I was covered with black spots, had a fever, and coughed up blood... But after drinking this beer yesterday, I am fine now!"
"It's you?" A middle-aged female medical staff member in the crowd recognized him and walked quickly to Lucas. She stretched out her hand to pull open his sleeve and said:
"I remember you! You were registered in the quarantine area before. Your arms were covered with black spots. You cried and said your sister had a fever too..."
Before she finished her words, the fair and healthy skin beneath her sleeves came into view.
The female medical staff was stunned, then looked up in surprise:
"You're actually completely...healed."
These words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly detonating the depressed crowd around them.
“Is it really useful?”
"Is this the wine that cured him?"
"Which pub is this from? Where can I buy it?"
For a moment, the crowd became restless.
Governor Albert could no longer hold back. After repeatedly checking Lucas's condition, he turned to look at Zhu Yu with a complicated expression:
"Are you... planning to use this beer to replace the light magic?"
"It's not a replacement, it's just another effective way to treat the plague." Zhu Yu smiled and said, "My light spell has too long a cooldown time, and this beer can save more people."
After saying this, she turned around, waved to the crowd behind her and said:
"Everyone, come and help distribute the wine. Half a bowl per person, and give priority to patients with more serious symptoms."
The wine barrels were opened one by one, and the rich aroma of malt filled the air.
Medical staff began to help pour wine, while the soldiers maintained order and guided the infected people to drink one by one.
Zhu Yu followed the others into the isolation area, poured the wine into a ceramic bowl, and handed it to a patient personally.
"This is a secret ale from the Golden Cup. Drink it and you'll be fine."
The smile on her face was kind and gentle, soothing like the Virgin Mary.
As she distributed the drinks and repeated the name of the tavern, the words "Elena Draka", "Golden Cup Tavern", and "Secret Ale" quickly spread among the crowd.
As the barrels of beer were empty, the system panel quietly popped up:
[Reputation value +10%, current total value: 55%]
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