Song Anxin couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Lin Fengshou walk away quickly. How could she not know what her second son was thinking? These past few days, everyone in the family except Song Anbang, Lin Fengyao, and Feng He had been called in as guinea pigs to taste the wine. All they could say was whether it tasted good or not; when asked to come up with adjectives, they all had huge question marks on their faces.
Sigh, only Uncle Bai and Granny Zheng can help her. However, Uncle Bai is picky about wine and doesn't like ordinary wines. Granny Zheng has a more ladylike palate. These past few days, she has been testing the wines in the distillery and tasting the wines she mixes herself. Her alcohol tolerance has obviously increased, but it's not good for her to keep tasting and judging wines all the time.
She did think of one person: Lin the Drunkard. During the last interview, Lin the Drunkard said he had tasted at least 800 to 1000 bottles of wine, but she didn't know if that was true.
However, this Lin the Drunkard, she really disliked him before because he used to beat his wife and children when he was drunk, but thankfully he's better now. He also has some conscience; he didn't respond when Lin Gangzi asked him to harm her, and even looked down on him for testifying for her family. He's also very involved in anything that happens to the village head, but he likes to meddle in everything. Sigh, people are indeed complicated.
Last time I saw him, he really wanted to find a job, and he seemed to be trying to start anew. But never mind, I'll just have someone come and take a look first.
When Lin the Drunkard stood in Song Anxin's courtyard, he was completely dumbfounded. He had been so heartbroken after being rejected by Lin's second sister-in-law's winery that he hadn't been able to drink properly for several days. Now, Lin's second sister-in-law was actually inviting him to taste wine. What did this mean?!
Then Lin's second sister-in-law spoke up: "Lin the drunkard, didn't you say you wanted me to give you a chance? Now your chance has come. You can taste all these wines and then tell me how you feel about them."
"Is this...is this how it is? Second sister-in-law, you'll really give me a chance if you do this?!" Lin Jiugui asked incredulously.
Song Anxin said calmly, "Don't be too happy yet. If you can't appreciate the taste of this wine, you won't get this opportunity anyway."
Upon hearing that there was indeed such a good thing, Lin the Drunkard said, "Second Sister-in-law, don't worry. I, Lin the Drunkard, am not called that for nothing. I know a lot about wine tasting."
The first drink she made was a mixture of rice wine and green orange juice, garnished with a touch of mint, and topped with an orange standing upright on the rim of the stemmed glass. Lin, the drunkard, though somewhat puzzled by this unusual arrangement, still praised it:
"Second sister-in-law, the design of this wine cup is really novel. The orange standing upright on it is also very beautiful!"
This cup was one of the first batch of samples fired earlier. Master Liu sent someone to show it to her, and she made some changes before nodding in approval. Only then did Master Liu order people to start firing it in large quantities.
Song Anxin raised an eyebrow, ignoring his rambling, and Lin the Drunkard immediately became serious. He gently swirled his wine glass, took a sniff, and said:
"It tastes like rice wine and oranges, with a slightly sour taste, probably from unripe green oranges."
Song Anxin nodded. This drunkard Lin had a pretty good nose. Lin took a small sip and continued:
"The orange juice and strong white rice wine are mixed together, and the color of the wine is very nice. The taste is refreshing and slightly sweet and sour. Sister-in-law Lin, to be honest, I, a grown man, don't like to drink this wine, but women will like it. You should sell it to the young ladies and wives in the city; they will definitely love it!"
Lin the Drunkard was right; Granny Zheng and the other women in the family did indeed favor this wine. So she then had him try a second cup, made from her family's spring-wine and mint, with a rim of white sugar. Lin the Drunkard's face lit up with satisfaction upon smelling it, and after taking a sip, she let out a pleasant sound:
"Ah! Sister-in-law Lin, you really know how to drink! This wine is pure and spicy enough. The addition of Yindan grass makes it even spicier, which really stimulates the tongue. But after the spiciness, there is the coolness of Yindan grass in the mouth. With a little bit of white sugar on the outside, the taste is just wonderful. I guarantee that even people who are used to drinking good wine will not be able to resist this wine."
Song An thought to himself that this wine was really Uncle Bo's favorite. Lin Jiugui tasted one cup after another, and he could describe the different feelings of each cup, and even give suggestions on what was suitable for different races.
Song Anxin was truly impressed by Lin the Drunkard; it seemed the man's drinking hadn't been in vain.
Lin, the drunkard, was truly satisfied after tasting so much fine wine today. He said:
"Sister-in-law Lin, even if you don't pay me, I'd still be willing to work for your family if you just give me this wine every day."
Song Anxin smiled and said, "I do have a job for you right now. Don't worry, you'll get paid. It's a wine tasting job."
Your responsibilities are twofold: first, to sample the wines in the winery; and second, soon there will be a wine shop in the county that I co-own with Master Liu, where you will be responsible for tasting the wines, controlling their quality, and teaching the workers about the different flavors and suitable groups of people for each type of wine.
"For now, the pay is thirty coins a day. If you do well, you'll be promoted to a permanent employee and earn forty coins a day. However, this job requires traveling between two places, so it will be a bit tiring for you."
When Lin the Drunkard heard this, he was shocked to learn that he could earn thirty coins a day just by drinking, and forty coins if he did well.
His face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law! Thank you for giving me this task. I will definitely drink well!"
Song Anxin: "......" Why does this sound so strange?
However, she needed to discuss many things with him in advance, so she said, "Although being a wine taster means you have to drink, it doesn't mean you have to be an alcoholic. Since you've taken this job, you can't get drunk anymore. I can't control what happens at other times, but you must stay sober while you're on duty. If you can't do that, I won't hire you."
Lin, the drunkard, readily agreed. Being able to drink such good wine every day was much better than the cheap wine he used to drink. He also knew the principle that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to wine. Before, he had no choice but to drink more wine if he couldn't get good wine.
The villagers of Linjia Village were shocked when they heard the news. How could Lin the Drunkard have gotten such a good job after drinking so much?! The workers at the distillery were equally puzzled. They could drink too, so why was it that only one person came to the distillery to drink and was paid almost the same as them? They could have done it themselves.
However, they quickly realized that this Lin the Drunkard was really amazing at drinking. He could describe the unique taste of each kind of wine and accurately distinguish between different qualities of wine. They should practice more.
That afternoon, Lin Lizheng heard about this and immediately rushed to Song Anxin's house.
"Oh, Fengnian's mother, I really thank you, thank you so much. You actually gave Laizi a job. I know it's because you're a kind and generous person and don't hold a grudge against Laizi."
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