In fact, there was nothing reluctant about presenting it to Liu Che, since it was not a unique piece anyway.
The difficulty was that it was hard for him to explain to Liu Che how this thing came about.
You know, he registered with Emperor Wu of Han to study how to grow grapes, but he ended up not growing grapes well but creating a new type of wine first? This sounds like a waste of time.
Liu Tan thought about it and decided to tell the truth directly. It didn’t matter whether Liu Che believed it or not, as long as he believed it.
At this time, the wine is flowing out faster than before. Although it is still a very small stream, it is gradually increasing in speed.
Liu Tan ordered someone to use a wine cup to take a sip and taste it. The wine distilled once was not very mellow, but it was much better than the previous sweet wine.
Liu Tan turned to Bigao and said, "Take out a jar of this portion of wine and seal it. Repeat the process with the rest, then take out a jar and seal it. Then follow this procedure until there's only one jar left. Save all but the last one! Um, then find a few craftsmen to polish the crystal that little Kunmi gave me into a set of wine utensils. The sooner the better. I'll draw the diagrams for it. If you have any questions, ask the craftsmen directly. But it must be made the way I want it, okay?"
Bi Gao responded immediately and turned around to ask the eunuch behind him to find someone.
After Liu Tan finished giving the order, he thought of Lu Xuan, whom he had left aside. He felt a little guilty for a moment, so he asked someone to find a beautiful silver wine pot, and then he took the first batch of wine to find Lu Xuan. When he saw Lu Xuan, he found that the other party was sitting in the flower hall drinking tea, and he immediately felt very embarrassed.
Lu Xuan's eyes lit up when she saw him, and the look in her eyes was so clear that it was unique to an exotic beauty, which made Liu Tan's heart flutter. When he came to his senses, he couldn't help but feel that people's pursuit of beauty was indeed gender-neutral.
Lu Xuan asked, "Is the matter finished?"
Liu Tan smiled and said, "Almost done. I brought you something good."
Lu Xuan looked at him curiously. Liu Tan poured a glass of wine himself, handed it to him and said, "Try it."
According to Liu Tan, when people receive something from a friend they are not familiar with, they always ask what it is, or smell it before taking a bite, or at least touch it with their lips to taste it first.
After Lu Xuan took it, he asked, "Wine?"
After Liu Tan nodded, he drank the wine without saying anything.
Oh shit!
Liu Tan was shocked and quickly ordered: "Bring some milk, quickly!"
He remembered that although milk could not help with hangovers, it could form a membrane in the digestive tract that could at least isolate some of the alcohol. At the very least, milk could also help with relieving spiciness.
It wasn't that he looked down on Lu Xuan's alcohol tolerance, but in this era, whether it was the Central Plains or the Xiongnu, the alcohol content of the wine they drank was generally not very high.
If it was just a matter of adapting a little, then there would be no problem. However, Lu Xuan just drank it all in one gulp.
The only thing he was thankful for now was that the wine cup was not very big and there was not much wine in it.
After Lu Xuan finished drinking, his eyes sparkled as he said, "Good wine! Delicious!"
Liu Tan looked at him hesitantly. At this moment, Lu Xuan's originally fair face had turned a light pink as if she had applied rouge, and her dark green eyes were brighter and more moist.
He asked quietly, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Lu Xuan looked at him with those bright eyes, as if she didn't hear what he asked.
Liu Tan had no choice but to ask again. Lu Xuan tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Nothing's wrong. Well, I'm just a little hot."
It seems normal to feel hot after drinking strong alcohol.
But Liu Tan was still worried and said, "If you feel uncomfortable somewhere, you must tell me. Don't bear it. I can find a doctor for you!"
Lu Xuan closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and said, "I feel a little dizzy."
Oh, I drank too much.
Liu Tan had no choice but to say, "Go and rest first."
Anyway, his manor has many rooms, so there are still one or two guest rooms.
Although Lu Xuan was drunk, he was very obedient. He nodded and stood up to rest.
Liu Tan quickly supported him. Fortunately, Lu Xuan was still able to walk steadily, but he just... walked like a cat.
Lu Xuan held Liu Tan's hand and asked, "What kind of wine is this? I've never tasted anything so strong."
Liu Tan said, "It's new and doesn't have a name yet. I need to go back and ask my father to give it a name."
Lu Xuan was initially quite excited when he heard that there was no name, but when he heard Liu Tan say that he wanted Liu Che to give it a name, he lowered his eyes in disappointment.
Liu Tan reacted belatedly – does this guy still want to fight for the naming rights?
He said tentatively, "A Xiongnu or Wusun name would also be nice for this wine. What do you think it should be called?"
Lu Xuan immediately became excited again after hearing this, and uttered a long string of Wusun words.
Liu Tan was bewildered. "What do you mean?"
Lu Xuan explained, "It means to purify the wine."
He added, "I remember you call ordinary wine muddy wine. Isn't the opposite of pure wine?"
Liu Tan: Okay, what you said makes a lot of sense, and I can’t refute it.
After much difficulty, Lu Xuan was sent to the guest room. After entering, Lu Xuan was taken over by the two guards behind him.
It was only at this time that Liu Tan reacted - why didn't these two people react at all and let him walk away alone supporting Lu Xuan?
Fortunately, Lu Xuan was not very drunk and could walk on his own without acting crazy. Otherwise, he would be exhausted and unable to handle it.
Liu Tan let out a long breath and said, "Okay, you should have a good rest first."
He glanced at the sky outside and said, "I guess we can't go back to the city today. Will it be a problem if you don't go back?"
Lu Xuan, who didn't know what had happened, refused to lie down. He stood in front of Liu Tan, shook his head, and said, "It's okay. I came out today and told my mother."
Liu Tan was immediately relieved, patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, I'll leave first and won't disturb your rest."
Lu Xuan nodded, but when Liu Tan was about to leave, Lu Xuan suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Liu Tan turned around with some confusion, and just as he was about to ask Lu Xuan if there was anything else, he was caught off guard and was pulled over by Lu Xuan and held in his arms.
Liu Tan was completely stunned and had no idea what was going on.
Is this... the aftereffects of the alcohol and he's starting to act crazy?
Liu Tan pushed Lu Xuan's chest hard. His first reaction was that it was a little hard, so he must have a lot of muscles. His second reaction was how strong this guy was. He was almost using all his strength, but Lu Xuan didn't move at all.
To Lu Xuan, Liu Tan's struggle was like the protest of a kitten, and was easily suppressed. He lowered his head and sniffed Liu Tan's neck.
This action made Liu Tan's hair stand on end, and the radar started to alarm frantically.
He didn't know what the relationship between men was like, but he knew that such an action was definitely not something that could be done between brothers and friends!
Just as Liu Tan was about to scream for help, panic spread across his face, he heard Lu Xuan say, "Tan, there's... a fragrance on you. I like... I like it."
aroma?
Liu Tan doesn't like strong incense or carrying sachets. In ancient times, these spices were mostly used to cover up the smell of the body and hair caused by prolonged uncleanliness.
Liu Tan is very diligent. Even though it is troublesome to wash his long hair, he washes it frequently. So he never carries sachets or anything like that with him. Where does the fragrance come from?
Fortunately, he still had some rationality, and he managed to say in a trembling voice: "Wh...what fragrance?"
Lu Xuan: "Hmm, the smell of wine... wine... wine."
He sniffed again as he spoke.
Liu Tan: ...
He remembered that he had just stayed in the distillery for a long time. Although the seal of the distiller was good, the aroma of the wine was overflowing when it came out. It seemed that he had been contaminated with a lot of smell at that time.
So Lu Xuan treated him as a wine jug?
Liu Tan was suddenly at a loss for words and his body relaxed. He felt relieved after confirming that Lu Xuan didn't do this out of any special fetish.
He turned around and called out to someone, "Hurry up and help little Kunmi onto the bed."
Lu Xuan easily let go of Liu Tan this time, and then he was pressed on the bed and stripped of his clothes, shoes and socks.
Not to mention, this little Kunmi looks thin as a teenager, but when he takes off his clothes, his muscles are clearly visible.
Liu Tan inexplicably recalled the feel of Lu Xuan's chest, and finally came to the conclusion: he must never fight with Lu Xuan in the future.
After all this trouble, Lu Xuan's eyes were half closed, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.
Liu Tan then left with peace of mind, but still instructed Miao Rui to send a few more people to serve here and to report any problems in a timely manner.
After making arrangements for Lu Xuan, Liu Tan discovered that he couldn't return to the city today.
Of course, even if it wasn't too late, he couldn't just leave Lu Xuan alone in this manor. That would be too rude.
What's more...he hasn't picked his grapes yet!
He hasn't forgotten that growing grapes is his main job!
In desperation, he had to send someone to report to the palace.
He had barely finished giving the order when he received word that the distillation process was nearing completion.
At this point, the distillation has been carried out for several rounds until there is almost no water left. The distillation ends and something similar to alcohol is obtained.
The reason why I say "approximately" is because Liu Tan is not quite sure about the purity of the alcohol, but it should be useful anyway.
Carrying alcohol and the lowest-proof wine diluted with distilled water, Liu Tan went directly to the greenhouse.
This time he carefully disinfected all the knives, and then lightly smeared the branches with diluted alcohol. This was almost the best disinfection measure he could take now.
As the saying goes, the first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar. Although this was the second time, Liu Tan still felt a little flustered.
After finally getting everything done, he breathed a sigh of relief as he left the greenhouse: "I hope it works this time!"
Miao Rui, who was standing by, asked quietly, "Your Highness, do you want to offer sacrifices to the shrine?"
Liu Tan was stunned for a moment before he realized that in the Han Dynasty, the community god was equivalent to the land god, in charge of farming.
When he understood what Miao Rui meant, his first reaction was: "Why worship God? I don't believe in God, I believe in science!"
He is now using scientific methods to solve problems. Everything he does is supported by scientific theories. What's the point of worshipping gods?
He was about to say no when a young eunuch quickly ran over to report: "Your Highness, the grape trellis on the easternmost side of the greenhouse has fallen, but it did not hit the grape vines. Please advise whether it should be replaced."
Liu Tan: ...
Half an hour later, steaming roasted whole pig and roasted whole lamb were placed in front of the community god, and Liu Tan respectfully offered a few incense sticks to the community god in the aroma of the barbecue.
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