Night
After leaving Mirror Flower Terrace, it was already night outside. Hangzhou at night was a completely different scene, but Jiang Yingyue had no interest in appreciating it.
Although she had a sudden inspiration to move out of the Ye family's house, how could she actually do that? Compared to that, choosing a place to rest was also a very urgent matter.
Jiang Yingyue had absolutely no money on her. Having not eaten for several days, she was nearing her limit. She looked at the wine flask at her waist. In the past, she would feel unwell if she didn't drink for a day, but now she hadn't even thought about it for so many days.
She stared at the wine pot, lost in thought for a long time.
"Shopkeeper, do you buy wine?"
Jiang Yingyue still went into Zuixianlou, the most bustling tavern in all of Hangzhou.
Before the shopkeeper could respond, a commotion arose from upstairs, followed by a waiter stumbling down the stairs. A dark figure, as nimble as a cat, leaped down from the second floor, landing gracefully in front of the waiter. The figure grabbed the waiter's collar and said, "You dare call this kind of shoddy wine a fine wine from the Western Regions? Do you think I'm easy to fool?"
The speaker was a young woman dressed in light green with her hair in a simple bun. Upon closer inspection, her clothes also featured bamboo patterns.
Upon seeing her, the innkeeper immediately put down the wine pot Jiang Yingyue had handed him and rushed to her side: "Oh, Miss Qingzhu, what you ordered is already the best wine in our Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Why are you still not satisfied?"
"Hmph, I see that's all there is to your Drunken Immortal Pavilion." The woman finally released the waiter. "This Western Region wine, in the end, is neither transported from the Western Region nor made with local ingredients. Just because others can't taste the difference doesn't mean I can't."
The shopkeeper was speechless after hearing this, but Jiang Yingyue's eyes lit up. This person named Qingzhu was obviously a connoisseur of wine, or rather, he knew it inside and out.
"If this is your best, then I don't see any need for me to come back." Qingzhu immediately turned to leave, but Jiang Yingyue spoke up: "I wonder if Miss Qingzhu would be interested in trying this?"
Qingzhu turned around as expected, looking slightly puzzled: "Oh?"
“This is something I brought from my hometown. Someone like Miss Qingzhu should be able to appreciate its quality.” Jiang Yingyue shook the wine pot in her hand. Although she had only drunk Granny Liu’s wine over the years, she had no idea whether this could compare to those famous wines. This was a good opportunity for them to evaluate it.
Qingzhu was clearly attracted to her and walked straight towards Jiang Yingyue: "Brought from your hometown?" Then she examined the wine pot again, her eyes suddenly widening, "Interesting."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Yingyue opened the wine pot, and the aroma of the wine immediately poured out. Seeing the cups on the table next to her, Jiang Yingyue went over and poured a cup for Qingzhu and the shopkeeper respectively.
Qingzhu picked up her wine glass, her eyebrows slightly raised as she sniffed the aroma. The amber-colored wine swirled gently in the glass. She took a small sip, and the moment her tongue touched the liquid, her eyelashes trembled violently. Her usually cool expression instantly turned surprised, and her gaze burned as she stared intently at the wine in the glass. "This taste... how is this possible?"
She tilted her head back and downed the wine in her cup in one gulp. She grabbed the wine pot from Jiang Yingyue's hand and filled her own cup again. This time she drank even more slowly, swirling the wine in her mouth and savoring it carefully. Then she slammed her hand on the table, making the cups and saucers jump. "This wine is clearly made with local glutinous rice and spring water, but it has a slight flavor of Western Region wine. How did you brew it?"
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