After the two finished discussing their business, Ning Zhiheng was quite disappointed that his trip had been in vain. However, it wasn't a complete waste of time, as his relationship with Lin Zhen had completely changed, and they had become much closer.
Only then did he turn around, move the wooden box he had brought over, and place it in front of Lin Zhen.
Lin Zhen owed Ning Zhiheng a huge favor, but had declined Ning Zhiheng's request, and felt somewhat apologetic. When he saw the wooden box, he smiled and asked, "What good thing is this?"
Ning Zhiheng smiled naturally, as if he hadn't taken the earlier incident to heart at all, and said, "You Gong is from Shanxi. This is my first time visiting, and I haven't prepared anything special. These are a few bottles of fine Fenjiu that I've collected. I've brought them to give to you today. I don't know if they'll suit your taste?"
Ning Zhiheng had conducted a detailed investigation into Lin Zhen beforehand and knew that he was from Pingyao, Shanxi, and especially liked to drink Fenjiu, the liquor from his hometown. That's why he brought these bottles of Fenjiu. He originally planned to use Wei Liangbi's name, but now it seems unnecessary. Mentioning Wei Liangbi again would only make everyone uncomfortable.
Lin Zhen's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. He quickly stepped forward, and Ning Zhiheng opened the wooden box for him, revealing six bottles of Fenjiu liquor inside. He took out a light blue bottle from the box and handed it to Lin Zhen.
Lin Zhen reached out and took it, examining it carefully for a long time. His face was full of joy, and he kept saying "good".
During this era, the most popular type of wine among the Kuomintang's top leaders was yellow wine, because Chiang Kai-shek and most of his followers were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. They loved their hometown's yellow wine. The preferences of those in power gradually became fashionable, so yellow wine was served at every state banquet and grand feast. At this time, yellow wine was even considered the national wine.
Secondly, there are imported spirits, such as red wine and grape wine from various countries, which also have a place at large banquets.
However, there are quite a few northerners in the National Revolutionary Army now, especially in the Baoding clique. As the saying goes, "Southern yellow wine and northern white wine," southerners prefer the sweet and mellow yellow wine, while northerners prefer the rich and mellow white wine. The most famous white wine is Fenjiu produced in Fenyang, Shanxi, which is recognized as the best white wine.
Lin Zhen's hometown, Pingyao, is right next to Fenyang, and he himself is particularly fond of this wine, which is why Ning Zhiheng chose this gift to present to him.
In fact, given Lin Zhen's status, many people would send him fine wines, but few would accept them so readily. Before today, if Ning Zhiheng had brought these bottles of Fenjiu to his door, Lin Zhen would never have accepted them. But now, Lin Zhen doesn't mind at all. Firstly, he genuinely likes the gift, and more importantly, he wants to use this opportunity to show that his relationship with Ning Zhiheng is close, without needing to be modest or polite. This is also a way of showing goodwill.
Lin Zhen looked at the bottle of Fenjiu in his hand. The bottle was exquisitely packaged and felt heavy in his hand. It was obviously a good product. How could the wine in such a bottle be bad?
He was a regular drinker of Fenjiu and could tell the quality at a glance. His eyes lit up and his face beamed with joy as he exclaimed, "It's at least ten years old, a top-quality product! It's rare to see these days in this chaotic world. Zhiheng, where did you get this?"
Ning Zhiheng laughed and said, "These were all seized from illegal merchants. I don't drink much, so they've been stored in the warehouse. I still have some. If I had known you liked them so much, I would have brought them all."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhen was overjoyed. He stopped being polite and said directly, "Bring all of this back to me. It's a waste to leave such good wine with you. You Zhejiang people only know about Shaoxing wine. How would you know the benefits of Fenjiu?"
Although Ning Zhiheng's accent wasn't strong, most of the Kuomintang members were from Zhejiang, so Lin Zhen recognized his accent as soon as he opened his mouth.
Because the Chairman is from Zhejiang and especially trusts his fellow Zhejiang natives, everyone in the government, from top to bottom, looks up to him as soon as they hear he's from Zhejiang.
Hearing Lin Zhen's words, Ning Zhiheng was naturally delighted and quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "I'll bring it to you as soon as I get back. Since you don't like yellow wine, we have quite a few good white wines there, all famous brands. I'll bring them over for you to try."
Lin Zhen waved his hand and joked, "I don't need that much. Do you think I'm an alcoholic? I only drink Fenjiu. I'm from Pingyao, and I've been drinking Fenjiu with my father since I was a child. I can't change it in this lifetime."
At this point, Lin Zhen suddenly remembered that Huang Xianzheng was a famous treasure trove. Whether it was military ammunition, medicine, steel, hardware, electrical materials, cigarettes, alcohol, or grain, as long as you went to him, he could always get it for you. The Second Action Division was his direct subordinate, and there were certainly plenty of good things in its warehouse.
Then he continued, "If you really care, find me some good Fenjiu liquor. I don't have many bottles left at home."
Ning Zhiheng readily agreed. Lin Zhen put the Fenjiu liquor in his hand into the wooden box, his mood improving considerably. He found Ning Zhiheng increasingly pleasing to the eye, so he asked, "Zhiheng, how old are you this year?"
Ning Zhiheng was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Twenty-four years old."
People in Zhejiang like to calculate their age using the traditional Chinese age reckoning method. Although Ning Zhiheng held a high official position, he was still too young, so he subconsciously always liked to add a year to his age.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhen immediately became interested and asked again, "Then you must be quite old! So, has your family found you a marriage partner yet?"
Ning Zhiheng panicked when Lin Zhen asked him this question. He had no intention of bringing it up at this time, so he quickly replied, "I am still young, and it is too early to talk about this. Besides, as a soldier, with the country in peril and the Xiongnu not yet defeated, how can I think of a family..."
"Smack!"
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Zhen slapped his hand on the table, interrupting him.
"What kind of nonsense is this? Does it mean that you won't get married until the war is over? And that you won't fight anymore once you're married? What rubbish!"
Lin Zhen's sudden move startled Ning Zhiheng, leaving him somewhat at a loss. He looked at Lin Zhen in surprise, completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened.
Lin Zhen then realized that he had lost his composure. Ning Zhiheng had just mentioned the phrase "How can we have a home when the Xiongnu have not been destroyed?" which immediately made Lin Zhen indignant. He had been constantly provoked by his son's use of this phrase, and he would lose his composure whenever he heard it.
Seeing that Ning Zhiheng was a little uneasy, he quickly explained, "Ahem, Zhiheng, don't be nervous. I wasn't talking about you. I was just thinking about my son. He's already thirty years old this year, but he's still dragging his feet on getting married. Every time I think about it, it gives me a headache. Sigh!"
This is referring to Lin Mucheng! Ning Zhiheng suddenly had a thought, his mind racing, and a new idea came to him.
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