Chapter 52: Selling Wine at the Counter (Part 2) [Seeking First Subscription]
"A wine jar? Goro likes wine?"
It's not that hard to tell.
Goro has a face with a wild, almost masculine, air. His striking good looks, almost androgynous, give the impression that he's a teetotaler. But good wine isn't a big deal; in these chaotic times, the atmosphere is boisterous, and people of all ages and genders can easily enjoy a few drinks.
Those with a high alcohol tolerance can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
Shen Tang was about to answer when he got stuck again.
By the way, how much alcohol does she drink?
"Wulang, are you feeling unwell?" Seeing that Shen Tang was inexplicably distracted and had a dazed expression, Chu Yao brought her back to her senses.
Shen Tang shook her head.
Having your memories stolen is such a hassle.
She said dejectedly, "I'm not feeling unwell, I'm just wondering how much I can drink... I don't think I can hold my liquor very well?" As a shut-in female artist, her alcohol tolerance shouldn't be that high.
Chu Yao chuckled upon hearing this, thinking to himself that only a young man of this age would care about such a trivial matter, being so concerned about his reputation and so easily embarrassed, afraid that he would be ridiculed by others for his low alcohol tolerance.
He offered gentle words of comfort.
"Anything in excess is as bad as anything else; moderation is key. A little wine is pleasant, but excessive drinking is harmful. Wulang is still growing, so it's alright if he has a low alcohol tolerance. He can work on his drinking capacity when he's older."
Shen Tang: "..."
I always felt like they weren't on the same wavelength when they talked.
As soon as the market opened, carts and pedestrians came in an endless stream. Vendors with fixed stalls set up early and called out their wares, while peddlers carrying their wares walked through the streets and alleys.
Chu Yao stopped his mule-motorcycle in front of a familiar tavern, not far from the butcher shop where he often bought offal. Occasionally, people who knew him would greet him, and he would nod in response.
Chu Yao: "The wine at this tavern is pretty authentic."
Most of them are sweet wines with a sweeter flavor, which should suit the young man's taste better. The key is that a jar of wine is not expensive.
Shen Tang said, "I'm not buying wine, I'm buying wine jars."
Buying only wine jars, not the wine itself?
That's quite unusual.
Chu Yao didn't know what this Fifth Brother wanted to do, but he didn't ask any questions. He led him to another shop not far away, which sold earthenware and wine jars. The wine jars at the previous tavern were sourced from this shop, and he knew the prices.
When Shen Tang inspected the goods, he ordered ten round, earth-brown wine jars in one go. The jars were round and plump, with the bottom only the size of a palm.
Chu Yao finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Why is Goro buying wine jars?
"Selling wine! It's just a pity this jar isn't exquisite enough, otherwise I would package it as a premium wine and use it to swindle rich people and suckers."
Chu Yao asked, "Does Wu Lang also have the skill of brewing wine?"
"No, but anything is worth a try."
Chu Yao's smile gradually froze: "???"
Give it a try?
He then watched as Shen Tang bought a long wooden bench, casually found a street corner to sit on, and laid out wine jars one after another, looking somewhat like someone selling wine at a counter.
However, Chu Yao knew very well that the wine jars were all empty.
How do you sell alcohol like this?
Shen Tang took out a small carving knife from the pouch at his waist.
The small carving knife moved with effortless grace in her hands, and in no time, she had carved a large "wine" character onto the wooden board.
With a clatter, she set up the wooden sign on the stall.
Chu Yao watched from the sidelines, completely baffled as to what his "Destiny" was trying to do—was it selling wine or just air?
Even selling water would be more respectable than selling air.
Passersby couldn't help but cast some surprised or curious glances in this direction—mainly because the size of the motorcycle and the skin color were too eye-catching, secondly because the painting styles of Shen Tang and Chu Yao were incompatible, and finally because of the simple wine stall.
Some people even witnessed Shen Tang and his companion leaving the pottery shop, knowing that the wine jars were empty and hadn't even been filled with water.
"Young lady, what are you selling here?"
Those who are so bored they have nothing better to do will take the initiative to ask.
Shen Tang said, "I'm selling wine."
A passerby pointed to the wine jar and said, "But it's empty."
"It's empty now, but if you want to buy it, it will be full. Two jin of wine for three hundred coins, no bargaining!"
The passersby were so angry they laughed.
Not to mention that it's more expensive than the old wine in the tavern, even if it were cheaper, who would be so crazy as to spend 300 coins to buy a jar of air or water?
"Young lady, are you perhaps suffering from hysteria?" Before Shen Tang could answer, the passerby said to Chu Yao, "Old man, don't go crazy with your granddaughter. There are still savings at home. Go to the pharmacy on the street to have her brain checked. If you go early, maybe it can still be saved."
Chu Yao: "..."
He couldn't understand what Wulang was up to, but he didn't intend to stop him. He just wanted to know what Shen Tang was really up to.
Ah, no, it's about what kind of wine is being sold in the wine jars!
"Young lady, how much is this wine?"
Shen Tang sat on a simple stool, resting her chin on her hands as she watched the passersby. Just as she was wondering whether she should call out a few words, a figure blocked the sunlight from above. She and Chu Yao looked over at the same time, and when they saw the person's appearance, they couldn't help but think to themselves how handsome he was.
The newcomer was indeed a handsome and outstanding young man.
Judging from his appearance, he's just past the age of dancing elephants.
Despite wearing extremely ordinary cloth, with her long hair casually tied back with a red rope, her wrists bound with black ropes, her waist draped with coarse cloth, and her feet shod in straw sandals, she still exuded an air of nobility. This was because her fair complexion and perfect speech made her clearly not someone raised in an ordinary family.
Looking at this person's appearance, his nose was straight and his lips were like painted rouge. The most outstanding feature of his face was undoubtedly his pair of peach blossom eyes that seemed to be smiling but weren't. Although there was no curve at the corners of his lips, looking into those eyes always made one feel that the young man was smiling. Seeing him made him seem cute and instantly endearing.
Chu Yao glanced at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in front of him, then looked at the empty wine jars on his own Wulang Wine stall.
They suspect he has "sucker" written all over his head.
Shen Tang snapped out of her reverie and asked, "You want to buy wine?"
Boy: "Can't I buy it?"
Shen Tang said, "Of course I can buy it. A jar of wine costs two catties and three hundred coins, no bargaining. Young master, are you really going to buy it?"
The boy took out a small piece of silver from his purse.
It was placed on the wooden stool with a thud.
Full of boldness: "Buy!"
Chu Yao: "..."
The onlookers were also whispering amongst themselves.
I never expected that someone would be so foolish as to buy empty wine jars.
Shen Tang weighed the small piece of silver in her hand, then put it in her pocket with satisfaction. She reached for an empty wine jar. Before she could move, the young man stretched out his hand: "Little lady, are you selling me an empty wine jar?"
After saying that, he turned his head and glanced in a certain direction behind him.
He frowned, looking aggrieved: "How can you do business like this?"
Shen Tang chuckled and retorted, "When did I say I was going to sell you my empty wine jars? You're quite an interesting young man. Since you're worried that I'll sell you my empty wine jars, why are you still 'generously' spending money only to be cheated? Aren't you afraid of losing both your money and the wine?"
Chu Yao secretly tugged at Shen Tang's sleeve.
He gestured with his lip towards the boy's waist.
At first, Shen Tang was puzzled, but upon closer inspection, she noticed a dark-colored jade disc with a tiger's head hanging from the boy's waist. The disc had dark gold patterns on it, and upon closer inspection, she realized they were small seal script characters. However, the color of the jade disc was too similar to the color of his clothes, so she didn't notice it at first.
Shen Tang: "..."
The Tiger Tally of Martial Valor.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
No wonder they're not afraid of being scammed.
If the boy were to be cheated out of his money, he might just overturn the stall on the spot and give the unscrupulous merchant a good beating, thus ridding the people of this scourge.
The young man, unaware of Shen Tang's inner thoughts, stared longingly at the wine jar in her hand and urged, "Young lady, where's my wine?"
Shen Tang snorted.
It inspires literary talent.
He recited: "With deep emotion, I express my sorrow; my worries are hard to forget."
"With deep emotion and unforgettable sorrow": The next line is Cao Cao's famous quote.
Logically, I should write a launch message. Actually, I had a lot to say beforehand, but now that the book is about to be released, I can't say anything at all. As for this new book, I don't have much confidence in it.
The inspiration for this book came early, but I only started writing it recently when I was facing my biggest setback. From every angle, it seemed like a complete flop. Unexpectedly, despite all the stumbling and falling, it finally made it to the book's release, and the number of favorites doesn't seem too bad. Thank you all for your support and love. I even saw some incredibly old reader IDs in the chapter reviews; the feeling at that moment was truly indescribable. Thank you all; I have no way to repay you except by updating. (This new book's subject matter was really challenging for a science-oriented person like me, and the plot wasn't going smoothly, but fortunately, it's gradually getting better, and I'm slowly finding my footing.)
P.S.: The new book uses an old theme and trope, and some readers have commented that it's novel, which I find truly shameful. Actually, the inspiration came from a book I read a long time ago, "The Sages of Confucianism and Taoism." I followed it closely when it was serialized, and the beginning and the setting were truly amazing. I remember following it for a long time and being inspired to write a classical Chinese novel with the element of "words becoming law," but I kept putting it off. It's fate that I'm picking it up again now.
P.S.: There will be five chapters on the first day of release. This is the first chapter, and there will be four more chapters during the day.
(End of this chapter)
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