"Dongsheng, tonight is a family dinner. We're all family here, so please don't be polite!"
There was a table full of people sitting in the dining room of the Lou family's small Western-style building.
The rich man Lou, his mother, Lou Xiao'e, Xu Damao, and Han Chunyan were also there.
The person being invited to the banquet was, of course, Jia Dongsheng.
Jia Dongsheng didn't expect that Xu Damao said he had prepared wine and food, and it turned out to be quite grand. The Lou family, including their daughter and son-in-law, were all present.
From this, Jia Dongsheng could also understand how much importance the wealthy Lou attached to having a son.
"Uncle, Damao and I are from the same courtyard, and Xiao'e is also a friend, so of course I won't be polite."
Jia Dongsheng also followed the lead of the wealthy Lou and said some polite words.
"Haha, that's good, that's good."
Mr. Lou laughed heartily and took out a wine jar. "I heard from Xiao'e and Damao that you, Dongsheng, are a wine lover. Today, I specially took out some of my treasured wine to treat you."
"Good wine?"
Jia Dongsheng's eyes lit up. Who is the rich man Lou?
The top businessmen in the old city before the founding of the People's Republic of China were able to build a steel mill in the Republic of China. Is that something that ordinary people can do?
During that period, steel was under military control. Who knew whether you were making parts or guns?
From this we can see that Mr. Lou is definitely not a simple person.
The good wine that these people talk about is definitely not comparable to Moutai or Wuliangye.
"Uncle, what kind of wine is this?"
Not to mention Jia Dongsheng, even Xu Damao was very curious. He also stole a lot of wine from the rich man Lou, but they were all sold in bottles outside. Although they were quite old, the rich man Lou never stopped him.
That means the wine that was taken away was nothing in the eyes of Mr. Lou.
Mr. Lou took the wine jar, removed the seal, and said with a smile, "This wine is over forty years old. I've never been willing to drink it. I had a lot of trouble getting it back then."
"Dad, what kind of wine is this? Why haven't I seen it at home?"
Lou Xiao'e spoke up and expressed Jia Dongsheng's curiosity. He also wanted to know what kind of wine this was.
"Haha, this wine is my treasured possession. If you found it so easily, I'd let you take it away!"
When saying this, Mr. Lou also glanced at Xu Damao. It was obvious that although he did not attach as much importance to other wines as this jar of wine, he did not care about them at all.
After all, he had worked hard to save up the wine for more than ten years, and Lou Xiao'e just took it away and gave it to his son-in-law to drink. It would be strange if he didn't care.
However, he had a lot of ordinary liquor at home, so he just turned a blind eye. After all, they were his daughter and son-in-law. Shouldn't he show some disrespect when they drank some wine?
"Dad, you're old and you drink a lot. I'm helping you."
Lou Xiao'e didn't care what the rich man Lou thought. In her opinion, she could take anything from the house when she needed it, without being polite.
"snort."
With a cold snort, Lou Dacaizhu expressed his helplessness towards Lou Xiaoe, and then continued to say to Jia Dongsheng: "This wine came from the Qing Palace. When the Qing Palace was in decline, many good things came out."
"This jar of wine was the last batch brewed by the Guanglu Temple and was ready to be sent to the palace. But before it could be delivered, the prodigal old woman ran away. This wine was never delivered to the palace, and was taken away by those brewing wine at the Guanglu Temple."
“However, at that time, although the Qing Palace was in decline, you should also understand that the prodigal old women, who were amateurs to the outside world but experts to the inside, still had some deterrent effect.”
"Those who made wine didn't dare to sell it at the time. It wasn't until the establishment of the Republic of China and the old spendthrift women were gone that these people dared to trade it. Haha..."
At this point, Mr. Lou was very proud and laughed heartily: "At that time, I happened to be a little famous. When someone asked me about it, I didn't hesitate and directly bought 300 jars."
"Alas, after all these years of doing business, socializing, and giving gifts, I've used up over 200 jars. Now that I think about it, I should have just bought all the wine out of the other party."
"Alas, that's three thousand jars. If it were now, it would probably not be less than the family business I have built."
After hearing these words, everyone present had their eyes shining, except for Lou's mother and Han Chunyan who was not very interested in wine.
Lou Xiao'e even shouted, "Dad, pour me a glass quickly. I want to taste what this wine that will be sent to the palace tastes like."
"You're a girl, why are you drinking alcohol? Where's the Arctic Ocean soda? Why don't you drink soda?"
Lou's mother was dissatisfied and pointed at Lou Xiao'e and said that at the same time, she particularly liked Han Chunyan's obedience on this point and felt that she had not educated Lou Xiao'e well.
"Mom, I'm already married, how can I still be a girl?"
Lou Xiao'e didn't care. After saying this with a smile, she immediately added, "I'll just drink a small cup and taste it."
"Okay, drink some and try it. This is over forty years old."
Mr. Lou, the rich man, quickly tried to smooth things over. He said that since he was hosting a dinner party today, he couldn't let the mother and daughter quarrel, as that would be embarrassing.
"Hehe, Dad is still good to me."
Lou Xiao'e was delighted and said happily, "Dad, does this wine have a name? Is it just called Gongjiu or Imperial Wine?"
"With a name."
Mr. Lou explained, "The wine sent to the palace was supposedly brewed by the Qing Palace itself. Originally, it had no name, but the brewers still had the habit of giving it a name, so it got a name."
"This jar of wine is called Lotus White Wine. It has a mellow and refreshing taste. In 'Qing Bai Lei Chao' written by Xu Ke in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, this wine was introduced, and he called it nectar and jade liquid that cannot be surpassed."
"Of course, we haven't had any fine wines, but this wine is definitely the best I've ever had. The taste is long-lasting, and once you try it, you'll never forget it!"
"It's a pity there aren't many left. I don't drink much without any special reason. If I finish it, I won't have any left if I crave it again."
Jia Dongsheng felt that the last sentence was said by Mr. Lou specifically for him, which showed his importance to him.
But...
Jia Dongsheng really likes being valued, especially this jar of Lotus Liquor, he wants to taste it even more.
In later generations, Lotus Liquor, one of the three great liquors in the capital, could actually be bought. However, the authentic Guanglu Temple brewing recipe had been lost for who knows how long, and it was only made up by some brewers based on their experience.
The taste was just so-so. Jia Dongsheng had tasted it before, so he was even more looking forward to this jar of Lotus Liquor, one of the three real Baijiu in Beijing.
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