Chapter 140: Borrowing Boss Li You’s Wine to Show Off
Overcome with excitement, the customers all started asking for the specific location where he had found the dried beef mushrooms.
Li You told them the exact spot.
The customers committed it to memory, all saying they would go try their luck another day.
If they found even a few, they’d have some serious bragging rights.
And if they sold them, they could make a small fortune.
This stuff was expensive. It wouldn’t be a problem to sell it for over a thousand yuan a jin in the city.
They hoped they would have the same luck as the boss and Miss Ye.
After the lively commotion died down, Li You picked up the mushrooms again and walked into the shop with his customers.
Next, the customers began to order.
Li You went into the kitchen and got busy.
Meanwhile, Ye Shengge went upstairs, lay on her bed, and played on her phone.
She would come down to eat with Li You after he finished his work.
Just like last time, she was treating him to lunch today.
...
Director Wei Yang was feeling very conflicted. Yesterday, Boss Li You had given him a jin of wine.
He had originally planned to keep it and savor it all by himself, but as luck would have it, a director friend had invited him and another director to dinner today.
The friend claimed he’d gotten his hands on a bottle of fine wine and wanted to show them what a truly great vintage tasted like.
The director treating them was named Jing Wenbo, and the other director was Liang Shui.
Both of them were well-known directors, with reputations on par with Wei Yang’s.
As such, the three were both rivals and friends.
Jing Wenbo was a wine lover, always on the hunt for fine vintages.
Whenever he got his hands on a good bottle, he would invite Wei Yang and Liang Shui to dinner to show it off.
This time was no different.
That was why Wei Yang was so conflicted.
He really wanted to bring the wine Li You had given him yesterday to let that guy, Jing Wenbo, see what a truly top-tier fine wine was.
But at the same time, he really couldn’t bear to part with it.
This was the kind of wine you couldn’t buy no matter how much money you had.
After a long period of internal conflict and hesitation, Wei Yang finally decided to bring the wine along.
It was always that guy Jing Wenbo showing off.
This time, he was going to do some showing off himself.
He arrived at the restaurant carrying the wine jug.
It was a private room in a restaurant.
Wei Yang pushed open the door to the private room. Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui had already arrived.
"Old Wei, you’re the last one here again! You have to drink three penalty shots!" Jing Wenbo said.
But he quickly changed his tune. "On second thought, never mind. No penalty. Making you drink three shots of today’s wine would be letting you off easy. I can’t bear to waste it."
Just then, both Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui noticed the jug in Wei Yang’s hand.
’Is that a wine jug?’
It looked like a wine jug. The kind you’d use if you were buying loose baijiu.
"Old Wei, what’s that you’re carrying? Is it wine?" Jing Wenbo asked.
Wei Yang nodded. "It’s wine. Loose baijiu, twenty yuan a liang."
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were both stunned to hear this.
While twenty yuan a liang wasn’t cheap, it was by no means a fine wine.
They usually didn’t drink wine of this caliber.
’What is Wei Yang doing bringing a jug of wine like that today?’
Neither of them could figure it out.
"Old Wei, what’s going on with you?" they both asked.
Wei Yang smiled. "Never mind that for now. Lao Jing, where’s your wine? Bring it out and let us have a look."
At the mention of this, Jing Wenbo’s eyes lit up. Forgetting about Wei Yang’s strange behavior, he mysteriously pulled a bottle out of a small cardboard box beside him. "Since Old Wei is here now, I’ll let you two broaden your horizons. Look at this wine. Special-channel supply, a seven-year-old reserve. It has no price because it’s not sold on the open market. You couldn’t buy it even with all the money in the world. I went through a lot of trouble to get just one bottle. You two are in for a real treat today."
The subtext of Jing Wenbo’s words could be summed up in two words:
Showing off.
Wei Yang and Liang Shui both just smiled faintly. They were used to it.
However, they had to admit that Jing Wenbo was truly a connoisseur and had access to special channels for acquiring fine wine that they did not.
The wines he brought out were invariably rare vintages, difficult or even impossible to find on the market.
They both believed that this bottle would be another fine wine, without a doubt.
A seven-year reserve. It might not sound like a long time, but it was actually the perfect age.
Baijiu isn’t necessarily better the longer it’s aged.
Generally speaking, five to eight years is the optimal aging period.
The specific optimal time varies depending on the aroma profile.
But it should never be too long.
If it’s aged for too long, say over fifteen years, the taste can actually worsen. It might even become undrinkable on its own, so harsh that it can only be used for blending with new spirits.
So, at seven years, the age of this bottle was just right.
The bottle was cylindrical, brown, and exquisitely crafted, but it bore no labels or text, only a few simple patterns.
It certainly looked like the kind of wine only a select few could obtain through special channels.
"Lao Jing, hurry up and open it. Pour us each a glass already," Liang Shui said impatiently.
With such a fine wine before them, any drinker would be eager to taste it.
And that was exactly the effect Jing Wenbo wanted.
At this moment, he felt extremely smug and satisfied.
He laughed out loud and said, "No rush. It’s not too late to pour after the food arrives."
"Cut the crap and hurry up. If you don’t pour it, I’ll do it myself," Liang Shui said.
Wei Yang watched with a chuckle. Normally, he would have been just as eager as Liang Shui.
But now, he was perfectly calm.
The more Liang Shui insisted, the happier Jing Wenbo became. After Liang Shui’s repeated urging, he finally said, "Alright, alright. Let’s pour the wine first then."
With that, Jing Wenbo twisted open the cap.
A rich, potent aroma immediately wafted out.
After catching a whiff, Liang Shui exclaimed, "Lao Jing, you really have a knack for getting your hands on good wine. This is another fine vintage."
Wei Yang also had to admit the aroma was very rich. It was indeed a fine wine.
However, compared to the aroma of Boss Li You’s wine, it wasn’t even in the same league. The difference was a bit too large.
And so, Wei Yang remained completely composed.
’With this jug of wine Boss Li You gave me, I can finally do some serious showing off today.’
Jing Wenbo laughed heartily and said, "Of course it’s a fine wine. And not just any fine wine. If it weren’t for me, you guys would never get to taste this."
After speaking, he filled three small glasses to the brim.
They were small one-liang cups.
"Come on, experience what a truly fine wine tastes like," Jing Wenbo said with another chuckle.
With that, Jing Wenbo picked up his own glass and took a small sip.
He hadn’t tasted it himself before and didn’t know exactly what it was like.
Of course, even without having tasted it, he was one hundred percent certain it was an exceptionally rare and fine wine.
Now, with the first small sip, his suspicions were confirmed.
It was incredibly aromatic and mellow, absolutely delicious.
’Among all the wines I’ve ever had, if this isn’t number one, it’s at least in the top three.’
’Bringing out this wine has made today’s show-off session an absolute success.’
Jing Wenbo was in an excellent mood.
Liang Shui also raised his glass, took a small sip, and after savoring the aftertaste for a moment, praised, "It really is a fine wine, an absolutely fine wine. It’s a great fortune to be able to drink something like this."
Although he knew Jing Wenbo was showing off, he also knew it was because they were good friends that he showed off in front of them.
Therefore, when faced with such an excellent wine, Liang Shui wasn’t stingy with his praise.
After taking a sip, Wei Yang praised it as well. "It is indeed a rare and fine wine."
Wei Yang’s praise was sincere.
It truly was a rare and fine wine.
’It’s just a shame that this wine ran into Boss Li You’s wine today. It’s destined to be nothing more than a foil.’
’Still, it’s not bad to drink this as a warm-up before Boss Li You’s wine makes its appearance.’
Wei Yang chuckled to himself.
Hearing their praise, Jing Wenbo laughed out loud again, feeling utterly delighted.
He raised his glass and said, "Come on, come on, let’s have a drink. Cheers."
Wei Yang and Liang Shui also raised their glasses.
Their glasses clinked.
The three of them once again savored the lingering flavor of the fine wine.
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