Chapter 175: Where Did the Wine Come From?
Her aunt grasped Gu Fei’s hand. "How can I ever thank you?"
Gu Fei smiled. "You don’t have to thank me. I’m more worried the chili peppers won’t sell, and you’ll end up scolding me."
Her aunt waved her hand dismissively and said with conviction, "Nonsense. Food with those chili peppers is so delicious, there’s no way they won’t sell. People will be fighting over them, I’m sure of it."
"Oh, right. Your uncle has finished tanning those rabbit pelts and the four wolf pelts for you. Take them all with you."
Her aunt quickly called for her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhaodi, to fetch the pelts.
Gu Fei took one of the wolf pelts and examined it. The fur was soft and fluffy, without the slightest unpleasant odor.
"Uncle’s handiwork is truly excellent."
Hugging the stack of pelts, Gu Fei pulled out two taels of silver from her clothes, stuffed them into Zhaodi’s hand, and then turned and bolted.
Her aunt saw this, took the silver, and chased after her. "You silly girl! Why are you giving your own family silver? Take it back! Besides, it wasn’t worth this much."
Gu Fei was already off like a shot, yelling back as she ran, "Aunt, stop chasing me! I’ll blame you if I fall!"
Her aunt sighed, watching Gu Fei run off into the distance. She turned back to her daughter-in-law and remarked, "That girl... she’s so earnest. She never lets anyone else get taken advantage of."
Gu Fei dashed home.
Mrs. Chen was overjoyed to see the wolf pelts, stroking them again and again. "These are wonderful. I’ve heard that if you make a mattress pad out of them, it keeps you perfectly warm and can even help with rheumatism."
Gu Fei said with a wide grin, "Then let’s have a mattress pad made right away, for you and Dad to use. If you hurry, it’ll be ready by the New Year."
Mrs. Chen smiled, but then hesitated. "I... I don’t know about that. Your grandmother is so much older and she’s never had one. How could your father and I just think of ourselves?"
Gu Fei rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Mom. If you won’t use it, then give it to me, but whatever you do, don’t give it to Grandma. Giving it to her would be a total waste, so why bother?"
Mrs. Chen shook her head. "It’s not that I won’t give it to you, dear. But a child can’t sleep on something like this. It generates too much heat."
"Then you should use it yourself, Mom," Gu Fei said.
Mrs. Chen finally nodded. "Alright then, I’ll use it."
"Back when I was younger, I came into contact with cold water during my postpartum confinement and developed rheumatism. Maybe this will help."
...
Zhang Ze drove the horse-drawn carriage back to the Prince Qi Mansion.
Carrying two bottles of wine, he hurried toward Su Chen’s courtyard.
He didn’t expect to run into Prince Qi and the Princely Heir walking toward him halfway there. Zhang Ze quickly stepped to the side of the path to let them pass.
As Prince Qi passed by Zhang Ze, his nose suddenly twitched. "Hm? That’s the scent of wine!"
His gaze fell upon the wine bottles in Zhang Ze’s hands. He beckoned. "Bring them here and let me see. What wine is this that smells so fragrant?"
Zhang Ze’s heart sank. ’This is bad.’ It was common knowledge that Prince Qi loved wine as much as the Princely Heir loved horses.
’Once this wine was in Prince Qi’s hands, would there be any of it left?’
Thinking quickly, he handed over just one of the bottles.
Prince Qi took the bottle, uncorked it, and took a deep whiff. "What an aroma!"
The aroma was too tempting. Prince Qi tried to restrain himself, but failed. He raised the bottle to his lips and took a small sip. As it went down, the fragrance filled his sinuses. The mellow liquor flowed down his throat and seemed to pour straight into his heart.
Prince Qi’s eyes shot open. "Excellent wine!"
"It’s potent, yet not the least bit harsh. It goes down so smoothly."
He asked Zhang Ze, "Where did you get this wine?"
Zhang Ze lowered his head and replied, "The young master sent me to deliver a New Year’s gift, and this was their gift in return."
Prince Qi stared at Zhang Ze. "Which family’s return gift? How is it I’ve never received anything like this? This wine is no common vintage. It’s even better than the Jade Nectar sent as tribute."
Zhang Ze grew even more miserable. ’Looks like this wine is a lost cause.’
He had no choice but to say, "It’s from a refugee family from the north, surnamed Gu. They said they acquired the wine by chance many years ago."