Chapter 80: Talent, Indeed!
Alcohol, for men, is the most fascinating thing.
These young sons of nobility soaked in wealth, which one of them cannot appreciate wine?
They always look down upon the street vendors. To these wealthy heirs, street vendors are like beggars; what good things can they sell from their hands?
Those two thieves not only steal things, but they are also adept at reading the situation.
One vendor beamed with a smile and said, "Sirs, the two of us brothers have a small shop in town. This wine is newly acquired from Taoyuan County and hasn’t been sold in town yet. We thought only the gentlemen of Hengshan Academy could truly savor a good wine, so we pushed a cart to the academy to let you all taste it. Indeed, the gentlemen of Hengshan Academy are more discerning than others; merely catching the aroma, a few of you have come over."
The flattering words pleased the rich young men.
They pretended and fanned themselves; though yet to taste, their hearts were already eager with anticipation.
Seeing them waver, the vendor who knew how to handle things immediately took out a fine porcelain cup, carefully wiped it, and poured the wine.
The wine stolen from Taoyuan County, they dared not sell it there, so they came to this remote town.
As long as they can convince these wealthy young gentlemen of Hengshan Academy, it will surely sell well in town.
Therefore, the two thieves didn’t shirk the effort after stealing the wine, dragging it on a cart from Taoyuan County to Songyang Town, even delivering it to the academy gate to await the young men’s taste.
From afar, Han Lei observed secretly, nodding to himself, and couldn’t help but whisper to Mr. Tao beside him, "I didn’t expect to meet twin talents, who even know how to find the right audience. Impressive."
"Hehe, as Mr Tao says, every creature has its own path; these two thieves might bring us great surprise," Mr. Tao’s lips hid a smile.
The aroma from the wine cup wafted over with the gentle breeze, and Wei Chengchao standing behind Han Lei couldn’t help but twitch his nose.
"Hiss, hiss. Hmm! What a fragrant wine!"
Han Lei glanced back at him, smirked meaningfully, and then continued to watch the two thieves.
The thieves poured the wine and invited the wealthy scholars to taste.
The so-called wine tasting involves merely three steps—observe, smell, and taste.
First, observe the color; it should be smooth, silk-like without impurities.
If you swirl the cup, it should leave streaks, indicating that the wine is rich and mellow.
Second, seek the aroma; gently fan the air with your hand, and the fragrance will burst forth.
Good wine is delicate and elegant, not too strong or overpowering. Even after sitting overnight, the aroma remains and lingers, leaving one lingering in taste.
To taste wine, first take a small sip, savor and slowly drink, fully appreciating the taste.
The moment the vendor poured the wine, the fat one’s eyes lit up.
This wine was clear and transparent, unlike the cloudy ones they usually drank. Moreover, when the cup was swirled, the streaking effect was excellent.
The leader among the wealthy young men was undoubtedly the fat one. The perceptive vendor respectfully raised the wine cup with both hands.
"Sir, I offer you this cup of wine, wishing you success in your studies and to rank high in the examinations!"
"Hehe, you young one sure know how to talk. This wine, it seems I must drink it."
The fat one fanned himself; the fragrance indeed was of superior quality.
Han Lei watched secretly and let out a cold snort, obviously wanting to drink yet finding so many excuses, as if drinking a cup of wine would lower his status.
The leading fat one leisurely accepted the cup, lowered his head to sniff it, and took a careful sip.
The thick wine liquid slightly burned the throat upon entering, but after this stimulation, it revealed the delicate fragrance and elegance, leaving a lingering taste! Compared to this wine, other wines were like plain water!
"Hmm! Truly good wine!"
The fat one couldn’t hold back an exclamation of amazement; as the vendor had said, even the gods would come back for this wine!
"How is this wine?"
The other wealthy young men smacked their lips, almost drooling.
The fat one feigned deliberation, nodding and shaking his head, his eyes bright.
"Hmm! This wine is worthy of ’stop by scent, halt by taste.’"
Stop by scent, halt by taste.
To earn such praise, Mr. Tao was so excited that he forgot Han Lei was female.
He grabbed Han Lei’s hand, gazing at her with shining eyes.
"Ha, did you hear that? Did you hear that?"
"I heard it." Han Lei said with amusement, "Unexpectedly, an unintentional willow planting will result in a shade."
At this moment, the fat one put away his folding fan and waved his large sleeve, "Send all of these wines to my home! I want them all."
The pair of vendor brothers exchanged glances, nodding repeatedly in surprise.
When they smelled this fragrance, they were taken aback, thinking even the tribute wine of the Imperial Palace couldn’t be better than this!
Now, receiving recognition from the scholars of Hengshan Academy, they are more confident the wine would sell big!
Normally, a small jar of wine costs around fifteen pennies for half a pound, a large jar five silver.
Originally, for these dozens of jars of wine, the two brothers had planned to sell it for ten silver a jar, but now seeing the scholars’ fondness, one vendor made a spontaneous decision, restrained his excitement, and cautiously said, "Sir, this wine is rare; it wasn’t easy for us to obtain, requiring twenty silver per jar, well..."
To the sons of wealthy families, twenty silver isn’t really that much, but compared to other wines in the market, it’s practically a sky-high price.
One of the wealthy young men stepped forward, scolding angrily, "You are not honest. You raise the price when you see we like it?"
"Exactly, don’t you see where you are?" Another scholar snorted.
The vendors panicked inside, were about to explain, when unexpectedly the fat one generously waved his hand.
"Forget it, this wine is truly worth it. You can have some too! Twenty silver per jar; I want them all! Deliver them to my home now!"
With those words, the fat one instructed the vendor to fetch several more cups, personally serving each of them a glass of wine.
Since the leader personally poured the wine, those scholars who had complained about the price had no reason to refuse, taking shallow sips.
The fat one displayed happiness and expectation, asking, "How do you find it?"
"Indeed great wine!"
"Hmm! Surely worth it."
"The finest!"
"Send some to my home as well."
As the wine entered, they smacked their lips, full of praise.
"Hey, I’m buying out all this wine today, why not everyone come to my home and drink together?" The leading fat one said boldly.
"Alright, let’s go together."
"We humbly accept the invitation." Everyone responded eagerly.
The fat one, proud as ever, counted the wine jars on the cart, then tossed several silver notes to the vendors, who counted the notes ecstatically, bowing repeatedly.
A fortune! This was a huge fortune!
The fat one led the scholars ahead waving his sleeves, the vendors followed behind hauling the cart, eagerly delivering the wine to the fat one’s home.
This wine, equivalent to a modern luxury liquor, for these ancient people who hadn’t tasted much, it was comparable to heavenly nectar.
The entire wine-selling process, Han Lei and a few others watched from afar, clicking their tongues.
This wine hadn’t even been named yet, and the two thieves priced it once they started talking.
Twenty silver a jar!
This was already four times the price of regular wine, and only the first time selling in a small town; in the future, who knows how high the price could rise!
Talents indeed!