Chapter 12: Bringing Wine to the Master

Chapter 12: Bringing Wine to Master

That day, both He Yuzhu and his master had a day off. He Yuzhu got up early to take He Yushui to their master’s house and told the mistress that he was going to meet a friend to pick up something. In truth, he rode his bicycle straight to the moat surrounding the city—a historic waterway used for shipping in the capital, known for its sunken ships and hidden treasures. He Yuzhu had been there several times before, but his spiritual perception was limited, and apart from the first time when he found something, the rest of his visits yielded little. This time, he came mainly to pass the time by treasure hunting; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the items he pulled out from his spatial storage.

He arrived at a secluded spot with no one around, put away his bicycle, took out his fishing rod, and continued pretending to fish as he slowly walked along the bank, searching for treasure. He already had enough fish stored in his space and didn’t need to catch more.

Before he realized it, the morning was nearly gone. He Yuzhu found a stone to sit on and continued his fishing act while entering his spatial realm to check his finds. That morning, he discovered two large chests and one small chest in a certain spot. The wooden large chests were rotten and fell apart at a touch. Except for one large chest that contained a small chest inside, the rest held only decayed clothes. He cleared out the debris, leaving two small chests that were completely intact and free from rot. Just these two small chests alone were worth quite a lot.

Opening the small chests, he found one filled with gold jewelry and the other containing six jade bracelets.

When his hand touched the jade bracelets, the Jade Purity Technique within him began to circulate, absorbing the energy from the bracelets. He distinctly felt the technique advancing toward the second level. The jade bracelets lost their energy and turned into powder.

It seemed that to cultivate the Jade Purity Technique, one must absorb the energy of jade stones.

He checked his pocket watch—it was nearly 11 o’clock. In his spatial realm, he had slaughtered a pig, portioned the meat, and stored it in the stasis zone. He took out about two and a half pounds of pork belly, a black fish weighing over five pounds, two jars of white liquor of three and five pounds respectively, and some vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes. He released his bicycle, mounted it, and headed to his master’s home.

Just as he arrived at the doorstep, before entering, he heard someone call his name from behind. Turning around, he saw his senior sister, Fan Ting, cycling toward him.

“Zhuzi, I’ve been calling you all the way, but you just kept riding faster,” Fan Ting said, panting.

“Ah, I just didn’t hear you,” He Yuzhu replied as they entered the house together.

“Where did you two meet?” The mistress came out upon hearing the noise and asked, seeing He Yuzhu accompanied by her eldest daughter.

“I saw Zhuzi on the road and called him, but he didn’t hear until we reached the doorstep,” Fan Ting explained.

“Zhuzi, you’re wasting money again. How come you bought so many things on just one trip?” The mistress glanced at the goods on He Yuzhu’s bicycle.

“Well, isn’t this wine brewed by a friend? He gave it to me to taste. I’m bringing it for Master,” He Yuzhu made up the story on the spot.

They brought all the items inside. Seeing his master, He Yuzhu handed over the wine and said, “Master, a friend of mine brewed this wine and sent it for you to try.”

When He Yushui saw her brother return, she ran over, with Xiao Hu following suit.

“Brother, are you going to make boiled fish?” He Yushui asked, noticing the large fish He Yuzhu had brought.

“Sure, I’ll make boiled fish for you soon,” He Yuzhu said indulgently.

“Zhuzi, what kind of dish is boiled fish? Sounds like it belongs to the boiled dishes series,” Master asked, overhearing their conversation.

“Master, I came up with it myself based on boiled beef. I’ll cook it, and you can give me your feedback,” He Yuzhu said.

He entered the kitchen with the ingredients and began preparing lunch, with Mistress and Fan Ting joining to help.

He Yuzhu efficiently processed the ingredients, and before long, the meal was ready. The main dish was a large bowl of boiled fish, accompanied by braised pork, moo shu pork, stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, and a tomato salad tossed with sugar. Fan Ting served the dishes at the table.

Everyone took their seats. He Yuzhu grabbed a three-pound jar of wine, opened it, and poured some for Master. After confirming with the mistress and Fan Ting that they didn’t want any, he poured some for himself.

“Master, please try this wine,” He Yuzhu said.

Fan Dakang lifted the cup, examined the wine, inhaled its aroma deeply, and then took a small sip, savoring it slowly.

“How do you find the wine, Master?”

“The fragrance lingers, the taste is mellow and rich. It’s sweet on the palate, clean and refreshing down the throat. The aroma of various grains blends perfectly. Excellent wine, truly excellent,” Master praised.

“Zhuzi, this wine is really good. Does your friend have a lot of it?”

“Master, this wine was brewed by my friend following an ancient recipe. This batch is for everyone to taste. If you like it, I’ll get more for you,” He Yuzhu said.

“All right, everyone, dig in. Look at Xiao Hu and Yushui—they’re already drooling,” Master said with a smile.

After the wine tasting, everyone began their meal.