Chapter 22: Alcohol Is a Good Thing

Elder Liu's eyes were fixed on the wooden box, and his throat made a "gurgle" sound.

Madam Liu tugged at her husband's sleeve, "What are you doing, aren't you embarrassed!"

Lu Zheng spoke up to ease the situation, "It's my first visit, and I didn't prepare much, just brought a tea set and three bottles of wine."

"What kind of wine?" Elder Liu immediately asked.

"A bottle of aged white liquor and two bottles of lighter fruit wines."

"I was wondering why I smelled a hint of fruit fragrance," Elder Liu nodded decisively, "Well then, let's drink the wine you brought. Compared to your aged liquor, the crude wine I prepared is not worth showing."

Madam Liu secretly pinched her husband, and Liu Qingyan lowered her head, feeling somewhat ashamed for her father.

Elder Liu pretended not to notice and instructed the gatekeeper to bring the wooden box into the main hall and open it, while Lu Zheng took the initiative to take out three one-pound ceramic bottles from the box.

"This is a bottle of Wuliangye, brewed with five types of grains, rich and aromatic. You can try it later."

Elder Liu was practically drooling, so Lu Zheng understood who Liu Qingquan inherited his personality from.

"These two are cyan plum wine and peach blossom brew, sweet and refreshing, good for the skin."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's eyes also lit up.

"Such beautiful teapots."

Lu Zheng took out the three bottles of wine, revealing the purple clay teapot set at the bottom of the wooden box, which Liu Qingquan, who had sharp eyes, noticed.

"Such exquisite tea ware, Lu Lang you are so thoughtful," Elder Liu said.

Lu Zheng smiled but said nothing.

Then everyone took their seats. Elder Liu sat at the head of the table, Lu Zheng at the side as the main guest, and next was Liu Qingyan accompanying them.

Across from Lu Zheng was Madam Liu, and Liu Qingquan sat at the end of the table.

The clear liquor was poured into the glasses, filling the room with its fragrance. Elder Liu sniffed and exclaimed, "In my decades of life, this is the first time I have seen such clear as water yet richly aromatic good wine!"

"Thanks to Lu Lang today, I'm in for a treat." Elder Liu raised his glass.

The five of them clinked glasses and drank it all in one go.

"Good wine!" Elder Liu's eyes shone brightly as he exclaimed in a loud voice.

Lu Zheng chuckled to himself, since the Great Jing Dynasty had no distillation method, their liquor was low in alcohol, twenty percent was considered high, so wasn't thirty-five percent Wuliangye top quality?

Had he not been worried that they wouldn't handle it, fifty-two percent white liquor was the ultimate, a single sip, and you'd be tipsy immediately!

Cyan plum wine and peach blossom brew, brewed with modern techniques, had a sweet and refreshing taste, allowing Madam Liu and the Liu family sisters to drink them all in one go without any trouble.

"The fruit wines don't taste strong, but they pack a punch, drink slowly," Lu Zheng said.

"Right, right, don't drink too much, eat some food," they echoed.

Though lacking the variety of seasonings from Lu Zheng's home, Liu family prepared the ingredients fresh and cooked well, so Lu Zheng found them quite delightful.

As they drank, they all became slightly tipsy.

Eating and drinking is truly the perfect way to strengthen relationships; by the time they were halfway through the meal, Lu Zheng's relationship with the Liu family had already progressed significantly.

Elder Liu knew Lu Zheng was currently alone, so he insisted that Lu Zheng call him Uncle Liu.

Lu Zheng also learned that the Liu family had moved to Tonglin County because they had offended the local tyrant back home.

Elder Liu was a doctor planning to buy a shop in Tonglin County to open a clinic.

A clinic...

Lu Zheng's mind pondered, but he didn't speak, simply turning his head to see Liu Qingyan beside him when fetching some food.

Having drunk two glasses of fruit wine, Liu Qingyan's face was slightly flushed, her breath fragrant as orchids, and her beautiful eyes were engaging. Lu Zheng subtly caught a hint of delicate fragrance.

Lu Zheng blinked and quickly turned his head, just as Elder Liu began to brag.

"When I was young, I followed a great master; that person could heal the living dead and flesh to bones, as if a medical star was born, there wasn't a disease he couldn't cure!"

"I didn't learn much, but diagnosing and treating minor rural ailments in the county is certainly within my grasp."

"Hehe, and my daughter's medical skills are my true legacy, she can hold her own now too."

"Father, you're bragging, sister clearly..."

Madam Liu picked up a piece of chicken and swiftly stuffed it into Liu Qingquan's mouth.

"Mhm, mhm!" Liu Qingquan whimpered, chewing the morsel.

Lu Zheng chuckled, feigning tipsiness, pretending not to hear anything.

...

A banquet where hosts and guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

After the meal, Elder Liu drank a bit too much, and it was Liu Qingyan who gracefully escorted Lu Zheng to the door.

"Father hasn't been this happy in a long time, we owe it to Lu Lang's wine."

"You're welcome," Lu Zheng nodded with a smile, "Being neighbors, we should look out for one another."

Liu Qingyan tittered softly, "Goodbye Lu Lang, watch the steps."

Without letting Liu Qingyan step out further, Lu Zheng waved at her, then took a few steps back to his home.

...

Upon waking, feeling refreshed.

Lu Zheng lay in bed, first adding another strand of the light of fortune to himself, feeling his bodily constitution improve a bit more.

Meanwhile, the flow of true Qi within sped up, and its quantity increased as well.

However, Lu Zheng hadn't boosted it just yet.

"There are twelve strands of the light of fortune in total, I used up seven when I learned the Meridian Breathing Method, and after using another one today, only four remain."

"Opening a candy shop should have also influenced Shi Tou and Ma San's fate, right? Why hasn't any fortune been credited? Is it no impact, or too little impact?"

"I might go to White Cloud Temple soon, not sure if Daoist Mingzhang will notice my cultivation state, I shouldn't become too remarkable yet."

"No rush, no rush, it's been less than ten days since I obtained this Breathing Technique."

Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, Lu Zheng began contemplating his next moves.

But before he could start thinking, his phone rang.

"Lu Zheng, are you up?"

"I'm up, what's up?"

"Get up, have lunch with me!"

"Why, what's happened?"

"Nothing special, good news, accompany me to a blind date!"

Lu Zheng speechlessly retorted, "You need someone to go with you on a blind date?"

"The girl said she'd bring a friend to avoid any awkwardness, and she said I could bring a buddy too. Zhao Si and Xiaoleizi are both taken, so I'm giving you an opportunity!"

"I really must thank you!"

Lu Zheng was speechless again, "You deserve to be single. People just say that to be polite, you check online, it's normal for the girl to bring a friend, but the guy always goes solo, who brings a buddy?"

The call was from Lu Zheng's roommate, Old Tong, Tong Muxuan, the oldest among the four roommates and single for four years like Lu Zheng.

"You talk as if you're not single, getting all theoretical on me, don't I know you inside out?"

"I..."

"Get moving, 11:00 AM at the East Mountain Park Subway Station, if things go well during lunch, we'll hit up a murder-mystery game in the afternoon."

Lu Zheng sighed, "Alright..."