052 Pawnshop and sell wine (Part 2)

"Barrels of wine? Does Wu Lang enjoy wine?" It's hard to tell. Wu Lang has a face with a wild charm, but because of his exceptional beauty and androgynous appearance, he exudes an air of abstinence. However, enjoying wine is not a big deal. In these turbulent times, with a bold and hearty atmosphere prevailing, people of all ages and genders can enjoy a few drinks. Those with good tolerance can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.

Shen Tang was about to respond, but hesitated. Speaking of which, how good is her own tolerance for alcohol? "Wu Lang, is there something bothering you?" Seeing Shen Tang lost in thought for no apparent reason, with a distracted expression, Chu Yao brought her back to reality. Shen Tang shook her head. The inconvenience caused by her memory loss is truly troublesome. Feeling frustrated, she said, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just wondering about my own tolerance for alcohol... I don't think I can handle much." As a homebody who spends her time drawing, her tolerance for alcohol shouldn't be too high.

Chu Yao smiled inwardly at her words, thinking that only a young lad of her age would be concerned about such trivial matters. Concerned about losing face and with a thin skin, he is afraid of being ridiculed for his shallow alcohol tolerance. He tactfully comforted her, "Everything should be done in moderation. A little drink can be enjoyable, but excessive drinking is harmful. Wu Lang is still young, so having a low tolerance for alcohol is not a problem. There's no rush to improve it; it can always be developed as he grows older."

Shen Tang: "..."

She couldn't help feeling that their conversation was not on the same wavelength.

As soon as the market opened, it became bustling with the hustle and bustle of vehicles, pedestrians, and vendors with fixed stalls setting up shop early to attract customers, while itinerant vendors roamed the streets with their wares.

Chu Yao stopped his mule-drawn cart in front of a familiar wine shop, not far from where he usually buys meat. Occasionally, people who knew him would greet him, and he would nod in response.

Chu Yao: "The wine from this shop is quite authentic."

Most of the wine here is sweet, which should suit Wu Lang's taste. Moreover, the price of a barrel of wine is not expensive.

Shen Tang said, "I'm not buying wine, I'm buying wine barrels."

Just buying wine barrels without buying wine? That's unusual. Chu Yao didn't know what Wu Lang wanted to do, but he didn't ask further questions. He led her to another nearby shop that sells pottery, where they also sell wine barrels. The wine barrels in the previous shop were purchased from here, and Chu Yao had a rough idea of the prices. Shen Tang looked at the goods and ordered ten clay-brown round-bellied wine barrels, each about the size of a palm.

Chu Yao finally couldn't contain his curiosity. "Why is Wu Lang buying wine barrels?"

"To sell wine! It's just a pity that these barrels aren't exquisite enough; otherwise, they could be packaged as premium wine and sold to wealthy and unsuspecting customers."

Chu Yao asked, "Does Wu Lang have the skill to make wine?"

"No, but one can always try anything."

Chu Yao's smile gradually stiffened. "???"

Try anything? He looked at Shen Tang, who then went to buy a long wooden bench, found a street corner, and arranged the empty wine barrels one by one, setting up a makeshift stall to sell wine.

But Chu Yao knew very well that there was nothing inside those wine barrels.

How can you sell wine like this?

Shen Tang took out a small carving knife from her waist pouch. In her hands, the knife moved with ease and grace, swiftly carving the word "wine" on a wooden plank. With a clatter, she placed the sign on the stall.

Chu Yao watched with bewilderment, not understanding what Shen Tang intended to do with her "destined" business—was she selling wine or selling air? Even selling water would be more decent than this.

Onlookers couldn't help but cast curious or incredulous glances at the odd scene—mostly drawn by the conspicuous size and color of the mule, followed by the mismatched styles of Shen Tang and Chu Yao, and finally, the crude wine stall.

Some people had even seen Shen Tang and Chu Yao coming out of the pottery shop, knowing that the wine barrels were empty.

"Miss, what are you selling?" A passerby approached out of curiosity.

Shen Tang replied, "I'm selling wine."

The passerby pointed at the wine barrels. "But they're empty."

"They're empty now, but if you buy one, it will be full. One barrel of wine, two catties, three hundred wen, fixed price!"

The passerby couldn't help laughing. Apart from the fact that the price was higher than that of old wine in the wine shop, even if it were cheaper, who would be foolish enough to spend three hundred wen on a barrel of air or water?

"Miss, are you suffering from hysteria?" the passerby asked, then without waiting for Shen Tang to respond, turned to Chu Yao and said, "Old man, don't indulge your granddaughter's madness. There's still some savings at home; go to the apothecary and get her brain checked. If you go early, maybe you can still save her."

Chu Yao: "…"

He couldn't understand what Wu Lang was up to, but he had no intention of stopping him. He just wanted to know what Shen Tang was really up to.

No, what she was really selling in those wine barrels!

"Miss, how much for this wine?" Shen Tang sat on a makeshift stool, resting her chin on her hands and watching the passersby. She was thinking whether to call out to attract attention when a figure blocked the sunlight overhead. She and Chu Yao looked over, and upon seeing the person's appearance clearly, they couldn't help but secretly admire his handsome looks.

The person was indeed a strikingly handsome young lad.

Judging by his appearance, he had just come of age. Although the fabric of his clothes was extremely ordinary, with his long hair casually tied up with a red string, wrists wrapped in black cord, waist wrapped in coarse cloth, and feet clad in grass shoes, he still couldn't hide his noble bearing. This was because of his fair complexion, even teeth, and an overall demeanor that suggested he was not from an ordinary family.

Looking at his face, with a nose like a hanging bell and lips like painted vermilion, the most striking feature undoubtedly was his pair of peach blossom eyes. Though his lips had no curvature, those eyes always seemed to be smiling, making him appear cute and endearing.

Chu Yao glanced at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old lad in front of him, then at the empty wine barrels on Wu Lang's stall.

He suspected that the lad had the words "gullible fool" written on his forehead.

Shen Tang came back to her senses and asked, "Are you buying wine?"

The lad replied, "Can't I buy?"

Shen Tang said, "Of course you can buy. One barrel of wine, two catties, three hundred wen, fixed price. Does the young sir really want

 to buy?"

The lad took out a small piece of silver from his purse and placed it on the wooden bench with a loud clatter. Boldly, he said, "I'll buy!"

Chu Yao: "…"

Even the bystanders who were just watching were murmuring.

They never expected that someone would be foolish enough to spend money on an empty wine barrel.

Shen Tang weighed the piece of silver, satisfied with its weight, and put it in her pocket. She reached out to grab an empty wine barrel, but the lad intervened. "Miss, are you selling me an empty wine barrel?"

After speaking, he glanced in a certain direction with a frown, looking somewhat aggrieved. "How can you conduct business like this?"

Shen Tang couldn't help laughing and retorted, "When did I say I was selling you an empty wine barrel? You, young sir, are quite interesting. If you're worried that I'm selling empty wine barrels, why 'generously open your purse' and get cheated? Aren't you afraid of ending up with both empty pockets and empty wine barrels?"

Chu Yao discreetly tugged at Shen Tang's sleeve and nodded towards the lad's waist. At first, she didn't understand, but following his gaze, she noticed a small dark jade pendant hanging from the lad's waist, with intricate golden patterns on it. Upon closer inspection, she found tiny seal characters engraved on the jade pendant. However, the color of the pendant was too similar to the lad's clothes, so she hadn't noticed it immediately.

Shen Tang: "…"

Wu Dang's imperial token.

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

No wonder he's not afraid of being cheated. If he were to be swindled out of money, the lad would probably overturn the stall on the spot, then proceed to beat the swindler mercilessly, acting as a vigilante for the people.

The lad, unaware of Shen Tang's thoughts, looked at her eagerly, urging, "Miss, where's my wine?"

Shen Tang snorted.

Activating her literary heart.

Reciting, "Generosity should be as vast as the ocean, and worries should never be forgotten."

Generosity should be as vast as the ocean, and worries should never be forgotten: the next line is a famous saying from Cao Cao.