SLH | Chapter 57

Liu’s Liquor

Three days later, it’s the Lantern Festival.

After a heavy snowfall, the people felt reborn. There were even more people at the market today than during the New Year. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder, almost stepping on each other’s heels as they moved. The calls of vendors filled the streets and alleys.

Outside a small alley on South Street, Song Tingzhu and his husband squeezed through the crowd, carrying two jars of wine, and entered Chunhui Hall.

“Zhu Ge’er, you came just in time. I was about to head out for a house call.”

Doctor Cen mistook them for patients and didn’t even give them a chance to explain. Without a word, he took out a wrist pillow, ready to check Song Tingzhu’s pulse.

Liu Hu said, “Might as well let him check, since we’re here.”

Song Tingzhu nodded and extended his wrist to the old doctor.

After a moment, Doctor Cen raised his eyebrows and glared at the man beside Song Tingzhu, scolding with a displeased face, “You know your wife isn’t in the best health, yet you have no restraint at all.”

The old doctor spoke bluntly, and with an apprentice present, the couple turned red with embarrassment. Song Tingzhu, with a thinner skin, was so ashamed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

Doctor Cen stroked his beard and continued to scold, “I’ve told you before, each time you have intercourse, it shouldn’t exceed an hour. Did you tell this blockhead?”

Song Tingzhu, blushing and looking elsewhere, mumbled like a mosquito, “I didn’t mention it…”

It’s so embarrassing, how could he bring it up? Even consummating the marriage took him over a month of mental preparation before he finally mustered the courage to bring it up to his husband.

“Doctor Cen, is there something wrong with my wife’s health?” Liu Hu asked anxiously, furrowing his thick brows, interrupting their conversation.

Doctor Cen gave him a sideways glance, clearly not pleased, “Now you’re worried, where was this concern earlier?”

“Doctor Cen, my husband is straightforward, your words might scare him.”

“Already defending him, huh? I didn’t say anything bad,” Doctor Cen shook his head at the two, “Even if you get along well, you need to have restraint. Your husband is young, take good care of him now so he suffers less in old age.”

Liu Hu nodded seriously, “I’ll remember that.”

After delivering the wine to Shopkeeper Fang and Doctor Cen, the couple hurried back to North Street.

Yesterday, they rented a stall on the street, and right now, Sister-in-law Tang Chunxing and Little Sister were watching over it.

“Second Brother, Brother-in-law, you’re finally back!”

Liu Xiaomei, with her sharp eyes, spotted them from afar and called out, standing on her tiptoes.

As they got closer, Tang Chunxing tilted the money box, anxiously saying, “Zhu Ge’er, Little Sister and I did as you said, opening a small jar of wine for people to taste. But it’s been more than half an incense stick’s time, and only one or two have come to buy our wine. At this rate, when will we break even?”

Song Tingzhu reassured his sister-in-law, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. It’s not the busiest time on the street yet. Once the time comes, our wine will sell out in less than half an hour.”

“We brought dozens of jars of wine today, at least thirty or forty jin. Even the taverns in town might not sell that much in a day. Can our little stall manage?”

Tang Chunxing had her doubts, but with no other options, she could only wait.

Seeing the crowd on the street growing, she pulled Little Sister and shouted, “Selling sweet wine! Fragrant and delicious osmanthus honey sweet wine, even women and young men can drink a few cups!”

A few stalls away from the Liu family, four or five men were huddled together, discussing where to have a drink.

“Chen Laoda, weren’t you going to treat us to some wine? Let’s go.”

“No way, we’ve already been to all the taverns in town. It’s the same stuff everywhere, nothing interesting.”

“Hey, do you smell that wine aroma?”

Chen Laoda, a wine enthusiast, sniffed the air, and it was incredible. Just moments ago, he was listless, but now he was full of energy.

He waved to his companions, “There really is! Let’s go check it out.”

The man known as Chen Laoda was tall and muscular, his muscles bulging. In the cold weather of the first month, while others were wrapped in thick cotton clothes, he wore only a thin autumn shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

The young men following him, though not as burly, were also lightly dressed.

“Isn’t that Chen Laoda from the East Street docks? He’s leading his brothers to North Street for a drink again?”

“In this cold weather, doesn’t he feel cold with his chest exposed?”

“Sister Xu, your gaze could almost pierce through him. If you’re really that lonely, I could find you a companion from the countryside tomorrow, so you won’t keep yearning for other people’s men.”

“Pah! You think your man is so great, as if any woman would just take a liking to him!”

“That Tao family woman is arguing with Widow Xu again.”

“Ha, they quarrel every three days. The neighbors are used to it.”

“Isn’t Chen Laoda going to a tavern? Why is he heading into the alley?”

“Maybe a new tavern opened? He’s got a nose like a dog. Any place with new wine, even before they advertise, he can sniff it out and find it!”

Some shopkeepers, hearing the gossip among the women and husbands, became curious. They instructed their staff to watch over their shops and hurriedly followed.

At this moment, in front of the Liu family stall, Liu Xiaomei saw the group of burly men approaching and was alarmed. She tugged on her brother-in-law’s sleeve, nervously saying, “Brother-in-law, those guys aren’t coming to cause trouble at our stall, are they?”

She had noticed them earlier, but since their stall had just opened and they hadn’t offended anyone, she didn’t think much of it. But seeing them heading straight for their stall, she panicked.

Seeing her panic, Song Tingzhu reassured her, “Don’t worry, your second brother knows them. They’re not here to cause trouble.”

Liu Xiaomei nodded but still couldn’t help but hide behind Sister-in-law Tang Chunxing, as those men looked too intimidating to approach easily.

Chen Laoda, unaware that he had frightened someone, was leading his brothers with swagger, loudly asking where the new tavern was.

“It’s not a tavern, it’s a small stall. Looks like it just opened today.”

“Street-side liquor can’t be as good as tavern liquor. We should just go to the Four Seasons Tavern, order some side dishes, and enjoy the warmth of the fire inside.”

“What do you know? We’ve been drinking the same stuff for over a decade. Aren’t you tired of it? I’m tired of it.”

“Since we’re here, we might as well try it.”

“You can even sample a small half-cup for free, I see.”

“Homemade clear wine, sweet and spicy, free samples available. Come take a look, don’t miss out!”

In front of the stall, Liu Hu ignored the group and continued to shout energetically.

Chen Laoda saw him and muttered, “Back when we worked at the docks together, he was always so uninterested in everything. I didn’t expect him to change so much after getting married.”

“Chen Laoda, what are you mumbling about?”

“Nothing. Let’s go taste it.”

The Liu family stall was small, and with five burly men crowding around, it was packed. Seeing the crowd gather, people thought they were troublemakers and craned their necks to watch.

Only when more and more people gathered did they raise their voices and get to business.

Chen Laoda held a small wine cup and loudly asked, “Little brother, why does the wine at your stall smell different from what I’ve had in the taverns?”

Liu Hu, not knowing why, replied, “It’s my wife’s brew.”

Chen Laoda: “…”

We’re here for business, and you’re secretly showing off? As if no one else has a wife!

“Oh, it’s your husband’s secret recipe. To be honest, I’ve drunk more wine than water. Just by smelling it, I can tell this isn’t brewed by someone from our town.”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “This brother guessed right. The brewing method for this wine, I got it by chance from an old master in the prefectural city. Not just in Lianxi Town, but even in Changshan County, you won’t find another place selling it.”

“Wow, that’s something special. I must savor it.”

A small half-cup of wine, not even half a sip, so Chen Laoda drank it with great care, savoring it with his lips, smacking his mouth, “No wonder it’s clear wine only found in the prefectural city. It leaves a lingering fragrance, really nice! But it’s too sweet for me. I like stronger stuff.”

Song Tingzhu poured the man a cup of spicy wine, “Sweet wine is suitable for men and women who aren’t heavy drinkers. If you don’t like it, you can try our Liu’s spicy wine.”

“Alright.”

With that, he drank it in one gulp.

The men beside Chen Laoda were eager, rubbing their hands, “Let us try too.”

All five were wine lovers. They could tell good wine from bad just by smelling it. The aroma of Liu’s wine could be smelled from afar, and getting closer, it was mouth-watering.

Unfortunately, one cup was too little. They couldn’t even fully taste it before it was gone.

Han Qi licked his lips, looking unsatisfied, “Big brother, this wine is fragrant. If it were a bit stronger, it could compete with Sifang Zhai’s Qiongyao Yulu!”

Chen Laoda nodded, “Clear wine isn’t as strong as spirits, but we’re not wealthy enough to drink spirits every day. I find the clear wine from this little brother’s stall quite nice. It’s fragrant and more drinkable than ordinary wine.”

Chen Laoda was quite a figure in town. If even he praised the wine, it must be good. The onlookers rushed forward to sample it.

“Indeed, this wine tastes different from others. The aroma is richer, and if you taste carefully, you can sense the grain flavor. I’ve heard from the older generation that only wine made from new grain has such a smooth taste.”

“True, my wife made yellow wine with old grain last year, and it was rough on the throat!”

Everyone praised Liu’s wine, thinking that with such quality, the price must be high. They hesitated and asked, “This brother, how much do you sell this wine for?”

Song Tingzhu said, “Loose sweet wine is forty wen per jin, and spicy wine is thirty-five wen per jin. We also have half-jin small jars, which are slightly more expensive by one wen.”

The person looked surprised.

It’s actually cheaper by half a wen than what’s sold in town taverns!

He quickly took out his money, “Little boss, give me two jars. I’ll bring them to my picky father-in-law tomorrow.”

“Little brother, give me two jars too. No, give me two jin. My house is nearby, I’ll go get a jar. Make sure to save some for me!”

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Author’s Note: Grand opening [confetti][confetti]