Chapter 7

"Old Cheng, go—crush the garlic, and you, Old Li, go wash these dishes, and later put the dipping sauce—"

Having sent the two people off, Wang Zian moved to the side room and carried out a jar of homemade erguotou. The ordinary liquor bought from the market was distilled a second time by himself.

There was no choice; although there were many poems about wine in the Tang Dynasty, they were good to read but terrible to drink. Not only were they sour and astringent, but sometimes they even had large chunks. As a穿越者 (穿越者 means someone who has traveled through time or to a different world, but in this context, it can be translated as "time traveler"), he couldn't really tolerate it, so he had to rely on his past experience to create a simple distillation device and process the liquor himself.

It wasn't the best wine, but it was made from pure grains, and the distillation equipment was entirely crafted from fresh bamboo. Surprisingly, it carried a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves, adding a unique flavor.

He found a few shallow cups and threw them to Li Shimin, who was washing the dishes with his butt sticking out.

"Old Li, wash these together."

Li Shimin quickly fished them out, walking back while blowing on his hands.

"The water is so cold, my hands are almost frozen—"

Wang Zian, while pouring the garlic and dipping sauce into the dishes, looked at him as if he were a fool.

"You used cold water? There's hot water in the kitchen—"

Li Shimin: ...

Why do I suddenly want to punch him so much!

The pot was filled with hot water, and the lamb slices were just ready. As soon as the pot was opened, the tofu and duck blood were pushed in, followed by the lamb. After a quick boil, the color changed.

The rich and fresh aroma filled the air, and Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but swallow their saliva. This was a new thing, and before figuring it out, they had to stay calm and watch how others ate to avoid losing face.

Stay calm!

"It's ready—watch out—"

Wang Zian picked up a piece of lamb, gently shook off the broth, rolled it in the dipping sauce, and put it in his mouth.

It was smooth and rich, fragrant and delicious, indescribably wonderful.

He tried a slightly spicy piece next.

Is this the skill of a minor god?

Wang Zian had never tasted such delicious lamb hot pot, let alone Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin, who had never experienced the charm of hot pot in the Tang Dynasty. Seeing Wang Zian already eating, they quickly picked up their chopsticks.

The clear broth was good, and the Sichuan pepper was also good!

Good, good—what a joke!

"You two, hey—what about you two—"

Forget it, no more talking!

Wang Zian also quickly picked up his chopsticks and joined the food-grabbing army.

Six consecutive plates of lamb!

The speed at which they grabbed food finally slowed down.

"Truly a heavenly delicacy—"

Li Shimin, while skillfully scooping up the duck blood, sighed. If it weren't for this kid's great abilities, he would have sent him to the palace to be his imperial chef.

"Wang kid, let's open a wine shop together, and specialize in this—"

Cheng Yaojin, with his mouth full of oil, kept talking while eating.

This guy was a true carnivore. Li Shimin occasionally ate some vegetables, but this guy only scooped meat. Three to four pounds of lamb, most of it ended up in his stomach.

"Hot pot with wine, the more you drink, the better. Don't just focus on the food, come, try the erguotou I brewed—"

Wang Zian pushed the small teacups in front of the two and lifted the wine jar to pour them some.

"Is this for drinking?"

Cheng Yaojin disdainfully curled his lip and pushed it away.

"Is this what real men use? Get a big bowl! If you want to drink, you should drink to your heart's content. Back in the day, we drank by the jar—"

Li Shimin picked up the wine cup, looked at it, and smiled modestly, nodding at Wang Zian.

"Getting a bigger one is better, to save the trouble of pouring—"

Wang Zian nodded in admiration, silently giving them a thumbs up. He got up and went to the kitchen to bring two large bowls.

"That's more like it!"

Cheng Yaojin nodded in satisfaction. When men drink, they should drink to their heart's content!

"I—haven't had a good drink in a long time. Today, it's rare that Old Wei isn't around to nag, and I've met a young and talented brother like you. Let's drink to our heart's content!"

"You two should still take it easy—my wine is different from ordinary wine. If you get drunk..."

Wang Zian felt it was better to give a friendly reminder, as he still needed to learn some skills from these two. If they got drunk here, how could he learn anything, and it would be a hassle to take care of them.

"Haha—little friend, don't worry. We may not be good at other things, but our alcohol tolerance is decent..."

Li Shimin glanced at the wine jar, feeling amused. This kid probably thinks his alcohol tolerance is low and assumes everyone is like him, but it shows he has a good character.

Alright!

Wang Zian pulled the wine bowls to his side and lifted the wine jar to pour. With his thousand-jin strength, he could pour steadily with one hand.

"I thought it would be some extraordinary wine. It looks like water, can it really get you drunk? You're not trying to fool us with plain water, are you—"

Cheng Yaojin glanced at it, looking at Wang Zian with some suspicion. This kid is really a trickster, he might actually play a trick on us.

"Come, try it—"

Wang Zian pushed the wine bowls in front of the two, making a gesture to invite them.

Just now, they didn't notice much, but now that it was pushed in front of them, both of them couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

The wine looked like water from a distance, but when lifted, it was clear and concentrated, with a fragrant aroma.

"Good wine!"

Both of them couldn't help but praise. Just the appearance and smell alone were not ordinary. It might be another rare delicacy like the hot pot.

"Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest, and drink three hundred cups! Gentlemen, please—"

Wang Zian lifted his small wine cup and raised it.

"Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest, and drink three hundred cups—good poetry. I didn't expect you to have such a bold spirit despite your low alcohol tolerance—come, real men, drink it all!"

Cheng Yaojin, with great enthusiasm, lifted the large bowl and gestured to Wang Zian.

"Good poetry, refreshing, let's drink a large bowl! I didn't expect to find such a talented young man in the countryside. This is the emperor's loss—come, drink!"

Li Shimin, looking at Wang Zian as if he were a rare treasure, his eyes almost glowing.

After saying that, the two lifted their bowls and drank them down in one go!

Uh—

As soon as the wine entered their mouths, Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin's faces twisted like eggplants. This was a full fifty-degree erguotou, not the low-alcohol wine of the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Zian, seeing the two of them freeze, lifted his wine cup with a restrained look.

"I'll drink, you drink as you please—"

He finished it in one go.

No problem, a two-ounce cup, three or four cups are no issue.

Cheng Yaojin: ...

Li Shimin: ...

The two finally realized that this kid was deceptively mischievous, having pulled the rug out from under them.

We can't lose face here!

The two closed their eyes and gulped it down.

PS: It has been changed to a signed status. Starting today, there will be at least two updates per day. A new book is like a young sapling, and I kindly request the support and care of all readers. First update is here.