Chapter 60

Wang Yong didn't pay attention to Zhang Kai and the others. He easily picked up a jar of unopened wine, which weighed over a hundred pounds, and followed Second Uncle out, leaving the others staring in shock.

Wang Yong and the others had been back at Second Uncle's house for over half an hour. With Wang Yong's help, Old Zhang had already prepared six cold dishes. Second Uncle had also arrived, but Zhang Kai and Old Li were still nowhere to be seen, which made Elder Uncle mutter incessantly about whether they had run away with the wine.

During this time, Wang Yong called Da Wei to come over for a drink. It turned out that the guy had gone to the capital, saying he was recruiting a few experienced managers and supervisors. However, the pleasant piano music coming from his phone made Wang Yong highly suspicious of his words. Could he be meeting a lover? Wang Yong wondered.

Finally, after Elder Uncle had paced around 88 times and muttered 126 times, Zhang Kai and Old Li appeared, carrying a large wine jar. They had found some ropes and sticks, tied the jar with the ropes, and carried it with the sticks, swaying as they walked. When the two, drenched in sweat, finally entered the yard and placed the jar, they plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Oh dear! Why are you sitting on the ground? You'll catch a cold. Get up quickly, Grandma will get you a chair," Second Grandma said, wiping their sweat and fetching a chair. Of course, only Zhang Kai received this treatment; Second Grandma didn't even glance at Old Li.

"Let's eat!" Wang Yong's shout immediately lifted everyone's spirits, and they quickly sat down at the table. Old Zhang had prepared four cold and four hot dishes, all of which were beautifully presented and mouth-watering.

There was a half-basin of crispy fried peanuts, a basin of mixed cucumber, kelp, and tofu threads, a basin of crispy fish, and a basin of braised beef. All four cold dishes were served in basins, and the portions were generous.

The four hot dishes included the Three Delicacies, which Wang Yong loved the most. Old Zhang's cooking was impeccable, with soft and tender eggplants and potatoes, and colorful peppers. The dish looked absolutely beautiful.

There was also a stewed chicken with mushrooms. The chicken was caught by Wang Yong from the farm, and the mushrooms were from the small world. When the dish was served, it received a round of applause. The chicken was cut into small pieces, and the fresh pine mushrooms were accompanied by a small ginseng root that Wang Yong had dug up from the small world. This ginseng, identified by Old Zhang as a five-year-old wild mountain ginseng, was of excellent quality. When Wang Yong tried to put the whole root into the soup, the old man snatched it away, scolding Wang Yong for being reckless. In the end, the old man only cut a few roots and threw them into the pot. The remaining ginseng was claimed by Old Zhang. Just before the dish was ready, Wang Yong secretly threw in two matsutake mushrooms, making the dish emit an extremely tempting aroma.

The braised pork ribs included not only ribs but also vertebrae. They were stewed in a large iron pot from morning to afternoon, and the meat was so tender that it fell off the bones with a slight shake. The surface of the pot was covered with a thick layer of oil, emitting a rich aroma. This was definitely a great dish for drinking! Drinking from large bowls and eating from large plates, that was the way to go!

The last hot dish was fish, a mix of wild fish. Old Zhang had carefully selected the right-sized fish from a basin of wild fish, cleaned them, and fried them until golden and crispy. They were then stewed in a pressure cooker for half an hour. When the dish was served, a handful of cilantro was sprinkled on top, immediately making the fish and the various seasonings emit a mouth-watering aroma.

Two half-liter ceramic wine pots were filled and placed in hot water to warm up. Each person had a small wine cup, which was really tiny, holding only about a tablespoon of wine. As soon as the dishes were served, Old Li, the foodie, grabbed a wine pot and started pouring wine for everyone. Zhang Kai grabbed the other pot and helped Old Li pour wine for everyone.

"Come, everyone, let's have a drink," Second Uncle said, raising his glass after everyone's cups were filled.

"Cheers, cheers!" Diao Zhu, the parrot, perched on Second Grandma's shoulder, called out enthusiastically. Second Grandma affectionately patted the parrot's head and then took a small sip of wine. Her face immediately turned red, and she quickly ate some cucumber and tofu threads.

"Cheers, cheers," Diao Zhu continued to call out.

After regaining her composure, Second Grandma placed Diao Zhu on her lap and even offered him a sip of wine. The men watched in amazement, thinking Diao Zhu was getting too much special treatment. Such a small cup, if auctioned, would fetch at least a million or two.

To everyone's surprise, Diao Zhu had a good tolerance for alcohol. He drank a sip of wine and a bite of food, and before long, he had finished his cup. He then continued to eat more food before lying down on Second Grandma's lap, drunk and unconscious. "Not bad, this guy has a good drinking character," Wang Yong thought.

After drinking for a while, Zhang Kai suddenly asked, "What do you plan to do with the wine?"

"Of course, we'll keep it for ourselves," Second Uncle said, and Elder Uncle strongly agreed.

"I think we can release two jars. One we can donate to the museum to gain some fame, and the other we can auction to make some profit. This way, our eco-restaurant under construction will gain immediate recognition, which is much more cost-effective than advertising," Li Jianping, a seasoned businessman, suggested. Everyone agreed, and the task was entrusted to him and Zhang Kai. Of course, they would receive a substantial reward, and the remaining jar of wine would be theirs.

That night, the group drank until around 9 PM. Except for Wang Yong, everyone was drunk and had to stay at Second Uncle's house. However, the next morning, everyone felt refreshed and showed no signs of a hangover, a testament to the quality of the 300-year-old wine.

After breakfast, Zhang Kai went to the capital to contact the National Museum. Li Jianping called an auction company, explaining that they wanted to auction a jar of wine that had been aged for over 300 years. He emphasized that the wine was drinkable, with a rich aroma, a smooth taste, and a long aftertaste. The auction company was immediately interested and decided to send someone to verify the authenticity. If everything checked out, they would include it in their last autumn auction.

Around 2 PM, the auction company's representatives arrived. There were three of them: Sun Yan, the business manager; Wu Di, a 40-something expert in authentication; and the company's legal advisor. Old Li took them directly to the discovery site, which, following Old Zhao's advice, had been reinforced and waterproofed. The river had also been rerouted to make space.

When the expert Wu Di saw Old Zhao, he immediately told Sun Yan, "That's the inheritor of the Er Guotou brewing technique, a famous national brewing master. With him here, the wine is definitely authentic!"

Sun Yan was also greatly encouraged. Since there was such a renowned master, he suggested asking Old Zhao for a certificate. To everyone's surprise, Old Li smiled and pulled out a copy of an authentication certificate from his handbag. Li Jianping had asked Old Zhao to issue this certificate that morning and had made over 20 copies.

Seeing Sun Yan and Wu Di's surprised expressions, Li Jianping told them the story of the wine, with some appropriate embellishments. Some names were changed, and some details were omitted, but the story still amazed the auction company representatives. Who would have thought that the wine had such a story? This was a huge selling point! Sun Yan was eager to sign the auction contract immediately. When he proposed signing the contract right away, he was told that the owner of the wine was currently busy and asked them to wait a bit.

Where was Wang Yong? At that moment, Wang Yong was with Second Uncle and Elder Uncle, paying respects to their ancestors. They poured cups of the precious 300-year-old wine onto the ground. The aroma of the wine spread far and wide with the breeze. Second Uncle loudly recounted the country's strength and prosperity to the ancestors.

From the founding of the nation to the present, the country had undergone tremendous changes. They could now manufacture guns, advanced warships, and aircraft. The country's manned spacecraft had been successfully launched, and astronauts had gone to space. Last year, they had successfully hosted the Olympics and won the most gold medals. The country and its people had become wealthy. The younger generation had achieved success and lived well, with no lack of food or clothing. Even their once-poor village now had several cars, and many people had jobs in the city, bought apartments, and became city dwellers...

Second Uncle talked for over an hour, recounting his personal experiences. From the difficult start after the founding of the nation to the rapid economic development after the reform and opening-up, many places had changed dramatically. It seemed as if countless skyscrapers had sprung up overnight, and the country had achieved remarkable success. Although various problems had arisen, under the leadership of several generations of leaders, the country had always moved in a positive direction, gradually achieving its goals. Recently, the country had abolished the agricultural tax, a first in thousands of years, like a new beginning, where farmers no longer had to pay taxes and even received subsidies.

However, the young people now didn't want to work hard on the land. They all went to the city to find jobs, which paid more and faster. Many fields in the village were now abandoned, with weeds growing as tall as a person. It was heartbreaking! But he was old and couldn't do anything about it. He could only let the fields lie fallow.

Fortunately, his grandson had returned! He wanted to develop the village, taking advantage of the country's emphasis on agriculture and the various supportive policies. At first, he didn't understand what a "new farmer" meant. Wasn't a farmer just a farmer? But when his grandson started working, he realized what a new farmer was.

Using technology, he planted new and superior varieties, selling vegetables for 30 to 40 yuan per pound. The fruits from the trees he planted sold for hundreds of yuan per pound, and each golden egg sold for tens of yuan, and people still fought to buy them. He had never thought that farming could be done this way. He was old and couldn't keep up with the times. His grandson, under his urging, had become the village chief. To lead the village to prosperity, he was now building an eco-restaurant and planning to develop tourism, inviting city people to spend money to experience rural life and eat farm dishes. It was hard to understand why city people would want to come to the countryside to suffer. He couldn't keep up with the young people's ideas!

As the sky gradually darkened, Wang Yong and Elder Uncle supported Second Uncle, who had been talking all afternoon, back to the village. A full moon, just rising, gently pushed aside a layer of mist, casting a silvery light to guide the three of them home.