A small plot of land in a mountain village

"If I hadn't called you here, we probably wouldn't have even gotten to see each other," Old Zhu said to the group in front of him.

Since returning from Kaixin Xiaozhu, I've handled many matters according to the law. Many old friends have called me through connections, hoping I'll go easy on them, which has forced me to stay at home to avoid further trouble.

"Yes, I remember I haven't been out for a long time. I'm not feeling well, and going out for activities is almost a luxury," he said with a sigh. This person was Liu Aiguo.

"It's true that I love my country, but I'm only a little older now, and my health isn't what it used to be. I can't compare to how passionate I was when I was carrying a gun and fighting in battle." Zhang Minghu, an old man in his fifties who still holds a sinecure, said.

"Time flies, everyone's getting old. I heard Old Zhu has been cracking down on corruption lately, and he's brought down quite a few corrupt officials!" said an elderly man of about the same age with a smile.

"Old Wei, don't say that. When things go wrong below, I, as the Party Secretary, am bound to bear some responsibility! These past few rectifications have been painful for me, seeing so many promising cadres fall from grace..."

"It seems like all these things are happening one after another. Did you run into them in private? A lot of people are saying that they should be careful not to run into you when they go out in the future," Lao Wei joked.

It's unbelievable that officials would spread rumors about themselves like this; it's truly ridiculous and absurd. These officials, instead of reflecting on their mistakes, are of truly low character. How can they be expected to do anything practical for the people?

"If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known. It's because I ran into Old Zhang at his place that everyone started spreading the word!" It's really a good thing I decided to go to Happy Little House; otherwise, this whole thing would have been a lucky break.

"Hey, isn't Old Zhang always at the company? We haven't been in touch for quite a while. What does this have to do with Old Zhang?" Aiguo asked with a hint of doubt.

"You guys are all old-fashioned. Old Zhang is living a leisurely life in this little mountain village. Hasn't he called you?"

"What? They ran off to a mountain village? They didn't tell us about this. I thought they were still at the company, enjoying their leisure time," Minghu joked.

"If it weren't for the fact that Old Zhang asked me for help last time, he wouldn't even know that this guy had run off to a mountain village. And now that you've seen him, you probably wouldn't even recognize him. He looks better than any of you."

"Is that so? You didn't just stumble upon this on your way there, did you?" Old Wei quickly realized it was something circulating among high-ranking officials.

Old Zhu nodded: "Yes, I saw this whole thing, which is why I ordered the departments to rectify things, etc. I have a lot to thank for Old Zhang."

The nanny came over and said, "Secretary, the meal is ready. You can eat now." She then left.

"Time flies when we're chatting like this. Let's continue at the dinner table." He invited everyone to join him for dinner.

The group hadn't been here for a long time, and naturally had a lot to say, making the dinner table the perfect place for it.

Old Zhu walked towards the bedroom. Minghu, who was behind him, was a little puzzled. Could he be going inside to get some wine? But there were still quite a few bottles of wine outside. Could he be getting some good wine?

Just as the group sat down, Old Zhu came out with a bottle of green liquid in his hand.

"I called you all here today not so much to chat, but to let you try this bottle of wine I'm holding. I bet none of you have tried it before." He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"What kind of wine is that? It's so good. Be careful not to blow your own horn and then it'll be hard to cover it up." Aiguo joked with a smile.

Old Zhu waved his hand, "Don't worry, it definitely won't break. You'll be in for a surprise later."

Have the nanny bring out the wine glasses that we rarely use. Good wine deserves good glasses; as the saying goes, "Fine wine in a luminous cup."

The point of discussion is this wine; with better equipment, the taste of the wine is naturally superior.

The nanny quickly brought over a set of wine glasses; the white glasses were exceptionally dazzling.

"Wow, I didn't expect your wine glasses set to be in such good condition. It's rare to see you use this set of wine glasses. We've known each other for many years, and this is only the second time I've seen you take it out." Aiguo was very surprised. It looked like an ordinary bottle of wine, but he used this set of wine glasses.

These people were all very familiar with this set of wine utensils. Old Zhu had once said that drinking should be done in a certain mood, and only then would one use this set of wine utensils. Who would have thought that an ordinary bottle of wine would require this set of wine utensils?

Aside from surprise, the only thing I was looking forward to was figuring out what made this wine so special.

The expressions on everyone's faces were unmistakably written.

Old Zhu opened the sealed bottle cap, and the aroma of the wine wafted out through the cracks.

"It smells wonderful! This wine is so fragrant." Those who appreciate wine will naturally smell the aroma.

As soon as the bottle was opened, a rich aroma of wine was released, which surprised everyone present. Only aged wines have this aroma; usually, you can only smell the fragrance of newly made wine by bringing it right up to your nose.

Old Zhu held the wine bottle and poured a cup of plum wine for each person.

The wine, as smooth as silk, exuded a fragrance. After a while, the room was filled with a pale white mist. The aroma of the wine actually formed a mist.

This is an extraordinary event. No wonder Old Zhu called everyone over. This is something that ordinary people could never imagine. The aroma of wine actually turned into mist. What a strange and wonderful thing.

"Old Zhu, what kind of wine is this that has such a strange phenomenon?" Aiguo stared wide-eyed at the layer of mist above his head.

"Yes, just looking at this layer of mist, you can't imagine what this wine tastes like," Minghu commented.

Seeing that everyone was either surprised or puzzled, just like when he had encountered it before, he said, "This is plum wine. Take out the plums inside, and it will look like this. Don't ask how such a strange sight could appear. I'm the same as you; this is the second time I've seen it."

Everyone was curious about how the aroma of the wine turned into mist, but to their surprise, Old Zhu didn't know either, and it was only the second time he had seen it, which was truly unbelievable.

"But why isn't this kind of wine available on the market?" Old Wei asked, full of questions.

"That's why I was so surprised. This wine is not only unique in its aroma, but most importantly, it has a low alcohol content, though it's lower than that of ordinary wines. Yet, the taste is a hundred times better than any other wine, and the effects are simply indescribable."

After Lao Zhu returned, he would enjoy a little bit of it every day. He felt great in the morning, in a good mood, and had a good appetite. He felt like he was ten years younger.

"This wine isn't available on the market. They gave it to me as a thank you. It's a rare find, unlike Moutai or other liquors that are readily available. I just wanted to share it with you guys."

No wonder, it turns out it wasn't sold on the market. If it were on the market, it would be like a sword that could rival any other.

Everyone stared at the green liquid in the cup, unable to reconcile it with the mist, still in a state of surprise and speechless.

"Stop daydreaming, everyone. Drink this wine while you can, or it will evaporate into mist, which would be a shame." He picked up his glass and took small sips.

When drinking other kinds of wine, you naturally have to drink it in big gulps to feel good, but this wine can only be enjoyed slowly, savoring the process without being too hasty.

Everyone slowly sipped the wine, savoring its natural aroma and subtle warmth. The more they drank, the more amazed they became; it was simply incomparable to any other wine.

No wonder this wine isn't on the market; it seems there's some truth to it.

After a while, everyone's complexion was much better than before they came. They probably didn't even know it would have such an effect!

"Well! Now you know why this wine needs this set of utensils! I still think this set of utensils doesn't do justice to this wine." Old Zhu said, looking at the wine glass in his hand with a regretful expression.

"Old Zhu, you're a true friend. This is great wine. I feel so comfortable all over. I don't know what words to use to describe it." Aiguo said with great excitement.

"After tasting this wine, I'm afraid I won't look at any other wine. My family has quite a few good wines. Old Zhu, you've really put me in a difficult position," Old Wei said to Old Zhu with a wry smile.

"These are friends, otherwise I would only enjoy this wine by myself. Now it's a joyful occasion for everyone. Good wine should be shared with friends. Everyone can get a glass; any more than that and we won't be able to make more." He glanced at the wine bottle on the table.

They were even given a glass, but once it was gone, it was gone, leaving the group quite bewildered. Although they had all tasted many fine wines, this was the first time they had ever enjoyed one.

"This wine of yours, it wasn't brought from Old Zhang's mountain village, was it?" Old Wei thought for a moment and quickly said.

Unexpectedly, they guessed very quickly and immediately figured it out: "It came from Old Zhang's place. He gave it to me as a thank you for his help. Otherwise, none of us would get to enjoy this wine. It's a top-quality wine, and it's not usually shown to others."

Damn it, that old Zhang, he's got good fortune but forgot about us. We really took care of him for nothing. No wonder he's holed up there instead of going back to the provincial capital; turns out he's enjoying his leisurely life.

"Let me tell you, this kind of wine that turns into mist is rare, but there's a lot of this lower-grade wine. That guy basically drinks it all, otherwise his health would be much better than mine now." Thinking of how much Old Zhang enjoyed himself, he had to cause some trouble.

"Ah, it's a level lower, then the taste is completely different." Minghu asked, puzzled.

"Yes, but that wine is the best for healing. If you drink it often, you probably won't need to go to the hospital for minor illnesses and injuries, believe it or not," he said cheerfully to Aiguo.

Aiguo had just downed a cup when he felt a distinct sensation throughout his body. He knew perfectly well what he was feeling. "That's right, I understand this feeling perfectly. This wine really does have such great benefits."

"You'll know tomorrow morning."

Anxious Lao Wei was determined to go and see who had the skill to make this wine. Looking at the bottle, it was clearly handmade, probably made with a traditional recipe.

"Old Zhang is currently holed up in a mountain village villa. The scenery there is quite beautiful. He spends his days writing and painting, and his health is getting better and better." In fact, Old Zhu was very envious.

Old Zhang, meanwhile, kept yawning. Why were so many people thinking about me today? Or was he just catching a cold? He shook his head and continued grinding ink and practicing calligraphy. With a good mood, the characters he wrote were naturally more magnificent and powerful than usual.

"If it really works that well tomorrow, I'll definitely go check on Old Zhang. He's doing so well now, and he didn't even say hello."

"Come on, let's have a drink! Everyone, please enjoy!"

A group of people sat around the table, chatting and laughing. (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and read the official version!)