[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

The guessing game among the villagers was even more exciting. With loud shouts and rapidly changing gestures, the atmosphere became even more lively.

After guessing the code, they played cards, with the stakes being a glass of bright red fruit cocktail. The ghost really liked the sweet taste, and in the end, you helped him back to the hotel.

The next morning, you brewed him a cup of tea as a return gift from your cousin—a packet of Maojian tea grown on his own land.

It is said that drinking it after drinking alcohol can accelerate alcohol metabolism and reduce the burden on the liver.

Thus, amidst the subtle bitterness of Maojian tea, Ghost discovered a second unique cocktail.

"After brewing this tea with osmanthus flowers, add Sanhua wine and chill it. This will amplify the aroma of Sanhua wine and create a more complex flavor profile."

You imagined it, and then commented with a smile:

"It sounds like it would be perfect for cutting through the greasiness after a meal."

The ghost rolled its eyes at you speechlessly: "All you ever think about is food..."

You quickly replied, "Because I am a powerful eagle!"

Seeing his confused look, you smiled and explained, "The 'ing' suffix in 'eating' sounds like 'eagle' in Chinese."

Spending time with him for a while, you also learn his corny jokes.

Under your gaze, he slowly raised the corners of his mouth and chuckled in agreement.

"Haha."

You were speechless: "Stop pretending, your smile has no soul."

Ghost shrugged, looking nonchalant: "How could that be? Have you forgotten that I am Ghost?"

Okay, okay, this is really just forcing a meme.

The next stop is Shaoxing, a famous water town in the Jiangnan region and also a renowned place for Shaoxing rice wine.

"Daughter Red? What a strange name."

The ghost holds a small, traditional wine jar covered with a red cloth. You point to the words written on the red paper on the jar and offer your comments as you explain their literal meaning.

The man, who was always calm and composed on the battlefield, once again revealed obvious emotions.

After all, Ghost has been isolated from normal society for a long time, and his access to information is limited except for military and daily life information, let alone a new culture that is very different from his previous interactions.

He said that although the place was poor and dilapidated, the people's faces were free of tears and sorrow. They were either peaceful or beaming with happy smiles, making people feel surrounded by a gentle warmth.

The dark brown wine jar in his hand, with the three characters "Daughter Red" on the red paper on it, had been worn smooth and warm by the passage of time.

You smiled and explained to him, "This is a very famous type of yellow wine here..."

"This is rice wine, but it's not ordinary rice wine."

The shop owner suddenly spoke up, in English with a slight accent.

You looked somewhat surprised; you genuinely hadn't expected that someone who looked to be in their fifties or sixties would speak English.

Seemingly sensing your thoughts, the shop owner responded with a kind smile:

“I studied abroad when I was young, then came back to inherit the family business, and now I also do some business overseas.”

As he spoke, he gently pried open the mud seal of one of the jars with a bamboo knife, and a rich aroma suddenly wafted out, like honey infused with osmanthus blossoms fermenting gracefully in the air.

“In the past, when a family in Shaoxing had a daughter, they would bury a jar of fine Shaoxing wine.”

The shop owner's fingertips traced the crackled ice patterns on the jar, his voice deep and gentle:

"I'll dig it up again when my daughter gets married to host a banquet. The wine contains over twenty years' worth of moonlight and rain; you can smell it..."

He held the wine jar in his hand close to the ghost, who immediately bent down and indeed smelled a faint, rich fragrance, which seemed to be mixed with the warm sweetness of rice milk.

Amber-colored liquor was poured into a white ceramic bowl, which the shop owner then handed over.

"Want to try some? This 20-year-old Daughter's Red wine isn't something you can just buy at any store."

The ghost took the bowl without hesitation, took a small sip, and then brought it to your lips. You took a small sip from the rim of the bowl he had just sipped from.

The initial taste is slightly sweet, followed by a warm current flowing from the throat to the stomach. After the initial spicy, sour, bitter, and astringent aftertaste, there is a subtle sweetness. The combination of these flavors creates a unique taste.

Like a few flavors that complement life, in the moment of closing your eyes after drinking it, you can almost see the people of this Jiangnan water town, who have brewed this small jar of gentle time with their youth and emotions.

"I'll buy this one."

Seeing the faint smile on your face, Ghost immediately took out his phone and decisively paid the bill!

The shop owner smiled and carefully wrapped the two wine jars, then gave him a small bag of dried plums.

"This Daughter's Red wine can be drunk directly, or it will have a different flavor after being heated. Adding some preserved plum or ginger according to your preference is also a good choice."

After you left the store, the ghost opened the bag of preserved plums, took one out, and put it in front of your mouth.

"what..."

He opened his mouth and made a sound, behaving as if coaxing a child to open their mouth.

You gave a helpless laugh, then opened your mouth and took the preserved plum from his hand, putting it in your mouth.

Then she winked at him and whispered:

"Thank you, Daddy."

Ghost's eyes suddenly darkened, but he quickly shifted his gaze and popped a preserved plum into his mouth.

Each of you is carrying a jar of Daughter's Red wine and has a preserved plum in your mouth as you wander around the town, eventually stopping in front of a shop where people gather around a stove to brew tea.

Half an hour later, you and the ghost were sitting face to face on bamboo chairs, with a small stove in front of you and several stacks of dried goods and fruit on the table.

But the aroma wafting from the small jar on the stove wasn't tea, but a rich fragrance of wine, with a subtle hint of sweet and sour plum.

"Simon, would you like to try some?"

You hand the freshly peeled, still steaming orange to the ghost.

He took it, broke it in half, put one half into his mouth, swallowed it, and then took a sip of the warmed wine.

Then, through the rising mist, you saw his softened features.

"This is a wine that makes you feel warm."

He spoke softly.

You nodded in agreement: "Yes, it has a story, it has warmth, it's a wine with its own soul."

It's not the intensity of baijiu, nor the crispness of rice wine, but rather a warm and mellow flavor...

Bonus Chapter: Simon x You 5

Simon Riley's little bar has opened in the city where you work.

And the name of the bar is one you are very familiar with.

The Robin

To celebrate with him, Price, Soap, and others took time off to come over.

The Robin Bar was filled with the rich aroma of alcohol in the evening.

The warm yellow wall lamps illuminated the wooden bar counter, and the walls were adorned with vintage British city posters and some desolate landscape photos.

In the corner, an old-fashioned record player was playing "Waterloo Sunset," a song by a British rock band. Although it was a rock band, the style of the music was peaceful and serene.

You sit at the bar, watching the ghost slicing lemons with its head down.

He wore a charcoal gray waistcoat, his shoulders stretched taut by his broad back muscles, and the front of the waistcoat was adorned with subtle diamond-shaped folds, the curves of his chest muscles.

The vest had faint horizontal lines stretched below the third button, rising and falling slightly with each breath.

Add to that the taut waistline accentuated by the vest, and the way he cut the lemon made his biceps stretch the sleeves into a smooth arc. The muscular arms revealed by the folded sleeves were sexy and taut, making his whole body look like an ancient Greek sculpture wrapped in cloth.

Just based on its physique alone, a robin's business seems unlikely to be bad...

You stared blankly, until a passionate and exaggerated shout finally brought you back to your senses.

"Simon! Your good brothers have arrived!"

Soap, dressed in a simple tracksuit with a black travel backpack on his back, slammed open the bar door with his body, making the bell on the top of the door ring crisply!

"Everyone said Simon should pick you up, but you wouldn't, which made us late."

Behind him, Gates lazily complained, his slow tone giving his bubbly voice an unusual charm.

Soap gave a haughty snort: "It was clearly the captain who said he wanted to take a walk, I was just following orders."

The word "command" is emphasized in pronunciation, clearly implying that you're up to no good and can pick a fight with Price.

"Stop, you're not children anymore."

Behind them came Price's smiling voice.

Yuri, standing beside the two, remained silent throughout.

You and Simon walked over, and you greeted him with a smile. Ghost, with a blank expression, also said, "Welcome."

Several people took out the gifts they had prepared as a congratulatory gift for the opening.

You also led them to the table you had prepared, where some of the food you had prepared was placed.

Ghost quickly mixed several different drinks and walked steadily over, carrying the tray in one hand.

After taking a sip of the cocktail, Soap obligingly chimed in, "This delicious food and fine wine are more than enough to cover our airfare!"

As he spoke, he held up the bag he had been carrying, his tone revealing a hint of pride: "Look what good stuff I bought!"

After seeing the name on the packaging, you looked surprised and asked, "Little John, why did you buy this?"

Over the years, and because of your relationship with the ghost, you've developed a more intimate way of addressing Soap.

Soap replied with a smug smile, "When I asked for directions, I saw a lot of people queuing up to buy it. A student told us in English that it was delicious and a special holiday food of yours!"

You cover your mouth, tilt your head back and laugh for a while before replying to him, still breathless:

"What they said is true. This is a kind of cake that we must eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but... haha, its filling... pfft, it is usually made of five ingredients: peanuts, melon seeds, walnuts, sesame seeds, and apricots. Are you sure you want to eat it?"

Those foreigners have all sorts of allergies; a simple five-nut mooncake might just knock out everyone present except you.

Especially Yuri, who went to the infirmary last time.

Soap was taken aback, then looked surprised: "Why would you eat such dangerous things during a holiday!"