Chapter 29: Buying Wine

Lin Dong didn’t walk heavily. Normally, the young man reading books should not have heard him. Yet, just two or three meters away from the counter, the young man suddenly jumped up as if startled, closed his book, and shoved it behind the counter before looking up at Lin Dong.
Huh…
Seeing Lin Dong, the young man let out a long sigh. His racing heart gradually calmed, and his expression turned cold. His already slanted eyes became even more skewed. “What do you want?”
“Buy some wine!” Lin Dong glanced at the counter with amusement. When the young man closed his book, he had caught a glimpse of nudity—no wonder he reacted that way.
“Buy wine?” The young man snarled angrily, “Don’t you know I’m the young master of Lou’s Winery? Why come to the counter if you’re buying wine?”
“The workers are eating. Where else should I go?” Lin Dong had seen what a spoiled brat looked like. It was one thing if the workers refused to deal with customers since it wasn’t their business, but even the young master was shouting.
“Go away…” The young master of Lou’s Winery waved his hand impatiently and sat back down, shouting at the workers eating not far away, “Are you deaf or dead? Do you want me to send you all home?”
The workers immediately panicked. Earlier, none of them wanted to get up, but now they all stood up and approached Lin Dong, though their eyes held a hint of hostility.
Lou’s Winery was always busy, with ten workers working nonstop from morning to night, except during lunch. After a busy morning, they expected no customers at noon—especially not just one, and not even a regular customer who bought large quantities. So why bother? If someone came, they could ask any worker, and the unlucky one would take care of it. Everyone who bought wine regularly knew this “disaster” was just a figurehead who did nothing but shout.
“Speak up! Which type? How many jin?” one worker asked irritably.
“What types are there?” Lin Dong asked patiently.
“One-year-old, two-year-old, three-year-old, and…” The worker didn’t want to go into further detail. Few people in Xilan City could afford the older wines, and he even knew their servants. So he simply asked, “How many jin?”
“What’s the best one?” Lin Dong pressed.
“How many jin do you actually want?” The workers were furious.
This was what it meant to be bullied by a big store! Lin Dong was speechless and too lazy to argue. He turned and left.

Thyme might be good, but Xilan City has more than just Thyme wine. Although the others are slightly inferior, they benefit from the King of Wine formula and are no less good than Thyme, capable of filling inns with customers as well. There’s no need to listen to their hawking here.
Seeing Lin Dong turn to leave, the clerks weren’t annoyed at all but instead felt relieved and returned to their dining tables. At the counter, Lou Wanzhang, the eldest son of Lou’s Winery, continued to read his book intently. Despite shadows moving around him, he didn’t even lift his eyelids.
Outside the door, as Lin Dong thought about other wine shops in the area, a young man in a green robe hurried toward him. Seeing Lin Dong come out of Lou’s Winery, the young man couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing Lin Dong with empty hands, the young man was momentarily stunned before stepping forward and asking, “Sir, are you here to buy wine?”
A scent of wine filled Lin Dong’s nostrils, prompting him to glance up and down at the young man. The man had a fair complexion, and his robe was covered in patches of gray stains, though of good quality. It wasn’t brocade, but still high-grade fabric. He didn’t seem like a clerk, yet he was quite different from the person sitting at the counter.
“Mm! But I don’t get along with that crooked-mouthed guy who reads pornographic books, so I plan to check out other places,” Lin Dong nodded.
Crooked-mouthed guy who reads porn? The young man was stunned and almost laughed, quickly saying, “I can’t speak for other places, but in Xilan City, Lou’s Winery’s Thyme is definitely the best. Since you want to buy wine, you naturally want good wine. What kind are you looking for?”
“How many kinds are there?” Lin Dong asked in return.
“It seems this is your first time visiting our shop,” the young man said cheerfully. “Lou’s Winery’s Thyme comes in six varieties by age—one year, two years, three years, five years, ten years, and thirty years. Since a small amount of magical herb is added during the brewing process, it’s different from other wines. It’s not the case that the older it is, the richer the flavor. If you buy the thirty-year version, you need to drink it within a year; otherwise, its taste and aroma will gradually fade. If you want to store Thyme of other ages, it’s best to open it in another year. Opening it early won’t change its taste or aroma much.”
“Can I try all six kinds?” Lin Dong began to change his mind.
The young man quickly nodded. “Of course. My name is Lou Wentang. I’m the second manager of Lou’s Winery. You can just call me Wentang. What’s your name?”
“My surname is Lin.”
“Please come in, Lord Lin,” the young man said, stepping aside to invite Lin Dong in.

Returning to Lou’s Wine Shop, Lin Dong’s arrival didn’t draw any attention from Lou Wanzhang or the clerks. Following Lou Wentang to the neatly stacked wine jars, Lin Dong waited as Lou Wentang rushed over with a bench. Once seated, Lin Dong waited for the samples.

Lou Wentang hurried into the back room and came back with a tray holding six small wine cups. He opened a few jars along the way, scooped some wine into the cups with a small spoon, then returned to the counter, lifting a jar from beneath it.

“That’s the 30-year-old!” Lou Wanzhang suddenly said.

“The customer wants to try it,” Lou Wentang replied with a smile.

Lou Wanzhang glanced at Lin Dong and snorted, “Just because someone buys a few pounds, you invite them to taste? If everyone came asking to try the 30-year-old Thyme, it’s better to close this shop and turn it into a charity hall.”

Lou Wentang didn’t argue. He lifted the cloth covering the jar and carefully poured a little wine into one of the cups.

After finishing everything, Lou Wentang brought the tray over to Lin Dong and handed him a cup. “Try this, young master Lin. This is the 1-year-old.”

Lin Dong wasn’t very good at drinking, usually managing only three or four liang. Since he had to drink with Bai Jingtai that night, even though there wasn’t much wine in the cup—only a small sip—he took a tiny drink.

“It’s not bad,” Lin Dong commented. He didn’t know much about wine tasting, but he could tell that the 1-year-old Thyme indeed had a rich flavor.

Lou Wentang took the cup from Lin Dong and quickly handed him another. “Try the 2-year-old next.”

After taking a sip of each of the six cups, Lin Dong smacked his lips and asked, “How much does each cost?”

Without hesitation, Lou Wentang replied, “10 wen per pound for the 1-year-old, 15 wen per pound for the 2-year-old, 20 wen per pound for the 3-year-old, 30 wen per pound for the 5-year-old, 50 wen per pound for the 10-year-old. The 30-year-old is at its best in flavor, and since its quality and aroma decline if it isn’t sold, it costs 500 wen per pound.”

“Can I get a lower price if I buy more?” Lin Dong asked.

“Except for the 30-year-old, for the others, it’s 90% off for over 100 pounds, 80% off for over 1,000 pounds, and 70% off for over 10,000 pounds.”

“How much 30-year-old do you have?” Lin Dong asked.

The clerks pricked up their ears. According to the shop’s rules, they had to keep track of how much wine they sold each day, and they would be rewarded extra money at the end of the month based on their sales. It was for these bonuses that they stayed at Lou’s Wine Shop; otherwise, why would anyone work such hard as a clerk?

Thirty-year-aged liquor costs 500 wen per jin; selling one jin is equivalent to selling fifty jin. If one can sell ten jin, it’s enough to win over a major client who runs a restaurant.
“There’s only about a hundred jin of thirty-year-aged liquor available now, with around twenty jin produced each month. Most of it is sent to the branches in Qiufeng City. If you desire it, you’ll need to place an order in advance,” Lou Wentang explained.
After calculating how much liquor would be needed given the busy lobby every day, Lin Dong made up his mind.
“I’ll take all of the thirty-year-aged liquor. For the one-year to ten-year-aged varieties… if they can all be sold at 70% of the regular price, order a thousand jin of each first.”
The workers stared in shock, thinking their ears were playing tricks. Even Lou Wanzhang at the counter suddenly stood up. Then, he threw aside the book in his hand and rushed out with a smile on his face.