The aroma of wine in the living room was long and refreshing. Huo Xuan and Tao Bo, who loved wine, had seen a lot of good wine. When they smelled this aroma, they couldn’t help but feel refreshed and sighed in their hearts.

Today, the Zhou family gathered more people than usual for dinner. Except for Qin Kai who hadn’t woken up yet, there were not only Zhou Shudi and Min Ziqian, who had recently followed Zhou Jinnan to learn cooking, but also Huo Qingyi, Chen Wenyan, and even the people Huo Xuan had recruited to work for him temporarily. It was precisely because of the large number of people that the dinner location was moved from the dining room to the more spacious living room.

At this time, it was not yet time for Zhou Jinnan to say that dinner was ready. Most of the people who followed Zhou Jinnan to learn cooking were in the kitchen helping Zhou Jinnan, but there were still many people in the living room.

 “Why are there so many people today?” Huo Xuan was stunned when he entered the Zhou family’s gate. “By the way, where’s the wine? I smelled it before I even entered the door.”

Zhou Shudi was serving dishes from the kitchen to the living room dining table with Min Ziqian. Hearing Huo Xuan’s question, he explained, “Jinnan said that several types of wine he brewed will be opened today, so he called everyone here to taste it and see everyone’s feedback.”

Huo Xuan became alert: “Are you asking us to taste it?” The tone of this question sounded like a question that only arises after getting familiar with Zhou Jinnan.

 “…I guess so. Except for me, Jinnan said that he would only charge the cost price for today’s wine and dishes…” Zhou Shudi’s calm tone revealed the helplessness of being accustomed to Zhou Jinnan’s style, “But today’s dishes are very rich, and several of them are the main dishes when Jushanlou is opened. It will definitely not disappoint you.” The total price is daunting. If Zhou Jinnan hadn’t said that he would only charge cost price, Huo Qingyi and Chen Wenyan would definitely not have the courage to join this meal even if Zhou Jinnan invited them.

“Okay…” Huo Xuan felt a toothache. Cost price… It’s rare that Zhou Jinnan is so generous. He should not miss this opportunity. Fortunately, he didn’t eat much at noon, and his stomach was empty. If possible, it would be best to knock off a few more jars of wine after eating.

Thinking of this, Huo Xuan couldn’t help but touch his abdominal muscles. He ate too well at Zhou’s house, and he would forget about moderation if he was not careful. Even though he had increased his usual fitness training due to his weight gain recently, the lines of his abdominal muscles began to become blurred.  Let’s increase the amount of training again tomorrow, Huo Xuan thought.

Tao Bo couldn’t hold back his excitement. He took a sharp look at the simple black-brown pottery jar beside him. He quickly ran over and opened the bright red cloth covering the jar. The richer and clearer aroma of wine rushed out of the jar and entered the noses of everyone present, bringing a baptism of wine aroma to the sense of smell.

The capacity of the wine jar was not large. The entire jar was less than three liters. He first smelled it, observed it carefully, and then couldn’t wait to pour himself a glass. The light blue color of the wine was very pleasing to the eye. The wine was almost transparent and extremely clear. The sound of the wine pouring into the wine cup and hitting the wall of the cup was crisp, loud and short. Tao Bo couldn’t help licking his lips and took a sip from the wine cup.

 The alcohol content of this wine is not too high. It should be similar to traditional liquor. However, the wine is not as spicy and bold as ordinary wine. Instead, it is unusually clear. The flavor reminds people of the hermits who lived in the mountains and rivers in ancient times. The tongue is completely wrapped by the wine from tip to tail, and the taste is conquered by the mellow taste of the wine. When the wine is sweet, you can still taste the fragrance of bamboo. Yes, it should be a gentleman who is unrestrained beside the bamboo forest after the rain.

“Is the sweet fragrance I tasted this time… the fragrance of bamboo?” Tao Bo said uncertainly.

 Just as Mozhi finished feeding Qin Kai today’s medicine and ran out of Qin Kai’s room, he heard Tao Bo’s words and said, “The name of this wine is Junzhu, of course you can taste the bamboo fragrance.”

“Junzhu? This name is quite appropriate.” Tao Bo smacked his lips and said with some regret, “It’s just that the taste is a bit light, the degree is not enough, and it’s not strong enough.”

“Junzhu is refreshing when you first drink it, but it has a strong aftereffect. If you can’t drink enough, take it easy!” Mozhi squeaked, explaining to Tao Bo, “And don’t be disdainful, it takes a lot of effort to brew such a small jar of wine! The raw materials for brewing should be freshly harvested.  Glutinous sorghum, wheat and glutinous rice that have been dried for no more than two days are mixed and crushed, and then steamed in a steamer before they can be used to make wine. The yeast added during the winemaking process must also be the best quality bran yeast. Not only that, in order to get the bamboo fragrance of Junzhu wine, you have to go to the bamboo forest after the rain in early spring to pick fresh bamboo leaves. Not a bit old or tender will do. The bamboo leaves are naturally air-dried after being picked, and then evenly spread in layers among the crushed and steamed wine materials, so that the wine can fully absorb the fragrance of the bamboo leaves. After that, it must be buried under a fruit tree that is at least fifty years old and refrigerated for fermentation for four months to get such a small jar of Junzhu wine. “

“So complicated?” Tao Bo just likes wine tasting. It’s the first time he heard that winemaking takes so much effort. “The wine produced by machines in those wine factories has a less complicated process.” But the taste of the two is indeed incomparable.

“The procedure I mentioned has been simplified a lot. The actual brewing will be more complicated.” It said proudly and ran to the kitchen to find Zhou Jinnan. In its heart, it still had the superiority of Tao Bo who had never seen the world. It really had never seen good wine. It was just a few months of Junzhu wine that made it so fascinated. The Junzhu wine Zhou Jinnan gave it to drink was at least dozens or hundreds of years old!

Seeing that Tao Bo had already refilled his glass, Huo Xuan frowned: “Tao Bo.”

“Hmm? Uncle Huo, what’s the matter?” Tao Bo squinted his eyes and enjoyed the wine. He didn’t hear Huo Xuan’s dissatisfaction and reminder at all. He didn’t take Mo’s reminder to heart at all. He was famous in the First Legion for not getting drunk after drinking a thousand cups. Such a small jar of wine was not enough for him to drink alone!

 There was no way, Tao Bo could not understand what he meant, Huo Xuan had to pour himself some wine, and then he saw the huge wine jars piled in the corner, which were sealed with thick mud and had not been opened. All the wine jars were placed in a special cool and sealed box: “Are those also Junzhu wine?”

Zhou Jinnan came out of the kitchen with the last dish: “Those are the other four kinds of wine that will be served when the store opens, you are not allowed to touch them. I opened a separate jar and put it in the kitchen.”

“There are four other kinds of wine?!” Tao Bo drank it all in surprise, and immediately walked to the kitchen, and then walked out steadily holding the other four small wine jars of the same size as before, “Come on, open all of these together.” I didn’t expect to be able to drink so many fresh wines at once, today is really wonderful!

Zhou Jinnan stopped Tao Bo’s action expressionlessly: “Tao Bo, pay attention, with your current mental state, you can only drink two taels of spiritual wine a day at most.”

Tao Bo was stunned, standing there in a daze: “What did you say?! Two taels?! At most?!” He drank two catties without feeling weak! Two taels can’t satisfy his craving.

Huo Xuan chuckled, gloating: “Two taels of wine is not a small amount, but… you have almost drunk one tael just now, right?”

“Uncle Huo!” Tao Bo’s face was dark, and he calculated in his mind, “There are still four kinds, even if I drink a little less of each, I have to taste them all!”

“As long as you don’t drink too much, you can drink as much as you want.” Zhou Jinnan said, “But once you can’t control yourself-Qin Kai’s present is your future.”

Tao Bo stopped talking, staring at the wine jar in Huo Xuan’s hand with hatred, salivating: “I know…”

“What are the other four kinds of wine?” Min Ziqian asked curiously.

 “Quanlan, Shuangju, Hanmei and Liesong,” Zhou Jinnan replied, “Among them, Meilan, Zhuju and Zhu belong to the gentleman series, with a relatively clear aroma, which is more acceptable to the public. Liesong is a separate type, suitable for people who like strong liquor.”

Everyone sat neatly around two large round tables when Zhou Jinnan came out without being told. When Zhou Jinnan put the last dish on the table, they couldn’t wait to reach for the wine jar that Tao Bo brought from the kitchen and carefully poured themselves a glass. Everyone understood that today’s food tasting was just a side event, and the wine was the highlight. Zhou Jinnan collected the same amount of money from everyone, and if they acted a step late and drank one less glass than others, it would be a loss!

As for Tao Bo, who could only drink two taels, it would be better to have one less person competing with them! Who would care about Tao Bo’s mood at this time! It’s a pity that I probably won’t be able to taste Junzhu wine today.

 Half of the people present ate at Huo Xuan’s table. Min Ziqian, as a junior, did not have the courage to ask Huo Xuan. Although Shu Xiaotong, Liang Yongning and the other five people did not know Huo Xuan’s identity, they could guess from his clothes and demeanor that he was an extraordinary person. Therefore, no one fought for the Junzhu wine in Huo Xuan’s hand.

One person monopolized the entire jar of Junzhu, but Huo Xuan was still not satisfied. He tasted the other four wines and commented one by one: “These wines are all very good. Junzhu and Quanlan are the most versatile. They are both good for heavy or light dishes. Shuangju has a stronger and more intense flavor, which is more suitable for braised dishes with sauce. Liesong is most suitable for drinking alone with appetizers; Hanmei wine…” He paused and thought for a while before continuing, “Hanmei wine is the most special. It is suitable for tasting alone or drinking with dishes, but its style is more likely to cover up the style and impression of the dishes themselves. I can  Zhou Jinnan thought of the dish that you made that is most suitable for Hanmei wine, which seems to be steamed knife fish? “

“Your feeling is correct, because Hanmei is a kind of wine that I specially figured out to match dishes that are beneficial to mental strength.” Zhou Jinnan explained, “With only these five kinds of wine, will it not be enough to cope with the opening of Jushanlou?”

Min Ziqian thought about the situation of his own restaurant and said, “It should be enough. There are only three kinds of homemade wine in our restaurant. Grandpa has studied many kinds of homemade wine, but in the end, after the natural selection and elimination of diners, only three kinds were left, and the rest were  The most common alcoholic beverages purchased are from the market. It is already very good that you can have five kinds of home-made wines with different styles as soon as you open. “

“But we do not plan to introduce alcoholic beverages that are already on the market in Jushanlou. We only supply home-made alcoholic beverages.” Zhou Shudi said, “I have confidence in Jinnan, but I am worried that the supply of alcoholic beverages will not be able to keep up with the consumption of diners in Jushanlou. The brewing process of these kinds of alcoholic beverages is complicated and it is difficult to mass produce them.”

“Zhou Jinnan, do you have any extra alcoholic beverages to sell now? Just name the price and I will buy them all!” Huo Xuan didn’t care about Zhou Shudi’s worries. He waved his hand.  He said directly, “I want as many as you have.”

After all, he was his old customer, his biggest customer, and one of the golden thighs that Zhou Jinnan had to rely on. Zhou Jinnan was about to refuse directly, but changed his mind and said, “Wait until the day when Jushanlou officially opens, I will see the reaction of diners to the wine and drinks. If there is any extra for the time being, I will sell it to you.”

“I have a suggestion for you. The capacity of your wine jars is much larger than the capacity of bottles in the current wine market. You’d better divide the wine jars and sell them separately,” Huo Xuan suggested, “It’s also better to set up a novel packaging separately to promote your brand.”

“I’ve already done that. I’ve commissioned the factory to process the customized packaging, and it will all be delivered in two days.” Zhou Shudi said, as if he was already familiar with these processes. “Once these wines are packaged, Jushanlou can officially open.”