Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 260 concludes with an inquiry.
Sheng Changquan looked at the people opposite him and leisurely explained, "Therefore, I specially used a few herbs to process it, and then buried it in my yard for storage."

This is a distilled spirit that Sheng Changquan figured out and replicated a few years ago. Because of its good appearance and strong taste, it is very popular among generous people, especially Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Xu, who are extremely fond of this spirit.

However, since both of them were not young, for their health, Sheng Changquan deliberately claimed that he had obtained the wine by chance and that there was not much of it.

Therefore, the two old people never forgot this strong liquor after they tasted it, and always remembered the taste. That's why Minglan said that.

Sheng Changquan mentally assessed the changes in the properties of the aged wine, thought for a moment, and said, "However, this medicinal wine has been aged for two years now, so it seems it's time to open it!"

He smiled and continued, "After my treatment, the wine's harshness has been reduced, and its aroma has been enhanced. Over the years, it has become quite a precious tonic!"

"It is extremely appropriate to give this gift to an elderly man of Mr. Zhuang's age!"

Hearing Sheng Changquan say this, everyone finally understood the mystery behind it.

"So this is ah!"

Minglan suddenly realized!

"I said so!"

Minglan looked at Sheng Changquan beside her and said thoughtfully, "Back then, I clearly saw that you brewed all this wine yourself, so how come it suddenly disappeared?"

What Minglan was talking about was actually a funny little incident from a few years ago.

At that time, Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Xu had just tasted the fine wine brewed by Sheng Changquan, and they couldn't resist drinking more than half a jin of it together in no time.

And this half-jin was the entire amount that Sheng Changquan had given them.

Therefore, after they had tasted all of these, the two old men, like children, grabbed Sheng Changquan and made a fuss, insisting that he hand over the remaining wine, otherwise they would not leave!
Of course, the two elderly people at that time may have been a little drunk because it was the first time they had tasted such a potent liquor, which is why they made such a joke.

That's actually quite interesting.

"Yup!"

Sheng Changquan said somewhat helplessly, "Given the personalities of those two old men, how could I tell the truth?"

"I dare say, once these drinks fall into their hands, they'll definitely drink them all in one go!"

"At that time, they wouldn't care about their own health."

These two were Sheng Changquan's mentors, so how could he dare to refuse them directly?
Therefore, Sheng Changquan could only evade the question by saying that he did not have it, using a tactful way to refuse the matter.

"Therefore, I had no choice but to say this!"

When Sheng Changquan said this, he still looked somewhat aggrieved.

Actually, when distilled spirits were first produced, he didn't think about anything else; he just wanted to make this kind of spirit and do some small business.

Moreover, since he didn't know the value of this wine, he couldn't set a price for it, so he brought it out to ask the two elders for a fair evaluation.

However, who would have thought that once the wine was in the hands of these two elderly people, it would react like drugs in the hands of addicts, and their reaction completely terrified Sheng Changquan.

Knowing the treacherous nature of the world, he immediately decided that he absolutely could not expose this matter while he lacked the power to do so.

Therefore, the medicinal wine buried in Sheng Changquan's yard can be considered the last batch of high-proof liquor so far!

"Ok!"

After listening to Sheng Changquan's explanation, Minglan nodded, inwardly agreeing with his approach.

"Yes, we can't let those two know!"

"Otherwise, this matter will be a real headache!"

Minglan immediately decided to help Sheng Changquan keep this secret, otherwise, if he got entangled with those two elders, things would get really complicated!
Meanwhile, Aunt Wei and her son were unaware of this story, but they did understand one thing: Sheng Changquan had a fine wine that could be given as a thank-you gift to Mr. Zhuang!

Therefore, the two of them felt at ease.

"Brother Quan, I'm going to have to trouble you with this again!"

Aunt Wei looked at Sheng Changquan with some guilt and said, "Look, on this trip to the capital, the escort by the security company, the arrangement of our lodgings, and the management of Xiangshan Academy!"

"Everyone, from top to bottom, owes a great debt to you!"

"Tell me, how should I address Auntie?" "Oh, Auntie!"

Sheng Changquan quickly waved his hand and hurriedly said, "Auntie, we're all family, why be so formal!"

"Yes, Auntie!"

Minglan chimed in, "My brother and I only have you as our family left. Why say such things when we're all family?"

"If I say too much, it might seem like I'm being too formal!"

Aunt Wei understood what Minglan meant and realized that the relatives she was referring to were actually Wei Shuyi's relatives. However, in Minglan's eyes, Aunt Wei's relatives made her feel more comfortable.

Because there's none of the backstabbing and infighting like in the Sheng family here; instead, there's pure, friendly care and affection between family members.

"Yes, Mother!"

At this moment, Jiang Xingzong's emotional intelligence came into play. He immediately noticed the awkwardness of the situation and quickly tried to persuade his mother, following the words of Minglan and her siblings, saying, "My cousins ​​are right. We are all family. There's no need to be so formal!"

"However, despite this, my son will always remember this matter!"

Jiang Xingzong looked at Minglan and her brother and solemnly promised, "In the future, if you ever encounter any difficulties, you must tell your older brother!"

"No matter what it is, as long as I can do it, I will definitely help you get it done!"

Seeing Jiang Xingzong's statement, Minglan and her siblings hadn't said anything yet, but Aunt Wei nodded and affirmed, "Xing'er, you must remember what you said today!"

"In the future, if Minglan, Changquan and the others ever ask you to do anything, you must do it!"

"Otherwise, don't blame your mother for disowning you as her son!"

"Ah? Auntie..."

Just as Minglan and Sheng Changquan were about to offer some words of advice, Aunt Wei abruptly waved her hand to interrupt them. "Children, your aunt understands what you mean, but even brothers need to keep clear accounts. We can't let Xing'er keep taking advantage of you without giving anything in return!"

"So, this matter is settled!"

Seeing Aunt Wei's resolute expression, Minglan and her siblings had no choice but to remain silent. However, they secretly resolved to try their best not to trouble Jiang Xingzong in the future.

Meanwhile, Aunt Wei, who was sitting opposite her, felt a surge of emotion when she saw the children in front of her.
Remembering how outstanding Minglan and her brother were, Aunt Wei smiled with relief. "Sister, you don't need to worry!"

"Your children are all good children!"

……

In the following days, Aunt Wei's journey of expressing her gratitude went very smoothly. In Mr. Yu Zhuangru's opinion, his help to Jiang Xingzong was only because of Sheng Changquan's influence.

As for Sheng Changquan, Master Zhuang actually had other plans. In his eyes, Sheng Changquan might be related to his future plans, and even the inheritance of his lineage.

Indeed, in Mr. Zhuang Ru's plan, he intended to entrust all his knowledge to Sheng Changquan, hoping that he could inherit his will, carry forward his school of thought, and ideally lead the current trend of Confucianism and Taoism, so that future Confucianism would be respected by his school.

Of course, there was another reason why Mr. Zhuang was so sure about Sheng Changquan.

Therefore, in Mr. Zhuang's view, Jiang Xingzong's matter was nothing more than him clearing obstacles for his successor, so as to prevent him from being entangled in worldly affairs. Therefore, when Jiang Xingzong brought the two jars of wine given by Sheng Changquan to his door, Mr. Zhuang accepted them immediately.

His actions were, in effect, a way of indicating that he was willing to use these two jars of wine to resolve the karmic ties between him and Jiang Xingzong, and to erase the debt of gratitude between them.

Although Jiang Xingzong was unaware of this, Sheng Changquan saw through Mr. Zhuang's plan at a glance.

Therefore, after Jiang Xingzong finished expressing his gratitude to the old gentleman and left, Sheng Changquan did not leave immediately. Instead, he gestured for his cousin to go first, while he himself stayed with the old gentleman.

"Hmm? Good wine!"

After seeing Jiang Xingzong off, Mr. Zhuang sat down alone in a small pavilion not far away.

Mr. Zhuang sat down happily, holding the two jars of fine wine. At this time, he had not yet realized that the two jars of medicinal wine were actually the same kind he had drunk a few years ago, and he still thought that this was a new kind of elixir.

Under Sheng Changquan's blending, this distilled spirit was transformed from its usual harshness into a smoother, more mellow flavor with a hint of soy sauce aroma, and it acquired a variety of novel tastes. It was precisely these unusual flavors that kept the old drinker Zhuang Ru in the dark.

"pedant!"

Outside the pavilion, Sheng Changquan silently watched the figure of Old Master Zhuang, who was deliberately sitting on the stone bench with his back to him, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

In fact, Mr. Zhuang Ru was quite an interesting person. Besides being full of knowledge and learning, he was also quite like a playful old man, with no resistance to good food and wine.

Minglan can attest to this, because she used her skills to escape punishment from Master Zhuang several times.

"pedant!"

Seeing that Mr. Zhuang was pretending not to hear his call, Sheng Changquan could only helplessly call out again.

"Well?"

After Sheng Changquan called him several times, Mr. Zhuang finally "realized".

He turned around, squinted, and glanced at his student with an unreadable expression, asking, "Changquan, is something the matter?" "Why haven't you left with your cousin yet?"

Mr. Zhuang picked up the wine jar on the table, tilted it slightly, and poured the nectar, which shimmered with a faint golden light, into a small wine cup.

This wine glass is made of the finest mutton-fat jade. Any wine that falls into it will ripple with a strange beauty. Mr. Zhuang picked up the wine glass and swirled it slightly, trying to spread the aroma of the wine inside.

However, the old man did not know that this wine was a secret medicinal wine, and its aroma would only be released at two specific times.

One type is when the wine jug is opened for the first time, the aroma, which has been accumulating for several years, will evaporate and spread to the surrounding area the moment it comes into contact with the air.

Secondly, the aroma is only transmitted between the lips and teeth when the wine comes into contact with the human mouth and tongue, resulting in an incredibly rich fragrance on the taste buds. This fragrance is transmitted only with the human body and does not diffuse into the air.

This will lock in the aroma and flavor of the wine to the greatest extent possible.

Therefore, Mr. Zhuang's actions at this moment were completely futile. Although there was still a strong aroma of wine in the air, it was only because of the first situation.

"Scholar, please stop teasing me!"

Sheng Changquan didn't intend to hide anything from an elderly man like Mr. Zhuang. He looked directly into Mr. Zhuang's eyes and simply asked him the question directly.

"Scholar, could you tell your students why you're willing to help them so simply?"

"I know I don't have the same advantages as my classmates, so why are you helping me like this, Professor?"

Sheng Changquan couldn't understand why Mr. Zhuang treated him differently.
He lacked both Sheng Changbai's sense of righteousness and the title of the eldest grandson of the Sheng family, which he considered an old friend. Furthermore, he did not have the teacher-student relationship with Master Zhuang that Qi Heng had known for many years. Apart from his own "insignificant" talent, he truly could not understand the reason behind this.

However, it should be noted that Sheng Changquan did not fully display his talents. As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind," and knowing the principle of "the one who seeks the best will be king," he naturally had to hide his talents.

Therefore, Sheng Changquan was certain that he had not fully revealed his talents. In the eyes of others, he was only slightly more intelligent than ordinary people and could not be considered a prodigy. So why did Mr. Zhuang treat him differently?
He really couldn't understand it.

"hehe!"

Hearing his student speak so frankly, Mr. Zhuang felt quite pleased.

"Changquan, you finally asked!"

Mr. Zhuang put down what he was holding and replied with a smile, "That's right, you do not have Changbai's righteousness, Qi Heng's family background, or even Changfeng's age advantage!"

"However, in my eyes, these things are nothing special!"

"There is something extremely precious about you!"

"Oh?"

Sheng Changquan asked in bewilderment, "May I ask, scholar, what precious thing do I possess?"

"Ha ha!"

Mr. Zhuang picked up the glass of wine on the table and drank it all in one gulp!

"What I value most about you is that fearless spirit you possess!"

(End of this chapter)