The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

"Brother Fang, it's understandable that women don't know about this kind of wine, but we men should know a bit about it. Tell me, have you ever drunk this wine before?"

"No." Fang Yun didn't have much to say and simply said that he hadn't drunk it.

Upon hearing this, Li Guozhi burst into laughter, while Gu's parents couldn't help but chuckle. Fortunately, they were all well-mannered and stopped laughing after a short while.

"Xiao Xiang, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're good at everything else. Why force yourself to save face for things you don't understand? I think you should learn a thing or two about honesty from this Xiao Fang," Gu Song said from the side.

Of course, besides his own dislike of Fang Yun, he also wanted to make Li Guozhi more favorably disposed towards his daughter.

How could a country bumpkin with no family background possibly compare to Li Guozhi, a rich young master?

"Brother Fang, what kind of alcohol do you usually drink? Tell me what you like to drink, and I'll bring it to you if there's any chance in the future."

Li Guozhi pretended to ask Fang Yun again, knowing full well that Fang Yun would probably only mention those low-class, unrefined wines, which would only highlight Fang Yun's ignorance.

"I don't pay any special attention to that. I usually just drink whatever people offer me."

Li Guozhi chuckled upon hearing this, patted Fang Yun on the shoulder, and said, "Brother, you seem to be doing pretty well. You're always getting treated to meals."

Gu Tingxiang grinned and said, "You think you're the only one with a lot of people inviting you to dinner? Young Master Fang just doesn't want to eat out, otherwise even if someone wanted to invite him, he wouldn't have a chance."

"Xiao Xiang!"

Gu Song shouted angrily.

"I said, how come you've started exaggerating so much after only a week? Where did you learn that?"

"Hmph, how did I exaggerate? You're the ones who don't recognize a great man." Gu Tingxiang retorted without backing down.

At that moment, Gu Song got angry, but his mother immediately calmed him down.

"What are you doing? The children are all here. Are you trying to make a fool of yourself in front of outsiders?"

As she spoke, Gu Mu glanced meaningfully at Fang Yun. Upon hearing this, Gu Song's anger immediately subsided. After all, nothing should be said casually to outsiders.

Otherwise, if Fang Yun saw it, wouldn't that be an insult to my status?

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore, let's drink." Li Guozhi quickly stepped in to smooth things over, after all, he was also a guest today, and if anything unpleasant happened at the host's house, he, as the guest, would also bear some responsibility.

Fang Yun originally didn't want to drink, but after Li Guozhi persuaded him, he was given a cup.

"How is it? How does it taste?"

After watching Fang Yun finish his drink, Li Guozhi wanted Fang Yun to share his thoughts, waiting for Fang Yun to say that it was delicious so that he could boast about it again.

"This...this taste seems somewhat familiar," Fang Yun said after taking a sip.

Li Guozhi chuckled and said, "Try it carefully. How could the taste be familiar? This is probably the first time you've ever drunk this wine in your life."

Li Guozhi felt that Fang Yun was putting on a brave face and saying that on purpose.

"No mistake, this is the taste, but the flavor of this wine is not as rich as the others."

Upon hearing this, Li Guozhi immediately chuckled and patted Fang Yun on the shoulder. He hadn't expected Fang Yun to be so shameless; this Jade Qiong Liquor was already a top-grade wine, how could he possibly drink something even more mellow?

As for the Gu family's service staff, their expressions towards Fang Yun changed somewhat.

If it were just a matter of low social status or poverty, that would be one thing, but lying without batting an eye is absolutely unacceptable.

In their minds, Fang Yun must have used sweet talk to trick Gu Xiaoxiang into becoming his friend. How could they keep such a person around?

Gu Song had already made up his mind. After dinner, he would have his servants come and kick Fang Yun out, and forbid Fang Yun from ever setting foot in the Gu family again.

"Brother, what you're saying is a bit biased. You can say I'm no good, but this wine is a treasure I keep at home; you can't say it's good enough."

Chapter 525 Eat and Drink as You Like

Fang Yun, however, looked completely innocent and said, "What, you don't believe me?"

Fang Yun's question immediately annoyed Gu Song, who was standing nearby. As a second-generation member of the prestigious Gu family, he considered it a rare treat to even have a sip of this Jade Elixir.

Fang Yun, however, remarked that the wine was just so-so, implying that the young man was drinking better wine than he was.

How could that be possible?

"If you don't believe me, fine. I remember the name of that wine... I think it was called Water Dragon... or something like that."

As Fang Yun pondered this, Li Guozhi was taken aback, and his hand, which had just picked up a wine glass, froze in mid-air.

Gu Song was wondering what had happened to Li Guozhi and was about to ask when Li Guozhi asked with a curious look, "Are you talking about Water Dragon Chant?"

"Oh, I think so, that's the name. You see, I can never remember the names of these wines."

Fang Yun remembered something and slapped his forehead.

Just as Gu Song was about to curse him for being pretentious, Li Guozhi coughed and gave him a wink.

"I wonder where you drank this wine before, Brother Fang? I've heard of it before, but I've never had the chance to actually taste it, which is a real pity."

When Li Guozhi asked this, Gu Song, standing beside him, asked in confusion, "Nephew, what do you mean? Isn't this Jade Qiong Liquid good enough? What is that Water Dragon Chant? It sounds like a counterfeit wine."

Li Guozhi chuckled dryly a few times, then walked over and pulled Gu Song aside, speaking to him in a low voice.

"Uncle, let me tell you, this kid might have quite a background. You should keep your mouth shut to avoid getting into any unnecessary trouble."

At first, Gu Song seemed puzzled and didn't answer, but then he snorted coldly and said, "Trouble? I only cursed him a few times. In my case, what trouble could I possibly get if I just beat him up?"

Li Guozhi was both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected that after all these years, Gu Song's temper hadn't changed at all. He then cautiously said, "Uncle Gu, let me tell you this, this Shui Long Yin... this wine, even my father has never tasted it."

"The last time I knew about this wine was when my father took me to a party, but he was only seated in the lower seats. This wine is only for a few important people at the top!"

Li Guozhi's words immediately startled Gu Song.

The Li family is in no way inferior to the Gu family, and Li Guozhi's father is the dignified head of the Li family, while he himself has no status in the Gu family.

Even the head of the Li family didn't have the chance to drink this, so you can imagine how noble one's status must be to be able to drink it.

"So, according to you, that kid... Fang Yun might have some kind of background?"

As Gu Song said this, he looked around carefully again in the direction of Fang Yun in the living room, but he couldn't find anything special about Fang Yun.

"Did that kid overhear it somewhere and then deliberately say it to show off?" Gu Song wondered.

“It’s possible, but the probability is not high.” Li Guozhi narrowed his eyes. This wine is something that is not circulated outside the world. Ordinary people would not only never see it, but they would not even know that such a wine exists in the world.

Knowing the name of this wine means you're not an ordinary person.

"Alright, let's not provoke that kid for now. I'll have Xiang'er find out more about him later."

Gu Song was not a bold person after all; he was all bark and no bite. Upon hearing that Fang Yun might have a special background, he immediately became somewhat deflated.

Although Li Guozhi looked down on them somewhat, it was a last resort. When the two returned to the banquet table, their expressions were rather strange.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Fang Yun asked, noticing the strange expressions on their faces.

"No, no, please enjoy your meal." The two didn't want to talk much and simply focused on eating. The luncheon ended in a rather awkward atmosphere.

When Gu Tingxiang saw Fang Yun out, she looked at him with surprise and said, "Young Master Fang, did you secretly use some kind of magic to scare them?"

Of course, this was just a joke, and the two of them (Qian Hao Zhao) didn't take it seriously. Afterwards, they went their separate ways.

When Fang Yun returned to the accommodations she had been assigned, she found that Yu Li had tidied up again; the living room was spotless and the bed was made very neatly.

If it were Fang Yun, he'd be lucky to clean this little house once every ten days or so. So, Fang Yun still thinks it's good to have someone take care of it.

As for Gu Tingxiang, Fang Yun knew perfectly well why she was suddenly being so nice to him, so he didn't take her kindness to heart. Fang Yun still believed that a person's level of civilization mainly depended on their attitude towards the weak.

Simply currying favor with the powerful is nothing special, nothing worth mentioning.

Chapter 526 Imitation Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse

After his lunch break, Fang Yun heard the chirping of cicadas outside and was reminded of his childhood. But this was only a superficial comfort; the Gu family was still rife with undercurrents and powerful enemies, waiting for him to exert his power.

Gu Tingfang didn't send anyone to call Fang Yun to discuss matters, probably because she was afraid it would disturb Fang Yun. But Fang Yun couldn't sit still if she didn't come to him.

"Which courtyard does your young lady live in?" Fang Yun asked the maid who was still standing there.

The maid originally wanted to take Fang Yun directly there, but Fang Yun waved his hand and said never mind. He asked her to tell him the general location and then came out.

I'm new here and still owe people favors, so it wouldn't be good to be too flamboyant.

Fang Yun also wanted to take this opportunity to take a good look at the Gu family.

It's clear that although the Gu family's architecture is antique, it was actually built less than five years ago. With good maintenance, the courtyard actually looks quite new. It probably gives the impression of a park that has been renovated multiple times to attract more tourists.

Although the true ancient charm couldn't be felt, Fang Yun really liked the green leaves and the tranquil atmosphere here.

After following the direction indicated by the maid, Fang Yun quickly arrived at the gate of a mansion.

This courtyard was no different from the others, and even the entrance was narrower. However, the peach trees planted at the entrance suggested that the owner of the courtyard was probably a girl.

"That shouldn't be the case. Gu Tingfang should have a high status in the Gu family. Gu Tingxiang's place was much more luxurious. Why is she living in this place?"

Fang Yun pondered for a moment and wondered if Gu Tingfang was perhaps a sentimental or frugal person who had always lived here and therefore hadn't asked to move.

"Young Master Fang, is that you?"

Fang Yun sat down in the courtyard, but before he could even greet anyone, the maid by the door spoke first.

"You know me?"

"Yes, our young lady said that if it's you, we'll let you in directly." The two women spoke in soft voices and then bowed.

Fang Yun nodded and then went inside.

Upon entering the courtyard, Fang Yun was not attracted by the exquisitely decorated pavilions and stone carvings. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on a large block of earth and wood.

"Strange, what is that thing?" Fang Yun walked forward curiously and discovered that what looked like a lump of wood was actually supported by four pillars that looked like cow legs.