Originally, Jiang Tao planned to drink just a tiny bit to have a taste.
In the end, he ended up finishing all the Daughter Red Wine in the enamel basin in just a few gulps, and then poured himself half a basin more.
Itâs just like those guys who trick girls into hotels saying theyâll only "cuddle," but itâs all talkâthey never mean it!
Of course, the main reason is that this Daughter Red Wine is just too delicious.
After the first sip you want the second, thereâs simply no way to resist!
In no time at all, Jiang Tao had drunk over three ounces, his face turning a little red and his whole body feeling warm and fuzzy.
"Canât drink any more, really canât, gotta save some."
"If itâs really worth 20,000 a jar like the system said, didnât I just drink six or seven thousand yuan worth right now?"
Thinking of the price the Intelligence System gave for this Daughter Red Wine, Jiang Tao suddenly felt the pain in his wallet.
He quickly put the lid back on the wine jar, quashing his impulse to have another cup.
Suddenly, Jiang Taoâs ears perked up as he heard the landlord uncleâs voice coming from the hallway outside.
"Xiao Chen, try to keep it down when you and your girlfriend are... busy at night."
"Youâre not the first one people are complaining aboutâfolks say youâre too loud, keeping everyone up."
"Young people have needs, I totally get it, but you gotta understand the other tenants around you too, right?"
"Just be more considerate..."
Listening to the conversation outside between the landlord and Xiao Chen, Jiang Tao shook his head and chuckled.
This old tube apartmentâs got a few married couples, and because Jiang Tao goes to bed late, he often hears some sounds that arenât exactly PG-rated at night.
"Oh right, the landlord uncle likes to drink, and heâs got money too. Wonder if heâd be interested in some fine wine like this?"
After eating the tenantsâ melon, inspiration struck Jiang Tao, and he put the landlord uncle on his list of potential clients.
"Iâll let him try a little first."
With that thought, Jiang Tao was about to pick up the wine jar to pour some into his dinner enamel basin for a sample.
But the moment he lifted the jar, he changed his mind.
"This wine jar has a vintage vibe. If I let the landlord uncle see the jar, itâs much more convincing!"
Thinking that, Jiang Tao put the jar back on the table, then stepped out of his room.
Just as he walked out, he saw the landlord had finished talking to Xiao Chen and was about to head downstairs.
"Landlord uncle, wait a sec, donât leave yetâIâve got something to talk to you about."
Jiang Tao sped up and caught up to the landlord uncle, greeting him with a smile.
"Oh? Xiao Jiang, whatâs up?"
LĂŒ Qian looked at Jiang Tao with a smile, asking curiously.
"Uncle, have a cigarette. Come on over to my place, Iâve got something good to show you."
Jiang Tao pulled a Liqun cigarette from his pack and handed it to the landlord, inviting him into his room with a smile.
"Oh? What good thing?"
LĂŒ Qianâs curiosity was piqued by Jiang Taoâs words.
The old man took out his lighter, lit the cigarette Jiang Tao gave him, and followed him towards his room.
"Please, come on in, and youâll see what the good stuff is. I guarantee itâs your favorite."
Jiang Tao stood by the door, gesturing politely for the landlord uncle to step in first.
"My favorite?"
The old man peeked inside, expecting to see a pretty young girlâbut nope.
He muttered to himself, wondering what Xiao Jiang was up to this time.
After the landlord entered, Jiang Tao followed him in and closed the door.
"Uncle, my dad had an old friend from back home bring me a few jars of Daughter Red Wine that have been cellared for twenty years. Donât know if youâd be interested."
Jiang Tao didnât waste time; he went straight to the point with the landlord uncle.
"Twenty-year-old Daughter Red? For real?"
LĂŒ Qian let out a puff of smoke and chuckled.
Hearing twenty years, LĂŒ Qianâs first reaction was that Jiang Taoâs probably exaggerating a lot.
As a longtime drinker, LĂŒ Qian knows all the tricks in the wine-collecting world.
At most, people age their wine five or six years, make the jars look old, and call it twenty or thirty years cellared.
Itâs all to sell at a higher price using the "old vintage" gimmick, right?
"Real or not, you can see for yourself."
Jiang Tao grinned and pointed to the jar on the table, already opened by him.
Following Jiang Taoâs finger, the moment LĂŒ Qian saw the wine jar, a trace of brightness flashed in his eyes.
"This wine was buried in my homeâs courtyard for a full twenty years. This year, my dad renovated, so we just dug them up."
"Youâve been drinking your whole life, probably know a thing or two about vintage wine yourself? This kind of jarâs not that easy to fake, you know."
Jiang Tao kept his words half-truth, half-bluff, but left no loopholes.
"This wine jar really does look pretty old."
The landlord uncle walked up to the table and touched the wine jar, his doubts about Jiang Tao lessening a bit.
From his experience, this jar really didnât look like anything made in recent years.
Whether it was the style or the oxidation marks on the jar, it really looked like something from more than twenty years ago!
"Let me open the lid for you. Just smell itâyouâve probably never had wine this fragrant."
As Jiang Tao spoke, he stubbed out his cigarette, stepped up, and lifted the lid off the jar.
As soon as the lid came off, a rich, complex aroma immediately drifted straight to the landlord uncleâs nose.
"Whoa damn, this wine, this wine smells amazing!"
The second LĂŒ Qian smelled the Daughter Red, he couldnât help but exclaim, his nose flaring as he took several deep sniffs.
It was so fragrant, almost intoxicatingly so!
LĂŒ Qian usually drinks pretty decent stuff, often in the several-hundred-to-thousand-yuan range.
But never before had he encountered a wine as fragrant as this from the jar!
"Gulp!"
LĂŒ Qian swallowed hard and looked at Jiang Tao, his face full of impatience:
"Xiao Jiang, can you let me have a taste?
This wine smells incredible and does seem aged, but I wanna see how it tastes..."
"Anyone else, Iâd probably say no, but since you asked, uncle, I have to give you that courtesy."
As Jiang Tao spoke, he picked up the wine jar and poured a little more into the same enamel basin heâd just used himself.
This time, he poured a lot less than before.
Canât really blame Jiang Tao for being stingyâthis Daughter Red is just too precious!
Every sip is dozens, maybe even over a hundred, yuan!
Watching the deep red, almost like red wine, liquid pour into the enamel basin, and the intoxicating aroma wafting up,
LĂŒ Qianâs years of experience told him this was definitely a rare and fine wine!
"Uncle, go ahead and try it. This is definitely twenty years oldâif itâs missing even a month, you can drink for free!"
As Jiang Tao spoke, he picked up the enamel basin and handed it to the landlord uncle.
"Iâll judge after a taste."
The landlord uncle chuckled, took the basin from Jiang Tao, and took a small sip first.
The moment the Daughter Red touched his mouth, the mellow, rich, and silky wine burst on his palate.
The old manâs eyebrow rose and his eyes lit upâheâd really gotten his hands on some fine wine today!
He kept a mouthful sitting in his mouth, savoring it for more than ten seconds before finally swallowing it.
"Good wine! Delicious! Xiao Jiang, you said this is twenty-year-old Daughter Red. I didnât believe you at first, but now uncleâs a believer!"
"Without those twenty years of aging and fermenting, thereâs no way you get this kind of flavor!"
LĂŒ Qianâs been drinking since he was fourteen or fifteen. Now heâs over seventy, thatâs more than fifty years under his belt.
Just a single sip, and heâd know the difference right away!
This jar of Daughter Red that Jiang Tao brought out today is truly a rare gem!
No doubt about it!