The First Volume of Qinghe County

  Just now, brother drank what seemed to be cooking wine, didn't he say it was a ten-year-old vintage?

  It seems to be huangjiu, and it's still hot. Although Ximen Qing's body seems to accept this huangjiu, psychologically speaking, he can't quite accept it.

  Since that era from its own origin, except for a few areas in the south, most yellow wine was used as an ingredient for cooking delicious dishes, rather than being drunk.

  Imagine this, a friend comes to your place for a drink and you happen to have no wine at home. Are you going downstairs to buy some or not? If you rummage through the kitchen and find a bottle of cooking wine, that friend might just break off relations with you.

  Although I wasn't a connoisseur of good wine before crossing over, I still knew that the south was mainly Huangjiu and the north was mainly Baijiu. In other words, the mainstream in the south is yellow wine, while the mainstream in the north is white wine. Qinghe County is located in Shandong Province, which naturally belongs to the north.

  If it weren't for the owner of the mansion retreating, Ximen Qing would have liked to grab his clothes and ask: "Brother, did you take the wrong jar? We're in Shandong, not Zhejiang. This jar is a Gu Yue Long Shan used for cooking in the kitchen, exchange it for a second pot head!"

  "Good wine! It's really good wine!" Ximen Qing was still hesitating when Zhu Zhixian, who was sitting next to him, took a slight sniff and then drank it all in one gulp. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "Ten-year-old girl red, even Qinghe County doesn't have many jars of this. The host has really splurged this time."

  Daughter Red! Indeed it is Huangjiu!

  Ximen Qing painfully turned his face to one side, just in time to see that Bai Taoyi had also taken a sip, savoring the flavor carefully, smacking his lips twice, and then came up with two lines of poetry: "The beautiful wine of Lanling is fragrant as golden osmanthus, its jade cup overflowing with amber light. If only the host could get the guest drunk, who would know where he was a stranger!"

  "Poem of the former dynasty's poet Li Bai!" Zhu Zhi County said with slight surprise: "I didn't expect that not only is White Physician's medical skills excellent, but he can also recite poetry, which is astonishing. This poem is just right for the occasion, and White Physician's literary attainments must be quite high."

  The white-haired doctor wore a humble expression, but his words were somewhat self-satisfied: "Your Excellency is overpraising me! Although I studied medicine in my youth, I also read poetry extensively, especially the works of the Poet Immortal Li Bai. In Tokyo, I often went to the pleasure quarters with two or three good friends, drinking and composing poetry - truly one of life's pleasures."

  Bai Taoyi said with a glance at Ximen Qing, his eyes full of provocation: "It seems that the great officer is also a connoisseur of wine. Today's opportunity is rare, why not come up with a poem as well?"

  Zhu Zhixian sat in the middle, listening to Bai Taisheng's words and smiled slightly: "Ximen Xian's family has a traditional Chinese medicine shop, doing business is a good hand, but asking him to write poetry is a bit difficult."

  Ximen Qing is a spendthrift and a philanderer, everyone in Qinghe County knows that. But asking Ximen Qing to recite poetry is simply making things difficult for him on purpose. Needless to say, this is White Physician's way of embarrassing Ximen Qing through this matter.

  If it were the old Ximen Qing, that would be fine, but now I'm a time-traveler. As a kid, I memorized hundreds of Tang poems and Song lyrics, so what's this? A tiger not showing its might, do you think I'm a sick cat? If you can recite Li Bai's wine poem from the Tang Dynasty, I'll give you all of Li Bai's classics. How about "Bring in the Ale"?

  Ximen Qing first pretended to be hesitant, then slapped the table: "Come on, fill up the wine! How can you write poetry without wine? As the saying goes: The universe is vast in wine, and the sun and moon are long in the pot!"

  "Oh?" Zhu Zhi County's eyebrows moved, didn't expect Ximen Qing to come up with such two sentences, and it seemed that there was more poetry coming. Today's Ximen Qing was really full of surprises: "Good good good, all poured out!"

  "Ximen's big official, the universe in a cup of wine, and the sun and moon in a pot are two lines that can be used as a tavern signboard, but they don't count as poetry..." Bai Taoyi's mouth still didn't relax.

  Before he could finish, Ximen Qing's expression changed, and with a frown, he downed the refilled wine in one gulp. Half of this was genuine, as Ximen Qing indeed couldn't drink Huangjiu well spiritually, especially when it was hot; half was pretentious, to highlight the comedic effect of "wine reaching poetry".

  "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from heaven, rushing to the sea and never returning?"

  The first sentence of "Will Progress" came out, and Ximen Qing deliberately prolonged his tone. Zhu Zhixian first toasted a cheer, as if he looked up to this "Ximen Xiongdi" three points more.

  The white doctor sitting opposite him twitched his face twice, as if trying hard to suppress his surprise.

  Ximen Qing glanced at Zhu Zhishan with a pleased expression, then looked at the exceptionally refined face of Bai Taigong, and continued to speak in a low voice:

  "You don't see that in the bright hall and clear mirror, white hair is sorrowful, in the morning it's like black silk, at dusk it becomes snow."

  "Life's joys should be savored to the fullest, don't let the golden cup be empty when facing the moon."

  "Heaven produces talent and it must be used; a thousand pieces of gold can be spent but will come back again."

  After reciting these three sentences, Zhu Zhi County was already shaking his head and swaying back and forth, following the low voice to recite, then raised his cup and downed it in one gulp, finishing the glass of girl's red wine, while the teacher on the side quickly came forward to refill it.

  Bai Taoyi was not interested in drinking, instead he supported himself with both hands on the Eight Immortals' table, making a gesture to get up. His pale face struggled to turn red, his two eyes stared fixedly at Ximen Qing, his ears stood straight, afraid of missing a single word.

  Ximen Qing isn't a scoundrel who cheats men and bullies women, is he? How come he can recite Li Bai's "Bring in the Ale" with such fluency? How is this possible?

  No, this is not true! He must have recited it wrong, even if he got one word wrong, it's still ignorance! You can severely criticize yourself and turn the game around.

  At this moment, Bai Taoyi's mouth was opening and closing silently, also reciting in silence. This scene seemed like a fish that had been hooked, desperately trying to breathe in even the slightest bit of oxygen from the air.

  But this was clearly futile, as most fish are unable to breathe air with their gills, and Bai Taigong was no exception.

  The master also refilled Ximen's cup and gave him a look of appreciation, which is not surprising, as Ximen Qing was more familiar to the master and easier to side with, especially considering his unexpected performance today.

  Ximen Qing smiled knowingly, glanced at Bai Taoyi whose forehead was gradually bulging with blue veins, and then downed another cup. This time he seemed to have no aversion to the yellow wine either. Indeed, one should make the most of life's pleasures, and not let the golden goblet face the moon in vain.

  Ximen Qing cleared his throat and continued reciting:

  "Roasting mutton and slaughtering cattle, and making merry; when will it be that I can take a single cup of wine?"

  "Zengzi, Danqiu's son, is about to serve wine, and his cup never stops."

  "Sing a song with you, please lean in and listen for me."

  "The jade food is not worth the bell and drum, but I wish to be drunk forever and never wake up."

  "Not waking up, not waking up, what a wonderful wish to be drunk and never wake up again." Zhu Zhi County also downed a cup, continuing to shake his head and sway back and forth, looking like a young person dancing in a disco: "Indeed the Poet Immortal, this 'Bring in the Ale' is truly a classic! Xi Men Xian younger brother, continue on, I'm waiting!"

  "What can I do if the adults have something to say?" Ximen Qing knew that from today on, his image in Zhu's eyes had completely changed, and he replied with a smile.

  The white-haired doctor opposite him almost pressed his body against the Ba Xian table, and his throat was somehow a little hoarse: "Ximen's official language is still quite fluent, it really makes people unthinkable..."

  Ximen Qing didn't bother with him either, and as he recited the poem "Inviting Wine" all the way through, his own heart seemed to be stirred up. Indeed, it's like this kind of poetry, drinking wine in big gulps while chanting, that's the real interpretation! How can those dry students who mechanically recite in class understand the atmosphere in the poem?

  He inadvertently crossed into this world, originally confused and ignorant, but now through this song "Will Make Progress", Ximen Qing seems to have vaguely seen the infinite opportunities waiting for him in front of him.

  What a great poem, it's really enough to make one drunk with joy for three hundred cups.

  "Since ancient times, all saints and sages have been silent, only drinkers leave their names."

  "Chen Wang in former times feasted at Pingyue, ten thousand cups of wine were freely drunk and joyful jests were made."

  "The host said, 'Why speak of little money? I'll just buy it and pour a cup for you.'"

  "A steed with a coat of five hues, a cloak worth a thousand pieces of gold; I'll call out to my son to exchange them for fine wine, and together we'll drown our sorrows of the ages."

  As soon as the recitation of "Inviting the Wine" was finished, Ximen Qing became immersed in that atmosphere and couldn't extricate himself. His right hand subconsciously played with the sheep fat jade pendant. Zhu Zhishan even closed his eyes slightly, his beard shaking back and forth, apparently also experiencing that atmosphere. Only Bai Taai, opposite him, looked lost and relaxed his hands which had been tightly grasping the table, weakly leaning back.

  Until the last word, there was no mistake. This made Bai Taoyi, who had been holding onto a glimmer of hope, fall thoroughly into an endless abyss.

  Ximen Qing in his eyes became heavy, as if it has become an insurmountable mountain.

  "Ximen, brother, I really didn't expect it." After a long time, Zhu Zhi County finally opened his eyes and looked at Ximen Qing with extremely approving eyes: "This county has always thought that Brother Ximen only understands the way of business, but unexpectedly, he is very familiar with this poem, not to mention that he also deeply understands the artistic conception in it. Countless people have recited this 'Inviting Wine' poem, and Brother Ximen can be said to be among the best, truly understanding the poetic sage's artistic conception. It really surprises this county greatly."

  Ximen Qing smiled and raised his cup: "Your Excellency is overpraising me. To tell the truth, it's all thanks to this girl Hong. If not for her, I would have made a fool of myself today." He then raised his cup again and nodded at Bai Taigong: "Yaozu brother, what do you say? With such fine wine from ten years ago, how can we not drink three hundred cups?"

  "Haha, Xi Men Xian Di, if I were to drink three hundred cups, I'm afraid the master of this grand mansion would be quite embarrassed?" said Zhu Zhi Xian, following up on the topic.

  Bai Taoyi, who had completely lost hope, drank the cup of niangjiu with unbearable pain, and casually threw the cup on the table. He bowed to the county magistrate: "Your Honor, I am not a match for wine, please let me take my leave first."

  Zhu Zhi County looked at Bai Taoyi with a profound gaze: "Bai Taoyi, you have traveled far and wide, it's time for you to take a good rest. Master, please see off Bai Taoyi on my behalf."

  Bai Taoyi smiled wryly and stopped the servant who was about to send him off: "No need, sir. Let the servant stay here to serve you instead. I have family waiting for me downstairs, it's alright." After finishing speaking, he walked slowly towards the outside of the room, as if his whole body had lost strength.

  "Brother Yao, don't forget to go to Xiao Sheng's medicine shop tomorrow, I'll introduce you to a few things." Ximen Qing laughed and shouted from behind: "If you're tired from traveling and your body is not feeling well, then let's talk about it in a few days, no rush."

  Bai Taoyi nodded weakly, which was taken as a farewell, and backed out.