Xiao’er was about to lead them to a table.
Suddenly, the gentleman in the blue robe spoke. “No need for that. I would like to see your manager.”
Xiao’er hesitated for a mont and asked, “May I ask why you’re looking for our manager?”
Chen Changsheng lifted the wine jars in his hand. “I have two jars of fine wine. I want to exchange them for so of your wine.”
Xiao’er glanced at the two jars Chen Changsheng carried. Just from the aged seal on the jars, he could tell they held very old wine.
“Please sit and wait a mont, sir. I’ll go find our manager.”
Xiao’er hurried off towards the back of the wine tavern.
Chen Changsheng placed the two jars on the table and sat down.
He looked around the wine tavern. Just as before, it was lively and bustling. So things had changed, yet it felt the sa. Everyone in the building was a stranger.
After a short while, the manager of the wine tavern hurried out from the back room.
As Chen Changsheng expected.
The person who ca was not Xiaoliu.
This manager was sowhat thin, with sunken cheeks and a mustache drooping at the corners. He wore a gold-patterned tunic. Though slim, he had an affluent air.
Patrons often called him Manager Fei. He wasn’t a bad person, just a bit stingy, unwilling to pour even a drop extra. He asured precisely.
Manager Fei clasped his hands and approached, smiling. “I apologize for the delay, sir. Please forgive .”
Chen Changsheng felt a pang of lancholy but returned a smile. “It’s fine.”
Manager Fei sat down and said, “I heard from Xiao’er that you wish to exchange wine?”
Chen Changsheng nodded. “That’s right.”
As he spoke, he pushed the two jars on the table forward slightly.
“Are these the two?”
Manager Fei looked at them. Seeing one jar had its seal broken, he asked, “Might I have a taste?”
“By all ans, try it,” Chen Changsheng said calmly.
Getting permission, Manager Fei imdiately had Xiao’er bring an empty cup.
He poured a little in, carefully asuring just a sip.
First, he sniffed the aroma. Then, his eyes lit up.
The fragrance was so rich, the wine must be exceptional!
Manager Fei tasted the wine in the cup. He froze montarily before suddenly slapping the table.
“Good!”
Manager Fei’s eyes widened. He said twice: “Fine wine! Truly fine wine!”
He couldn’t even find words to describe this flavor.
He cald down, then looked troubled.
“May I ask… what wine you wish to exchange for?”
Manager Fei spoke reluctantly. “Truth be told, I have nothing in my stock that compares to these two jars!”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. “No need for fancy wine. Just Autumn Moon Brew. However much you think is fair, give that amount.”
Manager Fei paused after hearing this. “Well…”
“What’s the matter?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Manager Fei looked troubled. “It’s not enough. You don’t understand. Our Autumn Moon Brew was brewed at the beginning of the year. It was nearly sold out before sumr. There’s none left in the cellar.”
Chen Changsheng seed montarily dazed. “Gone…”
Tong Zhihuan recalled sothing. “Sir, that’s true. A few days ago, thinking you might return, I went to get a flask for you. The Autumn Moon Brew was sold out.”
Manager Fei smacked his lips, the taste of the earlier wine still lingering. Honestly, he had nothing in his stock to match it. But letting this opportunity slip felt too wasteful.
Manager Fei spoke up. “Good sir, how about exchanging for another wine?”
Chen Changsheng shook his head and stayed silent.
Manager Fei felt frustrated. He stared longingly at the two precious jars on the table.
“Could we… discuss further?” Manager Fei asked.
Chen Changsheng asked, “Is the Autumn Moon Brew truly sold out?”
Manager Fei closed his eyes and nodded.
Then, Xiao’er beside him spoke. “Manager, didn’t I see one jar left in the cellar?”
Manager Fei glanced at him and shook his head.
Chen Changsheng paused. “If there is, why not sell it?”
Manager Fei smiled wryly. “To be honest, I am very reluctant to let that wine you brought go. I simply cannot trade fairly for it. That one jar of Autumn Moon Brew isn’t enough. And besides, that jar… was never ant for sale.”
“Not for sale?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Manager Fei nodded. He sighed deeply. “When I took over this tavern, it was at a low price. The previous manager only asked one thing of : keep one jar of Autumn Moon Brew unsold every year. Wait for soone to co and collect it. Though I’m not a big-hearted man, I have never forgotten a promise I made. That single jar has always been unsold.”
Chen Changsheng paused for a split second. Then, he suddenly laughed.
Seeing the Green-Robed Gentleman laugh, Manager Fei felt puzzled.
Tong Zhihuan and Miss Tao’er also didn’t understand.
The gentleman seed a bit… strange.
The smile faded from Chen Changsheng’s face. Calmly, he looked at Manager Fei. “Can I ask where the previous manager went?”
Manager Fei didn’t think much of it. “He seed headed to the frontier. Whether to the Northern Desert or Beixiang, I’m not certain.”
“Conscripted by the authorities?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Manager Fei nodded. “Yes. Tis were turbulent then. After handling the tavern, he followed the troops north. I don’t know if he’s still alive.”
Chen Changsheng continued. “What about the tavern’s waiter back then?”
“They went together.”
“I see…”
Manager Fei snapped back to the present. He hesitated. “Sir… did you know that previous manager?”
Chen Changsheng nodded. “I did.”
“No wonder…”
Manager Fei said, “I wondered why you ca to exchange wine right away. So you were acquainted with him. That explains it…”
Chen Changsheng said, “I hadn’t imagined that in the blink of an eye, everything else changed.”
Manager Fei sighed lightly. “Exactly. How many people escaped unscathed during that ti? Without aning offense, I only survived by hiding.”
This calamity in the mortal world was truly suffering.
Chen Changsheng snapped out of his daze.
His gaze returned to the wine on the table. “I still want Autumn Moon Brew. I’ll trade both these jars for that one jar.”
Manager Fei hesitated after hearing this. He shook his head without thinking. “Well…”
“Please understand.”
Though he didn’t finish it was clear.
Chen Changsheng smiled. “It’s fine if you don’t trade.”
He pushed the two jars forward again.
Manager Fei was stunned. “Sir, what is this?”
“Manager, please keep the wine.”
Chen Changsheng said. “This year’s wine can be exchanged next year. It matters little.”
Manager Fei stared at the wine before him. “How can that be? What if…”
Chen Changsheng said. “I trust you, Manager.”
Manager Fei looked at the wine, then at the Green-Robed gentleman before him. He smiled helplessly and finally agreed.
…
The manager and Xiao’er saw the group out of the inn.
Manager Fei stood at the entrance, watching the departing Green-Robed gentleman. He frowned slightly, a strange feeling nagging him.
That jar of wine… felt like it had been kept for this very person.
After thinking it over, he dismissed it as imagination.
Manager Fei smiled faintly, looking at that blue-robed back, and murmured quietly.
“That gentleman… truly is a remarkable man…”
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