Chapter 56: I've never had wine this good in this life

Before this, Ye Heng had already carefully compared and studied them.

Judging by his limited alcohol knowledge, the two drinks Lin Meng gave him clearly showed that the baijiu was superior to the red wine.

That baijiu is made purely from grain, with an alcohol content as high as 52%, and is especially favored by the upper class.

In this world, alcohol is hard currency, and comparisons among the elite often revolve around it.

The supplies left over from the civilized era had largely been destroyed in the few years after the apocalypse broke out.

The remaining resources, as the wasteland era continued, have also dwindled to almost nothing.

Due to severe crop shortages caused by soil and water pollution, this world can no longer produce large quantities of food, and naturally that includes alcohol production.

Most of the alcohol consumed by the upper class nowadays is pure industrial alcohol, with many impurities and poor taste.

Only true nobles have the resources to enjoy blended alcohol.

The case of baijiu Lin Meng gave him is 100% pure grain-brewed liquor, and its value goes without saying.

He had never heard of that red wine, but according to Lin Meng, a case of red wine is much cheaper than baijiu, so this time he first brought out the red wine to test the upper class's reaction.

Luo Song was stunned the moment he saw the red wine.

The wine bottle looked a bit aged, but had no damage at all, so it was intact.

The label on it had become so blurred as to be unrecognizable.

Luo Song almost immediately concluded that the wine came from the civilized era, and it is rare for it to have been preserved so well to this day.

"Ye Heng brother, this wine bottle looks fine at first glance, but you also know that for a wine never seen on the market, we usually need to open it and taste it to determine its final value."

Ye Heng nodded, already mentally prepared.

He had Sun Hao deliberately age the red wine bottle to conceal its true nature.

If he brought out a brand-new bottle for trade, it would surely attract unwanted attention from ill-intentioned people.

For now he doesn't intend to be too showy.

Luo Song got the go-ahead, and his heart was itching to try.

Thanks to Ye Heng, after many years he could finally taste the flavor of wine again!

"Ye Heng brother, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Luo Song hurried away, soon returning with two stemmed glasses in hand.

He laid out a clean cloth under the glasses, wiped the bottle spotless, but then ran into trouble opening it.

I've never seen this wine before—I don't know how to open it.

Seeing Luo Song hesitate, Ye Heng thought the ceremonial preparations were decent, and gave Sun Hao a glance.

Sun Hao understood, producing the bottle opener Ye Heng had given him in advance.

The odd-looking bottle opener was also something Luo Song had never seen; he watched Sun Hao's unfamiliar movements and grew nervous.

"Be careful, brother, definitely don't bump or knock anything..."

Seeing someone of Luo Song's status so nervous over a bottle of wine, Ye Heng wanted to laugh, but it also made him more certain that the wine's value was immeasurable.

Before, he had no qualifications to access such top-tier resources, and his concept of alcohol as hard currency was only superficial.

Now it seems his chips in hand are substantial, all thanks to Lin Meng's endowment.

Sun Hao was bold yet careful, and after some fiddling he finally opened the red wine without breaking the stopper.

In an instant, a fresh fruity aroma wafted forth, and everyone present smelled it.

Ye Heng and Sun Hao exchanged a glance, both sensing a familiar note in the wine's aroma.

It was grape!

Ye Heng suddenly realized; Lin Meng had apparently mentioned that this wine was red grape wine, made from grapes.

In the supplies Lin Meng first gave him, there were already grapes with a rich fruity fragrance.

But this fruit is hard to preserve; it has long been eaten up, and to this day he still longs for it.

It turns out this wine is actually made from grapes—doesn't that mean the grain-brewed baijiu is just as precious?!

For a moment, Ye Heng felt a pang; the scent of this fruit wine must be delicious.

It seemed his very bones carried a love for alcohol, and Ye Heng actually felt his mouth water, though reason prevailed over desire.

He personally reached for the red wine bottle and carefully poured a little into each of the two stemmed glasses.

The gorgeous gemstone-red hue, like a blooming rose in the clear glass, instantly amazed everyone.

"Good heavens, after all these years I've truly never seen such beautiful wine before—Ye Heng brother, how much do you know about this wine?"

Ye Heng shook his head, not telling Luo Song what he knew.

Luo Song could hardly wait; he picked up his glass, sniffed it delicately, and wore an expression of bliss.

Then he cautiously took a small sip, and instantly the dryness gave way to a fragrant sweetness that burst in his mouth.

Luo Song was utterly intoxicated, forgetting himself, leaving Ye Heng and Sun Hao somewhat speechless.

"Isn't Team Captain Luo Song being a bit over the top?" Sun Hao muttered quietly, yet he too felt a rising desire, his eyes fixed on the remaining glass.

Ye Heng raised his glass first and tried a small sip.

Just a small sip, and he felt as if he had opened a new world, his eyes involuntarily narrowing.

This made Sun Hao feel even more anxious and restless.

Ye Heng saw this, smirked slightly, and passed the glass to Sun Hao.

"Here, you try it too."

Sun Hao hesitated only a moment, then couldn't resist taking the glass and gulping down a mouthful.

Ye Heng had already replaced the stopper, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

After Luo Song finished tasting, he still looked as if he wanted more.

"Good heavens, as expected of a product of the civilized era, without exaggeration this is the most delicious wine I have ever drunk."

Although the alcohol content may not be high, such liquor seems to be popular even in noble circles, because ladies cannot drink hard liquor, so this sweet‑scented wine has a broader audience.

Sun Hao also smacked his lips twice at this moment, followed by a few sighs, but he secretly wanted to slap himself.

He had been too hasty earlier, actually gulping it down, and didn't have time to savor it properly—this red wine had already gone down his throat.

Hearing Luo Song's words, Sun Hao couldn't help but retort:

"Team Captain Luo, you didn't say you'd only had alcohol twice, did you?"

Luo Song immediately lowered his voice and said to them:

"One time was at the Special Zone Chief's child's full‑month celebration, and the other was at a high‑class banquet where all the bigwigs from the major districts attended; I was rewarded with two small cups of wine for my merit in guard duty."

Sun Hao immediately understood: both occasions were high‑end events, so the wine served must have been of top quality.

This also indirectly shows how precious red grape wine is.

"Believe me, Brother Ye Heng, this liquor will surely sweep the auction tonight—just wait for my good news!"

Lin Meng sensed that the wine crate in the first space had been opened and a bottle was missing, so she knew Ye Heng had already gone to conduct a materials trade.

A few hours later, she received a message from Ye Fan.

"Fairy Sister, I've already arrived at the Sect Market; I'd like to introduce the spiritual water under the name 'cola.' Is that all right?"

Lin Meng: "Of course you can; I didn't give it that name, so feel free to use it—here it's just happy water, water that makes people happy when they drink it, hence the name cola."

Ye Fan suddenly understood.

Ah, I see! With such a good meaning, it's certainly more pleasant to hear than 'spiritual water.'

So Ye Fan quickly added a few lines in front of the stall he had set up:

This is spiritual water that makes people feel happy when they drink it—its name is cola!