Chapter 1347: with translation of chapter title

Song Ying, Manager, your oak barrel has damage here and there—could it not be the batch that British liquor makers, to resist the government's malt tax, stored liquor in caves and deliberately made?

Doctor Su, indeed. Song Ying rubbed his nose, his face showing a rare expression, and said: "The seller said it was like that; we can't verify authenticity. When I saw it at Sotheby's, I bought it back."

You really love wine as if it were your life, Zheng Ren sighed.

Now a new 225‑liter oak barrel costs over a thousand dollars, right? How much did you pay for this old antique? Su Yun wondered.

Over three hundred thousand.

Boss, see? Rich people spend money like this. Like you, you eat at the cafeteria every day… no, you're the type who, if you can skip a meal, you do—you basically have no taste, right?

What is taste? Zheng Ren looked at Su Yun coldly.

Study the things you like in depth. Su Yun said enthusiastically: "For example…"

I like Shou Bing, the instruments I use are Charles…… a Nobel Prize winner who painstakingly collected them over thirty years. Zheng Ren's one sentence put Su Yun in a corner.

He wanted to refute, but didn't know what to say.

Zheng Lao Ban, this way please. Song Ying interrupted their conversation and went to the winery's restaurant.

A blond‑blue‑eyed chef stood at the cooking station and began to cook. His speed was a bit slow, but everyone chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly.

As for Romanée‑Conti wine, Zheng Ren only smelled it, didn't use it to rinse his mouth.

Legend says it has the fragrance of a rose about to wither, and the Romanée‑Conti mouth‑rinse makes one linger; Zheng Ren always felt it was a waste.

Feeling somewhat moved, Professor Rudolf Wagner was still guarding Mei Ha'er's ward and hadn't come along. If he had come, tasting the Romanée‑Conti together would not have been bad either.

But in the professor's view, guarding Mei Ha'er well would bring him closer to the Nobel Prize.

This is Professor Rudolf Wagner's pursuit.

Why is this wine so expensive? Chang Yue took a sip and asked.

She was just drinking, absolutely not tasting. To Chang Yue, Romanée‑Conti and a big green stick are no different.

…… Su Yun glanced at Chang Yue, about to speak, but swallowed the words back.

Su Yun, too, had suffered too many losses and really didn't want to provoke Chang Yue.

Salmon is not bad, try it. Xie Yiren pointed at the salmon and whispered to Chang Yue: "I heard my dad say that eating Romanée‑Conti with salmon tastes like White Rabbit milk candy."

…… Song Ying began to regret a little.

His eye corner twitched slightly.

No. Chang Yue took a sip and finally denied it.

I knew my dad was lying to me. Xie Yiren ate the oysters with a smug smile.

Why would he lie to you? Chang Yue couldn't understand.

My mom doesn't let him drink alcohol; at home, red wine must be cooked until the alcohol completely evaporates before it can be drunk. So he wants to teach me how to drink, so that I'll have a chance to drink at home in the future.

Zheng Ren was a little worried, facing such a father‑in‑law—what should he do?

Su Yun thought of Ning Shu, with whom he could drink for two hours straight in Heidelberg, and found Chang Yue more pleasing to the eye.

In Song Ying, Manager's Romanée‑Conti, the oak barrel flavor is lighter; you're also an all‑natural type? Doesn't look like it. Su Yun directly changed the subject.

Liu Zewei tasted it and felt nothing special.

This is the benefit of using old antiques. Song Ying was suddenly hit where it itched, feeling a bit proud, and said: "Some people don't like the oak barrel flavor, especially white oak from the United States, and generally prefer European oak. But there are even more extreme types who store wine directly in stainless‑steel containers."

Too much. Su Yun swirled the glass in his hand; the wine is good and tasty, but this is too thin. To him, it's far less enjoyable than iron‑capped Maotai.

Yeah, I'm somewhere in between. I don't want the oak flavor to overpower, but I still want to follow tradition and have a hint of oak. So I chose the old antique; that way the oak flavor isn't too strong, fresh and elegant.

Although Liu Zewei has attended countless drinking gatherings, the table was mostly filled with risqué jokes; everyone laughed and that was it.

He is not used to such quiet meals, often pretending to be sophisticated in drinking parties; but he is older and thus steady, savoring Zheng Lao Ban's lifestyle.

Those who can bring out Romanée‑Conti to entertain guests deserve at least basic respect.

Song Ying is well‑traveled and eager to please; the conversation flowed lively at the table, and even the reluctant Chang Yue thought he was not bad.

Although Su Yun and Chang Yue's drinking capacity exceeded his expectations, in the end he produced four bottles of iron‑capped Maotai, defusing the crisis of the Romanée‑Conti being drunk dry.

From now on, I can't bring the whole treatment team again," Song Ying thought to himself. "He can drink more than a professional wine‑server; if he drinks freely, the cellar's stored wine will be gone overnight.

After the meal, Song Ying and the others went out, arranged a special driver to take Liu Zewei home, and pulled Zheng Ren and Su Yun into his car.

Zheng Lao Ban, don't say I'm utilitarian; it's just that people in the jianghu have no choice. Song Ying laughed first.

Oh? How do you mean that?

Well, my lover's condition attracted a few friends; one of them, after my lover improved, brought over his data. Song Ying said: "Could you help me take a look?"

It's fine; saying that makes you sound too distant. Zheng Ren laughed and took the documents from Song Ying's hand.

Still eating grilled sausages? Zheng Ren asked casually.

I just had one recently, not far from my doorstep. Next time I eat, I'll call you two, and we'll sit at a roadside stall, eating skewers and drinking beer! Song Ying said.

The documents didn't have many tests, just a few lab sheets, and the results all looked negative.

No imaging data? Zheng Ren asked.

Zheng Lao Ban, please hear me out first. Song Ying sat with a formal demeanor and said: "This is a friend of mine with a very odd temperament. His sexual orientation is totally normal, but he's getting older……"

Song Ying hemmed and hawed; Zheng Ren and Su Yun sensed something was off, stayed silent, and silently listened to him.

Let me put it this way: ten years ago his lover caught him in bed with another woman; his sister‑in‑law, also quite hot‑tempered, jumped off the building and killed herself. After that, this brother kept himself pure.

Zheng Ren and Su Yun exchanged a glance, not knowing what gossip Song Ying was indulging in here.

A year ago, it wasn't that he discovered an ulcer in his private parts and went to the hospital. Song Ying whispered: "No matter where he goes, just opening his mouth gets labeled as a sexually transmitted disease, so he needs to be tested."

Zheng Ren recalled that the lab sheets included tests for HIV and syphilis, all negative.