Chapter 94: Fishing for People

Words : 789 Updated : Sep 28th, 2025

The atmosphere was harmonious, but it changed after Su Ziceng’s regretful remark. Zhou Dagen had been drinking and wasn’t drunk yet. After hearing what Su Ziceng said, he snorted, sensing her intentions. "Regret what? Good wine, like good friends, only needs a few to appreciate it fully." "I would like to ask Mr. Zhou to help manage the soon-to-open 'Lianyu' vineyard." After beating around the bush for quite a while, she finally got to the point. Asking for help was indeed more exhausting than scolding someone. "Sorry," Zhou Dagen declined bluntly, "It’s not that I, Zhou Dagen, am showing off, but between the people who have asked me to be a taster this year alone, if not a hundred, then fifty. Regardless of whether they are wealthy or powerful, I have refused all of them." Despite having gained some benefits, he didn’t feel the slightest guilt and responded righteously. Yan Wuxu muttered, "I told you before, this kind of guy would just wipe his mouth and leave after eating; you still didn’t believe it." Su Ziceng didn’t get discouraged; she walked around the shanty and threw out a greater temptation: "Uncle Zhou, I see that you live modestly. If you accept my invitation, I can find you a place thousands of times better than here for free, and then you won’t have to worry about the safety of your wine jars." The sun shone warmly into the shanty. Zhou Dagen yawned, leaning against a black vat. "I have no family to care for; just me eating and dressing well means the whole family has no worries. My few wine jars can withstand the wind and sun, so what do I need a warm bed for?" After speaking, his body slumped, and he leaned against the dirty vat and fell into a deep sleep, ignoring Su Ziceng and the others. Seeing that the attempt was futile, Yan Wuxu, feeling it pointless to keep waiting in the shanty, decided to take Su Ziceng back first. Upon hearing the duo’s experience, Mrs. Yan was not surprised, but she advised Su Ziceng, "You shouldn’t focus on Zhou Dagen anymore. He’s also a well-known troublemaker around here, often deceiving the elderly and the young. Such a person can’t have any real skills, yet some people say he’d been abroad in his earlier years and tasted many foreign wines." Yan Wuxu chimed in, "Ziceng, did you really want him as your family’s taster? Look at him! Even if dressed in royal robes, he wouldn’t look the part. He matches the mess and disarray of that shack, and it seems he’ll never leave there in his lifetime." Su Ziceng didn’t respond, just stared at the business card from Shang Yin, flipping it over and over. She had figured out the differences between the four types of wine, but without Zhou Dagen’s guidance, she was still utterly lost with any other wine. After bidding farewell to Yan’s mother and daughter, Su Ziceng visited ‘Admiration.’ When Sister Mu heard about her difficulties, she didn’t immediately respond but started operating the coffee machine. The décor in ’Admiration’ was mostly antique, and Sister Mu had recently acquired some good coffee beans, which she began grinding immediately. Brown powder came out of the grinder, piling up bit by bit, and Sister Mu also fetched a bottle of five-year-old whiskey, which she added to the fragrant coffee. "Drinking reveals a person’s character," Sister Mu seemed to be starting on some unrelated topics. "Each person obsessed with wine has their own story." The fragrance of the wine spread into the coffee, slowly blending into the air. Sister Mu stirred the coffee with a spoon, contemplating. Noticing the melancholy in her tone, Su Ziceng hesitated; the coffee and whiskey in the cup had completely integrated, without cream as a lubricant. Yet, the whiskey and coffee were still natural companions, seemingly even more harmonious than sugar. "The first man who taught me to mix whiskey with coffee was my teacher." Su Ziceng noticed the wistfulness in Sister Mu’s tone and knew it wasn’t her place to interject. "At that time, I was still a novice, and when I wore my first pair of high heels, my ankles would still tremble," Sister Mu fell into her memories, her coffee spoon bobbing in the dark brown liquid. Sister Mu’s height could match a grown man’s, and in her high heels, she still looked a bit out of place in regular settings. Su Ziceng observed Sister Mu’s intact left leg. Her lower leg, much longer than average and with evenly toned muscles, made it easy to imagine that a few years ago, Sister Mu was a breathtaking beauty who could attract all eyes on the street.

Chapter 94: Fishing for People

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