"Drinking? Did Sylvie mail you more red wine? Or did Sakai get you a few bottles of sake? Let me think of what good snacks I can bring." Xu Ye said over the phone. "As for the place, let’s just go to my family’s villa again."
"No need, I’ve already prepared all the food." The snacks needed for Monkey Wine were completely different from what you’d have with red wine or sake. Shen Yibin had long been waiting for the day the Monkey Wine was ready, and his fridge was already stuffed with all sorts of suitable food. All he had to do now was some simple prep.
After calling them, Shen Yibin went to get busy. Before he left, he didn’t forget to remind Xiaoliu to get all the Monkey Wine out of the tree hollow. Xiaoliu seemed a bit reluctant to drink it all at once, but after glancing at the other tree hollows on the other large trees, it scurried off to do it. This wasn’t like its time on Emei Mountain, when ingredients for brewing were scarce.
Back on Emei Mountain, the entire troop of monkeys had to fill their stomachs first, leaving few fruits for it to brew wine. But here with Shen Yibin, as long as it had the energy, he could bring it tons of fruit at a time without any problem. How much could a ton of strawberries, grapes, apples, and pears possibly cost? To be able to drink such delicious wine, that small price was definitely worth it.
Unfortunately, Shen Yibin didn’t want to overwork Xiaoliu, and there weren’t many tree hollows in the store, so they had only prepared this small amount. However, Xiaoliu did a quick calculation. The fruits and the time they were stuffed into each hollow were different, so the fermentation times also varied. Once the wine from this hollow was finished, the next one would be ready soon. It wouldn’t be more than a few days’ wait.
Watching Xiaoliu climb the large tree with a wine pot, Xia Shixuan and the others finally understood where the wine came from. "So this is the legendary Monkey Wine! No wonder an old wine-lover like Linghu Chong could never forget it. It really is delicious." Xia Shixuan looked at the tree with a hint of regret. "It’s a shame the yield is so low. Otherwise, if we opened a small bar or something in our store, we’d definitely make a killing."
There was plenty of free space in the shop right now. They could easily set up a few tables by the pond or next to the bamboo grove. The atmosphere would be infinitely better than those other bars. They could open at eight after dinner and close at ten, so it wouldn’t disturb the pets’ rest. ’This business idea might actually work!’
"That’s an interesting idea," Shen Yibin, who had just reached the kitchen door, turned back when he heard this. "Let’s wait and see. If production can keep up, we’ll set up a small tavern. It won’t be open to the public, but mainly as a reward for our old customers. Every day, we’ll randomly draw two tables of old customers to come and taste our Monkey Wine."
"Boss, you’re so cunning! This Monkey Wine is so delicious that once word gets out, tons of people will come to our store to buy pets just for a chance to taste it!" Li Shiqing figured it out after a moment’s thought.
"If the store’s business is good, won’t you get a bigger commission? You made twenty or thirty thousand last month, didn’t you?" Shen Yibin said without a hint of a blush. "Among the classmates who graduated with you, how many earn more than you?"
"Not a single one!" Li Shiqing’s face was full of pride. When she first started working at the store, many of her classmates had tried to persuade her to quit, saying there was no future in it. But after she got her first month’s salary, those classmates all went silent. Now, many of them even secretly asked her how they could get a job at Shen Yibin’s store. Room and board provided, a monthly salary in the tens of thousands, and you get to play with a panda every day—a job opportunity like that is impossible to find, even if you search with a lantern.
"I’ll go organize the customer data and find someone to code a little lottery program!" Xia Shixuan was the most enthusiastic about this kind of thing. She immediately ran to the computer and got busy.
A short while later, Xu Ye, Bai Yanni, Qiao Wenqi, and Mo Xiaomo all arrived. Shen Yibin’s snacks were ready, too. Xiaoliu was hugging three wine pots; it had already drained the Monkey Wine from this hollow, cleaned out the dregs, and stuffed a new batch of fruit inside. A new batch of Monkey Wine would surely be ready before long.
The group split into two cars and headed for Xu Ye’s family villa. In the back seat, Bai Yanni couldn’t stop sniffing the air. "Bin, what kind of wine is this? Why does it smell so fragrant?"
"Hehe, you’ll know once you taste it. It’s a secret for now." Shen Yibin was being deliberately mysterious. When they arrived at the villa, the staff had already set up a table and a large parasol by the lake. The group changed their clothes, sat down at the table, and the staff helped arrange the dishes, making sure the glasses, bowls, and chopsticks were all perfectly prepared.
Everyone stared eagerly at the wine pots in front of Shen Yibin. The aroma had been tormenting them for a long time. Shen Yibin didn’t keep them waiting, standing up to personally pour each of them a glass. "Here, don’t drink it too fast now. Take small sips and savor it slowly... uh, just like Hah’Er!"
The panda had paid no attention to Shen Yibin’s words and was already holding its cup, taking small, slow sips. The others all followed Hah’Er’s example, lifting their glasses to taste the wine delicately. In truth, even without Shen Yibin’s reminder, they wouldn’t have dared to gulp it down. This was especially true for Xia Shixuan, who had chugged a glass in one go that morning and was still kicking herself over it. Now that she had a second chance, she was determined to savor it properly.
"Sweet and sour, with a rich, mellow aroma. This is truly a fine wine." Xu Ye had many social engagements and had tried all sorts of fine wines. He had no idea how many types of fruit wine he’d drunk over the years, but none of them were as unforgettable as today’s Monkey Wine.
"Sigh, only today do I realize that the tons of wine I’ve drunk in my life were all for nothing!" Xia Shixuan replied, her eyes glazed over. "Bin, after drinking this, I’ve lost all interest in other wines. You’ve ruined my love for alcohol. You have to compensate me."
’Hey, girl, let’s be reasonable here. How is it my fault that I shared something good with you?’ Shen Yibin thought. ’And how old are you, anyway? You’ve already drunk tons of wine? Are you really that much of a heavyweight?’
Qiao Wenqi, Bai Yanni, and the others were also full of praise for the Monkey Wine. For a moment, all other sounds at the table died down. Everyone had the same expression, cradling their glasses and taking small, slow sips.
After finishing one glass, everyone was reluctant to start on a second. Instead, Xu Ye began to ask Shen Yibin about the wine’s origin.
"You can’t buy this wine anywhere. Xiaoliu brews it himself in the store." Shen Yibin recounted the story of how Xiaoliu brewed the wine. When they heard that the Monkey Wine’s production was limited because there were too few large trees in the shop, Xu Ye shot to his feet in excitement.
"Bin, this entire forest belongs to my family! Let Xiaoliu come here to brew the wine!" he said, pointing at the mountains before them.