With wine in hand, I raise a song.

Little Yun’er pulled a long face and said, “I don’t have anything of value on me. Looks like I’ll have no chance to taste the fine wine.”

Miss Nine smiled faintly and replied, “For certain wines, silver isn’t the only thing that matters—you must also have fate. If fate is on your side, you can drink the finest wine even without silver.”

Little Yun’er grinned. “So you need fate to drink wine as well. No wonder that wolf from Hedong couldn’t buy the Ruyi Wine with all his silver recently. Turns out he just didn’t have the luck for it.”

Miss Nine laughed. “You could say that. But at the moment, there truly is no Ruyi Wine for sale.”

Little Yun’er asked, “But I heard that wolf from Hedong say there are still two jars of Ruyi Wine in the restaurant. Why not sell them?”

Miss Nine replied, “Because those are reserved for those with the right fate!” Suddenly, Little Yun’er flashed a mischievous smile and asked, “Miss Nine, do you think I have the fate to drink this wine?”

Miss Nine’s lips curled in a gentle smile. “You not only have the fate to taste this wine, but your other fortunes are unlikely to be poor, either.”

Little Yun’er brightened. “Really? Don’t deceive me!”

Miss Nine said, laughing, “Who would lie to you?”

Little Yun’er stretched out his small, dirty hand. “A promise is a promise. How about we pinky swear?”

Before his grubby hand had reached halfway, Little Red swatted it down and scolded, “That filthy paw of yours isn’t just dirty, it’s disgusting.”

Disheartened, Little Yun’er let his little black hand drop. His plan to clasp Miss Nine’s delicate, jade-like hand was foiled by Little Red.

But Little Yun’er thought aloud, “What if I wash my hands and then come back to pinky swear?”

Little Red snapped with a laugh, “You’re here to work, not to make pinky promises, got it?”

Little Yun’er replied miserably, “So what work am I supposed to do now?”

Miss Nine said, “If you want to work, come with me.”

Little Yun’er thought, “Who wants to work? But I need to eat, and I can’t do that unless I work.” At this moment, Little Red had some business to attend to in the restaurant and took her leave from Miss Nine.

Miss Nine then led him down to the wine cellar. As soon as Little Yun’er approached, he was greeted by the intoxicating aroma of wine. Miss Nine told him to wash his hands thoroughly first, then to pay homage to the Wine God. Afterwards, she began to introduce him to the unique characteristics of famous wines from various regions.

In Jiangnan, for example, Daughter’s Red is brewed for a daughter’s wedding, the perfect wine for the wedding night when husband and wife drink from crossed cups. Daughter’s Red is a wine of celebration, gentle in nature, and the favorite of the talented scholars and beautiful ladies of Jiangnan. Each land, with its own scenery and waters, brews its own fine wine; thus, Jiangnan is rich with talent and romance.

Shu is steeped in romance and poetry, yet tinged with a faint sorrow, like the “Jiannan Spring” brewed since the Tang dynasty. It’s said the great Tang poet Li Bai was fond of this wine—drinking it inspires vivid imagination, the heroic sense of “scattering a fortune and regaining it anew,” as well as the sorrow of “drawing a blade to cut the water, the water flows on.” Thus, it’s a favorite among poets and scholars.

The wines of the northern frontier are mostly fiery spirits, for the climate there is harsh and cold, and people drink strong liquor to ward off the chill—like “Knife Wine,” which burns like a blade down the throat. Without a strong constitution, few can bear to drink it.

Central Plains wines have the air of kings about them, such as “Drunken Mountain.” The founding emperor of the Song dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, was especially fond of this wine. Drinking it fills the heart with lofty ambition and the drive to achieve great things.

More than a decade ago, Miss Nine’s wine-loving master had explained the world’s famous wines to the young Miss Nine in just this way. Back then, she’d been only a little girl, completely unaware of what made each wine special. Now, as she spoke to Little Yun’er, it was much like playing music to a cow. But even if the audience doesn’t understand, it does not lessen the musician’s desire to play.

Listening is always easier than speaking, so Little Yun’er listened quietly as Miss Nine explained. Her voice was beautiful, but the lovelier it was, the more it lulled him toward sleep. When she reached the part about “each land, with its own scenery and waters, brews its own fine wine,” he could hardly stifle a yawn.

Miss Nine had to wake him. “Do you understand what I’ve said?”

Little Yun’er nodded vigorously. “Just nod, whether you understand or not,” he thought. “Otherwise, if Little Red finds out I wasn’t paying attention, she’ll knock my head like a watermelon again.”

In his heart, Little Yun’er wasn’t afraid of Miss Nine, but he was terrified of Little Red. Following Miss Nine into the cellar, he saw it was spacious and filled with rows of wine jars.

From the labels on the jars, he could see these were Daughter’s Red, Jiannan Spring, Bamboo Leaf Green, and other famous wines.

There was also a table, and next to it, empty wine jars and bottles of various shapes and sizes, as well as cups and other vessels for holding wine.

Miss Nine sat in a chair after entering, pointed to two jars in the corner, and said, “These are the two jars of Ruyi Wine left from this year.”

Hearing this, Little Yun’er couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them, thinking, “Could this be the magical Ruyi Wine Xiao Yu spoke of? I wonder if I’ll ever have a chance to taste even a drop and find out what it’s really like?”

He then remembered that even the Wolf from Hedong couldn’t buy any with silver, so his own chances were even slimmer. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand from the wine jar.

Curiosity got the better of him. “Miss Wine,” he asked, “how is this Ruyi Wine made to be so expensive? Why don’t you brew more if so many want to buy it, yet can’t?”

Miss Nine replied, “You know the saying, ‘Rarity makes a thing precious.’ If there were too much, and everyone could buy it easily, it wouldn’t be special anymore. Besides, brewing Ruyi Wine requires many rare medicinal ingredients, which are difficult to gather and take much time and effort each year.”

As she spoke, she pointed to three jars with unusual wrappings. “These are the original essence for this year’s Ruyi Wine—each can be blended into twelve jars of Ruyi Wine.”

Little Yun’er was amazed. “So Ruyi Wine is blended? How is it done?”

Miss Nine replied, “It’s quite simple. Each region’s fine wines are infused with the spirit of their local mountains and waters. Ruyi Wine gathers the essence of all these famous wines. Then, it’s combined with the original essence of Osmanthus Ruyi Wine, creating the unique flavor and fragrance that is Ruyi Wine.”

She pointed to the many wine vessels. “Now, follow my instructions and blend them.”

Little Yun’er nodded, showing he understood.

Miss Nine began, “One part ten-year Daughter’s Red.”

Little Yun’er hurried to fetch the Daughter’s Red, uncorked it, and poured one part into the vessel.

Miss Nine continued, “One part five-year Bamboo Leaf Green, one part seven-year ‘Jiangnan Beauty,’ one part ‘Dukang,’ one part ‘Jiannan Spring,’ one and a half parts ‘Peach Blossom Wine,’ half a part ‘Drunken Mountain,’ half a part ‘Lotus Seed Wine,’ half a part ‘Deer Wine,’ half a part ‘Fen Wine,’ half a part ‘Bear Wine.’ Lastly, add one part of the original essence of Osmanthus Ruyi Wine. Together, it makes exactly ten parts.”

Little Yun’er, though a bit clumsy, managed to measure and blend these dozen or so wines in the correct proportions into one vessel.

Miss Nine then said, “Pour a cup of the blended wine and bring it to me to taste.”