Chapter 151: The Liquor in the Sprite Bottle
Just as Zhuang Feixue had predicted, after leaving the Stone Gambling Convention, Old Master Mu immediately went to visit Old Master Zhuang.
“Old Zhuang! That grandson of yours is something else! He uncovered a piece of ink jade and a piece of Fu-Lu-Shou jade! What an incredible eye for quality! I tell you, why don’t any of the brats in my family have that kind of luck?” Old Master Mu shook his head with admiration.
Old Master Zhuang gave a dry laugh. “Is that so?”
“I mean, someone with that kind of ability—why haven’t you brought him home yet? What, is he playing hard to get? Young people these days, they’ve all got a temper. They won’t buy into your ‘elder knows best’ routine. You must’ve scolded him, right? I heard him call you an old fart today. Young people are just hotheaded!”
“I also heard your grandson’s selling elixirs—tons of people are buying them. Even your own son and grandson are taking them,” Old Master Mu continued.
“There’s no such thing,” Old Master Zhuang replied, though he obviously knew what elixirs Mu was talking about. The reputation of the Health Elixirs had been spreading, and he had heard some things.
Old Master Mu glanced at him and chuckled. “No need to act embarrassed. They’re just health supplements. Good for vitality and longevity. They’re great! Boost your spirit!”
Old Master Zhuang’s face darkened as he recalled how Illya had publicly claimed to be selling virility elixirs at a party and even said Zhuang Zhiming was lacking in that department.
“I’ve heard those elixirs are actually kidney tonics. Old Zhuang, are your young ones… having issues down there?” Mu teased.
“I can’t take this anymore. Get out, get out, get out!” Old Master Zhuang snapped.
Old Master Mu only laughed at his old friend’s anger. “No need to be so worked up. Only I can put up with your rotten temper—no one else bothers with you.”
“I have plenty of friends!” Old Master Zhuang retorted angrily. “You’re the one nobody likes!”
Meanwhile, news of Chu Feng successfully bidding on top-tier jade at the Stone Gambling Convention spread rapidly and caused quite a stir.
Before Zhuang Feixue even got home, the news was all over the place.
Back home, she placed the Fu-Lu-Shou jade stone on the table, her eyes flickering with amazement. Even she, who was used to seeing good things, couldn’t help but be impressed.
Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at Zhuang Cheng. “First it was you, then Chu Feng. Maybe our family has a special fate with premium jade. Should I try my luck too?” At the event, she had been too busy watching Chu Feng to buy much herself.
Zhuang Cheng frowned. “Sis, finding top-tier jade depends on luck.”
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “That’s true. But look at Chu Feng.”
Zhuang Cheng scoffed, “Second Brother’s definitely hiding something.”
At that moment, their father walked in and immediately noticed the jade on the table.
“Feixue, that’s a fine piece of jade!”
Zhuang Feixue said sternly, “Dad, Second Brother asked me to send this to the auction house. It’s his. I can’t touch it without permission.”
Their father chuckled awkwardly. “I was just looking.”
Feixue paused, then asked, “Dad, did Grandpa talk to you?”
“The old man loves rare treasures. Everyone in his circle likes to show off when they get something nice. This tri-colored jade is rare—it’s a big deal to own it.” Her father looked a little embarrassed. “Seems like the old man’s interested in it.”
Zhuang Cheng muttered, “Too bad it’s Second Brother’s. If it belonged to one of our cousins, they’d probably gift it to Grandpa. But Second Brother’s different—all he sees is money.”
“Sell it?” their father asked.
Feixue nodded. “Yes, Chu Feng asked me to take it to auction. I’ve already contacted the auction house.”
Her father frowned, hesitant. “How about we just buy it privately?”
“That might not be appropriate,” Feixue said, unsure.
Zhuang Cheng added, “Dad, Second Brother doesn’t think highly of Grandpa. He even called him an old fart.”
Their father was surprised. “He really said that?”
“Second Brother’s living freely. Built his fortune from nothing,” Zhuang Cheng shrugged.
Feixue thought for a moment. “If you really want it, Dad, you can always buy it at the auction.”
Her father’s mouth twitched. “That’s such a hassle. Why not just have him name a price? We won’t shortchange him.” Auction houses take a commission—usually ten percent—and that adds up.
“Grandpa offered three hundred million. Second Brother refused. If Grandpa wants it, he’ll need to offer at least one or two hundred million more. Second Brother only recognizes money, not people,” Zhuang Cheng said, shaking his head.
Feixue looked at him. “How do you know all this?”
“Of course I know.” Though he hadn’t spent as much time with Chu Feng as his sister had, Chu Feng never pretended around him—only around Feixue.
Their father nodded. “Five hundred million should be about right.” He estimated the jade’s market value to be around 300–400 million, but it could go higher at auction.
Then his eyes glanced to a box nearby. “What’s in that bottle? Did Chu Feng give it to you?”
It was indeed from Chu Feng. Feixue hadn’t had time to put it away yet.
The liquor was oddly stored in a Sprite bottle, which seemed a bit strange. She had been planning to transfer it into a proper container.
“Dad, how did you know?”
Zhuang’s father gave an embarrassed smile but didn’t admit that he had overheard part of the conversation between Zhuang Feixue and Chu Feng.
“I don’t know what it tastes like. Let me try it,” he said.
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “Alright.”
Her father was a bit of a wine lover—any time he saw a rare or interesting drink, he’d want to try it. She brought out a few glasses and poured him one.
Zhuang Cheng, somewhat excited, said, “I want one too! I want one too!”
To him, Chu Feng always felt a bit mysterious, and he figured if Chu Feng brought out this wine, it must be something special.
Feixue frowned. “You’re not even of legal age yet.”
“Why not? I want to try it too! It’s just fruit wine, right? Probably not that strong. Come on, Sis, just a little,” Zhuang Cheng pleaded.
Feixue hesitated, then poured him a small glass.
Zhuang’s father took a sip and exclaimed, “This wine… This wine is really good!”
Feixue glanced at him. “Really?”
She thought the flavor was nice too, but what mattered more to her was the wine’s effects.
Her father said with a bit of doubt, “It kind of reminds me of monkey wine.”
Feixue thought about it. “It might really be brewed from several different ingredients. But it shouldn’t be monkey wine.”
Monkey wine, according to legend, is made when monkeys in the mountains gather hundreds of fruits in a hollow tree as winter food. But if the winter isn’t harsh and they don’t return to retrieve it, the fruit ferments naturally and eventually becomes wild fruit wine. It’s a rare coincidence. Genuine monkey wine is extremely valuable.
Authentic monkey wine requires the storing tree to preserve the fruit through winter without spoilage. The tree must be hollow, naturally sealed—there are very few trees like that. It requires the right time, place, and conditions, and is purely a matter of luck.
What most people call “monkey wine” is actually just a mix of mashed fruits artificially fermented. It’s nothing like the real thing.
Several years ago, someone found authentic monkey wine deep in the wilderness and gave a little to her father. After tasting it, he was hooked. He pulled strings for a long time trying to get more, but everything that turned up after that was fake.
Zhuang Cheng looked at his father and curiously asked, “Dad, which one tastes better—this or monkey wine?”
Zhuang’s father hesitated. “Each has its own merits.”
Zhuang Feixue was surprised—she hadn’t expected her father to praise this wine so highly. After all, he had obsessed over monkey wine for years and pulled every connection trying to get more. For him to rate this so highly… she had a bad feeling. She might not be able to keep the wine for herself anymore.
“Feixue, give me half of this wine,” her father said.
Feixue frowned. “Dad, this wine’s main effect is nourishing the body. I still need it to maintain my beauty.”
Her father smiled. “Feixue, you’re already so beautiful—you don’t need this! Besides, don’t you have beauty elixirs?”
Feixue frowned more deeply. “Those are out of stock now. I don’t have any left.”
She had saved a few for herself, but some high-status people came asking for favors, and she had to give out three elixirs. Now she was determined to hold back at least ten elixirs next time a batch arrived.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Zhuang’s father finally convinced her.
“Alright,” Feixue said reluctantly. “I’ll give you half.”
Zhuang Cheng immediately leaned in. “Sis, I want some too!”
“What does this have to do with you? Go ask your second brother!” Feixue snapped.
Zhuang Cheng pouted. “How am I supposed to ask him? He treats me like crap.”
Feixue looked at him. “Well, who told you to act all high and mighty with him like some spoiled young master?”
“I didn’t! I swear!” Zhuang Cheng protested. “Second Brother is scary! He raises a hand and it’s like he could slice someone’s head clean off—I wouldn’t dare throw a tantrum at him!”
In the end, after some haggling, Zhuang’s father left with half of the exotic fruit wine.
As for Zhuang Cheng, Feixue completely ignored him. As he walked out empty-handed, he could feel the deep and cold malice of both his brother and sister.
*
In another villa…
Illya looked at Chu Feng. “What’s wrong?”
Chu Feng put away his phone. “My sister said the Zhuang family is interested in buying the Fu-Lu-Shou jade.”
“And what do you think?”
Chu Feng looked casual. “As long as the money’s right, I don’t care who I sell it to. Business is business.”
He had a whole box of so-called ‘top-grade jade’ at home. To him, this wasn’t a big deal.
“I wonder how much it’ll sell for,” Illya said with anticipation.
Chu Feng chuckled. “Probably a lot.”
Illya tilted his head. “It’s just a rock. Why would people spend that kind of money on it? They must be crazy.”
Though he now understood the value of jade in this world, he still didn’t quite get the obsession.
Chu Feng shrugged. “Who cares? We just need to sit back and make money.”
Illya nodded. “This time we’re really going to cash in. Should we release a few more jade pieces?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “No need for now.”
This one deal would already provide more than enough money for a long time.
*
At the Zhuang residence…
“It’s good,” Zhuang Zhenyang said, setting down his cup with lingering enjoyment.
Su Manqing also took a sip and found it excellent. “I took this wine to the lab for testing.”
Zhuang Zhenyang was intrigued. “Oh? What did the results say?”
“The report says this wine contains a variety of amino acids beneficial to the human body. It even contains a rare medicinal compound with significant health effects. If consumed regularly, it should greatly improve one’s physical condition.”
Zhuang Zhenyang nodded. “So it’s true.”
He had recently been embarrassed after being exposed by Zhuang Cheng for secretly taking health elixirs—especially since he’d never managed to get any of the much-sought-after ones. But after tasting the wine from Zhuang Feixue, he realized it seemed to combine the effects of both the beauty and health elixirs. It likely came from the same creator.
Su Manqing tilted her head and said, “The researchers said this wine has likely been diluted. It seems it was mixed with a type of apple cider that costs about twenty yuan a bottle.”
Zhuang Zhenyang nearly spat out his drink. “I knew it! I kept thinking this wine had a strong apple flavor.”
“So it’s been diluted… Still tastes great. I wonder what the undiluted version would be like.”
“One of the researchers said it’s a good thing it was diluted,” Su Manqing added. “Otherwise, the average person might not be able to handle its medicinal effects.”
“Looks like Xiao Feng knows some truly capable people!” Zhuang Zhenyang exclaimed.
Su Manqing nodded, though her expression was complicated. “Seems like it.”
Her son was successful now, and of course Su Manqing was proud. But this new version of him felt distant. After all, it had been over twenty years—he was no longer the little boy who needed her protection.
“Xiao Feng… he’s become kind of mysterious.”
Zhuang Zhenyang had always wanted to help Chu Feng but never found the opportunity. After interacting with him a few times, he realized that his son probably didn’t need his help at all.
*
Meanwhile, at the other courtyard, Zhuang Zhenhua sat with a gloomy expression.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Zhuang Ming asked, noticing his father’s dark expression.
Zhuang Zhenhua scowled. “That Chu Feng really is lucky. He actually uncovered two pieces of top-grade jade.”
Zhuang Zhiming lowered his head, also looking upset.
When Zhuang Cheng casually found a piece of Imperial Green jade, Zhenhua had already been burning with jealousy. Now Chu Feng had managed to get both a piece of ink jade and a Fu-Lu-Shou tri-color jade at the stone convention. Not even counting the other ordinary jade, just those two alone were worth at least five hundred million.
“This kind of luck is… unreal.”
Zhuang Zhenhua frowned. “Chu Feng is becoming a real problem.”
Apparently, the old master had already heard about the Fu-Lu-Shou jade and was very interested in it.
Zhuang Zhenhua guessed that Chu Feng might gift the jade to the old man. And if he did, the old man would surely show favor to Chu Feng’s side of the family.
But jade wasn’t even the biggest issue—the real concern was the elixirs.
“Those elixirs… they actually seem to work.”
Back when Illya had mentioned selling elixirs at a family gathering, Zhenhua had thought he was crazy. But now, he was starting to realize—those elixirs were legit.
More and more people in the elite circles were paying attention to the elixirs. Some were even cozying up to Chu Feng’s branch of the family just to get access.
This shift in the balance of power was extremely unfavorable to Zhenhua.
Zhuang Zhiming bit his lip and said, “I heard the elixirs were formulated by an old traditional Chinese doctor. If we could find that person, it’d solve a lot.”
By coincidence, Zhuang Ming had managed to get her hands on a single beauty-enhancing elixir. After trying it, she realized it really worked. All sales and rights to the elixirs were controlled by Zhuang Feixue, who was now a hot figure among the wealthy elites. Even at her recent birthday party, many people had gone out of their way to curry favor with her.
