The treacherous 'assassin'

  After the wine entered his mouth, Qi Bing found that Zhang Jin's words were indeed true. The wine was just like what his brother had introduced before, with an alcohol content of only a dozen or so degrees, absolutely not exceeding twenty degrees. Moreover, the mouthfeel at the entrance was extremely good, very gentle and soft, just like warm soup with a hint of wine aroma. As the wine went down his throat, it was also warm and comfortable, soft and gentle. And from start to finish, the clear fragrance of the wine was like the scent of incense, faint yet persistent, spreading gently like light music. When savoring carefully, it was easy to fall into the serene atmosphere it created.

  Although Qi Bing couldn't fully appreciate the wine due to his young age and limited experience, he could still tell that it was exceptionally good, with a certain charm that he enjoyed but couldn't quite put into words.

  He smacked his lips, and Qi Bing was about to utter a few words of praise when a surge of energy rising from his abdomen blocked the compliment that was about to come out. Then his chubby face, which had already lost a lot of weight but still had a lot of flesh, suddenly turned red like it had been set on fire, and the redness deepened rapidly, as if the beautiful red color on his face was about to bleed. His originally delicate and smooth skin seemed transparent. Fine beads of sweat also seeped out from his forehead and nose at a visible speed, and his eyes were misty.

  This sudden change not only blocked Qi Bing's words, but also made him speechless for a long time, as if he had been enchanted and stood there motionless.

  Qī Bīng suddenly looked like he had been petrified, giving Liú Lǎo Yé Zi a fright. Although this old man had been deprived of the right to try new wine, he was still watching Qī Bīng's reaction with eyes full of envy, jealousy and hatred as he tasted the new wine for the first time.

  "What's wrong with Little Soldier?" Two seconds passed, and Qi Bing was still as motionless as a wax figure, the mist in his eyes growing thicker, his gaze increasingly distant. Old Man Liu couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, turning to look at Zhang Jin with an inquiring expression.

  In response to Mr. Liu's inquiry, Zhang Jin, who had just drained his cup and had a faint flush on his face, smiled deeply and shook his head, refusing to answer.

  A few seconds later, Qi Bing, who had been holding his breath since drinking the wine, finally let out a long sigh and the flush on his face gradually faded.

  "Awesome!" The first word that burst out of Qi Bing's mouth was quite powerful and loud.

  He then gave Zhang Jin a thumbs up with an expression of admiration, shouting in an exaggerated tone: "This wine has character, it's obviously over 50 degrees but is packaged like a pure and innocent 20-something. It's just as sinister as my brother." Qi Bing's voice was also very loud, his tone exuding obvious excitement, his eyes shining brightly.

  Qi Bing's reaction made Old Man Liu's eyes turn red, not because he was annoyed by Qi Bing's nonsense, but because he was moved by Qi Bing's performance. So this dignified old artist, once again shot a sparkling glance at Zhang Jin with his old eyes. Unfortunately, Old Man Liu's romantic gesture was wasted, as Zhang Jin completely ignored this charming old man, the implication clear: "Go wherever you like, want to drink? No way!"

  On the other hand, Zhang Jin accepted Qi Bing's sarcastic praise with a calm expression, deliberately putting on a profound and mysterious look, and explained in a faint smile: "The name of this wine is 'Assassin'. I named it Assassin because it is extremely soft when entering the mouth, and it is also very easy to swallow. It doesn't feel spicy or fierce at all, just like a warm soup full of wine aroma. But once it enters the abdomen, it suddenly burns like a ball of fire, and the intense alcohol flavor spreads throughout the body in an instant."

  He pointed to his stomach and made an exploding gesture, saying: "It's like an assassin, initially calm and harmless, but once it reaches the attack position, it immediately 'strikes without warning', catching you off guard."

  "How's that? Is this the taste? Too much or too little?"

  For Zhang Jin's explanation and description, Qi Bing nodded in agreement, repeatedly echoing "right, right, that's exactly what it is. It feels like a warm water ball wrapped in fire suddenly exploding in the belly, with flames running wildly all over the body, both spicy and hot.

  But although it seems that the spark of fire is making my brain numb, I don't feel dizzy at all; although I'm sweating profusely, I feel like I've been ventilated from the inside out, so comfortable. It's so addictive, really addictive!

  Qī Bīng spoke with gestures, and then carefully picked up the small wine jug to pour for himself and Zhang Jìn. For this Northeastern young man Qī Bīng, this white liquor was obviously more to his taste than fruit wine, yellow rice wine, or millet wine.

  But this time, Qi Bing didn't suggest switching to a larger cup. Three coins for one cup, and one mouthful per cup was just right for this 'assassin'.

  After lunch, the task of cleaning up the mess was left to Qi Bing. According to the rules, Old Master Liu should have helped, but because he didn't get to drink any wine at noon, this old man was sulking and refused to lift a finger. So Qi Bing, that fat guy who hadn't gotten drunk thanks to Zhang Jin's strong intervention, had no choice but to take on this task alone.

  At this time, Zhang Jin finally returned to his recliner, which he had been away from for an entire morning, and relaxed comfortably like a pig.

  Although Zhang Jin drank three times more wine than Qi Bing at noon, he was only slightly drunk at this time and couldn't even be considered tipsy. After all, although he didn't use internal force to cheat, he still had a physique of up to 60 points to hold on! Normally speaking, in terms of drinking, even if it were an elephant, he could knock down several heads by himself. The less than two catties of wine at noon was nothing for him.

  "Hey, Old Three, I've got some news for you... 'The Assassin' is done..." After shifting around on the recliner a few times to find the most comfortable position, Zhang Jin said weakly with his phone wedged between his neck.

  "An assassin? What assassin?" Xiao Fei's nasal tone was a bit heavy on the phone, obviously this guy hadn't finished his afternoon nap and was still in a daze. But very quickly, without waiting for Zhang Jin to explain, Xiao Fei, who was also a foodie, suddenly became wide awake, "An assassin? Is it your homemade white wine? Alright, alright, I'll definitely go this weekend! Be careful not to drink it all!" His voice was full of excitement.

  Then, Zhang Jin made another call to Lao Si. Wei Feng's reaction was almost identical to Xiao Fei's, with a mouthful of promises and solemn guarantees: "As a national cadre and public servant, one's faith must be firm. Even if knives are falling from the sky, it can't stop our determination. You can rest assured, this weekend's dinner is definitely on us."

  Zhang Jin and his two brothers did not know that this weekend's dinner gathering would have a significant impact.

  On the night of the three brothers' agreement, Mayor Lan and Director He learned about it through their daughter who had returned home.

  "Xiao Zhang has brewed new wine again? Is it still white wine? Hmm, Fei Fei, you go back and discuss with Wei Feng that kid to see if we can get some back? 'Wen Xiang', 'Rou Yu' and 'Jia Ren' were already so unforgettable, I wonder what kind of taste this 'Cike' is...". Mayor Lan's face was full of longing. The only pity is that he wasn't familiar with Zhang Jin, and it would be embarrassing to go over again without a reason after already going once to get a free meal. So even if they could get the 'Cike', it's unlikely they could get the perfect dish to pair with it. What a shame!

  On the night of the three brothers' appointment, a group of old men in the provincial government's mansion also learned about this matter through Old Man Liu.

  The first to know and spread the news was Old Man Lu. This old man often called and chatted with Old Man Liu, who lived in Zhang Jinjia's house in Haigouzi Village, and was always annoyed by him.

  This old man Liu is really infuriating, you say he's living a comfortable life, better than us several old friends by a hundred times, and the delicious food made by Zhang Jin's own hands is also a hundred times better than ours. He should just enjoy it himself! But this old man Liu is showing off, being so arrogant.

  It was only this conversation that made Mr. Lu feel a little psychologically balanced, because he also didn't drink the new wine called 'Assassin'. This is what they call, "As long as you're doing better than me, I won't be able to bear it. If you're suffering just like me, then I'll be balanced."

  Hearing Lao Yezi's propaganda, Blue Lao Yezi stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Since my family's Fei Fei and Wei Feng that kid are going, they must be able to bring some back. At that time, I must urge them a bit, or else my unfilial child will all be deducted. This time, as the father, I must take the lead!"

  The other old men gathered together to discuss and wanted to come up with a suitable price, asking Liu to ask if he could buy some from Zhang Jin's hands. Huangjiu and rice wine were already 3,000 yuan per tank, and as for baijiu, it would be at least 5,000 yuan. If Zhang Jin felt it was not enough, they could add more!