CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 66: SAVORING WINE BY THE SEASHORE (PART 2)

The Sixth District, silent and devoid of sound, where the bustling voices of people, roaming street vendors, and the pungent smoky aroma of grilled food add some warmth to the slightly chilly seaside.

"It’s a pity that we’ve missed the time when the fishing boats return to the harbor," Yan Wuxu was looking for familiar faces among the various barbecue stalls, "otherwise, you could see a lot of fresh seafood that you’ve never seen before, like fish straight out of the net, and lively shrimps jumping around."

Beside him, Su Ziceng let out a soft murmur, leaving only her curious eyes scanning around.

"I’ll treat you tonight," Yan Wuxu pulled the somewhat wooden Su Ziceng all the way to a food stall. This stall was located in a remote spot at the far end of the seaside night market, but fortunately, there was a large sea rock nearby to block the wind. Combined with the stall owner’s good cooking skills, this spot was bustling with business as soon as the night market opened.

The fish and shrimp were not chilled with ice; the bulging fish eyes, the translucent shells of the shrimp, and a variety of dark-green shelled creatures were dazzling, leaving Su Ziceng at a loss for what to choose.

A middle-aged woman around forty was busy making crab porridge at the stove, continuously adding tender yellow ginger and oily green scallions to the porridge.

"Mom," Yan Wuxu rolled up his sleeves, walked around the stove, and called out affectionately.

The woman’s eyes were slightly irritated by the smoke. Hearing the call, she raised her head in surprise, wiped her hands on her apron, and exclaimed, "My girl, you’re back!" The woman had heard that Yan Wuxu would bring her boyfriend back, and, feeling somewhat uncomfortable about her grubby appearance, she expressed some unease. After seeing Su Ziceng, she was initially surprised, but then immediately smiled; this was the first time her daughter brought a friend home.

This must be Yan Wuxu’s mother. From her features, one could vaguely make out a resemblance to Yan Wuxu, but due to years of hard work, her hair was no longer black. Su Ziceng thought of her own father, Su Qingzhang, reflecting that the poor toil with their bodies while the rich with their minds; both forms of toil can lead to premature aging.

"Why haven’t you contacted home for so many days? You had your mother worried to death. Come, bring your friend over to sit," Mrs. Yan smiled at Su Ziceng, busily instructing her assistants to clear a clean table and then personally wiped it down. Seeing Yan Wuxu rolling up his sleeves, she chided her a bit.

Yan Wuxu’s mother had been running a food stall by the seaside for quite some time now. Before heading to Kelly Women’s College, Yan Wuxu would often help out. The stall was busy at the moment, so she waved Su Ziceng over in passing.

When it came time for Su Ziceng to order, she hesitated, as the menu was filled with dishes she had never eaten before. Not wanting to seem too picky, she ordered a few familiar-sounding dishes by name.

Smoked fish, grilled eggplant, and a plate of homemade dried noodles were ordered. When the dishes arrived, Yan Wuxu also called for a bottle of local wine.

Mrs. Yan’s cooking skills were indeed good, not necessarily Michelin-star quality, but the ingredients were fresh. The eggplant was soft and smoky, the fish was tender and smooth, and the dried noodles were cooked to the perfect texture. What was most special was the bottle of wine.

"How is it?" Seeing Su Ziceng frown after tasting the wine, Yan Wuxu giggled. She also had some wine, and after her cheeks flushed, she became somewhat animated when speaking.

"This flavor," Su Ziceng was initially unaccustomed to it and smelled it again, still unsure about the taste.

Different from the large bottles of beer on other tables, the bottle Yan Wuxu brought was brown-colored. Looking into the glass, the amber liquid was clear and bright.

"And I thought I had no taste," Yan Wuxu remarked, remembering Brother Han once criticized her lack of taste. This wine was stored by Boss Han’s crew in the food stall and was only opened for celebratory occasions, such as when they found out Yan Wuxu was admitted to Kelly Women’s College, "It tastes a bit like chimney smoke." She didn’t like the taste of the wine; firstly, because it was too strong, and secondly, because of its peculiar flavor.

"No," Su Ziceng let the wine settle in her stomach; perhaps due to being stored by the seaside for too long, it had a faint fishy sea scent. As for the chimney smoke taste Yan Wuxu mentioned, it dissipated after being in her mouth for a while, slowly turning into a spicy yet not choking sweet citrus flavor, "I think it tastes like Scotch Whisky."

"Rubbish," Yan Wuxu snatched back the bottle of wine, refusing to believe that the wine brought by Boss Han’s crew was of good quality, "You’re overpraising them."

"Don’t doubt me, I’ve drunk lots of different wines," Su Ziceng initially bragged, but then remembered the fake liquor incident at ’Admiration,’ and lost her confidence. She had indulged in excessive drinking countless times, but whether the alcohol was real or fake as it went down, she truly couldn’t tell – an embarrassing admission.

"Sister, you secretly took Brother Han’s wine again," a miniature version of "Yan Wuxu" wobbled over. She looked to be only six or seven years old, trying to stealthily reach for the bottle of wine at the table. Unfortunately, she was too short to grab the neck of the bottle, so she could only grab at the body of the bottle.

"Aside from beer, there aren’t many other kinds of alcohol in this area," Yan Wuxu said, caught in the act, sticking out her tongue and quickly grabbing the bottle, teasingly playing with her younger sister, "All of these wines are smuggled in."

"Smuggling?" Su Ziceng had heard about the smuggling of tobacco and liquor before. The fake liquor from the previous owner of the Wine Shop had been brought in through illegal channels, and now that there was trouble, with the amount involved being significant, the investigation was quite serious.

"It’s not that kind of illegal smuggling," Yan Wuxu thought for a moment, "Brother Han has a relative abroad who brings it in for him."

"This kind of wine should be popular with many people," Yan Wuxu was someone who enjoyed drinking without delving into tasting it. For example, the smoked fish on the plate would go better with this peaty whisky than with a lighter beer. If she could sell this wine in Mo City, it would likely have a good market."