I even listed all the ingredients for making wine, but still couldn't figure out the mystery. It's a bit frustrating.
"QingYue, does the wine-tasting method you learned in Yihong Courtyard really work?" I couldn't help asking YunQingYue in my heart.
"I started tasting wine at the age of three. Although I am not a master, as long as it is a popular wine on the market, I can almost know its origin, characteristics, brewing materials and so on with just one taste. Absolutely no mistakes," said YunQingYue.
"But that old bastard said there was a hidden mystery in this wine. What kind of mystery could there be? Can you taste it?" I asked anxiously.
Hearing my words, YunQingYue sighed: "I really haven't tasted any hidden mysteries in this wine. The water used in this wine should be mountain spring water which makes it soft and cool to drink. That's all I can tell."
"Well then let me try." After talking to YunQingYue, I opened my eyes slightly and smiled before facing everyone else: "Ha ha! Everyone heard what Master Chi said about there being a hidden mystery in this wine. Do you guys have any idea what it might be? Well...I've figured it out."
"What is it? Tell us!" Everyone became excited when they heard me speak; their eyes shining strangely.
At this point Chi Qing Shuai frowned at me seeming somewhat skeptical of my words.
After thinking for a moment with furrowed brows myself , feeling like i hadn't quite gotten everything across yet , i lifted up my cup and began speaking again : "Firstly we'll talk about how clear and sweet the water used to make this alcohol must have been . If i'm not mistaken , they must have used fresh mountain spring water . This gives our alcohol an incredibly smooth and refreshing taste . This is a huge advantage for this alcohol , do you know why?"
"What is it?" The onlookers asked curiously.
"Because drinking warm alcohol won't make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. That's the benefit of this drink! So everyone can drink as much as they want without worrying about getting drunk. Haha, Master Chi, am I right?" I glanced at Chi Qing Shuai and asked.
"That's correct," said Chi Qing Shuai with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "But that's just surface level stuff; where's the soul of the wine?"
Now I was really frustrated. What did he want me to find in this wine? Wine is meant to be enjoyed; where does its soul come from? It was complete nonsense!
"Wait a minute, he's giving you a hint. Don't rush it, let me think," YunQingYue suddenly spoke up and stopped me.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked curiously.
"Do you know the origin of Huadiao wine?" YunQingYue asked me.
"Miss, I've never been to Yihong Courtyard nor have I received any specialized training in tasting wine. You ask me such questions...do you think I can answer them?
I'll tell you," YunQingYue pondered for a moment and said, "Hua Diao wine is produced in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. There's a vivid story about this wine. It is said that in ancient times, there was a family whose wife was about to give birth. To celebrate the occasion, the husband brewed some wine in advance to serve guests when the child was born. However, when the child was born and turned out to be a girl, he became angry and buried the wine underground in frustration. Eighteen years later, when his daughter grew up and got married, he remembered the buried wine and dug it up again. The aroma of the opened jar spread ten miles around and everyone could smell it from afar. His daughter's wedding banquet became famous because of this incident. From then on, brewing Hua Diao wine became popular in Zhejiang area under its alias - Daughter Red Wine or Scholar Red Wine - but neither name has anything to do with flowers or carving patterns on pottery as their names suggest."
"What's going on?" I asked curiously.
"Hua Diao originally meant 'flowers falling off' which refers to children dying young like flowers falling off leaves; hence it is actually a very sad name," explained YunQingYue.
"I see now! In ancient times infant mortality rate must have been high so they named this wine after such an unfortunate event." I replied.
"Hua Diao Wine was used at funerals for infants initially called HuaDiao (Flower Falling Off) but later changed due to its depressing connotation into HuaDiao (Carving Patterns On Pottery). Neither Daughter Red nor Scholar Red were able to become official names for this type of liquor; instead Flower Falling Off became its formal name indicating how low infant survival rates were back then." YunQingYue spoke solemnly.
Hearing this, my mood couldn't help but become low. At this moment, I subconsciously took another sip of wine and upon tasting it carefully, suddenly realized something.
"Haha! QingYue, you truly are the most talented woman in the world. I know what's special about this wine now!" Excitedly, I told YunQingYue everything without waiting for her response. Then I raised my glass and drank all of it before smashing the cup on the ground. Facing everyone while glancing at Chi Qingshuai, I said: "Master Chi is right; this wine does have a soul!"
"Wine has a soul?" Hearing my words, everyone was surprised.
Everyone here is a local and should know the original name of Huadiao wine, as well as why it's named that way. 'Hua Diao' means withered flowers and leaves, which symbolizes the high infant mortality rate in ancient times. The official name of this wine is not 'Daughter Red' or 'Zhuangyuan Red', but rather 'Hua Diao', because the pain of losing a child is unforgettable for every parent. This is the soul of Huadiao wine, full of sadness and tears."
I paused to look at Chi Qing Shuai who was nodding slightly, indicating that I was correct.
"Of course, the soul of Huadiao wine is only part of it. Now I want to talk about the soul of this particular jar we are drinking from," I furrowed my brows and looked at everyone before continuing, "If I reveal its true identity, it may make some people uncomfortable. However since Master Chi has given me this topic to discuss, I have no choice but to speak up."
"This truly is Hua Diao wine - specifically Qing Diao (Green Withering) Wine - because it was made in memory of a boy who died before he could be born; his mother also passed away during childbirth resulting in two deaths. If you pay close attention while drinking this wine tonight, you will feel sorrow and pain emanating from it along with deep resentment and bloodiness."
"I suggest that anyone who drinks this tonight should place a broom next to their bed when they go home; otherwise they might invite nightmares or worse yet...ghosts.