flstandardbreds Chapter 150 Fine Wine (9)
Chapter 150 Fine Wine (9)
"Big Tree! We've arrived!"
"Claire, slow down."
Klee bounced around, while Paimon protected her from behind, worried sick.
"Yo, here we come."
Everyone: "!"
The sound came from the top of the tree, startling everyone.
Looking up, they saw two people sitting atop a tree, looking down at them. One had striking blond hair and heterochromatic eyes, while the other wore a green cloak and a green hat.
It was Xuan Yue and Wendy.
"Singing for money! Jin Xuan!" Paimon immediately greeted them happily.
The two of them immediately jumped down from the tree and walked up to them.
"Sorry, I've been so busy lately that it's giving me a headache. If Wendy hadn't reminded me, I'd probably still be buried in copywriting right now."
Speaking of Xuan Yue, it's a bit of a headache. Even after so many years, a batch of copywriting still makes him very angry.
Wendy: "Haha, who was it that said they were going to have a blast the other day? Well, as soon as I took my eyes off you, look, you're buried in files again."
Klee: "What are dossiers?"
Xuan Yue patted Xiao Keli's head and said, "It's just work, like the documents on your leader Qin's desk."
"Then... brother, you shouldn't watch it. Holidays are for having fun!"
Xuan Yue (happily): (So cute...)
Wendy: "Hehe, so I brought out Brother Jin Xuan, how about that?"
Paimon: "Not very good. Buskers, how did you know we were coming here?"
Wendy: "Hey. Because I remembered something important. There's one more thing we need to do before you seal the barrels and bury the wine in the ground."
Wendy: "But finding you was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, the traveler had a feather left by Jin Xuan, and after some deduction... I arrived here a few steps ahead of you."
Klee: "King Jin is so amazing! But... what's missing?"
"Leize, do you remember the taste of that half-bottle of 'Thousand Winds Fine Wine'? Was it a little bitter?"
Razer: "Yes, there is."
“Haha, that bitter taste has quite a story behind it, it’s… this.” Wendy held out her palm, which contained dandelion seeds.
Paimon: "Dandelion seeds?"
Xuan Yue: "Yes, 'Thousand Winds Fine Wine' is actually the original 'Dandelion Wine.' 'The Rising Wind' also refers to dandelions, which is what I wanted to say at the beginning."
"Hehe, in the hearts of Mondstadt people, the wind can bring back the soul and preserve memories."
Wendy picked up where Xuan Yue left off and explained further: "Dandelion seeds are like natural gems, gathering the first breeze of the year. When people put them into wine barrels, they are putting the wind of the moment into them."
"The wine thus preserves the memory of this moment, forever."
"So this can also be considered a 'gift from the wind.'"
Paimon: "Whoa—!"
Klee: "Wow—Jiu remembered everything about us!"
"As for why there's no fixed flavor, it's because the ingredients you put in are completely up to you, hehe." Wendy couldn't help but scratch her head and smile mischievously.
"It's completely because someone is deliberately keeping it a secret."
"Hey, Jin Xuan, how could you say that to me? What happened to the trust between us?"
"Who are you? Do we know each other?"
"What a thoughtless remark that brought tears to the eyes of the listener. Little Jin Xuan, I'm about to cause trouble."
"Go ahead and cause trouble, as long as you're shameless enough. Need an audience? I can help you bring in even more people to watch your performance."
"...How heartless..."
Wendy sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. The once innocent and pure girl was growing more and more crooked. (T^T)
Razer: "Hmm..."
Klee: "What's wrong, Razor? What are you thinking about?"
"I don't know anything about the wine my parents drank, except for dandelion seeds."
"My wine contains a lot of the feelings of friends."
"Mom and Dad, I still don't understand. But... we have everyone here."
"Everyone worked very hard."
"Falgar, Master, Klee, Bennett, Uncle Brown Cat, the aloof older sister, the adult who pretends to smile..."
"A girl with a grayish, stiff appearance, someone who smells like a wind crystal butterfly, Uncle Cat's daughter..."
"A kind-hearted person with the scent of the rising sun, a green poet, Paimon, a traveler."
"Everyone remembers."
"Making wine is very difficult."
"Without everyone... there wouldn't be today's wine."
"When you're with friends, difficulties are not difficulties."
"I... am very happy."
Razer spoke at length, a rare occurrence for him, his eyes sparkling, clearly very happy.
Sora: "Everyone is very happy."
Reize: "Friends...are also 'Lupica'."
"In the future, we'll all be together. Whether I'm human or wolf... it doesn't matter."
"When we grow up... let's open this barrel of wine together again."
Wendy was the first to applaud: "Excellent speech. As a bard, I have nothing more to add."
"Next, bury the wine and wait for it to become mellow and sweet."
But the two gods secretly communicated:
Xuan Yue: (Sigh—, this little wolf cub is so well-behaved. Why is he from Mondstadt…?)
Wendy: (Heh heh, envious? It's no use, you can't take her away.)
Xuan Yue (→_→): (If you say whatever you want... I'll find a chance to turn Boreas against us. Then I'll kidnap your little wolf cub and bring him back to Liyue.)
Venti: (Your Liyue has way more kids than Mondstadt, look at Ganyu, Xiao, Shenhe...)
Xuan Yue: (But who could resist such an adorable little wolf cub? Can you?)
Wendy: (You can't just poach someone's partner like that.)
Xuan Yue: (I was just kidding... don't take it seriously.)
Wendy: (Try to tone down that light in your eyes, it's scaring the child.)
Xuan Yue: (...)
The group dug a small pit, carefully placed the wine barrel inside, covered it with soil, and compacted it.
Paimon: "Finally finished! I want to celebrate! If I remember correctly, tomorrow is 'Return of the Wind Day,' right?"
"Wow! Lord Wind God is coming back—!" Klee clapped her hands excitedly and jumped up.
"Tomorrow? Isn't it today?" Xuan Yue was taken aback and immediately turned to look at Wendy.
"Uh... haha, I guess I misremembered the time." Wendy felt a chill run down her spine under Xuan Yue's gaze. "Ahaha, that reminds me. I haven't finished memorizing the song yet, I need to go back and prepare for the toasting ceremony. See you tomorrow, everyone."
After saying that, Wendy immediately ran away, and a golden figure immediately chased after her.
"Halt!" (Barbatos!)
The next day —
"Ha—!" Xuan Yue yawned as she followed Kong and Paimon into the market.
Kong: "Jin Xuan, you didn't sleep all night, did you?"
"It wasn't just one night. I haven't slept a wink since I finished negotiating the collaboration with Diluc. I could have rested for a while yesterday, but that guy Wendy took me to find dandelion seeds and help Razor brew wine."
"I only slept for a while last night, and I haven't recovered at all."
"No wonder you were so angry yesterday, those buskers are really something." Looking at the dark circles under Xuan Yue's eyes, Paimon couldn't help but complain about Wendy.
Sora: "What are your plans after this?"
"Hmm... there are still some things that haven't been arranged properly. I need to go back to Liyue to make some arrangements before heading to Sumeru for a business trip for a while."
Paimon: "Is there anything we can help you with? Just let us know, don't be shy."
Kong: "Paimon, I'm the one who's exhausted."
"whee."
"...Then I won't stand on ceremony. There is indeed something I need your help with. But since it's a holiday, I'll discuss it with you after we return to Liyue."
"You are welcome."
Paimon: "Kong, Jinxuan. Look, there are so many people! Everyone's come to welcome the Wind God. Hmm, why are they all gathered around the 'Angel's Gift' booth?"
Kong and Xuan Yue looked in the direction Paimon was pointing and saw a long queue forming, with the number of people still increasing.
"As is customary, the best wines at the Wine Festival are only available for sale after they have been tasted during the toasting ceremony to the Wind God. Everyone is queuing up to wait," Lisa explained as she walked over.
Paimon: "Hmph, for these guys, welcoming the Wind God is just a formality."
Kong: "Miss Lisa, are you here to see Razer?"
"Yes, I was a little worried before, but I chatted with Razer a bit earlier and heard that your brewing trip is going smoothly. Now I can enjoy my drink in peace."
Paimon: "Even Lisa..."
“What a pity…” Xuan Yue shook her head with great regret: “If it weren’t for my strict upbringing, I would have liked to buy a cup too.”
"Hehe, Raize and the others are already over there, let's hurry over."
Lisa pointed them in the right direction and then joined the queue.
This time, the entire team was present.
Bennett, Claire, and Rizer arrived, and they gathered around a huge barrel with three different kinds of liquor on it.
Bennett: "Yo, you guys are here!"
"Wow, what's with all these bottles? If I didn't know, I'd think you guys had set up a liquor stall." Paimon, ever the outspoken one, blurted out the question.
Bennett: "Hahaha, these are all things we prepared for Razer!"
Klee: "Mom said that today we are going to welcome the Wind God and offer him a drink. If the Wind God is happy, he will turn into the wind to bless everyone."
“We want to please Lord Wind God and get him to help Razer. Look, Brother Honor Knight, this was lent to me by Brother Abedo.”
Klee pointed to the red wine bottle she had brought, which was decorated with a pretty four-leaf clover.
"This bottle was given to me by my dads. Luckily, it didn't break on the way. It's just for show. I have to take it back to them after I finish using it." Bennett pointed to the oval-shaped bottle he was carrying and scratched his head sheepishly.
Klee: "Mom said that Lord Wind God has an exceptionally high alcohol tolerance. If he wanted to, he could drink the entire Fruit Wine Lake in one go."
"Is this enough, plus the wine left by Razer's parents?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yue's face darkened: (If Barbatos heard this, wouldn't he be furious? He'd probably be wishing he had that power.)
Paimon: "Isn't that enough? Jin Xuan, did you bring any wine?"
Xuan Yue: "How could that be? My family won't let me touch a drop of alcohol, at most I'll have a bowl of 'sweet rice balls in fermented rice wine' to taste a little. As for juice... I have plenty here."
Bennett: "It's nothing, it's nothing. We're just pretending. We're not old enough to drink, just joining in the fun."
"Ah, Green Poet." Razer's words drew everyone's attention to the platform, where Wendy, carrying a harp, was led onto the platform by the harp.
"Ahem, everyone, it's a great honor to be here. Today, I've been invited by Ms. Jean, the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, to play a piece for you—'A Thousand Breezes'."
"I will dedicate my best songs to the wind, and also to all of you here—"