Xie Jiuniang courteously entered Dongxu Hall and greeted Elder Mujiu with a bow before pulling out a jug of Monkey Wine she had recently acquired under the benevolent and smiling gaze of the elder.
It must have been the scent of wine on her that the Elder Mujiu had detected.
Making wine in Dashan was no secret, and it was in such demand that it was impossible to buy without connections.
The wine Xie Jiuniang bought was reserved by Dashan for his personal consumption. He wouldn't sell it to anyone else.
"You made quite a profit last time, so the price for this jug of wine..." Elder Mujiu implied subtly.
Oh my!
Xie Jiuniang got the message.
He was suggesting she should offer it as a respectful gift, as if to freeload it.
But indeed, there was no reason to charge for wine given to an elder as a present.