In Neon, the term 'Du' specifically refers to a sake brewer. It serves as an honorific for the Chief Brewer.
Xia Yu visited the alleyway sake brewery and met the Du widow that Liangzi Lina had spoken of.
A sorrowful woman, dressed in a dark black kimono, received the two.
On their way there, Xia Yu had heard from Reiko that the female Du had recently lost her husband, and her decision to leave the Hasegawa family's large brewery and start her own was related to her husband, though Xia Yu was not interested in the tangled love story and did not gossip about other people's private affairs.
They went directly to the brewery's storage, and as the widow pushed open the wooden door, a cloud of dust hit them in the face. Xia Yu frowned and said to Liangzi Lina through lip-reading, "Does this brewery actually operate normally?"
However, once inside, Xia Yu found that the inside was cleaned thoroughly, and the equipment and tools were well-maintained. Although aged, it indicated that the brewery had once done good business, an important point for Xia Yu's consideration. He didn't want to partner with a sake merchant that had been phased out by the market, both historically and currently.
After touring with Liangzi Lina, about half an hour had passed.
"How is it?" The widow asked, seeing Xia Yu's enthusiasm, "For a long time, people believed that purely traditional sake breweries would eventually be phased out by the era. But in Neon, many handcrafted sake breweries have been passed down for ten or twenty generations, and perhaps due to the younger inheritors growing tired of big city life, there has been a resurgence in handcrafted breweries reopening in the past couple of years."
The widow continued, "In the 1970s, the sake industry underwent dramatic changes. At that time, at least seventy to eighty percent of handcrafted breweries closed down. Partially, this was due to inexpensive imported drinks impacting the market, and on the other hand, the population movement towards larger cities led to local breweries losing their customer base, naturally resulting in closures. It was during the 1970s that the Hasegawa family established their dominance in the sake industry."
"I see," Xia Yu understood.
The so-called 'Four Noble Families' of today's Neon each dominated their own sectors: the Hasegawa family in sake, the Yuchuan family in agriculture and livestock, the Dubian family in Western cuisine, and the Chiyoda family in Japanese restaurant chains.
Of course, over the years, the Four Noble Families had branched out into other areas, and their professional labels had naturally become more ambiguous.
Footsteps returned, and the widowed Du came back holding a tray.
Xia Yu and the widow entered a Japanese-style reception room, removed their shoes and sat on tatami mats while the female Du placed the tray on the table and gestured, "This is our brewery's Pure Rice Daiginjo."
Pure Rice Daiginjo represents the pinnacle of sake quality, positioned at the top of the pyramid.
Could a purely handcrafted workshop produce high-quality Pure Rice Daiginjo?
With a hint of skepticism, Xia Yu picked up a cup from the table. Worth mentioning, the cup differed from the upright small sake cups commonly seen in taverns; it was an open-mouthed, small sake cup, broad and shallow with blue patterned designs at the bottom—very traditional.
"This is a professional sake tasting vessel used specifically to assess and judge the quality of sake," the widow explained.
Xia Yu shrugged; he was not so professional, but he could still taste whether the sake was good or not. The female Du poured him a drink, and he noticed the packaging of the sake, a glass bottle, and the label on the bottle:
This was the name of the Pure Rice Daiginjo, a small brand that Xia Yu had never heard of before.
The key was the glass bottle, hazy and seemingly transparent, yet giving an impression of mistiness. He recognized it as being produced with a unique local Neon craftsmanship, monstrously expensive.
This discovery startled Xia Yu internally, realizing a sake packaged in a bottle that cost thousands of RMB surely wouldn't be of poor quality?
Thinking this, he downed the drink in one go.
Savoring the sake in his mouth, tasting its evolution, Daiginjo, as a grade of sake, generally had a delicate taste, but this unheard-of "Snow Maiden" sake was even more exquisite. Xia Yu trembled, finishing it in one swallow, his face a mix of struggle and lingering taste.
How could it feel like caressing the icy skin and bones of a snow maiden?
Such delicacy, a shivering cold that tingled the heart.
Snow Maiden? No wonder it has such a name.
At the same time she marveled inwardly, Xia Yu looked up satisfactorily and said to Ms. Du, "This one it is!"
"How much finished wine do you have?"
Time flashed back to the morning.
At the Yuchuan Main House's deep and vast compound, it was the first time since her Food Duel defeat half a year ago that the Yuchuan family's eldest daughter had stayed overnight. Yet the atmosphere during their conversation at the dining table was less than pleasant.
"Collaborating with Xia's Farm?"
The eldest daughter had repeatedly pleaded with her father to connect with the young chef, and Yuchuan Xin was getting impatient. He waved his hand, "Culinarily, he is indeed very strong, strong enough to defeat the established Lin Giant Lei Zhe, but our Yuchuan family does not need to abandon our laid strategies and lower ourselves to seek business cooperation. The Yuchuan family does not need extra collaborators!"
Beyond his culinary skills, Yuchuan Xin could command the family and had led it to flourish over the years through his management and business prowess.
He admired Xia Yu's culinary talent.
But strictly business-wise, Yuchuan Xin didn't think the large and established Yuchuan family needed to stoop.
"Father, have you ever visited his farm?" Yuchuan Ayaka stood her ground, tilted her chin slightly, and met her father Yuchuan Xin's scrutinizing gaze, a stubbornness in her eyes, "I have visited it, and I dare say, his farm will soon become a strong emerging force in the Neon agricultural and pastoral industry!"
Yuchuan Xin's face was as still as water.
"Our Yuchuan family, handed down through generations, has seen many new forces, watched them build high-rises, watched them collapse, but the Yuchuan family still stands firm." His mouth curved into a slight smile, Yuchuan Xin said, "Lately, there has indeed been news from his farm, claiming he's attempting large-scale cultivation of Fantasy Plants? Hmm, and the visit from the Curry Princess Sisters and Takai Masashi—I've heard about it..."
"That..." Yuchuan Ayaka sat up a bit straighter.
"This matter needs not be discussed further!" Yuchuan Xin waved his hand to cut her off, "We Yuchuan family have a five-year plan to enter the Chinese Realm. In a couple of days, I am heading there to discuss business collaborations, speaking with the officials about increasing our Yuchuan Pasture's Wagyu exports overseas! All Yuchuan family resources are dedicated to this matter!"
His tone left no room for doubt.
Yuchuan Ayaka opened her mouth to speak, and not far away, Yuchuan Meisha, who was quietly eating breakfast, looked up and gestured with her hand.
After breakfast, the two sisters drove back to the shopping street.
"Sister, this is wishful thinking!" Yuchuan Meisha said with a puff.
The driving woman was taken aback.
"Isn't it? You hadn't even discussed this matter with Boss Xia. Even if Dad agrees to allocate some resources of Yuchuan Pasture to support Xia's Farm, what about Boss Xia? He's a heavyweight on the Far Moon Board of Directors and has a close relationship with the General. With just a word, he could get support equivalent to half of the Yuchuan family's resources, but has he ever asked for these supports..."
Yuchuan Ayaka listened in silence, it took her a long time to respond:
"Father will regret this... No, the entire Yuchuan family will!"
Who knew Yuchuan Meisha would wave her hand, saying carelessly, "Sister, you've practically become a 'Xia' already!"
The car screeched to a halt at the entrance of the shopping street. Yuchuan Ayaka's face flushed with anger as she turned to glare at her sister, "Meisha, what are you talking about! What becoming a 'Xia'? I am the eldest daughter of the Yuchuan family!"
No wonder Yuchuan Ayaka reacted harshly. In Neon, the changing of a woman's surname often involved significant life decisions.
"Ever since your defeat in the Food Duel, hasn't the surname 'Xia' been placed upon you?" Yuchuan Meisha's eyes twinkled mischievously, "Ah, sister, do you think you are merely a maid?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Yuchuan Ayaka, furious, pulled out the car keys, climbed over to the passenger seat where her sister was, pinched her cheeks, and pretended to tear her mouth, forcing Yuchuan Meisha to beg for mercy, "Ah! Sister, please don't do this…"