"Hahaha!" Luo Tianyou laughed first, a hearty laugh devoid of any unpleasantness, making it pleasing to the eye. "Mr. Feng, we meet again! Last time, I bought a bottle of your fine wine at a high price. The taste of that wine, tsk tsk, truly made all other wines seem bland as water! However, when I later begged you to brew wine for me again, you refused outright. Mr. Feng, you made it take me a long time to give up my longing for your wine! I never imagined that today, I would have the opportunity to taste your wine again, and I am overjoyed!" He paused, then turned to Gao Jianfei with a smile, "Mr. Gao, please don't take offense. I've been a wine lover since childhood. My relationship with Mr. Feng Haoyu is purely transactional, we have no personal connection! Therefore, as judges today, we will not show any favoritism, but will judge solely on the quality of the wine!"
Luo Tianyou is quite sincere in his speech.
"Yes, I trust all the judges!" Gao Jianfei said with a smile.
At this moment, Fang Changzun continued to announce, "Two contestants, this brewing competition is somewhat different from other competitions. Other competitions can reveal the winner immediately, but brewing competitions... hehe, especially brewing baijiu, requires a fermentation process. Therefore, the result of today's competition will not be known until January 5th, after our judging panel has tasted the fine wines you two have brewed!"
"My 'High Mountain Flowing Water' is made using a unique process, a secret recipe left behind by a super wine connoisseur from the Tang Dynasty. Its fermentation process only takes 5 hours! Therefore, this afternoon, all the judges will be able to taste my wine! You should know that the length of fermentation time is also a standard for measuring the level of winemaking. Suppose a winemaker can brew all the wonderful wines in the world, but the fermentation process takes decades or even centuries, who can wait that long? Therefore... Gao Jianfei, if you still can't get the wine out of the cellar and hand it over to the judges for tasting this afternoon, then you've lost!" Feng Haoyu interjected.
His brewing secret recipe can indeed significantly shorten the fermentation process. Therefore, he made this statement.
After discussing it for a while, the judges all nodded in agreement.
Luo Tianyou was overjoyed. "I thought I'd have to wait more than ten days to taste Mr. Feng's fine wine again, but I didn't expect it to be here this afternoon! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
“Uh… Mr. Gao, do you have any questions?” Chief Judge Fang Changzun looked at Gao Jianfei.
Feng Haoyu also looked at Gao Jianfei with a provocative gaze. Because Feng Haoyu knew that among the historically recorded brewing recipes, only the one he possessed, passed down from the Tang Dynasty, could condense the fermentation time to just a few hours without affecting the deliciousness of the wine!
He didn't believe that Gao Jianfei had also mastered this secret formula!
"Ha! Me? No problem!" Gao Jianfei snapped his fingers. "Then, this afternoon, I'll also hand over my brewed wine to the judges to taste! Five hours of fermentation time should be more than enough!"
"Hiss!" Fang Changzun gasped. "It seems this is a duel between two great brewing secrets! Alright! Please, both of you, enter the brewery! However, I see that you both brought your own raw materials. So, we judges will first check whether there are any problems with your raw materials. We hope you won't mind!"
Feng Haoyu spoke first, "It's good to check first, just in case someone cheats!" As he spoke, he looked at the wooden bucket Liu Liping was carrying. He suspected... Gao Jianfei had brought pre-prepared drinks to the scene!
"Check, check! Check quickly!" Gao Jianfei shouted without backing down.
Immediately, Liu Liping and Xiao Dao carried the raw materials they were carrying to the judging panel.
More than twenty judges came out, opened the lids of the wooden barrels, first observed the color, and then tasted the flavor.
"Yes, no problem. Mr. Feng brought ordinary spring water."
"There's no problem here either. Mr. Gao also brought spring water with him."
After checking the longan and wild fruit that both sides brought, there were no problems.
"Alright! Please, both of you, enter the brewery!" the head of the brewery announced loudly.
Below the platform, on the left and right sides, there was a temporary brewing workshop. Gao Jianfei and Feng Haoyu, carrying raw materials, went directly into the workshop and began brewing!
Xiao Dao and Liu Liping then left the stage.
Because the brewing process was to protect the secret recipes and unique techniques of the two contestants, it could not be broadcast live. Therefore, the organizing committee arranged performances to entertain the guests during the breaks between Gao Jianfei and Feng Haoyu's brewing sessions.
Singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, pop stars from Europe and America, street dancers... and many more—a dazzling array of performances brought the atmosphere to one climax after another!
afternoon……
Around 3 o'clock, Gao Jianfei and Feng Haoyu simultaneously finished brewing the wine!
The two men each carried a wooden barrel out of the brewery! The barrels were sealed tightly, and everyone knew that they no longer contained ordinary water, but... fine wine!
A fine wine crafted by two geniuses! A wine made with a unique secret recipe!
The judges, all heavy drinkers, began to gulp as they stood up and announced, "Contestants, please bring up your respective wines!"
Each judge had a wine glass on their table! They were going to savor it!
Despite the wind and rain, Gao Jianfei carried the wine to the high platform.
"My fine wine is called 'High Mountains and Flowing Water'," Feng Haoyu said with a proud smile.
Gao Jianfei also laughed and said, "Unfortunately, my drink also has a name... 'Clear Stream and Flowing Spring'."
The entire audience stood up, subconsciously twitching their nostrils as if trying to smell the wine. Of course, this was purely a subconscious, meaningless action.
"Wow! Mr. Gao and Mr. Feng's brewed drinks actually have names?"
"Haha! How poetic! 'High mountains and flowing water,' 'clear streams and flowing springs'... So talented! Both contestants are incredibly talented!"
"Will Mr. Gao continue his winning streak in this match, or will Mr. Feng tie the score?"
...
"Hehe, so, whose wine should we taste first?" The judges rubbed their hands together.
Feng Haoyu suddenly said, "Let me throw out a brick to start the jade! My 'High Mountain Flowing Water' is something the judges can taste first!" Feng Haoyu also wanted the judges to drink his wine first, and then when they drank Gao Jianfei's wine, they would feel that Gao Jianfei's wine was like swill!
"Alright, in the last competition, Mr. Feng Haoyu presented his work first, and I was in line after him. This time, let Mr. Feng have his way again!" Gao Jianfei said with a nonchalant smile.
He wasn't saying he had 100% confidence in the match, but he had done his best, and the outcome would depend on his true abilities!
If Zuo Shi is not included, relying solely on Du Kang and Hu Feiwei's brewing techniques, Gao Jianfei will likely have to concede defeat at this point in the competition!
Therefore, winning this competition is certainly good; losing is also fine!
Slowly, Feng Haoyu opened the lid of the wooden barrel, and immediately, a rich aroma of wine wafted out!
"ah!"
The twenty-odd judges all closed their eyes and frantically snorted… “Good wine! Truly good wine!”
Chapter 438 Drunken Rampage
Chapter 438 Drunken Rampage
The 100,000-seat stadium in Beijing.
The entire audience held their breath!
The second match of the World Genius Challenge, brewing, has entered its final stage, a crucial moment to determine the winner!
Feng Haoyu and Gao Jianfei had already brought their respective brewed wines to the judges. Feng Haoyu was the first to lift the lid of the wooden barrel, and instantly, a rich aroma of wine burst forth!
This is the aroma of wine, like a moth drawn to a flame! A burning, fiery aroma!
How can I describe it? In other words, the moment the barrel lid is opened, the aroma of the wine is like an all-pervasive monster, directly invading the nasal cavity of everyone within a few meters!
"Ah...ah..." The judges all squinted their eyes and breathed greedily.
Even Song Ying, who was standing to the side and was not a big drinker, was captivated by the aroma of the wine!
Even Gao Jianfei, standing firmly against Feng Haoyu, couldn't help but sigh... "Indeed, the aroma of this wine is intoxicating. It's fine wine, truly fine wine!"
The scene became somewhat strange. A group of people surrounded the wine barrel, their faces showing signs of intoxication, while Feng Haoyu stood confidently to one side.
This situation also prompted the audience outside the venue to stand up, some of whom couldn't help but mutter... "Good wine! Good wine!"
In reality, the audience seats were too far from the wine barrel; not a single spectator could smell the wine. Their apparent rapture was purely psychological, influenced by their surroundings.
A small bucket of liquor was enough to suppress the atmosphere of the entire room.
Quiet, quiet...
"Alright, enough smelling, try it, judges." Feng Haoyu broke the silence with a proud smile. "Having tasted my 'High Mountain Flowing Water,' you don't know whether it's lucky or unlucky, because you will forget the taste of any other wine! You'll see it as just water!"
This statement is extremely arrogant. Under normal circumstances, it would be considered pretentious. However, the wine brewed by Feng Haoyu is so fine and fragrant that he certainly has the right to make such arrogant remarks!
"Good...good...try it...try it!" Chief judge Fang Changzun hurriedly opened his eyes and returned to the judges' table to get a wine glass.
The judges realized what was happening and rushed back to grab the wine glasses.
Each person, holding a wine glass, rushed forward, scooping wine with a wooden spoon and pouring it into the glass. Then, the twenty-odd judges handled it as if it were fragile glass, with utmost care! It was as if they were holding not wine glasses, but emeralds and gemstones!
The judges would take a small sip of their drinks first, then close their eyes, their expressions shifting and uncertain, like addicts smoking marijuana. Then, after a dozen seconds, they would down the entire glass in one gulp!
Immediately, they began to shake their heads in unison, as if they were having a mild epileptic seizure!
This situation lasted for about half a minute before it stopped. Afterwards, the judges all opened their eyes, their gazes shining!
"How is it?" Feng Haoyu asked indifferently.
At this moment, the 100,000 audience members at the scene, as well as those watching on television, all had the same question in their minds... "How does it taste? How does it taste?"
Gao Jianfei also looked at the judges. After all, he hadn't tasted 'High Mountain Flowing Water' and couldn't compare it to his own 'Clear Stream Spring'.
The brewing secrets passed down from the Tang Dynasty are also very promising, and Gao Jianfei's victory is far from guaranteed.
"Ah..." At this moment, the chief judge, Fang Changzun, sighed deeply, "I never thought that I would be able to drink such fine wine in my lifetime! For people like us who love wine so much, it's simply... simply an immense blessing! It's wonderful! It's wonderful!"
After he finished speaking, all twenty-odd judges, including the foreign ones responsible for tasting the wine, bowed deeply to express their gratitude.
This is a true drinker, surrendering to the power of wine!
Seeing this, the audience at the scene, as well as those watching on television, all understood immediately... they were captivated! The judges were won over by Feng Haoyu's 'high mountain and flowing water' performance!
So much so that even the judges lowered their posture and bowed!
The wine brewed by the wind and rain filled a large barrel. Each judge took a small sip, and after tasting it, there was still a lot left.
“This… Mr. Feng… Mr. Feng, about the rest of the wine, we…” Fang Changzun glanced weakly at Feng Haoyu.
"You two can split it up," Feng Haoyu said casually, waving his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Feng!" The judges started finding mineral water bottles and the like, and divided up the remaining 'High Mountain Flowing Water' wine completely! Moreover, when distributing the wine, these guys fought for every inch of it, and no one was willing to lose out by even a little bit!
This kind of fine wine is extremely rare. Feng Haoyu only brews a small amount for the competition. If he wants to drink this wine again, he will never have the chance. Therefore, these wine-loving referees all want to get some and keep it as a treasure.
Gao Jianfei was speechless... This was clearly a competition between me and Feng Haoyu, but you guys were busy dividing up the wine. It was really... ridiculous!
After the judges had finished distributing the wine, they finally walked over to Gao Jianfei's barrel of wine.
"Mr. Gao, your wine is called 'Clear Stream and Flowing Spring,' right?" Fang Changzun asked Gao Jianfei slowly and deliberately. His eyes still held the lingering happiness of having tasted 'High Mountain and Flowing Water.'
"Well then, it's the judges' turn to taste my drinks, isn't it?" Gao Jianfei smiled faintly. At this point, he could only remain calm and composed.
"Hmm." Fang Changzun nodded, his eyes showing little expectation. The judges replaced the cups and then opened the wooden bucket.
A faint aroma of wine wafted out.
However, this kind of aroma is completely different from the explosive burst of 'high mountain flowing water'!
It's very faint, so faint that you can barely detect its fragrance unless you pay close attention.
Therefore, none of the judges showed any sign of their initial discomposure when they first smelled the "high mountains and flowing water" aroma.
The audience watched every move the judges made.
"Hmm, just average," one of the judges muttered.
"Alright, let's have a taste first!" Fang Changzun first used a wooden spoon to scoop some wine and pour it into a glass. The judges then began to scoop wine in a formulaic manner.
Then, taste it.
This time, they didn't seem to care much when tasting the 'Clear Stream Spring,' simply shoveling it into their mouths.