Chapter 618: Don't Dare to Drink

“Here, add some for me too. How long does this need to steep?” Seeing what Turtle Immortal was doing, Shen Yibin also hurried to his feet. He went to the kitchen, grabbed the remaining dried fruit, and tossed them into his own glass, matching Turtle Immortal’s ratio.

Turtle Immortal couldn’t speak. It just set its glass down and went back to eating its meal. Shen Yibin had no choice but to set his glass aside as well. ‘Looks like this will probably take a while to finish steeping.’

“Here, want to try some too?” Shen Yibin added a few pieces to Hah’Er’s glass, then handed the bag of dried fruit to Xia Shixuan. Soon, everyone at the table had a few pieces of the fruit in their glasses.

A little over half an hour later, dinner was finished. Only then did Turtle Immortal stretch its neck toward its glass. It began to take small, slurping sips, seemingly enjoying it with great relish.

“It should be ready. I’ll see how the taste has changed.” Shen Yibin picked up his glass and took a sip. ‘Mmm, a faint medicinal aroma now laces the fragrance of the wine, adding another layer of flavor without ruining the original profile of the Monkey Wine at all.’ It was a shame he only had one glass; it left him feeling a bit unsatisfied.

“Do you think if I put some in the jug to steep now, it’ll be okay to drink when I come back tonight?” One glass of something this good was simply not enough. Shen Yibin grabbed the wine jug and the dried fruit, moved closer to Turtle Immortal, and asked.

Turtle Immortal remained silent, merely giving a slight nod. It seemed that as long as the minimum steeping time was met, letting it sit longer was fine. Shen Yibin began dropping the dried fruit into the jug one by one, his eyes fixed on Turtle Immortal. He only stopped when the turtle began to shake its head. ‘Mhm, this must be the perfect ratio of dried fruit to a jug of Monkey Wine.’

“I’m leaving this jug here. No sneaking drinks, you hear! We’ll finish it tonight.” Shen Yibin carefully put the jug away, issuing a warning to Xia Shixuan and the others. Judging by their expressions, they hadn’t had nearly enough either.

“Goooot it,” Xia Shixuan replied, drawing out the word. “Huh? Boss, are you heading out again soon?” ‘If not, why emphasize that?’

“Yeah, I have to make a trip to the research institute. I’ll be back before dinner.” He planned to go to the zoo to check on the institute’s progress and to drop off the bottle that had contained the pills. There was still some powder inside for them to study.

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on it for you.” Hearing they would get to enjoy another one of Shen Yibin’s home-cooked meals that evening, Xia Shixuan and the others beamed with delight.

“Alright, you all get back to work. I’m heading out!” With that, Shen Yibin left the pet store with Hah’Er and the others. If they were going anywhere else, Xiaoliu would have been reluctant to follow, but as soon as he heard “zoo,” the little guy bounded to the very front, a shameless grin splitting his face. The implication was self-evident.

‘Sigh, should I ask Professor Wu Gui to send a couple of female pandas over to the Yunzhong City Zoo? Hah’Er must be getting a little too lonely here all by himself. Just look at Xiaoliu, he’s living the good life, isn’t he?’ Shen Yibin mused. He quickly started the car and drove toward the zoo.

Once at the zoo, Shen Yibin dropped Hah’Er off at Xiong Mountain and Xiaoliu at Hou Mountain. Keeping Turtle Immortal with him, he headed toward the office where Li Yan and his team conducted their research. He had just reached the door and was about to knock when Lv Qiu Jian emerged. “Oh! Mr. Shen, what brings you here today?”

“I came to drop something off and see if you need anything else,” Shen Yibin said, shaking the empty medicine bottle in his hand. “Are the two professors busy right now?”

“Uh, they’re at a critical point in their research, so it’s not a great time to interrupt,” Lv Qiu Jian said, looking troubled. Ordinarily, he and Li Yan would have to come out to greet their main benefactor, but the two professors had just given strict orders not to be disturbed by anyone.

Fortunately, Shen Yibin was understanding. “No problem. It’s all the same if you give it to them. Come on, shall we go check on the construction site?” Handing it over to Lv Qiu Jian would be just as effective.

“Of course, I’ll take you over right now!” Lv Qiu Jian breathed a sigh of relief. He led Shen Yibin and Turtle Immortal toward the construction site, and the two of them chatted casually along the way.

“Mr. Lv, since you graduated from Jingshi University, I’m curious—how did you end up in a small place like our Yunzhong City?” Shen Yibin asked.

“Sigh, that’s what I get for studying biology,” Lv Qiu Jian said with a bitter smile. “Originally, I was planning to major in math after the college entrance exams, but my family heard that biology was the field of the 21st century, so I changed my major. It wasn’t until I got to college that I learned the truth: Math is the fire that lights the lamp of physics; physics is the lamp that illuminates the path of chemistry; chemistry is the path that leads to the pit of biology; and biology is the pit where science students are buried. I couldn’t find a suitable job after graduation. Luckily, my professor knew Professor Li, so I got a recommendation to come here.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened. Don’t worry about it. I have a feeling that even though you missed out on math, you can still build a great career for yourself in biology!” Shen Yibin patted his shoulder in encouragement.

He took a look around the construction site and was impressed by the incredible speed of the work. ‘At this rate, it won’t be long before they can move in,’ he thought. Reassured, Shen Yibin said his goodbyes. Before he left, he repeatedly urged Lv Qiu Jian to be absolutely sure to study the powder residue thoroughly.

Returning to the main part of the zoo, he called for Hah’Er and Xiaoliu to get ready to leave. Hah’Er was easy enough; nothing had changed with him. When he went to fetch Xiaoliu, however, he found the female monkeys of Hou Mountain clinging to the little guy, refusing to let go. It took a great deal of effort for Xiaoliu to finally break free.

Back at the pet store, the first thing Shen Yibin did was check on the jug of Monkey Wine. Thankfully, no one had snuck a drink. Only then did he hum a little tune as he headed into the kitchen to start making dinner for everyone.

Since he had to drive later, Shen Yibin didn’t drink that evening. He divided the Monkey Wine in half, giving one portion to Xia Shixuan, Hah’Er, and the others, and saving the other half to savor slowly once he got home. There was, however, more than enough medicinal congee for everyone.

“Here, have some more. It’s good for you. You’re using up a lot of mental energy these days, so you should be eating more.” Shen Yibin ladled a full bowl for Lv Tiantian, hoping the congee would help her achieve an even better score on her college entrance exams.

After dinner, they rested for a while at the shop to let their food digest. Then, Shen Yibin drove back to the estate. He parked the car and got out, wine jug in hand, planning to take Hah’Er and the others out for some exercise.

At the gate, he ran into Wen Yuan and his wife, who were out for a walk. Shen Yibin held up the wine jug. “I just finished steeping this medicinal wine today. Mr. Wen, would you care to come try some? I guarantee its effects are even better than the medicinal congee!”

“No, no, we’re good!” Wen Yuan waved his hands frantically, as if he had just seen something terrifying.