Seven years changed so much. They seemed not to recognize the young man, but they opened the tavern door, inviting the youth inside for a seat. The shopkeeper deftly pulled the tavern’s window curtains up, letting brightness fill the interior.

He fetched some celery and peanuts, peanuts in vinegar, garlic jelly, and smoked and braised pig head meat, slicing a plate full, and managed to bring over a small furnace, saying: "Today is quite an elegant day, let’s have some good wine."

The old shopkeeper rarely showed a sliver of a smile: "If you want to drink, just say so."

"What talk of elegance?"

"What is there to be elegant about in a place like ours?"

The chubby shopkeeper was not convinced, saying: "What you said—is it related to having gold for elegance or not? Hear me out, this place of mine has three kinds of elegance today."

"Although never planned to come, coming today is the first act of elegance."

"Originally thought today was only for the old medicine man, but now there’s a new friend, which makes it the second act of elegance."

The chubby tavern shopkeeper’s voice paused.

The old shopkeeper planned to listen to the friend’s joke but deliberately asked him: "Where is the third elegance?"

The chubby shopkeeper hemmed and hawed for a long moment, merely laughing: "For the sake of drinking, having to contrive elegance, itself becomes an elegance!"

"Hahaha, these things are all unimportant."

"Come, come, drink, drink."

The chubby tavern manager poured the wine, not an expensive fine wine, not comparable to the Imperial wine in Emperor Chen’s palace, yet it had its own sense of clarity, drinking as the rain fell, chatting leisurely.

The old shopkeeper said: "This young brother’s face looks familiar."

"Just haven’t seen him around here before."

"Don’t know what you’ve been doing all these years?"

The young man held a cup of wine, looking at the elder before him, an old acquaintance, but did not reveal his identity, merely drank together, smilingly saying: "Not much different from what the old gentleman does."

A good wine, a casual chat, amidst the sound of clinking cups and rain falling, it was liberating, but after all, the rain slowed down gently as the old shopkeeper said, the season’s rain comes quickly and goes quickly.

The youth watched as the rain gradually subsided, got up to bid farewell.

The old shopkeeper asked with a smile if he was also a doctor, the young man replied:

"Sort of."

He walked out in his blue robe, carrying the umbrella, as the rain still lightly fell.

"Both are, curing illness, saving people."

The tavern shopkeeper and old shopkeeper watched the young man carry the umbrella away, step by step further, the shopkeeper withdrew his gaze, looked at the old shopkeeper, laughingly said: "I think, he seems to be an acquaintance of yours, old medicine man, don’t you remember?"

The old shopkeeper merely murmured: "Don’t remember."

"Helped so many people, seen so many, who knows how many years ago was the fate, how could all be remembered?"

"Does it matter not to remember?"

"If helped him back then, it was merely for him to remember me later to return the favor, if there was any fate before, today’s rain and a good wine are enough."

The chubby shopkeeper laughed heartily: "Truly unpretentious!"

The old shopkeeper replied: "This is what is pretentious."

The two old friends exchanged glances, only tacitly understanding, without speaking out, they raised their glasses to toast, the old shopkeeper looked outside, rain fell like silk, then raised his head to drink, muttering to himself: "Curing illness, saving people, such a good, curing illness, saving people."

"Good wine."

"Truly intoxicating!"

...

In Central State, Ji Yanzhong held the Imperial Decree in his hands, listening by ear, yet the mind was blank.

"You think, Guan Yi’s achievement, defeating the enemy, breaking Jiangzhou, expelling Emperor Chen."

"Can he be called [Emperor]?"

"An emperor, resplendent like fire, already conferred as Qin Wu, now renowned throughout the land, reverberating in all directions, should be called—"

"Emperor Qin."

"What do you all think?"