City’s Best Divine Doctor
Chapter 888 - 0888: Eating Hot Pot in the Castle

Chapter 888: Chapter 0888: Eating Hot Pot in the Castle

After finishing breakfast, Ye Qiu, Zhou Wenting, and Louise walked out of the castle’s dining room.

When they stepped outside, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. However, with the gusts of wind blowing, Zhou Wenting still felt a bit cold.

In contrast, Zhou Wenting, in her dress, and Ye Qiu, in his summer attire, did not feel anything at all. Instead, they found the weather quite comfortable.

As they left the castle and walked along the vineyard, they hadn’t gone far when they saw Housekeeper Eugene driving his Citroën sedan back.

"Young Master Ye, I’ve already notified the grape-picking machine company. They should be here soon. Earlier, I also went to a nearby town to buy some fresh meat, vegetables, and a hotpot induction cooker."

"Not bad."

Ye Qiu replied.

He really appreciated Housekeeper Eugene’s hardworking attitude.

After Eugene had the maid auntie bring the fresh meat and vegetables to the kitchen, it wasn’t long before Ye Qiu noticed two large trucks driving over.

When Ye Qiu and Eugene walked over, they realized these were the grape-picking machines.

"Hello, we’re from the machine-picking company."

A middle-aged man in a suit got down from the truck.

With a high nose, blonde hair, a broad face, and a tall, sturdy build, he was the quintessential Frenchman at first glance.

"Hello, I’m Eugene, the housekeeper here. This is my master, Viscount Ye Qiu!"

Housekeeper Eugene introduced Ye Qiu to the machine company’s representative.

The Frenchman was visibly surprised, but quickly recollected himself. After all, many vineyards in Bordeaux were now owned by wealthy Huaxia families.

Seeing that the young man before him was from Huaxia wasn’t surprising in the least. What’s more, perhaps this young man was simply of Chinese descent?

Ye Qiu nodded slightly.

As the two large trucks stopped, five grape-picking machines were driven off each truck.

Given the speed of these machines, the vineyard here, which spanned over 200,000 square meters—nearly 300 to 400 acres—could be fully harvested in about three to four days. Each machine could harvest about 10 acres in a day, and with 10 machines, 100 acres could be harvested daily.

Of course, this was consistent with how it had been done before. Previously, Count Charley also had machines brought in to handle the harvest.

After negotiating with the representative of the machine company, work officially began.

The grapes from the vineyard, which Ye Qiu had already seen earlier, were large, round, and a rich blackish-purple color. However, they were incredibly sour and astringent, meant solely for winemaking rather than being eaten as fruit.

Furthermore, these grapes were much more expensive than the table grapes sold in the market.

Once the machines began harvesting, Eugene, Ye Qiu, Zhou Wenting, and Louise watched briefly before losing interest. The machines were highly efficient, sweeping through rows of grapevines and collecting the grapes directly into the machines.

Of course, later on, the grapevines, damaged grapes, and under-ripe grapes would have to be picked out manually. This would require a significant amount of human labor, as machines couldn’t handle this step.

With the sheer volume of grapes, skilled laborers would be needed, and Eugene would have to recruit them again.

"Young Master Ye, why don’t we borrow some workers from Count Charley? They’re more experienced."

"I’d rather not owe Count Charley any favors!"

Ye Qiu replied.

He preferred not to owe personal debts, especially to Count Charley. Although he had saved the count’s life, the debt had already been settled with the castle and vineyard.

"We could pay him instead!"

"That’s acceptable. Have Louise contact Count Charley and offer to pay his workers market rates."

These harvested grapes couldn’t afford any delays. They needed to be processed promptly and then fermented using Ye Qiu’s secret winemaking method.

As Eugene and Louise spoke privately, Louise glanced at Ye Qiu, pulled out her phone, and placed a call to Count Charley.

In truth, Count Charley found it curious why Ye Qiu insisted on making his own wine.

Was his own family’s wine not good enough?

Count Charley had no idea, but Ye Qiu always seemed to leave him pleasantly surprised. That said, compared to Ye Qiu’s mysterious medical skills, everything else seemed trivial in comparison.

Precisely because of this, Count Charley understood just how critical Ye Qiu was to his mysterious religious beliefs.

"I’ll send my workers over, but he doesn’t need to pay me. Just have him send me a few bottles of his wine later."

Count Charley remarked.

He truly couldn’t believe Ye Qiu’s homemade wine could surpass the Earl Red Wine his family had been producing for centuries.

After wrapping up her call with Count Charley, Louise returned and looked at Ye Qiu. "I just spoke to Count Charley. He said he doesn’t want your money. Just send him a few bottles of your wine later!"

"That old fox!"

Ye Qiu commented.

Louise and Housekeeper Eugene, however, didn’t understand what Ye Qiu meant by that.

By around ten in the morning, Ye Qiu had left the vineyard. The machines continued their harvest, and a large quantity of grapes had already been transported to the wine cellar behind the castle.

Everything was being handled by others, so there was no need for Ye Qiu to monitor the process.

Returning to the castle kitchen, Ye Qiu saw the fresh meat and vegetables Eugene had bought earlier, which included beef, lamb, and chicken.

In Huaxia, beef was relatively expensive. However, in Europe and America, beef was more affordable, comparable to pork prices back home. Everyone could afford it, though it was usually prepared as steak.

At the kitchen, Ye Qiu instructed the two middle-aged maid aunties on how to slice the ingredients properly. Then, he prepared the dipping sauce himself.

Afterward, he simmered a pot of chicken broth, and with that ready, it was time to enjoy the hotpot.

It was cold outside, but with the heating in the castle, eating hotpot felt incredibly pleasant.

Back in Chinatown, Louise had dined with Ye Qiu a couple of times and thought it wasn’t bad. However, this was her first time trying hotpot.

"Does this actually taste good?"

Louise asked.

Meanwhile, Zhou Wenting had a completely different reaction. Unlike ordinary French cuisine, she preferred this kind of meal, especially in winter, as it felt warm and comforting.

"Just take a whiff and you’ll know."

The dipping sauce Ye Qiu made didn’t include luxury ingredients like foie gras, caviar, or truffles. Instead, it used common items like chili, but the aroma was fantastic.

"Housekeeper Eugene has been working hard all morning. Invite him to join us for the meal!"

Ye Qiu instructed one of the maid aunties to call in Eugene, as he still had tasks to assign to him.