Chapter 1278: 1278: Today, You Have to Accompany Me

Chapter 1278: Chapter 1278: Today, You Have to Accompany Me

I don’t know if it was the unresolved worries aroused by visiting Shen Garden that made Yang Qingyin feel melancholic, or if it was because Luo Ziling’s reference to Nether Road to confess his feelings had stimulated her, but after leaving Shen Garden, Yang Qingyin’s mood was a bit fluctuating.

During dinner at Xianheng Hotel, she unexpectedly insisted on drinking.

As they walked to Xianheng Hotel and sat down, Yang Qingyin weirdly looked at Luo Ziling and quietly asked, “Do they sell Huangteng Wine here? I feel like having some!”

Luo Ziling looked at Yang Qingyin with a quirky face and shook his head: “They definitely don’t have that kind of wine here. They have Taibai and Daughter’s Red, and it seems that the menu indicates there might be other yellow wines, but definitely not Huangteng Wine. I’m telling you, even if they had it, I wouldn’t buy it for you to drink.”

“Why?”

Luo Ziling said very solemnly, “Because you are not Tang Wan; you can’t write verses like hers, and I’m not Lu Fangweng. I don’t have his talent or his fame!”

After humming, Yang Qingyin said, “But you have better luck with women than he does!”

“…” Luo Ziling stared at Yang Qingyin speechlessly for a few moments before finally not being able to help it, stretched out his hand and pinched her cheek: “Why are you getting jealous again?”

With a “smack”, Yang Qingyin knocked Luo Ziling’s hand away, annoyed: “I’m not jealous tonight, I’m drinking.”

“That’s good!” Luo Ziling didn’t mind and chuckled with a hehe.

Five people went to dine together at Xianheng Hotel; Wang Zhenjun and Ye Xiaoli went to order food, Yang Xiaodong went to the counter to buy wine and fennel beans, while Luo Ziling and Yang Qingyin were sitting at their places, reserving their seats. Without the other three people around, they dared to flirt with each other so unrestrainedly.

As usual, there were no exceptions, the two of them, with their charming and handsome appearance, attracted a lot of attention, and some people even took out their phones to sneakily snap pictures of them. However, Luo Ziling and Yang Qingyin didn’t care, they just sat on the bench, flirting with each other without any concerns until the other three came back.

“Comrade young master, yellow wine is quite formidable,” said Yang Xiaodong with a pained expression as he placed a pot of about ten jin five-year-old Taibai on the table: “Once, when I was drinking with your dad, it was also yellow wine, and I actually got drunk. You don’t feel much when you’re drinking it, it feels a bit bland at the time, but the effect comes stronger later on, impossible to withstand. I still don’t know how much yellow wine I can drink.”

“Yellow wine is just like the temperament of the people from the south, very profound, unlike the northern men who can immediately appear hearty. Reserved but steadfast, with an aftertaste that lingers.” Luo Ziling smiled: “What I like to drink the most is the yellow wine made by my grandfather, that aroma alone can make one drunk. Drinking two big bowls will ensure you sleep sweetly at night. No other wines, whether beer, wine, or liquor, can give you this endless aftertaste.”

Then, turning to Yang Qingyin who was sitting aside, he said: “Anyway, there’s nothing happening tonight, let’s enjoy a few drinks, you can get a good night’s sleep when you go back.”

“Here we have ten jin, on average two jin per person, let’s see who will end up drunk,” Yang Xiaodong said with a shameless smile.

Their accommodation was not far from Xianheng Hotel, and they had first gone to the hotel to drop off their luggage before coming over for dinner, so there was no worry about getting caught drunk. In fact, this arrangement was made so they could enjoy drinking with abandon.

After all, most people who come to Yuezhou for travel will go to Xianheng Hotel to drink and eat fennel beans, and while eating and drinking, some people would dip their fingers in the liquor and write “fennel” characters in various styles, thus bringing up Kong Yiji.

Mr. Lu Xun’s essay has penetrated deeply into people’s hearts and further heightened the fame of Yuezhou.

The dishes at Xianheng Hotel were actually quite ordinary, and the taste of the fennel beans was not even worth mentioning as delicious, but many people who came here for a meal ordered them, and Luo Ziling’s group was no exception.

Each person had a full bowl of yellow wine in front of them, and when the fennel beans arrived, they didn’t use chopsticks, instead just grabbing them with their hands, peeling them, and throwing them directly into their mouths to chew. Even Yang Qingyin and Ye Xiaoli did the same.

Here, being too reserved meant missing out on the local flavor.

Luo Ziling raised his bowl full of wine and toasted everyone: “Come, I’ll drink to all of you, welcome to my hometown. Although it’s also my first time here, over the next few days, I’ll show you the hospitality of the host, and accompany everyone in eating, drinking, and having fun.”

“What do you mean by accompany?” Yang Xiaodong caught the unique meaning in Luo Ziling’s words, “Why not treat? You should treat us all to food and fun, cover all expenses, that’s how you showcase the host’s hospitality!”

“Accompanying shows my sincerity even more than treating.” Luo Ziling said, then raised his cup again, downed the wine in one gulp, and after drinking, shouted loudly: “Great wine, so satisfying.”

Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun, seeing Luo Ziling finish his drink in one gulp, could only grimace and drink the liquor in their bowls as well.

Xianheng Hotel doesn’t serve drinks in cups but in bowls, this way of drinking is popular in the Jiangzhe region.

A bowl of liquor is about half a jin (250 grams).

Half a jin of not-so-low-proof rice wine would be unbearable for most people.

Ye Xiaoli originally intended to drink it all in one gulp, but after a big sip found the liquor too strong, and she didn’t finish it in one go.

Seeing Yang Qingyin only took a sip, she followed suit without finishing her drink.

Of course, among the five, Yang Qingyin had the lowest tolerance for alcohol, and she furrowed her brows after just one sip.

Not because the flavor of the wine was bad, but because it was quite strong, giving her a bit too much of a kick.

“You two ladies, take it slow, don’t mind us men,” Wang Zhenjun was quite considerate, immediately rescuing the women when he saw them sipping slowly.

But to his surprise, Yang Qingyin eventually finished her bowl in three gulps.

After finishing the wine, she raised her bowl to Luo Ziling with a smile, “I’ve finished it. It tastes good.”

Seeing Yang Qingyin finish her drink, Ye Xiaoli had no choice but to do the same.

Seeing how straightforward the two women were, Yang Xiaodong promptly filled everyone’s bowls with more wine and enthusiastically encouraged them to drink.

Luo Ziling wasn’t afraid of them; after eating some dishes, he finished another bowl.

However, this time Yang Qingyin and Ye Xiaoli did not follow suit and only drank half a bowl.

The three men didn’t mind.

After a few bowls, Yang Xiaodong became more talkative and just wouldn’t stop.

Wang Zhenjun joined in, sharing stories about their time in the military, occasionally bringing up Luo Ziling’s father, Luo Xusheng.

With these two gabbling away, the dinner was quite lively.

In the end, ten jins of yellow rice wine weren’t enough, so they added another five jins of “Daughter’s Red” wine, and drinking it all, they finally felt satisfied.

While sitting and drinking, nothing felt amiss, but once they stood up, everyone except Luo Ziling felt a bit lightheaded.

Yang Qingyin had drunk a little too much, her steps were unsteady, and she could only hold onto Luo Ziling’s arm.

After leaving Xianheng Hotel, the cold wind made her head even dizzier.

Unable to control her feelings, and lacking her usual reserve, she actually said to Luo Ziling in front of the other three, “You have to stay with me tonight!”

Naturally, her words shocked everyone else; some passersby overheard and gave them odd looks.

And while Luo Ziling felt embarrassed, he suddenly felt a surge of impulse.