“I’ll have one,” An Jiu said.
Chu Dingjiang was slightly surprised, and Mo Sigui looked at her with an odd expression.
An Jiu paused, then continued, “Or maybe not. I need to think carefully about this question.”
Mo Sigui rolled his eyes. “Tch, can you not speak with such dramatic pauses?”
“I speak with caution, unlike you,” An Jiu retorted.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Mo Sigui rolled up his sleeves aggressively, but feeling Chu Dingjiang’s gaze upon him, he quickly picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of vegetable in his mouth.
Vegetables were common, but rare in winter. Mo Sigui, tired of eating meat every day, found the vegetable particularly refreshing. In an instant, he forgot his earlier displeasure and focused on eating.
With Mo Sigui quiet, the room became much more silent, though everyone was used to it.
Chu Dingjiang asked, “Why haven’t Miss Lou and Mr. Ling arrived?”
Sui Yunzhu replied, “Mr. Ling is accompanying Miss Lou back to the Lou estate for ancestral worship. They’ll be a bit late.”
“I see,” Chu Dingjiang said. “Tell the waiter to add more seats.”
When Chu Dingjiang booked the private room, he hadn’t told the restaurant how many people would come. So initially, only eight seats were set, with the rest placed against the wall for easy addition.
Drinks and appetizers were served first, and everyone drank while waiting for the others to arrive.
The room was silent.
Hua Rongjian couldn’t bear it anymore. “The wine is good, but is it fun drinking like this?”
Everyone paused their eating and drinking, looking at Hua Rongjian. The scene froze for a moment.
“Drinking should be lively to be fun,” Hua Rongjian said enthusiastically. “Why don’t we play a drinking game?”
“A drinking game?” An Jiu turned to look at Sheng Changying, who had the most extensive knowledge.
Sheng Changying explained, “According to books, drinking games are played while drinking, with various rules, but I’ve never seen one in person.”
“None of you know how to play?” Hua Rongjian was shocked that there were people in the world who didn’t know how to play drinking games.
“Since no one knows, let’s play a simple one,” Hua Rongjian said, placing a soup spoon on a porcelain plate. “We’ll spin the spoon, and whoever the handle points to must drink. If they don’t want to drink, they can recite a poem or find someone to drink for them.”
Everyone agreed, and Hua Rongjian began spinning the spoon.
He didn’t use much force, and after a few turns, the spoon slowly stopped, its handle pointing at An Jiu.
An Jiu raised her cup and drank it all.
Hua Rongjian was embarrassed but determined to try again. He used a bit of skill to turn the handle towards An Jiu again.
The others sat silently as An Jiu drank another cup.
Hua Rongjian, not believing his luck, spun it once more, and it pointed at An Jiu again.
Surprisingly, everyone’s reaction remained the same!
“What’s wrong with you people? Don’t you know how to liven things up?” Hua Rongjian said angrily.
Usually, when people see others being made to drink, they cheer and encourage, naturally livening up the atmosphere. Who knew these people would behave like this?
The drinking game was already very simple, and without the proper participation of the players, it became dull.
Just then, the door opened.
A tall, burly man led a young girl into the room.
Hua Rongjian’s gaze fixed on the man’s face, unable to look away for a long time. The man had already hidden the sharp edge that once led armies against enemies, becoming more profound, but Hua Rongjian would never forget that face. “General Ling!”
In the past, Ling Ziyue spent most of his time at the border, occasionally returning. When he did, he was either busy reporting to the emperor or spending time with his family, so he didn’t have much impression of young masters without official positions like Hua Rongjian.
As a famous general of the Great Song Dynasty, Ling Ziyue was the focus of public attention, and many people recognized him. Although he didn’t recognize Hua Rongjian, seeing him seated there, he assumed he must be trustworthy. So he didn’t deny it, “And this young sir is…?”
“My surname is Hua, given name Rongjian,” Hua Rongjian quickly stood up.
At that time, Minister Hua had already written a petition to plead for mercy but ultimately didn’t submit it. This showed that Minister Hua knew Ling Ziyue had been wronged and didn’t want him to come to harm. If he knew Ling Ziyue was alive, not only would he not pursue the matter, but he might even help clear his name. Chu Dingjiang knew this, which is why he didn’t hide it from Hua Rongjian.
Hua Rongjian stood up. “General, please sit here.”
The two seats added later could only be considered the lowest seats. His position wasn’t the highest, but it was much better than the lowest.
“No need for such formalities, Brother Hua, please sit,” Ling Ziyue said.
Hua Rongjian hurriedly said he wouldn’t dare. After all, Ling Ziyue was almost of the same generation as Minister Hua. How could Hua Rongjian dare to be called “brother” by him?
After sitting for a while, Lou Xiaowu came out of her melancholy and raised her cup to An Jiu, “Fourteen, it’s so good that you’ve woken up!”
“Thank you,” An Jiu raised her cup and drank it all.
Seeing so many familiar faces, An Jiu felt very happy, but this happiness was mixed with a hint of unavoidable desolation.
With Lou Xiaowu’s arrival, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively again, and An Jiu unknowingly drank a lot of wine.
Chu Dingjiang silently watched her the whole time.
Outside, the snow was getting heavier, but there was almost no wind. Goose feather-like snowflakes slowly swirled down from the sky, accumulating thickly on the lanterns.
Wei Yuzhi walked alone in the snow, wrapped in a thick black cloak, his hood completely covering his white hair.
Two rows of lantern walls lined both sides of the road. Wei Yuzhi walked slowly, looking carefully, treating each glance as if it were his last.