The night was cool as water, moonlight spilling down in a clear, quiet radiance, tranquil and serene.
From the distant streets and alleys, occasional bursts of lively clamor drifted over, making the courtyard seem even more secluded.
Just as Su Yi's thoughts were flying, a knock sounded at the door.
"Is Young Master Su here?"
Zhang Yuanxing's voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
Su Yi rose and opened the gate, and saw Zhang Yuanxing carrying a pot of wine and a roast chicken.
Behind him, Xiong Bo, wearing a black round cap, followed close at his heels.
"What is this?" Su Yi asked.
"With such a night as this, wouldn't it be lovely for the two of us to drink here together, raising cups and speaking freely?"
As he spoke, Zhang Yuanxing had already walked into the courtyard with a chuckle. After looking around, he couldn't help nodding. "Though this courtyard is somewhat simple, it wins in its quietness."
He set the wine pot and roast chicken on the stone table beneath the Old Locust Tree, casually sat down on a stone stool to one side, and smiled. "Young Master Su, please sit."
He actually didn't treat himself as an outsider at all.
Su Yi didn't fuss over it either. He fetched two wine cups, then sat opposite Zhang Yuanxing.
"This wine is something I brought from home. It is called 'Pear Blossom Brew.' Early-spring pear blossoms are steeped in spirit spring water, then supplemented with thirty-six kinds of spirit medicines and sealed in jars for nine years. Even in my family, we only open a jar when entertaining honored guests."
As he spoke, Zhang Yuanxing opened the wine pot, and at once, a clear, bracing fragrance of wine spread through the night.
When Zhang Yuanxing lifted the wine