Yanjing, Same Boat Crossing.
From noon onward, a chill crept into Yanjing. Drizzle fell incessantly, chilling to the bone. Along the long embankment, apart from one or two fishermen in rain capes who stubbornly remained, only the drifting willow trees lingered to gaze at the river.
Whenever the weather was swelteringly hot and rainy, fishermen and anglers would invariably gather at Same Boat Crossing's most famous restaurant, Tingyun Hall. They would order a few snacks and a pot of Drowsy Spring Drunk.
The wine was not strong, and even children could drink it without getting drunk. However, it was said that the owner added honeysuckle juice while brewing it. Once people recalled the past while drinking, they would become hazy and drowsy like in the spring, hence the saying that the wine did not intoxicate people—people intoxicated themselves.
Yet when the passing fishermen saw the several blue-clad figures standing at the entrance of Tingyun Hall, almost all of them hurried away without stopping.
Behind the counter, Xu Yubie watched the regulars refuse to go anywhere near Tingyun Hall and snorted in annoyance. "Truly hated by gods and ghosts..."
Xu Yubie's father, beside her, fearfully slapped her hand and whispered, "Oh, my good daughter, it's fine if you say that in private, but what if they hear you—"
"So what if they hear me? I didn't say who."
"Oh dear, they've run rampant through Yanjing for so long. Could they possibly not know who you're talking about when you say they're hated by gods and ghosts?"
"Dad, do you realize what you said was even worse than what I said..."
Xu's father waved his hand as if shooing away mosquitoes. "Don't help out here anymore. Go back and read, or cultivate, or whatever. Just don't come to the front hall!"
"Fine,