The First Cup of Wine

Tang Qi pointed at Kuru:

"The kobolds stole the shoemaker's leather boots to steal star plums, as offerings for worship. That means they couldn't have destroyed the star plums.

Father Lynn has a habit of morning runs. He saw you appear near David's house, not at the church, and it didn't seem like a coincidence.

The only answer is that you used the excuse of delivering something to Father Lynn to go out and destroy their orchard before the David family woke up."

"I, I..."

In the face of truth, arguing was meaningless.

Anbi could only grip Tang Qi's sleeve and blink her tear-filled, red eyes at him, eyes that looked like they would burst into tears at any second:

"It's all George's fault for bullying me every day and calling me a monster. I just wanted to teach him a little lesson—I didn't want to be a bad person!"

Tang Qi had no intention of dwelling on right or wrong:

"There are reasons for things. You had your reasons, so you can't really be considered a bad person."

"Then, then should I apologize to him? He already apologized to me..."

"It's up to you."

"I don't know what to do. I think I should apologize to him, but I can't help but remember how he cursed at me..."

"Because you don't know, you need to think about it. You don't have to reach a conclusion immediately.

You are free.

You can be a forgiving person, or a strict person. You can be a good person, or a bad person.

But no matter what, only you can decide who you become."

After all, she was a young girl whose mind was not yet mature. Tang Qi was unsure if he should educate her with a parental mindset.

This wasn't his job, and he couldn't bear that responsibility. He should just hint at it.

"Then Anbi will think more about what to do... Before that, can you not tell sister yet?"

"People who gossip usually have very long tongues."

Tang Qi opened his mouth, indicating that his tongue was of normal size.

The girl smiled knowingly and stuck out her tongue at Tang Qi: "Then Anbi doesn't either!"

"Kuru, no!"

The kobold also stuck out its slender, forked tongue, but it quickly discovered that its lizard-like tongue could even reach its nostrils.

It quickly drooped its head:

"Kuru, yes..."

The air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

But the mood didn't last long. As they approached the [Golden Oak] and saw a figure standing with her hands on her hips in front of the tavern door, Anbi's smile quickly faded.

Catherine maintained her usual smile, polite and making one feel as if basking in spring.

But Anbi knew that her sister's dignified smile wasn't meant for her.

When Anbi walked up to them, Catherine first thanked Tang Qi:

"Mr. Poet, I've truly caused you trouble. I don't know how to thank you enough."

It seemed she had already heard everything that had happened today.

"Then how about waiving my expenses at the tavern?"

Although he had received some unexpected wealth, no one would complain about having more money, and Tang Qi was not one to be polite.

"As you wish."

Upon hearing his request, Catherine's guard actually lowered.

"You risked your life for this child... In short, please treat the tavern as your own home."

If Tang Qi had helped them greatly and asked for nothing in return.

Catherine would only think that he was yearning for something more.

After a simple thank you, she patted Anbi's head:

"Because what follows is a private matter, so..."

"You said to treat the tavern as home, but I don't dare to consider myself family."

Tang Qi joked, quickly pulling Kuru over and taking the initiative to retreat.

"I'll go upstairs to rest first. Please notify me in my room at dinner."

"Tonight, it's plum sauce mashed potatoes and fried pork chops. You can look forward to it."

After the man and the kobold went upstairs, Anbi noticed her sister's expression finally turned stern.

It was as if early spring had regressed back to midwinter.

She stammered, wanting to explain, preferably pushing all the blame onto the kobold.

so she could clear her name and avoid her sister's punishment.

But Catherine remained silent. She grabbed Anbi's wrist first and led her towards the wine cellar in the backyard.

The cellar was dark. As the door opened, the scent of fermented plums filled the air. Anbi felt her head spin, already feeling drunk before drinking a drop.

"Why did you bring me here, sister?"

Catherine remained silent. Anbi shook her head, and then she saw a small wooden barrel in the dim shadows. Faint claw marks were carved into the staves, and a prominent label read:

Anbi!

This was the first barrel of wine Anbi had painstakingly brewed after her sister taught her the techniques.

She remembered her sister personally taking her to the orchard to pick the star plums.

Washing and destemming them had taken her a whole day.

Pressing the fruit was arduous, a test of strength. Though she was strong, she collapsed on the ground after repeated pounding.

Fermentation was the most trying part. Star plums spoiled quickly, and under their ancestral, special process, they required an even longer period. She waited for three months.

Clarification was the final step; otherwise, sediment would affect the taste. This meticulous work took her seven days of repetition.

Finally, she completed her "masterpiece," labeled the barrel, and waited for another long month—

Her sister had told her that the most memorable wines in the world were never the sparkling vintages held by Nobles.

Instead, it was the first sip of mellow fragrance that graced your throat in your life.

When you grow old and look back, the taste would still linger on your tongue.

Whether bitter or sweet.

So she saved the day of drinking her first wine for the Harvest Festival.

In her anxious wait, she hoped that one day she too could reminisce about the joy of the festival.

But Catherine had already picked up the tools to open the wine, piled in a corner—a wooden mallet and a chisel about the length of her forearm.

"Bang!"

She struck the barrel forcefully.

The fragrant wine sprayed out like a fountain, and with a rushing sound, it spilled into the dim cellar, extinguishing Anbi's hopes for all festivals.

"No, don't!!!"

She lunged forward hysterically, trying to cover the opening with her hands.

But the slippery liquid still seeped through her fingertips, staining her downy fur a deep purple...

Anbi realized all her previous waiting had gone to waste. She cried out to her sister with heart-wrenching pain:

"Sister, we can drink it tomorrow. I even promised to treat Brother Tang Qi to a cup!

W-why are you doing this—"

"Does it hurt?" Catherine replied expressionlessly.

Anbi nodded as if it were obvious.

"When you saw the star plums you cared for all year destroyed overnight, the David family felt just as you do now."

Catherine stared directly at Anbi and said coldly, "If George scolds you, then shout back at him.

If George bullies you, then grab him by the neck and beat him back.

If his family comes to trouble you because of it, I'll stand in front of you—

I've done it before, haven't I?

But Anbi, I never taught you to destroy someone else's star plums and ruin their hopes for the Harvest Festival."

When she met her sister's solemn, almost icy gaze, all of Anbi's hopeful thoughts, her excuses, vanished in an instant.

She only cried and admitted her fault:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

Anbi knows she was wrong. Anbi shouldn't have been mischievous or destroyed George's family's orchard... Anbi will apologize to the David family!"

Catherine continued to ask:

"Hogg always bullies you with George. What else did you do to their family?"

Anbi shook her head, crying, "Nothing!"

"Did nothing?"

"Really, nothing—George's father grows wheat, and Hogg's father grows star plums.

Anbi can't destroy Hogg's family's star plums because they truly rely on them to make a living..."

Fearing her sister wouldn't believe her, she tried to wipe away her tears, using her eyes to convey her sincerity.

The next second, guilt spurred more tears to stream down her face.

Catherine's eyes softened upon hearing the girl's reply. She then crouched down and gently pulled her into her embrace.

"Anbi, I'm not forcing you to admit you're wrong.

I just want to tell you—

Before making a choice, you should understand the consequences that choice will bring.

Instead of indulging your impulses, only to end up with a result you wouldn't want to see."

"Sister... Anbi didn't think of it that way."

"I understand, Anbi has always been a good girl."

"Then what should I do... After George apologized to me, I actually felt a bit guilty. I don't want to be like this."

"Then after we finish eating, we'll go apologize together.

And after the Harvest Festival, we can brew a new batch of wine?"

"Wuwu, Sister, I'm sorry..."

The girl buried her face in Catherine's shoulder, tears soaking her dress.

"Anbi will never be naughty again."