"Is it ready?"
Roused from his groggy sleep by a gentle shake, Chen Fan shifted deeper into his chair and pulled the blanket around him tighter.
Before falling asleep, he hadn't felt so cold.
After a nap,
he actually felt colder. A chill crept in from beyond the blanket, while the warmth inside made him reluctant to move. He did nothing else, simply staring blankly into the distance and listening to the waves breaking against the shore.
He wasn't grumpy when he woke up.
But fresh out of sleep, he was still a little dazed.
A little while passed.
Only then did he turn to look at Crippled Monkey beside him.
"Young Master, everything's ready."
Standing beside him, Crippled Monkey softly reminded him again.
The haze gradually cleared from Chen Fan's eyes as he looked at Crippled Monkey. He immediately rolled over and sat sideways on the Rocking Chair, draped the blanket over himself, and pulled the table closer. He poured himself a small cup of yellow rice wine and drained it, finally feeling a little warmer.
He rubbed his hands together.
Picking up a dumpling and putting it in his mouth, he said somewhat indistinctly, "Sit down. Have a drink."
Crippled Monkey smiled, pulled over a chair, and sat down as well, pouring himself a small cup of yellow rice wine.
"It's been ages since just the two of us had a drink together."
Chen Fan poured himself another cup.
"To be precise, Young Master, you rarely drink."
"That's true."
Chen Fan picked up some pig's ear with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "Nicely seasoned. Mostly, I just hate how drinking makes me feel afterward. Dizzy and miserable all over. And I don't like the feeling of liquor going down my throat, either."
"How long have