"Five champions!"
"Six, smooth sailing..."
"You drink!"
"Wait, I'll have a bowl with you!"
Outside, heavy snow swirled, and dripping water froze to ice.
Inside, a dozen brothers, confidants, and old friends ate hot pot, sipped liquor, played finger-guessing games, and talked about amusing things from the past... life offered no greater pleasure.
Yang Ge basked in the fragrance of liquor and meat and the laughter of his friends. His heart, hollowed out by slaughter, wind, and snow, filled again. He let out a long breath of cold air and felt alive once more...
A cigarette would have made it perfect.
Unfortunately, tobacco had yet to reach Huaxia.
Yang Ge could only raise his hand and call to Yang Tiansheng across from him, "Boss, let's play a couple of rounds."
Yang Tiansheng cocked his mouth and confidently rolled up his sleeves. "Come on, then! Today, I'll show you what a god of drinking looks like..."
"Good brothers!"
"Here's your first fist!"
"Riding on your head!"
"Eight horses running!"
"Mount up and ride..."
Yang Tiansheng gleefully flourished his three fingers. "You drink!"
Without another word, Yang Ge picked up his bowl of liquor and was about to drain it when Yang Tiansheng added, "Wait, I'll have a bowl with you."
Yang Tiansheng picked up his own bowl and clinked it hard against Yang Ge's. His expression turned solemn. "You know what I want to say... it's all in the liquor."
Yang Ge raised his bowl. "It's all in the liquor!"
They tipped their heads back and drained their bowls. Genuine Liaodong Shaodao Liquor cut like a blade going down and burned like fire in the belly. With a bowl inside them, both men sat even more loosely.
"Again!"
Refusing to accept defeat, Yang Ge held out his hand.
Entirely unafraid, Yang