Drunkenness

Liu Yuanzhou and the other two saw the guests off and returned to the yard to clean up the remains of the feast. Zhang Shi saw that Liu Yuanbo and the bride were also helping to clear the dishes, so she walked over, took her daughter-in-law's hand, and said, "Xiao Mei, go back to the kiln and rest. We can do these things." As she spoke, she called Liu Yuanbo over and told him to take the bride back to the kiln.

After clearing the dishes, tidying up the tables and chairs, and sweeping the yard, it was late, and the sun had already set. Zhang Shi invited the Liu Jiahong family to stay for dinner. Liu Jiahong was Liu Da's younger brother, and he, his wife, and his two sons had been helping out with the feast all day.

The meal was ready, and everyone sat around the table to eat. The dishes were all leftovers from the feast, including fish, chicken, beef, and braised pork, filling the table. There were also white flour steamed buns, and of course, wine. Liu Yuanbo invited everyone to sit down, and Liu Yuanbo's wife, the bride Li Shi, brought out a large basin of millet porridge, serving a bowl to each person. After all, she had just entered the family and was unfamiliar with everyone. Apart from greeting people, she hardly spoke proactively.

Liu Da and his younger brother Liu Jiahong ate the dishes and drank the wine, chatting about the events of the feast, such as how much gift money was received, how much money was spent, and so on. Liu Yuanzhou, Liu Yuanhang, and the other younger members buried themselves in eating. Although they had already eaten a feast at noon, facing a table full of delicacies that they couldn't eat even once or twice a year, everyone felt they couldn't get enough.

After the meal, friends from the village who were close to Liu Yuanbo came to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, and soon a group of children also arrived. Zhang Shi had specially prepared food and drinks for them, as well as melon seeds and peanuts.

Liu Yuanzhou, as a close brother, didn't want to make a scene in his elder brother's bridal chamber. He walked into his own cave dwelling, looking at the empty space, listening to the bursts of laughter outside, he felt a little melancholy. "From now on, I'll be the only one living in this cave."

He lay on the bed, his head resting on his arms. Recalling everything that had happened today, he felt restless. "When will I be able to enter Manifested Force and become a Martial Master? If I were a Martial Master, would Li Laocai dare to bully my family like this? If I were a Martial Master, I could openly go to Er Ni, why would I have to miss her so bitterly alone?"

After thinking wildly like this for a while, he couldn't lie down any longer. He got up, left the bed, went to the middle cave to ask his mother Zhang Shi for some snacks to go with the wine, and took two jars of wine before going out. Zhang Shi thought he was going to find Liu Chuang and the others, so she didn't say anything, only telling him to come back early.

Liu Yuanzhou carried the wine and snacks to Third Master's house. Seeing the window was still lit, he guessed that Miss Qin hadn't rested, so he gently knocked on the door and said, "It's me, Liu Yuanzhou. I brought some wine and snacks for you to try."

"Come in," Miss Qin replied.

Liu Yuanzhou opened the door and entered the cave. He saw Miss Qin sewing clothes under the oil lamp. He moved the oil lamp away a bit, placed the wine and snacks on the table, and set out the chopsticks and wine cups.

Miss Qin put down her work and smiled, "Why do you have time to come and drink with me? Are you done with the family affairs?"

Liu Yuanzhou said, "It's all done. What did you eat tonight?"

Miss Qin said, "I heated up the leftover dishes and steamed buns from yesterday and ate them haphazardly."

Liu Yuanzhou immediately felt bad and blamed himself, "It's my fault, I forgot to bring you some food."

Miss Qin smiled and didn't say anything.

Liu Yuanzhou poured the wine and said, "Eat some dishes. This is cold jelly, this is vermicelli stew, this is cold pig liver. Try them."

Miss Qin picked up her chopsticks and tasted each one. Finding the taste acceptable, she ate a few more bites.

Seeing Miss Qin eating the dishes, Liu Yuanzhou picked up a cup of wine and said, "Can you drink? If not, just eat the dishes."

Miss Qin picked up the wine cup and drank it in one gulp. The wine was homemade corn wine bought from the market, spicy on the palate, and Miss Qin couldn't help but frown.

Liu Yuanzhou also drank it in one gulp.

Miss Qin then asked about some of the things from today's wedding banquet. As a southern woman, she was quite curious about the northern wedding customs.

Liu Yuanzhou told her about all the things that happened during the wedding today, but he didn't mention anything about Li Laocai.

The two talked and drank, and before long, they had drunk more than a dozen cups of wine.

"I see you frowning, as if you have something on your mind. What, are you unhappy that your brother is getting married?" Miss Qin suddenly asked.

"Why would I be unhappy that my brother is getting married?" Liu Yuanzhou asked rhetorically. He took another sip of wine. Perhaps it was because he had drunk wine, or perhaps he felt that he and Miss Qin were ultimately from different worlds, but he felt an unusual desire to confide in her, and he unconsciously spoke out some of the words that had been pressing in his heart.

"The reason I'm unhappy is because today my family suffered a great humiliation, and I can't do anything about it. Can you understand that feeling of powerlessness?" Liu Yuanzhou buried his face in his hands.

Miss Qin sighed, feeling a little choked up in her heart. She said softly, "Come, I'll have a drink with you."

The two drank the wine, and Miss Qin said again, "What exactly happened? It will feel better if you say it."

Liu Yuanzhou then told Miss Qin about how Li Laocai blocked the road today, how his father endured humiliation, and so on. Hearing this, Miss Qin couldn't help but feel hatred for the so-called Li Laocai.

"Do you want me to teach that Li Laocai a lesson?" Miss Qin suddenly said.

A warm current flowed through Liu Yuanzhou's heart. To be acquainted with Miss Qin is a blessing in three lifetimes, he thought. He shook his head and sighed, "Am I really no match for an old man? I hate Li Laocai to death, but I actually hate myself more, hate my powerlessness."

"Just like at the market that day, I was humiliated by Fatty Wang. If I were strong enough, would he dare?"

"And Er Ni, how much I want to go to the city to find her, but in my current state, what can I do if I go? What good would it do to find her?"

"So, I actually place all my hopes on practicing martial arts, but after practicing for so long, my skills have hardly improved. Do I lack talent, or am I not working hard enough? Miss Qin, can you tell me?"

Liu Yuanzhou looked at Miss Qin, tears streaming down his face.

Seeing Liu Yuanzhou's tearful and painful appearance, Miss Qin felt a pang of heartache. The face of Liu Yuanzhou before her gradually overlapped with a face in her memory. Unconsciously, she reached out and wiped away the tears on Liu Yuanzhou's face.

"If he were alive, he would be about your age, right?" Miss Qin murmured to herself.

"What did you say?" Liu Yuanzhou choked out.

Miss Qin's heart jolted, her eyes regained clarity, and she withdrew her hand imperceptibly, sighing, "It's nothing. I mean, practicing martial arts, especially entering a meditative state, always takes time. Impatience is counterproductive."

"How could I not know that? But I just can't control the anxiety in my heart." Liu Yuanzhou gave a wry smile. He poured more wine, and the two of them drank slowly, neither speaking for a while.

After drinking about four or five more cups, the jar of wine was almost empty, and both of them felt a little drunk.

Miss Qin's cheeks were flushed, and she rested her chin on her hands, suddenly laughing, "Tell me about Er Ni you mentioned earlier, is her name Er Ni?"

Liu Yuanzhou leaned against the wooden box behind him and smiled, "If you want to hear it, I'll tell you."

"My house and Er Ni's house were quite close, and we often played together when we were young. She's two years older than me."

"Later, as we grew older and gradually became sensible, we rarely played together. Er Ni was really beautiful when she grew up. Every time I saw her, I didn't dare to look her in the eye, haha."

"But that day, I was coming back from chopping firewood when I saw her carrying a large basket of pig feed. I saw that she was struggling to carry it, so I helped her carry it to her doorstep. She asked me to meet her in the Willow Forest behind the village in the evening, saying she had something good to give me."

"That evening, in the Willow Forest, she arrived as promised, wearing a light pink dress, she was extremely beautiful. She took out a piece of cake wrapped in a handkerchief, saying it was brought back from the city by her uncle. That cake was so sweet and fragrant, I had never eaten such a delicious cake."

"From then on, we tacitly met there every two or three days, bringing some food, talking, and of course, sometimes going to that cave."

"Alas, on the eighth day of the fourth month this year, her whole family moved to the city, and there has been no news since."

Speaking of this, Liu Yuanzhou couldn't help but sigh. Miss Qin listened silently.

After telling the story of Er Ni, Liu Yuanzhou struggled to climb to the table, picked up the wine jar and shook it, it was already empty. He then said, "The wine is finished, and it's getting late, let's call it a night." As he said this, he began to clean up the mess on the table. He was indeed drunk, his body swaying, the chopsticks fell several times, and the dishes almost fell to the ground.

"Liu Yuanzhou, do you really want to become a Martial Master?" Miss Qin still rested her chin on her hands, staring at Liu Yuanzhou with deep eyes.

"Isn't that obvious? I dream about it." Liu Yuanzhou looked up at her.

Miss Qin got up and moved to Liu Yuanzhou's side. She took off a dragon-eye-sized bead from her neck. The bead was black and strung with a rope, and said, "Look at this bead, it can change your destiny."

Liu Yuanzhou just thought she was joking in her drunkenness, so he stopped and looked at the bead.

The bead swayed back and forth, and Liu Yuanzhou's eyes unconsciously followed the bead.

"Empty your mind, and follow me, Heaven and earth Xuan Huang, universe primordial, the bead is called Xuan Ming, its light illuminates the small room, washes away my stubborn dirt, the sky is clear..." Only Miss Qin's faint voice came.

Liu Yuanzhou did as she said. He only felt that the bead in front of him was getting bigger and bigger, closer and closer, and finally the entire world was that bead. Finally, he only felt himself in a piece of darkness, and even all sounds were moving away from him, and he suddenly felt a little scared.

Suddenly, a burst of light erupted, as if the sun had exploded, and then his whole person was swallowed by that light.