Drinking Party

Liu Jiali and his group entered the private room. Niu Baoyuan had already risen early to pull out chairs for everyone, standing to one side with an ingratiating smile. Liu Yuanzhou followed his example and stood beside him. Once everyone had taken their seats and exchanged a few pleasantries, Steward Guan called for the waiter to bring the dishes quickly.

"Hehe, Brother Jiali, this must be that young lad from your family. Mm, quite a fine-looking talent." The old man seated at the head of the table looked at Liu Yuanzhou with a kindly smile. He wore brocade robes, and his hair was combed without a single strand out of place.

Liu Jiali, seated to the old man's left, shook his head and said modestly, "You flatter him. This boy is my nephew from the old home. His name is Liu Yuanzhou, and he is sixteen this year. I hope you will all look after him in the future." As he spoke, he gave Liu Yuanzhou a meaningful look.

Liu Yuanzhou froze for a moment, then understood. He rose to his feet and cupped his fists in a respectful salute to everyone at the table.

Liu Jiali added, "Yuanzhou, sit down for now. Later, you must drink a few more cups with everyone here, especially Old Lan. If you don't get him drinking comfortably, watch out for him making you wear small shoes later on. Hahaha!" He burst into laughter.

Everyone laughed along.

Liu Yuanzhou sat down as instructed, finding it rather strange. This was the first time his cousin-uncle had called him Yuanzhou.

As everyone chatted, the wine and dishes were soon brought out one after another.

Liu Jiali first toasted Old Lan, then instructed Liu Yuanzhou, "Yuanzhou, bring your wine over and make the rounds."

Liu Yuanzhou hurriedly stood up and picked up a wine cup. Niu Baoyuan, seated beside him, stuffed a wine jug into his hand.

"This is Steward Lan of the Planting Division. You can call him Master Lan or Old Lan. Hahaha, in all his life, he loves nothing more than what is in the cup and what is by the pillow." Liu Jiali pointed at the old man to his right and said with a laugh.

Liu Yuanzhou hurriedly filled the cup and said respectfully, "Old Lan, this junior offers you a toast."

Steward Lan lifted his cup with a smile. "A fine young man. Work hard, and your future will be boundless."

Liu Yuanzhou lowered his cup a few inches, clinked cups with Old Lan, and drank.

"One cup won't do. You have to toast Old Lan at least three cups before it counts," Steward Guan called loudly, and everyone else joined in cheering.

Liu Yuanzhou glanced at his cousin-uncle Liu Jiali. Seeing him nod, he refilled his cup and offered Steward Lan two more toasts. Steward Lan drank them both with a smile, drawing a burst of applause from the others.

"This is Wang Zhen, currently the steward of South Bay Medicine Field." Liu Jiali pointed at the man seated to Steward Lan's right.

Liu Yuanzhou raised his cup. Wang Zhen stood, lifted his own cup, and said with a smile, "Welcome, little brother Yuanzhou, to our ranks. Come, bottoms up."

After Liu Yuanzhou toasted Wang Zhen, the man to Wang Zhen's right stood and said with a smile, "My name is Ding Yue, and I am the steward of Spring Water Medicine Field. Hehe, little brother Yuanzhou, we are terribly short-handed over there. If you do not mind, why not come to Spring Water in the future?"

"Ding Second, you dare snatch people from me right in front of my face?" Wang Zhen laughed and cursed.

For a moment, Liu Yuanzhou did not know what to say. He could only raise his cup and say, "Thank you, Deacon Ding, for thinking so highly of me. This junior offers you a toast." With that, he tipped back his head and drained the wine in one gulp.

Ding Yue also drank his cup with a smile, patted Liu Yuanzhou on the shoulder, and sat back down.

Liu Jiali added, "You already know Old Guan, so go have a drink with him too." Liu Yuanzhou then went over and shared a cup with Steward Guan.

Last came Niu Baoyuan and another young man named Zhu Hongcai. Liu Yuanzhou toasted them both in turn, and his round of toasts was complete.

Eight cups of wine went down one after another. Though Liu Yuanzhou considered himself a decent drinker, the liquor was already rushing to his head, and his stomach churned.

Seeing his flushed face, Niu Baoyuan quickly served him some food to settle the wine, then poured him hot tea. Liu Yuanzhou felt quite grateful.

After that, everyone took turns toasting Stewards Liu and Lan. Steward Lan's capacity for liquor truly opened Liu Yuanzhou's eyes and left him clicking his tongue in amazement. He refused no one, even taking the initiative to clink cups with Liu Yuanzhou and the other two young men. Nearly half the wine at the table had gone into him.

Liu Jiali's drinking capacity was no small thing either. Liu Yuanzhou had truly seen it now.

The most active of all was Deacon Ding. He kept going around to toast the various stewards and managers, especially Steward Lan. His drunken talk came in set after set, and ribald jokes spilled from his mouth as soon as he opened it, keeping everyone laughing without pause.

Liu Yuanzhou sighed inwardly. Deacon Ding looked like an old farmer, yet he had a silver tongue and a heart as crystal-clear and exquisitely clever as carved jade. One truly could not judge a person by appearances.

Compared with Deacon Ding, the other two stewards were far more proper and restrained. As for the three young men, Liu Yuanzhou was the newcomer and barely spoke. Niu Baoyuan and Zhu Hongcai simply attended to everyone, pouring tea and wine.

Just as the drinking reached its height, the private room door was pushed open. A plump, lavishly dressed middle-aged man strode in. The moment he entered, he laughed loudly. "Hahaha, honored guests have arrived! My Gathering of Immortals Pavilion is truly living up to its name. I have come especially to share a drink with you all." As he spoke, he walked straight over to Stewards Lan and Liu and toasted each of them three cups.

Niu Baoyuan leaned close to Liu Yuanzhou's ear and whispered, "That man is the owner of Gathering of Immortals Pavilion. Everyone calls him Third Master Feng. I hear he has quite a background."

After Third Master Feng finished drinking, he turned and instructed the waiter, "Go notify the kitchen. Add a cold dish, and bring another braised big carp. Put it on my tab." Liu Jiali and Steward Lan both repeatedly said he was too kind.

The three chatted for a few more sentences before Third Master Feng left.

After Third Master Feng left, everyone continued drinking and chatting, talking nonsense about romance, court secrets, sect rumors, and everything from the far south to Beihu.

At that moment, Steward Guan raised his cup to Steward Lan and said, "Old Lan, let me offer you another toast. As for my useless son's matter, I hope you will put in more effort for him." With that, he drained the cup in one swallow, turned it upside down, and not a single drop fell out.

Liu Jiali also raised his cup and clinked it against Steward Lan's. "That's right, old brother. Business is hard these days."

Old Lan drank and said with a smile, "Hehe, easy enough, easy enough. We are all brothers here. We will simply give priority to purchasing Little Guan's goods. It is no great matter."

Steward Guan was overjoyed.

Watching all this, Liu Yuanzhou finally understood. Not only did Steward Lan hold real power within the compound, he also ran a major business outside. These people all faintly revolved around him, and his cousin-uncle was no exception.

Steward Lan suddenly sighed. "Ai, you all see me looking glorious on the surface, but behind the scenes, things are difficult for me too. Recently, Wind Hall has been watching me closely."

Everyone fell silent. At the mention of Wind Hall, a trace of fear appeared in all their faces.

Liu Jiali broke the silence with a smile. "Old brother, stop crying poverty in front of your own people. Who does not know of your heaven-reaching methods?"

Steward Lan shook his head with a bitter smile. He had merely spoken from the heart and did not wish to ruin the mood at the drinking table, so he changed the subject. "I heard Adverse Wind Escort Agency has recently taken on quite a few big jobs. Brother Liu must be making a fortune."

Liu Jiali smiled and waved his hand. "Old brother, do not talk nonsense. What does the escort agency have to do with me, not even half a copper coin's worth?"

At that point, Ding Yue spoke up. "Ah, speaking of Adverse Wind Escort Agency, my older brother's cloth shop dealt with them just a few days ago. Their prices were terribly high."

Wang Zhen asked, "Oh? I thought your brother dealt in tea. He has opened a cloth shop now too?"

Everyone turned their eyes toward Ding Yue.

Ding Yue sighed. "Do not mention it. The border is tightly sealed now. Tea, iron, and salt cannot cross at all. Besides, it was only a small business to begin with, so he simply sold it off. Last month, he took over a cloth shop. As for business, he has only just entered the trade. It is so-so, and he is still losing money." After saying that, he drank a mouthful of wine gloomily.

Wang Zhen slapped his thigh. "Ding Second, you fool! Is Old Guan not right here? Ask him to think of a way."

Ding Yue's eyes lit up, and he looked toward Steward Guan.

Steward Guan smiled. "I do not have any good ideas." As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Jiali.

Steward Lan said, "Then what good idea does Brother Liu have?"

Liu Jiali pondered for a moment, then said, "We are all brothers here. If I can help, naturally I will. Old Guan, handle this matter as you see fit. But the quality of the goods cannot be worse than that of our competitors."

Steward Guan nodded and said that he understood.

Ding Yue excitedly patted his chest and promised, "Rest assured about the quality of the goods. I, Ding Second, dare guarantee it with my character."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Suddenly, a burst of noise came from outside the private room, followed by the sounds of tables and chairs overturning and bowls and plates crashing to the floor. The clattering was exceptionally loud.

Liu Jiali frowned and instructed Niu Baoyuan, "Little Niu, go see what is going on."