He swallowed the wine in one gulp, and a surge of heat rose in his throat. He exhaled this heat, holding it in his mouth, between Ta Yao Niang's neck and rabbit ears.
As Ta Yaoniang leaned against Zhang Leshan, she suddenly felt a thick heat rising from below her earlobes. The hairs on her neck involuntarily stood up, and her originally delicate and graceful figure instantly stiffened slightly.
A faint aroma of wine immediately filled the air around Zhang Leshan. The mellow fragrance of Nu'erhong wine was exhaled in a unique way, enough to melt even the most iron man on the spot!
The waiters watched in astonishment as the two maids on either side of them, their chests and faces flushed, leaned against the white-haired Zhang Leshan.
I don't know where you learned such intoxicating skills, but you subdued the two swaying maidens in one move. Although Zhang Leshan has the appearance of a pear blossom overshadowing Haitang, what man wouldn't want to have two maidens on his left and right?
The surrounding guests and bartenders all glanced at the man in Zhang Leshan 'Zhang Leshan arms, wishing they could pull him away, thinking that they themselves were now sitting in Zhang Leshan's seat, comforting the two women.
Seeing this, they all flattered him. Amidst the clinking of glasses, singing, dancing, and music, Zhang Leshan, with his old body, calmed down the two boat girls, displaying the heroic spirit of a man. It has to be said that he stole the show at the boat shop.
The moonlight outside the boathouse was even more enchanting, and the gentle ripples of the night tide lapped against the railing, while the banquet continued in the banquet hall.
Behind the curtain, Madam Song observed Zhang Leshan's every move. She glanced at the sky outside the porthole and frowned slightly. Then, a servant quietly came to her side and whispered something in her ear.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song relaxed her brow slightly and stepped out from behind the curtain.
"Sir, you have quite the refined taste. The sisters are quite fortunate tonight to receive your favor. However, someone just mentioned that Miss Ruixian's awning boat is still empty. I wonder if you...?"
Although Madam Song spoke respectfully, she kept glancing at Zhang Leshan out of the corner of her eye, as if searching for any unusual Silk on Zhang Leshan thin face.
"Hmm? Ruixian's boat has arrived? Haha, then there's no need for Mother to keep me here, I'll go to Ruixian's boat right now."
Zhang Leshan, who was sitting in the middle, had just picked up his wine glass when he heard Madam Song's words. Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He then put down the wine glass that was in mid-air without hesitation, placed it heavily on the table, brushed aside the shackles in his arms, and walked out of the boat shop with the support of two bartenders.
Just before leaving, he wiped his face, as if to dispel some of the smell of alcohol and lest he get drunk on the boatwoman.
After stepping out of the curtain, Madam Song kept glancing at Zhang Leshan out of the corner of her eye. Even when Zhang Leshan got up and left the boathouse, she didn't look away, recalling Zhang Leshan's reaction when he heard the name of Miss Ruixian while he was drunk.
Seems the same as always?
Seeing that there was no doubt about it, Madam Song temporarily suppressed her doubts, thinking that she was just being paranoid.
After Zhang Leshan left the boat shop, the banquet hall seemed to return to normal, Madam Song went back behind the curtain.
No one noticed that when Zhang Leshan heard Ruixian's name, he quickly put the wine cup he was holding in mid-air down on the table, and not a drop of the full wine spilled out.
"This servant will help you change your clothes, sir. What music would you like to hear?"
Seeing the woman in front of him take his thick coat, Zhang Leshan sobered up a bit.
"The same as always."
The maid named Ruixian glanced at Zhang Leshan, then helped him lie down inside the cabin. She took down the pipa from the small window, gently stroked it with her fair hands, and looked down at Zhang Leshan.
Her jade-like fingers brushed across the pipa strings, and the sounds of the strings and her voice resonated together, lingering softly, drifting like duckweed on the riverbank.
Zhang Leshan, who had just arrived in Zhuzhou City, thought that no one here would understand his inner sorrow, until he was touched by the pipa music played by Ruixian, and he instantly understood the sorrow in the pipa music.
Ruixian was just one of the many women who swayed on the boat. She had practiced pipa music diligently since childhood, and she attached her bumpy life story to the music. During her years on the boat, countless people only wanted to see her play the pipa and sing, but no one ever understood the sorrow in the music.
Until one day, the newly arrived official in Zhuzhou City lifted the bamboo curtain on his small boat, revealing the panic of the boatwoman behind the curtain and the astonishment of the official in front of it.
A pipa piece brought two disillusioned people together.
Zhang Leshan looked at the familiar, unadorned pretty face under the oil lamp, and listened quietly to the sorrowful and melodious pipa music. He slowly lowered the curtain of the awning boat completely, as if listening attentively as always.
That said, normally Zhang Leshan, upon hearing the music, would understand the meaning and would stop to tap his feet, slowly expressing his inner sorrow. Ruixian also loved having adults sing and recite poems in her songs.
But tonight, after Ruixian's performance ended, Zhang Leshan didn't want to recount his sorrows. Looking at the trembling woman holding her pipa under the oil lamp, he only wanted to say:
The moon is so beautiful tonight!
Ruixian quietly watched as she worked as an adult. Having devoted herself to the service industry for many years, she had seen many bizarre and wonderful people and things.
"Call!"
Someone blew out the only light in the small boat, plunging the enclosed awning into complete darkness Ruixian clutched her pipa tightly, and at that moment, she could almost hear her own heartbeat.
The night wind blows through Zhuzhou City, the lanterns on the riverbank are still there, boats come and go carrying songs and dances, the night tide gently laps against the gunwales, and the boats of all kinds sway slightly with the surging tide.
On the riverbank, a black-awning boat with its lights off tossed and turned even more violently in the pitch-black night.
High-level relationships often only require the simplest and most direct forms of communication!
"This servant will help you rise, sir."
Zhang Leshan slowly woke up in his cabin. Ruixian, who was in front of him, quickly turned around and said something. Zhang Leshan waved his hand, and Ruixian chuckled and turned her head away.
Yunji was too lazy to get up and redo her hair...
By the dim light of the oil lamp, Zhang Leshan watched Ruixian's back as she wore only her undergarments. Her graceful body twisted slightly in the cramped cabin as she slowly tied up her long hair in front of the bronze mirror. He couldn't help but utter a line of poetry, somewhat lost in thought.
"My lord, you should rise now. I am very grateful for your kindness last night."
"Hmm? I was drunk last night and have a headache now. I'll rest a bit more."
"Hehehe, my lord, you're talking nonsense again. It's not that I don't want you to stay, it's just that I need to go and cleanse myself. He Nu will be coming to fetch me soon, and if I see you there, wouldn't it be awkward?"
Ruixian calmly pulled her small hand out of Zhang Leshan's, and then sweetly persuaded him to leave.