Chapter 14 Drunkenness

Jiang Xia was initially a little uncomfortable, but Wu Zhou wanted to stay for dinner.

He hesitated, inching his way toward the kitchen, and asked, "Mr. Wu, will that affect your schedule?"

After he finished speaking, the corners of his mouth turned up. If Wu Zhou had other plans, he would let him leave without hesitation. He must not let it affect the lucrative business of Mr. Wu.

To everyone's surprise, Wu Zhou replied calmly, "They've all been cancelled."

Jiang Xia's smile froze, and she could only manage a wry smile as she walked into the cramped kitchen to prepare the ingredients.

Wu Zhou watched his retreating figure, then looked around.

The room was decorated very warmly, with an open kitchen. Although there was a sliding door, the landlord had removed half of it, leaving only half to cover the slightly cluttered kitchen.

The crackling sound of the stove being lit in the kitchen startled Jiang Xia, who bent down and turned to look at the man outside the door, feeling embarrassed.

He chuckled awkwardly.

"Mr. Wu, did you choke?"

"No."

Jiang Xia breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't usually cook stir-fried dishes at home, afraid that the fumes would stain the furniture yellow.

But one or two meals a day are not a problem.

Wu Ming used to come here often, but he rarely stayed overnight or ate here.

His invitations are booked for the next two weeks, so he doesn't have to worry about food and drink at all.

At most, Wu Ming would drink a few sips of hangover soup or eat a bowl of vegetarian noodles at home.

If the two of them were to actually eat together, it would most likely be Wu Ming taking her to a delicious restaurant he had recently found.

As Jiang Xia put on his apron and began to score the fish, his mood suddenly improved as he prepared to clean the ingredients, meaning he would have someone to have dinner with tonight.

He had originally planned to have a big meal by himself, but now someone was eating with him.

It's a very strange feeling.

It's like when he invites friends to dinner, the small room suddenly feels more lively.

Moreover, Wu Zhou might really enjoy the food he cooks.

As long as he himself isn't embarrassed, it's Wu Zhou who is embarrassed. Usually, when people go to someone's house for a meal, the host prepares the food and then the guests arrive. How can someone arrive early and order food like he did?

If he's so capable, he should sit on the sofa and watch himself for an hour.

Jiang Xia held a cookbook and studied as he looked at it.

Wu Zhou suddenly walked over and leaned close to him, saying, "Learning it now?"

Jiang Xia was shocked and instinctively tried to back away.

But Wu Zhou's palm was pressed against his back, and the heat from his palm traveled to his skin, making Jiang Xia afraid to move.

His body was stiff.

Wu Zhou whispered, "Be careful."

Jiang Xia lowered her head and hummed softly, "It's not difficult, don't worry, I'm not a kitchen killer."

I have a natural talent for cooking. I don't have any fancy ideas or sudden inspirations; I can basically find the most suitable seasonings.

Wu Zhou released his hand but did not move away, remaining extremely close to him.

He wanted to help, but Jiang Xia quickly prepared the ingredients.

He has a big pot.

Cut the winter melon into chunks and place them at the bottom, then add corn and pumpkin, and finally place a fish on top of the steaming plate, then add another steaming plate, and finally place the two bowls of soup he prepared on top—century egg and meatloaf soup.

He added a little bit of pear to the minced meat, making it more refreshing.

Jiang Xia fired, clapped his hands, and said, "Ready."

He was quite proud.

Mr. Wu was seeing this kind of hodgepodge for the first time and looked skeptical.

Jiang Xia grinned at him: "This is how I cook a big meal for New Year's Eve. It's delicious, don't worry."

Wu Zhou looked at the smiling young man in front of him. It seemed that Jiang Xia hadn't been back to his hometown for a long time.

Last year...the year before last...

I thought he only ate dumplings on New Year's Eve...

Every year during the holidays, Wu Ming would always stay in Jiangxia for a few days. When Wu Zhou came looking for him, Jiangxia would always gently advise him not to make a fuss.

Wu Ming insisted on staying with them and insisted on eating dumplings before leaving.

However, neither Duliang nor Mengcheng has the custom of eating dumplings to mark the New Year. Duliang only eats "New Year's Eve dinner" on the first day of the Lunar New Year, while Mengcheng does eat New Year's Eve dinner, but it mainly consists of whole chickens, whole ducks, and whole fish.

Jiangxia often eats dumplings during the New Year period simply for convenience in cleaning up, nothing more.

However, Jiangxia doesn't just eat dumplings; he also buys some side dishes to eat with them.

Therefore, Wu Zhou also ate dumplings at Jiangxia's house a few times because Wu Ming refused to leave.

He wasn't picky about food; Jiang Xia ate the frozen dumplings he bought at the supermarket with great relish, while Wu Ming, who was used to delicious food, couldn't eat them.

Now that Wu Ming is not here, this is the first time the two of them have eaten alone.

Jiangxia couldn't send people away, so after setting a time for boiling the pot, he took the beer he had bought out of the refrigerator.

He still has a few bottles of red wine and a bottle of white wine, which were gifts from the company's annual meeting, but he hasn't drunk them yet.

Jiang Xia was a little embarrassed: "I don't have any drinks at home, only beer or tea, and a few bottles of red wine."

Wu Zhou's gaze sharpened: "You want to learn to drink? Didn't you used to not drink?"

Jiang Xia's face flushed with embarrassment when he realized Jiang Xia's thoughts had been exposed. He said awkwardly, "I'm learning new things."

People change. He used to think that people who like to drink lack self-control and was afraid of becoming addicted to alcohol, but now he suddenly feels that there is nothing wrong with drinking in moderation.

Wu Zhou looked at the faint mole on his cheek: "It's your first time drinking, you might not be able to get used to it. Do you know how to mix drinks?"

Jiang Xia said, "I can learn it on the spot."

He experienced the benefits of learning and believed that he could succeed in many things as long as he studied.

Jiang Xia opened the refrigerator: "There's still honey and syrup at home."

Wu Zhou said, "I can mix you a drink."

Jiang Xia was stunned. President Wu could do this too? Wu Zhou rolled up his sleeves, revealing his forearm muscles. Jiang Xia thought to himself that his muscles were so strong that they didn't seem like those of a busy company executive.

However, Wu Zhou studied technology overseas and is considered a science and engineering student. Now he is doing very well in business and has mastered everything he has learned.

The kitchen was filled with the gurgling sound of steaming heat and a faint aroma.

Wu Zhou used Jiangxia's thermos to help mix drinks, and the ice cubes clinked against the glass.

The once quiet house suddenly became lively.

Jiang Xia stared at him blankly, wondering if her home would no longer be so quiet if she were in a relationship.

He was lost in thought, and in the blink of an eye, a small glass of wine appeared in front of him.

"Give it a try."

Jiang Xia's lips touched it, and he took a small sip; it was sweet.

"It's delicious." He turned his head in surprise to look at the man beside him, his eyes crinkling with delight.

It's sweet at first, with a rich and smooth middle note, but the base note is a bit overpowering and pungent.

He was too excited to notice that the two of them had gotten much closer.

Wu Zhou could clearly see his eyelashes trembling slightly when he lowered his eyes.

Perhaps because he had a few drinks, Jiang Xia was less reserved afterwards and was in a good mood.

He arranged the pumpkin, corn, and other vegetables on a plate, served two bowls of soup, and then simmered the pork ribs and steamed fish underneath.

After the fish was steamed, he turned up the heat and added soy sauce, light soy sauce and other seasonings to make braised pork ribs.

Six dishes in less than an hour.

The dining table was against the wall, so the two people sat side by side on one side.

During the meal, Jiang Xia couldn't resist drinking a few more glasses of wine.

At first he said, "I don't feel drunk." He thought he might have a pretty good alcohol tolerance.

The more he ate, the hotter it got, and eventually he saw double vision and kept drinking the sweetened "drinks".

He pursed his lips and licked the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue: "A little thirsty."

Wu Zhou poured him water, but Jiang Xia couldn't get the words to flow properly after trying to feed him for a long time.

Wu Zhou watched, then suddenly chuckled, and directly supported the person's back with one hand while feeding them with the other.

Are you feeling better?

Jiang Xia nodded.

Jiang Xia got drunk before he even finished his meal. He slumped over the table, his nose stinging, but he didn't say a word.

After a while, he asked, "Is Wu Ming getting engaged?"

Wu Zhou nodded: "It'll be soon, aren't you happy?"

Jiang Xia shook her head: "I'm just very curious, very curious... Wu Ming clearly said he had no urge to marry Xie Xingzhang, so why would someone pretend for the sake of marriage... Won't that hurt Miss Xie?"

Jiang Xia looked at the cup in her hand: "I hate it..."

"People are generally disgusted by the use of dishonest means to deceive others in order to achieve their goals, but they are infinitely tolerant when it comes to love."

They can be together even if they don't like each other, they can get married and have children even if they don't love each other enough, and they can even marry someone else while they have someone else in their heart...

It seems that the process doesn't matter, likes and dislikes don't matter, and getting along doesn't matter; as long as he can have a lover at the end, he will have won.

He argued with Wu Ming, who said, "You're even more of a literary youth than when you were in school."

Jiang Xia was drunk. Wu Zhou watched him drink water incessantly, his eyes reddening, and raised his hand to wipe away his tears.

He ran his fingers across the man's cheek and said, "It's their problem, you're not wrong."

"Jiang Xia, would you like to get married?"

Jiang Xia rubbed her face against his palm: "I want to find someone I love and marry them..."

Seeing that his eyelids were drooping and his speech was slurred, Wu Zhou thought to himself that the ratio of alcohol to liquid was too high when he mixed the drinks earlier... He decisively picked him up and carried him to bed.

Jiang Xia was already asleep. His lips, wet with wine, glistened with moisture. When his lips touched, a hint of his bright red tongue could be vaguely seen through his teeth.

Wu Zhou approached, so close that he could smell the faint fragrance on Jiang Xia's hair.

The shower gel smells wonderful...

Jiangxia's cell phone beeped shrilly, ringing several times.

Wu Zhou supported the young man in his arms with one hand, and held his phone in the other. Although it was not unlocked, it displayed the latest message.

Wu Ming sent a message.

"Jiangxia, I miss you so much. Are you home alone? You haven't found another dog, have you?"

Wu Zhou put down his phone with a gloomy expression.

He took out his phone, unlocked it, typed with one hand, and sent a message: "Wu Ming, don't forget your engagement party when you get back to China."

In a foreign land, Wu Ming looked at the text and typed quickly.

He first sent an emoji, and then said, "Brother, you absolutely mustn't tell Jiang Xia about this."

.

A note from the author:

Wu Zhou: This is so annoying, you're someone who's getting married.

Zhan Lintian: Even if Wu Ming doesn't take you (Jiang Xia) with him, I will still bring you to Wu Ming's engagement banquet.