Sober

The horse wasn't moving fast, but the cold wind it stirred up still made my head ache.

I shook my head and leaned against Lin Zhong, groaning, "Lin Zhong, I don't remember having a daughter. What's her name... how old is she? Is she your daughter? No way... Lin Zhong, aren't you my brother?"

I patted his chest hard. "Your heart is beating so fast and so loud—"

Before I could finish speaking, I felt a chill on my neck. I looked down and saw that a gag had been stuffed into my mouth.

Alas—I tried to take it three times, but Lin Zhong stopped me each time I reached halfway.

A wildfire seemed to be burning in my heart, and in the raging flames, a familiar face appeared and disappeared.

He tilted his head slightly, his lips parted, and although I couldn't hear him speak, I could tell he was calling out—Qingcheng, Qingcheng…

We arrived at the inn sometime during the day. Lin Zhong removed the gag from my neck, picked me up, and carried me into the room.

A figure seemed to flicker before his eyes. Lin Zhong's voice was cold and stern: "Huai Xu, quickly go and make some hangover soup!"

Preface to the Locust Tree...

I think I remembered, and I slapped him angrily: "Who are you? How dare you talk to my daughter like that!"

Lin Zhong walked very fast, and I felt dizzy. I pressed my forehead and cried out, "Slow down, slow down, my head is so dizzy."

Lin Zhong kicked open the door, put me on the bed, took off my coat, pulled the blanket over me, and said, "Wow, you drank so much!"

I closed my eyes, panting, feeling a bit tired: "It's been a long time since I've had a proper drink, and I couldn't quite stop myself. The last time I drank this heartily was five years ago with Lin Zhong. But for some reason, he later preferred to drink alone in silence rather than drink with me anymore. Between the two of us—one of us is always sober..."

The oil lamp on the table lit up, its dim light casting a soft glow on the four walls.

There was a person sitting on the edge of the bed. Judging from his profile, he looked like Lin Zhong. I reached out and pulled him: "You've grown so much... You've grown taller since I first found you."

Lin Zhong didn't say a word, turned halfway around, and tucked my hand under the blanket.

I reached out my other hand and put it on his shoulder: "Lin Zhong, I remember when we first picked you up, Huai Xu called you brother, but you refused. You asked her to call you uncle, but Huai Xu was willing to call you uncle. Why don't you want to call me sister?"

Lin Zhong turned his face away, so I hooked my arm around his neck and sat up, hanging in front of him fiercely, "Hurry up! Call me sister, do you hear me? If you don't, I'll fire you tomorrow!"

Lin Zhong suddenly gripped my wrist tightly: "You dare—"

I felt incredibly frustrated and choked up with sobs.

Lin Zhong suddenly let go of my hand, and I pushed him hard: "The leaders of the seventeen caravans of Wumeng Mountain have allied with me. The older ones call me sister, and the younger ones call me elder sister. Only you refuse to call me that. Why do you look down on me for this!"

"I don't!"

"You did!" I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Lin Zhong, how dare you treat me like this! You have such a cruel heart!"

Lin Zhong's eyes reddened, and he grabbed my shoulder, saying, "You're the heartless one!" The next moment, he pushed me down and shouted towards the door, "Huai Xu! Is the hangover soup ready yet?!"

"Alright, alright!" Huai Xu's panicked voice rang out, "Uncle Lin... help your godmother up."

Lin Zhong put his arm around me, and Huai Xu leaned closer, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a trembling porcelain spoon, making an extremely grating sound.

Lin Zhong snatched the bowl away, pried open my chin with one hand, and brought the hangover soup to my lips.

Huai Xu repeatedly said, "It's hot! Be careful, it's hot!"

I suppose the "Chongbichun" had a strong aftereffect; I drank until I blacked out yesterday and didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

I turned my neck and stretched my back to the front room, and suddenly noticed a bunch of wild grass stuck in a bamboo tube on the cabinet.

I looked into the courtyard. Lin Zhong wasn't there. Huai Xu and Feng Qiao were feeding the chickens, their heads close together.

"Tap tap—" I picked up the palm-leaf fan on the table and tapped it twice, then pointed at the weeds and asked them, "Which of you offended Uncle Lin while I was away yesterday?"

Huai Xu and Feng Qiao straightened up, looked at each other, and remained silent for a while. Then, Feng Qiao asked cautiously, "Aunt, do you remember... what you did last night?"

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment: "I ran into Lord Wei at the tavern. Yesterday was his birthday, so I went to the prefectural government office and had a couple of drinks with him."

Huai Xu's eyes widened as he stared at me and said, "Just... just two cups?"

"Maybe a little more, I can't quite remember." I tapped the fan handle and raised my voice, "Hey! What do you two mean? When I'm out and about, I inevitably have social engagements. Is offending your Uncle Lin over a drink really that petty? Is he such a stingy person?"

"No, no. Aunt, please don't misunderstand us, don't misunderstand Uncle Lin." Feng Qiao kept winking at Huai Xu, "Maybe you drank a little too much, and Uncle Lin is concerned about your health, that's why he's a little... unhappy..."

I stroked the fluffy foxtail grass, full of doubt: "Really... just a little bit?"

Feng Qiao nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right."

The next day will be the Dragon Boat Festival.

The festival in Nanjing has not been this lively in many years.

"The Wumeng Mountains are endless, and the Ronglu River is never full." With the Tea Horse Road (fourth route) fully open by land and water, Yuezhou Border City, as an important node of the Eight Pavilion Road, has seen a surge in passenger and trade volume, benefiting the local area.

The oarsmen unloaded their cedar boats and raced dragon boats with the villagers on the Yuejiang River; the local folk performers also carried bronze drums down the mountain and performed Nuo opera on the banks of the Yuejiang River; the most interesting custom was "catching ducks on the Yuejiang River".

The local Han and Liao people gathered on the suspension bridge and simultaneously threw over a hundred ducks into the river. Children waiting on both banks jumped in to chase the ducks. Young women on the shore sang folk songs to cheer them on. The boy who successfully caught a duck presented his prize to the girl he admired; if she accepted, she would reciprocate with a hand-embroidered purse. The marriage was practically settled then.

Huai Xu had been looking forward to this day for a long time. She changed into the new short jacket and indigo tube skirt that I had bought for her early in the morning, and sat on the stool, waiting for me to braid her hair.

"Godmother, I really want to receive a duck!"

I looked at Feng Qiao and laughed, "Let Feng Qiao go and retrieve it for you."

Huai Xu pouted: "Feng Qiao, you can't even swim!"

Feng Qiao said pitifully, "We didn't release ducks on the Yuejiang River during the festivals in previous years. If I had known we would release them this year, I would have learned to swim. Huai Xu, why don't you wait until next year? I will definitely catch some and give them to you."

"Hmph." Huai Xu glanced at Feng Qiao. "Fine. I won't accept anyone's advances today, but you're not allowed to accept anyone's money either!"

"I guarantee I won't accept it."

I tied Huai Xu's long braid, wrapped it with an indigo headscarf, and inserted two pairs of red pom-poms into her temples. I then pulled her up and said, "Turn around so I can see."

Huai Xu spread his arms wide and spun around excitedly: "Isn't it beautiful? Isn't it beautiful?"

“It looks good.” I nodded. “Go stand on the riverbank, and I guarantee there will be a bunch of ducks for you to choose from.”

Feng Qiao looked distressed: "Huai Xu, don't listen to your aunt."

Huai Xu made a face at him and asked me, "Godmother, aren't you going to dress up a bit?"

I casually plucked a hollyhock from the bamboo tube and tucked it into my hair: "This is fine."

Huai Xu looked me up and down and said, "That's not enough. Where's your embroidered apron?"

I glanced at her and said, "I can't bear to wear this embroidered apron; it was left to me by my mother."

"So when do you plan to wear it?"

"It will be soon, when you get married."

"Godmother!"

I walked out with a smile. Lin Zhong was still tending to his flowers and plants in the yard. I went up to him, snatched the shears, threw them aside, and pulled him along, saying, "Let's go, let's go to Yanziping first."