Chapter 68 Mingyue's Drunkenness

Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhu Mingyue stammered and couldn't say anything, realizing that this implied he had secretly gotten up late last night to go to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Sigh, I don't know if Xie Pei is made of iron. He's so energetic during the day, and he's just as energetic at night. I was being very careful, but I was caught red-handed before my feet even touched the ground.

It must be said that Xie Pei's strict control over his diet was effective; his throat, which had been swollen for several days after he developed a fever, was completely healed on the second day, which was also the Spring Festival.

Zhu Mingyue felt an unprecedented surge of energy in her body and began preparing a festive feast.

Xie Pei got up before dawn that morning, and although he was very careful, he still woke up Zhu Mingyue, who was in an excited state.

Xie Pei fastened his belt and said to him, "It's still early, you can sleep a little longer."

"No." He struggled to get up, first sitting on the bed to recover for a while, and only after Xie Pei was dressed did he rub his eyes and slowly put on his clothes.

The Spring Festival is definitely different from usual; the village is much more lively now, and even the chimneys of each house are emitting wisps of smoke.

It seems he overslept.

After Xie Pei chopped the meat, he started kneading the meatballs. Xie Pei lit the fire and heated the oil, and he fried one meatball in the pan. The two worked together very well, so they were quick.

The meatballs slid into the oil one by one, making a sizzling sound. Zhu Mingyue smelled the oil and slowly stirred it, then scooped them out one by one when they turned golden brown.

There wasn't time to cook porridge for breakfast, so he ate two pieces of pastry. When the meatballs were scooped out, his mouth watered just looking at them. He hurriedly picked one up and threw it into his mouth without caring that it was hot, burning himself and wincing in pain.

His eyes lit up: "Delicious." He picked one up and brought it to Xie Pei's lips, "You should try it."

Xie Pei tilted his head slightly and naturally took the meatball away.

"How is it? Isn't it especially delicious?"

Xie Pei nodded. To him, no dish made by Zhu Mingyue was bad, especially meat dishes.

Zhu Mingyue was satisfied with the answer she wanted and couldn't resist popping another one into her mouth.

Xie Pei controlled the heat perfectly, frying the meatballs until the outside was crispy, while the inside remained tender. When you bite into them, the meat juice bursts in your mouth instantly. The meat is firm and chewy, mixed with the light aroma of cabbage, scallions, and ginger, making your mouth water.

Faced with such delicious food, Zhu Mingyue felt as if she had missed out on something wonderful. Her family ate meat every day, how could they have forgotten about fried meatballs, such a classic dish!

The dumpling shop has been operating for so long and the business is so good. It would be a waste to only sell dumplings. It would be good to introduce some new products from time to time. He thought that the fried meatballs would be pretty good. They are delicious and not difficult to make. It's just a bit of a hassle for Li Zhengyang.

There was nothing he could do. He silently mourned for Li Zhengyang's arm for three seconds. His family was building a new house at the beginning of the year, and he couldn't afford to stay idle any longer; he needed to earn more money.

At the village chief's house, Li Zhengyang, holding a kitchen knife, suddenly sneezed. His mother immediately slapped him and scolded, "Chop carefully, or you'll spit your saliva in."

Li Zhengyang threw down the knife and pounded his sore and numb arm: "Mom, let Zhengming chop the filling instead. Does our meat have to be chopped up before we eat it? I can barely lift my arm anymore."

His mother snorted, "You're always chopping things up in town. You can't even do your old trade. I don't know why they hired you in the first place."

His father happened to pass by the two of them and immediately began to mock them: "You eat more than a pig, but it seems you don't do as much work as you did when you were together."

The more critical the tone, the more devastating it is when it comes from his father. Li Zhengyang was so angry that he swayed. He retorted, "Mingyue says I'm good at chopping filling, and he never squeezes me like you guys do, making me do this kind of work all the time."

His father kicked him hard in the butt again: "Get the hell out of here! I told you to chop some filling properly, so chop it properly!"

"Mother, he told you to get out."

Li Zhengyang's mother glared at her husband.

So Li Zhengyang got kicked in the butt again.

He was filled with grievances, sniffed, but his nose felt itchy again, so he couldn't help but sneeze.

According to the customs of the Li Dynasty, the New Year's Eve dinner was eaten at noon.

Zhu Mingyue re-fried the meatballs, drained the oil, and placed them on a bamboo tray, eating as she cooked.

Beef stew was simmering on a stove nearby, its rich, savory aroma filling the entire room. Zhu Mingyue initially swallowed unconsciously, but quickly became immune, as his sweet and sour pork ribs were soon ready as well.

In addition to pork and beef, a complete meal must also include fish, chicken, and duck. There are not many seasonal vegetables in winter, and Xie Pei really doesn't like to eat vegetarian food. So, besides these meat dishes, he only stir-fried a plate of winter bamboo shoots and black cabbage, which were probably the only two vegetarian dishes on their table.

The dishes were almost ready; all that was left was for the chicken soup to simmer before we could eat. While waiting, he didn't idle around; he roasted a large bowl of sesame seeds and kneaded glutinous rice dough.

In his hometown, it's customary to eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls) during the Lunar New Year, usually on New Year's Eve and the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

His family's most common food is sesame filling. He doesn't like this kind of overly sweet stuff, so his grandma coaxes him to eat it, saying that eating glutinous rice balls will bring a happy and harmonious family reunion in the coming year.

When he grew up, he learned that in some places, glutinous rice balls are called "yuanbao," which means that wealth and prosperity will come in the coming year.

He was puzzled that such a small glutinous rice ball could carry so many beautiful hopes of people, but he also developed the habit of eating glutinous rice balls. Even when he was the only one left in his family, he would still obediently cook himself a bowl of frozen glutinous rice balls on New Year's Eve.

Zhu Mingyue pinched a sesame seed and put it in her mouth, enjoying the fragrant taste.

He cut the dough into small pieces, rolled them into balls in his palm, stuffed some sesame seeds inside, and then sealed them up.

In no time, the plump, white glutinous rice balls were wrapped. He held one up and showed it to Xie Pei: "Have you ever eaten these before?"

Xie Pei shook his head, just as he expected. He had never eaten it or seen it before.

Zhu Mingyue laughed and said, "I suppose you've never seen this before. I guess it's only eaten in my hometown. Let's have this for breakfast tomorrow."

He rolled a lot at once, and after freezing them, he could cook a few whenever he wanted to eat them, which would be very convenient. He also planned to send some to the village chief's family.

He had barely formed an idea when Li Zhengyang arrived.

He brushed the snow off his head and placed the food box he had been holding in his arms on the table. "You said you wanted to eat steamed buns last time, so my mother made some again this time. She made sure they weren't too spicy, and there are also steamed meatballs. You should try them too."

He was a little embarrassed to continue. The Xie family's meal was far too lavish. Not to mention the stewing food in the pots, there was already enough meat dishes on the stove.

His family only prepared two meat dishes: one was the stir-fried cured pork that Zhu Mingyue had given them last time, and the other was steamed meatballs. Not counting the steamed buns, the rest of the buns were reserved for New Year's gifts when he went back to his wife's family to pay New Year's visits.

He felt that he couldn't even give away this plate of meatballs; it was too shabby.

No matter what it is, it is a token of their goodwill, so how could Zhu Mingyue dislike it? He gladly accepted it, saying, "You came at just the right time. I also made some fried meatballs. Take some back with you and we can share them."

He took out the steamed buns and meatballs from the food box, added some fried meatballs, and also packed enough glutinous rice balls for four people, and even taught him how to eat them.

"This is called tangyuan. I filled it with sesame filling. I don't know if you like it. Anyway, when you want to eat it, just boil it in water, just like you would dumplings."

Li Zhengyang understood immediately when he heard this. He had never eaten glutinous rice balls before, but he had certainly cooked dumplings. He poked one with his finger. The glutinous rice ball wasn't frozen yet, and it was filled with filling with every poke. "It's made of refined flour. What's there to not like? It's delicious no matter how you eat it."

Zhu Mingyue smiled and watched him go back. The chicken soup was ready, bubbling away as soon as the lid was lifted.

Zhu Mingyue tasted some; it was just right, not too salty or bland. He then said to Xie Pei, "Let's eat!"

This was the most lavish New Year Xie Pei had ever had in the past eighteen years. In the past, his family would only buy a small piece of meat the size of his palm for the New Year, and it would end up being eaten by Xie Hong.

After his parents passed away, he chose to pretend, pretending to willingly endure Xie Hong's mistreatment, and pretending that no one would suspect that he had personally killed people until Xie Hong died.

But there is a price to pay for pretending; the price is starving yourself until you are skin and bones.

Fortunately, it's all over now.

Xie Pei looked at Zhu Mingyue with a hint of something turbulent in his eyes.

Zhu Mingyue was baffled: "Why are you looking at me? Do I have food on my face? Let's eat!"

Zhu Mingyue's appetite was whetted by the sight of the dishes on the table. He hadn't had any flavorful food for several days since recovering from his cold, and now that he was getting better, it was almost Chinese New Year, so he had to eat as much as he could.

"Is there still half a jar of wine at home?" Zhu Mingyue suddenly asked him just as they were about to start eating.

Xie Pei: "Hmm, do you want a drink?"

Zhu Mingyue asked with some anticipation, "Will it be okay to drink a little?" He had just turned 18 a few days ago, and Xie Pei was a month older than him and had also turned 18, so drinking should be fine for them.

Xie Pei frowned slightly; he had no idea that Zhu Mingyue could drink alcohol.

Zhu Mingyue explained, "If you don't want to drink it, then don't. Actually, I'm just curious because I've never had it before." He was telling the truth; he was simply curious about something that adults could only do, and since it was Chinese New Year today, he thought he could give it a try.

His parents both drink alcohol, and even his grandmother has a couple of drinks when she's happy on holidays. However, they don't allow him to drink, and they teach him that he's not allowed to touch alcohol until he's an adult.

Zhu Mingyue has always been a well-behaved child and has never touched anything like that before. The idea just popped into her head, but it wasn't a strong one.

Xie Pei didn't think there was anything wrong with drinking. After all, in the dynasty they lived in, people got married and had children at the age of fourteen or fifteen, so there was no age limit for alcohol.

"I'll go get it." He agreed. Zhu Mingyue just wanted to have a drink. It seemed she hadn't drunk any before, so a little wouldn't hurt her.

In ancient times, people generally drank grain wine made from millet and sorghum. There was also fruit wine, but it was mainly circulated among the wealthy.

The jar in Xie Pei's hand was clearly made from grains, and it did indeed smell of mellow grains. His eyes lit up with curiosity. He took a small sip from the rim of the cup, but it wasn't as mellow as it smelled; instead, it had a pungent taste.

Xie Pei was also drinking for the first time. Zhu Mingyue secretly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and found that he didn't react as strongly as Xie Pei. His calm and composed demeanor clearly showed that he was accepting of drinking.

Zhu Mingyue's damn competitive spirit kicked in, and she stubbornly drank the wine in her glass in one gulp.

It seemed like a grand gesture, but in reality there was only a tiny bit in the cup; Xie Pei genuinely only intended for him to have a slight taste.

Zhu Mingyue felt like his throat and stomach were on fire, he was generally uncomfortable, but he pretended to be fine and chuckled, "Eat, eat!"

Thankfully, after eating a few bites of food, I was finally able to suppress the discomfort.

But as he ate, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He put down his chopsticks and stared intently at the person opposite him for a long time before finally complaining, "Xie Pei, can you please stop shaking your head like that? It's making my eyes blurry."

Xie Pei, who was sitting perfectly still and seemingly motionless, raised his head blankly: ...

He was innocent; the person shaking the camera wasn't him at all, but Zhu Mingyue herself.

Zhu Mingyue's small body swayed back and forth, and her eyes looked strange; no normal person would have such a dazed look in their eyes.

Xie Pei was puzzled. Did he really only pour him a small half-glass? How could he get drunk with such a small amount of alcohol?

Helpless, he walked up to him and bent down: "Zhu Mingyue, can you still hear me?"

Zhu Mingyue felt extremely wronged and lightly punched him, saying, "You're still shaking me! How annoying!"

Xie Pei was speechless and directly reached out to hold his shoulders steady. "Are you still swaying?"

Zhu Mingyue shook her head vigorously: "It's not shaking anymore, it's not shaking anymore."

Thankfully, I can still hear him talking.

Xie Pei's tone softened unconsciously: "You're drunk. I'll take you back to your room to rest."

Zhu Mingyue was stunned. It took her a long time to process what he had just said before she shook her head and said, "No, I want to eat. I don't want to go back to my room."

"I...I'm not drunk." Even when he's completely out of his mind, he still knows how to be stubborn.

Xie Pei laughed and deliberately said, "Since you're not drunk, are you still going to drink?"

"I'm not drinking anymore! I'm not drinking anymore!" Zhu Mingyue was terrified.

Xie Pei: "Then go back to your room and rest."

Zhu Mingyue: "No."

Xie Pei: "Go back to the house."

Zhu Mingyue: "No!"

Xie Pei frowned: "Go back inside."

Zhu Mingyue: "Waaah!" She was just feeling wronged, but now she's crying.

Xie Pei: ...

He's guilty; he shouldn't have allowed Zhu Mingyue to drink. A drunk Zhu Mingyue seems even harder to handle than a sick one.

He compromised: "Then what dishes do you want to eat? I'll get them for you."

Zhu Mingyue: "Don't pinch my shoulder, it hurts. I'll clamp it myself."

Xie Pei quickly loosened his grip.

Without Xie Pei's support, Zhu Mingyue immediately turned into a bouncy ball, at least she knew to stare blankly at the table, but she missed every time she tried to grab the chopsticks.

Xie Pei just watched him quietly as he poked at the table with his chopsticks, without offering to help him.

After a few times, Zhu Mingyue broke down first, crying and complaining, "Xie Pei, it's really over, the plate keeps shaking, it won't let me eat the food."

Upon hearing this, Xie Pei slowly and deliberately put his hands around his shoulders again. "Now!"

Zhu Mingyue opened her big, watery eyes, the tears still visible in them, and said, "It's all right now, it's so amazing! As soon as you touched me, it stopped moving!"

Zhu Mingyue, stubborn as ever, struggled to feed herself until she was full, and then explained, "I ate too much, and I feel a little dizzy from the carbon monoxide poisoning." After saying that, she lowered her head, her face almost burying itself in the bowl.

Xie Pei quickly cupped his face in his palm. Zhu Mingyue felt warm and rubbed against his hand before closing his eyes contentedly to go to sleep.

Xie Pei carefully cradled his face with one hand, while using the other to wrap around his waist and gently straighten him up.

Then, upon closer inspection, Zhu Mingyue, who had just been asleep, had opened her eyes.

He muttered to himself, "Xie Pei, you really are a bad guy."

Xie Pei explained with a helpless and weary tone, "I'm not."

Zhu Mingyue pouted: "You, don't deny it. Let me ask you, I was sleeping soundly just now, why did you wake me up?"

"I didn't." Xie Pei's lips twitched slightly. Fortunately, he still had patience for Zhu Mingyue. If it were anyone else, he would have given up long ago.

"Liar!" Zhu Mingyue angrily rebuked him, "Then why am I not in bed?"

Yes, Xie Pei was also wondering why Zhu Mingyue didn't want to go back to her room. Since Zhu Mingyue brought it up, he went along with it and said, "I was wrong, I'll take you back to your room now."

Zhu Mingyue carefully corrected, "It's not 'go back to the room,' it's 'go back to the bed.'"

"Okay, I'll take you back to bed."

After finally getting him to bed, he wouldn't stop, grabbing his hand and refusing to let her go.

His face was now completely red, the redness even spreading towards his ears.

Xie Pei gave him some water and asked, "How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable?"

Zhu Mingyue was playing with his fingers when she heard him say, "I don't feel uncomfortable! I want to drink some sweet water."

Xie Pei knew he was talking about honey water and wanted to pull out his finger to make it for him.

This action angered her again, and she said, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Xie Pei's pupils dilated in shock, his heart filled with utter astonishment. Should he love her? He reached out to touch Zhu Mingyue's forehead, wondering if she had another fever that might have damaged her brain.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Mingyue slapped his hand away and said fiercely, "I don't want you to touch me anymore, I want a divorce!"