Winding Stream Floating Wine Cups

Time flies, and Tang Feng counted the days on his fingers. It had been almost half a year since he transmigrated to Yan Yun. Tang Feng felt that he had lived a fulfilling yet empty life during these half years. Speaking of being fulfilled, Tang Feng was indeed very busy every day, but he didn't know exactly what he was busy with. Not long after Qin Liuliu arrived at the Tang family mansion, she was sent to a private school by Master Tang. In Tang Feng's words, his main character had been ruined, so he could only make the most of his time to level up his secondary character.

However, Qin Liuliu seemed far less obedient, sensible, and endearing in the private school than she was in the Tang family mansion. The teacher would call her in every few days, and Old Master Tang was too busy with court affairs to manage her, only managing to inquire briefly during the morning greetings. As for Qin Jiujiu, having spent so much time with Tang Feng and the others, she had become less reserved, overseeing everything in the mansion, practically becoming the head steward. She was always very busy, and while she tried to get involved in Qin Liuliu's life, Qin Liuliu was inseparable from Tang Feng, who completely ignored her. Eventually, she simply gave up. The only one in the Tang family who could manage Qin Liuliu was Tang Feng. He would report to the teacher every few days, and the reasons for calling her in were always simple: either she hadn't memorized her lessons or hadn't finished her homework. She never did anything mischievous.

Tang Feng was somewhat exasperated. She was constantly shuttling between home and the private school, and the teacher there didn't respect her status, always launching into a tirade of scolding. Tang Feng even wondered if his father had ruined Qin Liuliu's academic career, and if she was simply unsuitable for studying. Just when Tang Feng was about to go crazy, Qin Liuliu welcomed her first holiday! Tang Feng also welcomed his first New Year in this world.

"Brother Tang, Brother Tang, Brother Mo Bai is looking for me over the wall!" Qin Liuliu came running over, still holding a half-eaten candied hawthorn. Tang Feng grabbed the candied hawthorn stick from Qin Liuliu's hand. "Slow down, aren't you afraid the stick will poke you?" Tang Feng patted Qin Liuliu's head. "I know, go find Liu Yiwan to play! He's making a kite in the house." After saying that, he went to the backyard to find Zhang Mo Bai.

"Your house is quite lively!"

"It's almost Chinese New Year! Father wasn't planning on having a big celebration this year, but Sister Jiu likes things lively, so we let her take care of it." Tang Feng sat down on a stone stool and poured himself a cup of tea to warm his hands.

"I never knew Miss Jiu was so capable. She was so gentle and quiet before, it's like she's a completely different person now!" Zhang Mobai took out the hot water bottle and handed it to Tang Feng. "You didn't even bring a hand warmer when you came out. If you get cold, Miss Jiu will start nagging me again!"

"Hey, I was just in a hurry to see you. Alright, let's go inside and talk. It's not worth making an exception for a hand warmer like this." With that, Tang Feng pulled Zhang Mobai inside.

"No, no, I'm going back now. Tell Ninth Sister and Six Six that after dinner tonight, we're going to set off fireworks on the Wei River. It's so lively there, and there's a night market too." With that, Zhang Mobai staggered over the wall and went back.

"The night market! I saw it from afar in the pavilion when I was at Haiyun Pavilion. It was so lively!" Qin Jiujiu thought excitedly. When she worked as a tea server at Haiyun Pavilion, she often watched ordinary people light sky lanterns and set off fireworks during the New Year from behind the pavilion, feeling quite envious. Now that she could also visit the night market, she couldn't contain her joy.

"They said they'd go after dinner," Tang Feng said, carrying two bundles of firewood into the small kitchen. "Sister Jiu, I've left the firewood for you."

"Put it down and get out of here. Boys shouldn't be in the kitchen. I told you not to help, but you insisted on coming in," Qin Jiujiu said, shooing Tang Feng out. Ever since Master Tang praised Qin Jiujiu's cooking, all the cooks in the Tang household had been laid off, and Qin Jiujiu had taken over the kitchen's cooking and household chores.

"Sister, don't push me! Don't forget to get ready after dinner!"

"You're so talkative! Get out!" With that, Qin Jiujiu half-pushed and half-threw Tang Feng out.

After being pushed out, Tang Feng didn't know what to do. With nothing else to do, he went to the backyard to catch Qin Liuliu. As soon as he arrived, he saw Qin Liuliu draped in a bedsheet, wielding a small wooden sword that Zhang Mobai had somehow found, gesturing at Liu Yiwan. Liu Yiwan, meanwhile, was hanging upside down from a tree, reading a book and muttering, "Young Master, have mercy!" Tang Feng stood under the tree, craning his neck, and said, "Your begging is a bit perfunctory!" Upon seeing Tang Feng, Liu Yiwan did a somersault and landed, "Oh, I was just teasing the young master! You wanted to see me?"

"Little Crazy wants us to go to the night market tonight," Tang Feng said, looking Liu Yiwan up and down. "You should at least tidy yourself up; you're almost like Zhang Fei!"

"Zhang Fei? Who's that!"

"Well... well, anyway, you should hurry up and get ready."

"Where would I find the time!" He then grabbed Qin Liuliu and lifted her up. "This brat, he thinks of me when things are good, but comes to bother me when things are bad. He's here to cause trouble before the chickens are even awake this morning!"

"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense. Go change your clothes, we have to go out tonight! Don't make me dislike you." With that, Tang Feng led Qin Liuliu back to her room.

Tang Feng led Qin Liuliu into the study. Tang Feng believed in balancing study with rest, playing in the morning and reading in the afternoon. "Liuliu, come here and recite the poem." Tang Feng sat down and casually picked up one of Qin Liuliu's books.

"Oh!" Qin Liuli's face almost scrunched up like a bun when she heard she had to recite a text. "Brother Tang, could you..."

"No!" Tang Feng said, resting his chin on one hand and flipping through a book with the other. "Qin Liuliu! Don't make any demands of me!" Tang Feng had pretty much figured Qin Liuliu out; whenever he was asked to read or write, she would start acting cute and making demands. At first, Tang Feng softened and agreed, only to be called over by the teacher and given a severe scolding. So Tang Feng gradually understood that the consequence of indulging Qin Liuliu was either he would be scolded or Qin Liuliu would be scolded. After a few minutes of deep thought, Tang Feng resolutely chose the latter: "No discussion today."

"Brother, can I memorize it again and then come back to you?" Qin Liuliu asked, head down, drawing circles on the ground with her foot. "I'm sure I can memorize it."

Upon hearing this, Tang Feng handed the book to him, saying, "One hour, no more."

Qin Liuliu took the book and went to the opposite room to memorize it. Tang Feng, having nothing to do, lay on the table fiddling with the small items on it. "Ugh! So boring!" After wiping down all the items on the table, Tang Feng saw Qin Liuliu still memorizing, so he simply sprawled on the stool. "Is there anyone who can chat with me? Ah! Ah!"

"Brother Tang, I'm hungry..."

"Memorize your books! Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are first tested with hardship, toil, hunger, and deprivation. Hurry up and study!"

"But..."

"I'm telling on your sister!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Liuliu was startled. Tang Feng hadn't hit her, but Qin Jiujiu was really going all out! The little branch was whipping her around with a whoosh! Hearing that Tang Feng was going to tell Qin Jiujiu, she quickly picked up the book: "Guan Guan Jujiu, on the river's islet, spicy beef, braised pork."

Tang Feng laughed when he heard this. "Alright, stop reciting. Go to the small kitchen and see if your sister's noodles are ready." Then he bent down and whispered in Qin Liuliu's ear, "If they're not finished, tell her to add an egg."

"Okay!" As soon as Qin Liuliu heard that it was time to eat, he took off running, afraid that Tang Feng would change his mind and make him come back to recite his lessons. "This little guy can run pretty fast. If this were modern times, I would definitely enroll you in a sports program." Tang Feng got up and walked towards the small kitchen. Tang Feng had his own selfish reasons for letting Qin Liuliu go. He was really bored. No one talked to him and there was nothing to do in the study except for books. He had no choice but to let Qin Liuliu go. Freeing him was also a way of redeeming himself.

"This food is delicious! I could smell it from the study." Tang Feng walked around the backyard a couple of times before heading to the small kitchen. Just as he reached the door, he saw Qin Jiujiu coming out with a bowl. "You spoil him! Did you tell Qin Liuliu to put an egg in his noodles?" Qin Jiujiu rolled her eyes at Tang Feng before placing the food on the table.

"Honestly, I didn't tell Liu Liu. If he wants to eat it, just make it for him. The Tang family isn't dirt poor. You're his own sister," Tang Feng chuckled, walking to the table and sitting down.

"You always have so many excuses. Eat up! We're going to the night market with Young Master Zhang later." After saying that, she handed Tang Feng a pair of chopsticks and sat down herself. "By the way, you didn't get up when I paid my respects this morning. My godfather asked me to tell you that a 'Floating Wine Cups' ceremony will be held at Baihui Creek outside the city in a few days after the start of spring, and he wants you to attend!"

"Floating wine cups on a winding stream? What's that?!"

"It's exactly what it sounds like! It's a kind of drinking game. You put a wine cup on a leaf, fill it with wine, and the poets stand in two rows around the stream. Whoever's cup stops at a certain spot drinks the wine and then composes a poem."

Tang Feng felt a headache coming on. "Ugh~ This sounds like a hassle, I'm not going."

"My godfather said he knew you wouldn't go, and he said if you didn't go, you'd be punished according to family rules."

Tang Feng was startled, dropping his chopsticks. He bent down to pick them up and placed them on the table. "This is a blatant threat! What's the difference between that and those unscrupulous modern after-school tutoring classes!"

"Internship classes?"

"Cough cough... It's nothing, let's eat. The beef stew is really flavorful today." Tang Feng added a piece of meat from his bowl and quickly put it in his mouth to ease the awkwardness.

"Young Master Zhang, my young master is eating. Would you please wait a moment in the backyard?" Tang Feng hadn't even swallowed the beef in his mouth when he heard Liu Yiwan's voice approaching from outside.

"It's alright, I'll be right there. Hey bro! Hey bro! Are you eating?"

"Little madman, you're really asking a question you already know the answer to," Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Zhang Mobai. "Sit down and wait for us."

"By the way, did Uncle Tang mention the 'Floating Wine Cups' event in a couple of days?"

"I already said it. I have no interest and it's a waste of time." Tang Feng finished eating, pushed his bowl and chopsticks forward, and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "Are you going too?"

"Yeah! Some of the academic ones have to go, hey! Don't give me any trouble! Everyone has to go, my old man said he'd beat me to death if I didn't."

Tang Feng nearly doubled over with laughter upon hearing this. "With your old man's puny build! You think he can beat you to death? I'm afraid he'll break his bones before he even throws a punch!" With that, Tang Feng stood up, patted his backside, and said, "Let's go! It's getting dark, and if we don't go soon, my old man will be coming to get us."

After leaving the house, the group strolled leisurely to the Wei River. Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai wandered ahead, Qin Jiujiu led Qin Liuliu through the food street, and Liu Yiwan walked at the very back, paying the bills. "Xiao Feng! Want to light a river lantern together?" Qin Feng turned around and saw Qin Jiujiu waving at him.

"I won't give it to you! I don't believe in that stuff." With that, Tang Feng took out a few taels of silver from his waist and handed it to Qin Jiujiu, saying, "Have Liu Yiwan buy it." "No need for the silver, Yiwan has some," Qin Jiujiu waved her hand, pushing the silver from Tang Feng's hand further inside.

Tang Feng glanced down at Qin Liuliu, who was holding three or four strings of candied hawthorns, her canvas shoulder bag bulging, and a bag of candy tied around her waist. "No, no, you should take it!" Then he whispered to Zhang Mobai, "Women's spending habits are really scary. I'll have to find a thrifty and good-natured wife in the future."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're right," Zhang Mobai nodded, squatted down, and patted Qin Liuliu's head, saying, "You bought so much, aren't you afraid of overeating?"

"No way!" Qin Liuli shook off Zhang Mobai's hand, ran to Tang Feng's side, and made a face at him.

"If you're not going to release river lanterns, can't you at least come along?" Qin Jiujiu pushed Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai forward. "Hurry up! It'll get crowded over there if we don't go soon."

"Boss, give us a river lantern, the red kind for good luck! Yes, that's it." After paying the stall owner, Qin Jiujiu carried a lit river lantern to the riverbank, slowly squatted down, and muttered, "May we find joy in heaven and on earth, every year on this night." After saying that, she put the river lantern into the river.

"What's the promise?" Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai asked, sitting on the grass with their heads tilted back.

"It won't work if you say it, let's go back."

After Tang Feng and his group left, the river lantern that Qin Jiujiu had released hadn't drifted far when a wave came and overturned it.