Chapter 42 Dodder (Part 6) Greedily inhaling the aroma of human flesh…
The soft, tender shepherd's purse leaves clustered around their feet, making the two pairs of black soap boots look even more helpless.
Song Qiling lifted her foot, walked around the lush vegetation, and stood in the open space. She turned her head to look at the crowded area and couldn't help but sigh, "The wedding in the village is so lively, I almost lost my shoes in the crowd."
Looking at the sea of people, Yu Qi and Liu Dai were imitating each other, throwing dried fruit into the sedan chair as if they were part of the local community. I couldn't help but twitch my lips slightly, "They seem to be enjoying themselves."
After saying that, he pulled up his shirt and shook it, and a few round dried fruits rolled out from under the hem. Song Qiling bent down, picked them up, and casually stuffed them into his sleeve without looking up, saying, "Junior brother, thank you."
"You're welcome." Gu Lianzhou had never seen such a scene before. He felt that the crowd was too crowded and dangerous. So when he saw the luxurious carriage rushing towards them again after breaking through the frolicking crowd, he subconsciously grabbed his senior brother's elbow and pulled him into the pile of shepherd's purse.
"Hey—" Song Qiling was caught off guard, and dust filled his face, forcing him to swallow a mouthful of sand and gravel.
After the crowd chased after the carriage and left, she spat out the sand in her mouth and looked at Gu Lianzhou with a resentful gaze. Seeing his solemn expression, Song Qiling was stunned, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.
My junior brother seems a bit too nervous.
-
The wedding banquet was held in an open field. The half-blind old man we had seen earlier was the officiant, and he was standing in the wind, welcoming and seeing off the guests.
More than ten low tables were neatly arranged, piled with fresh fruits and various snacks. What was particularly eye-catching was that each table had an oil lamp for lighting and a strangely shaped pottery pot.
Song Qiling and her group of four were led to a corner by the woman in the floral jacket. Yu Qi tugged at the cushion under the table, sat down cross-legged, and looked around at the scenery with a look of novelty in her eyes.
It was his first time attending someone else's wedding banquet, and everything seemed new and exciting. He couldn't help but touch and look at this and that. In just a few moments, his gaze fell on the ceramic pot on the table.
"What is this?" He quickly picked up the pottery pot, turning it around in his hand. He noticed that it felt heavy, and the liquid inside sloshed around as he moved it.
It must be a kettle.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "What a unique teapot! The painting on it must depict a fox."
Upon hearing this, the group followed his gaze.
The jar, made of red clay, was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with a particularly round belly. On it, a brightly colored four-legged animal was painted in cinnabar. The animal had long, narrow eyes with vertical gold lines embedded in them, and the corners of its eyes were upturned. Looking at its large tail, it was undoubtedly a fox.
Aunt Hua'ao pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere, covered her mouth and laughed, "Young man, lift the lid and smell it, it smells wonderful inside."
Yu Qi glanced at the people around him and saw that everyone looked curious. So, following the aunt's advice, he lifted the lid of the pottery pot, stretched his neck, and put his nose close to it.
Then, a pungent smell assaulted his face.
"It's wine!" Yu Qi hurriedly put down the earthenware jar and pushed it away. "I'm still young and can't drink wine yet."
Aunt Hua'ao immediately burst into laughter, "How can you call it a banquet if you don't drink alcohol? Besides, this is pear wine brought from Qingya."
"Where did this come from? I've never heard of it before," Yu Qi muttered, barely sparing the pottery jar a glance.
Aunt Hua'ao stopped trying to persuade her and just shook her head regretfully, saying, "This pear wine is sealed only once every ten years. If we miss this chance, we don't know when we'll be able to drink it again."
A once-in-a-decade wine?
Hearing her boast, Yu Qi swallowed hard, his eyes darting towards the wine jar.
He suddenly became curious about what the yellow soup tasted like.
"Gentlemen."
Seeing that everyone was seated, the half-blind old man cleared his throat and announced loudly, "The auspicious hour has arrived, may all guests and hosts rejoice!"
As soon as he finished speaking, under the bright moonlight, petals fell everywhere and drifted in the wind, while the sound of string and bamboo instruments suddenly rose and resounded throughout the land.
A tall man dressed in a dark red robe, red shoes, and a gold and jade belt around his waist walked toward the center of the banquet. His face was fair, as if he had applied a thin layer of powder, and his lips were bright red, as if they had been dotted with cinnabar. At first glance, he was extremely beautiful.
Looking at the other end, the bride, wearing a golden phoenix crown, a crimson wedding dress, a red apron around her waist, and colorful sashes around her shoulders, gracefully walks across a carpet of petals.
A long red ribbon was held tightly in their hands.
Song Qiling stared intently at the bride, reaching out towards the fruit plate on the table.
"Entering the room through the hall, circling the incense burner three times, their marriage is preordained."
The ceremony was elaborate and lengthy, making everyone doze off. Then the old man said things like "a perfect match made in heaven, may you live a long and happy life together." After that, a roast suckling pig was carried by the couple in front of them.
Looking at the roasted suckling pig with its golden and crispy skin, everyone silently swallowed.
As soon as the two shared a piece of roasted meat, the villagers erupted in cheers.
Song Qiling chewed on peanuts and clapped along with everyone else.
After the ceremony, the banquet began.
The four, exhausted from their journey, were starving. Forgetting all formalities, they picked up their chopsticks and began to devour the food.
"Hey, don't just eat! Come on, let me pour you some wine." Aunt Hua'ao lifted the lid of the pot, took out four wine cups, and filled them one by one.
By this time, it was completely dark.
The clear wine soup fell into the cup, reflecting the bright moon in the sky, as if it were filled with a round and plump glutinous rice ball.
"It's going to rain soon, and if the rain dilutes the wine, it won't taste good." Aunt Hua'ao must be a wine fanatic; I noticed she had her mind on that pot of pear blossom wine early this morning, and she couldn't wait any longer.
Feeling grateful for her care, Song Qiling didn't want to spoil the mood, so she quickly put down her chopsticks, took the wine cup, and said, "Auntie, I'll toast you."
"Ah, that's more like it." Aunt Hua'ao smiled, her eyes narrowing, and then said to the other three, "When attending a wedding banquet, one should follow local customs. How can one not drink?"
Hearing her say that, the group couldn't resist her enthusiasm and stopped refusing, picking up their wine cups as a gesture of goodwill.
Yu Qi had never drunk alcohol before, but he brought the cup close and took a small sip, his eyes slowly widening as he did so.
The yellow soup initially tastes like chewing water pepper, spicy from the tip of the tongue to the throat. But as you swallow, a sweet, fruity aroma bursts forth in your mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth within moments.
This is the Tangli Wine.
It truly lives up to its name.
After drinking a cup of wine, Song Qiling finally understood that Aunt Hua'ao's earnest encouragement to drink was indeed for a reason.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
So it turns out that not all alcoholic beverages in the world taste the same...
In a daze, a drop of water fell on my forehead.
Song Qiling looked up and saw that under the moonlight, the raindrops were tinged with an eerie, dark blue, falling like threads.
Someone in the distance shouted, "Look, Moonbow is coming!"
As the words fell, a faint, almost transparent band of color slowly appeared in the rain. Song Qiling stared at this incredible and beautiful scene, blinking slowly.
The raindrops pattered against the wooden table with a dull thud, then fell into the bowls and plates with a series of clear, melodious "tinkling" sounds, each one unique and delightful.
The sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts filled the air, and Aunt Hua's shouts gradually grew louder.
She must be someone who loves to join in the fun, and right now she's thoroughly enjoying her drinks, chatting away with people for a long time without stopping.
Thinking this, Song Qiling looked up at the sky and grinned, sighing at the absurdity of the night.
How could anyone get married in the rain...?
The silvery moon grew smaller and smaller in the field of vision, eventually condensing into a tiny white dot of light, until it disappeared completely.
The moonbow faded, and the rain finally stopped.
-
In the dead of night, all was quiet.
Water droplets dripped down the edge of the table, hitting the puddle and making a soft sound.
Rapid breathing sounds filled the air.
A long, pointed nose, somewhere between a beast and a human, gently sniffed along the girl's exposed neck.
The woman, dressed in a red brocade jacket with dark floral patterns, knelt on the ground, her neck stretched to an almost eerie length, leaning on Song Qiling's shoulder, greedily inhaling the aroma of human flesh.
Delicate, soft, and tender.
Having just been marinated in pear wine, the meat is sure to be even more mellow and fragrant.
Thinking this, the woman's red lips slowly parted to the sides, revealing her sharp teeth underneath.
It endured a difficult night, and now it no longer wants to endure.
A glistening drop of saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth, hanging precariously on her chin. The woman stuck out her tongue, wanting to get closer and lick that soft flesh, but suddenly her throat tightened.
"Ugh—" The woman's collar was grabbed and pulled back forcefully. She made a strange 'squeak' sound from deep in her throat and then fell backward.
Who is it!
The banquet is over, who will compete with her for food now?
In a dizzying moment, a figure appeared overhead, completely obscuring the full moon.
The next instant, a large hand gripped her throat and slowly tightened.
The woman saw his face clearly, slowly opened her eyes wide, and said in disbelief, "Why are you still awake?"
That pear wine is a sleeping potion for ordinary people. She clearly saw those people drink it with her own eyes just now, so how... how did the person in front of her wake up halfway through?
Looking again at this person's bloodshot eyes, and the cold aura around him like a frozen pool, he was completely different from what he had seen during the day!
The woman was horrified and trembled all over. Suddenly, a pair of short, round, brownish-yellow ears popped out from the top of her head, making her face look even more out of place.
Counterattack! Fight back!
He silently chanted in his mind, but his limbs felt as if all the strength had been drained from them, leaving them sore and weak.
The woman gradually revealed the true face of the weasel, opening her mouth to reveal her fangs and trying to bite the nearby wrist. After several struggles, she couldn't even touch the human skin.
Gu Lianzhou stared at the beast-headed, human-bodied monster beneath him, feeling extremely dizzy and his vision blurred. As his fingers tightened, his heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.
Seeing that the weasel struggled in vain and then fainted with its mouth wide open, he finally let go and stood up unsteadily.
Moonlight poured down from above, casting a long shadow behind him. Gu Lianzhou suddenly turned around and saw a hideous black shadow blend into it. As soon as it came into his line of sight, the thing quickly shrank back into the shadow.
I closed my eyes; my head was throbbing.
When I opened my eyes again, a deep black color flashed across my pupils.
He looked at the three people lying on the table, and then his gaze fell on Song Qiling, who was sleeping soundly on the desk. He looked at her quietly for a long time, then knelt down and reached out to brush away the stray hairs on her forehead.
“Senior brother,” Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes, feeling the dampness of the rain on his fingertips, his drawn-out tone carrying an unusual flippancy, “What should I do? I seem to be… a monster.”
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