Chapter 244 Brother Xie
"Um."
Lord Xie took out a tinderbox and lit a fire, his expression more somber than usual.
Song Chunxue asked softly, "Is something on your mind, sir?"
"I'll be returning to the capital next month to send my daughter off to her wedding. After that, I should take a break and be transferred to Liangzhou or Tongcheng. That person doesn't want me to go to Jincheng yet, since the high-ranking officials there haven't hidden their tails yet. The Emperor is using me as a weapon, but I can't wield it anymore."
The smile on his face vanished, and his voice deepened. "My mother is getting old, and I want to go back to fulfill my filial duties. My repeated memorials have been ignored. Sometimes I wonder, what is the point of all these years of being demoted?"
"Even the sharpest knife will become dull after a long time, and its sharpness will gradually be worn away." He gave a self-deprecating laugh, his handsome lips dry and pale. "Once, people praised me for my childlike innocence, and I was really foolish. Only recently have I realized that it was not a compliment."
Song Chunxue understood that it probably meant he was stupid.
But it is also rare and precious for a person to maintain a childlike heart for a long time.
Countless people in this world have benefited from her pure heart; they are all ordinary people like her, without anyone to protect them.
“You are our true parent official, a good official who is genuinely for the country and the people. You have offended so many powerful and high-ranking officials for our sake, and you must have suffered a lot.”
“Bodhisattvas also have Vajra methods, let alone you, sir. You have done enough over the years. If you feel that you no longer want to think about what others think and want to live like an ordinary person, you can stop and be a mortal who can read the room. That would be fine too.”
Song Chunxue smiled and comforted him, "If you want to return to the capital, there must be a way."
Xie Zheng smiled slightly, "Indeed, there are, but I disdain to employ them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offended the Emperor in the first place."
"Why did you waver, sir?"
Xie Zheng looked at her and said, "Because of my lack of resolve, I often envy the warmth of every household's lights and the gentle breeze of spring. I envy others' family reunions during the New Year, while on New Year's Eve, I didn't even have anyone to drink with."
Is he confiding his inner turmoil to her?
Song Chunxue thought to herself that Xie Zheng now genuinely considered her a friend.
"Would you like to drink today, Lord Xie?" she asked with a slight smile. "Do you like pig ears and pig intestines? I bought some yesterday, washed them several times, rinsed them twice, and the pig ears have already been plucked. They'll be ready to go with the wine after being boiled for about half an hour."
Xie Zheng was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to say that.
"No need for that."
“No trouble at all. You have no relatives or friends here, and we are quite close. I can see that you are feeling down and have few drinking buddies. Although I am a woman who can’t read many words, I keep my mouth shut. You can speak freely, and I will listen.”
With that, she got up and went to the kitchen.
“Then I’ll go buy some wine,” Xie Zheng said with a smile. “I’ve never had sorghum wine before, and the apricot blossom wine here is also quite good. Let’s buy some to try.”
"Alright, then I'll prepare some snacks to go with the drinks."
Judging from his clothes and appearance, Song Chunxue figured he probably didn't lack money lately.
Speaking of which, she used to envy friends who could drink and chat amiably with her, and share her inner turmoil.
But she used to think that was something only men were qualified to do, and that women should be around the stove.
The fact that she can drink and chat with Lord Xie proves that she is no longer the old woman who was inferior to everyone else.
Thinking of this, she was overjoyed and her hands moved quickly.
Before long, the intestines and ears were in the pot. She also mixed in a little bit of flour to let it rest, because she would need to eat something after drinking the wine, otherwise her stomach would burn.
She rummaged through the cabinet and found a wine cup she had bought many years ago, washed it clean, and placed it on a newly bought plate.
Before long, Xie Zheng returned carrying two small wine jars, and the two puppies came up and sniffed them.
He was carrying a roast chicken in his hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
On the stone table, the tea in the pot was boiling. It was placed on a plate. Xie Zheng had specially washed his hands in the kitchen and tore off a chicken leg to hand to her.
"Come on, have something to eat first. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health."
Song Chunxue smiled and accepted it, "I was thinking of eating some noodles first before drinking, but you've thought of things more thoughtfully than I have."
She had eaten roast chicken before, sold by her second brother's nephew, but by then she could no longer taste the flavor of food.
"Come on, let's have a drink." Xie Zheng poured a full glass of wine and handed it to Song Chunxue. "To be honest, for the sake of your reputation, I shouldn't be taking advantage of this opportunity. But today is the Awakening of Insects. A few years ago, while I was helping with flood relief in the south, a good friend of mine passed away on the Awakening of Insects. We used to drink and write poems together, and we would row a boat to pick lotus pods in the middle of the night. My old friend is gone, and I have never found anyone I can drink with again."
He took a sip of sorghum liquor, and it instantly turned his cheeks the color of red sorghum ears.
Song Chunxue raised her wine cup, "It is my honor that you, sir, can drink with me today."
She drank the smooth apricot blossom wine, and a warm, burning sensation rushed from her stomach to her heart. A myriad of feelings welled up inside her, a sense of freedom and joy she had never experienced before.
“Haha, sir, we can now drink and chat together. I’m sure I’m the least learned of all, I can’t write poetry,” Song Chunxue patted her chest. “Sir, you can tell me a story, I’m all ears.”
Xie Zheng picked up the wine jar and filled it to the brim. "Sister Song, please enjoy yourself. I do have a lot of stories to tell. Just don't find them boring."
"Sister Song, haha, should I call you Brother Xie?"
After two drinks, Song Chunxue was no longer reserved and her intoxication was obvious.
In the vast castle, the two people who were considered the most serious and taciturn by everyone present were completely drunk, each talking more than the other, chatting idly and happily.
After drinking too much, Song Chunxue went to the kitchen and brought out some cold pig ears and pig intestines stir-fried with Sichuan peppercorns, which were very satisfying to have with her drinks.
In the end, Song Chunxue couldn't remember whether she had cooked noodles for Lord Xie or not; she only knew that she had drunk heartily, collapsed on the ground, and fell asleep with a smile.
As soon as Sanwa entered the courtyard in the evening, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol.
A tea stove sat on the stone table in the courtyard, and the roast chicken without legs emitted an enticing aroma. The cooled pig intestines and half-eaten pig ears all indicated that Mother had been drinking with someone.
He went to the north room, and thankfully, his mother was lying in bed talking in her sleep, muttering "fill it up."
He placed the book bag in the east room and then followed the sound to the west room.
Lord Xie took off his shoes, lay on his side on the bed fully clothed, the room reeking of alcohol, yet he slept soundly.
With his legs bent and his head resting on his hands, his official boots stood neatly beside the bed.
If it were someone else, Sanwa might think his mother was being a bit ridiculous.
But since it was Lord Xie who was drinking with his mother, he knew that Lord Xie was willing to drink with his mother because he regarded her as a drinking buddy.
They were close in age and probably hit it off.
He was somewhat envious. Lord Xie's words always made people feel very enlightened. He wanted to read more books and try to drink and compose poems with him in the future.
When he arrived at the kitchen, he found that his mother had prepared the dough, so she made two bowls of noodles and shredded some roast chicken and stir-fried it. The taste was excellent.
Half an hour later, he heard a noise coming from the west room.
Lord Xie has woken up.
Sanwa put down his calligraphy brush and left the room.
Lord Xie had just reached the door, seemingly intending to leave quietly.
"Does the master want to go back?" Sanwa asked considerately. "Since the master has been drinking, why don't you stay here? There are empty rooms anyway. It's getting late, and it's not safe outside. On my way back, I ran into a few men with knives nearby. They had scars on their faces and looked very fierce."
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