Drunk Breeze Quits Smoking
In the stillness of the night, Zui Qingfeng tossed and turned on the bamboo couch in the side room.
The opium pipe made of Phoebe zhennan wood sat beside my pillow, gleaming warmly in the moonlight.
He reached out and stroked the intricate carvings on the pipe, feeling a cool touch on his fingertips.
This is a special supply of South China Sea agarwood from the Alliance Leader's Mansion; when you smoke it, it should have a lingering aroma reminiscent of pine waves and ocean breezes.
But at that moment, he only felt a tightness in his throat.
"It's the third day..."
Zui Qingfeng stared at the mottled old marks on the roof beams, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The matter of quitting smoking was originally a bet I lost, and Chen Ze forced me to make a vow.
He had intended to sneak a few puffs, but the black iron sword lay across the door all night, its tassel casting a shadow through the window paper like a death warrant.
The bamboo couch creaked softly as it turned over.
"Would you like some calming tea?"
Xi Jiang's voice suddenly drifted in from outside the window, startling Zui Qingfeng so much that he almost fell off the bed.
Looking up, I saw a woman in a dark blue silk dress leaning against a pillar, a ceramic pot in her hand emitting wisps of steam.
"you..."
"Shiyun knew you'd have a hard time tonight." She placed the pottery pot on the windowsill, the bottom of the celadon cup touching the wooden frame, making a crisp "ding" sound.
"Three qian of wild chrysanthemum, five li of mimosa bark, and some licorice, which you hate the most."
A bitter smile played on my lips as I drank in the breeze.
This wasn't meant to soothe him; it was clearly meant to make him suffer. But the burning sensation in his throat was unbearable, so he finally reached out and took it.
The moment the tea entered his throat, the sweetness of licorice mixed with the bitterness of chrysanthemum exploded on his tongue, making him so nauseous he almost vomited.
"How about comparing cigarettes?" Xi Jiang raised an eyebrow.
"..."
Zui Qingfeng wiped his mouth and suddenly caught a glimpse of a colorful hem of clothing flashing across the courtyard wall. The eldest brother was actually squatting on the wall with Jianyu, watching the excitement!
Xiao Jianyu was holding a booklet in his hand, the ink still wet on the cover, which read "Smoking Cessation Observation Diary".
Further away, Shiyun's zither music drifted over, and she was playing the "Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra".
"you..."
The drunken breeze crushed the teacup.
The tiles suddenly rattled.
Dog Egg had somehow gotten onto the roof and was tilting his head to look at him.
"Quitting smoking is like it's going to kill you, huh!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was hit on the butt by Chen Ze's sword sheath and fell into Jian Yu's arms with a thud.
The night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees unique to early summer.
Looking at the scattered ceramic shards on the windowsill, Zui Qingfeng suddenly noticed that the anxiety between his fingers had subsided somewhat.
He reached for his pipe almost unconsciously, but stopped before he could touch it.
"Another one, please."
He pushed the broken teacup toward Xijiang.
"...I want double the amount of licorice."
noon
The smell of burning food wafted from the gang's kitchen.
The crowd followed the trail and found Zui Qingfeng standing in front of the stove wearing an apron, with a dark, indistinct mass of ingredients in the pot.
"This is... medicinal cuisine?"
The eldest brother pinched his nose and peeked over the shoulder.
"Hangover soup."
Zui Qingfeng, expressionless, sprinkled some salt on the table. "For that gang leader who was eavesdropping last night."
Pan-fried Fish burst out laughing, and Dog Egg in her arms took the opportunity to peck the silk flower from her hair.
Shiyun's zither was placed under the eaves, with a few drops of morning dew clinging to the strings.
Xi Jiang passed by carrying an empty teapot, her skirt brushing against the sword mark on the threshold, left by Chen Ze when he was guarding the gate last night.
The tobacco pouch hung quietly on the sycamore branch, swaying gently in the wind.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the morning mist, landing on the inscription "Quit Haste and Be Patient" on the golden nanmu wood pipe.
Just as the clapper of the Yin hour struck three times, Zui Qingfeng suddenly sat up abruptly from his bed.
It felt as if a million ants were crawling in his throat, scratching him until the veins on his forehead throbbed.
The moonlight outside the window was perfect, and the shadow of Chen Ze's sword tassel was still stuck to the window paper. That guy had actually been guarding outside the door all night.
His knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.
The golden nanmu wood pipe beneath the pillow exudes a silent allure, while the lingering scent of South China Sea agarwood gently permeates the air.
Zui Qingfeng suddenly lifted the bamboo mat and pulled out a small oil paper packet containing the last three qian of tobacco from a hidden compartment. He had secretly hidden it yesterday while frying fish and bathing Gou Dan.
Just one bite...
The soft rustling sound of tobacco being filled into the gilded tobacco bowl was particularly clear in the quiet night.
The moment the tinderbox lit, a muffled "thump" suddenly came from outside the window.
Zui Qingfeng's hand trembled, and a spark splattered onto his clothes, burning a hole in them.
Through the hole in the window paper, one could see the eldest brother sprawled out in the yard, his face obliquely covered by a colorful headgear.
Next to it was an overturned ink bucket, the spilled ink resembling a turtle with its legs spread apart, the very handiwork of someone frying fish.
"Is the gang leader practicing his lightness skill in the middle of the night?"
Drunk on the breeze, he pushed open the window and instinctively hid his pipe behind his back.
The eldest brother did a somersault, the peacock feathers on his headgear brushing against the ink stains.
"I'm...uh...moon-gazing! Yes, moon-gazing!"
As he reached for the gourd that had rolled into the corner, he touched something furry.
Dog Egg, with half a salted fish in his mouth, glared at him, his beady eyes full of disdain.
The slightly burnt aroma of the tobacco swirled in the night breeze.
Just as Zui Qingfeng was about to close the window, he suddenly saw a figure emerge from the shadows under the eaves.
Xi Jiang carried a blue gauze lamp, its warm yellow light shimmering with fine medicinal dust.
"Angelica sinensis four qian, Polygala tenuifolia six fen."
She hung the medicine bag on the window.
"Just delivered from the Alliance Leader's residence."
The lamplight swept past the hand frozen behind Zui Qingfeng's back, casting a comical silhouette of someone stealing a cigarette on the wall.
Dog Egg suddenly leaped onto the windowsill.
"Caught red-handed!" Salty Fish swept the medicine packet over, and Angelica slices fell like snowflakes into Drunk Breeze's collar.
"Withdrawal symptoms will last for seven days."
Xi Jiang seemed not to see the broken pipe, her fingertips brushing against the scorch marks on his sleeve.
"The leader said...a sandalwood pipe is best used for flower arranging."
The sound of a sword sheath striking the ground came from afar, and Chen Ze's footsteps stopped a few feet away.
Zui Qingfeng suddenly laughed, and with a "hiss," he pressed the sparks from his pipe into the medicinal soup.
Tell Shiyun.
He broke off his pipe and threw it out the window. "Tomorrow I'm going to drink tea with three times the amount of licorice."
The broken rod traced a parabola and landed precisely in the sweet wine jar that the eldest brother had secretly hidden.
Dog Egg barked happily and pounced to peck at the wine stains, its feathers, stained with ink, scattering like stars under the moonlight.
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