"They've left?"
Song Liyun's heart skipped a beat. There was only one road from Baolin Residence to the town, and she hadn't seen anything unusual along the way. Could it be that Song Zhenping was still in the town?
Song Zhenping was not good at socializing. He usually only went to Boss Mu's place to buy and sell things, and he didn't go anywhere else except to work at home.
It seems I need to search carefully in town.
The population of Suijin Town is small, and the area where people live is not large. There are only a few short streets and alleys. You just need to call out to each household, and you will eventually find it.
After saying goodbye to Boss Mu, Song Liyun hurriedly walked to the town's main street.
Several new shops have opened here, but because of the cold weather, they are all half-open and covered with thick straw curtains.
what to do?
Are we supposed to just barge into each house one by one to search?
Just as Song Liyun was about to walk towards the first house, a man's voice suddenly rang out behind her: "Is the young lady surnamed Song?"
When Song Liyun turned around, she saw one of the two soldiers she had met at Boss Mu's shop.
The man was an unfamiliar face, someone I didn't recognize. He was currently striking a flamboyant pose, one hand on his knife and the other on his hip.
Another soldier lagged behind, his head slightly lowered to cover his face.
Seeing that this person had taken the initiative to ask, Song Liyun nodded and said, "Brother, is there something you need?"
The soldier felt a surge of warmth upon hearing Song Liyun call him "brother," and grinned, "Miss Song, your brother is in town, he hasn't come home."
When Song Liyun saw that he knew where Song Zhenping was, she was overjoyed: "Brother, what's your name? Can you tell me where my brother is?"
"Hehe, my surname is Wang, and my name is Wang Qi. Don't worry, Miss Song, Brother Song is drinking at Brother Xue's house right now!"
"Brother Xue? You mean Xue Zhuang?"
A face flashed through Song Liyun's mind; she had no connection with Xue Zhuang.
Even if he did have it, it was ruined when he talked nonsense to others.
"That's right. Brother Xue is a generous and righteous man. I noticed that he was very polite to Brother Song as well."
Unexpectedly, Sergeant Wang was also quite talkative, though his face turned a dark red when he spoke.
When Song Liyun heard that he was indeed at Xue Zhuang's house, she felt even more strange. She smiled gratefully at Wang Qi, who had informed her, and said, "Thank you, Brother Wang. I'll go pick up my brother right away."
As she spoke, she dashed away like the wind.
Wang Qi called out "Hey!" twice and chased after her for a few steps. Only after watching Song Liyun's figure disappear around the corner did he turn back to another soldier standing to the side and say, "Old Fang, don't you know Miss Song? Why are you hiding like this? You're even more afraid of seeing people than Miss Song herself?"
The soldier turned around after Song Liyun left, saying, "Oh, don't say anymore. It's all my fault for drinking too much at Brother Xue's banquet and causing trouble. I'm afraid this Miss Song will recognize me and give me a good scolding."
That day at Xue Zhuang's banquet, it was this old Fang who, in a moment of drunkenness, spoke ill of Song Liyun in front of Song Zhenping. This was deliberately ruining the young lady's reputation. If the Song siblings complained to the garrison, he would surely be punished.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was later focused on the money gifts, and no one talked about it anymore.
Even now that he's seen Song Liyun, the person in question, he's still afraid of being pointed at and scolded.
Wang Qi perked up immediately upon hearing this and grabbed Lao Fang, saying, "Brother, how come you've never mentioned this before? Tell me quickly, why did Miss Song scold you?"
Old Fang tried to avoid the topic, quickly changing the subject: "Now that it's winter, there are fewer drills, but we've been out for so long, we should hurry back!"
Since Brother Xue left, and Zhou Xiaoqi was transferred to Team One, it hasn't been as convenient for the brothers to go out as much.
Wang Qi had obviously thought of this as well. He glanced longingly in the direction Song Liyun had gone before heading towards the garrison, muttering to himself as he went, "Miss Song isn't engaged yet, is she? Her family are military households..."
Old Fang changed the subject, unwilling to bring it up again.
As the two walked away, their chattering gradually faded into the wind.
On the other side, Song Liyun knew where Xue Zhuang's courtyard was, and she arrived after a few turns.
Because Granny Cui ran a food stall at home, the courtyard gate was not closed.
Before even entering the courtyard, Song Liyun could hear the commotion inside.
It seems that Granny Cui's business is doing well.
Song Liyun had seen Xue Zhuang's courtyard before; it had three main rooms and two side rooms.
It was cold now, and curtains were hanging on the doors of several rooms. A strong smell of alcohol wafted from the main room amidst the noise, but she didn't hear Song Zhenping's voice.
Song Liyun's eyes flickered as she walked to the door of the main room closest to her and waved to lift the curtain.
Inside, it was quite lively. Amidst the billowing smoke, seven or eight men were smoking pipes and playing dominoes together.
These people all seemed to be from the town. The gambling game was at a crucial moment, and no one even noticed Song Liyun's actions.
Seeing that Song Zhenping was not there, Song Liyun walked towards the second main room, her mood becoming increasingly heavy.
Xue Zhuang's courtyard was not only a food stall, but also a card game stall and a gambling stall. For Song Zhenping, a boy who had only been in the countryside for a few days, the temptation was too great.
She was afraid to see Song Zhenping fiddling with dice.
Fortunately, she didn't have to worry for long; in the second room, Song Liyun found the person.
On the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room, there was a kang table, where Xue Zhuang and he were drinking.
The table was a mess, the kang (a heated brick bed) was burning in the room, and the air was stuffy and pungent from the smell of alcohol.
Song Zhenping's face was flushed from drinking, his clothes were open, and he leaned against the wall with his chest wide open, looking drunk and dazed.
Xue Zhuang, who had also drunk some wine, was wearing only a padded jacket and raising his glass to Song Zhenping: "Brother Song, come on, have another sip."
Your hometown is Qingping Town, and mine is Tangshan Town. I never dreamed that we would meet in Suijin Town.
It's fate that we met; from now on, we're brothers.
Come on, bring me a cup. You're not raising fish.
A real man doesn't give up after just two drinks; he has to drink at least three.
As soon as Song Liyun entered the room, she heard these words, and her eyebrows twitched. Xue Zhuang actually knew about Qingping Town. Just how much did Song Zhenping say?
And wasn't the persuasion to drink a bit too much? Song Zhenping had no way to resist.
Sure enough, Song Zhenping, his face flushed, stammered and couldn't speak. He was dizzy and tried to pick up the cup again... Song Liyun threw the curtain in her hand down heavily.
The curtain sash struck the door frame with a crisp sound.
Upon hearing the voice, Xue Zhuang turned around abruptly. When he saw Song Liyun enter, his face stiffened for a moment, then he chuckled and said, "Ah! It's Miss Song. Please have a seat."
Song Zhenping's hand, which was holding the wine cup, immediately stopped.
Song Liyun, with a sullen face, did not sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). She reached out and picked up the glass of wine, saying to Xue Zhuang, "How come I didn't know that my brother and you had such a good relationship?"
They hadn't seen each other for only two hours, yet they were already calling each other brothers and determined to drink until they were drunk.
Xue Zhuang chuckled: "Look at what you're saying. Our two families are both military households, and we're already outnumbered and outmatched in this Broken Gold Town, so naturally we should get closer to each other."
Song Zhenping was feeling dizzy and lightheaded when he suddenly heard his sister's voice, which instantly sobered him up.
He shuffled to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), slurring his words, "Yun'er, I don't drink alcohol. It was Brother Xue who said... I'll never drink again!"
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