Just as the two were tilting their heads back and drinking it all in one gulp, a loud shout suddenly rang in their ears.
"Chen Zhancai, you heartless bastard! We're eating chaff and wild vegetables at home, while your whole family is out there eating and feasting. Are you even human?"
Looking at the table laden with food and wine, Chen Zhanliang was furious. His eyes reddened, and he pointed a trembling finger at Chen Zhancai.
"You, you, you shameless spendthrift! You've wasted your education! There's almost a death in our family, and all you do is take the family's hard-earned money and come to town to have a good time. Don't you have any conscience at all?"
Upon seeing Chen Zhanliang, Chen Zhancai was startled and his smile immediately froze. "Second, Second Brother, what brings you here?"
"Why did I come? If I hadn't come, would I have seen you so carefree and happy?"
"Second brother, calm down. This is all a misunderstanding!" Chen Zhancai said, looking guilty.
“It’s a misunderstanding. You two have already had a few drinks, and you still call it a misunderstanding? Go back and use that to fool your parents.” Chen Zhanliang grabbed him by the collar. “Come on, come home with me, and let your parents see how their most prized son is ruining his family.”
Liu Fengjiao's panicked expression flashed by, and she quickly stood up and chuckled, "Second Brother, let go quickly, you've really misunderstood Zhancai."
Chen Zhanliang looked at the table full of food and said, "It's a misunderstanding. I'm not blind. You're telling me this is a misunderstanding? You're trying to fool a fool!"
Chen Zhancai was terrified and panicked. If his parents found out that he was eating and drinking outside, they would be in big trouble. They might even stop him from going to school.
If you don't go to school, you'll be stuck in the village as a peasant. No, we absolutely cannot let that happen.
He quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Second brother, calm down, let's talk this out."
"Stop talking nonsense, you good-for-nothing! The whole family has scrimped and saved for you so you could study hard, not so you could bring your wife and kids out to enjoy life."
Chen Zhanliang, enraged, slammed his fist against the top beam of the door, refusing to listen to any explanations, and grabbed Chen Zhancai tightly, refusing to let go.
Liu Fengjiao was frantic and at a loss. If her mother-in-law found out that the four of them were spending money on lavish meals in town, she would be in deep trouble, if not driven mad.
We need to find an excuse to cover this up quickly.
A thought suddenly popped into her head, and she slammed her hand on the table. "Second brother, quickly let go of Zhancai! Stop shouting and yelling. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? If the guests see this, how will Zhancai face the teacher?"
Chen Zhanliang was taken aback and immediately let go of her hand. "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?"
"Second brother, you're really confused." Liu Fengjiao stamped her foot, pretending to be anxious. "This is a restaurant, not home. You can come here, but why do you throw a tantrum without even knowing what's going on? If this gets out, it will ruin Zhancai's future."
"What exactly happened? What did I misunderstand?" Chen Zhanliang was completely bewildered.
Chen Zhancai hadn't even finished wondering what was going on when he saw the look his wife gave him, and he instantly understood. He then feigned anger and gave a cold snort.
"Second brother, what can I say about you? Can't you speak properly? You always come in with a bad temper and start yelling. Luckily, the guests I invited haven't arrived yet. If others saw this, you would be a sinner to our family."
"What...what's going on? How did I become a criminal?"
"You really are my silly second brother."
Chen Zhancai straightened his clothes casually, his face dark, "Do you know how much effort I put into setting up this banquet?"
They had to eat simple meals for three to five days to save up some money, all for the purpose of asking the teacher at the academy to help them predict the exam questions in advance.
If I bet right this time, I'll win big in one fell swoop. Tell me, isn't this meal important?
"So that's what happened. I thought you were out there having a good time behind your family's back!" Chen Zhanliang said, scratching his head. Then he felt something was off and frowned. "Wait a minute, when I came in, you two were already having a few drinks. You didn't look like you were waiting for someone!"
Chen Zhancai's face stiffened, and he hurriedly explained, "Second brother, you don't know, that teacher is quite picky and doesn't like strong liquor. Fengjiao and I were just tasting the liquor to see if it was good. If it wasn't to our liking, we would have to change it beforehand."
“Yes, Second Brother, Zhan Cai is right. We’re just going to try it out first.” Liu Fengjiao said, waving her hand at the two children to signal them not to move around.
"So it was just to try it out." Chen Zhanliang glanced at the sumptuous dishes on the table and couldn't help but swallow.
This is the first time I've ever been to a restaurant in my life, and I never expected there to be so many delicious things. "Third brother, what's that round thing?"
Seeing that he was pointing at the braised lion's head meatballs, Chen Zhancai casually said, "Second brother, that's just ordinary meatballs."
"Looks unusual, turns out they're just big tofu balls. They're not very tasty, not as good as stewed meat." Chen Zhanliang then pointed, "This looks pretty good, smells delicious, what kind of dish is this?"
"Saliva chicken." Chen Zhancai said impatiently.
"What the heck, saliva chicken? Such a delicious dish is made with saliva? Oh my god, this is disgusting."
Chen Zhanliang looked disgusted. "You guys are really bad at ordering food. You're inviting an old scholar to dinner, you should at least prepare enough for a few people. Using drool as chicken is just a waste."
After saying that, he looked at the braised pork knuckle and the dry-fried fish and smacked his lips.
"I know what these two dishes are without you telling me. This one is definitely a braised pork knuckle; it's so juicy and flavorful, it'll be absolutely satisfying to eat."
This is fried fish. I've never had it before, but it looks delicious; I'm sure it will taste amazing.
Seeing that his eyes were practically popping out of his head with drool, Chen Zhancai said irritably, "Second brother, don't make things worse here. Hurry up and leave, it won't look good if the teacher sees you like this."
Liu Fengjiao also frowned in disgust, feeling annoyed. What an uncultured bumpkin! Her perfectly good meal had been ruined like this.
But how did he find his way here?
No, I have to get rid of him quickly, otherwise he'll be exposed if this goes on for too long.
She asked with a fake smile, "Second Brother, what are you doing in town? If you have nothing to do, you should leave!"
"Oh dear, look at my head, you've all made me so confused." Chen Zhanliang slapped his forehead, only then remembering the purpose of his visit. He looked anxious and said, "Zhancai, how much silver did Mother give you leave? Take it all and come home with me right now, or someone in the family will die."
Chen Zhancai's heart tightened. "Second Brother, what kind of death has occurred? Why did you ask me to bring money?"
“You don’t know yet, butcher Li came to our house early this morning to make a scene. If we don’t return the fifty taels of silver, he’ll tear down our house and even sue us for marriage fraud in the county government.”
Chen Zhanliang looked anxious and pulled Chen Zhancai to leave...
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