Vol 9 Chapter 50 (1/2)

VOLUME 9 CHAPTER 50: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS A BANQUET IN XINYE (2)

“Gan Qing, it must have been tough for you as well all this while.” I said as I set up 3 tables in front of the cus.h.i.+ons while Gan Qing placed the dishes on top of them, “You’ve been following us the entire time and have been taking care of all the domestic ch.o.r.es.”

When I finished, Gan Qing shrugged and shook her head, “How could it be troublesome? Not at all. And besides, I chose to follow you.”

“Un, many thanks.” Seeing that Gan Qing’s eyes were filled with resolve, I decided not to say any further but when I thought about how they must have been during the time I was missing, I spoke up again, “You and Mi Zhen must have been rather worried during this recent period.”

*Pu* Gan Qing sn.i.g.g.e.red at my words which made confused me, “Haha, actually, the both of us only knew that Xuan De went missing 2 days ago.”

“Eh?” I was confused at first but then soon understood what she meant, “Oh, did Yun Chang and the rest hide it from you both?”

“Yes, that’s why we only got to know recently. So we were only worried for 2 days.” Gan Qing smiled. Her smile soon gave way to a kind stare as she closely inspected me, “But I did still cry a fair bit these 2 days. Like everyone else, I really don’t know what I should do if you’re not around anymore.”

I met Gan Qing’s gaze and felt a little emotional. Just her stare is enough for me to know the depth of her feelings.

It’s finally over. Soon, I would realise that this night would probably be the happiest I would be having for a while yet.

“Have some liquor, big brother.”

“Ah~ Alright, I’ll have some, thanks.”

Yun Chang had brought out another gourd of wine over and so I quickly brought my bowl to her which she promptly filled.

“My lord! Another round in your name!” Just as the bowl was filled, Wen Yuan who was beginning to look red raised the small gourd in her hands at me.

“Wen Yuan, big brother has had a lot to drink tonight already.”

“Eh~ It’s fine.” Yun Chang tried to stop her and seemed a little worried but I felt that it’s alright to let loose a little tonight, “Come Wen Yuan, this one is for you as well!”

As we both toasted to each other, several others joined in as well.

“… To our lord.” “We drink to our lord as well.” “In celebration of our lord’s unexpected survival.”

Looks like these 3 have much better alcohol tolerance than Wen Yuan. Gong You and Zi Zhong in particular have been drinking since earlier today and their faces are not even red at all. Gong You is a calm pale while Zi Zhong has a slightly pink hue.

“How can you say that it’s unexpected~ Hahaha~” I said and laughed in spite of myself. I then raised my arm and–

“Drink!” Wen Yuan roared as she finished the contents in her gourd. The other 3 respectfully and properly drank from their bowls. Even xiao Yong, who is usually lazy and dishevelled, is polite now.

Hu~ I finished the contents of my bowl in one go as well and was beginning to feel tipsy. Southern liquor is a fair bit stronger than northern liquor after all.

“Drink, Lord Chen Dao! Hahaha!” When I looked over, I saw that it was Zhou Cang who was making a ruckus. Beside her was Chen Dao, who was sitting properly, and seemed a little troubled at how to deal with her rambunctious neighbour.

I thought that Zhou Cang would be a little more ladylike in her ways after her mistake today but it looks like a fe

w cups of wine are enough to return her to her original mood and state. Looks like she must have forgotten what happened before already.

*s.h.i.+ku*~ Haa~ I finished the remaining bit of liquor at the bottom of the bowl and savoured its sweet alcoholic taste as I enjoyed the warmth spreading out from my chest. I am not even 18 years of age yet here I am drinking liquor with no restraint. If my father were to see this, I would be in for a good bit of scolding.

Now that I think about it, it might actually be better to stay here longer. At the very least, no one will nag at me here.

… Un? I quickly scanned the room. I thought that everyone should be in a jovial mood but it seems that is not the case.

Yi De is calmly sipping her liquor. Yuan Zhi is sitting with Guan Ping, who is messing around as usual. It seems like it’s difficult for her to open up and she is just staring at the others in a daze, not reacting much to Guan Ping’s antics.

Another one is Chen Gong. She usually partic.i.p.ates actively in such events but now she’s just sitting there quietly picking up bits of food and has barely touched her liquor. Sometime earlier, when I met her, she seemed very surprised. I could sense that she was relieved and glad but she quickly covered her face and left.