Lian Li uttered an “oh” of understanding.
Seeing that their business was concluded yet Lian Li was still there, the East Island Matriarch shook the wine jar in her hand and suddenly yanked him toward her.
“Senior Aunt!” Lian Li was so startled by the sudden movement that his voice cracked.
The East Island Matriarch wanted to drape an arm around his shoulders, but she realized Lian Li was taller than her. Instead, she gave his shoulder a forceful pat. Lian Li instantly collapsed to the ground, seeing stars, and let out a soft, pained cry.
“Senior Aunt? Why did you hit me?”
“Heh heh.” The East Island Matriarch chuckled twice, finding Lian Li’s soft and adorable reaction quite amusing.
Her three Junior Brothers, though each more of a “pretty boy” than the last, didn’t have a single ounce of charm in their personalities.
She had waited a long time for Nanrong to bring back a little tyke as a disciple, only to find that while the boy was cute enough, his personality was just like her three Junior Brothers—not easy to bully at all, and dreadfully dull.
She hadn’t expected that this time, she would actually find such a cute little thing.
Just as Lian Li was about to scramble up, he saw the East Island Matriarch crouch down beside him. Finding it awkward to stand up then, he simply sat on the ground and looked at her.
The East Island Matriarch held the wine jar out to Lian Li and asked, “Since you’re here, why not join me for a few cups?”
The pungent scent of alcohol shot straight from his nose to the crown of his head. Lian Li couldn’t help but shudder. “I’ve never drunk alcohol before,” he said. “Besides, my health isn’t very good; it’s best if I don’t drink.”
“How can my wine be the same as everyone else’s?” The East Island Matriarch pressed a hand firmly against Lian Li’s back to keep him from leaving. “Xiyu specially brewed this medicinal wine for me. The flavor is strong, but it’s very warm-nourishing. You can drink it; I’ve already asked Xiyu.”
Hearing her say this, Lian Li stopped struggling. Instead, he looked at the East Island Matriarch suspiciously and asked, “Senior Aunt, are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” The East Island Matriarch arched an eyebrow. “Would I really make a joke out of your little life?”
Lian Li: “I suppose not.”
The East Island Matriarch nodded and brought the wine jar to Lian Li’s lips. “Drink.”
Lian Li looked at the East Island Matriarch staring at him, then at the pitch-black wine jar. He sniffed; the smell of the alcohol was so sharp it made him want to sneeze.
He raised a hand to rub his nose, looking at the wine with a hint of suppressed curiosity.
Whether in his past life or this one, he had never tasted alcohol and didn’t know what it was like.
He remembered that his grandfather loved to drink, though he was never an alcoholic. Every time they had a meal, his grandfather would pour himself a small cup of rice wine and sit at the table, sipping wine and eating his food.
When his grandfather saw him leaning in close, he would smile and use a chopstick to dab a drop of wine under Lian Li’s nose just to tease him.
But that was before he got sick. After he fell ill, his grandfather never teased him like that again.
To be honest, he had always been curious about what wine actually tasted like and why his grandfather had to have it with every meal.
Then there was Yun Huizhou. Back on Drunken Dream Island, while he didn’t drink every day, Lian Li would see him once or twice a month, sitting or lying on the roof with a wine jar in hand.
Seeing Lian Li staring at the wine without moving, the East Island Matriarch assumed he truly didn’t want to drink. Not wanting to force him, she prepared to pull the jar back.
Before she could move, she saw Lian Li reach out to cradle the jar and take a gulp.
The taste was far too strange for him. He didn’t dare let the liquid linger in his mouth for even a second, swallowing it immediately.
After swallowing, his entire face crumpled. He grimaced so hard it made the East Island Matriarch laugh.
When that brat Yun Huizhou had his first drink, he hadn’t shown any expression at all, as if he were just drinking water. It wasn’t fun at all.
Delighted by the sight, the East Island Matriarch patted Lian Li’s shoulder again. “Not bad, not bad. Keep drinking.”
Clutching the wine jar, Lian Li spent a good while mentally preparing himself after that first taste before lifting the jar again. This time, he didn’t stop after one sip; he began to chug from the jar.
Seeing his bold momentum, the East Island Matriarch was just about to offer a compliment when she saw Lian Li begin to cough as if his lungs were tearing apart.
“Oh my—” The East Island Matriarch hastily took a step back, fearing Lian Li might spray wine all over her. “You brat, are you really treating it like water?”
Lian Li was still coughing, his face turning bright red. Amidst the coughing, the word “water” came out in broken gasps.
Crying out for water, he ran toward a nearby table, grabbed a teapot at random, and began to guzzle from it.
“Pfft—!”
The moment it entered his mouth, Lian Li spat it all out.
Wiping his mouth, he gasped, “Senior Aunt, why is there wine in the teapot too?”
“Heh heh.” The East Island Matriarch gave an embarrassed laugh. She grabbed Lian Li and started leading him out. “There’s no water in my room. Go to Xiyu’s courtyard to drink. Or go back to your own room.”
She hauled him along and brought him to the room the West Island Lord had set aside for Yun Huizhou to recover from his injuries. Kicking the door open, she tossed him inside.
Yun Huizhou had already returned from feeding Ice Treader and was currently sitting in the room, agonizing over the matter of that Jin Manjue book.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and a red-faced, incessantly coughing Lian Li was thrown in by his Senior Aunt.
Just as he was about to ask what was happening, he heard his Senior Aunt leave behind a command: “Find this brat some water to drink.”
By the time she reached the last few words, her voice was already far away.
Yun Huizhou rushed to Lian Li’s side, noticing that his collar was wet and he reeked of alcohol.
Seeing him coughing non-stop with a flushed face and watery eyes, Yun Huizhou immediately brought over a teapot and a cup.
Lian Li didn’t wait for the cup; he snatched the teapot directly from Yun Huizhou’s hand and began to guzzle from the spout.
Once the taste in his mouth was finally diluted, he shoved the teapot back into Yun Huizhou’s hands, then sat on the floor with his head bowed, silent.
Yun Huizhou held the teapot, looking at him with a sense of helplessness.
After all, since that book had gone missing, he felt guilty facing Lian Li. Any of Lian Li’s actions made him worry—was Lian Li doing this because he had seen the book Yun Huizhou had hidden and was troubled by it?
Especially since Lian Li had clearly been drinking at the East Island Matriarch’s place.
He remembered that Lian Li never drank. Could it be that because of the book, he had taken the opportunity of visiting their Senior Aunt to try and drown his sorrows?
He stood by for a moment and realized Lian Li had no intention of getting up. He cautiously crouched down to look at Lian Li’s face.
He discovered the boy was just sitting there on the floor, staring blankly at the ground with dazed, misty eyes.
Yun Huizhou: “…”
Is he… drunk?
Yun Huizhou, who had a very high tolerance for alcohol, found this difficult to comprehend. Logically speaking, seeing how much the boy had choked, he couldn’t have drunk much—maybe just a sip or two.
Could one or two sips really get someone drunk?
Yun Huizhou reached out and touched Lian Li’s shoulder. Lian Li’s reaction was a beat slow as he turned his head to look at his left shoulder, then followed the hand resting there up to Yun Huizhou’s face.
