Seeing him remain silent, Li Qingnian’s expression instantly turned plaintive. “You won’t even lie to me once anymore?”
Fu Tian pursed his lips slightly, a smile flickering in his eyes as he gave a perfunctory reply, “Mm, also… not very fat.”
Li Qingnian:
Finally accepting reality and knowing Fu Tian wouldn’t cooperate with him, he nudged Fu Tian, urging him to leave quickly. “Before my mother comes back—”
“Forget it, she hasn’t come yet, let’s hurry and go.”
Fu Tian: “Aren’t you going to say goodbye before leaving?”
Li Qingnian’s face fell, his gaze full of silent grievance. “If I say goodbye, I won’t be able to leave!”
Just as they were speaking, Li Mu arrived carrying snacks, placing two plates of freshly steamed dim sum in front of Fu Huo.
No matter how she looked at Fu Tian, she liked him. Handsome, sensible, polite, and most importantly, clever. She cast a faintly disdainful glance at her own son.
Li Mu spoke gently to Fu Tian, “Try it and see if you like it. If you don’t, I’ll have them make something else.”
Li Qingnian:
Unwilling, he spoke up, “Mother, what about me?”
Li Mu’s loving face suddenly turned as cold as winter. “You’re not allowed to eat sweets. If you get any fatter, don’t even think about marriage.”
Li Qingnian: “…Oh.”
Without disturbing the boys’ conversation, Li Mu quickly left after delivering the snacks, only shooting a warning look at Li Qingnian not to eat any.
Li Qingnian sighed in envy, watching Fu Tian pinch a piece of dim sum to eat. “Is it really that good? Mother’s dim sum skills are unmatched; she taught the cooks herself.”
Fu Tian slowly finished a piece, then picked up another, silently agreeing with Li Qingnian’s praise.
Watching Fu Tian eat two pieces, Li Qingnian couldn’t sit still, like grass growing on his butt. “You ask my mother if we can go out to play.”
“Where to?”
Fu Tian wiped his hands, asking leisurely.
Li Qingnian winked, “Of course somewhere fun. Let’s invite the others too.”
After some thought, Fu Tian stood. “Let’s go tell Aunt first.”
Having greeted Li Mu, the two left. Since they were going out to play, there was no need to bring the servant along. Fu Tian sent Dai Fu home first, then went with Li Qingnian to find the others.
Gathering Li Qingnian’s friends, a group of young masters walking down the street looked especially conspicuous, with Fu Tian standing out the most.
Unlike the others—famous for being good-for-nothing, spending their days eating, drinking, and playing—Fu Tian had taken over the family business and passed the Xiucai exam, making him a clear mismatch with them.
It wasn’t just others who thought this; the young masters themselves felt the same.
Though they had met a few times, they weren’t close, and Fu Tian looked like a well-behaved kid, making them all a bit hesitant to talk to him.
Only Li Qingnian, with his rough nature, was loudly clamoring about where to drink.
His companions nudged him, glancing at Fu Tian before quietly asking, “Is it really okay to bring him there?”
Li Qingnian was baffled. “Why not?”
Companion:
“Never mind.”
“Youling, are you coming to drink?” Li Qingnian grinned.
Fu Tian nodded. Bored and just killing time, he didn’t mind either way and gave a casual nod.
Li Qingnian gave his friends a “see what I mean” look, and the group headed straight for the tavern.
Upon arrival, Fu Tian immediately felt he’d agreed too quickly. Looking at the ostentatiously dressed madam at the door, his expression was complicated. “We’re drinking here?”
Li Qingnian nodded, “Flower wine is still wine.”
Since they were already there, Fu Tian didn’t object. The group went straight upstairs.
Inside, the brothel’s décor was fairly refined. Each private room on the second floor had its own charm. Li Qingnian picked a large one at random and entered.
The room had a low table in the center, surrounded by soft couches draped with pale-colored gauze curtains, creating a very intimate atmosphere.
Once seated, they were first served wine. Soon, several girls carrying musical instruments entered, greeting the group familiarly before casting curious glances at Fu Tian.
Li Qingnian made no introductions, urging them to start quickly.
The girls took their seats behind a screen and began playing and singing. Honestly, Fu Tian found it quite pleasant.
This must be what Li Qingnian meant by drinking flower wine. Attendants brought melon, fruit, dim sum, and dice, and the group began negotiating the rules for penalty drinks.
In the end, everyone agreed that with Fu Huo present, they would only drink one penalty cup each time. Li Qingnian leaned over and whispered to Fu Tian, “Don’t worry, if you lose, I’ll drink for you.”
And so the game began—happy drinking and rolling dice.
The rules were simple: each person rolled six dice. Starting from the first, players called out the number and value of dice they claimed were on the table.
The next player had to call a higher number or higher value, e.g., if the first said “four fives,” the next could say “five fives” or “four sixes.”
If someone doubted the previous claim, they could call it out. If the claim was true, the challenger drank; if false, the claimant drank.
Those who knew the game could count dice; those who didn’t had to rely on luck.
Fu Tian, a novice, lost the first round. No one teased him, and Li Qingnian was ready to drink for him, but Fu Tian simply tilted his head back and downed the cup himself.
The atmosphere shifted; the initial awkwardness and restraint melted away, and things quickly became lively.
After several rounds, Fu Tian had drunk three cups. The wine wasn’t strong but had a strange floral fragrance. Leaning back on the soft couch, with gentle melodies playing nearby and the warm autumn day outside, it was indeed pleasant—no wonder Li Qingnian was so eager to come here.
Once he mastered the game, Fu Tian rarely had to drink penalties again. The others, however, got thoroughly drunk; one especially bad with alcohol was already mumbling nonsense.
Judging by Li Qingnian and the others’ reactions, this was a familiar scene.
The drunk youth, about Fu Tian’s age, slumped over the table muttering before suddenly slapping it and standing, loudly proclaiming, “I’m going to join the army at the border! I don’t want to stay at home anymore, wahhh…”
“Alright, alright, go to the border,” Li Qingnian skillfully coaxed, pulling him back down.
The young master bawled on, “My eldest brother passed the Xiucai exam, so should I? I hate studying! I want to go to the border, wahhh…”
Fu Tian frowned at him, feeling he looked vaguely familiar. He nudged a companion, uncertain. “Is that He Chengliang?”
The not-too-drunk companion muttered a reply.
No wonder. Fu Tian’s vague memories sharpened. The grown-up He Chengliang was far more mature and bore a thick beard. If not for similar eyes and brows, Fu Tian might not have recognized him.
The He Family was a truly scholarly clan. Their ancestors had held high office more than once, but the second young master, He Chengliang, was an oddity.
He disliked studying and was fond of martial arts. For the family, a scholarly clan producing a warrior was a disgrace, and they had always treated him as a shame.
But Fu Tian vaguely remembered that after the rebellion, He Chengliang disappeared. The He Family searched publicly for a while but gave up when they couldn’t find him.
Fu Tian remembered because two years after the war ended, He Chengliang returned.
Not only did he come back, but he also distinguished himself in battle, earning the rank of captain. The whole town buzzed with the news. Seeing He Chengliang’s beard now helped Fu Tian remember.
Yet here was the future captain, slumped on Li Qingnian, bawling with snot and tears.
Perhaps spurred by his mood, the other drunken men started pouring out their troubles, mostly about family ambitions they didn’t share, powerless to resist, drowning their sorrows in drink…
“You—Youling,” someone tugged on Fu Huo’s sleeve. “You know business and books, teach me, will you?” The speaker’s face was drawn, looking ready to cry.
“If I don’t get better soon, my mother will be driven crazy by my stepmother and her sons…”
Fu Tian:
Looking around at the roomful of drunks all about his age—not bad people—he thought of the coming drought next year and generously advised, “Then buy more rice to stock up.”
The man still clung to Fu Tian’s sleeve, mumbling. Who knew if he was really listening.
By the end, only two or three who could hold their drink remained, along with the sober Fu Tian. The heavily drunk ones stayed behind to rest and planned to return home once sober.
Four or five others needed help getting down the stairs, staggering and supporting one another.
Fu Tian was helping one person out when suddenly someone called out, turning his head to meet Wen Zeming’s mocking gaze.
Wen Zeming was also drunk, clutching a less-than-elegantly dressed girl.
“Fu Gongzi, a scholar, why come to this brothel to degrade yourself? Everyone outside looks up to you. Aren’t you afraid of losing the scholar’s face?”
Fu Tian glanced at him coldly, as if even speaking to him was a waste of breath. He stopped Li Qingnian, who was about to strike, “Let’s go.”
With that, he ignored Wen Zeming and walked out.
Wen Zeming’s face darkened, smashing his wine cup on the ground, gritting his teeth, “It’s just because you passed the Xiucai! What are you so proud of? If it weren’t—if only— I could pass too!”
The girl tried to comfort him but was pushed away. He staggered out, eyes clouded with resentment. If it weren’t for Wen Boli, he would be the one basking in glory now!
After seeing everyone home, Fu Huo returned. At parting, Li Qingnian reluctantly grabbed his hand. “Come find me to play again tomorrow.”
Coldly pulling his hand away, Fu Tian shot him a sidelong glance. “Tomorrow there’s a流水宴, hosting guests. I won’t have time.”
Li Qingnian immediately wilted like a frostbitten cabbage, looking mournful.
“…Remember to bring the others, all of them, to drink together,” Fu Huo added, seeing Li Qingnian’s sad eyes.
Li Qingnian brightened immediately. “I knew you were the best!”
***
After resting overnight, Fu Tian rose early the next day to prepare.
Fu Youqin insisted on making a big deal out of it, arranging three days of流水席, with additional banquets at the Fu residence. Several close families had received invitations, promising a lively affair.
This was Fu Tian’s first major event since taking over the Fu Family. Although he felt it was somewhat extravagant, he prepared earnestly.
After all, he now represented the Fu Family and couldn’t afford to lose face in front of outsiders.
Dressed in a steady dark blue robe, his long hair held up with a headpiece, Fu Tian rubbed his face to lift his spirits and went out to greet guests with Fu Youqin.
The guests had all arrived early, bringing congratulatory gifts. Although Fu Tian was the only male heir in the Fu Family, no one dared underestimate him given recent events.
Though young, it was only a matter of time before he soared.
Anyone not blind could see Fu Tian’s limitless potential, so whether invited or not, people came bearing gifts to congratulate him.
Fu Ji was busy at the door recording the gifts, barely able to raise his head until he heard Wen Boli’s name. He looked up warily and said, “The madam and young master do not welcome you.”