Chapter Seventy-Three: An Incident Occurs

Xu Ruojin only let Xu Zimo sample a few kinds of wine before forbidding him to drink any more. After all, he was still a young man; too much wine could easily lead to trouble.

Xu Zimo smacked his lips as he watched Xu Ruojin seriously jotting down her impressions of the wine’s flavor on paper. With a wry smile, he said, “Second Sister, you really know how to find fault where there isn’t any. If you ask me, this wine tastes wonderful already, but you insist I point out flaws—aren’t you making things difficult for me?”

“If I don’t push you to say something, wouldn’t the wine be wasted on you? It’s only just been opened!” Xu Ruojin laughed heartily.

Of everyone in the family, her favorite companion was her third brother. She felt utterly at ease teasing him.

“If I don’t manage to come up with a few words, Second Sister won’t let me taste wine next time!” Xu Zimo, already daydreaming about tomorrow, grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll come by around dinnertime tomorrow and have Madam Chen stew a little pork knuckle—tasting wine while eating, now that’s the life.”

Xu Ruojin immediately shattered his fantasy. “Always thinking about indulging yourself! Have you finished memorizing your lessons? You’re not just being tutored at home anymore; you’ve started attending the county school. If you embarrass Father, you’d better watch out for your backside!”

“Second Sister, must you always bring up my studies? Can’t you give my poor ears a rest for just a moment?” Xu Zimo rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bruises on his arm. “See? I’ve already been beaten!”

Xu Ruojin immediately fetched a bottle of medicinal oil from a nearby cabinet. “For your bruises—specially prepared for you!”

Xu Zimo could only laugh and shake his head. “Second Sister, you really do care for me!”

“Alright, off you go. I still have to ponder which wine to bring the day after tomorrow.”

She glanced at Qi’er. “Take this little wine jar back, but don’t open it yet. You’d better keep an eye on your third young master. If he ends up drunk like Li Zhonglin, it won’t just be him getting punished—even I’ll be in for it, understand?”

“I understand!” Qi’er grinned as he took the jar. Xu Zimo’s face lit up. “Second Sister, you’re so generous! I promise, I won’t drink it early.”

“Go on, now.”

Xu Ruojin saw them out. When she turned back, she found Hongxing wiping down the wine jar and putting it away in the corner for safekeeping.

She couldn’t help but smile, but said nothing more. Hongxing’s thoughtfulness was rare and precious.

Still, Xu Zimo’s opinion was just one boy’s. His palate was hardly authoritative.

After all, the suggestion to present wine had come from the magistrate’s wife. It should be a woman who tastes it...

She had Hongxing bring the wine jar back, poured herself a small cup, and prepared to taste it herself.

But before the cup even reached her lips, the aroma alone made her dizzy and flushed, her face burning bright red.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Xu Ruojin stared in shock at the wine in her hand. Was it something wrong with the wine, or with herself?

She set the cup down and hurried to the doorway, taking several deep breaths.

Chuncao, alarmed, quickly fetched water for her to wash her face.

It was a long while before Xu Ruojin felt normal again. Seeing that both Chuncao and Hongxing were unaffected, she asked, “Smell this wine—do you notice anything wrong?”

“Not at all,” Hongxing said, lifting the cup and taking a sniff. “It’s fragrant, with a hint of sweetness.”

“And you?” Xu Ruojin looked at Chuncao, who shook her head. “I don’t smell anything strange either.”

“All of you, have a cup.”

Feeling that two people weren’t enough, Xu Ruojin called in Baimei and Xiaoke as well, pouring each a small cup.

The three girls were bewildered—what was going on, being summoned to drink wine?

What was Second Miss up to now?

Hongxing downed hers first, licking her lips. “Delicious.”

Chuncao, who had never tasted wine before, hesitated, then summoned her courage and gulped it down, pinching her nose. After a moment, her face bloomed into a bright smile. “Second Miss, your wine is wonderful—there’s nothing wrong with it at all.”

Xiaoke and Yangtao took turns drinking theirs, each praising its flavor before standing quietly to await instructions.

Xu Ruojin, still puzzled, poured herself another cup and brought it to her nose...

Again, the dizziness came!

“So I’m the problem—just smelling wine makes me drunk,” Xu Ruojin realized, her expression turning grim. “Does this mean I can’t even drink my own wine?”

“Don’t worry, Second Miss. I think it’s because you downed so much last time and haven’t fully recovered. If you take care for a while, you’ll be fine,” Hongxing guessed, and Xu Ruojin nodded in agreement.

She had thought of the same thing. Frowning at the wine, she murmured, “But if someone who can’t handle alcohol drinks this, it could be trouble.”

Chuncao looked alarmed. “But you still have to bring it to the magistrate’s manor...”

“That’s what worries me. If something goes wrong, it’ll be my head on the line.”

Xu Ruojin rested her face on her hands, dazed, her gaze drifting over Xiaoke, Baimei, and Yangtao, who stood there silently, each with a different expression.

“Alright, I’ll think it over. You can all go.”

Hongxing led the three girls out, but Xu Ruojin kept her eyes on their retreating backs.

“Which of those three do you think is the most cunning?” she asked Chuncao.

Chuncao thought for a moment. “Yangtao. Since they arrived, Baimei and Xiaoke have both argued with Hongxing, but Yangtao always stands quietly aside. Yet in private, she talks a great deal with Xiaoke and Baimei, not at all like her usual reserved self.”

“But she’s a servant born in the household. If she dares play tricks here, her parents can forget about a peaceful life,” Xu Ruojin replied.

Chuncao shook her head. “Then I can’t guess. Hongxing probably knows them better.”

“Day in and day out, I can barely manage my own affairs, and still I have to watch out for them. Sometimes I wish tomorrow were already the banquet at the magistrate’s manor—once it’s over, I can finally stop worrying.”

She glanced at the wine in the corner. “Who’d have thought learning to brew wine would bring so many troubles? If only Madam Fang were here—I could ask her what to do.”

“Don’t worry, Second Miss, I’m sure nothing bad will happen,” Chuncao offered, though even she felt her comfort was hollow. “These next couple of days, either Hongxing or I will stay in the room to keep an eye on things. Nothing will happen.”

Xu Ruojin nodded and said no more, turning instead to practice her calligraphy.

For the next two days, Xu Zimo came to Xu Ruojin’s courtyard for dinner every evening. Afterwards, he would leave with a wine jar in hand. Such a pleasant arrangement—eating and taking wine—made him so happy he couldn’t stop singing Xu Ruojin’s praises, calling her the best second sister in the world.

Xu Ruojin simply smiled.

If not for her third brother, would Madam Chen ever send rich dishes to her courtyard? In truth, though she’d given away some wine, she’d benefited too—she and even the maids had enjoyed meat dishes, and whenever Xu Zimo appeared, they greeted him with fawning courtesy.

Tomorrow would be the day of the banquet at the magistrate’s manor.

After dinner, Xu Ruojin and Xu Zimo were summoned to the main courtyard to try on their new clothes for the occasion.

Madam Yang took the matter very seriously, having them change from head to toe and ordering the seamstresses to correct any flaws at once.

By the time Xu Ruojin was finally allowed to return to her rooms to sleep, it was already the middle of the evening hour. With another early morning ahead, all she wanted was to collapse into bed.

But in the middle of the night, a sudden clatter and commotion awoke her!

Xu Ruojin leapt out of bed. Chuncao rushed in from outside, panic written on her face.

“Second Miss, something’s happened!”