Chapter 302: Drunkenness
Pei Qinghe was still somewhat restrained, controlling her drunkenness without losing composure.
Pei Yun had excellent drinking capacity, downing several cups without changing expression.
The one with poor drinking capacity and even worse drunken behavior was none other than Pei Yan. Pei Zhi, who remembered eating but not beatings, poured Pei Yan a few cups of wine and was once again grabbed by the collar and dragged aside by Pei Yan.
Everyone ate and drank while craning their necks to watch the fun.
Yang Hu couldn’t sit still and quickly walked over, wanting to help Pei Zhi out of trouble.
Pei Yan grinned: “From today on, I’m your cousin-in-law. If your cousin-in-law spars with you, it doesn’t count as beating someone, right!”
Yang Hu felt chills run down his back. Seeing Pei Zhi’s pouty, pitifully cute expression, his blood surged, and he shouted loudly: “Cousin-in-law, if you want to fight, come at me. Let go of Pei Zhi.”
Pei Zhi cast a grateful and shy glance his way.
Pei Yan indeed let go and unceremoniously beat Yang Hu up. Considering it was the great joyous day, she mercifully held back and didn’t hit his head or face.
Li Chi watched with great satisfaction, raising his cup to clink with Song Dalang: “Miss Pei Yan truly lives up to being a fierce general in the Pei Family Army—this skill, this fist, tsk!”
Song Dalang was no good person either, smiling as he quietly egged him on: “You go try your hand too. The general doesn’t dare hit you, but sparring with Miss Pei Yan is fine. Win or lose, it doesn’t matter.”
Li Chi chuckled, not falling for it: “Miss Pei Yan is strong and valiant; I admit inferiority. Better not go looking to get beaten!”
Look at Yang Hu, chased and running all over the place. So disheveled, too disheveled!
Perfect to go with the dishes and wine—simply splendid.
Song Dalang watched it all, secretly amused. The Pingyang Army was the guest force, here for support and soon to return. Li Chi’s Liaoxi Army base would inevitably compete for supremacy with Yang Hu’s Guangning Army in the future. Don’t be fooled by Li Chi’s refined appearance; he had more wits than a sieve. Yang Hu was just dumber than usual around Pei Zhi. Actually, he was a strategist general renowned for strategy. There would be plenty of excitement ahead!
Pei Yun and Pei Qinghe sat together, laughing softly: “Pei Yan’s drunk and causing chaos—aren’t you going to manage her?”
Pei Qinghe glanced over with a smile: “Pei Zhi led the troublemaking all day today; I already handled it once during the day. Now someone’s willingly taking beatings for Pei Zhi—what more is there to say?”
Pei Yun laughed: “You’ve drunk too much tonight too, haven’t you!”
Drunkenness surged, her head somewhat dizzy, yet with the same exhilaration. Pei Qinghe kept a calm face: “No, I’m not drunk.”
People who say they’re not drunk are mostly drunk.
Pei Yun laughed for a bit, then specially sent someone to inform Shi Yan and prepare some hangover soup and the like.
With the moon high in the sky, the banquet finally ended.
Pei Qinghe entered the new house with steady steps.
Shi Yan came over holding hangover soup: “Drink the hangover soup first.”
Pei Qinghe said seriously: “I’m not drunk.”
Shi Yan held back a laugh, coaxing: “Yes, yes, you’re definitely not drunk. The hangover soup is sweet; let me feed you.” He scooped up a spoonful with the spoon and brought it to Pei Qinghe’s lips.
Pei Qinghe opened her mouth and drank; it was sweet and tasted quite good. She took the bowl, drank a big gulp, then tilted her head to kiss Shi Yan. The sweet hangover soup passed from her mouth to his.
Shi Yan held her tightly.
Flames leaped wildly through their bodies.
……
The wedding night’s candles burned until dawn.
Night wind blew, tree branches swaying slightly.
……
Pei Qinghe closed her eyes in sated yet exhausted sleep.
In her hazy sleep, arms held her, and she naturally snuggled closer. Skin against skin, warm and unexpectedly comfortable.
Opening her eyes again, it was already high in the sky. Pei Qinghe lazily didn’t want to move, and Shi Yan, tired from half the night, didn’t move either, greedily savoring each other’s body heat as they tightly embraced and snuggled.
“Does it hurt?” Shi Yan whispered softly.
Pei Qinghe chuckled lightly: “It’s fine. How about you? Aren’t you very tired?”
Men’s and women’s bodies are naturally different. Consummating the marriage exhausts a man’s strength. Pei Qinghe felt slightly uncomfortable but had recovered after a few hours of sleep.
Shi Yan didn’t act tough, laughing softly by her ear: “A bit tired. Let me rest a day, and by evening I’ll have the strength to serve the general.”
Pei Qinghe couldn’t help laughing and spat at him.
The newlywed couple laughed and played intimately for a moment before getting up separately to wash and dress neatly.
On the second day of the wedding, they had to recognize relatives and serve tea.
Madam Feng and the other elders had risen early to wait. After waiting a while, Pei Yun and Bao Hao arrived first.
Bao Hao had followed the Pei Clan back then and stayed in Changping County. In the Pei Family Members’ eyes, he was already family. The thin-skinned Bao Hao, teased and joked by the crowd, soon flushed red, shyly hanging his head like a newlywed wife.
After waiting a bit more, Pei Yan and Yang Huai came in.
Pei Yun’s gaze drifted over, and she burst out laughing: “Pei Yan, haven’t you sobered up yet?”
Pei Yan had drunk who knows how much yesterday, drunkenly chasing Yang Hu everywhere. Later, amid the crowd’s cheers, she proudly entered the wedding chamber.
Once the door closed, no one knew what happened after. Who knew if the pitiful Yang Huai got beaten.
At this moment, Pei Yan looked listless and wilted, showing no wedding joy.
“All Pei Zhi’s fault—she poured so much wine down me last night.” Pei Yan gnashed her teeth: “When she gets married, I’ll see how I deal with her.”
Everyone was amused into laughter.
Yang Huai was full of resentment too. While others enjoyed sweet newlywed intimacy, he’d spent the night serving and caring for drunk Pei Yan without consummating the marriage. No one was more miserable.
After waiting a long time, Pei Qinghe and Shi Yan finally arrived.
Today they still wore red attire, simpler than the wedding attire but with bright red vividly setting off the newlywed couple’s flushed, radiant faces.
“We got up a bit late, sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Pei Qinghe was poised and calm, without a trace of shyness.
Shi Yan was also composed and gracious, cupping his hands to the crowd in apology.
Yang Huai jealously glanced at the slightly weary and fatigued Shi Yan.
Madam Feng smiled: “Come serve tea one by one; I’ve prepared meeting gifts for you all.”
Pei Yun, the oldest, led her new husband to serve tea first.
New wives had to kowtow upon entering. Sons-in-law did too. Bao Hao respectfully kowtowed three times and received a generous meeting gift.
Then it was Shi Yan’s turn.
Shi Yan kowtowed to his mother-in-law and changed address to call her mother.
Madam Feng was delighted, her eyes moist: “Good child, get up quickly.”
The other aunts and elders all laughed: “In the future, when Qinghe leads troops in battle outside, Shi Yan can always stay in Pei Family Village.”
“When Qinghe later gets pregnant and has children, Shi Yan can care for them too.”
Urged to have children on the second day of marriage.
Pei Qinghe twitched her lips.
Finally, it was Yang Huai’s turn. Yang Huai neatly knelt, kowtowed, served tea, recognized relatives, and changed address, all with practiced efficiency—who knew how many times he’d rehearsed privately.
After the noon family banquet, Pei Qinghe returned to her quarters.
Pei Yan habitually followed along.
Yang Huai firmly grabbed Pei Yan’s wrist: “Let’s go back to our own new house.”
