He tugged at the corner of his mouth, seemingly intrigued, then nodded seriously:
"Yes. Answer that little question first, and later, your uncle will show you a performance."
Zhao Xifu paused, his smile widening genuinely:
"Whether you want to see it spilled or poured, you can choose, lad. Just answer the question as needed. That’s the rule at Summer Insect Pavilion, always so... so... sss..."
The man dressed as a gray-robed shopkeeper stumbled over his words, seemingly unable to find the right term.
Zhao Rong came to the rescue, tentatively suggesting, "User-friendly?"
"User... friendly..." Zhao Xifu chewed on the word, his eyes lighting up, "Exactly! Our rules at Summer Insect Pavilion have always been this user-friendly!"
After speaking so freely, he couldn’t help but pat Zhao Rong on the shoulder, giving him a big thumbs up.
Zhao Xifu gave Zhao Rong an appreciative look, remarking emotionally:
"You, lad, are truly a scholar from the Academy; your mind is indeed sharp. You have a quarter of your uncle’s charisma—that’s indeed a nice touch, really nice."
Zhao Rong humbly waved his hand, indicating it was a minor detail, hardly worth mentioning.
"You flatter me, Shopkeeper Zhao," Zhao Rong said with a smile, then raised his hand and respectfully clasped his fist towards Zhao Xifu, who liked to put in a word or two, adding:
"Later I must closely observe Shopkeeper Zhao’s demonstration on how to pour and spill wine; I shall learn earnestly."
Zhao Xifu grinned mischievously, waving his hand grandly, "Haha, well said, well said."
They were somewhat dazed watching the breezy banter between the two Zhao men, young and old.
The expressions of the two men suggested that they were getting along exceptionally well as if they had met too late in life.
The others exchanged glances, looking stunned.
What happened to the united front against the devious shopkeeper? How did they end up chatting and even praising each other, sharing tales of their woes?
Around the room, many couldn’t help but twitch their lips...
But Zhao Rong indeed maintained a mild expression, oblivious to his companions’ reactions.
He then raised his glass to signal, asking with a smile:
"Shopkeeper Zhao, besides that rule you just mentioned, are there any other rules regarding this glass of wine in my hand? I think... it’s better to clarify everything first."
"Indeed," nodded Zhao Xifu, and then seriously pondered for a moment, his tone quite stern: "There are no more."
"Really none?" Zhao Rong confirmed.
Zhao Xifu nodded solemnly, "No more, no more. Just the one rule I mentioned... you only get one chance to speak, and if it’s a lie, I’ll spill this glass of wine. If it’s the truth, I’ll pour it out."
He shook the wine jug in his hand, then threw back his head and laughed loudly:
"Rest assured, lad, I love rules and always follow them strictly; an oath is as good as an iron nail, everything will be done according to the rules stated."
Zhao Rong looked at him and nodded.
The crowd at the table frowned once more.
This annoying rule was enough to upset anyone. What was the difference between choosing to spill or pour based on truth or lies? What was he thinking, charging headlong into it?
Zhao Qian’er, who was already displeased, couldn’t hold back any longer. She exchanged glances with Lingfei. It was her idea to have Rong’er come for this Ice Lady Wine tonight, but it had turned into such a mess.
Zhao Qian’er clenched her small fist, but then she saw Zhao Rong’s calm profile next to her, and the words she was about to say were swallowed back...
At that moment, Zhao Rong suddenly reached out, took some food, and placed it in Qian’er’s bowl.
Zhao Xifu looked at him, his smile gradually fading, then turned to look outside at the sky and waved his hand:
"Hurry up with your response, lad. If you don’t speak soon, I’ll take the wine and leave. Although I suddenly find you somewhat interesting, dragging on any longer would become very uninteresting."
The gray-robed, stubbly man seemed somewhat less enthused now, tossing the wine jug that many outside were eager for.
Zhao Rong nodded and smiled, "Shopkeeper Zhao is about to pour out the wine."
Seeing him trying to make conversation again, Zhao Xifu, bored, curled his lips, "Oh pour it out, then just answer with a lie, Uncle will pour it for you to see... Hey, stop dragging out the time and hurry up."
"Shopkeeper Zhao is about to pour out the wine." Zhao Rong nodded.
"Whether to pour it out or to dump it depends on your answer, we should follow the rules." Zhao Xifu waved his hand impatiently, "How can a grown man nag so much, just spit it out quick for me!"
Zhao Rong just smiled.
Zhao Xifu’s face tightened, his expression slightly cold, "Don’t talk then, forget coming in here again, dammit leg..."
Zhao Rong remained silent, just quietly watching him, his right fingers tapping on the tabletop as if patiently waiting for something.
The shopkeeper in grey clothes and stubble, cursing under his breath, stood up with the wine, ready to leave.
At that moment, Yu Huaijin, who always strictly abided by the principle of not speaking while eating, swallowed the green vegetables and rice in his mouth after chewing exactly forty-two times, neatly placed down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and looked up:
"He has already answered twice."
The old-fashioned girl looked at Zhao Xifu, her tone calm, yet her words exploded like a silent bomb among everyone in the hall.
Instantly, a deadly silence was created at the scene.
Zhao Xifu, who was still cursing, paused, the impatience on his face receding like a tide, disappearing in a flash, then within a few breaths, his face flickered through several expressions:
Confusion, contemplation, incomprehension, disbelief... Shock!
Zhao Xifu turned his head sharply towards Zhao Rong.
The young Confucian Scholar looked calmly downward at the wine cup in his hand, lightly nodding.
Zhao Xifu’s eyes couldn’t help but widen, his expression still carrying disbelief, unable to believe someone could untangle the puzzle that had seemed a dead-end!
The pitch-black wine pot in his hand ’whooshed’ down in free fall, but his right foot instinctively kicked up to catch it. Meanwhile, shortly after, a woman at the table burst into laughter, the first to grasp the full situation, the woman in a Confucian robe with a slight glimpse of her blue chest.
This woman teacher from Linlu Academy covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she watched the calm and composed Zhao Rong. Apart from Yu Huaijin and Zhu Yourong, several other people were also gradually coming to their senses.
Meanwhile, a certain man in a grey robe with a stubbly beard at the Summer Insect Pavilion had already lost interest in these commotions.
Zhao Xifu stared hard at the floor, moving his gaze left and right as if deep in thought, licking his dry lips several times, his mouth occasionally making a hissing sound...
As if he just couldn’t grasp a certain concept.
"You little rascal, is that your answer!?" Zhao Xifu inhaled sharply and looked up, his eyes staring intensely at Zhao Rong:
"’Shopkeeper Zhao is going to pour out the wine’... Gosh, damn it, should I just pour out the wine or shatter it..."
Based on the rules we set earlier, if this statement is true, then he should pour out the wine, but if it’s false, he should splash the wine... At first glance, this all seems contradictory.
Zhao Xifu was utterly speechless, and couldn’t sort it out anymore.
He laughed out of frustration, unable to hold back his annoyance:
"I asked you who is the most beautiful, and you come up with this sentence?"
Zhao Rong thought for a moment and blinked at him, saying:
"The shopkeeper said to follow the rules, and the rules only mandated that I say a sentence, but didn’t specify that it must be a name, nor what specifically I should say..."
Zhao Rong smiled, suddenly extended his hand, and offered the wine cup to him, his tone cordial, "Uncle just said that after I answer, you would show me the difference between pouring out and splashing out the wine, let me observe and learn earnestly."
The young Confucian Scholar’s expression sincere, gently shook the wine cup toward the direction of the shopkeeper, gesturing for him to take it, "Uncle, please. Will it be a pouring or a splashing?"
"......???" Zhao Xifu.
Thanks to the generous doublings from "Eternal Connect", "Dancing Dust Liuli Veil", "shadow—pain", fellow reader ’Bookfriend20200216183624418’, reader ’Reader1297802032610299904’, and ’Mortal Fairy in the World’ for their 3000 coin, 1666 coin, 1500 coin, 1500 coin, 1500 coin, and 1000 coin rewards respectively! Thanks, brothers~