Lai Jingshan put down his wine glass, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Second Brother, what’s going on?"
"Wasn’t it your order?"
"How could it be, I just..."
"Call your manager." Li Wanshan suddenly interrupted, his gaze sweeping towards the girl beside him.
The girl shook her head, carefully picked up his wine glass, and whispered, "Sir, please feel free to tell me if there’s anything unsatisfactory, but please don’t tell the manager, he’s very fierce."
"Wasn’t I clear enough?"
"Forget it, forget it." Lai Jingshan replied with some sympathy, and pulled four hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and placed them at the corner of the table, "We’re just here for a drink, we don’t need any extra services."
He thought of his wife, Third Aunt Lai, who had also flattered him time and again for the sake of the family’s livelihood.
"Sir, thank you, but..." the girl holding the wine glass hesitated, then said gently, "We have a rule that we can’t take tips from customers for no reason, or else we will also be punished."
Li Wanshan frowned, "What a ridiculous rule!"
The girl gave a helpless smile, "The manager says it’s for our own good, we can’t develop the bad habit of getting something for nothing."
"How old are you?" Li Wanshan asked.
"We are twins, 19 years old."
"Hmm, you do look somewhat alike."
Lai Jingshan sighed softly upon hearing this, "Such a young age... and already out working!"
However, he did not know that at this moment, not far away, Third Aunt Lai and Second Aunt Lai had secretly followed them and witnessed everything.
"Humph, dare to take a sip and try!" Second Aunt Lai said softly, her eyes fixed on Li Wanshan.
"Drinking it doesn’t really prove anything."
"What do you know? The last thing a man should do is to pity and cherish jade, he may pity you today... and who knows, he might pity someone else tomorrow!"
The speaker had intention; the listener had context.
Third Aunt Lai lowered her head, bit her lip, and thought about her marriage.
So marrying me, was it just out of sympathy?
Jingshan, are you starting to pity my sister-in-law again, you want a divorce, right?
You guys must be hiding something from me!
years ago, Third Aunt Lai’s father was on the brink of bankruptcy, if it weren’t for Lai Jingshan’s help, her father would have been overwhelmed with debts and lawsuits.
Later, she made soup for Lai Jingshan as a thank-you, and kept visiting him for half a year.
Eventually, they got together.
Although Lai Jingshan couldn’t say he was very in love with her, he was attentive and caring, and for that, Third Aunt Lai was quite content.
But if someone tried to replace her, as his wife, she would not tolerate it.
"Tell me, how do you want to play?" Li Wanshan nodded thoughtfully, then took the wine glass from the girl’s hand and gently shook it.
"Very simple, just get a few glasses..." the girl glanced at the green grapes on the fruit platter, and said with a smile, "guess which glass has a grape, and if you win, it’s done."
"And if you lose?" Lai Jingshan curled his lips, and exchanged a look with his brother Li Wanshan.
"If you lose, you drink, then continue playing, keep playing until you win, she will accompany you in guessing, and she drinks if she loses too."
Li Wanshan understood immediately. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel·fiɾe·net
Isn’t this just a disguised form of pushing alcohol sales?
He suspected that the two girls were likely to be excellent at handling drinks, one possibly never getting drunk and the other skilled.
"Let’s switch you two."
The girl hesitated for a moment but, after looking at the other girl, smiled and nodded, "No problem, as long as you’re happy!"
Then, with a snap of her fingers, the girl signaled a nearby waiter to bring over a few glasses.
As the grapes plunked into the cups, the atmosphere gradually relaxed. The two girls fully displayed their liveliness and wit, eliciting hearty laughter from Li Wanshan and Lai Jingshan from time to time.
Especially Li Wanshan, he felt particularly cheerful, as if he had traveled back twenty years.
The game proceeded fervently, with everyone occasionally staring intently at their cups and shouting excitedly. Every mistaken guess about the grapes would provoke a burst of joyful laughter and a playful, but light, punishment.
These punishments, insignificant as they were, added to the fun and interaction of the game.
Hence, their conversation with the two girls became more casual, covering various topics from trivial life matters to philosophies of life, from work stress to past dreams.
On the other hand, Second Aunt Lai was downright furious, and if it weren’t for Third Aunt Lai clinging onto her, she would have charged over long ago.
"Don’t be angry, ha, it’s not worth getting sick over," Third Aunt Lai consoled earnestly.
"Look at those two little vixens..."
"They’re just working, trying to sell more drinks. Look, they are not as pretty as you, and their outdated outfits make them look all dried up."
With that remark, Second Aunt Lai couldn’t help but smooth out the large waves in her hair that she had styled a few days before.
"But they are young, aren’t they? Under 20?"
"The brothers aren’t like that, there are plenty of young girls in the company too, and you haven’t seen..."
"They can drink, can’t you see?"
Third Aunt Lai: "..."
They really are impressive, able to drink thousands of cups without getting drunk!
Jingshan, you must be quite happy too, not just having someone to drink with but also someone to laugh foolishly with.
And that... is exactly what I lack.
"Let’s go, let’s head home," Second Aunt Lai continued, "It would be bad if we ran into them again. Let’s leave some dignity for each other and get going."
The word "dignity" struck a chord.
After deliberating for a moment, Second Aunt Lai picked up her handbag and left the bar with Third Aunt Lai.
Two hours later, Li Wanshan returned home.
As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he was greeted by a faint scent of aromatherapy, instantly refreshing him.
However, when he stepped inside, he found his wife wearing a plain white spaghetti strap nightgown, her hair straightened, exuding a gentle scholarly aura.
This was not her usual style!
"Honey, tired? Let me massage your shoulders," Second Aunt Lai said with a beaming smile.
Li Wanshan was somewhat unaccustomed to this sudden change and suspiciously grasped his wife, trying to read the signs from her expression.
Could she have sneaked out after all?
"What’s wrong? Is my massage not comfortable?" Second Aunt Lai blinked and asked coquettishly, "Tell me, I can change."
"No need!" Li Wanshan’s eyes were hazy, and he gently tapped his wife’s back of the hand, "Nothing needs to change."
Hearing this, a tension gripped Second Aunt Lai.
She guessed that her behavior might have aroused her husband’s suspicion. She didn’t want him to know she had just been spying at the bar, and more so, she didn’t want to disrupt the trust in their marriage. So, with feigned calm, she began massaging his temples.
"Honey, you work so hard every day, for the company, and for our home, it must be tiring?"
"It’s okay, luckily I have my younger brother’s help."
Second Aunt Lai: "..."
Did the drinking stir up the emotions?
"Oh, right, did you ask him about going to Bie Yuan... did he deny it?"
"Honey, stop making assumptions. Harmony brings prosperity. Some things..." Li Wanshan paused, then pulled his wife close into his embrace, "Let’s just enjoy our own little life, okay?"
Second Aunt Lai bit her lower lip: "Okay."