Chapter 21: Lend a Helping Fist

  I don't remember how I got back, but many things came to mind and many were forgotten. The wine cup in my hand seemed to move unconsciously towards my mouth. It seems that I must have drunk a lot last night, or else why would my head hurt so much? Even if I drank until the sky was dark and the earth was dim, there will always be a time when I wake up. The pain remains painful, and what I want to forget is still etched in my memory. Maybe only that fleeting moment can make me not myself.

  Knock, knock, knock, the knocking sound happened to ring out. Qiuniang hurriedly dressed and called in the shop assistant. The shop assistant first brought up a basin of hot water, then successively presented hot tea and some small pastries. It seemed that this was also Ganjing's arrangement. If it weren't for Ganjing accompanying them on this trip, Miss Liu's Shu region tour might not have been so comfortable and worry-free. Just after sitting down and drinking a few mouthfuls of light porridge, Ganjing came over uninvited: "Can't drink anymore, what's the point of pretending to be strong? Does your head still hurt?"

  Although it was a blaming tone, when heard by Qī Xié, she didn't feel a warmth in her heart. Since childhood, she had always wanted an older brother like that. At the time, she even joked with her mother, asking her and father to try harder and have another child so she could call him "older brother". The word "mother" has already become so unfamiliar... She didn't think that after coming here, she would still be a child without a mother. How did she suddenly become so sentimental? Ah, every month is indeed like this for a few days.

  "Big brother, I didn't say anything crazy when I was drunk, did I? Hehe, you also know my drinking habits aren't great. And how did you guys get me back here?"

  "You've been calling out some unfamiliar names, how did you get back? Of course, it was me who carried you back. I really didn't expect that little girl to be so heavy at such a young age." As soon as Gan Jing said this, Qi Xiao vaguely remembered that she had probably vomited all over him while still dazed and confused. The expression on this cleanliness-obsessed big brother's face must have been very rich at the time.

  They came to Shu land with the initial purpose of seeking fine wine, yesterday was just a momentary lapse in judgment that led to getting drunk, and the hope of having an unexpected gain by visiting small stalls was completely shattered. The wine they had at that small stall yesterday was strong enough but completely lacked flavor, ordinary people would also find it hard to accept such strong liquor.

  Gan Jingyuan was strongly opposed to Qi Xie's plan to go out and find wine again today. In fact, they had almost visited all the large and small wine houses in Yibin County, and he had already given up from the bottom of his heart. Moreover, Qi Xie got drunk yesterday, and it was likely that she would not be able to take it if she continued drinking today. But that girl was as stubborn as a cow, and Gan Jingyuan couldn't understand what supported her conviction that the wine she was looking for was in Yibin.

  "Bei Mo Ting" is a very elegant wine house, but in terms of scale and layout, it can only be considered a second-rate wine house. It's rare for a wine house to open in such a remote location, but there seem to be quite a few customers here, mostly commoners coming and going, with the occasional wealthy merchant passing through. Qi Xian and his friends just happened to stumble upon it while strolling around.

  The seats by the window were already taken, so Qī Xì and her friends sat down at a table in the middle of the hall. As it turned out, heaven didn't have any last-minute surprises for Qī Xì, and the wine was no different from that of other taverns - always bland and without aftertaste. However, the small dishes here were exquisitely made. Qī Xì couldn't handle spicy food, so she had missed out on many delicious Sichuan dishes. This time, she was drawn in by the colorful and fragrant dishes on the table, and even if her lips were set aflame like a sausage, it would be worth it. Missing out on such good food would be a lifelong regret, and this could be considered the only gain from their trip to Yibin County.

  Just as everyone was having a great time, a discordant voice suddenly rang out: "Drink, drink quickly, and I'll reward you with a cup of wine." Several people turned their eyes in that direction, accompanied by a burst of laughter. A young man, dressed quite well but with a face as black as coal, had his arm around one of the waitresses from the tavern, holding a wine cup to her lips. The waitress had her mouth tightly closed, and the wine spilled all over her face. She struggled to free herself from the rascal's grasp, her expression twisted in extreme discomfort.

  Qī Xiāng was about to get up, but Gān Jìng pulled her back: "Girl, don't bother with these trivial matters when you're out. Even if you want to intervene, how much can you do?" Upon hearing this, Qī Xiāng also paused, seeing that the people around her just glanced over casually and pretended not to have seen anything. Qī Xiāng wasn't a feminist; after returning to ancient times, she knew there were differences in eras and advocating for human rights was nonsense. She simply couldn't bear someone ruining her appetite while she was enjoying her food.

  He turned back to look at Gan Jing, grabbed his treasured sword and thought that this thing was just a prop for Gan Jing to scare off those villains when he was out. The shape of the prop was still intimidating, and today it finally came in handy. In Heishui Village, Meng Kuang was Qi Mei's martial arts teacher. Although now Qi Mei's martial arts skills were far inferior to those high-ranking masters, but for this kind of street rascal, it was more than enough. This little thug might have been used to bullying people on a daily basis and didn't take Qi Mei seriously at first, thinking that no one in Yibin County dared to touch him because of his family background.

  Until the sharp sword tip was about to reach his nose, Hei Tan, the little rascal, finally realized the severity of the situation and pushed the beauty in his arms out as a shield. Qi Mei decisively abandoned her sword and grabbed Hei Tan's collar with one hand. Although she couldn't lift him up like a hero in a TV drama, her forceful pull made Hei Tan fall to the ground. Without much thought, Qi Mei stepped on his back, riding him like a horse, and fiercely slapped Hei Tan's face, ignoring his pleas for mercy and begging her not to hit his face.

  Qī xiè also took a jug of wine from the side and poured it on Hei Tán's head: "Quickly give me, Master, to drink, beg Master to reward you with another jug." Hei Tán initially still tried to resist, but the result of resisting was being punched again. Usually these little rascals didn't have much backbone and quickly surrendered. At this time, the owner of the wine shop also came out to mediate, and when Hei Tán left, he gritted his teeth and said: "You stinky little boy, wait for me!

  Gan Jing sat on the side, watching with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. This crazy girl was riding on someone's back, had she already forgotten that she was a lady? Looking at her smug expression, he really didn't know how to deal with her. When Qi Xie returned to his seat with his sword, Ah Guan's eyes lit up and he began to flatter him excessively. How could this little sycophant not see that his young master treated Qi Xie differently from others? It was possible that she would be his future mistress, so of course he had to curry favor with her first.

  Soon, the crying voice of that girl was heard again: "Boss, I beg you, please don't fire me, my family still has a grandfather to take care of and I can't lose this job. If you dismiss me, aren't you pushing us to desperation?"

  "Alright, you can go. Just consider it a favor to me, this small business of mine is already struggling as it is. Now that you've offended Young Master Zhen, if he comes back seeking revenge... I also have to make a living, and there's nothing else I can do about it." The girl's desperate pleas still couldn't get the boss to show any sympathy, and instead, after sending her away, the boss let out a long sigh of relief.

  "You helped her out of trouble but got her fired, she also mentioned that things are not going well at home, maybe for the sake of living she will fall into prostitution, and it seems that she offended someone with power and influence here, so the future days will be difficult to get by. Compared to just now accompanying a guest to drink a cup of wine and being slightly teased by the guest, which consequence is more serious? You kind-heartedly helped her out of trouble, but not only will they not thank you, they might even hold a grudge against you, silly girl, many things are not as simple as you think."

  As expected, the maid glared at Qiuxi fiercely, and Qiuxi slightly furrowed her brow. Had she really done a good deed but ended up with bad results?