I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 245 - 241 Surprise Encounter_2

Chapter 245: 241 Surprise Encounter_2

Luo Li’er looked up, "Shall I join you for a drink?"

Jiang Chen glanced at Pei Yunxi instinctively.

"If you want to drink, just have a little, but don’t get drunk,"

Pei Yunxi said understandingly.

"Alright then."

Hearing that, Jiang Chen nodded.

"Waiter..."

Luo Li’er beckoned.

The dishes themselves weren’t important; as sisters from a well-off family, there was no delicacy they hadn’t tasted before. Like all patrons, what they were really savoring was the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Of course, fennel seeds were a must, and Luo Li’er also ordered several types of traditional Chinese wine.

"This yellow wine isn’t bad, it’s sweet and sour. Sister, do you want to try?"

During the meal, Pei Yunxi naturally took off her mask, and to avoid being recognized, she had to keep her head down as much as possible.

"You drink it yourself."

She declined her sister’s offer, drinking little outside of necessary social occasions.

"’Daughter’s Red’, what a nice name. I wonder who came up with it."

Luo Li’er didn’t insist further and took a sip from another bowl, seemingly trying every wine the restaurant offered, as if she had come especially to taste wines.

"Do you know why it’s called ’Daughter’s Red’?"

Jiang Chen asked.

Luo Li’er shook her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"This wine was documented as far back as the Jin dynasty. When a wealthy family had a daughter, the father would brew three jars of wine from the glutinous grains of three mu of field, then bury them deep under the osmanthus trees in the backyard, like deeply hidden paternal love. On the daughter’s eighteenth birthday, when she got married, they would dig up the wine to give to her husband’s family as a matrimonial gift, and over time this habit evolved into a custom that has been passed down for a long time in Shaoxing. ’Having moved, I wish to dwell by the east gate, where every night by the lake I gaze upon the rising moon’; this famous verse was penned by Lu You after he had drunk ’Daughter’s Red.’"

"Jiang, you even know about this, that’s impressive,"

Luo Li’er exclaimed with wide eyes, "And what about this Hua Diao wine?"

Jiang Chen paused for a moment and picked up a fennel seed.

"In ancient times, due to the lack of medical technology, newborn survival rates were low. People from Shaoxing would bury several jars of fine wine when a girl was born. However, if the child passed away before marriage, this wine would then transform from ’Daughter’s Red’ to ’Hua Diao’, signifying the withering of the girl like a fresh flower."

Luo Li’er, who initially found the name very pleasant, was caught off guard.

"Of course, there’s another interpretation: if a woman doesn’t marry before the age of 30, it’s like a flower withering away, hence the name ’Hua Diao’. If that were the case today, I wonder how many older single women would need to have a bowl of Hua Diao wine,"

Jiang Chen munched on the fennel seeds, adding with a smile.

"What’s the big deal with turning thirty? Who decreed that a woman must marry? A woman can live just fine without a man, right, sister?"

Pei Yunxi didn’t say anything.

"I think it makes sense. Nowadays, women can ’hold up half the sky,’ and some even think about taking over the other half that belongs to men,"

they chatted amiably while they ate and laughed.

I’m not mentioning Pei Yunxi, the relationship between Jiang Chen and Luo Li’er had indeed become much closer.

From not too far from the Xian Heng restaurant, melodious operatic tunes drifted from a riverboat, following along the bank’s lights and floating far away with the river.

After hearing from the waiter that they were singing Shaoxing opera, Luo Li’er, perhaps affected by the alcohol, looked somewhat bleary-eyed as she gazed out the window. "Sister, shall we rent a boat and take a ride as well after this?"

"Sure."

Pei Yunxi, who didn’t eat much, was the first to put down her chopsticks. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, seemingly compensating her sister for this trip; she hardly refused any request made by Luo Li’er.

"Hurry up and eat."

Luo Li’er, whose attention had already drifted to the riverboats outside, urged Jiang Chen. It really proved the point that once familiar, one is indeed less polite to those they’re close with.

"Waiter, the check."

Jiang Chen was also straightforward, immediately gesturing.

Coming out of the Xian Heng restaurant, the night was thick, and the warm glow from the houses illuminated the Jiangnan riverside, rendering it even more hazy and beautiful.

There were many riverboats moored along the bank, and the boatmen chatted idly, waiting for passengers.

"Master, are you taking customers?"

"Yes, I am."

"How much?"

"Two hundred per person, one thousand for the whole boat."

"I’ll take it."

Jiang Chen gestured grandly, "Aboard."

Intoxicated, one does not know he is in heaven above water; a boat full of dreams presses down upon the milky way.

Water waves scattered with the stroke of the oars, creating ripples gently spreading out as both banks slowly receded.

"Retiring in such a place in the future would certainly be wonderful."

Jiang Chen remarked spontaneously.

"How old are you to be thinking of such things?"

Since there was only one boatman on the ship, who was also rowing from the stern, Pei Yunxi didn’t need to be so guarded. She didn’t take off her mask, but she did remove her sunglasses, since wearing them at night would not be deceiving to others, but rather drawing attention to herself.

"Yeah, Senior Jiang, you haven’t even graduated from college, and you’re already thinking about old age."

Luo Li’er must have been slightly intoxicated, sitting at the bow, leaning on her sister’s shoulder.

The two sisters complemented each other’s beauty, so enchanting that one could hardly bear to look away.

"Senior Jiang, why don’t you tell us the story between you and Ai Senior Sister?"

Had it been any other time, Luo Li’er surely wouldn’t have bluntly asked such a question, but tonight, after drinking some wine and having gotten much closer to Jiang Chen, she was less hesitant.

"You must have heard it all, what’s there to say."

Jiang Chen gave a bitter smile.

"Most rumors are false; nothing is more reliable than the account from the person involved."

Luo Li’er really couldn’t believe that this young man was truly the infamous "lick dog" known throughout the school. She had been curious about this for a long time, just too shy to ask.

"It’s all in the past, there’s nothing worth saying."

Jiang Chen shook his head.

"Then, Senior Jiang, do you think one should choose someone they like, or someone who likes them?"

Luo Li’er quickly tried a different way of asking.

Pei Yunxi looked at the river’s glittering surface, remaining silent.

Jiang Chen gave a wry smile.

Why does this girl keep asking him such tricky questions?

"Junior Luo, I feel this question is somewhat redundant for you."

"Why?"

"Because I think you wouldn’t face such a dilemma. It’s only a matter of whether or not you like someone; it’s unlikely that there would be someone who wouldn’t like you."

Luo Li’er certainly heard the praise implicit in his reply. Her lips curved into a charming smile. Although a bit tipsy, her mind wasn’t slow, and she quickly pressed further, "Senior Jiang, do you like me too?"

Jiang Chen was suddenly at a loss for words.

"See, you say everyone would like me, yet you’re lying."

The silent Pei Yunxi, who was listening to their conversation, could not be seen clearly because of her mask, but the corners of her eyes crinkled, shining brighter than the moon in the sky.

"Senior Jiang, you haven’t answered my question yet."

Why are you asking me about feelings? Ask your sister; isn’t her experience far richer than mine?

Coughing lightly, Jiang Chen could only say, "I think this question varies from person to person, wise individuals may see it differently, as invaluable is the willingness."

Luo Li’er was clearly dissatisfied with such an evasive answer.

"Senior Jiang, can’t you give me some advice?"

"All I can say is, being with someone you like may bring you not only joy but also many other disappointments, while being with someone who likes you might make everything else seem easy, aside from the lack of an emotional spark."

"Isn’t there a perfect solution?"

Jiang Chen paused, "...Affection can be developed slowly. The most important thing is to see if you share similar values, if you can enjoy meals together, if you have common topics of conversation. Once these align, whether you like him or he likes you becomes less significant. Because under the bond of compatible souls, you will inevitably attract each other..."

Hearing this, Pei Yunxi could not help but take a glance at him.

"Hey! Quick, look over there, is that something drifting...?"

The boatman’s shout came from behind.

The canopy boat came to a halt.

Jiang Chen turned his head to look in the direction the boatman was pointing.

On the river surface, glowing faintly, a dark blob appeared, half-sunk, half-floating.

Jiang Chen’s pupils contracted, standing up, his expression filled with doubt and alarm.

That seemed to look like.

A person?!