CH 45.1

“Did you win?” Meng Huan turned back.

Lin Bozhou: “Won.”

“……”

The Qingke’s voice stopped abruptly halfway through the sentence, looking slyly at Lin Bozhou and then at their genius chess player young master.

The young gentleman’s fingers clasped together and gently grasped his knees as if he couldn’t believe he had lost. However, he clapped his hands firmly after a long time, revealing a relieved and cheerful smile. “My skill in chess is not very good. I concede defeat. I will leave the seat at the boat’s bow to you two gentlemen.”

After saying that, he stood up and measured Lin Bozhou again under the light.

Meng Huan: “We will pay the bill. Thank you.”

His tone of voice carried gratitude and was also very friendly. Listening to it made Lin Bozhou’s eyes slightly turn to him, and the corners of his lips gently raised.

The young man opened his lips and added inexplicably, “This blind gentleman is a brilliant chess player. I admire him very much and am eager to learn from him. I wonder if I can befriend this gentleman or ask this gentleman to give me a little pointer?”

What did he mean?

Meng Huan was confused. Did he want to seduce Lin Bozhou?

According to Lin Bozhou’s character, he would shake his head and refuse, but he quietly said, “Just now I heard the sound of sire’s book flipping?”

The young man hurriedly said, “Yes. I was just reading <<The Collected Works of Old Mr. Gan>>.”

This famous Confucian of the Great Zong was good at writing texts and prose. Scholars competed to read his books and discuss his poems and literature.

Lin Bozhou drooped his eyes. “Sire can turn to page 37, the second line, the verse quoted after the sixth word.”

“…………”

Meng Huan’s face was full of amazement.

Did Lin Bozhou memorize the entire book?

He even remembered the exact location and number of words.

The young gentleman’s face was puzzled. He hurriedly flipped through the book and saw the line of poetry–

Blowing a pond of spring water.*

*A catchphrase to say it has nothing to do with you or being meddlesome.

He looked wide-eyed for a moment, clasped his fist, and stepped back. “I will take my leave.”

After saying that, he turned around and walked away.

His back disappeared inside the cabin. Meng Huan was still confused and asked, “What’s that verse?”

“It’s nothing,” Lin Bozhou led him to sit down. “It’s just to tell him to mind his own business.”

“……”

Meng Huan thought to himself: Is this the fight between cultured men?

He blinked his almond eyes and then finally sat down in the chair. The waiter diligently ran over. “Gentlemen, what would you like to eat and drink?”

Some wine categories were hanging on the bow of the decorated boat. Meng Huan looked at them for a while. He had not drunk much wine, so he looked down and asked Lin Bozhou, “What should we drink?”

“The yellow wine has a milder taste. You won’t be able to drink something too strong.”

Meng Huan: “Oh.”

The waiter recommended, “Jinhua wine then. It’s sweet and pure.”

Meng Huan listened and slowly lifted his hand. “ Wait.”

Although he was not really good at drinking and could not drink much before getting drunk, he came out to enjoy himself, so there was no harm in getting drunk. In addition, he always liked the pursuit of excitement. “Can we have something a bit strong?”

Meng Huan’s face was full of expectation.

The waiter: “White wine? How about Zhuyeqing? From Shaoxing, the dregs are soaked, and the taste is very strong. Or the capital’s Shaodao wine? We have everything here.”

Meng Huan pondered. “Then, we’ll have some of both.”

Lin Bozhou only listened quietly and did not say anything.

–If he had been born a few hundred years later, he could have come up with the phrase ‘you love to play although you suck at it’ to describe Meng Huan.

He also ordered dishes: a marinated goose, two plates of shelled peanuts, two plates of smoked beef, a roasted hare, and salt-cooked bamboo shoots and fennel beans. When the table was set, Meng Huan’s mood couldn’t be described as excited but very happy.

This was the normal life of people transmigrating into books, sitting on a decorated boat to enjoy the night view, drinking wine, eating snacks, gambling with friends, and experiencing the city’s fireworks with their boyfriends.

Meng Huan tasted the dishes on the table. The marinated goose tasted rich, salty, and sweet. As he ate one chopstick, he kept saying, “Woo, woo, woo.” “This is good. This is good. This is good. Here, I’ll feed you a piece–”

After saying that, he picked up a thinly sliced piece and sent it to Lin Bozhou’s lips. “Open your mouth.”

The excitement in his voice could not be hidden.

Lin Bozhou opened his lips, and the marinated goose went into his mouth. He chewed slowly, and Meng Huan’s expectant voice rang in his ears. “Delicious, right?”

Lin Bozhou felt amused and nodded.

Meng Huan immediately showed a happy smile. “Great!”

As in, he wanted to share the happiness with him.

Meng Huan was also particularly equal. He ate one bite for himself and fed one bite to Lin Bozhou. He ate fast while Lin Bozhou ate slowly. The fed Lin Bozhou gently raised his hand. “Okay, Huan Huan can eat by himself.”

“Oh.” Meng Huan nodded.

The wine hadn’t arrived yet, but he was slightly tipsy.

A few moments later, the wine also came up. The food guards checked to ensure it was safe and then went to stand aside again.

Meng Huan picked up the Jinhua wine, took a shallow sip, and poured a cup for Lin Bozhou. “Your Highness, want to try?”

Lin Bozhou drank the cup in one gulp.

Meng Huan picked up the white wine, but a spicy feeling entered the tip of his nose before he drank it. He held the cup and took a small sip, making a “zzz” movement. But once it was in his mouth, he still frowned at the spiciness.

“So spicy.”

Meng Huan felt this wine was unsuitable, so he handed the cup to Lin Bozhou.

Lin Bozhou still drank it all in one go, his expression unchanged.