Chapter 25 - Twenty-five: A Wine Ghost
Su Hengxuan saw that the corners of Han Yu’s mouth were clearly rising, and he was even more annoyed. How could his stance be so fickle? Earlier, he kept calling him “that Han family kid,” and now he’s suddenly a “good son-in-law.” He picked up the wine pot and said, “Mother is right. As my sister’s husband has come to visit, I should indeed accompany you to drink a few more glasses. Today, we won’t return until we’re drunk!”
Determined to get Han Yu drunk, Han Yu was not someone to back down. He immediately responded, “Alright, we won’t return until we’re drunk!”
At this moment, Su Wenyue was too distracted to care about them. She salivated over the aroma of the meals and the wine from the pot. The family’s chef’s cooking was beyond reproach, and the wine, brewed with a secret recipe unique to the Su family, was certainly many years aged in the old cellar and brought out to entertain the son-in-law. When tasted, it was sweet, mellow, and smooth, leaving an aftertaste to savor.
As Su Hengxuan was pouring wine for Han Yu, Su Wenyue hurriedly pushed her glass forward, looking at it eagerly. Su Hengxuan, however, completely ignored her and did not pour any wine for her.
“Elder brother, pour me some wine, too. I want to drink!” Su Wenyue was dissatisfied and made her desire clear. Previously, whenever she wanted to drink, the family would always say she was too young and that children shouldn’t drink wine. She hadn’t really been interested in wine after sneaking a few tastes before, but now Su Wenyue was craving it.
In her previous life, when she was alone in that mansion, she would often enjoy a few drinks. Later, she became infatuated with drinking; when that person did not come, she would drink herself into oblivion to forget her regret and loneliness. There’s a saying “Drown your sorrows in wine.” Though her sorrows remained, she developed a craving for alcohol. So, upon seeing wine, Su Wenyue couldn’t resist the urge, even though she was not yet addicted, she still wanted to drink a few cups.
“You’re a woman, what business do you have drinking wine? Let your husband drink. Stop meddling and eat your food. Today, mother specially had the kitchen prepare many dishes you love.”
“Mind your own business. I want to drink. I’m a married woman now, and my husband hasn’t objected. You have no say over me. Fill it up!” Su Wenyue glanced at Han Yu, then spoke assertively to Su Hengxuan. She turned to Mr. Su with a sweet and coquettish tone.
“Father, our family’s wine tastes so good. I want to drink, you know. It’s so rare for us to be this happy together. How could we not have wine? That would be too boring. Father… I want to drink, please?!” Su Wenyue drew out her voice, looking plaintively at Mr. Su.
“Alright, alright. Since our son-in-law is also here today and Yueyue wants to drink, let her have a small glass. After all, she has her husband to look after her.” When it didn’t come down to matters of principle, Mr. Su was most helpless against his daughter’s charms and instructed his son to follow her wishes.
Su Hengxuan looked at Su Wenyue with disdain. Since childhood, she had always used this tactic; if she couldn’t get something, she’d go to father to get it. It was so pitiful. Although he said so, Su Hengxuan still didn’t dare to defy his father’s wishes and poured the wine for Su Wenyue.
“That’s it, just this one glass. No more, enjoy it, you little glutton.”
“So stingy.” Su Wenyue muttered under her breath, happily accepted the wine, took a small sip, and squinted her eyes in enjoyment, looking every bit the part of a wine enthusiast. This amused both Han Yu and the Su family.
But a small cup was really not enough. Su Wenyue drank very sparingly, sipping just a little each time, and soon, her cup was empty. She looked at Su Hengxuan, who didn’t give her the slightest attention. After scanning the room and seeing no chance of more wine, she put down her cup and turned to Han Yu with a mischievous idea.
Men have it better indeed! Drinking without such restrictions, looking at the wine in Han Yu’s cup, Su Wenyue thought that since Han Yu had treated her well today, maybe she could… Hehe, she reached out and tugged at Han Yu’s clothes. When Han Yu looked at her, she quickly looked at his cup of wine, her intentions clear.
Han Yu raised an eyebrow, not realizing his wife enjoyed wine this much. Seeing how eagerly she looked at the wine, he was amused. However, in front of his father-in-law and cousin, it wasn’t good to indulge her. Plus, from the looks of it, Su Wenyue wasn’t someone who drank often. Although the wine was tasty, it also had a strong kick. Su Wenyue had already had a small cup, and another might lead to her getting drunk.
Seeing that Han Yu understood her, Su Wenyue blinked her eyes and flashed a pleasing smile, thinking Han Yu was quite understanding. But once again, her request was ignored, and the smile on Su Wenyue’s face stiffened as she let go of Han Yu’s clothes, her gaze still lingering on the cup of wine.
Su Wenyue had finally found an opportunity as Han Yu and Mr. Su were deep in conversation. A newly filled cup of wine was on the table, and she stealthily stretched out her hand, trying to sneak a little wine. Unfortunately, Han Yu noticed her every move from start to finish.
Han Yu glanced at Su Wenyue, his eyes filled with a warning. Su Wenyue’s hand hesitated. He really was too shrewd! Fully engaged in the conversation, he still managed to pay attention to her. It’s not like he had eyes in the back of his head, thought Su Wenyue in her mind, yet her hand didn’t move away from the wine cup.
Based on past experiences, the daughter-in-law was usually quite sensible. Han Yu thought that Su Wenyue would withdraw her hand obediently, but he underestimated the allure of fine wine to a wine enthusiast. After pondering for a moment, Su Wenyue quickly brought the cup to her lips and gulped down the contents in one go, allowing no one the chance to stop her. Han Yu’s eyes twitched; this little girl… was the wine really that irresistible?
“Daughter, you, you…” Mr. Su stuttered, clearly shocked. Neither Mr. Su nor the An family knew about their daughter’s fondness for alcohol and they were nearly floored by the scene.
“Pfft!” Su Hengxuan had not expected his younger sister to show such a delightful side and nearly spit out the wine in his mouth from laughing. It was hilarious! Looking at Han Yu’s dumbfounded expression, he was even more amused. His sister was no ordinary woman; she was full of surprises, and he had had his fair share of cleaning up her messes. It wasn’t easy for Han Yu to have such a wife. Thinking this, Su Hengxuan felt less inclined to trouble Han Yu. Being a man was tough, but being his sister’s husband was even tougher.
After his initial surprise, Han Yu grew worried that Su Wenyue might easily get drunk from drinking so much. His cup, much larger than Su Wenyue’s tiny one, was filled to the brim with wine, and she had just gulped it down in a few hefty swigs..