Chapter 107: Drunk
The induction cooker was turned on, the hot pot base went in, and when the water was almost boiling, the ingredients were poured in. This year’s first hot pot meal began just like that.
The old year ended, and the new year arrived, accompanied by joyful sounds as the hot pot broth boiled.
“Let’s eat!”
Dai Wenqian excitedly picked up her chopsticks and lifted the lid. This year’s start was pretty good.
Yu Linna ate happily. She loved having delicious food and eating until she couldn’t move. She remembered when she was very little, she celebrated the New Year at someone else’s house. Everyone gathered around a table, a hot pot in the center, adding food and eating, while she silently nibbled fried rice in the corner.
For so many years, she rarely had the chance to eat her fill, but since the end of last year, she had always been full, no longer experiencing hunger. To encounter such happiness, and for this happiness to last continuously…
Such a wonderful life, she really wanted it to continue like this, on and on, forever.
Even if she had no other relatives in this world, even if she had no parents, that didn’t matter. As long as she had everyone by her side, even without family, so what? If everyone was here, she was also here, never alone again.
“Is it that delicious? I didn’t even add chili peppers. Why are you crying?”
Eh?
Hearing Dai Wenqian say this, Yu Linna only then realized that tears streamed down her face. She pulled out a tissue and wiped them. How embarrassing. Even crying while eating, she had to control herself.
“Nothing, I just got some pepper in my eyes.”
“But I didn’t see you add pepper.”
“Nonsense! I said there was, so there was!”
Wiping away her tears, Yu Linna continued smiling, looking at the boiling water and the tumbling meatballs. This year was her happiest. She wasn’t alone anymore; she had friends.
In the past, she was always rushing around, always wandering, with no end in sight. Throughout elementary school, she was constantly changing schools. In six years, she had changed schools dozens of times, so she didn’t have any elementary school classmates she could still contact.
But now it was different; now, she had friends.
It was no longer just Nangong Ying.
She could live peacefully.
Ye Zhiyun looked at the smiling girl, her heart tightening. Others might not know, but didn’t she know what Yu Linna was thinking? Of the few people present, only she knew Yu Linna had no parents since childhood, just an orphan. And having wandered since young, she never experienced warmth. She had just realized, she finally had happiness.
“I told you, I can give you everything you don’t have. Now, I’ve fulfilled my promise. You don’t need to be sad for the past, nor happy for the present. Your future belongs only to yourself.”
Life is so long; live well, and you will find what’s valuable.
The current Yu Linna seemed to be slowly understanding what she sought.
“Fatty beef time! Everyone, come eat! It’s delicious!”
“Wenqian, don’t be impatient, slow down. There’s still so much we haven’t eaten.”
“Call me Wenqian.”
Everyone enjoyed the hot pot meal, feeling satisfied. This year’s beginning was really quite good.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Ye Zhiyun and Fang Jianing cleared the table and went to wash dishes in the kitchen. The meal ended. Yu Linna rubbed her round belly and collapsed onto the sofa. The happiest thing in life is being able to eat until you burst. She would still have plenty of opportunities in the future. Those days of not having enough to eat could finally be bid farewell.
“Since everyone’s full, shall we play mahjong?”
“Come on, Wenqian. Everyone’s stuffed. Let’s just watch TV. What mahjong?”
“If not mahjong, we need to do something. Come on, let’s drink!”
With that said, Dai Wenqian took a dozen beers from the fridge, her face flushed, eager to give it a go. Dai Wenqian was already 18, almost 19, legally an adult and allowed to drink.
“Why are we drinking? Some people can’t drink!”
“What does it matter? Everyone here is over 18. Linna should also be 18, right? Just a few months ago, she said she was 17.”
Everyone’s eyes fell upon Yu Linna. Yu Linna felt wronged. It’s just drinking; why must they ask for her opinion?
“Little Sister Linna, tell us, when’s your 18th birthday? Has it passed or not?”
“Yeah, Linna, when’s your birthday? We’ll go celebrate with you then.”
Yu Linna’s head was spinning; she just stood there, completely at a loss.
“Hey, don’t make things difficult for her…”
“Zhiyun, you step aside! You’re almost 19. In three months, you’ll be 19. You can drink. I’m asking Linna now, is she of legal drinking age?”
“Speaking of which, I’m also almost 19. My birthday is in a month and a half. Everyone, remember to come eat my cake~”
Ye Zhiyun, Dai Wenqian, and Fang Jianing, the three surrounded her, causing Yu Linna a big headache.
“I’ll just watch TV. You guys drink. Hahaha…”
“No way! Unless you tell me whether you’ve turned 18 or not, I won’t make things difficult for you!”
Dai Wenqian, the troublemaker king, really wasn’t going to let her off the hook, determined to find out her birthday. What could Yu Linna do except remain silent? But even so, Dai Wenqian wasn’t planning to let her go.
“Really not saying? If you don’t say it, you have to drink.”
The blonde girl sighed, feeling truly helpless.
“I count every year. After the first day of the Lunar New Year, I add one to my age automatically. According to that calculation, I should be 18 now.”
“Oh, although I don’t understand, but you’re already 18, right? Alright, let’s drink!”
Beer was served; now she couldn’t avoid it. Dai Wenqian picked up the bottle opener; bubbles fizzed, and the glass quickly filled with the yellow liquid. First time drinking alcohol, and it had to be under these circumstances? Forget it.
Although Fang Jianing wasn’t good at drinking, she also poured herself a glass, then sat next to Yu Linna, clinking glasses with her.
“Linna, when is your birthday? You didn’t even tell me when your birthday is. I told you, mine is in a month and a half. You should tell me too.”
“…”
Yu Linna quietly took a sip of the beer. The first time she tasted beer, it was bitter, hard to swallow. But she could still drink it; she just wasn’t used to it yet.
Even the bitterest beer has its enthusiasts.
But the bitterest heart, who would want to hear about it?
Actually, Yu Linna didn’t even know when her birthday was, nor when she was born.
She was displaced since she was young. Every day, just eating her fill was incredibly difficult; who would know when her birthday was? She just vaguely remembered that when she came to this world, it was very cold. And after that, she wasn’t clear; she had already been sold by then, didn’t know where she was taken.
How could she possibly know her birthday? If only she knew; she also wanted to know.
But it didn’t matter. She hadn’t celebrated her birthday since her last life either. It wouldn’t matter if she didn’t celebrate it in this life either. She lived longer in this life than her last; this was already enough.
“I’ll be there for your birthday.”
“Che, you refuse to tell me. Stingy. Come, drink.”
The alcohol spread in her mouth, filling her brain, taking away all her memories. Her consciousness fell.
“Zhiyun, want a drink? Let’s drink and eat peanuts!”
“I think you will definitely become an alcoholic in the future…”
“Come on, come on, eat peanuts~”
“Fine, fine, fine, if you insist. I’m not afraid of you! I’ve had my share of drinking parties.”
Dai Wenqian and Ye Zhiyun had already moved outside to the courtyard to drink, setting up a table. It could be seen that Dai Wenqian was in high spirits tonight, determined to get herself drunk. Just as Ye Zhiyun said, she would definitely become a bold alcoholic in the future.
And Yu Linna, only after one glass of beer, felt the alcohol spreading through her entire body. She felt hot, her consciousness began to blur, her face flushed red, swaying unsteadily.
“Hey, Linna, you’re drunk already? It’s just beer!”
Fang Jianing caught the swaying Yu Linna and helped her lie down on the sofa.
Yu Linna’s consciousness had already blurred, completely forgetting who she was. All her memories gushed forth, and she fell into a deep sea. By the time she realized it, there was no going back. Her entire being disappeared in the vast ocean.
Fang Jianing supported her and took her to the room to sleep. This child’s alcohol tolerance was really low, just one glass and she was completely drunk. But thinking about it, it was normal for a girl with her physique to not have a high alcohol tolerance.
“Don’t let go of me…”
Yu Linna clung to her shoulders, murmuring in her sleep, her flushed face turning from white to red.
Fang Jianing couldn’t help but smile wryly. This child was really drunk.
“Don’t kick me out, I’ll be good. Don’t drive me away, I’ll be very obedient…”
Her hands wrapped around her neck; Fang Jianing couldn’t even walk, only able to carry her on her back. But the words echoing by her ear were these.
She stopped, a little surprised, looking at the blonde girl on her back. A glistening teardrop flowed down the girl’s face, wetting her eyelashes.
“I won’t eat much. Just give me a steamed bun. Please don’t kick me out…”
She murmured again. This time, Fang Jianing felt the cool touch of liquid on her neck.
This child…
Had she experienced something?
Fang Jianing had never really learned about her past, didn’t know what she had gone through. But now, Yu Linna kept repeating “Don’t kick me out” behind her. What was she so afraid of?
All along, she thought Yu Linna was a girl who liked to take advantage and had a cheeky personality. But now it seemed like she wasn’t as simple as she imagined.
Putting her on the bed, covering her with the blanket, Fang Jianing, her heart heavy with complicated emotions, exited the room. Her back against the door, she felt awful. She suddenly recalled how Yu Linna had been unwilling to reveal her birthday tonight. Could it be related to this?
Fang Jianing didn’t dare to think further.
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