Her face was flushed red, her eyes shimmering and unfocused, her lips moist and glossy. It was clear she was already drunk.
Meng Zeyan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at his mother.
Xing Cui assumed she simply wanted to drown her sorrows in alcohol and nodded. “Pour her some.”
That girl probably had all kinds of worries bottled up inside her. If she got drunk, so be it!
Wasn’t there a saying—drowning sorrow in wine?
Meng Zeyan lifted the bottle and poured another cup for Tang Huan.
Meng Qinghe had also finished his drink and quickly pushed his glass forward.
Meng Zeyan pulled the bottle back. “Dad, forget it.”
Meng Qinghe glared at him in anger, but after meeting Xing Cui’s warning gaze, he reluctantly put his glass down.
Just moments ago, he had thought it was a good thing—but now, watching his treasured liquor being poured cup after cup into Tang Huan’s hands, all he felt was heartache.
“This wine was something you sent me three years ago!”
Meng Zeyan tried to soothe Old Meng. “I’ll buy you more later.”
“I’ll buy it for you too.” Tang Huan drank down the wine in her cup in one gulp and smiled at Old Meng as she spoke.
Her head felt slightly dizzy, but she wasn’t uncomfortable. For some reason, her mood had suddenly become especially good.
After speaking, Tang Huan lifted her cup again toward Meng Zeyan and tilted her head with a soft smile. “Brother, I want more to drink!”
Meng Zeyan only felt as if something invisible had struck his chest hard, a feeling he couldn’t clearly define.
He looked at her for a few seconds, then pushed the wine bottle aside toward Xing Cui. He stood up, left the table, and walked toward the courtyard gate.
Tang Huan watched him leave in confusion, then turned her cup in another direction and softly said to Xing Cui, “Mom, I still want to drink~”
“I’ll pour it for you.” Xing Cui picked up the bottle and filled her cup, then glanced toward the gate again.
Half of the wine in the bottle ended up in Tang Huan’s stomach. Her drunkenness grew heavier and heavier. She felt as though even her mother-in-law was swaying, and when she looked down, even the table was shaking.
She pressed both hands on the table and angrily looked at it. “Don’t move! The plates are going to fall off!”
Meng Qinghe got up to clear the dishes, while Xing Cui stayed with the drunk Tang Huan in the courtyard.
“Little Huan, do you want to vomit?”
Tang Huan shook her head. She didn’t want to vomit—she just felt dizzy.
Xing Cui pulled a chair closer, sat beside her, and wrapped an arm around her head, letting it rest on her shoulder. “Little Huan, lean on Mom and rest for a bit.”
Tang Huan was still conscious. She closed her eyes and leaned against her mother-in-law’s shoulder, and finally, nothing in front of her was swaying anymore.
“Mom, I really like you! You and Dad are so good to me, and Brother is a good person too. I never thought I would have parents who cared about me.” As emotions and alcohol mixed together, Tang Huan couldn’t hold back her sadness. “Waaah… I don’t want to leave. I still want to earn money in the future and take care of you all. I want to support you in old age~”
It was the first time Xing Cui had heard her speak from the heart. To say she wasn’t moved would be a lie. Tears welled up before she could stop them, and she quickly wiped them away. “Silly girl, what are you talking about taking care of us in old age! You’re still young—you’ll get married someday.”
“I won’t get married.” Tang Huan shook her head against her shoulder, shaking so hard she almost fell over, but was quickly steadied by Xing Cui.
She had thought about going to university, getting a job, buying a house, making money—but she had never once thought about marriage.
She could get along with people temporarily, even spend her days interacting with all kinds of people, but at night, she just wanted to lie alone in her own bed.
She didn’t want to share her life with someone else, nor invade someone else’s life, and she didn’t want to change herself.
Xing Cui pinched her cheek helplessly. “Is Little Huan afraid because of her past? Don’t be afraid. When you meet someone you like again, you’ll want to get married.”
Tang Huan’s tongue was no longer obedient. She struggled to explain, “N-no… not scared… not… marry.”
Xing Cui sighed silently. “Are you sleepy? Mom will take you back to your room to sleep.”
Tang Huan was already getting drowsy and only gave a soft “mm.”
Xing Cui helped her stand up. The girl ate quite well, so why didn’t she gain weight? When she first married into the family, she had a bit of flesh on her, but now she was so thin that she could almost be lifted with a little force.
She helped her back to the room and laid her on the bed. Before leaving, Xing Cui even placed a pillow at the edge of the bed so she wouldn’t roll off in the night.
After coming out of Tang Huan’s room, she locked the door.
She looked toward the main room. It was dark—Meng Zeyan still hadn’t come back.
After thinking for a moment, she didn’t return to the main room. Instead, she walked toward the gate.
Outside the courtyard, there was no one. The alley was pitch black. She had walked this road for years and was used to finding her way in the dark.
Following the alley, she found Meng Zeyan at the entrance, smoking.
Tiny points of fire flickered in the darkness, one after another.
Having been in the military for years, his awareness was sharp. Before she even got close, he already knew it was her.
“Got something on your mind? Tell Mom about it,” Xing Cui said gently. She always felt she didn’t understand her eldest son well enough.
Meng Zeyan put out the cigarette. “Nothing. Just thinking about how to handle some things.”
Xing Cui grabbed his arm. “Walk with Mom. I ate a bit too much for dinner.”
Meng Zeyan didn’t respond and simply walked beside her. He hadn’t lied—he really had been thinking about how to deal with Li Feng.
But it wasn’t the only thing on his mind.
“Mom doesn’t understand many things and can’t really help you,” Xing Cui said. “But there are things I can help with. Like… is there a girl you like? Or you don’t know how to pursue one?”
Meng Zeyan smiled. “Mom, you should ask Aunt Song if she needs help—go help her instead!”
Aunt Song was a famous matchmaker in the area.
Trying to give advice kindly but being ignored, Xing Cui pinched his arm in frustration. “You just keep everything bottled up inside.”
Meng Zeyan dodged her playful pinch with a smile and said nothing more.
After their walk, Xing Cui didn’t continue the topic and instead talked about how often he could return after taking his post at the military base.
In principle, Meng Zeyan could come home every day since he would have a vehicle and guards assigned, but the base was more than two hours away.
Daily trips would waste too much time, so he planned to come back once a week or once every half month.
Xing Cui had no objections. Compared to seeing him only once every few years, once a week or half a month was already very good.
After chatting for a while, their walk ended.
Meng Zeyan walked straight into the main room. Xing Cui glanced toward Tang Huan’s room. She wondered if Little Huan was feeling okay.
She was not.
Her head felt heavy.
That was the first thing Tang Huan felt when she woke up. She held her head and thought for a long time before remembering—she had drunk alcohol.
It had tasted quite good, but afterward, it had made her feel terrible.
She reached for the watch beside her pillow and looked at it: 10:35.
She hadn’t gone to class yesterday and had originally planned to go today…
After a long recovery, Tang Huan finally got out of bed. Aside from a heavy head, she didn’t feel any other discomfort.