After You Sanmei fell asleep, Chen Jinsheng slipped out. First, he found a place to buy ten eggs.
Once he had them, he hurried over to Dapi’s place to find Ma Zi and Gan Zi.
He rounded up Ma Zi, Gan Zi, and Dapi too—all four of them marched noisily toward the stall at the village entrance.
But the moment they sat down on the folding stools, Chen Jinsheng felt strangely uneasy all over.
His heart raced, and he couldn’t seem to settle his hips properly.
He frowned, shifting restlessly a few times until the little stool creaked and groaned under him.
Dapi said innocently, “Brother Sheng, what’s wrong? Did you get heat rash on your butt?”
Ma Zi let out a few lewd snickers, his eyes drifting from the eggs by Chen Jinsheng’s feet down between his legs.
“Dapi, I bet you’ve never peed next to Brother Sheng, huh?”
“Tsk tsk tsk—seriously, judging by the size of that thing, it probably would chafe enough to give you a rash! Hahaha!”
Chen Jinsheng’s skin crawled instantly. He shot Ma Zi a sharp glare. “Cut it out! How crude can you get?”
“Who stares that closely at someone else’s business when they’re peeing?”
“Exactly, Brother Sheng~” Ma Zi grinned. “You know exactly what we’re talking about. If it were just a little ‘spot’, would we even notice?”
“Yours… is kinda hard to miss, you know!”
This wasn’t just empty boasting—it was the plain truth.
Gan Zi nodded vigorously, unusually earnest. “It’s true, Brother Sheng. You have no idea how many people are jealous of you. Some even asked us what tonics you take!”
“Tonics my ass!” Chen Jinsheng scowled. “A healthy young man my age taking tonics? That’d just ruin me!”
Dapi finally caught on to what they were talking about and couldn’t help stealing a quick glance.
He happened to look right as Chen Jinsheng spread his legs to pull a cigarette pack from his pocket.
Dapi’s eyes went wide. He muttered to himself in a daze, “Holy cow… even when you’re just lying there, it’s already that big…”
Chen Jinsheng leaned in closer. “What’d you say?”
“N-nothing!” Dapi snapped his legs shut in a hurry, looking dejected. “Nothing! I just… didn’t eat enough at noon. My stomach’s growling, that’s all!”
“Hey now.” Chen Jinsheng patted his smooth head. “Been busy at lunch? Don’t be shy—if you want more later, just say so.”
This stall sold sheep offal noodles. Within ten minutes, their small low table was heaped with food: four bowls of sheep offal noodles, an extra serving of plain offal, a small plate of fried peanuts, and several ice-cold bottles of beer.
Ma Zi popped the cap off one with his teeth and handed it to Chen Jinsheng.
Chen Jinsheng swatted it away. “Gross—your saliva’s all over the bottle. I’ll do it myself.”
He pressed the cap against the table edge and flicked it up.
Pop. It opened easily.
Dapi opened his mouth, wanting to tell him to take it easy—they all knew Chen Jinsheng couldn’t hold his liquor at all. A few bottles and he’d turn red-faced and start slurring his words.
But he also knew Chen Jinsheng wouldn’t want to hear it.
So he gritted his teeth, grabbed a bottle, and fumbled until he finally managed to pop the cap the same way. “I… I wanna learn too!”
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to drink!”
If he drank a little more, maybe Brother Sheng would drink a little less.
Ma Zi and Gan Zi whooped and cheered. “That’s right, Dapi! What kind of man doesn’t drink or smoke? Where’s your masculinity?”
“Drink up—Brother Sheng’s treating us today!”
After downing half a bottle of beer, Chen Jinsheng finally picked up his chopsticks and slurped up his noodles.
Even though he’d eaten at noon, he still had plenty of room. He never seemed to get full.
But just as he was about to reach for the sheep offal, his hand froze mid-air.
“……”
A faint look of hesitation crossed his face.
Sheep offal… isn’t that supposed to be pretty nourishing?
Hmm… maybe better not eat it.
He was already burning with pent-up energy as it was—he’d hurried out partly because he couldn’t hold it in any longer. If he stayed in the same room with her any longer, he really might lose control.
Damn… her lips are small, but they’re not thin at all. So soft… feels so good to kiss…
She’s skinny, sure… but she’s got curves in all the right places…
“Brother Sheng! Brother Sheng!” Dapi leaned in quickly, whispering, “You only had half a bottle and you’re already turning red? Maybe you should stop—drinking this early in the day’ll make you feel terrible!”
Chen Jinsheng lifted the bottle to his lips, but suddenly snapped out of his daze. He huffed by accident—
SPLASH!
“Hahaha!” Ma Zi doubled over laughing. “Brother Sheng—what was that? Practicing mouth-to-mouth on the bottle? Hahaha!”
Chen Jinsheng’s expression darkened. He slammed the bottle down hard, jaw tight. “What? Never seen someone choke on beer before?”
“Last time you drank, you hiccuped and it came out your nose—did I say a word?”
Gan Zi saw the mood turn sour and slapped Ma Zi hard on the back twice. “Can’t you ever shut your damn mouth?”
“Brother Sheng, I told you you shouldn’t pay. He messed up last night and offended you and your wife—he was supposed to apologize properly!”
“He’s paying! Absolutely him!”
Dapi gasped and stretched his neck out, curious. “Did… did you guys see Sister-in-law when you went to get Brother Sheng last night?!”
“What’s she look like? Brother Sheng didn’t even throw a wedding banquet… I’ve never met her…”
Ma Zi rolled his eyes and drawled, “Ohhhh, you have no idea—our Sister-in-law is gorgeous! And not just pretty—she’s so clingy with Brother Sheng! Can’t sleep a wink without him!”
“Think that’s why I couldn’t get him to come out for a drink last night?”
Gan Zi nodded eagerly. “Exactly! When Brother Sheng even looked at her a little sharp, her eyes turned all watery—like she was about to cry!”
“What could we do? We couldn’t just drag him away!”
“See? That’s how awesome Brother Sheng is—he’s got his new wife wrapped around his finger. Scared of him, but can’t live without him.”
“Now that’s skill!”
He gave Chen Jinsheng a thumbs-up, full of admiration.
“…Heh.” Chen Jinsheng’s ears burned slightly. He clicked his tongue, acting like it was nothing. “It’s nothing. Just keeping my wife in line. Why’s everyone making such a big deal out of it?”
“Quit yapping and eat. And forget what happened last night—let it go.”
“Am I the kind of guy who holds grudges? I said I’d pay, so I’m paying—no arguments!”