少年白马醉春风
002 桑落柴烬 (read Sang Luo Chai Jin)
Chapter 002 Mulberry and Firewood ashes
The drunken spearman burped, rubbed his eyes, and said sternly, “Who dares to make trouble again?”
The eight retainers immediately drew the long swords from their waists.
The white-browed man squinted his eyes, carefully sizing up the spearman in front of him, his face was pale, his hair was messily draped behind his back and tied casually with a string, typical of a Jiang Hu wanderer’s outfit. But looking closely at that face, he should be about the same age as the little boss, just a teenager. Just now, the moment that spear touched the ground, his martial arts’s skill or power were probably extremely unusual.
“Are you cursing me? Everyone who came to my shop is making trouble?” The spearman was slapped hard on the head, only to see that Bai Dongjun had already walked over and slapped him on the head. He didn’t seem to be relieved or let off his anger so he kicked him again, “I’ve been waiting for thirteen days and I’ve finally waited for one table of honorable guests? You’re going to beat it away? You’re a money losing commodity!”
The spearman burped again, his sanity seemed to have sobered up a bit. He looked at the table filled with twelve jugs of wine, his eyes lit up and he took a step forward, “Since you guys are an honored guest, share me a cup of wine to drink.” His figure was extremely fast, with one step he had already leapt onto the table, reaching out to the nearest cup of wine, the closest attendant was about to swing his sword, but he saw that another person had already swept out from the other side, stopping in front of him; that person stretched out his one hand and firmly pushed down the spearman’s hand.
The spearman raised his head and met that white eyebrow, his heart suddenly went cold.
The white eyebrowed man smiled, “I still have to bring this wine to someone, if this little brother wants to drink it, I still have much left from that five hundred taels of silver draft, so I might as well give it to you, this little brother.”
The spearman shook his head and seemed to have finally sobered up from his drunken sleep. He withdrew his hand, gently rubbed it, and retraced his steps back to the corner, continuing to bury his head in the crook of his arm and sleep soundly.
“I really should go to the temple to worship, I’ve been unlucky since I came to Chaisang City, and I’ve even met a money loser idiot like you!” Bai Dongjun still kicked to relieve his anger, but the spearman’s body gently slanted a little and skilfully dodge away.
The white-browed man still smiled kindly and didn’t seem to mind, then he turned his head to the attendants and said, “We have done drinking. Let’s go.”
“Yes.” The retainers retrieved their swords and turned to walk out.
One of the retainers was the slowest to get up, seemingly still savoring the taste of the wine, and the other person beside him gently pushed him, “Xue Zheng, what are you in daze for ah?”
The attendant called Xue Zheng shook his head, “It really is good wine ah.” He grinned at Bai Dongjun before getting up and walking out as well.
The white-browed man took the two remaining wines on the table and followed suit.
“If the honored guest is free, you guys must come often here ah.” It was rare for Bai Dongjun to meet a guest who knew about wine. Since the other party had also drunk the autumn white dew (Qiu Lou Bai) that he made, he naturally couldn’t help but solicit a little.
However, the white-browed man suddenly seemed like a different person, not only did he not reply to his words, he didn’t even turn his head for a moment. The carriage driver held the umbrella open at the entrance and the white-browed man handed him a jug of wine, and walked into the carriage while bringing the other jug of wine.
“There’s one (more) person in that carriage.” The spearman raised his head up once again and said in a low voice.
Bai Dongjun nodded, “I counted it out when he just said there was one more cup of wine available for me.”
“There is no need to count, we martial arts practitioners can look for Qi, the Qi of this carriage is not right.” The spearman said.
Bai Dongjun pouted his mouth, “Bullying me for not being good at martial arts?”
The white-browed man got into the carriage, the driver picked up the wine and emptied a jug at one gulp, then glanced at Bai Dongjun and casually threw the wine jug in his hand onto the ground, then violently raised his whip and rushed ahead and drive off without a second thought for those left behind.
When Bai Dongjun saw this scene, he was instantly enraged, he rushed to the door in a few steps, picked up the pieces of the wine pot and threw them towards the cart driver, and at that moment, still not relieved of his anger, he cursed loud and long “My wine was given to such a rough fellow to drink, what a waste!”
The car driver did not turn his head back. With just a whip, unexpectedly make that broken piece of jug back straight to Bai Dongjun. Bai Dongjun was stunned, not yet back to his senses, that a piece of broken jug had been held in the hands of a person. The spearman had a toothpick in his mouth, and with that fragment in his hand, he muttered, “This honorable guest might as well not come.”
Within the carriage, the white-browed man took out a wine jug made of white jade, poured a cup and handed it to the person beside him, “Not anyone in particular, it’s a brewer, not very old, no more than seventeen at the most, saying that it’s a shop left by his family’s ancestors, and that he’s been assigned to run it for a bit. Not from Chai Sang. I also tried him, his martial arts skills are very low.”
“But just now, I heard it.” The person beside him spoke slowly, his voice light-hearted and gentle. It’s unexpectedly a young lady.
“It’s one of his guards, his martial arts is not bad, but it’s not considered strong either. At least on this street, there are people who are stronger than him.” The white-browed man continued.
“How did an outsider get a shop on Long Shou Street (Long Shou means Dragon Head or Chief) ? What’s his name?”
“Bai Dongjun.”
“Bai Dongjun? I haven’t heard of this name, the Bai Family from Lingnan [old term for south China, esp. Guangdong and Guangxi], separated from this Xibei by thousands of miles, wouldn’t come to get into this muddy water. It’s just his bad luck then.” The woman picked up the wine cup as she spoke and gently took a sip, then her eyes lit up as she sighed in admiration, “Good wine.”
“It’s indeed a good wine. That’s why I guess he has nothing to do with this matter. Because a person who can brew such good wine must not have his mind set on anything else. This wine is a few points behind in terms of mellowness or richness, but it’s exquisite and clear, so if it’s not a young man with a simple mind, he can’t brew it.” The white-browed man replied.
The woman put the wine cup down, leaving a seductive vermilion (bright red) lip print on it as she looked at the name of the wine on the jug.
Sang Luo (Sang Luo is the name of the wine, but literally 桑落: Sang means Mulberry while Luo means fall or go down).
“Sang Luo, Sang Luo, Chaisang Perish (柴桑 read Chaisang, it’s the city name but literally Chai means firewood and Sang means Mulberry, while 陨落 read: Yunluo means fell down). It’s such a good name ah.” The woman was beaming with a smile.
The carriage stopped.
The carriage driver lifted the curtain, “We have arrived at Gu Mansion.”
In the middle of the Donggui Tavern or wine shop, which had once again become deserted after sending away this wave of distinguished guests, Bai Dongjun sat his butt down on the stair and sighed, “Do you think we’ve encountered some special festival in Sang Luo City, a special day where people can’t go out to buy anything, but the people selling things still come out to receive customers yet still remain joyful, as if nothing has happened? “
[东归〔東歸〕read dōngguī: literally means to return east, figuratively means to return to one’s homeland]
The spearman sat on the stairs (it could also mean bench) with Bai Dongjun, scratching his head for a while and catching louse (Pediculus humanus) for a while, “Where is there such a strange festival? Do you think that the people in Sang Luo City have bad brains?”
“Then how do you explain this phenomenon?” Bai Dongjun pointed at the opposite door.
The butcher who sold meat had his hands up and down as if he had endless meat to cut and bones to chop.
That old woman embroidered flowers using her needles on the shoes and the birds on her flowery shoes seemed as if they were going to fly the next moment.
“It’s probably your bad luck(fate/life).” The spearman raised his head and returned impatiently.
“That’s right, ahl, I have a bad fate.” Bai Dongjun said angrily, “It’s only a bad fate that I’m reduced to sitting here basking in the sun with a wanderer who doesn’t take a bath!”
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