Chapter 638
Drunkenness
Han Zhou overlooked one thing.
When Uncle Gu said the alcohol content was "not high," it was only relative to himself. As a seasoned womanizer, his alcohol tolerance was naturally far beyond that of ordinary people. However, the people at the table had almost never drunk alcohol before, and after only half a glass of wine, they were already tipsy and sleepy.
When dinner ended, the only ones who remained sober were Gu Lang, who had an excellent alcohol tolerance, Han Zhou and Wang Runxue, who hadn't touched a drop, and Zhong Ling, who had only taken a small sip before giving up.
Looking at the guzheng that was almost completely hanging on him, Han Zhou felt a bit of a toothache: "Uncle Gu, didn't you say that your wine wasn't very strong and wouldn't make people drunk?"
Gu Lang blushed and chuckled awkwardly, "It has nothing to do with the alcohol content. Everyone's having a good time tonight. It's not the alcohol that makes people drunk, it's the atmosphere that makes people drunk."
Before he could finish speaking, he was punched by his wife. Miao Yan'er, her face also flushed, mumbled, "Go and tidy up the guest rooms, so...so that everyone can stay at home tonight."
After saying that, he lay back down on the table and stopped moving completely.
Wang Runxue was terrified and asked worriedly, "Uncle, is Auntie alright?"
"Don't worry, she's fine. She's always like this when she's drunk."
Gu Lang smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself that after being beaten up for so many years, he had finally found a chance to get this woman drunk. He was determined to settle old scores tonight.
"What about the guzheng?" Wang Runxue asked again.
Gu Lang looked at his drunken daughter, watching her cling tightly to Han Zhou. Although he felt a pang of sadness, there was no worry in his eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "You can take it as a family trait. Both of them are physically strong, but their alcohol tolerance is terrible."
"Ok?"
Seemingly having overheard someone speaking ill of her, Gu Zheng frowned and reached out to grab Han Zhou's cheek.
"You knew and still let them drink it?"
Han Zhou winced in pain, gently patted Gu Zheng's back, and said a few kind words like he was coaxing a child, which made Gu Zheng loosen her grip slightly. He gasped, "I thought Gu Zheng's alcohol tolerance was inherited from you."
In fact, the reason why the mother and daughter both got drunk cannot be entirely attributed to genes; it was simply because they decided to have a drinking contest on a whim, which resulted in both of them getting hurt.
"I've said it before, getting drunk a few times now and then isn't a bad thing. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Gu Lang said casually, seemingly unconcerned, "You keep an eye on them first, I'll go and prepare the guest rooms."
"Forget it, Uncle Gu, don't bother."
Han Zhou tried for a long time but couldn't get the sloth-like Guzheng off him. He had no choice but to pick her up and said helplessly, "Your house only has one guest room, which can't accommodate so many people. I'll have to take them back one by one."
Gu Lang paused, turned around, and said seriously, "No, it's so cold outside. If anyone should be taking them, it should be me. You stay at home and take care of your Sister Miao and Gu Zheng."
You want me to stay home alone and do the dishes, right...? Han Zhou saw through his thoughts at a glance, but didn't expose him. He insisted, "I'll take them. You don't even know where they live."
"Oh?" Gu Lang raised an eyebrow, speaking casually, "So you know?"
"I know," Han Zhou said frankly.
Gu Lang gave him a deep look, but didn't delve into it further, simply asking, "Are you alright on your own?"
Han Zhou did not answer immediately. He first took the guzheng into the bedroom and settled it in, then returned to the table, gently nudged the half-drunk Ouyang Lianyu, and leaned down to ask, "Teacher Ouyang, can you still walk?"
"You can walk."
Ouyang Lianyu's face was flushed, not just from being drunk, but also from embarrassment—as a teacher, to be so drunk in front of her students was truly inappropriate. Fortunately, she was still quite conscious, and upon hearing the sound, she immediately composed herself and nodded calmly to show that she was fully awake.
Little did Han Zhou and the others know that in their eyes, she wasn't nodding at all, but rather shaking her head.
Han Zhou then looked at Zhong Ling, who shook her head slightly with a worried expression, indicating that her sister was completely drunk and unable to move.
"Where's Xiaoxiao?" Han Zhou asked Wang Runxue again.
Wang Runxue shook Xiao Xiaoxiao, but when she didn't respond, she shook her head as well: "She seems to be asleep."
Han Zhou sighed inwardly. This was why he hated alcohol; getting drunk would completely ruin everything. However, he didn't find it troublesome, since in a sense, everyone was drinking so much for his sake.
After considering for a moment, he said, "How about this, you two support Teacher Ouyang, and I'll carry Sister Yin and Xiaoxiao on my back."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lengqiu, who hadn't drunk much to begin with, simply lay down on the table and stopped moving.
Sure enough, the next second, Wang Runxue asked, "What about Senior Wang Lengqiu?"
Before Han Zhou could speak, Gu Lang, who had just finished tidying up the guest room, suggested, "Why don't we let her stay overnight? I remember this girl doesn't live nearby, does she?"
This was his rival's stronghold, so Han Zhou dared not let Wang Lengqiu stay. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw Wang Lengqiu raise her head at some point and softly say "thank you."
Han Zhou was startled, thinking she was drunk and confused, and quickly asked to confirm, "Senior Sister Leng Qiu, are you sure you want to stay?"
Wang Lengqiu tilted her head, then nodded slightly, and leaned back onto the table.
Shortly after, Han Zhou's phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Wang Lengqiu.
"I will try my best to become good friends with the guzheng."
He paused, feeling a mix of emotions. He first typed "sorry" in the chat box, then hesitated for a moment before deleting it and replacing it with "thank you".
"Why don't we let Xiaoxiao stay too?"
Just then, to further prove her sobriety, Ouyang Lianyu, who wasn't wearing glasses, pointed to the water dispenser and suggested, "She doesn't have anywhere to stay around here either."
I don't know who she mistook the water dispenser for.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was still unconscious, mumbled something as if in response, her voice barely audible, but the others still managed to hear it:
"I have a place to stay..."
"You have a place to stay?" Wang Runxue asked curiously. "Where do you live?"
"I have a place to stay..."
Xiao Xiaoxiao just kept repeating this sentence, as if she was just talking nonsense because she was drunk.
Han Zhou had long wanted to take Xiao Xiaoxiao home, so he said, "I'll arrange a place for Xiaoxiao to stay. As for you..."
"Don't worry about me, my dad will come to pick me up later."
Wang Runxue waved her hand, then looked troubled, "But my mother and my younger brother are in the car, so I might not be able to give you a ride..."
"It's alright, I'll call a designated driver and have him take Teacher Ouyang's car back," Han Zhou said nonchalantly, putting away his phone.
In fact, he didn't plan to call a designated driver; he intended to drive himself. It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend the money on a designated driver, but rather that there wasn't enough room for so many people in the car. However, since he hadn't yet obtained his driver's license, he couldn't say this out loud to avoid causing concern.
Looks like I need to get my driver's license as soon as possible, otherwise it will be inconvenient in many situations...
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, while Gu Lang was making hangover soup, Han Zhou carried Wang Lengqiu into the guest room.
Seeing him close the door and come out of the guest room, Wang Runxue clicked her tongue in amazement and said in a low voice, "You really know how to take advantage of people."
"You can also claim it," Han Zhou said without changing his expression. "What do you mean?"
Han Zhou glanced at her sideways: "Later, you'll carry Sister Yin and Xiao Xiao downstairs."
Wang Runxue fell silent.
……
At nine o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark, and snowflakes began to fall again. The temperature was even colder than the night before.
After finally managing to squeeze Zhong Yin and Xiao Xiaoxiao into the back seat, Han Zhou closed the car door, shutting out the wind and snow. He then sat in the driver's seat, started the engine, and the heater slowly rose.
"Senior, could you please help Sister Yin and Xiao Xiao fasten their seatbelts?"
As he spoke, he leaned over and fastened the seatbelt for Ouyang Lianyu in the passenger seat.
Ouyang Lianyu's head was spinning. In her dazed state, she thought Han Zhou was lying on her lap. Her already flushed face turned even redder, and her eyes were unfocused: "Why are you tying up the teacher?"
Han Zhou's lips twitched: "Teacher Ouyang, you should drink less in the future."
Ouyang Lianyu twisted her body a few times: "Even if the teacher is drunk, you can't tie the teacher up."
"That's a seatbelt."
"Even the seatbelt won't work, there are people watching..."
You know people are watching... Han Zhou ignored the drunkard and turned to Zhong Ling: "Senior, shall I take you and Sister Yin home first?"
"it is good."
Zhong Ling didn't care whether Han Zhou had a driver's license or not, and simply nodded.
"Then you can sleep in the car for a while, I'll wake you up when we get there."
The car started and drove smoothly on the road. Han Zhou wanted to concentrate on driving, but Zhong Ling in the back seat didn't seem sleepy at all. She suddenly asked, "Junior, why aren't you drinking tonight?"
Han Zhou was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Gu Zheng won't let me drink, and if I get drunk too, who will take you home tonight?"
He looked straight ahead and asked, feigning curiosity, "What about you? Why did you only take one sip and then stop?"
"Junior, you're bullying me again..."
Zhong Ling spoke weakly, her tone somewhat aggrieved, "You clearly saw me choke, and you even laughed then..."
Han Zhou couldn't help but chuckle, half-jokingly saying, "Senior, even if I really bullied you, you can't let Sister Yin hear this, or I'll be in big trouble."
Zhong Ling was slightly taken aback.
The scenery on both sides of the road rushed past the car window. She turned her head to look out the window. Only her own shadow was reflected in the glass. But as the streetlights passed by one by one, her sister's profile gradually appeared, until the hearing aid clearly entered her eyes.
“She can’t hear…” she said softly after a moment of silence.
Han Zhou's smile faded as he observed the girl's expression in the rearview mirror: "Thinking about something unpleasant again?"
Zhong Ling didn't answer, but instead tugged at the small cloth bag at her waist and said softly, "I've heard that people become braver when they're drunk, and they say what they really want to say and do what they really want to do... So I've always wanted to try it, but after trying it today, I realized that I don't even have the courage to get drunk."
Han Zhou slowed down the car and said calmly, "If alcohol were really that potent, the police would have used it as a truth serum long ago. Getting drunk is not a good thing."
Zhong Ling was somewhat surprised: "Junior, don't you believe in people speaking the truth after drinking?"
"I don't quite believe it. Even before my dad abandoned me, he was often drunk, but I've never seen him tell the truth more than a few times."
The junior rarely mentioned his father, and even though it was somewhat presumptuous, Zhong Ling couldn't help but ask, "What kind of talk?"
Having probably noticed Han Zhou's expression in the rearview mirror, she added somewhat awkwardly, "If it's inconvenient, then don't force yourself..."
"Nothing inconvenient."
Han Zhou looked straight ahead. "Isn't he in debt everywhere? He gets no fewer than thirty debt collection calls a day, but whether he's sober or drunk, he always says on the phone that he'll pay it back tomorrow. Do you think that's the truth?"
Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Perhaps... he really wants to return it tomorrow?"
"It has nothing to do with whether you want to or not."
Han Zhou shook his head. "That's when I understood that the truth should at least be a face-to-face conversation between two people. Through a phone screen, no one can be sure whether it's the truth or a debt that can never be repaid."
"Did...did your uncle later have a face-to-face meeting with the creditors?"
"Yes, we've used more than just alternating current; we've even used alternating current electricity," Han Zhou said seriously.
"Ah?" Zhong Ling's face turned pale.
"Just kidding, don't take it seriously."
Seeing that she was frightened, Han Zhou quickly apologized and then continued, "But after that, he changed quite a bit."
"What has changed?"
"He's not answering his creditors' calls anymore."
Zhong Ling lowered her head and tried to hold back her laughter for a long time, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then she became a little nervous and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh..."
"It's okay, I was just saying all this to make you happy."
Zhong Ling was taken aback.
Han Zhou smiled and said, "I used to dislike talking about my dad. To be honest, it's quite embarrassing to have a father like that. I'm bringing him up now not because I'm drunk, nor because I'm not afraid of losing face anymore. It's just that, compared to all that, I want to make you happier—do you understand what I mean?"
"I don't quite understand..."
"Actually, I don't quite understand either."
Han Zhou pushed the head on his shoulder to the side and continued, "But like you just said, to say what we really want to say and do what we really want to do, maybe we're both drunk tonight."
"But you didn't drink anything tonight..."
The snow outside the window seemed to be falling more heavily, pattering against the car window and melting into winding water streaks from the heater, much like some unfulfilled worries.
The light from the streetlamp refracted through the water droplets, casting flickering shadows on his profile.
"Don't take it too seriously, senior."
He chuckled softly.
"Didn't you only take a small sip of wine too?" (End of Chapter)