Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 52 Uncle, please use

Wu Da bought some cooked meat, fresh vegetables, fruit, and steamed buns and returned home. After putting the things in the kitchen, he called out, "Sister-in-law, come down here and help me prepare the food and drinks."

The beautiful woman upstairs replied, "Look at that ignorant fool! My two uncles are here with no one to serve them, and you want me to leave them behind? What kind of behavior is this?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet carried a hint of reproach.

Zheng Tu remained silent.

Wu Song quickly said, "Sister-in-law, please make yourself at home. Don't worry about us."

The woman replied, "How can this be? My uncles are guests; how can they be left unattended? Why don't we go to the next room and ask Wang Qianniang to make the arrangements? It's just that this is rather inconvenient, and my uncles will have to laugh at us."

Upon hearing this, Wu Da slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "That's right! How could I forget about Wang Gan Niang!" With that, he hurriedly left and headed to Wang Po's teahouse next door.

Before long, Granny Wang came up with a smile and followed Wu Da.

How clever was this Wang Gan Niang? As soon as she entered the room, her old eyes darted between Zheng Tu, Wu Song, and Pan Jinlian. She then curtsied to Zheng Tu and Wu Song, and smiled at Pan Jinlian, saying, "Don't panic, madam, I'll help you."

He then cheerfully helped prepare the dishes, placing fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, and various snacks on the table, and also brought up two pots of hot wine.

About half an hour later, the wine and dishes were ready.

Wang Po glanced at Zheng Tu, Wu Song, and Pan Jinlian again, secretly making a plan in her mind, but she didn't show it on her face, only smiling and saying:

"Sir, gentlemen, and ladies, please enjoy your meal. My teahouse is still busy, so I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, he curtsied and went downstairs.

Wu Da gestured for the woman to sit in the head seat, the one facing the door. Zheng Tu sat opposite her, while Wu Song and Wu Da sat side by side.

The four sat down, and Wu Da picked up the wine pot, first filling Zheng Tu's cup, and then pouring a cup for Wu Song, Pan Jinlian and himself.

The beautiful woman, Pan Jinlian, raised her wine cup and said with a smile, "Uncles, please don't be offended. My home is simple, and I don't have much to offer. Please have a cup of wine to express my gratitude."

Zheng Tu and Wu Song raised their cups together and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. Don't say that. Such a sumptuous meal is already a rare treat."

Wu Da was clumsy with words and only focused on sipping the wine.

The woman smiled warmly, calling him "Uncle" repeatedly, and first picked up a piece of tender chicken with her chopsticks, handing it to Zheng Tu's bowl:

"Uncle Zheng, try this chicken."

He picked out another piece of braised beef and gave it to Wu Song: "Uncle Erlang, you can have some too."

Wu Song was a straightforward man who treated his sister-in-law as a close elder. Seeing her so attentive, he thanked her and accepted the gift.

Zheng Tu had a vague feeling that something was amiss: "Isn't this a bit too intimate? How can an uncle and sister-in-law serve food like this?"

Seeing that Wu Erlang hadn't said anything, she felt that refusing would make her seem pretentious and petty. So she had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it, thanking him and slowly eating the meat and vegetables.

The group ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

When Wu Da asked about Wu Song's time in Yanggu County, Wu Song recounted his tiger-fighting adventures and his duties at the government office, which everyone listened to with great interest.

During the meal, Wu Song recounted some amusing and strange stories from his time seeking refuge in distant places: a local gentry's wedding procession was mistakenly carried to the wrong door; a scholar on his way to take the imperial examination had his examination basket switched by a raccoon dog, and so on... He told these stories vividly, and everyone laughed.

When Zheng Tu saw this unknown side of Wu Erlang, which was both interesting and amusing, he laughed along.

As he was laughing, he glanced up and saw that Pan Jinlian wasn't looking at Wu Song, but her watery eyes were staring straight at him. She was covering her mouth with her slender, fair hand and smiling softly.

That look in his eyes seemed to be a mixture of joy and reproach... an indescribable feeling.

Zheng Tu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly picked up his wine cup, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp to cover it up.

As Wu Song was getting into the conversation, he suddenly noticed that Zheng Tu's expression was strange, so he asked, "Brother, is something wrong?"

Zheng Tu hurriedly shook his head and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing. I just drank too fast and choked." After saying that, he deliberately coughed twice.

Seeing this, Wu Song laughed heartily and patted Zheng Tu's shoulder and back twice: "Brother, drink slowly! This wine is good, but it's potent!"

Zheng Tu agreed repeatedly, but inwardly he was groaning: How could this woman be so unscrupulous? If the Wu brothers noticed anything amiss, would he still be able to remain "uncle"?

The woman drank a few more cups of wine with Zheng Tu and Wu Song, and her eyes became increasingly bold, as if they had taken root, lingering only on Zheng Tu.

From shoulders to chest, then arms... his gaze swept across the body, making no attempt to conceal it.

Zheng Tu felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, and dared not raise his eyes.

She buried her head in the bowl, ate heartily, and frequently raised her cup, tilting her head back to gulp down wine, as if afraid that Wu Song and Wu Da would notice Pan Jinlian's staring gaze.

I'm a guest at the Wu family's residence! If they find out, it will be extremely awkward, and it will inevitably create a rift between the brothers.

Zheng Tu drank too quickly, so the wine in front of him was consumed rapidly. Before long, the pot of wine was empty.

Seeing Zheng Tu's prodigious capacity for alcohol, Wu Song couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Brother Zheng, you're in a really good mood for wine today! You've drunk even more cups than you did on Jingyang Ridge!"

Zheng Tu chuckled, and seeing that the wine pot was almost empty, he was about to get up to sift it when Pan Jinlian preemptively pressed down on the wine pot.

She smiled faintly at Zheng Tu: "Uncle Zheng is a guest, how can I let you pour the wine yourself? Let me pour it for you."

Having said that, he half-stood up, rolled up his sleeves to reveal a section of his white, lotus-root-like forearm, and half-bent over to pour wine for Zheng Tu.

With this slight bend, the already loose collar drooped even lower...

Upon hearing her words, Zheng Tu looked up to express his gratitude.

To his surprise, when he looked up, he was startled and hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.

Do not look at what is improper! Do not look at what is improper!

Pan Jinlian took in his embarrassing situation, her lips curled up slightly, and a hint of smugness and amusement flashed in her eyes.

She slowly filled the wine glass, gently pushed it towards Zheng Tu, and spoke in a voice so soft it could melt water:

"Please have some, Uncle."

Zheng Tu mumbled a few words of thanks: "Thank you, sister-in-law... I'm sorry to have troubled you..." He didn't dare to look again, but picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

After drinking a few more cups, Zheng Tu's face was flushed, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Seeing that Zheng Tu was drunk, Wu Da hurriedly said, "Brother Zheng, are you drunk? Why don't you...why don't you rest for a while?"

Zheng Tu shook his head, forcing a smile: "It's alright... I can still drink..."

"Uncle is drunk, so please drink less. I'll go and make you a bowl of hangover soup." The beautiful woman said, then got up and swayed her slender waist as she went to the kitchen.

Wu Song could tell that Zheng Tu was drunk, so he said, "Brother, let's call it a day. I'll take you back to rest."

Just as Zheng Tu was about to decline, he suddenly felt dizzy and his vision went black. With a "thud," he slid off the stool and collapsed to the ground!

"Brother Zheng!" Wu Song exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to help him up.

"What, what should we do?!"

Just as things were in chaos, a sound was suddenly heard.