“Master Shi, this is my master, Zhang Zhenren. He just arrived last night.” Biszhen, back in the guise of Master Qi, solemnly introduced Zhang Shisan to the bearded host of Benjian.
It turned out that Biszhen and the others hadn’t even begun to exchange stories of their parting when they suddenly noticed the maid Xiaohong approaching from outside the courtyard. Startled, Biszhen hastily took out the Ghost-Face Flower and transformed herself into the sallow-faced Master Qi in an instant.
When Xiaohong arrived and saw a courtyard full of people, she was first taken aback, then exclaimed that indeed the young master had recovered. The mistress was so delighted that she agreed to her husband’s suggestion and wanted to host a banquet to thank Master Qi.
Master Shi, obviously eager for a drink, had received the mistress’s permission. Without delay, he ordered his servants to prepare a feast early in the morning and immediately sent someone to invite Biszhen to join the drinking.
As a result, Zhang Shisan, Mei Qing, and Hou Shen had to attend as disciples and friends of “Master Qi.”
Master Shi indeed proved to be extremely enthusiastic. Upon hearing Biszhen’s words, he immediately raised his extra-large wine cup, nearly the size of a human head, and boomed toward Zhang Shisan, “So the master—oh, I mean Zhenren Zhang has arrived! What an honor! Let me drink first to show my respect!” Saying this, he lifted the giant cup to his lips and drank like a whale gulping seawater. The clear wine flowed continuously from the cup into his wide mouth, and soon it was completely emptied, not a drop left.
Even Zhang Shisan, long accustomed to drinking and battlefields, couldn’t help but gape in astonishment. He had seen people drink, but never anyone this formidable. That one cup must have held half a jar! He couldn’t understand why the host would use such a huge vessel for wine—it truly lived up to the word “generous.”
“Not at all, not at all,” Zhang Shisan, ever the worldly-wise, quickly regained his composure. He picked up the small porcelain cup in front of him, gave a slight gesture, and downed it in one go.
Seeing this, Biszhen hurriedly pointed at Hou Shen and introduced, “This is Lord Hou, a good friend of mine.”
Upon hearing this, Master Shi shouted at his servants, “What are you all standing around for? Don’t you see our guests’ cups are empty? Hurry up and refill them!”
At his words, Xiaohong quickly stepped forward with a silver wine pot and filled Zhang Shisan’s small porcelain cup to the brim. Meanwhile, a burly man behind Master Shi picked up a large wine jar, raised it high, and overturned it. Wine poured out like a raging torrent, like a thirsty horse galloping forth, truly like “a cascade falling three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way had tumbled from the ninth heaven.” Soon, Master Shi’s giant cup was full again.
“More, more!” the master kept shouting, almost wanting to pile the wine up in the cup. When it was finally too full to pour in any further, he carefully and cautiously picked up the cup and said, “Lord Hou has arrived! What an honor! Let me drink first to show my respect!” Saying this, he plunged his head into the cup again, performing another “Dragon Sucking Water” act. He didn’t stop until the cup was completely upside down, drained to the last drop, before letting out a long breath and shouting, “Now that’s refreshing!” As soon as the master put the cup down, he bellowed again, “You lot with no sense of timing! Don’t you see our cups are empty again? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and refill!”
The burly man hurried over with the remaining wine in the jar. This time, he poured the last half jar into the master’s cup, barely managing to fill it to the brim.
Before Hou Shen could even raise his cup, Master Shi had already turned his gaze to Mei Qing and asked, “And this guest is…?”
“Oh, this is my apprentice, called—called Xiaomeizi—” Biszhen drawled.
Master Shi had already lifted his cup and said, “Ah, so the apprentice has arrived—oh, excuse me, a young lady? What an honor! Let me drink first to show my respect!”
Mei Qing, hearing Biszhen mock him, couldn’t very well show his anger in front of everyone. He could only silently make a threatening gesture toward Biszhen. Biszhen looked up at the sky, pretending not to see. While the two were exchanging teasing remarks, Master Shi didn’t even glance at them, already raising his giant cup again and downing another full round.
“Great, great! Meeting a few good friends indeed means more cups of wine!” Master Shi casually wiped the wine dripping from his beard with his sleeve and shouted, “Oh right, I haven’t even toasted Master Qi yet! Where’s the wine? Have you all died? Bring another jar!”
At this, the man behind him hesitated, clearly reluctant to move. Xiaohong quickly stepped forward, tugged at the master’s sleeve, and whispered, “Though the mistress has allowed drinking today, the master must still follow her rule—only three cups are allowed.”
It was only then that Mei Qing and the others noticed the two small lines of text engraved on the side of the giant cup. Upon closer inspection, they read:
Drink with moderation,
Limit to three cups.
Seeing this, Mei Qing and the others nearly burst out laughing. “Only three cups”? That cup was bigger than a large bowl. Three cups would empty an entire jar!
Master Shi scratched his head and grumbled, “So frustrating! Just as my throat is getting moistened, the three cups are already up. The wine demon has just been stirred up, and now I’m being teased! Next time, I must have an even bigger cup made. This one is too small—it fills up with just a single tear!”
Seeing this, Biszhen suppressed a smile and said, “Since that’s the case, and since I myself cannot drink, perhaps Master Shi can drink my cup for me.”
“Oh?” Master Shi’s eyes lit up, “How can a learned gentleman like Master Qi not drink? Alright then, Liu Zi, refill my cup! And remember, when the mistress asks, say I only had three cups today. This one is for Master Qi.”
The man named Liu Zi hesitated, still mumbling, when suddenly a soft, delicate cough came from behind the screen. Though the others paid little attention, it struck Master Shi like thunder. He froze instantly.
No one noticed that upon hearing the cough, Zhang Shisan’s face darkened. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if lost in thought for a moment, before opening them again with a slight humph, his expression returning to normal.
Upon hearing the cough, Master Shi immediately stopped talking about drinking for others. Smiling broadly, he turned to Biszhen and said, “Ah, well—actually, drinking for guests might not be quite appropriate, right? Alright then, since we’ve already drunk, perhaps we should just bring out the food and have a simple meal.”
Biszhen blinked and immediately realized that the cough sounded familiar—it was the mistress behind the screen reminding Master Shi. That’s why he had changed his attitude so suddenly. Finding it amusing, Biszhen deliberately said, “Ah, I see Master Shi is indeed a generous man. Since we’re among friends, why not bring more wine and have a few more cups with my companions? If you’re worried about the mistress getting angry, just blame it on me.”
Upon hearing this, Master Shi’s face slightly reddened, but he shook his head repeatedly, “How can that be done? If my friends haven’t had enough, let Liu Zi bring more wine. The mistress told me to drink less because she cares for me and worries about my health. How could I disobey her command and make her angry? Thank you for your kind offer, but I really can’t drink anymore.”
As soon as Master Shi spoke, everyone at the table was stunned. In the Ming Dynasty, the distinction between men and women was taken very seriously, and women were expected to follow the “Three Obediences and Four Virtues.” How could a wife possibly control her husband? Yet here was Master Shi, a seemingly rough and bold man, openly declaring in front of guests that he would not defy his wife’s orders. It was truly shocking. Even Liu Zi behind him looked somewhat embarrassed. But since it was his own master, he couldn’t show it directly. He could only roll his eyes and look out the window, pretending not to have heard.
Biszhen, however, burst into laughter and said, “Indeed, Master Shi is a truly genuine and noble man—a real man! Far better than those two-faced, greedy, heartless men who only know how to bully women! Since Master Shi cannot drink anymore, I shall drink this cup empty in your honor!” Saying this, he raised his small cup, drank it in one go, and then subtly shot a glance at Mei Qing as he put the cup down.
Mei Qing, hearing Biszhen’s veiled remarks, pretended not to understand. Truthfully, in his heart, he thought that although Master Shi might be a bit too obedient to his wife, his openness and honesty were rare indeed. Looking at the giant cup in front of the master, he couldn’t help but smile and say, “In that case, perhaps Master Shi should simply quit drinking altogether or switch to a smaller cup. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Master Shi didn’t mind Mei Qing’s interjection and grinned, “The mistress only said to drink moderately, enough to feel a slight buzz. She didn’t say I must quit. As for the size of the cup, hehe, the mistress said I could only have three cups, so I only have three. That’s not breaking her words, and she won’t get angry.”
Everyone couldn’t help but smile, even Xiaohong swayed slightly with amusement. Only Master Shi himself felt proud, as if he had just scored a rare victory in his game of wits and courage with his wife.
After the meal, when the servants had cleared the table and served tea, Biszhen spoke up, “My master and friends have reunited, and we must now travel together. We have already troubled Master Shi for several days and are deeply grateful for your hospitality. It’s time for us to take our leave. May we meet again in the future.”
Master Shi chuckled and was about to speak when suddenly a soft, delicate voice came from behind the screen: “Immortal Master, please wait a moment!”
Everyone was startled. The voice continued, “My lord, I have something to say to this Immortal Zhang.”
“Master Shi, this is my master, Zhang Zhenren, who arrived just last night,” Bi Zhen, now restored to his guise as Mr. Qi, solemnly introduced Zhang Thirteen to the bearded host of the estate.
It turned out that Bi Zhen and his companions hadn’t had the chance to recount their separate experiences when they suddenly noticed the maid, Little Red, approaching from outside the courtyard. Startled, Bi Zhen quickly took out the ghost-faced flower and, in the blink of an eye, transformed back into the sallow-faced Mr. Qi.
When Little Red arrived and saw a courtyard full of people, she was initially surprised but then expressed her joy that the young master had indeed recovered well. The mistress, overjoyed, had granted the master’s wish to host a banquet in gratitude to Mr. Qi.
Master Shi, seemingly eager for the wine, wasted no time upon receiving his wife’s permission. Early in the morning, he ordered the servants to prepare the feast and immediately sent someone to invite Bi Zhen to join the banquet.
As a result, Zhang Thirteen, Mei Qing, and Hou Shen had to attend as “Mr. Qi’s” master and friends.
Master Shi was indeed very enthusiastic. Upon hearing Bi Zhen’s words, he immediately raised his oversized wine cup, the size of a head, and addressed Zhang Thirteen in a booming voice, “So it’s Master—oh, Zhang Zhenren who has arrived! What a pleasure to meet you! Shi will drink first to show my respect!” With that, he lifted the large cup to his lips and drank the clear wine as if a whale sucking in water, the liquid flowing continuously from the cup into his mouth until it was completely empty, not a drop left.
Even Zhang Thirteen, who was accustomed to drinking and had seen many battles, was left speechless. He had seen people drink, but never someone as formidable as this. This large cup of wine must have been at least half a jar! It was unclear why the host used such a large vessel for wine, but it certainly lived up to the word “generous.”
“Good, good,” Zhang Thirteen, being worldly-wise, quickly regained his composure. He picked up the small wine cup in front of him, gave a slight nod, and drank it in one go.
Seeing this, Bi Zhen quickly pointed to Hou Shen and introduced, “This is my friend, Hero Hou.”
Upon hearing this, Master Shi urged his family members, “Why are you all standing around? Can’t you see our guest’s cup is empty? Hurry up and fill it up!”
Hearing this, Little Red quickly stepped forward, took the silver wine jug, and filled Zhang Thirteen’s small porcelain cup to the brim. A burly man behind Master Shi, hearing the order, hurriedly brought over a large wine jar, lifted it high, and turned it over. The wine poured out like a raging river or a thirsty horse running to a spring, truly “a waterfall cascading down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way had fallen from the heavens.” In no time, the oversized cup in front of Master Shi was filled to the brim.
“Add more, add more,” Master Shi urged repeatedly, wishing he could pile the wine up in the cup. Seeing that it was indeed full to the brim, he carefully and tremblingly lifted the cup and said, “So Hero Hou has arrived! What a pleasure to meet you! Shi will drink first to show my respect!” With that, he buried his head in the cup and performed another act of “dragon sucking water,” lifting the cup high until it was turned upside down, not a drop of wine left, before letting out a long breath and exclaiming, “Refreshing!” As soon as he put the cup down, before Hou Shen could even lift his cup, Master Shi shouted again, “These people have no sense! Can’t you see our cups are empty? Hurry up and fill them up! What are you waiting for?”
The man hurried over with the jar, and this time, the remaining half jar of wine was poured in until the jar was turned upside down, just barely filling the cup.
Master Shi didn’t even wait for Hou Shen to finish his drink before turning his gaze to Mei Qing and asking, “And this friend is…”
“Oh, this is my disciple, called—called Little Mei,” Bi Zhen drawled.
Master Shi had already lifted his cup and said, “So it’s the disciple who has arrived—ah, Little Mei, right? What a pleasure to meet you! Shi will drink first to show my respect!”
Hearing Bi Zhen belittle him, Mei Qing couldn’t show his displeasure openly but secretly made a threatening gesture at Bi Zhen. Bi Zhen looked up at the sky, pretending not to see. While the two were flirting, Master Shi had no time to watch them, as he was busy with another round of heavy drinking, finishing yet another cup.
“Good, good, meeting a few friends, indeed, more friends mean more wine!” Master Shi casually wiped the dripping wine from his beard with his sleeve and shouted, “Right! We haven’t toasted Mr. Qi yet! Where’s the wine? Are you all dead? Bring another jar of wine!”
Hearing this, the man behind him looked troubled, hesitating and unwilling to move. Little Red quickly stepped forward, tugged at Master Shi, and pointed to the two lines of small characters on his large wine cup, whispering, “Although the mistress has lifted the ban today, the master must still abide by the mistress’s rule of only three cups. You shouldn’t drink more.”
Only then did Mei Qing and the others notice the two lines of small characters on the side of the enormous cup. Upon closer inspection, they read:
“Drink in moderation,
Only three cups.”
Seeing this, Mei Qing and the others almost laughed out loud. “Only three cups”? This cup was much larger than a sea bowl; three cups would empty an entire jar of wine.
Master Shi scratched his head and muttered, “How frustrating! Just as my throat is getting warmed up, I’ve reached three cups. The wine craving is just starting to kick in, and now this! Next time, I must make an even larger cup. This small cup can’t hold a drop of wine; a tear would fill it up. What’s the point?”
Seeing this, Bi Zhen suppressed a laugh and said, “Since that’s the case, it’s just as well that I can’t drink. Why don’t you, Master Shi, drink this cup on my behalf?”
“Oh?” Master Shi’s eyes widened instantly. “How can a learned man like Mr. Qi not drink? In that case, Liu Zi, fill my cup. Remember, if the mistress asks later, you must say that I only drank three cups today. This one is on behalf of Mr. Qi.”
The man named Liu Zi was still hesitating when a soft, delicate cough came from behind the screen. Although the others paid little attention, Master Shi was as if struck by thunder, immediately stunned.
Unnoticed by the others, Zhang Thirteen’s face darkened upon hearing the cough. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if lost in thought for a moment, then opened them again, snorted, and his expression returned to normal.
Hearing the cough, Master Shi immediately dropped the idea of drinking on behalf of the guest and, with a smile, said to Bi Zhen, “Ah, this—actually, drinking on behalf of a guest isn’t quite appropriate, is it? Forget it, forget it. We’ve had our wine, let’s have some food now and eat quickly.”
Bi Zhen blinked and immediately recalled the familiar cough from behind the screen, realizing it was Mistress Shi reminding Master Shi, hence his sudden change in attitude. Finding it amusing, Bi Zhen deliberately said, “Ah, I see Master Shi is indeed a man of great generosity. When wine meets a kindred spirit, why not fetch more wine and have a few more cups with my friends? If you’re afraid of the mistress’s reproach, just blame it on me.”
Upon hearing this, Master Shi’s face turned slightly red, but he shook his head repeatedly, saying, “How can that be? If my friends haven’t had enough, let Liu Zi bring more wine. The mistress wants me to drink less because she cares for me and fears for my health. How could I go against her wishes and make her angry? Thank you for your kindness, but I won’t drink any more.”
Master Shi’s words left most of the guests dumbfounded. In the Ming Dynasty, the hierarchy between men and women was strictly observed, with women expected to follow the three obediences and four virtues. How could a wife dictate her husband’s actions? Seeing such a burly man as Master Shi openly declare in front of guests that he dared not disobey his wife’s orders was indeed somewhat shocking. Even Liu Zi behind him looked embarrassed, but as it was his master, he couldn’t show it directly and could only roll his eyes and look out the window as if he hadn’t heard.
Bi Zhen, however, laughed heartily and said, “Indeed, Master Shi is a man of true character, a real man! Far better than those hypocrites who say one thing and do another, always eyeing what’s in others’ bowls and bullying women! Since Master Shi can’t drink anymore, I’ll toast you with an empty cup!” With that, he picked up the small wine cup in front of him and drank it in one gulp. As he put the cup down, he secretly shot Mei Qing a glance.
Mei Qing, hearing Bi Zhen’s veiled sarcasm, pretended not to notice. In truth, he also felt that although Master Shi’s fear of his wife was somewhat excessive, his frankness was rare. However, looking at the large wine cup in front of Master Shi, he couldn’t help but laugh and said, “In that case, why doesn’t Master Shi just quit drinking or switch to a smaller cup? Wouldn’t that be better?”
Master Shi didn’t mind Mei Qing’s interjection and grinned, “The mistress only said to drink in moderation, to get slightly tipsy, not to quit. As for the size of the cup, heh, when the mistress said I could only drink three cups, I only drank three cups. I didn’t go against her words, so she won’t get angry.”
Everyone couldn’t help but smile, even Little Red swayed slightly. Only Master Shi, feeling that this was a rare victory in his battle of wits with his wife, was somewhat pleased with himself.
After the meal, the family cleared the table and served tea. Bi Zhen then spoke up, “My master and friends have reunited and will be traveling together. We have disturbed Master Shi for several days and are deeply grateful for your hospitality. It’s time for us to bid farewell and hope to meet again when fate allows.”
Master Shi chuckled and was about to speak when a soft, delicate voice came from behind the screen, “Immortal, please wait!”
Everyone was stunned. The voice continued, “Master, I have some words I would like to speak privately with Immortal Zhang.”
“Oh?” Master Shi was momentarily surprised but then casually said, “I was just planning to take the kids out for some exercise today, so I’ll leave first.” With that, he bid farewell to everyone present and, with Liu Zi, hurriedly left.
Little Red was also instructed by the mistress to close the door, and the mistress behind the screen remained silent. Zhang Thirteen snorted and said, “I intended to let you off, but you jumped in yourself! What do you want to say? Come out quickly!”
A soft sigh came from behind the screen, and Mistress Shi slowly walked out.
Xiaohong was also instructed by the mistress to leave and close the door. The mistress remained behind the screen without stepping out. Zhang Shisan coldly snorted and said, “I was willing to let you off the hook, but you insist on coming forward yourself! If you have something to say, speak quickly!”
A soft sigh came from behind the screen, and then the mistress slowly stepped out.
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