Chapter 291: Can’t Let Go
Liu Yao said she’d do it—and she really meant it. Determined to eat her way to a little pearl, she excitedly started gobbling down river clams.
Her speed was astonishing—one clam per bite, two per second—and before long, a pile of empty shells had stacked up in front of her.
Watching his cousin so stubbornly focused, Yu Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile. He picked out a few crayfish and pieces of duck for her and tried to persuade:
“Don’t just eat the clams. There’s so much delicious food here—enjoy it all. Otherwise, when you look back later and realize we all ate a feast while you only had clams all night, you’ll regret it. Tell you what, I’ll help you eat some—whatever I find, it’s yours.”
“Your cousin’s right,” Chen Ye Chu chimed in. “Eat a bit of everything. If the pearl is meant for you, it’ll be yours. Those clams aren’t going anywhere.”
Then she added with a grin, “How about this—if I find another pearl in this pot, it’s yours too. Think of it as me helping you out.”
Ning Xiyue raised her hand, immediately drawing everyone’s attention before announcing seriously:
“If I find one, it’s yours too. In fact, I have a proposal—starting now, no matter who finds anything in this pot of clams, it all goes to Yao Yao. Every clam, every pearl—it’s all hers. What do you all think?”
“Agreed,” Ning Qingyuan said, setting down his chopsticks and raising both hands.
“Agreed,” Yu Zhiyu echoed, hand up.
“We all agree,” Chen Ye Chu said, lifting both hands with a laugh.
Satisfied, Ning Xiyue stood up, cupped her hands to her mouth like a megaphone, and announced in a mock-serious voice:
“Alright! The motion passes unanimously. I hereby declare that everything inside this pot of clams officially belongs to Comrade Liu Yao! From this moment on, no matter what anyone eats from this pot, the ownership goes to Comrade Liu Yao. Meeting adjourned—let’s eat!”
“What are you guys even doing?” Liu Yao laughed, blushing. “I just wanted to try a few, and now you’ve made it sound so touching. You’re all so annoying!”
“Ew~”
“Yue~”
The first sound came from Ning Xiyue’s exaggerated disgust, the second from Chen Ye Chu dramatically turning her head away like she was nauseated.
Ning Xiyue pinched her brows and covered her eyes as if in pain. “Please don’t do that—you’re not suited for such gestures. My eyes can’t take it.”
“My stomach can’t take it,” Chen Ye Chu added weakly, pressing a hand to her chest.
Yu Zhiyu and Ning Qingyuan, sitting to the side, were laughing uncontrollably at the scene.
Liu Yao giggled helplessly. “Come on, Xiyue—how exactly are your eyes ‘hurt’? And Ye Chu, are you sure that’s your stomach you’re holding?”
“It’s the spice,” Ning Xiyue said, fanning her mouth. “My mouth’s on fire.”
“Oh, so your heart’s hurting too,” Chen Ye Chu deadpanned, pressing her other hand dramatically to her stomach.
“Hahahaha!”
That finally broke Ning Qingyuan—he burst out laughing.
Yu Zhiyu couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“Hey, that was quite the performance—better than the actors in the movies,” Liu Yao said between laughs, raising her cup again. Then, returning to her usual hearty self, she stood up, glass in hand.
“Thanks, everyone. I’ll bow to express my gratitude. Whether there’s another pearl in this pot or not, whatever the result, I’m happy. Cheers! Let’s drink and keep eating!”
They clinked glasses again, joking and laughing, and soon Liu Yao stopped obsessing over the clams, eating and drinking normally again.
The five of them continued their feast—one round of yellow rice wine after another, dishes slowly disappearing from the table.
Then suddenly, Yu Zhiyu paused, looked up at Liu Yao, and said, “Your pearl might be coming.”
“What, did you find one? Cousin, did you really?” Liu Yao exclaimed, eyes lighting up.
She set down her chopsticks and pulled out a bit of paper, ready to receive a pearl.
The others—Ning Xiyue, Chen Ye Chu, and Ning Qingyuan—also turned their attention to him, watching carefully.
Yu Zhiyu picked up a clam from his bowl, split the meat open with his chopsticks, and a faint milky-white glimmer appeared.
Ning Xiyue saw it immediately—it was a pearl, a tiny rice-grain-sized white pearl embedded in the meat.
Of the three they’d found so far, this one looked most like an actual grain of rice.
“It really is a pearl! That makes it complete—one for each of us, all in different colors! Our luck tonight is unbelievable!”
Ning Xiyue stared at the pearl in amazement. She began to wonder whether the place they’d gathered these clams from might once have been a pearl-harvesting spot. Otherwise, how could they have found three pearls in one batch?
One wasn’t enough, two wasn’t enough, now three! Absolutely incredible.
A feng shui treasure land!
Yu Zhiyu handed the clam to Liu Yao. “I haven’t touched it yet. This way, it counts as if you found it yourself.”
“Thank you, Cousin.”
Overjoyed, Liu Yao took the clam, carefully removed the pearl from the meat, wiped it clean with tissue, and held it under the candlelight to admire.
Ning Xiyue and Chen Ye Chu also took out their pearls. The three little gems were placed side by side under the candle’s glow, shimmering beautifully.
“So pretty!” Liu Yao said, gently stroking hers with fascination.
Though tiny, the pearls didn’t diminish their joy—this was double happiness indeed.
Ning Xiyue even had her system, System, capture the moment the three pearls were side by side for a keepsake photo.
After each of them safely stored their pearls, Ning Xiyue raised her glass happily. “Come on, let’s toast—to our amazing luck tonight!”
Everyone raised their glasses together.
Now that all three girls had pearls, no one cared about the remaining clams—the table was still full of delicious food waiting to be eaten.
The five of them laughed and chatted, eating and drinking merrily.
“This wine’s great—I’m pouring another,” Liu Yao said, grabbing the pot and refilling her empty cup.
And as the joy built up, so did the drinking—one cup after another. By the time the meal was over, all five were either tipsy or drunk.
Though glutinous rice wine had a low alcohol content, drinking enough still packed a punch. Add the thrill of the night and their good moods, and with dopamine flooding their brains, getting drunk was inevitable.
Ning Xiyue, however, wasn’t drunk.
When she was little, she’d often drink with the old dean at the orphanage. As a child, she’d start by dipping her chopsticks into the wine to taste; later, the dean always made her take the first sip at every meal.
Her alcohol tolerance had been built from a young age—three or four taels of strong liquor were nothing to her, let alone this low-alcohol rice wine that was practically a soft drink.
She hadn’t even drunk that much, either—she’d been too busy devouring crayfish. Of the two big plates, she’d eaten nearly half herself.
Her pile of shells was the biggest on the table. More food meant less wine, so she wasn’t drunk at all.
Her cheeks were flushed, though—not from intoxication, but from drinking. She looked drunk, but her mind was perfectly clear.
The same couldn’t be said for Liu Yao and Chen Ye Chu, whose small faces were bright red—they were truly drunk.
Being drunk was fine—but why did they have to start acting ridiculous?
Getting drunk was one thing, but this was a comedy act.
Liu Yao clung to the chicken pen outside, refusing to let go.
“This is my—hic—my home. I’m going home.”
Mumbling to herself, she started trying to climb into the chicken pen.
“Hey, hey, you can’t! That’s not your home!” Ning Xiyue reacted quickly, lunging forward to grab her around the waist before she could dive in and roll around in chicken poop.
The three chickens inside were so terrified they huddled together in the corner, clucking frantically.
Holding her tightly from behind, Ning Xiyue started dragging her away, while Yu Zhiyu rushed over to help lift her out of the coop.
“Nooo, let me go! I want to go home—my mom’s in there, hic, she’s waiting for me!”
Pointing at the chickens, Liu Yao kicked and struggled, her drunken legs wobbling uselessly beneath her. She could barely stand, so Ning Xiyue and Yu Zhiyu each held her on one side, carrying her back to the table and sitting her down on a stool.
Ning Xiyue didn’t dare let go. Every time she did, Liu Yao started wriggling again—trying to crawl back to the coop or latch onto something and cry. She could feel the resistance in the girl’s body beneath her hands.
So she absolutely couldn’t let go.
Can’t let go—that was exactly what fit a little drunkard like Liu Yao.
Ning Xiyue glanced toward Chen Ye Chu, who was sitting quietly on her stool with eyes closed, peacefully resting her head on her hand.
Thankfully, at least one of them turned into a quiet drunk. Otherwise, if both had started causing chaos… who knew what would’ve happened.
