Today was supposed to be Xiao Jinfeng's birthday, and the Yun family, old and young, had graciously agreed to accompany him for dinner. Yet, Gu Mingyan had to come and spoil the mood, leaving him with no appetite...
Little Xi Tian could clearly see that the two men were not on good terms. Due to her special status, she couldn't say much.
She just hoped the dinner would end soon so she could get back to designing renovation plans.
"Huaihua, later you can tidy up two guest rooms for Young Master Gu and this young lady to stay in..." Madam Gu instructed with a smile.
Jin Huaihua responded with an "Ah" and quickly shoveled rice into her bowl.
Xiao Jinfeng, his handsome face darkened, shot Gu Mingyan a fierce glare before raising his wine bowl. "Young Master Gu, aren't you going to have a drink with me?"
Inside and outside the capital, who didn't know that Marquis Pingyang had an astonishing capacity for alcohol and had rarely gotten drunk?
"Alright!~" Gu Mingyan curved his lips, stroking the rim of his bowl with his hand. "But just drinking like this is boring. Young Master Xiao, how about we make a bet?"
Xiao Jinfeng: "..."
What trick was this scoundrel trying to pull now?
"Bet on what?" Xiao Jinfeng asked in a low voice.
Gu Mingyan smiled faintly. "Let's bet on whose alcohol tolerance is better. If you get drunk first, you must agree to one of my conditions! If I get drunk, then you can do whatever you want with me. How about it?"
Xiao Jinfeng: "???"
Good heavens, did he think he was an idiot?
His alcohol tolerance was practically unrivaled. Who could possibly compare to him?
"No!~" Xiao Jinfeng refused outright, then pointed to the sticky rice cakes on the table. "Alcohol is bad for the body. It's better to drink less. If we're going to compete, let's compete on who can eat more. There's a basin of sticky rice cakes on the table, about thirty in total. Young Master Gu, you take fifteen, and I'll take fifteen. Whoever finishes their sticky rice cakes first wins!"
Gu Mingyan: "..."
Little Xi Tian, who was watching the spectacle, also: "..."
Even an adult couldn't eat fifteen sticky rice cakes in one go.
Moreover, the sticky rice cakes made by Sister Huaihua were large and substantial, each about the size of a fist. Even Yun Daman, who had the biggest appetite in the family, would be full after eating five or six. He couldn't possibly force himself to eat more.
"What, Young Master Gu, are you scared?" Xiao Jinfeng squinted at Gu Mingyan, laughing heartily in his mind.
Hmph, you're still too green to compete with me...
To prepare for this birthday banquet, Xiao Jinfeng hadn't eaten or drunk anything from morning till night. Before Gu Mingyan arrived, he had only eaten a few bites of braised pork knuckle and had a bowl of wine, so his stomach was empty.
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyan narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, observing Xiao Jinfeng. "If I were scared, I wouldn't be sitting here today. Fine, I accept your challenge!~"
"Oh dear, what are you two young masters trying to do?" Old Man Yun anxiously stood up, picked up a sticky rice cake, and waved it in front of them. "You shouldn't eat too much of this stuff, or it will give you heartburn. If you're going to bet, then bet, but don't take it out on my sticky rice cakes..."
Alas, really. Young Master Xiao and Young Master Gu both looked intelligent and sharp, so why were they acting so childishly like children now?
It would be so miserable if they overate and hurt their stomachs.
"No need to worry, Uncle Yun!~" Xiao Jinfeng smiled slightly and stood up to start distributing the sticky rice cakes.
As he said, there were thirty rice cakes in the basin, all of similar size and weight. Xiao Jinfeng placed fifteen for Gu Mingyan and asked Er Longzi to prepare a large bowl of water for himself, then got into position, ready to 'PK' with Gu Mingyan...
Little Xi Tian put her hand to her forehead and sighed. These two were hopeless.
After Sun Laohan had eaten his fill, he returned to his guest room to rest and didn't witness this exciting scene.
"Marquis, don't push yourself too hard!~" Qing Lan reminded him in a low voice.
As far as she knew, His Highness Prince Ming had been fierce since childhood, like a simpleton. Once he set his mind on something, he would pursue it to the bitter end, extremely so...
Whereas Marquis Gu usually acted with measured restraint and strategic planning, a very rational person who wouldn't act recklessly with Prince Ming.
But why was he acting so foolishly today?
"I'm fine!~" Gu Mingyan smiled calmly and looked at Madam Gu. "Aunt, can you prepare a bowl of soup for me?"
The sticky rice cakes were very dry. Without soup, he would be choked after eating just two.
Madam Gu sighed helplessly and instructed Jin Huaihua, "Huaihua, go chop some shredded radishes and make a basin of radish soup for Young Master Gu!~"
Young people nowadays were all so hot-tempered. If they ruined their stomachs, what would they do then?
Yun Jinhe, Gao Jingde, Chen Xiaoran, and Yun Xiaobao sat on small stools watching the excitement, all hoping that Uncle Gu would win...
"Ah, ah!~" Jin Huaihua answered, put down her chopsticks, and rushed into the kitchen.
A moment later, she walked in with a large bowl of clear radish soup and placed it in front of Gu Mingyan.
Seeing this, Xiao Jinfeng sneered, "Hmph, a futile resistance!~"
I'll have people carry you out later...
"Young Master Xiao, can we begin?" Gu Mingyan asked.
"Heh, does Young Master Gu want to lose that badly?" Xiao Jinfeng taunted. "Alright, this time we're competing on speed. No cheating. The loser must agree to one condition from the winner. Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun can be witnesses. Let's start when you're ready..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu exchanged a look with Old Man Yun, indicating that she didn't want to be their witness.
Gu Mingyan curved his lips into a shallow smile and was the first to pick up a sticky rice cake, bringing it to his nose to smell.
The aroma was quite good.
He had been traveling non-stop for the past few days and hadn't eaten properly. Furthermore, he had heard early on that the sticky rice cakes made by the old Yun family had an excellent texture and were chewy, even praised by the Emperor. Therefore, he had long wanted to savor them...
"Miss Yun, you call out 'start'!~" Xiao Jinfeng said.
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Alright, you two will be crying later.
Under everyone's watchful eyes and as witnesses, a crisp, childish voice suddenly rang out, "Start!~" kuAiδugg
Then, Gu Mingyan was seen shoveling the rice cakes into his mouth like a whirlwind, not even having time to take a sip of soup.
Xiao Jinfeng, on the other hand, buried his head into the large basin, like a greedy snake, swallowing one sticky rice cake with each bite, his neck bulging from the effort of swallowing.
Everyone: "..."
These two young masters, who usually appeared refined and dashing, were now eating like lunatics, completely destroying all their good qualities.
Qing Lan covered her mouth, her eyes wide, almost dropping her jaw.
Was this still the wise and calm Marquis Pingyang?
Er Longzi was also dumbfounded, awkwardly picking at his fingers, silently praying: Your Highness Prince Ming, if you keep eating like this, your persona will be ruined...
Suddenly, a strange cry drew everyone's attention.