Chapter 41: Jealousy

  Everyone listened and stood up, applauding loudly. Feng Xiaotian laughed heartily and said: "Thank you all, I'm just a person who doesn't hear anything outside my window, living in seclusion, yet I've received everyone's concern and come to celebrate my birthday, I'm truly grateful! However, I think today you also need to toast another person, that is my elder brother, Hua Bangzhu, today is also his birthday!"

  Fengyao Mountain raised his wine cup and said, "Right, right! We can't leave Uncle Hua out in the cold. That would be too impolite!" Huamanlou burst into loud laughter and said, "This is good too. Let's brothers drink a toast to everyone together." After finishing speaking, he glanced at Fengxiao Tian and downed his wine in one gulp.

  Kohei Hirota, who sat at the same table, had been sitting there for half a while, and he was already feeling uncomfortable. Although he wasn't a big drinker, he also picked up his cup and toasted Feng Xiaotian and Hua Manlou on their birthday. Then, in one gulp, he downed a cup of Hankou hot pot wine with an alcohol content far higher than Japanese sake. Suddenly, a spicy and pungent gas rushed to his forehead, and tears almost burst out!

  Koryu Hito, the Anten Tarō at this table, although he had ulterior motives and didn't come with good intentions, his purpose for coming to Fēng Xiào Tiān's place was to get information about the 'Missouri' plan. However, he wasn't sure if the information he got was true, so the reason he came to 'visit' Fēng Xiào Tiān this time was to verify it. Therefore, since entering the room, his attitude had been humble and polite, trying to get some useful clues from the host's behavior. Who knew that he would be seated at a table far away from the host, with no chance of getting close to Fēng Xiào Tiān? At this moment, taking advantage of the opportunity to toast, he walked up to Fēng Xiào Tiān, raised his cup with both hands, slightly bowed and said: "Fēng-san, I heard today is your birthday, so I came to congratulate you. My arrival was sudden, please forgive me! I wish you good health!" After finishing speaking, he downed the wine in one gulp.

  Feng Xiaotian didn't know where this Japanese person came from, and he hadn't met him before either. However, knowing that the visitor had ill intentions, he remained expressionless and waited to see what his sudden intrusion was about. He nodded and said, "Thank you, sorry for not being a good host, please make yourself at home!" Then, in one gulp, he downed the wine in his cup, gave him a calm and collected glance, and slowly sat down.

  Anteng Tarou also respectfully drank a cup of Huamanlou, and after turning over several thoughts in his mind, he looked at the situation in front of him. Today, there won't be any conclusion, and as the head of the special high class, for the safety of Hankou and the recent strict orders from above to get the 'Missouri' plan, he was really busy and didn't have time to waste here. So he bid farewell to Feng Xiaotian and others.

  Feng Xiaotian's birthday, originally wanted to spend quietly, did not expect suddenly came so many people, especially this Japanese person who appeared out of nowhere, was already unhappy in his heart, at this time also didn't detain him, politely said a few words, and let him leave.

  Wang Dahai saw An Tengtaro leave, and he couldn't sit still either. He had also received the news that the treasure was in Feng Xiaotian's home, so he took advantage of Feng Xiaotian's birthday to come and investigate. Who knew he would be placed at another table, clearly having been given the cold shoulder? His heart naturally didn't feel good, so after toasting Feng Xiaotian and Hua Manlou with wine, he called his daughter Wang Xiaohan and Xiao Cheng to leave with him.

  Wang Xiaohan walked to the door, suddenly turned around and smiled at Gu Longfei, it was unclear whether he was grateful for being allowed to sit earlier or had another meaning! And Xiao Cheng, since entering the door, after exchanging a glance with Gu Longfei, kept his head down until he left, from start to finish, never looking at Gu Longfei again.

  Feng Xiaotian's birthday banquet was disrupted, and a surge of anger had been suppressed in his heart. It wasn't until An Tengtaro and Wang Dahai left that he became cheerful, and he hastily called Gu Fuhuzhang, Hua Wushuang, and Hua Wudui to sit at the same table.

  "Feng Xiaotian said, 'The uninvited guests have all left, and everyone here is family, so let's not be polite. Today, we won't leave until we're drunk! Come on, come on, let's drink a cup together and forget the unpleasantness from earlier!' He downed a full cup of Hankou hot wine, tilted his head back, and the fiery liquor slid down his throat and into his belly."

  Feng Ling, who was sitting next to him, slightly raised the corner of her mouth, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, and said reproachfully: "Dad, drink less, it's not good for your body!"

  Hua Manlou laughed and said, "Feng Ling, this is your fault! Can't you see what day it is today? You can't even let your father be happy for once? Besides, with so many guests present, are you going to snatch our wine cups away? Haha!"

  "Feng Ling's soft voice laughed and said: 'Uncle Hua, you're an old friend of my dad's, which month don't you come to stay for three or five days? Are you still considered a guest? You've long since treated this place as your own home, why should I be polite with you?'"

  Hua Manlou scratched his head and said, "So you have an opinion?"

  "Feng Ling raised her wine glass and said: 'How dare I! Come on, Uncle Hua, I also wish you a happy birthday, let me toast you a cup!'"

  Hua Manlou pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "You don't let your dad drink wine, but you want to pour mine, what's the logic in that?" Although he spoke like this, not a hint of dissatisfaction could be seen on his face. On the contrary, he quickly drank the wine at an extremely fast speed.

  His appearance brought a burst of laughter from the people at the table, and for a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. Everyone's mood for drinking was lifted. Gu Longfei, following the order of seniority, toasted each person individually: Feng Xiaotian, Hua Manlou, Guang Tian Yangyi father and son, Feng Yushan siblings, and Hua family brothers. After downing several cups of strong liquor, he suddenly felt a burning sensation and some discomfort, so he furrowed his brow, picked up his tea cup to take a sip to alleviate it, only to find that the cup was empty.

  Just as Gu Long was about to lift his head to look for the teapot, a wisp of fragrance suddenly wafted into his nostrils. He hastily lifted his head and saw that Feng Ling had brought the teapot and was standing in front of him with a smile all over her face. "This is my dad's favorite wine," she said. "It's just that it's got quite a kick, so drinking on an empty stomach can be a bit hard to take! Come, I'll pour you some hot tea to warm your belly, and you'll feel better soon!"

  Jiulong Fei didn't expect Feng Ling to be so meticulous, and that she had even noticed his uncomfortable expression when drinking. He felt a bit surprised in his heart and repeatedly expressed gratitude. Feng Ling laughed and said: "What's the big deal? It's just a cup of tea! If anyone should be saying thank you, it should be me. That day, if I hadn't run into you, my wallet would have been stolen!"

  Everyone was surprised by Feng Ling's words, and her father, Feng Xiaotian, felt even more unexpected. His daughter had gone to Europe at a young age and had been living and studying there ever since. She only returned home after knowing that she would be back in the country, and now she was reunited with them. How did she know Gu Longfei? He asked: "Do you know each other?"

  "Feng Ling smiled and said, 'Yes, we not only know each other, but he's also my... um, person?' After finishing speaking, she told the story of how they met on the street that day when she was buying clothes. When she came out of the store, she encountered a bad guy who snatched her purse. Luckily, Gu Longfei happened to be there and rushed forward, chased away the thug, and retrieved her purse. Feng Ling had lived in Europe since childhood and loved reading about knights. She told stories with ups and downs, twists and turns, making an ordinary robbery event sound thrilling and suspenseful. Everyone listened with their mouths agape, admiring Gu Longfei even more for his quick thinking and agility."

  Jiulong Fei saw Feng Ling boasting about his abilities, and felt somewhat uneasy in his heart. At the time, it was just a coincidence that they had encountered the thief, and he had simply lent a hand to help out. Moreover, the thief didn't have any real skills, he was just a habitual thief who could run fast. This kind of opponent didn't require much effort to deal with, so Feng Ling's boasts were just her trying to flatter herself! Jiulong Fei shook his hands wildly and said: "I'm not that amazing, it's just that the little thief was too incompetent, don't listen to her exaggerated praise!" As he spoke, he glanced at Feng Ling, implying that she was making him feel a bit embarrassed by her actions.

  Phoenix bell smiled slyly, looking exceptionally mischievous and cute, but she didn't say a word, watching how Gu Longfei would respond to others' praise! It seemed that the more uncomfortable Gu Longfei looked, the happier she became! Gu Longfei was helpless against her, and could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

  Hua Manlou also chimed in and said: "Gu Fuhu, you've done such a good deed, why didn't you tell me about it? Especially since you helped my niece, you should have told me so I could thank you too! Come on, let me toast you with a cup!"

  Jade Dragon Flying couldn't decline, so he drank the wine and said: "Flower Master, why are you also here to tease me!"

  Hirokazu Wada, who had been looking straight ahead with an air of arrogance, suddenly stood up and said to Gu Longfei: "Gu Bangzhu, it's not right for you to say that! As long as a person has a straightforward and brave heart, and has the courage to face villains, no matter how big or small their actions are, if someone can get help from them, it's already praiseworthy. How can you say it's just passing the time? Is that right?" After he finished speaking, his eyes shifted towards Feng Ling, but saw that she wasn't looking at him, her eyes were fixed on Gu Longfei, and he felt a bit displeased, so he said: "Yao Shan brother, trouble you to change to a bigger cup!"

  "What?" Feng Yao Shan asked inexplicably.

  Hirokazu's mouth twitched, and he said calmly: "According to our custom, when toasting a hero, we must use large cups to truly express our admiration!" He started secretly glancing at Gu Longfei, who had taken a few sips of wine, and seeing that he was making a face, thought his alcohol tolerance was low. Meanwhile, Feng Ling, the little girl, didn't know any better and, relying on her own capacity for liquor, wanted to get him drunk and humiliate him in public!

  Phoenix Mountain knew the subtleties of the situation, so he turned around and beckoned to someone. After a while, a servant brought over two large cups. Hiroshi Takada secretly felt pleased with himself, picked up the wine jug, filled the cups with wine, took one for himself, and said: "Master Gu, please!" He downed the cup in one gulp, his face not flushing or gasping for air, as if nothing was wrong.

  Feng Ling saw it and hastily stopped him, saying: "How can this be? Such a large cup, how can he drink it?"

  Hirokazu Hirosawa's face turned red with anger, and his eyes grew even colder.

  Kurōn Hui inexplicably flew in, unaware of how this little Japanese had managed to get himself pumped up with him, but at such a moment, no matter what the reason, he couldn't back down. So he also drank a large cup of wine in one gulp. Hiroshi Wada saw that Kurōn Hui hadn't been defeated, so he continued to drink two more cups, guessing that his opponent wouldn't be able to keep up! Who knew that Kurōn Hui's capacity for liquor was not weak either, and being challenged to a drinking contest had ignited the heroic spirit in his heart. With two big gulps, he drank the wine clean, turned over the cup, and didn't leave a single drop behind!

  Hirota Kōichi saw Gu Longfei easily downing three large cups of wine, not only without getting drunk or making a fool of himself, but also looking like he still had some energy left. He thought to himself that he had underestimated him and didn't dare bet again. After rolling his eyes for a moment, an idea struck him and he said: "Gu Bangzhu is indeed a remarkable hero, I admire you, so let's not use large cups anymore! How about this, everyone here loves heroes, why don't we all drink a cup together to show our respect?"

  His proposal was immediately supported by everyone, and they all raised their glasses to toast with Gu Longfei! Even Feng Ling, who had been persuading her father to drink less, drank a full cup. After downing the wine, her eyes became even more sparkling, as if tears were about to fall, and she stared at Gu Longfei without blinking.

  Hirokazu Wada saw that everyone's cups were empty, so he picked up the wine jug and filled each person's cup to the brim. Gu Longfei had previously thought this Japanese man was a bit strange, always making things difficult for him, but now he stared straight at him as he poured wine for everyone! Because of his unusual behavior, when they first met, he seemed unsmiling, with only arrogance and disdain in his eyes, so how did he suddenly become so lively?