Volume 2 Chapter 11 The Wine of That Night (5)

  Before the war, Jin Shunyu brewed wine, her husband hunted, and their days were still quite comfortable. But after the first shot was fired, the Korean army looted food and money, and the villagers couldn't even fill their bellies, let alone have spare cash to drink wine.

  Chen Zizhong swallowed his saliva, rubbed his nose: "The aroma of kimchi is really appetizing. In the Northeast, I used to crave Korean kimchi the most. Alright, alright, kimchi goes well with wine."

  "You're really material for a jester."

  Jin Shunyu filled a bowl with kimchi, sat down at the wine table, picked up his cup without touching it, took a sip, and savored it carefully in his mouth. It wasn't until much later that his throat moved, and the wine flowed into his stomach like a thin line. Chen Zizhong nodded, not using his hands, tilted his head back, and poured the wine down his throat.

  The wine brewed from grains is as sharp as a knife, the pickled vegetables are tender and white with a bright red color, sour and spicy, after a few mouthfuls Chen Zizhong's face turned red and radiant, his lips and teeth fragrant.

  Some people drink shallowly, some gulp down, but Chen Zizhong is a splash character. Whether it's a cup of wine or a bowl of wine, he picks it up and with a seemingly careless flick of his wrist, the whole thing splashes into his mouth. His throat doesn't move, his chest doesn't bulge, as if his mouth and esophagus didn't exist for an instant. The wine pours in smoothly, like sweet dew falling on parched land that's cracked open, disappearing silently.

  What's even more amazing is that when others drink, they can't help but spill some wine on their collar or neck, as if not doing so wouldn't be bold enough. But Chen Zizhong's splashing of wine is calculated to the last drop, with no spills outside his mouth. Occasionally, a single drop might land on the corner of his mouth, and he'll lick it off with a few quick flicks of his tongue.

  Those who had not gone through the great wine array saw such a tiger and leopard momentum, and were early frightened to lose their composure. Jin Shunyu was neither surprised nor afraid, as if he had expected that such a man would have such a heroic spirit, still holding his mouthful of wine, silent and speechless.

  Xi Zhen was clever and added more wine to Jin Shunyu's bowl, which could have been used to raise fish. She filled it to the brim, her upturned mouth corners seeming to say, "You drink a bowl, my mother also drank a bowl." Chen Zizhong pretended not to know, stuffing kimchi into his mouth with all his might, the thick juice splashing down like raindrops.

  Jin Shunyu took a few sips, Chen Zizhong poured several bowls, Jin Shunyu soon couldn't hold back, wiping his mouth and asking: "In this life, I hate two kinds of people the most. One is thieves, the other is soldiers with guns. My man's whole family was killed by Japanese devils, he lived a few more years, but was also killed by soldiers. You are also a soldier, killing people all day, don't you have nightmares?"

  Chen Zizhong ate vegetables with a smack of his lips, drank wine and made a "tingling" sound: "I carried the gun, stole your flat shovel, and took everything."

  "Do you have nightmares?"

  Chen Zizhong poured a bowl of wine into his mouth, and with a loud "clunk" put it on the table: "Why not do it? As long as I'm not tired, I'll do it every day. I dream of dead comrades, I dream of family members killed by Japanese devils. My family had seven people, five were killed, leaving only me and my poor blind old mother."

  "You're no different from those big shots, damn it."

  Chen Zizhong raised his head, his eyes clearer than before he drank: "It's different, really different. Eldest sister, do you know why I carry a gun? Before, I thought the same as you, just wanting to live a peaceful life, and what's happening outside has nothing to do with us. Our company commander said it right, 'how can eggs survive under a overturned nest?' So I carry a gun, I want revenge, we may not understand grand principles, but we understand an eye for an eye."

  Jin Shunyu didn't utter a word, savoring each mouthful of wine.

  Chen Zizhong lightly tapped the pickle jar: "Sister-in-law, I'm actually here to recruit soldiers too. You're skilled in martial arts and have a strong sense of justice. Your husband was killed, don't you want revenge? Follow me, and I'll make sure you get your fill of killing."

  "I'm a married woman." Jin Shunyu lowered her head and patted Xi Zhen: "We still have to raise the child."