When Yuliang woke up the next day, he still found him and his brother curled up under the same counter as the night before, but they had a blanket tossed over them, protecting them from the autumn chill.
Yuliang pulled himself up with a quiet groan and buried his face in his hands as the memories from last night came to the forefront of his mind. It seemed he had lost control of his temper again after suppressing it for too long.
He shoved his snoring brother off roughly and got to his feet and couldn't help sucking in a surprised breath as he took in the aftermath of his actions.
The entire place was a mess of toppled over, scattered, and broken furniture and glass. There were even some dried blood splatters here and there, but other than himself and his brother, there were no other clients of the bar from last night.
"Oh fuck."
"Yeah, that's what I thought when I woke up this morning too," Jeremy said, appearing from the doorway behind Yuliang.
Yuliang turned to face the older man and immediately fell to his knees in a deep bow. "I sincerely apologize for the part I played in everything that happened last night. I don't have enough to cover the damages, but I hope I will be able to compensate for my mistake by working completely cleaning up this place and working free of charge for as long as you feel is necessary."
"Oh no, don't do that. Get up. The floor is filthy!"
Yuliang stumbled to his feet and looked at Jeremy remorsefully.
The older man offered him a kind smile and patted him on the shoulder, "Can't say I wouldn't appreciate the help or the free labor, but in these parts, we tend to have a fight break out at least every other week. We're well insured for this sort of thing, so you don't have to worry too much about it."
"But, none of this would have happened if I hadn't started a fight in the first place," Yuliang protested.
Jeremy shook his head, "If we go by that logic, I am also at fault for offering you more to drink, even though I had a feeling that you'd drunk well beyond your limits. I heard what that man said last night, and I believe it was well within your rights to defend your honor. I was raised in Norden, and we the Nordish are taught never to handle such blatant disrespect lightly."
Yuliang sighed, "I'd still feel better if I could help you out here."
Jeremy smiled, "Feel free. You won't hear me complain."