"Welcome back, Haohao*! Look at you! You're a young man now!" Second Aunt gushed.
"He really has grown so much. I'm sure your father would've been proud of you." Third Aunt joined in.
"Your little sister too! She's turned into a pretty young lady now. I'm sure you were surprised when you saw her. Oh yes, speaking about your sisters... Aish, I don't even know how to face you about that Ming'er. Your sister went and decided the date before even discussing it with us! She even prepared her own dowry without our knowledge. Three days before the wedding date, she told the servants to put up some red decorations, and that's when we finally found out about it." she complained. The atmosphere in the room froze. Second Aunt's thoughtless words seemed to touch on a sensitive subject. Third Aunt elbowed her to keep quiet.
"I apologize on my sister's behalf." Lu Yu replied, dropping to his knees.
"There's no need to ask for forgiveness. After all, a wedding is a joyous occasion and should be celebrated with goodwill." Lu Zhenqi's voice interjected, trying to save his mother from embarrassment.
"Yes, yes. I was only complaining as my back still aches from running around so much for those three days." Second Aunt tried to save the situation. Third Aunt added,
"Those few days really tired us out. Little nephew, you must remember to give us a few of your calligraphy pieces for our efforts." she hinted jokingly. Lu Yu agreed without a smile, letting the matter blow over quickly. Instead, he looked to Lu Zhenqi, his second uncle Lu Song's son.
They were cousins, had similar ages and backgrounds, and as children, they'd been constantly compared with each other, resulting in a few friendly enmities between them. Neither would let go of an opportunity to take advantage of the other and this time, Lu Zhenqi took full advantage. When Lu Yu knelt, he rushed towards his mother, as if trying to protect her, but in actuality, Lu Zhenqi aimed to stand before Lu Yu while he was still bowing in submission. 'Such a cheap tactic,' Lu Yu grumbled internally, as he rose to his feet.
"If there aren't any other matters, this nephew will be going back with cousin Zhenqi." Lu Yu gripped his cousin with a hidden force.
"Yes go, go. Better not keep your uncles waiting." Second Aunt replied with an awkward smile.
Swinging a heavy arm around Lu Zhenqi, Lu Yu dragged his cousin to the men's side, bearing ill intentions. Upon passing the separating panel, Lu Yu declared,
"Uncle, I'm back! Look who I brought with me."
"Yu'er! Qi'er! You two brothers came in together? Good, it's good to have a close relationship. Qi'er, remember to ask your cousin about the upcoming exam. You can learn a lot from him."
Lu Zhenqi's face burned bright red, as he nodded without a verbal agreement. Lu Yu flashed a mischievous grin. Lu Song laughed it off, lifting his cup to go out to toast the other relatives. The rest of the men followed, including Lu Yu and Zhenqi.
"Tang ge! Over here," a man from the first table beckoned to Lu Song. Complying, the Lu family patriarch led the group to his side and saluted with a toast. That should have been the end of the interaction, however, Lu Song pulled his nephew Lu Yu forward.
"Such an auspicious day, we should also welcome my brother's son for returning after so long. " Refilling his cup, he tilted it towards Lu Yu's direction before downing the contents, flipping it upside down when finished. Lu Yu wasn't particularly fond of drinking, but since the other party showed such sincerity, it would be uncourteous for him if he didn't do the same. Finishing his cup as well, he flipped it over to show that it was empty, then expressed his thanks.
It seemed that everyone wanted to salute Lu Yu that night. After Lu Song toasted the first man, all the others would request a drink with Lu Yu, down it, rinse and repeat. After following Lu Song in making his rounds, Lu Yu was thoroughly drunk, forcing Lu Zhenqi to support him to his seat.
Lu Yu felt dizzy, but his thoughts were clear. Thankfully, since it was a family banquet, the alcohol served wasn't too strong. Sitting still, he was able to hide his drunkenness, but Lu Zhenqi wasn't convinced.
Though the two had bad blood, and not the best impression of each other, they were brought up together. Their relationship was more like a pair of friendly rivals rather than complete enemies. Silently, he beckoned to Xiaowan who had been staring worriedly at the side. 'Let's go,' he mouthed.
"Father, this child would like to go out for a moment, Lu Yu also needs-"
"Alright, alright, you brothers go. Be back soon, don't let the guests wait for too long." Lu Song waved his hand dismissively.
With Lu Zhenqi on his left and Xiaowan on his right, Lu Yu was able to make it out of the courtyard in a straight line, and his back upright. Once outside, Zhenqi dropped his arm, allowing his full weight to rest on Xiaowan. Stumbling forwards, Lu Yu found a pillar to support his weight, and promptly started to heave. Zhenqi wrinkled his nose in disgust, while Xiaowan patted his master's back.
"Hey, why do you like putting up appearances so much? Why don't you look at who's toasting before deciding whether or not you drink? At least half of them weren't worth your time. You barely even acknowledged them, you just drank. You think you looked cool?" Lu Zhenqi started rambling.
"Bleurgh, cooler than you. Bleh."
"Yeah, look who's throwing up."
"Shut up."
"In your dreams."
It wasn't like Lu Yu wanted to drink that much, it just happened to turn out that way. Those people were invited for his return, their status a generation higher than his, and others were watching his every movement with scrutiny. The rumors that he was female, Lu Yu didn't believe had nothing to do with them. Though these distant relatives didn't hold any important positions in court, their words still held power.
With the belief that one more ally was better than another enemy, Lu Yu hardened his head and drank all the toasts. Now, he regretted it,
"Heugh, blurg, bleughofh. Water. Blorfpghfh." His insides seemed to churn with the force of a tsunami, wanting nothing more than to escape through his mouth. The dizziness wasn't helping either, as his head grew more painful with every heave. Lu Zhenqi looked on with a mix of repulsion and pity, patting Lu Yu's back awkwardly, as Xiaowan went to get some water and stomach-settling medicine.