Hou Hai made Xiaoling sit on the tea table while he brought a small gourd of rice wine. Xiaoling hadn't drunk before, so she was skeptical.
"This is Lady Ren's rice wine," Hou Hai said, "It's customary to drink the wine before leaving." He explained, "Just one cup."
Xiaoling smiled and nodded. Hou Hai knew better than her, so she stopped second-guessing.
"Could you fetch napkins from the shelf behind you?" Hou Hai asked.
"Okay," Xiaoling murmured as she stood and turned around to fetch napkins.
While she was looking away, Hou Hai quickly poured wine into two cups. He took a strange bottle from his hanfu and emptied it into Xiaoling's wine. Xiaoling brought the napkins back and handed them over to Hou Hai. Hou Hai quietly cleaned the gourd before putting its cork back.
He gestured to the cup of wine, "Drink up. It's Lady Ren's best wine."
