Chapter 446: No Substance, but a Stubborn Mouth

Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up: "Big Brother, what do you mean?"

The Tea Offering Official blinked: "On such a cold day, the wine definitely needs to be a bit iced!"

Understood: this Big Brother was preparing to change the rules a bit, allowing them to get close to the table and then feel them cup by cup.

But the problem was, many people were watching, and today's formation was set up so grandly. If you feel them cup by cup, others aren't fools.

What's more, Lin Sicheng had already found a way to crack it...

He smiled: "Big Brother, just follow the previous rules. However, I have to ask you for a favor..."

If you follow the previous rules, can you actually drink it?

Not to mention drinking all seventeen tables, even if you drank two, you couldn't take it, right?

Suspicious for a moment, the Tea Offering Official nodded: "Brother, speak."

Lin Sicheng pointed: "Let the onlookers, friends and family, step back a little, at least three meters away from the table!"

This was definitely no problem: the residential compound's courtyard was very large, and they could stand even further away. But what was the use of this?

Surely this brother didn't want to rely on his nose to smell?

But to be honest, it was useless...

Secretly turning the thought over, the Tea Offering Official agreed and let Chuanxilang make the arrangements.

Anyway, they were just watching the fun; there was no difference between one meter away and three meters away, so the guests all stepped back a little.

Seeing the position cleared, the Tea Offering Official looked at Lin Sicheng: "Brother, shall we start?"

"Alright Big Brother, let's start!" Lin Sicheng turned his back to the Tea Offering Official and looked at Lin Siping: "Cousin, you go!"

Lin Sicheng had said before that he would let him handle this round. But Lin Siping didn't know exactly how to handle it.

Just as he was about to ask, Lin Sicheng raised his right hand and gestured twice: first a one, then a two...

Lin Siping remembered: Siping, you can at least count, right?

Of course he could.

The problem was, with ten cups of wine, how did Lin Sicheng know which one was water?

But then again, it was just luck anyway; him guessing was guessing, and Lin Sicheng guessing was also guessing.

He nodded and stood in front of the table. Gu Ming, Sister Chunmei, and his cousin-in-law followed behind.

Lin Sicheng, however, took a detour and stood to the side.

This side faced the sun and was quite glaring, so there weren't many guests. It was as if he had deliberately chosen this side for fear that Lin Siping wouldn't see his hand gestures clearly. Then, Lin Sicheng crossed his arms over his chest, rested his right hand on his left arm, and then pinched his five fingers together, looking like a bird's beak.

Was this seven?

Afraid of seeing it wrong, Lin Siping took another look: that's right, it was seven.

He didn't hesitate and pointed: "Big Brother, the seventh cup!"

"Good, the seventh cup!" The Tea Offering Official repeated and nodded. Chuanxilang carried a tray to fetch the paper cup.

But just as he touched the cup, he was stunned for a moment, then stared at Lin Siping: "Brother-in-law is so lucky?"

The Tea Offering Official was also stunned: "Sugar water?"

"Of course!" Chuanxilang brought it over, "Big Brother, look!"

The Tea Offering Official touched it, a trace of suspicion appearing in his eyes: it really was sugar water?

But a bet is a bet, so he waved his hand and let Chuanxilang carry it over.

Gu Ming didn't decline and drank it dry in one gulp.

The Tea Offering Official took the cup, pretended to look at it, even smelled it, and then tapped with the Precept Ruler: "Pass!"

The guests were only interested in the fun and didn't suspect anything, crowding over to the second table.

To the side, Lin Sicheng was still holding his arms, his five fingers clenched into a fist.

Lin Siping understood instantly: "The tenth cup!"

Chuanxilang ran over with the tray, but just as he picked up the cup, he was stunned again: "Sugar water again?"

Lin Siping was stunned and looked at Lin Sicheng on the side.

The first cup could be called luck, but what about the second?

If it really were luck, wouldn't the four people sitting on the side watching the show have ended up drinking like that?

The Tea Offering Official was also suspicious and signaled for his younger brother to carry it over.

Gu Ming bared his teeth and drank it dry in one gulp again.

Then, as usual, he checked it, and with a "thud," the Precept Ruler tapped on the ground: "Pass!"

The onlookers were full of curiosity: "Just guessing, right?"

"But they've guessed right twice in a row, could they be cheating?"

"Impossible: why would Hu Gang go to such great lengths to torture the new brother-in-law if he were helping them cheat?"

"I didn't say Hu Gang, I meant the groom's side."

"That's nonsense, they haven't even gone near the table."

The group chattered away, following Lin Siping as he moved to the third table.

This time it was even faster; Lin Siping had barely stood steady before he blurted out: "The second cup!"

Chuanxilang picked up the cup, but didn't hand it over directly; instead, he carried it to the Tea Offering Official.

"Big Brother!"

The Tea Offering Official looked amazed, looking at the paper cup on the tray, then at Lin Siping in front of the table, and then at Lin Sicheng on the side of the wine table. Sauce-fragrance liquor has a characteristic: the empty cup retains its fragrance. To put it bluntly: the alcohol content is high, it evaporates quickly, and the essence is heavy, so of course it will be pungent to the nose. So without looking, one could smell it and know that this cup was also water.

Lin Siping was standing so far away, he definitely couldn't smell it. Lin Sicheng was standing even further, almost three meters away; even if he wanted to smell it, he couldn't.

But to say they were guessing, that was absolutely impossible.

Subconsciously, the Tea Offering Official thought back to before: he had wanted to go easy on them, but Lin Sicheng hadn't agreed.

No wonder he was so certain, but the problem is, how did he do it?

The younger sister is still waiting upstairs, so there's no time to think about this; the Tea Offering Official waved his hand and let the Groom lead the way to serve the sugar water.

After tasting a mouthful, Gu Ming smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits.

At the same time, the Precept Ruler struck again: "Pass!"

Instantly, there was an uproar all around.

"No way, is the new groom's luck really that good?"

"Impossible, the probability of picking three out of thirty—why not go buy a lottery ticket? He must be cheating."

"How is he doing it?"

"Like, making a mark on the cup or something?"

As they spoke, someone tilted their head back, looking suspicious: "Big Brother, do you find this Red Groom brother quite pleasing to the eye, and are you intentionally letting Lin Siping off the hook?"

"Heh heh~" the Tea Offering Official let out a laugh, "Old Four, you also think this brother is pleasing to the eye, right?"

I would like to let him off the hook, but he didn't accept the favor.

"Come!" the Tea Offering Official beckoned, "Old Four, you come and check!"

"Checking it is!" Hu Kun gave a wink, and several cousins arrived in front of the wine table.

It was as if they were holding a Magnifying Glass, peering at one cup after another: the paper cups were fine, there were no water marks on the outside, and there were no fingernail marks on the rims. The contents of the cups were also fine: identical and transparent. Even standing in front of the table and sniffing, one couldn't tell them apart at all.

Unless you touch them with your hand: the white liquor was ice-cold, at least around minus seven or eight degrees, proving it had just been poured after being moved from the car.

The sugar water was slightly warmer, but that was only relative: it had been prepared around eight in the morning, and after sitting for nearly two hours in sub-zero weather, even boiling water would be close to zero degrees.

Then what was going on?

The few cousins gathered together to whisper, and then swapped the cups table by table: basically, they shuffled the previous order.

While swapping, they even deliberately covered them so no one could see.

Lin Siping was a bit worried: he didn't know what method Lin Sicheng was using, but there must be a trail to follow. Would this interference affect his judgment?

Gu Ming, however, shook his head, meaning there was no need to worry. Although, he also didn't know how Lin Sicheng did it.

Then, the fourth cup, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth... Lin Sicheng only drank two cups, then gave the remaining three to Gu Ning, Sister Chunmei, and the cousin-in-law. He said his mouth was dry from standing, so he let them moisten their throats.

The three of them held the sugar water, looking astonished.

The onlookers stared at each other in dismay.

To talk about luck now would be complete bullshit.

If one were to say they were cheating, they would need the conditions to cheat, right?

The cups had no marks, and regardless of whether it was the groom, the Best Man, or the two Aunts, they hadn't even touched the edge of the table.

The few cousins huddled together again and started whispering.

Subsequently, two of them snuck toward the gift table. When they returned, one was carrying a wine bottle in his hand, and the other was holding a paper cup. Lin Sicheng took a look: are they trying to pull a trick?

But thinking from their perspective: a shotgun wedding is not glorious anywhere, let alone for the Hu family, who are people of status.

Looking again at the poem on the archway: "Three generations of heroes through archery and horsemanship," one knows: this family is relatively traditional and the type that values family face extremely highly.

Consequently, they would think that Lin Siping made them lose face, and their opinion of Lin Siping would naturally be very poor.

It is true that Deputy Bureau Chief Hu is Jiajia's biological father, and it is his right to decide who his own daughter marries. That is also true. But one can't just not invite a single relative and never associate with the kin again, right?

Since there is resentment, it is best to vent it in advance. Teasing the Best Man and putting appropriate pressure on the groom during the wedding procession is better than fighting after the banquet starts and everyone is drunk, right?

Lin Sicheng expressed understanding, but the liquor definitely couldn't be drunk, at least not nine cups at one table.

Today Lin Siping is the groom; making him lose too much face isn't good either. Of course, there definitely couldn't be any conflict.

Secretly changing his mind, he quickly gestured to Lin Siping and, pretending to stroll around, went to check the tables in the back.

Two young men, not knowing if they were the bride's cousins or younger brothers, or perhaps distant cousins, were blatantly pulling a trick: holding empty cups and pouring liquor into them.

No need to guess: this was definitely to swap out the sugar water on the tables in the back.

Lin Sicheng sighed and took out two thick Red Envelopes: "Two big brothers, please be accommodating!"

Both of them recognized him and stood up with a smile. Seeing the Red Envelopes in his hand, the older one waved his hand: "Groom, to tell you the truth, we are both surnamed Hu and are both Jiajia's cousins, so there's no need to be formal with us!"

"We can tell that although you are young, you are a straightforward person and must be reasonable. So I'll say it plainly: this hurdle today, even if Lin Siping kowtows until his head breaks, he has to step over it..."

Lin Sicheng's eyes flickered: it seems the resentment is quite deep?

These programs today were nine times out of ten this guy's idea.

If it were normal times, Lin Sicheng would have plenty of ways, but seeing it was past ten o'clock, there was only about an hour left before the time limit set by the master of ceremonies.

He didn't have that much time to waste on words.

Lin Sicheng put away the Red Envelopes and thought again: "Big brother, you can swap the wine as you please, any table is fine. But if by any chance—I mean by any chance—Siping is lucky and guesses that this table is all liquor, then what?"

Lin Siping is lucky? He has the luck of a hammer...

Having watched seven or eight tables, they could all guess that it had been this super young, super handsome Red Groom giving Lin Siping ideas all along. The previous eight tables were all pointed out by him to Lin Siping.

However, they had no evidence and didn't know how Lin Sicheng did it.

But it didn't matter: I don't know how they cheated, so why don't I just swap the sugar water?

The older cousin smiled: "If Lin Siping can really guess it, we will be convinced. But if he loses, he has to accept the loss." "Of course!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "Big brother, rest assured, I'll leave now and definitely won't peek!"

It's useless even if you peek: identical white paper cups, I shuffle them at every table, do you know which table I swapped?

The cousin was noncommittal: "Brother, rest assured, I'll swap at most two tables."

Two tables is not a small amount: one cup is four taels, ten cups is four catties, two tables is eight catties.

There's no counting on those four bastards in the back; just him and Gu Ming couldn't drink that much even if they broke their heads.

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal, nodded with a smile, and turned to leave.

But he didn't head toward the back; instead, he went toward the unit entrance. After circling each wine table, he returned to Lin Siping's side.

The cousin narrowed his eyes: "Brother, is he trying to identify the cups?"

The cousin let out a "Pfft": "Can you even tell them apart?"

The younger cousin took a look and shook his head: They look exactly the same, how could anyone tell them apart?

"Doesn't that settle it then?"

That was what the cousin said, but he still felt it was better to be safe: "Just in case, replace all the cups at the back..."

The younger cousin followed instructions and called over all the other cousins.

Hu Gang took a look from afar and shook his head: Is Fourth Brother harboring anger in his heart?

But it wasn't strange: During the Lunar New Year, the whole family was still discussing that Jiajia was already twenty-three and it was time for her to date, wondering what kind of family would be a good match for her.

At the time, Fourth Brother had mentioned that there was a colleague at his Municipal Public Security Bureau Branch who had an excellent relationship with him. The family background was also good: the father was in a state-owned enterprise, a deputy department-level official.

The key was that the young man had secretly seen Jiajia and was one hundred percent willing.

Third Uncle hadn't agreed, saying to wait until Jiajia's job was stable. As it turned out, the job was stable, but Jiajia's belly had also grown?

If he were Fourth Brother, he would definitely make Lin Siping suffer a bit today.

But the problem was, he wasn't Fourth Brother; he was the eldest brother.

Therefore, the game could be played, but it couldn't go too far.

While thinking this, Hu Kun brought the younger cousin over and stood by Hu Gang's side: This was because he feared that he, the Tea Offering Official, would be biased in his enforcement and secretly go easy on him. Hu Gang sighed inwardly: He definitely had to go easy, but he couldn't leave a thorn in Fourth Brother's heart.

Otherwise, they would either get into a fight at the banquet later, or the two families would never have anything to do with each other again...

In a flash, Lin Siping had passed three more tables, with six tables remaining ahead.

Seeing victory in sight, Lin Siping suddenly stopped and bowed deeply: "Fourth Brother, I apologize to you!"

As he spoke, he took the wine glass from Gu Ming's hand and drank it dry in one gulp.

It wasn't a disposable paper cup, but a glass, and it wasn't small either: at least two taels per cup.

He didn't usually drink much, and having drunk it too fiercely, Lin Siping coughed "Ahem, ahem" a few times, his face turning red to the roots of his neck.

But he forced himself to swallow it down, wiped his mouth, and took the second cup: "Brothers-in-law, brothers-in-law, I was in the wrong before, and I apologize here. From now on, we are one family; watch how I perform..."

It was another one-shot, but this time he drank a little slower, at least he didn't choke.

Then, Lin Siping picked up the third cup and bowed again: "Fourth Brother, I'll toast you another one..."

Hu Kun kept a cold face and didn't move, while Hu Gang narrowed his eyes: How did Lin Siping know that the one he had offended was Fourth Brother?

Besides, Lin Siping didn't have the decisiveness or the adaptability to make such an on-the-spot judgment.

To put it nicely, he had a spine of pride. To put it bluntly: he had no real ability, but his mouth was quite stubborn; even knowing he was wrong, he wouldn't show the slightest bit of humility.

Otherwise, the situation wouldn't have become so tense today...