Chapter 73

Su Xinghui merely shook his head and refused, while Peng Kehong insisted unrelentingly; the atmosphere grew awkward.

Wei Bingyi's eyes flickered with displeasure—this Peng Kehong was too clueless. Su Xinghui doesn't know how to play cards; why force him? But he didn't lash out; instead, he smiled warmly at Zeng Xianglin: "Old Zeng, if we don't start soon, the dishes will be served."

Hearing this, Zeng Xianglin began shuffling the cards: "Yao Xuexin, Peng Kehong, Fu Bo, let's four of us play—hurry up and get a few rounds in. Losers drink. One round lost means one cup, doubled for each subsequent loss, no substitutions allowed."

Peng Kehong sensed Wei Bingyi's irritation and stopped pressuring Su Xinghui, focusing instead on the game. The stakes were high: playing tractor here, bad luck could cost you dozens of rounds per hand. One round lost meant one cup, and no substitutions meant even winning didn't help—if you lost once, you drank. If he didn't concentrate, he'd be the one humiliated today.

Indeed, Peng Kehong's luck was poor: in the first round, his team with Fu Bo was completely swept by Yao Xuexin and Zeng Xianglin's team—he had to drink five cups.

In the second round, Peng Kehong played cautiously. Seeing his hand was strong, he held back until nearly all cards were drawn, then called hearts as trump. Unexpectedly, the seven of hearts was among the eight bottom cards—meaning he faced three opponents alone. Believing his hand was good, he gritted his teeth and played—and suffered a crushing defeat. This round, he had to drink twelve cups.

After two rounds, Peng Kehong owed seventeen cups. He was furious and hoped others would lose too, but in the third round, his team with Zeng Xianglin lost three more cups—now he owed exactly twenty.

After only three rounds, Zhang Pangzi's wife began serving dishes; the game could no longer continue. Besides Fu Bo's five cups and Zeng Xianglin's three, only Peng Kehong had to drink twenty.

Yao Xuexin smiled and asked: "Peng Kehong, baijiu or beer?"

Peng Kehong was usually sarcastic and unpopular in the township government. Now that he was down, everyone enjoyed watching him suffer.

Peng Kehong's face turned pale—beer was out of the question; twenty cups would leave him bloated and unable to eat anything. He could only drink baijiu—use a small cup, about two or three qian per pour. Twenty cups, he could handle.

Yao Xuexin had Zhang Pangzi's wife bring two bottles of Shangjun Daqu. He was considerate: using three-qian cups, pouring only eight-tenths full—each cup held just over two qian.

In township work, no one avoided alcohol. Fu Bo and Zeng Xianglin drank their losses without hesitation. Only Peng Kehong stared at the row of five cups, stunned. Yao Xuexin had set out five cups, demanding Peng Kehong finish them in four rounds—the sight still weighed heavily on him.

After a dozen seconds of hesitation, Peng Kehong gritted his teeth and began drinking. He finished the first round of five cups without trouble. Yao Xuexin refilled them. Su Xinghui called out: "Peng Kehong, eat some food before you drink—don't rush."

Peng Kehong picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, then began the second round. The banquet had barely started, yet he'd already drunk twenty cups—half a catty. He'd wanted to humiliate Su Xinghui, but ended up humiliating himself.

Peng Kehong had poor relations in the township; no one pitied him. Even kind-hearted Wei Bingyi said nothing to spare him a few cups. Everyone pretended not to notice, chatting merrily, repeatedly toasting Su Xinghui and congratulating him on his progress.

Su Xinghui noticed that after finishing his twenty cups, Peng Kehong's eyes flashed with hatred—he now hated everyone at the table.

But Su Xinghui certainly wasn't afraid of him. Such a petty man, only capable of scheming, would never achieve anything great.

With twenty cups already down, Peng Kehong dared not toast anyone else. But not toasting others didn't mean others wouldn't toast him. Zeng Xianglin and Yao Xuexin toasted him several times. Wei Bingyi, being kind, didn't toast him. Fu Bo and Wang Wenjing, both temporary workers, didn't want to offend him—each toasted him only once.

Su Xinghui didn't toast Peng Kehong much either—not out of mercy, but because today was to celebrate his progress, and he didn't want any unpleasantness. So he toasted Peng Kehong only once, and told him to drink less.