People in the street had no manners at all. They stared at the man’s exposed backside and laughed.
Before he understood what had happened, Su Jin grabbed his waistband and yanked it up.
In his haste, he caught something sensitive. The man doubled over and cried out.
"Ow! Fuck! What’s wrong with you?"
Su Jin pulled harder, and the man’s testicles finally slipped back into his trousers.
"Brother, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I tripped because I wasn’t watching where I was going..." Su Jin apologized in a rush.
The man tied his belt and glared at him. "You little bastard, can’t you watch where you’re going?"
"I’m really sorry," Su Jin said.
"Let me make it up to you. We’ve met in a memorable way, at least. May I buy you dinner?"
"Get lost!"
"Come on, brother. I have to treat you. Or pull down my trousers in return. I don’t like owing anyone." Su Jin thrust out his hips.
The man looked him up and down, still wincing. "You’re sick. Go away. I don’t want to see you again."
"Brother!" Su Jin took his arm and steered him toward the restaurant. "I insist on paying for your meal."
The man struggled, but Su Jin was too strong and carried him inside.
"Waiter! A private room!"
Su Jin dragged him in and sat him down. Only then did he stop resisting.
His anger had mostly faded. He looked at Su Jin in confusion. "What do you want?"
"I pulled down your trousers in the street. It was embarrassing," Su Jin said sincerely. "I’ve had an education. I care about face. Let me apologize with a meal."
"You came here to eat anyway. Order whatever you want. It’s on me."
The man sighed, then raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Su Jin gestured for him to go ahead.
The man called the waiter and ordered six or seven dishes.
Su Jin drank tea as the man asked, "What’s your name, young brother? What do you do?"
"Wu Zihao. My family has a small cloth business. And you?"
"Xie Yong. I’m the head craftsman at the Li Family Workshop."
[Xie Yong, head craftsman at the Li Family Workshop.]
Su Jin was about to answer but blinked and swallowed his words.
Xie Yong was speaking normally, yet a line of text had appeared before Su Jin’s eyes.
Subtitles? Was this the mask’s new function? It seemed rather useless...
Perhaps he had not focused hard enough before. Many things in the Company responded to thought.
"Young Brother Wu? Are you all right? You don’t look down on me, do you?" Xie Yong asked.
"No, Brother Xie. Something just came to mind. I think our family has dealt with the Li Family Workshop before."
"Really?"
"My parents, not me. I don’t remember the details."
...
More than twenty minutes later, all the food and drink had arrived.
They ate and talked. Su Jin guided the conversation, offering vague replies now and then.
He took small tastes of the meat dishes.
He had thought through his questions earlier, but even simple facts were hard to ask about.
The wrong question could give him away.
He did not know the country well. If he said the wrong thing and someone took him for a spy, he might be expelled on the spot.
So far he knew only that the country was called the Suyuan Dynasty, along with a little vague knowledge of its society.
To ask quickly and in depth, he would need the help of alcohol.
Xie Yong ate heartily. He was enjoying himself, and his earlier anger was gone.
He called Su Jin "little brother" again and again.
As they ate, Su Jin secretly took a jar of liquor from his ring hidden in his underwear.
Earlier he had used some small copper coins to buy the jar, poured in liquor from a glass bottle, and added a little medical alcohol.
Holding the jar under the table, Su Jin interrupted Xie Yong’s boasting. "Brother, do you know why I really came here today?"
"For dinner. What else?" Xie Yong asked.
"Yes, for dinner." Su Jin smiled. "But I also found something special. I doubt anyone in the imperial city has tasted it. I meant to order a meal and enjoy it alone."
"Now that we’ve talked, I feel we get along wonderfully. Let’s try it together."
He emptied their teacups.
Then he opened the jar and filled them with liquor.
The rich smell of alcohol spread through the room. Xie Yong’s eyelids twitched. He could barely speak.
"Little brother... is that liquor?"
"Of course. The very best. Even nobles would have trouble getting any."
Su Jin took a small sip and grimaced. "It cost me plenty. I bought it from a traveling merchant."
Xie Yong swallowed and hurried to the door.
He closed it and returned, breathing quickly. "You’re bold, little brother. If I had wine like that, I’d keep it at home. I can tell from the smell it’s special. How much did you pay?"
Su Jin raised a finger.
"One tael?"
"Ten."
"Heavens!" Xie Yong pressed a hand to his chest. "That’s expensive!"
"Why talk about money between brothers?" Su Jin took another small sip. "Go on. What are you waiting for?"
Xie Yong drew a deep breath. "All right! If you’re sharing wine this expensive, how can I refuse?"
He took a large mouthful.
"Cough! What kind of liquor is this? Why is it so harsh?" Xie Yong stared at the cup. "Has it just been too long since I drank?"
"It’s not you. This is the essence of wine—alcohol, you know."
"Dilute it with two jars of water and it would still be fine liquor. Drink a jar of this, and you won’t need any other wine for the rest of your life," Su Jin said. "Slow down. That mouthful cost several bits of silver."
"Several bits..." Xie Yong looked pained. He licked his lips and began sipping carefully.
It was expensive, and someone else was paying. Even if he disliked it, he had to drink. Perhaps he just needed to appreciate it properly.
Su Jin kept praising its quality and price while watching him closely.
Xie Yong did not seem able to hold much liquor. That would make things easier.
As the cups emptied, Xie Yong’s cheeks flushed.
His eyes grew unfocused.
Su Jin, a veteran of many business drinking occasions, remained composed.
Once the moment was right, he asked, "Brother, I’ve always been interested in officials and the army. You seem to know a lot. Tell me about them from the beginning."
"Sure!" Xie Yong slurred, setting down his cup. "You’ve asked the right man. I know all about officials. I’ve got a relative..."
Xie Yong’s words were indistinct, but the subtitles made them easy to understand.
To avoid missing anything, Su Jin quietly took out his phone and began recording.
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