Chapter 17.3 - Kudzu Flower 葛花
Li Jie, feeling a bit sour, teased from the side, “Oh, I’m so insignificant! Big Brother, at least greet me first. I’m the one treating you to dinner today!”
They had a great time eating, and that was when she learned that Li Jie and Su Shan were getting married. During the meal, they toasted one after another. Eventually, the toasts turned into using bowls as measurement units to drink. Su Shan really liked Shen Xifan, and she drank the most with her.
When they reached He Suye’s turn, Qiu Tian immediately stopped them, “He Suye can’t drink. If he drinks, we won’t be able to get him back!”
Li Jie quickly explained to Su Shan, “Big Brother can’t hold his alcohol. If he gets drunk, no one will do the volunteer work. He’ll just drink tea instead to show his intention!”
Qiu Tian still wouldn’t let up, and he filled a bowl with five-grain liquor, shoved it into Shen Xifan’s hand, and smiled slyly, “You still have to drink, but find someone to drink on his behalf!”
Everyone at the table started egging them on, and only Fang Kexin was watching with a cold smile. Shen Xifan immediately caught the emotion in her eyes and silently thought, “This drink has to be downed, no escaping it.”
He Suye tried to take the bowl, but Shen Xifan stopped him. Taking a deep breath, she raised her voice dramatically, “He Suye, the revolution can’t do without you, so please stay sober throughout. Whether I can get home or not depends on you!” Taking advantage of the laughter around her, she downed the drink in one go and flipped the bowl, not leaving a drop.
Everyone cheered, “Good! Good!” Shen Xifan’s head started to feel uncontrollable, one bowl after another, and gradually, she became more and more muddled. By the time the event had ended, she realized she was leaning on He Suye’s arm to keep herself steady.
In the end, He Suye was the only one completely sober. After seeing everyone off and taking care of everything, he turned and helped the drunk Shen Xifan out. As they left the hotel, her eyes were still barely open. By the time they got to the taxi, she had already drifted into a light sleep.
He Suye looked at her, the smell of alcohol emanating from her, and felt a pang of heartache. Silly girl, why drink so much? She even helped him drink most of it. She really loved to show off, but he also felt a sweet sense of satisfaction. Without thinking, he pulled her closer, letting her lean on him, thinking that this way, she might sleep more comfortably.
When they reached the entrance of the community and got out of the taxi, He Suye barely managed to shake her awake. She squinted at him for a moment, her eyes unfocused and unaware.
She was truly drunk, losing her sense of direction, clutching tightly onto He Suye’s clothes. As she walked, she stumbled in a zigzag pattern and began mumbling incoherently, “I’m not drunk, I can still drink!” “Bring me some peanuts, let’s drink a little more!” “He Suye, how can Li Jie get married so early? I’m so jealous of him!”
He Suye stood by, worried. The little girl was drunk and acting recklessly, walking along the edge of a flower bed, not even afraid of falling. Suddenly, he heard her ask, “He Suye, when is your birthday?”
He stopped, turning to look at her in confusion. In the moonlight, her face was flushed, standing atop the flower bed, looking down at him blankly, with her hair falling loosely around her face. She giggled, “You won’t tell me, you really won’t tell me? You dare not tell me!”
Then a rich, fragrant smell of alcohol wafted into his nose, and the cool, soft, rosy lips of Shen Xifan brushed against the corner of his mouth, like a summer breeze. He froze immediately, and instinctively caught Shen Xifan’s falling body.
He Suye held the drunken Shen Xifan, helplessly laughing and crying at the same time. He had no choice but to sit on the edge of the flower bed, with Shen Xifan sleeping peacefully in his arms. He looked at her delicate features, his fingers gently running through her long hair, which slipped through his hands like satin—smooth and soft.
It took a while for his heartbeat to calm down. He let out a long breath, helplessly reaching out to pinch her nose, muttering in frustration, “You really drive me crazy, girl. What were you doing just now? What do you want me to do?”
This year’s birthday gift seemed a bit too much to handle.
He held Shen Xifan’s hand, gently kissing it, thinking to himself, “Well, she doesn’t know, so I might as well make the most of it.”
Little did he know, someone was quietly watching from the shadows, smoking a cigarette, witnessing everything. Afterward, they drove away, leaving only the glowing ember of the cigarette butt on the ground, which the wind soon extinguished.
Shen Xifan woke up at 10 a.m. the next day, her stomach growling with hunger. She took a deep breath and immediately ran to open the window, exclaiming, “Oh my god! Where’s all this alcohol smell coming from?”
Shen’s mom came in through the door, holding a bowl of porridge, “Why did you drink so much yesterday? Luckily, someone kindly brought you back. Otherwise, I bet we’d have to go to the police station to claim you!”
She blinked. “Mom, who brought me back?”
“A tall, handsome young man. He has a little dimple on the right when he smiles. He said you drank too much and that kudzu flower and sour jujube soup could help sober you up. Your dad had some left from last time. Drink it up after washing up!”
Shen Xifan held the bowl of soup and opened a Chinese medicine book in front of her. She read carefully, “Kudzu flower, the unopened buds of the kudzu plant, sweet and mild in nature. It helps detoxify alcohol, clear the spleen, and soothe the stomach. It’s mainly used for excessive drinking, headaches, dizziness, thirst, and vomiting. When combined with sour jujube, it’s very effective. The typical dosage is 3–15 grams.”
So that’s why. Theory always needs to be applied to practice.
She flipped back to the first page and suddenly noticed a note on the table. She picked it up and saw it was written by He Suye: “Rest well if you’ve drunk too much. Send me a message when you wake up. By the way, my birthday is February 17th, but it’s already passed this year.”
She smiled, realizing that He Suye’s birthday was in February. No wonder he seemed so friendly on the surface, but deep down there was still a hint of aloofness. He was extremely intelligent, his academics outstanding—no doubt a common trait of his star sign.
But how did He Suye know that she wanted to know his birthday? Could this doctor read minds?
She sat there confused, trying to recall what happened last night, but it was all a blur. She laughed at herself for overthinking, and seriously picked up her phone to send He Suye a message.
illa: Finally! This kiss we have all been waiting for >.< Happy Birthday Dr He !!!
