Chương 35: The Five Sisters of the Zhen Family

Just as he reached the entrance of the banquet hall, he heard footsteps coming from inside. Zhen Yi, dressed in a light blue brocade robe, ran out with small, quick steps, a smile plastered on his face.

"General Liu! We've been waiting for you! Please come in, please come in!"

Liu Ce cupped his hands and smiled, "Patriarch Zhen, you're too kind. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

The two exchanged polite greetings before entering the hall, where a table was already set with a variety of dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as several jars of wine placed nearby.

Zhen Yi led Liu Ce to the main seat, then sat down beside him and called over two more young men:

"General Liu, let me introduce you. This is my second son, Zhen Yan, and my third son, Zhen Yao. Please have them come over and pay their respects to you."

The two young men, who looked to be in their early twenties and dressed in scholar's robes, bowed respectfully to Liu Ce.

"Greetings, General Liu."

Liu Ce glanced up and saw that the two young men were good-looking and honest-looking, unlike those spoiled brats. He smiled and nodded.

"Young masters, there's no need for such formality. You look like learned men, and you're quite promising at such a young age."

"system……"

【Ding……】 Name: Zhen Yan, courtesy name Zijing Gender: Male Age: 24 [Strength]: 45 Commander: 60 [Politics]: 75 [Intelligence]: 78 【Charm】: 76 [Appearance]: 82cm 【Ding……】 Name: Zhen Yao, courtesy name Chu Jing Gender: Male Age: 22 [Strength]: 41 Commander: 58 [Politics]: 72 [Intelligence]: 74 【Charm】: 78 [Appearance]: 81cm Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao quickly offered a few words of modesty, and the group chatted for a while, mostly about everyday matters and Liu Ce's fight against the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Zhen Yi glanced at Liu Ce from time to time, as if he had something to say but was too embarrassed to speak.

Liu Ce knew perfectly well that the old man was figuring out how to bring up serious matters.

He wasn't in a hurry, slowly sipping his wine. Although the Zhen family's wine was mellow, it was far inferior to the Erguotou in his system.

After drinking a few cups, Liu Ce felt it was about time. He reached into his sleeve, pretending to reach for something, but actually pulled out a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from his system space.

He slammed the bottle down on the table and said to Zhen Yi and his son:

"Master Zhen, young masters, this isn't enough. I have a bottle of fine wine here; please have a taste."

He unscrewed the bottle cap, and a strong aroma of wine instantly wafted out, more than ten times stronger than the aroma of wine in the hall.

Zhen Yi sniffed, his eyes lighting up:

"This... this wine smells amazing!"

Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao also leaned over to smell it, their faces full of surprise. Liu Ce smiled and poured a small cup for each of the three of them.

"This liquor is strong, so drink less and just taste it."

The three of them raised their glasses and took a sip. At first, it tasted spicy, but after swallowing, their throats felt warm after the initial spiciness, with a sweet aftertaste.

Zhen Yi smacked his lips and couldn't help but praise:

"Excellent wine! Truly excellent wine! General Liu, where did you buy this wine? I'd like to buy a few jars myself!"

Liu Ce quickly waved his hand, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense:

"This wine wasn't bought; I brewed it myself. The process was quite complicated, and the ingredients were hard to find. I only have one bottle, so I brought it here today for you to try."

Zhen Yi wanted to ask how it was brewed, but Liu Ce immediately started making up lies:

"A family secret recipe, eighty-one processes, yielding only three pounds a year!"

He chuckled to himself: There are things in the system space!

Afterwards, Zhen Yi asked again, while also implying that "my daughters are all waiting to be married." Liu Ce mostly changed the subject, and Zhen Yi couldn't get any answers after asking several times, so she had to give up.

The group was drinking and having a good time, while the area behind the screen was already packed with people.

Zhen Jiang and her four younger sisters secretly hid behind the screen, peeking out through the gaps.

At first, they could only see Liu Ce's back, but when Liu Ce turned around to talk to Zhen Yan, the five girls instantly held their breath.

Liu Ce was dressed in a black general's robe with a jade belt around his waist. He was tall with broad shoulders, a smile on his face, bright eyes like stars, a straight nose, and lips of moderate thickness. When he spoke, his voice was loud but not harsh.

His appearance could be described as "handsome and dashing," "debonair," and "elegant and refined," and that would not be an exaggeration at all.

The five girls' faces flushed red instantly, like ripe apples.

Zhen Jiang's heart pounded, and she murmured to herself:

"Wow... so handsome... my heart is beating so fast..."

Zhen Rong covered her mouth, her eyes wide with astonishment, her heart pounding like a rabbit's.

Zhen Tuo's ears turned red, and she gripped the maple leaf in her hand even tighter, but she couldn't help but peek through the gap again.

Zhen Dao's eyes widened, and he thought to himself:

"So this is what a great hero looks like! He's even more handsome than described in the stories!"

Zhen Mi's face was the reddest. She quickly lowered her head, but couldn't help but steal glances at Liu Ce out of the corner of her eye. Her heart was pounding as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

"Big sister! What did you just say? What 'heart'?!"

Zhen Dao, with his sharp ears, overheard Zhen Jiang's words and leaned over to ask in a low voice.

Zhen Jiang was startled and quickly waved her hand:

"No... nothing! Don't talk nonsense!"

She glanced outside and saw that Liu Ce had started drinking again, so she quickly pulled her four younger sisters aside:

"Alright, alright, we've finished looking. If we keep looking, we'll get caught. Let's go!"

The five girls reluctantly left behind the screen. Zhen Jiang walked in front, but she was still thinking about Liu Ce's appearance and couldn't help but blush. The four sisters followed behind.

But as they were leaving, someone's skirt tripped over the vase, causing it to shift and make a sound. The five sisters hurriedly quickened their pace, remaining silent the whole way, their blushes lingering for a long time.

The front hall fell silent instantly. Liu Ce raised an eyebrow, smiled, and tilted his head back to drink a toast.

"Your esteemed residence has a vase... that's quite a gesture of hospitality."

After drinking for a while longer, Liu Ce felt he had had enough and got up to take his leave.

"Master Zhen, thank you for your hospitality. It's getting late, and I have to return to the military camp to handle some official business, so I'll take my leave now."

Zhen Yi quickly stood up and urged, "Won't you have a few more drinks?"

Liu Ce smiled and shook his head: "No, I have other matters to attend to in the army. I'll come another day."

Zhen Yi escorted Liu Ce to the door, watching him ride away. Still pondering the bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and recalling Liu Ce's appearance and manner of speaking, he couldn't help but nod.

"This General Liu is indeed..."

He turned and went back to the mansion. As soon as he entered the front hall, he saw an embroidered purse lying behind the screen. It belonged to Zhen Jiang.

Zhen Yi picked up the purse and smiled helplessly: "I'll go see those girls after all..."

Liu Ce rode his horse back to the military camp, a smile on his face the whole way. He thought to himself:

"Attending the banquet at the Zhen family was worthwhile. He probably guessed half of what old man Zhen was thinking, as for those girls hiding behind the screen..."

He recalled the few white corners of clothing he seemed to have glimpsed earlier and couldn't help but smile again:

"The Zhen family really does have quite a few treasures hidden away..."

Back at the military camp, Guan Yu and the others gathered around and asked:

"Brother, how was the banquet at the Zhen family's? Did they not make any requests?"

Liu Ce sat down in a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said with a smile:

"What's the rush? We'll figure out what the Zhen family is thinking eventually. But... that Zhen family girl is quite interesting."

After saying that, he took another sip, his eyes full of smiles.

……