Chapter 121 — Strong Liquor
劍問蒼天 · Page 5 of 8
The Miao were a rough and simple people. Though they still did not know who Ming Li and the others really were, they felt some embarrassment at making the two of them wait so long.
After a moment the stocky little leader came forward and said to Ming Li in a gruff voice, "Hululu, guala la!"
Ming Li started, not understanding. Then he saw the Miao warrior untie a large bag sewn of hide from his waist and toss it to him.
Ming Li caught it. It was heavy in his hand. There was a wooden stopper at the mouth of the bag, and the warrior raised his hand to his lips and made the motion of drinking. Ming Li had some inkling; he pulled out the stopper and sniffed—sure enough, a powerful smell of liquor. It was a bag of strong wine.
Ming Li smiled wryly. He had never cared much for drink, and now he was in no mood for it. But the Miao were all watching him, and on reflection he did not want to slight their kindness. He nodded and smiled at the warrior, put the bag to his lips, and forced down a mouthful.
The moment it touched his tongue his brows knit. The wine the Miao brewed was fiercely strong, its flavor carrying the very character of the southern borderlands—a numbing, peppery heat that surged down his throat. Caught off guard, he found it quite hard to bear.
His expression was not lost on the Miao. A dozen of them burst out laughing. Plainly they had seen before how men of the Central Plains could not stomach the strong wine the Miao brewed, and there was no little pride in their laughter.
Ming Li was annoyed, but then he reflected that these people meant no harm, and that he was here to ask a favor—how could he lose his temper? He could only smile wryly. He was just about to hand the bag back, and the Miao warrior, still chuckling, reached out to take it.
Suddenly a fair hand reached over from beside him and took the great bag of wine from Ming Li's grasp. Everyone, Ming Li included, was taken aback. The one who had taken the bag was none other than Xiaobai, standing prettily at his side.
She raised the bag to her nose and drew a deep breath. The smell of the wine rose to meet her, fierce and strong, yet she showed not the slightest discomfort—rather, she seemed delighted. Then she lifted both hands, put the bag to her lips, and to everyone's astonishment began to drink deep.
The crowd was aghast, and Ming Li was startled as well!
Xiaobai took a long draught before she set the wineskin down. Satisfaction gradually spread across her face, and after a moment she gave a soft sigh.
"Good wine!"
"Wah..."
That outburst of cries came from the group of Miao warriors. The strong liquor of the southern frontier Miao had always been fierce by nature, and in these parts there had long been a saying that the strongest man was the one who could hold the most liquor. Among the Miao, women as a rule did not touch this harsh spirit, which was a man's drink.
Yet today this delicate-looking woman before them had, to everyone's surprise, downed the fierce liquor in great gulps, and judging by her reaction afterward, it was exactly the peculiar expression of a seasoned drunkard. The Miao men were all fond of drink, and at once they were stirred, calling out their approval on every side.
At this moment a faint flush seemed to have settled over Xiaobai's fair face, perhaps from the liquor going down her throat, but her spirits appeared suddenly roused. Her right hand gripped the wineskin, her left hand opened, and with slender white fingers she gave a light snap toward the Miao warriors, producing a tiny "pop."
Another stir ran through the Miao warriors, every face alight with astonishment and amusement. This gesture was unmistakably the very one Miao men of the southern frontier used among themselves when toasting and matching drinks, the customary challenge to another to drink. That a woman of Central Plains appearance should perform it so flawlessly left them staring at one another.