As for the matters concerning Magistrate Wu's household, Wang Qingchen merely treated them as gossip to be heard, not paying them much mind. After all, they were, in the end, related to Li Yuntai’s in-laws; why should he concern himself with them? Better to leave that focus to Li Yuntai himself!

With Li Yuntai getting married, his friends Wang Qingchen, Zhao Cheng, and Qi Jintang naturally had no intention of making things difficult for him. However, Liu Hao was another matter entirely. He was naturally a lively, boisterous fellow on a normal day, and now that he finally had an opportunity, he certainly wouldn't pass it up. Thus, plying Li Yuntai with drink was inevitable—pouring until Li Yuntai begged for mercy. It was only when Wang Qingchen and the others interceded, reminding Liu Hao that Li Yuntai still had many more people to toast, that Liu Hao reluctantly ceased his efforts.

Even though Liu Hao stopped, Li Yuntai had already consumed a substantial amount of liquor and was noticeably tipsy. It wouldn't be long before he was thoroughly drunk.

Fortunately, later on, some of Li Yuntai’s paternal relatives stepped in to intercept the toasts for him. Of course, Wang Qingchen, having been briefed beforehand by Li Yuntai, also took on this honorable duty.

Truth be told, Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai had been such close friends for so long, often attending gatherings together, that Li Yuntai was perfectly aware of Wang Qingchen’s tolerance for alcohol. Wang Qingchen’s capacity was simply legendary; he could truly drink like a sea.

And so, on the day of Li Yuntai’s wedding, Wang Qingchen also drank heavily. He had initially planned to participate in teasing the newlyweds later that evening, but because he had consumed too much, his head began to spin, causing him to leave Li Yuntai’s house earlier than anticipated.

Since Zhao Cheng was currently staying with Wang Qingchen, he naturally missed out on the wedding-night antics as well. He needed to support Wang Qingchen back home; although Wang Qingchen was still conscious, his footing was unsteady. Zhao Cheng genuinely feared that he might stumble and fall, so he kept an arm around Wang Qingchen the entire way.

Upon returning, Wang Qingchen promptly fell into a deep sleep, staying down until the next morning, skipping dinner entirely the previous night.

Wang Qingchen woke up, rubbing his slightly dizzy head, and immediately felt an unbearable hunger. The very first thing he did upon rising was head out to fill his stomach.

Zhao Cheng had been somewhat worried because Wang Qingchen hadn't woken up all day yesterday. Therefore, he had risen early as well, preparing to check on him. To his surprise, when Zhao Cheng arrived, Wang Qingchen was already tucking into breakfast.

“Qingchen, you’re already up? Are you feeling much better now?” Zhao Cheng inquired.

Seeing Zhao Cheng arrive, Wang Qingchen felt a bit sheepish. “I drank too much yesterday and missed dinner. I’m just a little dizzy now; otherwise, I’m fine. Oh right, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you? Sit down and join me! I was just too hungry, and since you weren’t up yet, I started without you.”

Zhao Cheng naturally didn't mind. Seeing that Wang Qingchen seemed well, he relaxed and sat down to share the morning meal.

After eating, Zhao Cheng asked, “By the way, when are you planning to head over to the county town?”

Hearing Zhao Cheng ask this, Wang Qingchen suddenly remembered that he hadn't yet mentioned he wouldn't be accompanying them to the county town. He quickly said, “No, I probably won’t be able to go to the county town for a while. Qing Tong is getting married around this time, so I think I should stay home until after his wedding.”

“Qing Tong getting married?” Zhao Cheng sounded surprised. After a moment’s thought, he said, “In that case, I’ll head back to the county town with Liu Hao and Qi Jintang. Yuntai just got married, so he likely won’t be returning to the county town before the New Year.”

Wang Qingchen nodded upon hearing this, then paused before adding, “When I came back this time, I didn’t expect not to return to the county town right away, so many of my books are still there. When you all go back, I’ll need to trouble you to help me bring back some of the books I still need to read.”

Zhao Cheng certainly wouldn't refuse such a request. “That’s no problem at all. Just write me a list when the time comes and tell me exactly which books you need me to fetch.”

Wang Qingchen nodded. “Alright, thank you very much then.”

“Hey, do we need to say thanks between us? If that’s the case, I’m still staying at your place right now, so doesn’t that mean I should say thank you many, many times?” Zhao Cheng quipped.

“Fine, I won’