Chapter 2

The winter of the second year of Jian'an was particularly cold!

By October, Xiangyang had already experienced four heavy snowfalls, with the snow on the ground reaching a depth of three feet. In places like Lumen, Xian Mountain, and Longzhong, the ice in the wells was over a foot thick, and most of the birds and beasts had perished.

To the west of Xiangyang City, at noon, in front of Zuo Xing's tavern.

A plump young man in a fur coat, while vigorously rubbing his pale hands, hurriedly stepped into the tavern.

"Yuanzhi, why did you choose to meet today? The snow has just melted, and it's really too cold."

In the tavern, large charcoal stoves with copper casings were placed in each of the four corners, with chimneys leading directly to the roof. The room was warm and steamy, with no smell of burning charcoal.

The person welcoming him was a vigorous young man in his twenties, dressed in a single-layered robe, his face calm.

"Ha ha, aren't you called Choufeng? Phoenixes are like fire, what do you fear from rain or snow?"

Pang Tong, his eyebrows and eyelashes slightly moistened by the indoor heat, casually wiped his face.

"What Choufeng, Fengchou, Fengchou! This is just a joke by the teacher, are you jealous, Yuanzhi?"

Xu Shu spat and laughed, "Fengchou, that's just a chick, do I need to be jealous?"

Pang Tong laughed loudly, "If we follow your analogy, then Kongming is called Fulong, which means a little earthworm? Haha, indeed very clever!"

Xu Shu shook his head and whispered, "Wang Fu returned from the north yesterday, and Dong Yun has also arrived. You should go in and join them in conversation."

"Oh, Guoshan has returned? I'll go right away." With that, Pang Tong walked straight to a private room on the left side of the tavern.

They had reserved the largest private room in the tavern, the Luoyang Pavilion, and Pang Tong had been informed earlier.

Xu Shu shook his head and turned to the tavern entrance. Many friends had yet to arrive, and he needed to continue welcoming them at the door.

Not long after, Meng Jian and Shi Tao arrived together, just as Xu Shu was greeting them and joking, Zhuge Liang, holding his younger brother Zhuge Jun, also walked in.

Xu Shu hurriedly said, "Everyone, let's go to the Luoyang Pavilion first, don't all crowd at the entrance, Brother Zuo still needs to welcome guests."

The middle-aged man behind the counter smiled, "Brother Yuanzhi, there's no need to be so polite. The snow has just stopped today, how many guests could there be?"

Meng Jian and Shi Tao were both very outgoing and unconcerned with formalities. It was rare to have such a large gathering of fellow students, so they naturally became even more boisterous after hearing the tavern owner's words.

Just then, a smiling face appeared at the door.

Xu Shu turned his head and saw a tall young man, not much shorter than himself, rush in. He looked slightly young, probably no more than sixteen years old, wearing a grayish-blue robe, and holding a thin stick in his mouth, which he was moving back and forth.

"Uncle Zuo, give me some wine."

Owner Zuo quickly came out from behind the counter and smiled, "Little Yu, you're here so early today?"

"Yes, Uncle Zuo, my uncle said he would treat us tonight, and he loves your wine, so I came to get a pot. Also, ten pounds of cooked mutton."

The tall young man took the stick out of his mouth with his left hand and took a large gourd from his waist, handing it over.

Owner Zuo smiled, "That's all thanks to your patronage, otherwise, where would there be so many guests?"

"Uncle Zuo, you're too kind." The young man put the stick back in his mouth and started sucking on it.

Zhuge Jun glanced at the gourd and then fixed his bright eyes on the stick in the young man's mouth, which was moving around. Seeing him enjoy it so much, his curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "Big brother, why are you chewing on that stick? Is it very tasty?"

The young man turned his head to look at him, pulled out the stick, and smiled, "It's not the stick that's tasty, it's the sugar wrapped around it!"

Zhuge Jun looked and indeed saw a small, brownish-yellow bump at the end of the stick, with a faint sweet aroma.

"Big brother, what is this?"

"This... is called a lollipop."

"Big brother, is it honey?" Zhuge Jun licked his lips. After walking for several miles, he was also hungry. Lollipop, the name sounded especially delicious.

"No, it's cane sugar."

"Big brother, what is cane sugar? Is it very sweet?"

The young man, seeing that Zhuge Jun was about seven or eight years old, with clear eyes and a polite manner, felt a liking for him. He put the stick back in his mouth and fished out three or four similar short sticks from his pocket. The difference was that these sticks had a large, round bump at one end, wrapped tightly in a clear lotus leaf.

"Here, try it yourself."

Zhuge Jun, surprised by his generosity, rushed over, took them with both hands, and said, "Thank you, big brother, thank you, big brother!" He couldn't wait to take one out, peel off the lotus leaf under the young man's guidance, and put it in his mouth.

The young man smiled and asked, "Is it sweet?"

"Mmm... it's sweet, very sweet!" Zhuge Jun's mouth was full, and his happiness was also full. Face to face with the young man, each with a lollipop, they sucked away happily.

"Brother... " Zhuge Liang, seeing his brother's antics, was both amused and exasperated. He bowed and was about to introduce himself and exchange pleasantries with the young man when a fierce argument suddenly erupted from the private room on the left. The next moment, an angry Pang Tong dragged a tall, thin young man out of the room, while another round-faced young man tried to mediate between them.

Xu Shu hurriedly asked, "Shiyuan, Guoshan, Xiuzhao, why are you all out here?"

"Yuanzhi, Kongming, come and help mediate between Shiyuan and Guoshan," the round-faced young man, who was Dong Yun, called from a distance, "They're about to fight."

Zhuge Liang shook his head, "Shiyuan, why are you so impatient? Let go of Guoshan, how does this look?"

Pang Tong reluctantly let go and shouted, "Guoshan said Cao Cao might attack Nanyang, scaring him into wanting to hide in the poor mountains of Shu. Don't you think this is like the man from Qi worrying about the sky falling?"

Wang Fu, already red-faced from the argument, became even angrier at his unguarded words, "Shiyuan, you're talking nonsense. How can Shu, the land of abundance, be a poor and remote place?"

Zhuge Liang, Shi Tao, Meng Jian, and the others were all taken aback. Xu Shu asked, "Guoshan, is it true that Cao Mengde is planning to attack Nanyang?"

Wang Fu looked around and, seeing no other guests in the tavern, said directly, "In Nanyang, I heard many people say this."

Everyone's faces changed. Since last year, when Cao Cao welcomed the emperor to Xu, he had been working hard to improve and train his troops. At the beginning of this year, he launched a southern campaign against Wan City, and his ally in Xiangyang, Zhang Xiu, first surrendered and then rebelled, driving him back to Xu. Although Cao Cao suffered significant losses in this battle, with his eldest son Cao Ang and his nephew Cao Anmin both dying unexpectedly, his strength was still formidable, and a comeback was not impossible.

Zhuge Liang looked around and said to Owner Zuo, "Mr. Zuo, I think it's warmer outside today than in the private room. Since we have so many people, can we have a large feast in the main hall, and we'll still pay for the private room? What do you think?"

Owner Zuo smiled, "Of course, of course. There are no guests today, so you can all sit comfortably. Later, my wife will play a few pieces for you to liven up the atmosphere."

Zhuge Liang was delighted, "Thank you, Mr. Zuo." The ancient qin played by Zuo's wife was a treasure of Zuo Xing's tavern, rarely shown.

Zhuge Liang turned to the tall young man who was still chewing on the lollipop and bowed, "Brother, my younger brother is ignorant and has caused some disturbance. Since we've met, it's a matter of fate. Would you like to join us and share in the hospitality?"

His words were refined, and the tall young man, seeing Pang Tong and Wang Fu still arguing in low voices, frowned slightly. Before he could speak, Zhuge Jun had already tugged at his sleeve, mumbling, "Brother Xiaoyu... are you hungry? Come and eat."

Zhuge Liang thought, this kid knows the man's name before I do.

The tall young man, pulled by Zhuge Jun, found it awkward to leave and said, "I am deeply grateful for your hospitality. In that case, I will not be impolite!"

Zhuge Liang was delighted and hurriedly called everyone over to greet him.

After exchanging names, the young man's face changed slightly, and his jaw muscles twitched, but he remained calm, "I am Tan Yu, and I greet all the distinguished brothers."

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