"The moon is a little off tonight."
"Even if it's a little off, it's still nice."
Intermittent conversation drifted from the Bamboo Courtyard.
Since it was just the two of them, Hong Ran had casually moved their meal to the stone table in the courtyard. There weren't many dishes; strictly speaking, the only one that could truly be called a dish was the steamed hilsa herring Zhou Li had specifically requested. The rest were snacks like mooncakes, yam with fruit jam, pumpkin cakes, and brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.
There was also a pot of what was supposedly an alcoholic beverage.
It tasted sweet and sour with no hint of alcohol. Zhou Li, who didn't normally drink, found it quite delightful. He felt its alcohol content was even lower than that of fermented glutinous rice ball soup.
After a few more cups, he only felt a pleasant warmth.
