ili peered out over the balcony from her seat on the floor. The intricate low railing allowed her to enjoy the busy canal view from their dining table.
"Oh," she sighed, "this is so beautiful Tan Bowen!"
"Yes," he waved his arms expansively, "it’s all for you. Who could resist an establishnt called Soulmate, when they’ve found her?" he grinned.
"Mmmm. So romantic," she agreed dreamily, missing his point entirely.
The waiters started to carry in Master Tan’s usual order of hairy crab and the other chef’s specialities, as well as bottles of their house-brewed huangjiu, in the pretty little red bottles with old Yidi decorating them.
ili eyed the pretty bottles with interest. This would be her first ti tasting wine she decided.
Her brothers would never let her try alcohol before she was thirty, so she’d better take advantage of being out with Tan Bowen. Afterall, she reasoned, if they got caught this evening, this would be the only chance she’d ever get.
Tan Bowen cracked open so of the delicious crab for her and placed the tenderest pieces of crabat in her bowl.
"Thank you, Tan Bowen," she laughed gaily.
He watched her eat delicately behind her hand. Her eyes lit up, and she picked at a few more pieces.
"It’s delicious!" she cried.
"Now, I’m going to try the wine," she said with gravitas.
She took one of the little bottles.
"Oooh, look how pretty this is. It looks like New Year."
She pulled out the stopper and sniffed it, making a shocked face and wrinkling her nose.
"Ha, ha, ha," Tan Bowen clutched his stomach laughing at her. She was so cute!
"I think it might be off," she said. She handed the bottle across to him. "Here sll it for . Is it okay?"
He sniffed it. "It’s perfect," he said. "That’s the sll of a beautifully brewed wine."
"Give it back then please," she said doubtfully.
She poured a little cupful of the wine and gave it the tiniest of sips.
"Paaah," she scrunched up her face. "Oh, that burns my throat," she clasped at her neck.
He was rolling on the floor laughing now. He wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Oh my god. Is this your first ti tasting wine i ili?"
"So what if it is?" she said archly.
He stopped laughing.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Oh ... well. Maybe you should wait a bit longer to have your first try? We still have to sneak you back into the mansion tonight."
This was a bit different. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be responsible for her first try of alcohol. Anything could happen.
"I’ll just sip the littlest bit. If I don’t try it now, I’m not sure I’ll ever get another chance."
And with that, she held her nose and drank the entire cup.
"No ili!" he leapt across the table to stop her, but it was too late, the cup was finished.
She looked shocked.
"You just called by my na, Tan Bowen..."
"Umm, yes, sorry about that. You just took by surprise finishing off that cup of wine like that, that’s all."
He watched her like you might watch a firework while it was burning and before it exploded.
"What?" she asked him. "I’m not going to fall to the floor and break in two you know."
"I am quite concerned that could happen," he said, pulling at his ear.
He put the stopper back in his own wine. There was no way he could drink and look after her.
"I feel exactly the sa as before," she said. "I must need so more."
And with that, she picked up the bottle and tipped a stream of the wine into her pretty mouth.
"No! i ili! Stop! That’s way too much for your first ti drinking alcohol. Do not drink any more. That’s it! No more! I’m taking all of the bottles away from you."
Oh dear, he was done for... He was dead-at. Her brothers would kill him...
He scooped up all of the bottles of wine and hid them under his side of the table.
This was the first ti he could rember being the responsible adult on a night out. Aaah, this girl would be the death of him!
Her cheeks started to turn pink. Not the usual bright red of his drunken friends, but a pretty blush pink that matched her lips and made her look even more like a woman in that ridiculous outfit.
Any dunderhead would imdiately know she wasn’t a man now...
"Tan Bowen!" she said loudly.
"Yes i ili," he sighed in resignation.
Here it goes... The firework was about to go off.
"I have a question for you," she started to slur her words, "and you must answer trooshfully."
"Go ahead," he sipped his tea, resigned to being a babysitter tonight.
"Did you climb onto my roosh and spy on before we t?"
"Pfft!" he spat his mouthful of tea all over the table.
He dabbed at his mouth, stalling for ti.
"Sorry about that ... Ahem. It went down the wrong way."
"Did you Tan Bowen? Tell the troosh. I mus’ know! There can be no segrets between us. I mus’ trust you. When I see you climbing over my roosh and jumping into my courtyard I get déjà vu. ’I get déjàvu when I’m with you’," she rhyd with delight.
"i ili, I was not the person that you saw on your rooftop," he said, carefully skirting the edge of truth and a lie.
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "I was so shure it was you. Well, thass good. I didn’t like to think it was you. Thass great news!"
She leapt to her feet and kicked off her shoes.
"i ili! Don’t take off your shoes. We’re out in public."
She looked around in confusion. "There’s nobody here but us Tan Bowen?"
"Just generally. This place is public. Anyone could co into this room. People on the canal could see you."
"Well, iss your job to make shure they don’t co in Tan Bowen. Then I can take my shoes off an’ be comforble," she looked at him earnestly.
Seeing no more protests, she skipped across to the doors and jamd one shoe under each of them.
"There," she said with satisfaction. "Now no one can co in. See?"
She looked to him for approval.
"Yes, good job, good job. I’m not sure how you’ll do the sa with the canal though," he gestured.
She peered over the edge into the dark where the pleasure boats were still out in force.
"Hmmph. Thoosse people are busy enjoying their boat rides Tan Bowen. They’re not looking up here at my feet, are they now?"
She wriggled her toes. Then she seed to realise they were still encased in socks. She plonked herself down where she stood and angrily wrenched each of her socks off, throwing them into the canal.
"i ili! No!" Oh dear, he put his head in his hands. "Why did you do that?" he asked despairingly.
"I don’t want them! I need to be free so I can run about," she leapt back to her feet.
"Run about? There’s to be no running about on this balcony i ili," he said firmly. "Sit back down this instant."
At that mont, the acrobats started a new display downstairs, and lively music floated up to them.
i ili clapped with delight, jumping up and down on the spot.
"I know this song; I know this song! I muss dance!"
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