As the two of them walked to the east end of the town, people were already setting up the venue.
It was a vast open space, which Jiang Ning estimated to be even larger than a soccer field. In the center of the area, a simple stage had been erected with a few chairs and two large drums on it. Beneath the stage were rows upon rows of stacked wine jars.
People were gradually gathering around. Two elderly men with completely white hair stood behind them, casually chatting while shelling peanuts.
"Hey, do you think Wang Mengzi will take first place again this year?"
"Who else could it be? It's been five or six years in a row now. Nobody can outdrink him."
"True. Most locals don't even bother joining the fun anymore. It's all out-of-towners who don't know better, eyeing that bit of silver..."
"Haha... They're after the money, giving us some entertainment..."
Liu Ming'an turned around and asked the two elders, "Grandfathers, what happens if someone can't drink anymore but keeps forcing themselves? Couldn't that kill them?"
Jiang Ning had been wondering about this too. Alcohol poisoning was no joke.
"Oh! What a handsome young man! Here, have some peanuts!"
Instead of answering immediately, the old man smiled and offered Liu Ming'an a handful of peanuts from his pocket.
Liu Ming'an quickly thanked him and accepted with both hands, sharing half with Jiang Ning.
The peanuts were homegrown, sun-dried, and dry-roasted with sand. They were fragrant and crispy. As Jiang Ning ate, she listened to the old man explain, "Everyone's thought of that already. You'll see in a bit. They won't let someone who's drunk keep forcing themselves to drink."
More and more people arrived. By the time it was almost 9-11 AM, the place was packed with layers upon layers of onlookers.
A few men who looked like wealthy landowners walked onto the stage and sat down on the simple chairs. Two muscular men followed them and began beating the drums.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The drumbeats were deafening and heart-pounding, gradually raising the atmosphere.
More people emerged from the crowd, bringing dozens of tables and arranging them together. They then brought out bowls, lined them up densely, unsealed the wine jars, and poured the strong liquor into the bowls. The aroma of alcohol filled the air.
"Grandfather, who are those people sitting up there?" Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming'an ask again.
"Heh! Those are the owners of several big wineries in our town. All the wine down there is from them, and they're also providing the silver for the top three winners. They're sponsoring this drinking contest, not for anything else but to make their wineries famous!"
After one old man patiently explained, the other exclaimed, "Oh! It's starting, it's starting!"
The drumming stopped, and a man shouted loudly, "Those who want to participate, come over here and pay ten copper coins to get a red string tied around your wrist!"
Liu Ming'an was still chatting with the two old men when Jiang Ning tapped him and said quickly, "I'm going to earn some money. Wait for my good news!"
Before Liu Ming'an could say anything, Jiang Ning had already made her way through the crowd to the stage. She tossed ten copper coins into the wine jar and tied a red string around her wrist.
Liu Ming'an looked anxious, but then he saw Jiang Ning waving her string-tied wrist at him from across the field.
"Haha... Don't worry, young man. There are plenty of girls and young wives joining in for fun. She'll probably drop out after the first round," one of the old men behind him chuckled, trying to reassure Liu Ming'an.
Liu Ming'an looked over and indeed saw several other girls and women who had also signed up, red strings on their wrists and eager expressions on their faces.
"Anyone else want to sign up? Hurry up if you do, the drinking contest officially starts at 10:45 AM!" the man on the stage shouted again.
When 10:45 AM arrived, another round of spirited drumming announced the official start of the drinking contest!
As the drums fell silent, the man shouted, "All contestants, first drink five bowls each, then walk in a straight line around the stage to qualify for the next round! You can untie your red string and quit at any time!"
Only then did Liu Ming'an notice that beneath the stage in the center of the field, two straight lines had been drawn with white lime.
"What a clever method! No need to worry about people forcing themselves to drink and getting into trouble," Liu Ming'an praised.
"Haha... There's more clever stuff to come, just wait and see! Here, have some more peanuts!" The old man replied, stuffing another handful of peanuts into Liu Ming'an's hand.
Nearly two hundred people had signed up. After the rules were announced, Jiang Ning leisurely walked to the table and waited for the eager ones to finish drinking and attempt the straight line before she picked up her first bowl of wine and took a sip.
What strong alcohol!
Jiang Ning furrowed her brow, feeling her tongue burn. This wine must be at least 80 proof, even stronger than the vodka she had drunk in her previous life.
Looks like I'll have to cheat, Jiang Ning thought to herself.
Jiang Ning brought the wine bowl to her lips, and the moment the liquid touched her mouth, she used her space ability to collect the wine, then pretended to swallow. Unnoticed by anyone, she finished her five bowls for the first round in this manner.
Many who had come just for fun didn't even finish their five bowls before untying their red strings and quitting. By the time Jiang Ning went to line up for the straight-line walk, only about a hundred people remained.
While drinking, Jiang Ning hadn't understood why the inn's waiter said this drinking contest was interesting. But as she watched the man in front of her trying to walk the line, stepping his left foot onto his right and his right foot onto his left, swaying like he was dancing, making the officials on the stage and the surrounding crowd roar with laughter, some even doubling over, she finally got it.
It really was amusing!
Jiang Ning walked steadily along the straight line for over a hundred meters. At the end, a young servant looked at her in surprise and said with a smile, "Congratulations, miss! You've passed the first round. That's quite an achievement already!"
Jiang Ning casually replied, "You're too kind," and stood with her arms crossed, enjoying the spectacle of others attempting the line.
She then witnessed people falling asleep after just one step, hopping in circles on one foot along the line, taking two steps forward then somersaulting backward, and some even vomiting all over the ground... The variety of antics was endless, each person's performance unique, filling the venue with waves of laughter and a festive atmosphere.
After the first round, two-thirds of the participants had been eliminated, leaving fewer than sixty people. Including Jiang Ning, only three women remained.
Liu Ming'an looked worriedly at Jiang Ning, but seeing her face neither flushed nor breathless, looking as composed as ever, he remembered her claim of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and tried to trust her.
Jiang Ning is so clever, she wouldn't do something foolish knowing it's impossible. Liu Ming'an told himself.
The people who had been pouring wine earlier returned to the tables, removed the empty bowls, set out new ones, and filled them again.
"For the second round, each person drinks fifteen bowls, then comes to the front to thread a needle. We'll count to ten, and anyone who hasn't threaded the needle by then is eliminated!" the man on the stage announced the new rules.
After listening, Jiang Ning walked to the table and began drinking.
The people pouring the wine stayed nearby. Fifteen bowls were too many, so they needed to keep count to prevent cheating, such as drinking fewer bowls or secretly pouring wine on the ground when no one was looking. That wouldn't be fair to the others.
"One, two, three, four... fourteen, fifteen!"
Jiang Ning drank all fifteen bowls in one go without even changing her expression. The young man counting for her was dumbfounded. He hadn't seen such a good drinker in a long time, especially not one so pretty. Where did this female wine immortal come from?
Jiang Ning walked to the front of the stage. More than half of the contestants were still drinking. Someone handed her a needle and a thin thread and began counting: "One, two—"
"Done," Jiang Ning said before he could reach "three," holding up the threaded needle.
"Huh? So fast? Congratulations! Please wait here, miss. We're preparing for the third round," the young man said with a smile.
"You're the second woman I've ever seen who can drink like that," a gruff voice suddenly came from beside her.
Jiang Ning turned to see a tall man with a bushy beard. He had just put down his needle and thread, his eyes clear of any drunkenness, only his cheeks slightly flushed.
Seeing Jiang Ning look over, the man continued, "The first one was my drunkard mother."
Faced with this unexpected conversation, Jiang Ning wasn't sure how to respond. The man didn't seem to have any ill intentions. After a moment's thought, she simply replied, "Oh."