Warm a pot of wine under the moonlight

     Since Du Kang invented wine, many may be able to drink, but few truly understand it. Drinking is a psychological need, and so is drinking alcohol. However, the two are not comparable; it's not about the scene, but about the state of mind.

    Wine is both nectar and soda. Perhaps Lin Daiyu could savor the exquisite taste and aroma of nectar, while Jiao Da could drink soda in a fit of joy or sorrow! People with different temperaments cannot comprehend the nuances, just as Lin Daiyu would hardly engage in drinking games with Jiao Da. Cao Cao's "What can dispel sorrow? Only Du Kang's wine" reflects a state of mind; Liu Ling's three years of drunkenness is a beautiful story; Li Bai's hundred poems after a drinking bout are a testament to his talent; while Su Shi's "Raising a cup to the blue sky" expresses a longing, a hidden sorrow.

    Wine is a cup of water, when you are drunk and oblivious, when you are completely intoxicated. Wine is also a cup of water, when you warm a pot of wine under the moonlight, when you understand the exquisite taste and aroma.

    Wine is also a pair of eyes. Some see the magnanimity of "I alone am sober while everyone else is drunk," some see the boldness of "drinking from large bowls," some see the composure of "wine and meat passing through the intestines," and some see the vanity of "no feast is complete without wine." What is seen is transformed into action through the mind, resulting in Liu Bang slaying the white snake, Xiang Yu's Feast at Hongmen, Zhao Kuangyin's "releasing military power over a cup of wine," and Wu Song's tiger-fighting on Jingyang Ridge.

    Wine is also a confidant, a beauty. In that moment when the pipa is half-concealed, in the captivating eyes of the drunken concubine, there is a restrained reserve, a captivating charm. It is both spirit and desire!

    At this moment, the wine is the finest nectar! Drink heartily, not in the competition of superiority, not in perfunctory formalities. The sound of flowing water echoes in the ears, the osmanthus blossoms are still before the eyes, and the reunion is in the heart. The scene is there, the atmosphere is there; past lives and present lives intertwine in this moment, like an old dream rekindled. There's no passionate lovemaking, only the gentle strumming of strings...

    This kind of wine, I don't know when, has become an indispensable embellishment in social interactions, a form of hospitality, a formality. Perfunctory treatment has robbed you of the sincerity of "I urge you to drink another cup, for beyond Yangguan there are no old friends." Insincerity is shrouded in politeness, and politeness in turn is shrouded in insincerity. A large table of people, outwardly friendly but inwardly distant, openly share their innermost thoughts. There are no true friends here, yet a thousand cups are never enough. The ruddy faces, the large heads and bellies of the smug, wealthy figures give onlookers the impression of either cunning, greedy, or simply good-for-nothings.

    This kind of wine, I don't know when, has become a defining element of the atmosphere at the dinner table. Wine for relationships is here, wine for favors is here, wine for promotions is here, wine for the powerful is here, wine for sorrow is here, wine for courage is here, wine for madness is here, and wine for flattery is also here. As for leisurely drinking, literary drinking, martial drinking, and sacrificial drinking, these belong to another category, another realm! All the factors of skill are settled the moment the seating arrangement is made, in the three rounds of drinks and five courses of food where no banquet is complete without wine. Drinking from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat is one thing, singing while drinking is another, and acting recklessly after drinking is yet another. Because the purpose is the meal, but the demands are made at the drinking party.

    Drinking and drinking are different. Drinking is about the pleasure or displeasure; as long as there is wine, it's enough, it's about the drinking party and the ability to drink. Drinking is different; it's about the drinking vessels, the drinking etiquette, and the drinking games. Drinking requires dice games and rock-paper-scissors, while drinking requires relay games (i.e., a relay race of idioms), and the accompaniment of passing the drum. People who drink are not bound by drinking vessels, drinking games, or drinking etiquette, nor do they care about their ability to drink, because they are all in the drinking party. A drinker, just considering the drinking vessels, could list them off from the earliest pottery vessels, then bronze, lacquered wood, porcelain, gold, silver, jade, crystal, agate, ivory, and now the ubiquitous glass and metal vessels.

    For drinkers, drinking is often a competition, or even a social obligation to curry favor. Many accompany them, and the so-called honored guests are merely the main targets in this endless cycle of drinking. In the end, the heavy drinkers are full but not satisfied, while the light drinkers make a spectacle of themselves. That lavish feast, barely touched, becomes untouched food waste. For the drinker, drinking isn't about a large, welcoming party, a dazzling array of snacks, or even the quality of the wine itself; it's about the state of mind, the atmosphere, and the friends. Silently drinking, in the unspoken understanding of exchanging cups, in the solitary savoring of wine, the accompaniment can be poetry or a pot of warmed moonlight.

    Warming a pot of moonlight to accompany wine is the highest realm of drinking. Moonlight is like wine, in the hazy self-admiration, in the carefree intoxication, in the serene composure. A cup of wine under the flowers and moon is one, as is a cup of wine amidst the wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight; if accompanied by poetry, it becomes even more beautiful and exquisite. Warming a pot of moonlight to accompany wine, in the reunion of old friends amidst the falling snowflakes, in the fishing from a covered boat. Intoxicated even before drinking, under the cool moonlight, old friends face each other, confidants accompany each other, joyful and carefree, peaceful and serene!