In Chinese dinner parties, alcohol is often used to foster connections.
This meal was no exception.
Jasmine Yale understood why every time Sylvan Cheney returned home from a social event, he would be very hungry. Sometimes she would make him late-night snacks, like dumplings, and he would eat them because these gatherings were all about drinking alcohol.
She wasn't particularly good or bad at handling her drinks; drinking too much made her uncomfortable, but having a little didn't really matter.
However, if she drank, she couldn't nurse Little Clementine.
The lighting in the private room was dim, probably because there weren't many women present, and the men smoked recklessly.
The whole room was filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol, mixed with noisy chatter.
