Ninety-eight Little Drunkard

As Li Wei packed the books she wanted to bring to Luo Da and the others in the lobby, her mind was still wandering to the strange behavior of the Ding family. She had a feeling it might be related to her aunt, and if that were the case, she would have to look at Ding Anping in a completely different light. This guy's pretty quick, huh? He was acting like he was going to die this morning, and what magic weapon did he pull out this afternoon to get them to officially meet his parents?

You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't scoop up Ding Anping with a ladle.

I took a few books, put them in the bicycle basket, and rode to the old house.

Grandpa was still busy at the factory, so Li Wei went to see what Grandma had made for dinner. She found that Grandma was making spring pancakes, and fresh bean sprouts and other greens were being washed and were waiting to be stir-fried after the pancakes were finished.

Seeing this made Li Wei's appetite soar. She greeted her grandmother, quickly took the book to the front yard to deliver it to Luo Da and the others, and then came back to eat something first.

Just as I turned past the Luo family's wall and reached the gate, I heard Aunt Luo's third brother angrily cursing from the courtyard, "...You little bastard, look at the mess you've made! You learn nothing good, only the despicable ways of your bastard father..."

Startled, Li Wei stopped in her tracks, grabbed the gatepost, and peeked into the courtyard. She saw Luo Er and Luo Xiaosan standing there with dazed eyes and flushed faces, their clothes disheveled, looking rather strange.

Meanwhile, Aunt Luo, dressed in a fine gown, stood in front of the two of them, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Luo Xiao Er and Luo Xiao San, her eyes blazing with fury as she continued to hurl insults. Neither Grandma Luo nor Luo Da noticed her.

Li Wei couldn't figure out what supernatural event had happened from Aunt Luo's incessant swearing, and was thinking of heading home. Just as she turned around, Luo Da returned on his bicycle, pushing Grandma Luo back.

Seeing that Grandma Luo didn't look well, Li Wei quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Grandma Luo, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

Grandma Luo saw it was Li Wei and forced a smile: "I'm old and useless now, I catch a cold from a little chill. It's nothing serious, a shot will fix it. Oh, why aren't you going inside, child? What are you doing standing here at the gate?"

Li Wei was relieved to hear from Grandma Luo that it was just a cold. When the old lady asked, she glanced awkwardly at Luo Da and said, "Um... well, my third aunt is back. She's tidying up the younger two children. I won't go in. These are books I bought for you. You can take them in." She handed the books to Luo Da, said goodbye to Grandma Luo, and went home.

Li Wei went home and ate the spring pancakes that her grandmother had rolled up, making her look like a little piglet. She was still replaying the scene of her third aunt scolding her son. Luckily, she was quick-witted; otherwise, if she had rashly gone in, she would have been riddled with bullets by her third aunt's machine gun.

But why did the second and third mistresses anger the third aunt? I'm curious.

Li Wei told her maternal grandmother, Grandma Luo, about her illness. The old lady and Grandma Luo were quite close. Both were elderly; one was busy with work and family, the other had a more leisurely life. But both had suffered hardship and toil their entire lives, and thus got along very well.

Hearing Li Wei say that Grandma Luo was sick, she couldn't help but worry: "Oh dear. I saw her tending the vegetable garden yesterday. She was perfectly fine. How could she have gotten sick in just one day?"

The old lady became increasingly restless. Finally, she stood up and took off her apron: "No. I have to go see that old lady. Xiaoming, you eat by yourself first."

After the old lady finished speaking, she started rummaging through the cabinets and cupboards, taking out a bunch of snacks and canned goods. She picked out a few that looked good, packed them in a cloth bag, and prepared to go visit the patient.

Li Wei took one look. She quickly ate the spring pancake, wiped her hands, and exclaimed, "Grandma, wait for me a moment, I'll go and see too." With her grandma there, she figured Aunt Luo wouldn't dare to do anything to her. Besides, they had come to visit a sick person; if Aunt Luo yelled at them, she would be a terrible person.

The grandmother and grandson arrived at Old Luo's house, where Luo's third aunt was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing them arrive, she recognized Old Mrs. Cheng and greeted her warmly. Hearing that Old Mrs. Cheng had come to visit her mother-in-law, she exchanged a few polite words, loudly informed the old lady inside, and then led the grandmother and grandson inside.

Throughout the entire process, it was as if she hadn't seen Li Wei at all. Li Wei didn't care either. She had never expected Aunt Luo to be kind to her. It was normal for her to treat her like air. Back then, she had threatened to jump off a building with the other woman's child. She had thoroughly offended her.

This story is widely known in Linjia Village, and to this day, Li Wei remains the sole survivor, or rather, the victor, of Luo San's aunt's vicious tongue and claws. She is always praised by the village women as their number one hero. It's just that Li Wei herself is unaware of this.

The two elderly women exchanged a few polite words and then began chatting about everyday matters and inquiring about each other's well-being. Li Wei sat next to her grandmother, glancing into the inner room, wondering why it was so quiet today. Luo Da wasn't practicing his kung fu, and Luo Er and Luo San weren't fighting either. What had happened?

Li Wei was being tormented by her curiosity when Luo Da came out carrying a large bowl. Li Wei hurried over and quietly asked, "Why did Third Aunt scold them?" Li Wei was interested in knowing anything that made Third Aunt unhappy or even furious.

Luo Da glanced at Li Wei's inquisitive face and didn't hide anything from her. He glanced at the doorway, where his mother seemed to still be busy in the kitchen, and lowered his voice: "The two of them stole money from the house and went out to eat and drink. My mother just came back and they were caught red-handed."

Huh? How could this happen?

Li Wei was speechless. These two boys were something else! She wondered why they looked so dazed and flushed. Turns out they'd had too much to drink! The two of them were barely adults combined, yet they dared to go out drinking! No wonder they were born to Aunt Luo San; their genes were truly powerful.

However, seeing the large bowl in Luo Da's hand and smelling a sweet, honey-like fragrance, he pointed and asked, "What is this... could it be a hangover soup?"

Luo Da nodded, feeling obligated to defend his two good-for-nothing brothers: "Actually, they're usually quite obedient. This is their first time drinking, so maybe they're just curious."

Li Wei suppressed a laugh and patted Luo Da's shoulder sympathetically: "You don't need to explain. Actually, I think they're pretty good. I bet you first drank alcohol a long time before them, right?"

Luo Da coughed awkwardly, "Well... I was young and naive back then. My dad told me to drink, so I drank..."

Li Wei interrupted him with a smile: "Alright, alright, no need to explain. Drinking isn't illegal. Even if you stop drinking now, you'll still have to drink when you grow up. Just don't get addicted and become an alcoholic. Judging from this, you should pay more attention to Xiao Er and the others, so they don't become little alcoholics."

The more Li Wei thought about Luo Er and Luo San secretly drinking, the more she wanted to laugh. It reminded her of that cartoon about monkeys stealing drinks, and she felt that Luo Er and Luo San were just little monkeys. Then she thought about how confused they looked when their aunt scolded them so harshly. She couldn't take it anymore, so she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Luo Da was quite annoyed: "Is it that funny? It's just a little bit of alcohol."

Li Wei didn't say anything, just covered her mouth and nodded, thinking to herself that it was funny. It might not be funny to others, but it was funny to see your mother and your three brothers together.

The next day, Li Wei went to school as usual, though she was very eager to see the scene of Ding Anping's family visiting her maternal grandparents. More importantly, she was very curious about how harmonious her aunt and Ding Anping were.

Ding Anni arrived after two classes. During the break, Li Wei pulled Ding Anni aside and whispered, "Did your dad and mom come today? Is something important?"

Ding Anni raised her little face: "Of course there's something important. From now on, you'll be a generation younger than me, so you'll have to call me... Auntie, right?"

Li Wei, annoyed by her nagging, urged, "Hey, there has to be a premise to everything, right? What's the reason?" Could it be that her aunt and Ding Anping are getting married? It can't be that fast.

Ding Anni was particularly elated at being able to outdo Li Wei, and decided to adopt the airs of an elder, saying, "Hey Xiao Wei, my parents came to meet your grandparents today, which officially confirmed your aunt and my brother's relationship. I think they might get married sometime before the end of the year. When that happens, you'll have to change how you address me. You'd better watch your tone when you talk to me from now on. I'm just..."

"Hey, don't think that far ahead. Let's talk about what's in front of us. My aunt and your brother have made up?" Isn't that a bit too fast?

Ding Anni was confused and asked curiously, "What do you mean, 'make up'? When did they have a falling out? I didn't know that!"

Li Wei had completely forgotten that Ding Anni most likely didn't know about this, so she quickly changed her tune: "No... I meant that, they weren't always this close, were they? Why are they suddenly meeting each other's parents?"

Ding Anni looked at Li Wei with some suspicion: "You really didn't have a fight?"

Li Wei hurriedly shook her head: "No. Anyway, I didn't see it." Lying through her teeth has always been her specialty.

Although Ding Anni still had some doubts, she said, "Last night I overheard my brother talking to my dad. He said they've been dating for several years and plan to have their parents officially settle things, and they might get married at the end of the year, or even as early as National Day. This counts as... an engagement, right?" Ding Anni didn't have much experience with this kind of thing and asked Li Wei uncertainly.

Li Wei was stunned by the news she heard. This... this was really serious. They were actually going to talk about marriage!

Isn't this a bit... excessive and counterproductive?

How exactly did Ding Anping manage to win over her aunt?

Why has her aunt suddenly become so decisive?

Li Wei was full of questions, but she forgot that her aunt was a special woman who had been married and divorced three times, which was not something an ordinary woman could do.

Only extraordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.