Reborn during the early days of China’s reform and opening, the narrator finds himself in the 1980s countryside. In this setting, the past is still a cold reference, yet it is also a fresh start....
Alexei and Han Guangjia had disappeared somewhere during the transaction between Wan Feng and Shamilov. Now they were wandering back into the warehouse.
The careful Wan Feng could tell from their clothes that the two men had fought.
Although both of them were wearing cotton jackets and the clothes underneath could not be seen, there were still some flaws in their pants.
Both of their pants had wrinkles, and there were vague shoe prints on Alexei's pants, but there were no such prints on Han Guangjia's pants.
Moreover, their expressions were different. Although both of them had a faint smile on their faces, Alexei's smile was a little regretful.
It was obvious that Han Guangjia won the fight between the two.
Wan Feng was just judging in his mind, so he naturally wouldn't foolishly ask who won or lost.
The old man also wants to save face.
"Uncle Alexei wants to eat hot pot, right? I've already told the canteen to prepare it, and it should be ready by now. Let's go eat hot pot while your convoy is loading."
Wan Feng brought Shamilov, Alexei, Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo into the cafeteria.
A hot pot has been set up on a table in the cafeteria. The charcoal in the hot pot has boiled the water in the pot, and white steam is coming out.
There are many plates around the hot pot, on which are placed lamb rolls, beef slices, pork slices, cabbage, radish, carrots, vermicelli, dried mushrooms, etc.
There are also many bottles and jars of various sizes.
"In winter, we can only eat meat in hot pot. There are no vegetables. It would be better in summer. There will be more varieties of vegetables. We can eat meat now. Come on, make your own sauce."
Wan Feng picked up a small bowl and poured sesame paste from a bottle into the bowl, then added a little sesame oil, chili oil, and a small amount of MSG.
Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo also skillfully prepared their own sauces, while Shamilov and Alexei just stood there and watched.
"Why don't you make the sauce? You have to make it yourself according to your own taste. No one else can do it for you."
"We won't." Shamilov was a little embarrassed.
"Don't you Soviets also eat hot pot? How do you eat it?"
“We just throw everything in the pot and eat it like that.”
Damn, it's no different from a hotchpotch.
The dishes cooked in hot pot cannot fully absorb the aroma of the soup, and need to be paired with dipping sauce to taste better. Therefore, dipping sauce is the most important thing when eating hot pot. It can be said that hot pot without dipping sauce is soulless.
Eating it the way Shamilov described would be worse than stewing it in a big pot.
Wan Feng had no choice but to prepare a bowl of sauce for each of Shamilov and Alexei.
"You guys eat it first. If it doesn't suit your taste, you can learn and adjust it slowly."
While they were talking, lamb, beef and pork were poured into the hot pot.
There were also two bottles of white wine on the table, which were prepared for everyone except Wan Feng.
A few minutes later, Wan Feng took the lead in picking up a piece of mutton with chopsticks.
"Eat, eat, or you'll be tired."
It's a bit ridiculous to use a knife and fork to eat hot pot. It's far less flexible than chopsticks. Alexei can use chopsticks a little bit and can pick up things, but Shamilov is a complete idiot with chopsticks.
I tried to learn how to use chopsticks, but after a long time I couldn't even get a chicken feather out of the hot pot, so I had to use a knife and fork.
Wan Feng didn't prepare any knives and forks, but fortunately there were two small forks sold in the store in the cafeteria, and the knife was also a peeling knife from the cafeteria.
Although it was a bit unprofessional compared to the knife and fork they were used to, they had to make do with it.
This was the most delicious hot pot Shamilov had ever had in his life. He was so busy eating that he drank very little wine.
But Alex had already had two cups each with Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo.
What does "two drinks each" mean? It means he drank two drinks with Han Guangjia and two drinks with Yang Jianguo.
Originally, Soviet people drank small amounts of wine frequently, pouring a small amount of wine each time but drinking it frequently.
But today, Alexey abandoned their tradition and drank one cup at a time.
The cup is not big. One cup can hold about one and a half taels of wine, and two cups can hold three taels of wine.
After Alexi and Yang Jianguo finished their third cup.
Wan Feng began to worry.
This old thief just lost to Han Guangjia in a fight, and he came to the wine table to seek revenge.
I guess this old guy was planning to get both Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo drunk under the table.
Wan Feng was well aware of Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo's alcohol tolerance. Sixty-proof white liquor was only about half a pound, and any more would be excessive.
"You Chinese people can't drink much. You can't drink after just two or three glasses. A man who can't drink is a waste." Alexei began to speak shamelessly.
Just now, he and Han Guangjia did run to the back of the warehouse to fight. What made him depressed was that after a few moves and styles, he found that he was no match for this Chinese man.
And it has nothing to do with age.
People like them don't fight for a long time like in martial arts movies. They usually end the fight with just three or two moves, and the moves they use are all ruthless and can kill with one blow.
At first he was a little contemptuous of Han Guangjia, but after his two attacks failed, the contempt in his heart disappeared without a trace.
Alexei's best fighting skill is Sambo, which is also recognized as one of the strongest fighting techniques in the world.
In his life, Alexei has fought against Americans, Western Europeans, Japanese, and Khans, and has also practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu several times.
I have never known what it feels like to fail, but today when I fought with this Chinese guy, I felt like I was powerless.
The opponent's defensive technique seemed mediocre, even a bit soft, but every attack he made was like hitting cotton, with nowhere to put force.
The opponent's counterattack was sometimes as fast as lightning, fierce and soul-stirring, like a storm, making him unable to defend himself; sometimes it was abnormally slow and seemed weak, but there seemed to be a suction force that made him involuntarily follow the opponent's rhythm and unable to use any strength.
What made him even more discouraged was that this had nothing to do with age. Alexei knew that even if he went back 20 years, he would still be helpless against the young Chinese man in front of him.
Although the fight between the two sides did not determine the winner, Alexei knew that if he continued to fight with Han Guangjia, he would definitely be the loser.
Soldiers are all proud. Although it was not a formal competition, Alexei was still unhappy because he did not win.
But when they got to the dinner table, Alexei became very excited after discovering that Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo didn't seem to be able to drink much.
Wan Feng's guess was correct. He was planning to get both Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo drunk under the table to avenge his defeat in the competition with Han Guangjia.
According to his plan, with just two or three more rounds, Han Guangjia and Yang Jianguo would fall.
Unfortunately, Alexei's plan was destined not to come true.