Chapter 39 Let Me Tell You a Secret

At first it was just grains of sleet, then the snow grew heavier and heavier, turning into heavy snow, which fluttered down in large flakes. In the blink of an eye, the ground became a pure white expanse.

The four of them were eating, laughing and talking cheerfully. The cozy warmth in the room formed a sharp contrast with the howling cold wind and the ice and snow outside.

After a full meal, Chu Ran sat slumped in a chair, stroking his obviously swollen belly. The table was littered with cups and plates, bones and shells were thrown on the table at random, and the warm air was still filled with a faint smell of alcohol.

Liquor is indeed not tasty, but after drinking too much, Chu Ran was actually able to taste some other flavors gradually.

Xing Ji only sat for a while before he stood up and started to clean the table. Chu Ran watched from the side, burped, and said with emotion: "Uncle Xing, you are so kind. Whoever marries you will be blessed."

Uncle Xing smiled at Chu Ran. He was quick and skillful and cleared the table neatly.

Zhao Zhongyi said he had other things to do and left early. Chu Ran suspected that he didn't want to help pack up. But Chu Ran didn't expose him. After all, the old lady was old, so it was not impossible for him to let her do the work.

But they couldn't let Uncle Xing do the work alone all the time, so Chu Ran poked Li Fu, who was sitting nearby, with his elbow, indicating that the two of them couldn't just sit there and do nothing, but had to help as well.

Just as he stuffed the broom into Li Fu's arms, Xing Ji snatched the broom away, waving his hands anxiously, gesturing: "No need, I'll do it."

"How can that be possible?" Chu Ran snatched the broom back from Xing Ji's hand and said as a matter of course: "We eat together, so of course we have to work together. How about this, I'll sweep the floor, and you two will clean the table."

Xing Ji looked a little flustered and a little uncomfortable, and was about to say something, but Li Fu said, "Uncle Xing, just listen to him."

Xing Ji was stunned for a moment, then a simple smile appeared on his face.

With the joint efforts of three people, the house was quickly cleaned.

"I'm leaving."

The snow outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the snow was getting thicker and thicker. Xing Ji was worried that it would be difficult to go back if they were late, so he said goodbye to the two of them.

"I send you."

Chu Ran was about to send Xing Ji out, but Li Fu grabbed Chu Ran's arm and said, "I'll go."

"Okay, go ahead."

Li Fu sent Xing Ji to the door, and the two stood there talking for a while. Chu Ran watched from a distance in the house, and only saw two figures, one big and one small, standing in the flying snow. He stared at the two for a while, and then Li Fu closed the door and turned to walk into the yard.

When he entered the room, Li Fu saw Chu Ran kneeling on the ground with his buttocks sticking out, leaning forward to grope for something under the bed.

"What are you looking for?" Li Fu asked.

"Wait a minute." Chu Ran responded while fumbling around underneath. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. After a while, he moved the things out from under the bed, picked up a wine bottle, turned around and sat down with his back against the bed.

Li Fu looked at the wine in Chu Ran's arms and asked in confusion, "Where did the wine come from?"

"I secretly took it from the palace, hehe."

As he spoke, Chu Ran patted the seat next to him, motioning Li Fu to sit next to him.

"Don't you dislike drinking this?" Li Fu asked Chu Ran.

"This is something that no one wants. It's a waste if you don't take it. It doesn't cost money anyway. And I suddenly feel that this wine doesn't taste that bad after all."

As he spoke, Chu Ran suddenly opened the wine cork wrapped in red cloth, and the strong aroma of wine hit his nose, the aroma of ripe fruit, the aroma of mud from the old cellar, all kinds of smells mixed together, with a different meaning.

"Let me have a sip first." Chu Ran took two sips from the pot, but he poured it too quickly and choked on it. Chu Ran couldn't help coughing.

Li Fu placed his small hand on Chu Ran's back, rubbing it slowly from top to bottom. Chu Ran didn't seem to think there was anything wrong. He handed the wine bottle to Li Fu and said, "Here, I'll give you a sip."

Li Fu hesitated for a while, took the wine pot, frowned and took a sip. After drinking, he lifted his sleeves and wiped the wine stains on his lips.

Chu Ran took the wine bottle again.

Seeing that he was still going to drink, Li Fu said, "This thing doesn't taste good, don't drink it."

"You don't understand." Chu Ran stared at the wine bottle in his hand, pretending to be deep, "A man who knows how to drink is a real man. This is the symbol of masters."

After a pause, Chu Ran added, "Men should drink and eat meat with big gulps."

Li Fu actually couldn't fully understand what he meant by what he just said.

Chu Ran drank slowly, one sip after another. Li Fu watched him drink from the side. As he drank, half the bottle was gone. Chu Ran's eyes went from clear to gradually pale and finally his consciousness became blurred.

In the first half of the bottle, Chu Ran drank very quietly, without saying a word, as if he was drinking in silence, but in the latter part, Chu Ran seemed to become talkative all of a sudden.

After taking two sips, he turned around and spoke to Li Fu next to him with his tongue sticking out.

"Let me tell you, today is the happiest day since I came here. Do you know why? Ah, do you know why? No, you don't know, no one knows. But it doesn't matter, I can tell you in secret... because I..."

Chu Ran approached Li Fu, put one hand on Li Fu's shoulder, and sprayed his breath full of alcohol on Li Fu's nose. He was dazed and his eyes seemed to be filled with tears. He stared at Li Fu for a while, then suddenly turned his head away and muttered, "Well, I don't know why."

"But I am just very happy." Chu Ran sang to himself as he spoke, "We ordinary people are really, really happy tonight! We ordinary people are really, really happy tonight! Ye ye ye ye ye hey, ye ye ye ye hey, happy, we are just happy!"

After singing, Chu Ran picked up the wine bottle and took a big gulp.

But after being happy, Chu Ran suddenly lowered his head and fell silent.

Li Fu didn't know what he was thinking, he just looked at him quietly.

The room suddenly became eerily quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Ran's head suddenly moved, and then his slightly choked voice came from below, "I miss my parents so much, I want to go home so much..."

Li Fu didn't know what he meant by dad and mom, but he could feel that Chu Ran was not in a good mood at the moment.

Are you being bullied again?

Li Fu didn't know.

Chu Ran rubbed his eyes and raised his head. His eyes were a little red. He was obviously unhappy, but Chu Ran still smiled, as if to comfort himself, and said: "It doesn't matter. I am an adult. One day I will leave my parents. Now I just leave earlier. It doesn't make any difference."

He finished talking to himself and took another sip of wine.

The wine was spicy and burned my fragile throat.

But even after comforting himself in this way, Chu Ran still felt very uncomfortable. He not only missed his parents, he also missed his classmates, teachers and friends. However, he might never have the chance to see them again in this life.

Moreover, he did not want to be a slave all his life, kneeling before anyone, being bossed around all the time, and having no dignity at all.

He is a salty fish, but he also wants to be a real, upright man. Who is willing to be a lowly slave?

But, God was so unfair to him, making him look like a eunuch. What could he do?

But Chu Ran just felt uneasy and angry.

It's all God's fault. Why did he come to this shabby place and become a dead eunuch?

"You damn God! You are so blind!" Chu Ran raised his head, put his arms on the edge of the bed behind him, held the wine bottle in his right hand, and shouted wantonly: "If you have the ability, you can get me here, but you want me to take it back! You bastard!"

Boom!

It was snowing heavily, and there was a rare sound of thunder in the sky. Chu Ran shuddered and was shocked.

He blinked.

What does it mean?

Threaten him?

Chu Ran was immediately aroused. He stood up and shouted fearlessly at the heavy snow outside the door: "What's the matter? Chop me to death if you dare! You can chop me to death through the roof! Come on, chop here!"

Boom!

Boom!

Sizzle——

The dry, crooked tree at the corner of the wall suddenly crackled and was directly struck by lightning.

Chu Ran took a step back and quickly hugged the wine bottle in his arms.

No way, is this really a ghost?

Just when Chu Ran was at a loss, Li Fu suddenly stood up, walked to the door, closed it, then turned around and looked at Chu Ran.

Chu Ran shrank his neck and looked at Li Fu tremblingly.

Li Fu frowned and walked forward. Although he was a little boy, he acted like an adult. He took the wine bottle from Chu Ran and said, "Don't drink."

Chu Ran stared at Li Fu in a daze. After a while, he said, "I feel dizzy. I seem to see my father."

Xiao Li replied: ...

Li Fu sighed, he grabbed Chu Ran's arm and dragged him towards the bed. Chu Ran seemed to be stupid, he followed Li Fu obediently and let him hold him.

"Let's go to sleep first." Li Fu said.

Chu Ran walked around Li Fu, stared at the wine bottle he placed on the table not far away, and said, "But I still want to drink."

"Let's drink again tomorrow."

“But I want to drink now.”

Li Fu hesitated for a while, then turned around, took the wine from the table, frowned, and stuffed it into Chu Ran's arms.

"Drink it quickly, and then go to sleep."

"oh."

Chu Ran didn't drink immediately. He just held the wine bottle in his hand, waved at Li Fu, and said with a smile: "Come, I'll tell you another secret."