Qin's mother smiled and said, "Young Wang is here today, it's rare for him to be so happy. Old Qin, you mustn't force him to drink, this liquor is easy to get drunk on."
Qin's father grinned and said, "Old woman, you're such a spoilsport. It's rare that Xiao Wang is here today, and we've hit it off so well. I'm going to have a good drink with him."
Qin's mother hesitated, but still brought out the mutton and radish. Then she placed a wine cup in front of each of them.
"Old Qin, drink less, don't forget about your back."
Qin's father laughed and said, "Stop nagging, isn't this Xiao Wang? You've been keeping an eye on me for so long, I haven't had a drink."
Qin Jingru moved a stool and sat down next to Wang Qiang, secretly glancing at him.
Wang Qiang smiled at Qin Jingru, his meaning unspoken.
He took the wine jar. Wang Qiang weighed it in his hand; good heavens, it was full of three jin (1.5 kg) of wine. He opened the seal, and a pungent aroma of wine wafted out.
I bought a drink for Qin's father, and then poured one for myself.
At this moment, Qin's father smiled and spoke up. "How is it? This wine smells invigorating."
"They say good wine needs no bush. That's true. It would be an exaggeration to say that the aroma of this wine can travel for miles, but you can definitely smell it within a hundred meters."
Wang Qiang couldn't help but sigh, "This wine is indeed good; it seems to have been aged for quite some time."
He chuckled and said, "You're absolutely right. The aroma of this wine is truly intoxicating."
“I’ve drunk quite a lot of alcohol in the city, but this is rare.”
Qin's father felt very pleased to hear this. This kid was very perceptive and knew how to talk. He knew that his wine was definitely not as good as those famous wines.
A doting smile played on Qin's lips as she glanced at Wang Qiang with great appreciation.
Wang Qiang raised his glass. "Uncle Qin, I'd like to offer you this toast, wishing you good health."
Father Qin smiled and raised his wine glass. "Then I'll take your good wishes. Stay here a few more days, and I'll go into the mountains and get you some wild game to take back with you."
Wang Qiang… “Uncle Qin, how about I go into the mountains with you?”
Qin's mother and Qin Jingru listened from the side. They knew about the two of them talking about exchanging pheasants and rabbits for flour, but they didn't expect that the two of them would go hunting together now.
As time went by, the atmosphere at the table became more and more harmonious.
Qin Jingru kept picking out large pieces of mutton and putting them into Wang Qiang's bowl, as if she was afraid that Wang Qiang wouldn't have enough to eat.
Mr. and Mrs. Qin exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly. They were relieved to see how loving the young couple was.
Qin's mother asked Wang Qiang, "Little Wang, I just heard you say that pheasants and rabbits can be exchanged for flour, is that true?"
Wang Qiang: "It's true. The factory has a reception assignment, and they asked me to find a way to get some wild game."
"But we don't need too many, one or two pheasants and two or three rabbits will be enough. Since Uncle Qin is willing to go hunting in the mountains, then we can keep them for our family."
Qin's mother was very happy with what Wang Qiang said. This boy was sensible; he knew how to take care of his own people, even with such a good thing.
Although it wasn't a large amount, it still amounted to several dozen kilograms of white flour. If it had been exchanged for whole grains, it would probably have been even more, enough to have a good New Year.
Qin's father chuckled, "With your wife here, you're just worrying unnecessarily. Xiao Wang is a permanent employee at the factory; would he lie? Xiao Wang, ignore him, let's continue drinking."
Qin's mother rolled her eyes, while Qin Jingru secretly laughed from the side.
As time went by, only Wang Qiang and Qin's father remained at the table, drinking together.
Qin's mother and Qin Jingru went into the inner room to chat.
The three-jin jar of wine on the table was almost finished. Qin's father was so drunk that his tongue was slurred and he sounded like he had a lisp.
He looks a bit tipsy, but he seems very relaxed.
As the saying goes, "A thousand cups are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend." Seeing Wang Qiang's happiness, Qin's father drank even more. Normally, half a jin (250ml) of wine would be enough to pass out, but today he drank almost a jin. His speech was a little slurred.
I didn't expect Wang Qiang to be such a heavy drinker. He downed two jin of liquor and was completely unaffected.
Fueled by alcohol, Qin's father spoke up, "I approve of your relationship with Jingru, Xiao Wang."
"But you two aren't married yet, so you should be careful about what you do. I'm worried about rumors getting out and it might negatively impact your reputation at the factory."
"But young people are bound to be impulsive. Back when your aunt and I weren't married, we also went through sorghum fields."
As they talked, Qin's father and Wang Qiang both laughed. Wang Qiang filled Qin's father's glass with wine, and then filled his own.
"Uncle Qin, don't worry, I'm absolutely reliable, I definitely won't cause any trouble."
"I'm going to say something right now, and I'll leave it at that. Even if you want to mess with me, you can't let anyone else know about it."
Since Qin's father had already tacitly agreed, he wouldn't hold back.
Then he said softly, "Uncle Qin, here's the deal: this time, the pheasants will be 20 catties of flour, and the rabbits will be 20 catties of flour for the large ones and 5 catties of flour for the small ones."
"You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this. If the neighbors find out and get jealous of you, you'll be in trouble."
Upon hearing this, Qin's father immediately grabbed Wang Qiang's hand. Goodness, it's true that having connections makes things easier. His daughter isn't even married yet, and Wang Qiang is already so helpful.
Holding Wang Qiang's hand and patting him on the shoulder, he said, "Brother, you're such a good friend! No doubt about it, we're buddies from now on."
Wang Qiang was both amused and exasperated by these words. Qin Jingru, who had been listening intently to their conversation in the inner room, was particularly moved when she heard her father address Wang Qiang as "brother."
He couldn't help but burst out laughing. Wasn't this a generational mismatch? What should he call Wang Qiang then?
Qin's mother also shook her head, "I usually don't let your dad drink. Once he drinks, he starts talking nonsense and makes a fool of himself."
"But this Wang Qiang is quite something. He can drink two jin of liquor and he's like nothing happened."
"Even so, you should still try to persuade him to drink more in the future. Drinking is bad for your health. You may not realize it when you're young, but when you're like your dad, it will be too late to regret it."
Qin Jingru nodded in agreement. Now that the atmosphere had relaxed, she remembered her mother mentioning her father's back problems. Having experienced it herself, she couldn't help but gossip, "Mom, has Dad not been with you in a long time...?"
Upon hearing this, Qin's mother blushed and nudged Qin Jingru, saying, "How disrespectful! Go pour them a cup of tea."
Qin Jingru stuck out her tongue, smiled, poured tea for the two of them, and placed it in front of them.
Looking at Wang Qiang, he asked, "Brother Wang Qiang, you've drunk so much, are you alright?"
Qin's father smiled and said, "This girl has no manners. This is my brother, call him Uncle Wang."
Wang Qiang glanced at Qin Jingru: "Good niece, call me uncle and I'll buy you candy."
Qin Jingru blushed and shoved Wang Qiang's shoulder: "Get lost."
Then he ran into the inner room, and Qin's father laughed heartily. Wang Qiang looked at Qin Jingru's back just now and, thinking about how she called him "uncle," also laughed.
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