Chapter 145 Strong Liquor

The two siblings obviously didn't understand what was meant. They looked at each other with confusion on their faces.

Aunt Zhang found it funny, patted the children on the head, and said cheerfully: "You sit down and rest for a while, grandma will stew chicken for you!" Then she stood up, took a machete from the kitchen, and went out. The eldest sister-in-law smiled at Lin Yue, handed the little mushroom back in her arms, and stood up to chase after him to help.

Seeing this, Lin Yue wanted to go and help, but was stopped by the other two sisters-in-law. Lin Yue was a guest, so how could they let a guest do any work? They chatted with her about all sorts of things and urged the children to drink the sweet water in the bowls.

The three sisters-in-law are all locals and have never traveled far, let alone taken a train. When they heard Lin Yue talk about the outside world, their eyes sparkled.

On the other side, there was an old eight-person table on the ground. Uncle Zhang and his three sons were sitting there talking with Zhang Yuandong and Liu Fang. Old Xie's brother-in-law, Wang Laoer, had seen Old Xie off and then came back. He also sat with them and listened to the uncle and nephew reminiscing about the past.

Uncle Zhang had been away from home for almost seven years. The government said that they were “supporting the construction of the three northeastern provinces”, but everyone who heard it knew that it was just a nice way of saying it. In fact, they were fleeing famine. If they were not about to die, who would be willing to leave their hometown? That year, Aunt Zhang was ill for a while, and the family had spent all their money. Then there was the disaster, and life was really unbearable. Uncle Zhang took his whole family and got on the big truck sent by the government without hesitation.

After they took root here, they went through a very hard time. Fortunately, the neighbors were very warm and generous, and helped them a lot. In the past few years, their lives have gradually improved.

However, as people get older, they tend to miss their hometown. After listening to Zhang Yuandong's talk about the recent situation in Xiaotian Village, he felt sad and wondered if he would have the chance to go back and visit the village in his lifetime.

Aunt Zhang cooked four dishes: chicken stewed with mushrooms, potatoes stewed with catfish, pickled cabbage stewed with vermicelli, and radish strip soup. They were served in porcelain bowls and filled up a large table. Wang Laoer had heard enough about the latest news outside, so he walked over with his hands behind his back, looked at the food on the table, swallowed hard, and laughed, "Well, this side dish is quite rich, with fish and meat. Have you not finished the catfish yet?"

Catfish were caught by the team before the New Year, and every household got a good share. The Northeast in winter is a natural refrigerator, and if you put catfish in a big tank in the yard, they will freeze hard.

Aunt Zhang came in behind the curtains carrying a few bowls of chicken and egg custard and said with a smile, "That's right. It's just right to be made today. Second brother, don't leave today. Eat here. It's a good opportunity to try the wine that your brother Zhang brewed this year."

Wang Laoer was greedy, but he would not be so tactless. He waved his hand quickly and said, "No, no, my wife is going to stew roe deer meat tonight, and I should go home for dinner!" Before he finished speaking, he had already run out the door.

Liu Fang laughed and said, "It seems like you guys are having a pretty good time here. At least you don't lack meat!"

A six or seven-year-old kid popped his head out of the door and said with a grin, "Wang Lao Er is lying again. He keeps saying he eats meat at home, but he actually smears pork fat on his lips!"

Brother Zhang walked over, hit him on the head, and cursed, "There's nothing you don't know!"

The child was not afraid either. He laughed and glanced towards the dining table from time to time, with saliva almost flowing out of the corners of his mouth.

Uncle Zhang laughed and raised his hand to point in the direction of his grandson. "This kid is never honest. But before the New Year, the team got a few stupid roe deer. I'll bring you some roe deer meat when you leave!"

Several people waved their hands and said "no". Lingling and Wanli listened on the side and asked curiously: "Mom, what is a silly roe deer?"

Lin Yue pretended to be stupid and said, "I haven't seen it either. It should be an animal!"

Uncle Zhang smiled and said, "It's normal that you two haven't seen one before. This thing is very common here. It looks like a deer... uh, like a sheep, with ears standing up, like this!" Seeing that the two children looked like they had never seen a deer, he simply changed the topic and found an animal they would definitely recognize.

"Then why call it a silly roe deer? Is it really stupid?"

Everyone in the house who heard it laughed, "It's really stupid. If you saw it in the snow, you could catch it in no time!"

The two siblings were fascinated by what they heard and wished someone could take them to experience it right now.

The meal was ready, and Aunt Zhang shared some of the dishes in the basin. The adults and children in the room had to sit down at two tables. Aunt Zhang stood by the kang and gave each of the younger children a small bowl of egg custard, saying, "We have guests today, so you can also take advantage of this and have a bowl of egg custard!"

Lin Yue was wondering how to respond when Uncle Zhang, who was sitting at another table, called out, "Little Gray Wife, come over here and try the wine I brewed myself. It's made from pure grains and is delicious!"

Uncle Zhang's family didn't have separate tables for men and women, but for those who drink and those who don't. The table below was not only occupied by men, but also by several sisters-in-law. Lin Yue declined the offer because he wanted to take care of the children, and continued to sit on the kang with the children.

The eldest sister-in-law said to Lin Yue in a serious tone: "How can you not drink? It's so cold out here, drink a little to warm your body!" After that, she poured a small cup and handed it to Lin Yue without further ado.

Seeing that there wasn't much wine left, Lin Yue didn't refuse and just joined the others.

As soon as the wine entered her mouth, Lin Yue knew she had been too confident. She took a few deep breaths and said exaggeratedly, "This wine is so spicy, the alcohol content must be quite high!"

They were brewing their own wine, so who knows what the alcohol content was? Everyone in the room burst into laughter, with Liu Fang laughing the loudest. Zhang Yuandong stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth.

Because of their professions, these two people were very alert and did not drink too much. In the end, they became the few people who could still stay sober.

Lin Yue didn't expect the wine to be so strong, and she was drunk before long. She forced herself to be rational and not go crazy. After finishing her meal, she sat against the wall and fell asleep.

The eldest sister-in-law felt a little regretful and blamed herself: "I really shouldn't have persuaded my sister-in-law to drink that glass of wine. I didn't expect that she couldn't drink it."

The third sister-in-law smiled and said, "Oh, I'm so happy today. You see everyone is drunk, so it's a good opportunity for my sister-in-law to relax! Let's plan how to sleep tonight!"

The next morning, when Lin Yue woke up, she found herself sleeping on the big kang in the main room. Beside her were a row of little carrots lined up in a row, all still sleeping soundly.

Lingling was sleeping beside her. When Lin Yue moved, she woke up, rubbing her eyes and asked, "Mom, are you awake? Are you still drunk?"

Lin Yue rubbed her head and said with a smile: "Awake, is this how we slept last night?"

Lingling nodded and said, "There are still three mothers and all our children. Oh, Sisi and Xiao Mushroom are not here. My father took them away and said that you should have a good rest at night while he will take care of your younger brothers and sisters."

The big kang in the main room was very long, and could accommodate at least ten adults lying horizontally, more than enough for them. She looked around the room and found that several sisters-in-law had already gotten up, so she quickly got up and went out to help.

Aunt Zhang had already prepared breakfast with her three daughters-in-law. She smiled and asked Lin Yue, "Little Gray, why did you get up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Lin Yue smiled and said, "Auntie, I just wanted to come over and see if there is anything you need me to do."

"Oh, you are not needed here, go and have some rest. I heard from Xiao Huizi that you will leave after breakfast. Then let the boss take you there!"

Lin Yue thanked her, but Aunt Zhang said no and pushed her back into the house.

In the room, some of the children were still asleep, while some of the older ones were already awake. Lingling and Wanli, each holding a small stick, were playing with the little boy, who was about six or seven years old.

The little boy's name is Little Stone. He is actually less than six years old, but he is tall and strong and looks like a big boy.

He hadn't put on his clothes yet, and his lower body was bare, but this didn't affect his momentum at all. He was wearing a thin blanket, which he threw behind him like a cloak, and with a cry of "Ah", he launched an attack on the siblings opposite. Unfortunately, his bare lower body affected his overall momentum, but he didn't care, and felt that he could at least fight the two siblings opposite for ten rounds.

There was a stove burning in the house, so it was very warm. Lin Yue was not worried that the little guy would be frozen, so he did not say anything. He just reminded him, "Grandma has already prepared the meal. Hurry up and get dressed, wake up your brothers and sisters, and have breakfast together!"

Several people quickly dropped the things in their hands and called their brothers and sisters to get up. Seeing that these children didn't need him, Lin Yue went up and folded up all the quilts.

After breakfast, Lin Yue and the others started packing their luggage. When Xiao Shitou saw that they were really leaving, he immediately became angry and held Ling Ling and Wan Li's hands, refusing to let them go. No matter what others said, it was useless. It was Wan Li who asked Lin Yue, "Mom, can't Xiao Shitou go with us? He's just staying at our house for a few days, not for long."

Lin Yue smiled and said, "Of course you can invite Xiao Shitou to live with us, but not now. We just arrived and haven't arranged everything yet. We can't take Xiao Shitou home now. Can we wait a few days until we have everything ready and then take Xiao Shitou home?"

Lingling and Wanli nodded, but Little Shitou started crying. When he saw Lin Yue and Zhang Yuandong really start to put the luggage on the sled, he burst into tears. No matter how anyone tried to comfort him, it was useless. In the end, Little Shitou followed his father to see Lin Yue and his group off, and he accompanied his two new friends to the station.

Liu Fang's unit was in the city and easy to find. He did not rush to report, but instead sent Zhang Yuandong and his family to the army first.

Because the family had to go to Y City to visit relatives first and were not sure about the specific time to arrive at the unit, they did not tell the unit to pick them up.

The troop's station was also very remote, and the group finally reached the gate of the troop. Zhang Yuandong took out his ID and the group was allowed to enter.

Lin Yue and Liu Fang took a few children to rest at the gate, while Zhang Yuandong followed a serviceman to handle the formalities.