You come and I go, sweating, talking about the past and the present, the whole room is full of joy
"We're here to play basketball. Everything else is a pleasant surprise. Let Sister Yue shoot the free throws!" Lin Yiyi's clear voice swept away all the unhappiness. Amidst the crowd's echoes, she sent Xue Jiuyue to the free throw line...
To ensure the fun was more complete, Ke Yike and Qian Jianjun put in a lot of effort. Not only did the competition become more organized and intense, but rewards and penalties were also implemented. Each round was 10 points, and the losing team had to do push-ups. To balance the strengths of both teams, the players were adjusted: Qian Jianjun and Lao Zhou were paired with three girls, while Ke Yike, Qiu Nian, "Xiao Pang" and "Xiao Fei" were paired together.
Although Qian Jianjun and his team outnumbered them, and the three girls were no strangers, they were still weaker overall than Ke Yike and his team. However, whenever Lin Yiqi held the ball and played against Qiu Nian, the latter was not only unable to defend effectively but also became a stumbling block for his teammates' attempts to cover. Consequently, Ke Yike and the other two constantly scolded Qiu Nian for "forgetting his loyalty for the sake of beauty," but he turned a deaf ear and continued to revel in their criticism. Ultimately, thanks to this glaring flaw, Qian Jianjun and his team won the first game.
To liven up the atmosphere, Qian Jianjun gathered the team members together and taught them a few simple dance moves. When Ke Yike and the others bent over to do push-ups, Qian Jianjun and the others all danced in front of them to celebrate their victory.
The dance resembled tap, ballet, and a mix of square dance elements. It was easy to learn, uniform, and visually appealing. However, in Ke Yike's eyes, it wasn't particularly harmful, but rather highly insulting.
So, in the following matches, both sides used their full strength, fighting back and forth. Joyful laughter flowed along with the dripping sweat and the whistling wind...
Qian Jianjun booked dinner at a nearby barbecue stall. The girls wanted to go home and shower, but the insistence of the men and Qian Jianjun's marketing pitch swayed them. They sat down on either side of a long, improvised table along the street, a cool breeze washing away their fatigue. The freedom of letting go of any pretense or reserve was a joyous occasion.
Fresh beer, a variety of refreshing cold dishes, small iron skewers of lamb that tease the taste buds and bring back childhood memories, fat but extremely tempting kidneys covered with a layer of mutton fat, customers coming in groups of three or two to shout and chat, the pervasive smell of fireworks carried by the breeze carried the days to the distance and the moon, and also caught in Xue Jiuyue's eyes.
Watching this scene, identical to the one depicted in Qian Jianjun's limerick, Xue Jiuyue, like everyone else, melted into the soft moonlight and dim lights. She, Lin Yiyi, and Zhou Ying ate skewers while playing rock-paper-scissors and drinking. Even the sweet and delicate Zhou Ying downed several pints of beer. The three beauties transformed into three "female machos," their unique charm drawing the attention of guests at nearby tables.
Qian Jianjun pulled Ke Yike aside and they drank and chatted.
"Ahem, when the show was over, I heard you singing a little tune as you walked away. What song was it? Why haven't I heard it before?"
"Never heard of it? That's it! Come and have a drink first!" Ke Yike kept the other person in suspense.
After they finished a glass, he whispered in Qian Jianjun's ear, "This is a song I wrote for Sister Yue. I haven't finished the chorus yet."
"You are so amazing that you can even write your own songs. Is this how you hummed just now?" Qian Jianjun sang it again in a low voice based on his previous impression.
"That's amazing, Jun-ge. I didn't realize you could remember it after just one listen. You must have practiced it, right?"
"We played together for a while back in college. How else could I say we're good brothers? How about we form a band sometime?"
"Okay, no problem, it's settled!"
"Okay, let's do one, it's a deal!"
Although his thoughts were fixed on Lin Yiyi, he couldn't go near her and cause trouble. So Qiu Nian joined Xiaofei, Xiaopang, and Old Zhou for a drink and a chat. The youthful conversation shifted from games to military affairs and finally back to sports and basketball, which even Old Zhou, who could only drink, enjoyed. Especially when Old Zhou shared some of his experiences and secrets as a special forces soldier, he earned their envy, some even asking to become his apprentice and learn some fitness and fighting techniques.
"Ahem, do you think our method will be effective in treating Xiaoyue?" While still conscious, Qian Jianjun continued chatting with Ke Yike.
"Of course it works, don't you think so? Besides, Sister Yue's psychologist is also very good!"
"Is Sister Yue's psychiatrist the one named Liu Che?"
"Yes, yes, that's him! I always hear Sister Yue mention him."
"Is it really that powerful?" Qian Jianjun was a little skeptical. "If it were that powerful, wouldn't Xiaoyue have recovered long ago?"
"From what Sister Yue said, it seems that other methods are just supplementary. We can only wait for Sister Yue to recover slowly."
Qian Jianjun disagreed with this statement. "Then what's the point of having a doctor? Is that so? Which hospital is this from? Are they scammers?"
"It shouldn't be a scam, it's not a hospital, but I heard from Sister Yue that it's Xialin's largest Xinru Mental Health Counseling Center."
Seeing that Ke Yike was a little unsure, Qian Jianjun comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay. Even if he's a liar, we are still brothers! Come on, take one first!"
Ke Yike picked up the cup and said, "That's right, brothers, united we can achieve great things. Cheers!"
"Come on, everyone, let's have another toast to today's gathering!"
The general trend of the world is that long periods of division will inevitably lead to unification, and long periods of unification will inevitably lead to division. Qian Jianjun's suggestion was immediately responded to. Although the various small groups were chatting enthusiastically, they quickly ended their "free activities" and merged into a whole with the sound of "cheers".
"Everyone, I have a suggestion. Today we have new and old friends gathered together. To make it more lively, each of us should tell a joke or a wonder from the past and present. If you tell a good one, we will all have a toast together. If you can't or if everyone doesn't agree, you can drink a glass as a punishment!" In order to make the team more integrated and the atmosphere more lively, Qian Jianjun took the opportunity of "turning the small into the big" to come up with a new idea.
Soon everyone agreed.
Qian Jianjun, the organizer, took the lead. Looking at the table full of delicious food, he paused for a moment before speaking: "Since I love eating, I'd like to share some historical trivia about food with you. Let's start with chili peppers."
Qian Jianjun held up a skewer of lamb coated in burnt red chili powder and spoke eloquently, "We all know that there are some provinces in China that are 'not afraid of spicy food,' 'not afraid of spicy food,' and 'afraid of not eating spicy food.' There's also the song 'Spicy Girl' that's famous both at home and abroad. Furthermore, as people are increasingly pursuing sensory stimulation, spicy food, the only non-taste sensation among the four flavors of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, has begun to gradually erode regions that traditionally avoid spicy food, including our Xialin.
But chili peppers actually only have a history in China of two or three hundred years. Chili peppers are a specialty of Latin America, arriving in China around the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, following the Age of Discovery. Therefore, before the Ming Dynasty, mainland China relied on plants like cornus officinalis for its spicy flavor. Also arriving during this period were Latin American specialties like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. It was precisely these plants that fueled the unprecedented population growth of the Qing Dynasty, surpassing the previous historical limit of 100 million. Before liberation, China had a population of 400 million.
Let me say a little more about this. There is a historical view that a large part of the reason for the change of dynasties in ancient China was that our land could only support a population of 100 million under the conditions of traditional agricultural technology and crops. Therefore, when the population approached this upper limit, it would cause major social unrest, resulting in a significant reduction in the population.
Back to food, the iron pan stir-fry we enjoy today actually originated in the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was a fascinating and poetic dynasty!
At this point, Qian Jianjun couldn't help but take a sip of beer before continuing with a dazed look on his face, "It's said that our three meals a day today also began in the Song Dynasty. The earliest ice cream was available at night market stalls in the Song Dynasty, and takeout was also born in the Song Dynasty. The Japanese sushi that women love is actually just an overseas version of Song Dynasty sashimi. If the night of ancient human history is pitch black, then the only bright place is Bianliang in the Northern Song Dynasty!"
Just as Qian Jianjun was about to raise his glass of beer to echo that most brilliant civilization in human history, he realized that he had already talked a lot. "Sorry, I wanted to start a discussion, but I ended up going off topic. I'll drink a glass myself as punishment. If you find what I said interesting, please drink it!"
"Cheers!" Everyone spontaneously raised their glasses and drank. Not only because of these little bits of knowledge not usually found in history textbooks, but also because of the strong sense of national pride that Qian Jianjun expressed during his speech, which resonated with everyone.
Next it was Ke Yike's turn. He stared silently at the beer glass in front of him. Suddenly, sparks flashed in his narrow eyes, and then he began to tell a joke.
"There was a father and son who were both alcoholics. One day, they were carrying a jar of fine wine home. The road was slippery and they fell, accidentally breaking the jar, and the wine spilled all over the floor. The father was distressed, but the son ignored him and just lay on the ground and started drinking. The father was furious. Only then did the son look up at his father and say, 'Come here quickly! Are you waiting for some food?'"
After saying that, Ke Yike picked up his wine glass and added, "Everyone, hurry up and drink. Are you waiting for any other dishes?"
Everyone laughed and drank a glass happily.
Zhou Ying was sitting next to Ke Yike. She smiled sweetly and asked softly, "Can I give you an elementary school math problem? If you get the answer wrong twice, we can have a drink together."
"good!"
"This square table in front of us has four corners. If we chop off one corner with a knife, how many corners will be left?"
"It's still four. Oh, that's not right. Can it not be counted as one chance?" "Xiao Fei" answered the questions as quickly as he was agile, but he still wasted an opportunity.
"Five! That's right, five." Good brother "Xiaopang" corrected the answer based on "Xiaofei".
"We've used up both chances!"
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