We ordered another keg of draft beer, even though Coach Ma and I can't drink, but we had to have the ritual.
At this moment, we seem to share a tacit understanding: we want to recreate a similar scene and relive the time when the inn was still open.
Time; back then, the three of us would drink when we were happy, and we would drink when we were unhappy; Tie Nan said that this was the most authentic "Dali wanderer" life.
If one day we stop living like this, either one of the three of us will die, or Dali will no longer live up to its reputation as a place for revelry.
Actually, none of us died, and Dali is still the same Dali, but Coach Ma and I really can't drink anymore, and we can't go wild under the influence of alcohol.
...
I placed the cigarettes I had prepared in advance in front of Tie Nan and said, "The price has gone up by two yuan. I wonder if it's still the same flavor as before."
"Whether it is or not, just take it apart and pull one out, and you'll know."
As Tie Nan spoke, he unpacked the cigarettes. He first took one out of the pack and handed it to Coach Ma. Just as I was wondering what excuse Coach Ma would use to refuse, he took it from Tie Nan, asked the waiter for a lighter, and lit it.
Tie Nan handed me another one.
I know that smoking and drinking are bad for my health, but I still took it from Tie Nan. I felt that this was a special day and it was worth giving it my all.
But just as I was about to light it, Tie Nan pulled it back from my hand and said, "Forget it, you shouldn't smoke it. Don't torture your body... Actually, as long as the three of us can get together, it's a good thing..."
At this point, he poured himself a full glass of beer and said to me, "Michael, I absolutely have to toast you with this... Back then, it was you who gave the police the clue that led to my three-year sentence. If it were three years ago, I would have killed you, because you weren't a true brother... But today, I must thank you... because you gave me the chance to turn back from my wrong path..."
Tie Nan tilted his head back and drank a full glass of beer.
Coach Ma even poured himself a glass of wine and drank it with him... It seems he no longer wants to hold onto the position of core disciple.
The two of them burped, and then Coach Ma took over the conversation, saying to me, "Don't think that Tie Nan's gratitude to you was insincere... Just two months before he got out, another innkeeper who was doing this with him was executed... At the time, he wasn't caught, so he took a chance and first allowed guests to use drugs, and later, in order to make more money, he directly followed those drug dealers to sell drugs... A year ago, he was finally caught. He really didn't even have a chance to regret it. From being caught to being executed, it was less than a year!"
I looked at Tie Nan and asked him to confirm this.
Tie Nan let out a heavy sigh before replying, "Back then, I should have betrayed him too... I thought it was loyalty, but I never expected it would harm him... Michael, in terms of character, I'm far inferior to you... If it weren't for your intervention back then, I might be the one executed... Before going to jail, I really did have thoughts of drug trafficking because it was so profitable. I was like a madman, willing to do anything to buy a house in Dali!"
(End of this chapter) h/>/>
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