Everyone nodded in agreement; this was absolutely a profound truth.
There's only a limited amount of oil allotted each month, so who would dare to use too much when cooking? Even Sha Zhu, working at the factory, wouldn't dare to use too much.
If too much is put out, the logistics director will definitely object. Anyway, it's for everyone to eat, so why be so serious?
Yan Bugui ate three pieces of braised pork in a row without feeling greasy at all. However, he couldn't keep eating this dish, so he thought he would try some cucumber salad. He put it in his mouth and wow, it was delicious.
"Da Bao, your cooking skills are absolutely amazing! Even the cucumbers taste delicious. This flavor is truly exceptional. If your wedding banquet is of this standard, the whole neighborhood will be in an uproar. Everyone will be talking about this meal for a year."
Sha Zhu tasted a bite of every dish. Unlike Yan Bugui, who was short of food, Sha Zhu, a chef, had a good palate. After carefully tasting the dishes, he couldn't refute Yan Bugui's words.
These dishes not only look good, but they also taste really delicious, far superior to anything else.
"Da Bao, why don't you teach me sometime? I'd like to become your apprentice."
When it came to cooking, Sha Zhu's expression turned serious, his usual carefree demeanor gone. At this moment, he genuinely wanted to learn the craft.
Wang Dabao quickly waved his hand: "Zhuzi, don't be so modest. I just said it was about using a lot of oil. I have some skills, but I'm still far behind you. I'm just generous with the seasonings and oil."
“That’s right, Shazhu, don’t cause trouble for Dabao. He’s about to get married and he has to manage things at the factory. He doesn’t have time to teach you how to cook,” Liu Haizhong said from the side.
In front of Wang Dabao, no one dared to wolf down their food; they only took a few bites of each dish.
"Da Bao, let's go to the bar, I'm really craving it."
Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together.
Yi Zhonghai chimed in, "Yes, Lao Yan is right. Such good food deserves a little wine."
"Wait a minute, let me give the money to Da Bao first." While Wang Da Bao was getting the wine, Xu Damao took out five yuan from his pocket and handed it over.
Sha Zhu's heart skipped a beat when he saw it; he hadn't expected Xu Damao to give him five yuan.
Wang Dabao and Liu Haizhong both gave a set of gifts when Xu Damao got married, and he knew that. He thought Xu Damao would also give a set of gifts, but what happened?
Seeing Xu Damao take out his money, Liu Haizhong and the others followed suit and took out their money as well.
Wang Dabao chuckled and accepted the money. Five yuan was neither more nor less; he figured he could just take it and pay it back later if he needed anything. But asking him for favors was out of the question.
"I propose that we toast Brother Da Bao with this first glass, wishing him and his wife a happy and harmonious life and many children."
Liu Haizhong raised his glass and, as an elderly man, began to speak.
Everyone raised their glasses and echoed their blessings.
Wang Dabao clinked glasses with everyone, saying, "Then I'll thank you all on behalf of my wife. We'll need your help with the wedding arrangements. I'll drink this, you can drink as you like."
Wang Dabao's words, "I'll do it, you can do whatever you want," terrified everyone.
Good heavens, Wang Dabao's cups are quite large, not small wine glasses. We haven't even had a couple of bites of food, and they're already downing it?!
If Section Chief Wang has already done it, how can they do whatever they want?!
That would be disrespecting Section Chief Wang!
When they saw that Wang Dabao had emptied his glass, everyone was dumbfounded. Well, they decided to drink it all too.
Liu Haizhong wasn't afraid at all; he had the capacity. He picked up his glass and poured the wine into his mouth, saying, "Brother Da Bao is so generous! I, Old Liu, can't hold you back. Cheers!"
"That's right, I'm really happy today. Although I, Lao Yi, can't drink, I still drank it all."
Yi Zhonghai said he couldn't drink, but he drank a lot every day after get off work, and he wasn't afraid of a glass of wine.
Xu Damao often went to the countryside and drank with the commune cadres. This cup of wine was not a big deal. Only Yan Bugui, Lao Zhou, and Sha Zhu were left staring at each other.
Watching others finish their drinks, it's really hard for them to even hold this glass.
Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "It's just a glass of wine. If you guys can drink it, why can't I?" He picked up the glass and poured it down his throat.
Wang Dabao stopped them, saying that they really couldn't drink like that. If they got too drunk, given the conflict between them, they might actually start fighting.
Actually, Wang Dabao's glass of wine went straight into the spatial ocean as soon as it entered his mouth; it was just for show. Who would have thought that everyone would actually drink along with him!
"Alright, Zhuzi, just take a sip. We have so much wine, we can't waste it. We should drink it slowly, otherwise we won't be able to taste anything."
"Yes, Da Bao is right, I'll go deeper."
Yan Bugui immediately seized the opportunity to back down.
Old Zhou also picked up his glass and gulped down a big mouthful: "Da Bao is getting married soon, so it's important that we get together tonight to discuss the things that need to be done before the wedding. Let's not let drinking interfere with important matters."
You could say Old Zhou is a steady guy. Whether he's making excuses or that's what he really thinks, Wang Dabao likes to hear that.
“Brother Zhou is absolutely right. I suggest that we start renovating the compound tomorrow. We should paint the areas that need painting, repair the areas that need repairing, and remove and repave the broken bricks.”
Yi Zhonghai put down his wine glass. “These won’t cost much, but they’re the face of our courtyard. I’ll pay for them. We’ll start the renovations tomorrow, especially the backyard, which is the most important part. We’ll have to set up tables here.”
Liu Haizhong rolled his eyes at Yi Zhonghai with displeasure. "You've already said it, what else can I say?"
"Speaking of appearances, we need to tidy up our courtyard gate. I'll find a carpenter to repair it tomorrow, and then we'll give it a good paint job."
Liu Haizhong pondered, "We also need to tidy up the things that everyone left at their doorsteps. A lot of leaders will be coming to Dabao's wedding, and we can't let Dabao lose face."
Xu Damao thought to himself, "Damn it, why weren't you guys this enthusiastic when I got married?"
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, not a single piece of braised pork or spare ribs was left, and everyone ate until they were stuffed.
Wang Dabao suggested that they stop drinking alcohol and instead make tea for everyone.
Yan Bugui licked his lips, his face full of satisfaction: "Dabao, I haven't eaten such a comfortable meal in decades. I don't want to eat meat for a month right now."
"Old Yan, look at what you're saying. You'll still be eating meat and drinking next week, won't you?" Wang Dabao poured tea for the group. He was fairly satisfied with the atmosphere today; at least Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, and the others weren't causing trouble.
Yan Bugui chuckled: "I'll just be attending the wedding next week. I'm happy for Brother Dabao's wedding."
Xu Damao really wanted to ask Sha Zhu how he met Lou Xiao'e, but today's occasion was clearly inappropriate. He didn't want things to get out of hand, especially since he had been drinking and might lose control.
However, Yan Bugui spoke up for Xu Damao: "Hey Shazhu, how's it going with your girlfriend? It's been so long and I haven't seen her come to the yard. Could it be that things have broken up?!"
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