Siheyuan: Five mouths waiting for food at the beginning

"Brother, the wine is so spicy, I feel like my chest is burning. I always thought you guys drink often and I thought it tasted good, but it turns out it's not even as good as soda," Zhao Shanhai said after drinking two glasses of wine.

"It's like this at the beginning. After drinking a lot, you will slowly like the feeling of drinking. Soda is for women. Men should drink alcohol," said the second uncle.

The drinking session lasted from noon to afternoon. It wasn't easy for Third Uncle to come, so everyone wanted to entertain him well. However, Zhao Shanhe didn't expect that Third Uncle and his son could drink so much, even more than Second Uncle.

The three brothers Zhao Shanhe had all vomited after drinking. It was Zhao Shanhai's first time drinking and he vomited and then went to sleep. Zhao Shanhe and Zhao Shanhu were willing to sacrifice their lives for the gentleman and started drinking again after vomiting. In the end, the third uncle still didn't fall down, and the three brothers all died.

The second uncle was also a little confused after drinking, but the third uncle was still energetic. The second uncle said, "Third uncle, I thought my alcohol tolerance had improved, but it turns out that I still can't drink as much as you."

"The main reason is that your wine has no flavor. The wine brewed by Lao Zhao in our village is more flavorful. After getting used to Lao Zhao's wine, drinking this wine is just like drinking water," said the third uncle.

"Third brother, do you know what kind of wine this is? This is Maotai. A bottle of Maotai costs three yuan. My nephew gave you such good wine, but you actually complained that it was not as good as the wine you brewed," the second uncle said to the third uncle.

Zhao Shanhe only had Moutai. He usually exchanged all his wine tickets for Moutai. He had been saving them for almost a year and was preparing to give them as gifts during the Chinese New Year. This time, he thought it was not easy for his second and third uncles to get together, so he took it out.

"Oh my goodness, a bottle is so expensive. We spent 30 yuan on one meal, and our family only saves this much money in a year. If we had known that this wine was so expensive, we should have drunk less and savored it slowly," said the third uncle regretfully.

"Shanhe, wake up, it's time for dinner." Qin Jingru gently pushed Zhao Shanhe's arm. The three brothers slept in a mess on Zhao Shanhu's kang.

Seeing that Zhao Shanhe had woken up, Qin Jingru handed him a bowl of soup and said, "Shanhe, drink a bowl of soup to sober you up."

Zhao Shanhu was also woken up and drank a bowl of soup. It was Zhao Shanhai's first time drinking alcohol, and he was still confused after waking up, feeling extremely uncomfortable all over.

After dinner, my second uncle's guards were already waiting.

"Uncle San, where do you live? I don't live in Uncle Er's house either," Zhao Shanhe asked.

"My second uncle arranged for us to stay in the guesthouse," Zhao Shandong said.

"Why stay in a guesthouse? Third Uncle, you've come here with great difficulty. I have a compartment. You can stay there. There's heating in the room and it's comfortable to sleep. You can stay a little longer. It's winter and you don't need to earn work points. There's no rush to go back," Zhao Shanhe invited. Men are most likely to get along well with others at the wine table. Zhao Shanhe likes his Third Uncle's cheerful personality very much.

"Since the eldest nephew has said so, you can live with him, my place is really small, and the guesthouse is not as comfortable as home," said the second uncle.

Zhao Shanhe took a day off on Monday. He drank too much yesterday and really didn't want to go to work. He slept until he woke up naturally and had lunch directly.

Zhao Shanhe watched his uncle chewing his food slowly and carefully. His movements were really awkward. He knew he couldn't eat freely. "Uncle, now that you are here with me, eat as much as you want. I can still find ways to get food. You were quite straightforward yesterday, so why are you being so shy today? Just eat as you normally would. Don't just eat rice without vegetables. Eat more meat."

"Isn't it because I can't relax while squatting on the table? Usually I hold a bowl and squat in the yard, watching the chickens at home. I'm used to it. Uncle San is not being polite to you, I just can't get used to it," said Uncle San.

"Uncle San, my bowl is small. I'll change it for you. Then you squat on the stool and I'll get you a head of garlic. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. How about that?" Zhao Shanhe said and changed the bowl for Uncle San. The bowl was small, so Uncle San probably couldn't add more rice, so he got him a head of garlic. The same thing happened in Shandong.

"This is a good feeling. It feels a bit like home. It's also very enjoyable to eat from the bowl," said the third uncle with a smile.

"Uncle, after dinner, I'll take you out for a walk. You haven't been out for a walk before, have you?" Zhao Shanhe said

"Shanhe, are you being troubled? We are delaying your work," said the uncle.

"Uncle, you guys finally came here, and you came to see me, so I have to take care of you. Besides, I'm not busy at work," Zhao Shanhe said.

In the afternoon, Zhao Shanhe took his third uncle and his son for a walk around the city, and went to order a set of clothes. As the Zhao family were all tall, clothes were really hard to buy, so they also went to order a few pairs of shoes.

In the past, Zhao Shanhe didn’t know there was a place that specialized in custom-made shoes. Mainly, Aunt Chen made them at home. He was a time traveler and didn’t know that custom-made shoes could be made in the 60s.

Later, after work, Li Huaide saw that Zhao Shanhe's cloth shoes and Zhongshan suit looked a bit out of place, so he asked him why he didn't wear leather shoes. Zhao Shanhe told Li Huaide the reason, and Li Huaide laughed. He told him that shoes could be customized. If they fit his feet and were comfortable to wear, Zhao Shanhe finally wore leather shoes.

After making the clothes, he took his third uncle and his younger brother Zhao Shanhai to take a bath. Although they could take a bath at home, it was not as comfortable as taking a bath in winter.

Zhao Shanhe and his companions went there early on purpose so that the water was still very clear. If they had gone late, the water surface would have been covered with a layer of greasy substance.

After taking a bath, I asked the master to scrub my body. I felt my whole body was refreshed and it was so comfortable.

"Uncle San, how is it? It's comfortable to take a bath, right? Whenever I have time, I like to take a bath and then get a haircut. I see your hair has grown longer, so let's go get a haircut together," Zhao Shanhe said.

"It's comfortable, it's really comfortable, but the bath almost rubbed my skin off. There's no need for a haircut, I can just cut it myself when I get home," said the third uncle.

"A haircut only costs a few dollars. I will design a hairstyle for you. I guarantee that your grandma won't recognize you when you go back," said Zhao Shanhe.

Several people went to get their hair cut, which was actually the chestnut head of later generations. Zhao Shanhe liked short hair and felt that short hair looked energetic.

Zhao Shanhe often came to get his hair cut and instructed the master to cut his hair according to his requirements, so the master remembered him. Every time, the master would just cut his hair into a chestnut-shaped hairstyle without him having to say anything, and after cutting his hair, four energetic young men would emerge.

The four energetic young men went to Quanjude to have a meal of roast duck, and brought two more back home for their families.

On the way home, the third uncle said, "Shanhe, I won't dare go out with you anymore. You spend money so lavishly. You don't have to buy so many things for me. I don't need them when I work in the village. It's such a waste of money."

"Uncle San, it's okay, it's just this time, you don't come here often."

After just three days, Uncle San asked to go back. He really couldn't stand it and was very anxious. So, after being persuaded by Zhao Shanhe, he stayed for a few more days.

We took a family photo over the weekend, and then got together for a meal and some drinks. Uncle San was leaving on Monday.

Zhao Shanhe took a special leave to come and see him off. He stuffed two hundred yuan into the new clothes he bought for his uncle and also bought some Beijing specialties.

Zhao Shanhe had a good impression of his uncle. From beginning to end, he never asked Zhao Shanhe to help him find a job to stay in Sijiu City. He was even unwilling to let Zhao Shanhe spend money on him. Although his uncle only gave him a bag of millet he produced, it was probably the best thing his uncle had ever given him.

Grandma cried at the station, "San'er, when you go back this time, I don't know if I can see you again in my lifetime."

The third uncle hugged grandma and said, "Mom, you will live a long life. I will come to see you often."

Uncle San still took the train and left to protect their roots in Shandong.