Although Li Lan could drink white wine, he couldn't handle it in a crowded place. Hence, when the aunt came out to smooth things over, he gladly accepted it. "Thank you, Aunt."
The aunt said, "Eat more and drink less."
"Got it, Aunt. You should eat too."
Li Lan's drinking rule was to follow his father's lead. Once he cleared the level, he would start with the oldest and toast to everyone.
Here, he was the youngest. Naturally, he didn't wait for the elders to serve him wine. He first raised his glass to an old man with an unshaven beard. According to seniority, this was his mother's uncle. He didn't know how to address him, so he simply said, "Uncle, let me toast you."
The old man waved his hand and said happily, "Sit down, sit down. There's no need to stand."
Before Li Lan could finish his beer, the white wine in the glass had already entered his stomach.
The person beside him said, "Eat, eat, it's still early."
"Drink like his father, it's refreshing."
Every time Second Brother Li came back, his drinking behavior was impeccable. He was never sloppy and was very popular.
Li Lan toasted cup after cup. There were three tables full of men and women, old and young. Not a single one of them fell. As he drank, he began to sway.
He Long supported him and said, "Take it easy and drink less. Otherwise, if your mother hears about it, she'll scold me. I don't want to get into trouble."
Li Lan's eyes were blurry and his tongue was a little loose. "Uncle, you're underestimating me. With my level, drinking a box of wine is nothing to me."
He Long understood. "In terms of drinking capacity, you can probably beat your father long ago. But in terms of bragging, you're still lacking."
"Then watch." Li Lan didn't leave the table.
One after another, some of the older people and those who weren't good at drinking came down from the table. Those who stayed at the table felt that they could fight.
Even Li Lan had the illusion that he could drink more. He didn't want to leave the table because there were too many people with good reputations and he liked to listen to them talk.
They drank until midnight. Everyone was still wearing their cotton-padded jackets and drank under the light at the door. In the end, the aunt couldn't stand it and coaxed everyone away.
Li Lan went to the toilet. He didn't wash his face or his feet. He went back to his room and fell asleep on the bed.
When he woke up the next day, it was only seven o 'clock, and the sun was already high in the sky.
His throat was burning, and he wanted to spit, but he couldn't.
The old aunt complained to the son-in-law of the Fang family, "Look at how you've drunk the child.
He handed Li Lan a toothbrush with toothpaste and a cup full of water.
Li Lan took it with a smile and said, "Aunt, I'm not an outsider. If you do this, I really won't dare to come next time."
The Fang family's son-in-law said, "The older your aunt gets, the more restless she gets. You have to find some work for her. In the past, when she was in poor health, she didn't even have the chance to squeeze toothpaste for you."
The old lady said, "That's right, that's right."
Li Lan brushed his teeth, washed his face, and ate a bowl of porridge. He felt a little better.
He Long squatted at the door and stuffed gunpowder and gravel into his gun with a bicycle rod.
The gunpowder was cut from the cardboard of the treadmill cannon, stuffed with a piece of gunpowder, and added a few grains of gravel.
Li Lan said, "This isn't against the law. I remember playing with it when I was young. Are there still treadmill cannons nowadays?"
He Long said, "The stock from before has long been sold on the market. It's not against the law, though."
He took out a small notebook from his pocket. "See this? It's a hunting permit from the Forestry Bureau, but it's pretty boring. I can only use the gunpowder gun secretly now, but I'll make do."
Li Lan asked, "You're going up the mountain?"
Some villages allowed people to carry guns, including semi-automatic rifles. However, once the hunting season was over, the guns had to be handed over to the police station. It was impossible to keep them at home. Therefore, most of the villagers only had guns that were made in secret.
It wasn't the first time he came here. Every time, he would either run up the mountain or swim in the river. There wasn't a day when he was free, so when he saw his uncle playing with a gun, he couldn't help but get excited.
He Long said, "You don't have to go. I'll try my luck. The more people there are, the more chaotic it will be. It's not like the past. If you go to the police station with me, your mother will tear me apart."
Li Lan spread his hands. "Alright, you really think of me as a child."
He Long patted his shoulder. "Wait for it. Pheasant and mushroom stew for lunch. I'll look for the pheasant, and you look for the mushrooms. We have a clear division of labor."
Just as he said, he didn't bring anyone. He carried the gun and left with a bag of gravel, steel balls, and gunpowder on his waist.
The aunt came out of the house with a basket, and Li Lan naturally followed behind her, heading towards the old forest.
In the summer, the hillside was filled with wildflowers, purple and red. The lush forest was thick with rotten wood and fallen leaves. As he stepped on the fertile soil, it felt like he was stepping on a soft sofa cushion.
He took a deep breath. He had a perverted thought, how could he like the rotten smell of the primeval forest? It was mesmerizing when it was mixed with the fresh air.
Mushrooms were hidden in the grass and under the roots of the trees. They were everywhere. While he was distracted, the aunt and the women beside her had already picked a few handfuls.
The aunt said, "Last night, it rained halfway up the mountain, but there was no rain at the foot of the mountain."
Those who picked the mushrooms were either women or young wives. Some of them were young children who had just learned how to run. As for the older children, they were all stuck in school.
Li Lan was the only man, so he felt very awkward being among the women.
A little turtledove that had just left its nest was unlucky. Before it could grow its wings, it fell into the hands of the young children and was thrown around. Its wings flapped here and there, and it barely managed to keep from falling to its death.
Li Lan couldn't stand it anymore. When they weren't paying attention, he put the little turtledove in his pocket.
The children went into the bushes and searched under the leaves. They couldn't find it, so they hurried to catch up with the adults who had already gone far away.
Seeing that the children had left, Li Lan took out the turtledove from his pocket. He looked up at the nearby treetops, but he couldn't find the nest.
He turned around and walked back the way he came.
Finally, he found a bird's nest on a crooked tree. He put the turtledove in his pocket and carefully climbed up the tree. There, he saw two little turtledoves chirping in the nest.
He took out the little turtledove from his pocket, but his hands couldn't reach the nest, so he gritted his teeth and threw it into the nest. When it was only a few centimeters away from the nest, the little turtledove fell into the nest. The family was reunited.
"Hey, Li Lan, be careful when you come down." A girl stood under the tree and yelled at him.
Li Lan looked down and saw that it was Fang Qiong, a distant relative of his uncle-in-law. They were of the same generation, and she was even a year younger than him.
"It's okay. I'm an expert at climbing trees."
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