Chapter 23: Can’t Tell

“Two two-part flour steamed buns per person. Give me half a catty.”

Li Xiangdong took the grain ration tickets from his mother, stuffed them into his pocket, and then handed the daughter in his arms to his wife. He looked at the fermented bean curd on the table that hadn’t been touched yet.

“I’m taking this bowl of fermented bean curd.”

He had brought back so much meat, so their family definitely had to add a dish.

“Take it. Drink less tonight.”

Hearing the tone of Mother Li’s voice, Li Xiangdong secretly smiled. His mother had been won over by the pig’s head meat, and her tone of voice had softened considerably.

By the time he arrived at Ah Zhe’s house, Qian Bin and Xiang Lin had already returned from their homes and were sitting at the table, chatting and waiting for him. A full glass of Erguotou had already been poured in front of each of them.

“Dongzi, you sit here.”

Li Xiangdong walked over, placed the fermented bean curd on the table, and then sat down in the remaining empty seat.

The table was full. A bamboo basket was filled with two-part flour steamed buns, a large basin of braised meat and offal, and a large plate of stir-fried large intestine.

In addition to the fermented bean curd Li Xiangdong had brought, there was also a dish of pickled radishes and a plate of scrambled eggs.

Li Xiangdong also noticed that there was an extra bottle of wine. It seemed that everyone knew what to do, and no one had come back empty-handed.

“Not bad, Binzi. You even know how to make a dipping sauce for the pig’s head meat.”

“Of course, my skills are not just for show.”

Qian Bin’s tone was full of pride.

Li Xiangdong took out the grain ration tickets, flicked them, and handed them to Ah Zhe.

Ah Zhe didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the grain ration tickets and looked at them, “What the hell, why is it only half a catty? Dongzi, can’t you give your buddy a little more?”

“What are you thinking? I’m only eating two of your two-part flour steamed buns. How much more do you want me to give you? Do you want me to move the grain store over for you?”

Li Xiangdong remembered his eldest brother saying that he had robbed the meat processing plant, so he put the idea to good use.

Ah Zhe said with a cheeky smile, “Sure, if you dare to give it, I dare to take it. When you get caught and thrown in jail, I’ll definitely come and visit you, and I’ll even bring you two steamed buns made from two-part flour.”

“Pah, pah, pah!”

Li Xiangdong spat a few times, finding it too unlucky. “Get lost, you’re the one who’s going to jail. Where’s your dad? Isn’t he coming to eat with us?”

“My dad is already drinking in the east wing room. Besides, you’re too slow. Going home to deliver…”

Ah Zhe was halfway through his sentence when he saw Xiang Lin, who was sitting opposite him, pick up his chopsticks and start eating the meat. “What the hell, Little Linzi, do you have any manners? I, the host, haven’t even said anything yet. Who told you to eat? Put down your chopsticks right now!”

Xiang Lin paid no attention to Ah Zhe. Not only did he eat himself, but he also beckoned Qian Bin and Zhang Sen to join him.

“Let’s eat first and let them continue talking.”

Li Xiangdong and Ah Zhe were even less likely to listen to Xiang Lin. They stopped talking. If they continued, they would only be left with bones to gnaw on.

The chopsticks of the group were moving so fast they were almost a blur!

Although Li Xiangdong had just been reborn from the future, his body was craving meat too much, so he had no choice but to eat with gusto.

After a round of feasting, everyone finally slowed down, picked up their wine glasses, clinked them twice, and started chatting again.

Ah Zhe’s face was flushed, and he was a little tipsy. He held a pig’s trotter and gnawed on it while asking, “Dongzi, what were you dawdling at home for? You didn’t even hurry over when there was meat to eat.”

“What else could Dongzi be dawdling for? He can’t bear to leave his wife!”

Among their group of brothers, only the thick-skinned Xiang Lin could say such a thing.

“Haha, I believe what Little Linzi said. After all, Dongzi’s wife was hard-won through his coaxing. He’s definitely not at ease when he goes out. If he doesn’t watch her and his wife runs away, Dongzi would cry his eyes out.”

Although they were teasing him, they were actually very envious of Li Xiangdong for being able to marry such a good wife.

Unlike their own wives, who would fight at home all day over trivial matters, either complaining in a passive-aggressive way or finding fault and hitting the children for no reason. They couldn’t even feel at ease when they were at home.

“Cut the crap. My wife and I already have two children. Don’t you guys spread rumors about me.”

Li Xiangdong chuckled. This wasn’t the first time. They did this every time they got together. He knew in his heart that his brothers were just envious and jealous of him.

Among his friends, they might be evenly matched in other aspects, with no one being better than the other.

But when it came to wives, he was definitely number one. He had been proud of this for a lifetime!

“Dongzi, this fermented bean curd from your house is pretty good.”

“San Mu’s pickled radishes are also delicious. They’re very refreshing, even better than the ones my mom makes.”

“What the hell, Binzi, why did you put so much chili in?”

“The spicier it is, the more fragrant it is. Don’t you understand?”

The stir-fried large intestine was bright red and full of chili peppers. The more you ate, the spicier it got.

Among them, Qian Bin could handle spicy food. Ah Zhe had spent a few years in the southwest, so he could also tolerate this level of spiciness.

But Li Xiangdong and the other two couldn’t. On top of that, they had drunk some wine, and now their heads were covered in sweat. The three of them directly took off their undershirts, threw them over their shoulders, and ate bare-chested.

Zhang Sen’s eyes were red from the spiciness, but both he and Xiang Lin complained about it being too spicy while their chopsticks moved faster than anyone else’s.

Li Xiangdong had only tasted a couple of bites at the beginning. He felt it was quite spicy and didn’t eat much. After eating so much meat all of a sudden, his stomach couldn’t adapt. If he ate spicy food on top of that and had diarrhea all night, he wouldn’t be able to report to the train station tomorrow.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was already dark outside.

The plates and bowls on the table were clean. Even the grease on the plates had been wiped clean with the two-part flour steamed buns.

There were three bottles of sixty-proof Erguotou. Because Li Xiangdong had important business to attend to tomorrow, he drank a measured two liang.

The rest was finished by Xiang Lin and the other three. They were all drunk, sitting on their chairs and talking nonsense, their bodies swaying back and forth.

Li Xiangdong said, “Brothers, it’s getting late. Let’s call it a day.”

“To… to… here.”

“Drink… hic… can’t move.”

Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen were now slurring their words.

Ah Zhe was even worse off. He just mumbled something, and Li Xiangdong couldn’t even hear what he said.

He looked at Qian Bin, who seemed relatively sober, and asked, “Are you still okay?”

Qian Bin burped from the alcohol, “I’m fine. This much wine is nothing.”

“Really fine or fake fine?”

A drunk person’s eyes are hazy and unfocused. With anyone else, Li Xiangdong could tell if they were drunk just by looking at their eyes.

But this trick didn’t work on Qian Bin!

With his small, squinty eyes, no one could tell