Drunken Misbehavior

Zhai Qingming glanced at Yang Wuni, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

"Zhang Changyao, Lu Yuan, wear an extra layer of warm clothing."

You can take the cotton handprint I made a few days ago.

Also, pull down the ear flaps of your cotton hat; your ears aren't resistant to the cold.

Yang Wuni rummaged through the pile of clothes at her feet and found thick clothes and hats, then handed them to Zhang Changyao.

Zhang Changyao didn't think much of it, but it made Zhai Qingming, who was watching from the side, quite angry.

What man wouldn't want a woman who cares for him and understands him by his side?

Zhai Qingming's aunt lives in Maolutun, about 15 li away from Zhangzhuang.

Maolutun and Zhangzhuang are separated by a mountain. Two people can cross through a gap in the mountain and go down the slope to reach them.

Maolutun has forty or fifty households, all living in mud-brick houses.

More than a dozen onlookers had already gathered in the courtyard of Aunt Zhai Qingming's house.

Inside the house, his aunt was chatting with two women on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

One of the women, with gray hair, was obviously the mother of the younger woman, even without an introduction.

The two of them are practically identical.

When Aunt Zhai Qingming saw the two of them come in, she got up and introduced him to the two women.

This woman, who understands human nature, pulled Zhai Qingming over.

He deliberately shielded Zhang Changyao behind him.

That way, neither of the two women would see that Zhang Changyao was more outstanding than Zhai Qingming.

The girl with the gourd-shaped haircut is named Liu Fengying, and she is twenty years old this year.

She looked up at Zhai Qingming, then silently lowered her head again.

Things went smoothly, and the woman didn't have many demands.

Knowing about Zhai Qingming's family situation, they set the date right then and there.

On their way back, the two of them were in a good mood and walked much faster.

Back in the village, Zhai Qingming wouldn't let Zhang Changyao go home, and instead dragged him along to help him tidy up the warehouse.

Zhai Qingming's family has three rooms, so in theory they could live in the west room.

However, Zhai Qingming had his own ideas; his second younger brother was also of marriageable age.

Only if he doesn't occupy the west room can his second brother, Zhai Qingliang, get married.

Zhai Qingming's storage room was more spacious than Zhang Changyao's.

The room had a high ceiling, so Zhang Changyao didn't have to bend down to walk in.

Zhai Qingming is skilled in bricklaying and can apply plaster smoothly to walls.

The only thing missing was a kang (a heated brick bed), a stove, and other necessities for daily life.

Zhai Qingming's father and mother knew that the matter was settled when they saw him tinkering with the warehouse after he returned.

His mother, Wu Fengqin, with her bowlegs, wanted to come over to help, but Zhai Qingming stopped her, saying she was in the way.

Wu Fengqin blinked her small eyes and pouted her thin, everted lips as she entered the house.

His father, Zhai Cheng, was tall and thin with bulging eyes.

He pressed his face against the plastic windowpane, looking out and occasionally grinning foolishly.

The two brothers, Zhai Qingliang, went to plant trees for the brigade and were paid by the day.

The third brother leaned against the door frame, chatting away. He was the kind of guy who wouldn't even move if maggots were growing in his anus, so Zhai Qingming didn't bother asking him for help.

The fourth brother and the little girl are even more foolish; they just smile at everyone and would never come to help.

After cleaning the room, the two of them were covered in ash, looking like chimney plugs.

"Changyao, have dinner at home tonight. I'll ask my mother to make some flatbreads."

"Mom, make some flatbread and stew some potatoes and cabbage."

Zhai Qingming felt bad about letting Zhang Changyao go home with a flat stomach.

She waved her hand and asked her mother to make a few large pancakes to entertain Zhang Changyao.

"Zhai Qingming, you're just spouting nonsense. I'm not eating at your house."

"When you get married, just let me eat here for a few more days."

Zhang Changyao brushed the dust off his clothes with a broom and went home.

It wasn't that he wasn't greedy, it's just that he couldn't compete with Zhai Qingming's younger brothers and sisters when it came to food.

The last time I ate at his house, it was with San'er, Si'er, and Ya'dan.

For a piece of flatbread, he almost kicked Zhang Changyao to the ground.

"Changyao, you're back. Come in and have some dinner."

As soon as Zhang Changyao entered the courtyard, Widow Xing, who was waiting at the door, pulled him into the house.

"Aunt Xing?" Zhang Changyao didn't know how to address her, so he came up with an awkward and inappropriate name.

"Changyao, my surname is not Xing, that is my husband's family name."

My name is Zhao Xiulan, you can just call me Aunt Xiulan.

Widow Xing, also known as Zhao Xiulan, is holding Zhang Changyao's arm.

They pulled him into the house and pushed him to the dining table that had already been set up.

The dumplings on the table hadn't been cooked yet, and his father, Zhang Kaiju, was bustling about inside and outside the house like a devoted wife.

"Aunt Xiulan, I'm not eating here. Wu Ni has definitely prepared the meal and is waiting for me."

Seeing that Zhang Kaiju wasn't giving him a happy look, Zhang Changyao stood up to leave.

"Changyao, don't go. I'll go and call Wuni over so we can eat together."

Today is the first day that I've moved in, so I absolutely have to treat you two kids to a meal.

Don't let your father's old face fool you; Aunt Xiulan is the one who calls the shots in this family now.

Zhao Xiulan took off Zhang Changyao's shoes, kicked them aside, and pushed him onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

He turned around and went to the storeroom in the lower room to call Yang Wuni over.

Yang Wuni knew that Zhang Changyao and Zhai Qingming were going on a blind date together, so she didn't bother to bring him any food.

I cooked a small pot of porridge and brought it to the kang (heated brick bed) just as I was about to drink it.

"Wu Ni, Aunt Xiu Lan is here to invite you to have dinner with us."

"Your dad made sauerkraut and oil-fried dumplings; I called Changyao over."

Zhao Xiulan pushed open the door to the small room but didn't go in. She covered her nose, disliking the smell of the stove burning inside.

"Xiu... Aunt Xiulan, did my dad... did my dad say I could come over for dinner?"

Yang Wuni put down her rice bowl and asked hesitantly.

"Wu Ni, come on, we're not afraid of your father. He doesn't have the final say now. Aunt Xiu Lan is in charge."

Zhao Xiulan glanced at the mushy noodles in Yang Wuni's bowl and waved for Yang Wuni to come out.

Yang Wuni never expected Zhao Xiulan to be so kind to her.

He wiped his hands on his apron repeatedly, following behind her with some skepticism.

Zhang Kaiju had already placed all the dumplings on the table.

A pot of wine was heated and placed to the side where Zhao Xiulan was sitting.

"Kaiju, let's have a drink together as a family of four. You should drink less so we can clean up the dishes later."

"Aunt Xiulan, I can't drink alcohol." Zhang Changyao pushed away the wine cup that Zhao Xiulan handed him.

"Zhang Changyao, Aunt Xiulan told you to drink less, so drink less."

Even if you can't drink much, you can still drink more than Aunt Xiulan, right?

Yang Wuni glanced at Zhao Xiulan, afraid that she would be unhappy.

He kicked Zhang Changyao under the table.

"Alright, Aunt Xiulan, you have a drink and I'll have a drink too."

Zhang Changyao assumed Zhao Xiulan couldn't hold her liquor, so they each drank a cup.

After downing half a pot of wine, Zhang Changyao could barely see anyone.

His eyes were glazed over, and he chuckled foolishly at everyone at the dinner table.

But Zhao Xiulan still stood up straight and smiled at him.

"Aunt Xiulan, Zhang Changyao has never drunk alcohol before. I'll take him back inside, otherwise he'll make a fool of himself later."

Yang Wuni could tell that Zhang Changyao was no match for Zhao Xiulan.

They pulled him down to go home and try to sober him up.

"Changyao, come here, lie down on Aunt Xiulan's lap, Aunt Xiulan will rub your hair and you'll feel better."