Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Qian Bin pushed away Li Xiangdong, who was leaning in front of him and staring into his eyes, and said helplessly, "I really am not drunk."

Li Xiangdong smiled and said, "Then let's clean up the table."

"No...it's nothing...don't worry about it...I'll clean up when I wake up tomorrow."

A Zhe suddenly used the table for support to stand up, swaying a couple of times before almost falling over. Li Xiangdong quickly helped him up, saying, "Please sit down."

He pressed A Zhe into a chair, made him sit properly, picked up the thermos, and poured a glass of water for him, as well as Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen, who were already tipsy.

"Xiaolinzi, Sanmu, drink some water to sober up, then we should head back."

In his previous life, Li Xiangdong would have just packed up and left; he wouldn't have bothered serving these drunkards.

He can't do that now; after all, he's lived several decades longer than others, and he understands these basic social skills.

Besides, the room was a mess of cups and plates, with bones scattered all over the floor. They weren't going to clean it up, so they couldn't expect Ah Zhe's dad to come and clean it up, could they?

Hearing the sound of water running from the tap in the yard, A-Zhe's father came out of the east wing and saw Qian Bin washing dishes. "Just leave them there, you don't need to do anything. Once you've finished drinking, hurry home and don't worry your family."

Li Xiangdong came out of the main room and threw the rag he was using to wipe the table to Qian Bin. "Uncle, don't worry about it. We two are waiting for Xiaolinzi and Sanmu to sober up. We're just killing time anyway, and there's not much work to do. We can finish it in a bit."

Qian Bin then said, "Uncle, why don't you go back inside and rest?"

"Then I'll go find the flashlight at home for you, and you can take it with you when you leave."

Not long after, A Zhe's father went back into the house and brought out a flashlight. He pressed the switch twice to make sure it had power, and then handed it to Li Xiangdong, saying, "Dongzi, take this. Use it for lighting on your way back."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle."

Li Xiangdong and Qian Bin were sweeping the floor and wiping the table, while the other was washing the dishes. It looked like they had a lot of work to do, but it didn't actually take much effort.

Back in the main room, the two waited for Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen, who were slumped in chairs drinking water, to sober up.

A Zhe's father helped his son, who was already drunk and unconscious, back into the house. He then came over and sat in the living room with Li Xiangdong and Qian Bin, where the three of them smoked and chatted.

A Zhe's father was in a good mood today. He was very satisfied with Li Xiangdong and the other young people, thinking that they would find out about some things sooner or later. So he told them about his plan to go abroad with A Zhe.

As the conversation reached this point, Li Xiangdong offered a few tactful reminders.

A Zhe's father had probably been in a state of fear, but after being enlightened, he immediately understood and said, "Dongzi, what you said makes sense. We should indeed send a letter first to ask how A Zhe's mother is doing abroad. Otherwise, we'll be completely clueless when we go there."

Qian Bin said, "Uncle, I don't think there's anything good about foreign countries. Now everyone is talking about reform and opening up, so you don't need to have any more concerns. Why don't you just go back to school and continue being a teacher?"

"Let me think about it again."

Ah Zhe's father waved his hand. Two days ago, his former school colleagues told him that his job assignment would be coming soon, but he didn't actually want to go back to school.

Thinking back to when his students dragged him off the podium, he no longer has the courage to stand up there again.

Li Xiangdong noticed A Zhe's father's hesitation. In his previous life, he had heard A Zhe say that his father had seen a psychologist abroad and was diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder.

Li Xiangdong couldn't explain the specifics. He was a rough man and had no idea what mental illness was. All he knew was diarrhea. However, he did know that A Zhe's father was too afraid to stand on the podium anymore.

He suggested, “Uncle, I don’t think you really need to go back to school. You taught economics at the university, so you could try to transfer to a government department. Isn’t the reform and opening up just about developing the economy? That would be perfect for you.”

Ah Zhe's father's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated. He decided to wait and see. "Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you guys. You've all gotten married these past few years. How old are your children...?"

The three chatted for more than half an hour, and Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen became much more sober after drinking several glasses of water.

"Uncle, thank you for your help today. We're heading back now."

Remembering the square stool that A Zhe had promised him, Li Xiangdong said, "A Zhe said he doesn't want these stools anymore. Can I have them?"

“My family doesn’t want them anymore, but Dongzi, what do you need these old things for? Your uncle doesn’t want to harm you, so let’s throw them away.”

Ah Zhe's father has absolutely no liking for these things now, fearing they might bring trouble upon him.

Seeing A Zhe's father's expression, Li Xiangdong said with a smile, "You don't need to live in fear like before anymore. Everything is in the past, so you can relax and put your mind at ease."

He beckoned Qian Bin and the other two to come and help, each of them carrying a stool for him.

There was no moon in the sky tonight, and it was pitch black outside when I came out of A Zhe's house.

The country's power generation is currently insufficient. In order to prioritize industrial power supply, even in the capital city, residents often experience power outages. Candles are still a necessity of life.

In this situation, streetlights are out of the question; even if they existed, they would be useless.

Li Xiangdong led the way, carrying the flashlight given to him by A Zhe's father.

The silent alleyway made him feel somewhat uneasy and apprehensive, having suddenly returned from a bustling past.

To stop himself from overthinking, he asked, "Xiao Linzi, Sanmu, are you two alright?"

Zhang Sen said, "It's nothing, I feel much better after taking a piss."

"You two better hold onto those plates carefully, or you'll drop them and get a scolding from your wives when you get home."

Li Xiangdong and the others each received an extra dish at their homes. After finishing their drinks, they would definitely take the plate back with them. Even a broken home is worth a fortune; every stitch and thread is money!

"I took so much meat back, what can I do even if I smash the plate? If she dares to cause trouble, I'll slap her across the face!"

Xiang Lin walked unsteadily, emboldened by alcohol. Since his wife wasn't around, he could say whatever he wanted.

"Tch, what a load of bull."

"I think it's your wife who's going to beat you."

"Hahaha, Xiao Linzi is a head shorter than his wife, he can't even reach her to slap her."

The laughter grew louder and louder, and nearby residents opened their windows and started cursing.

Now that they've all married and have children, they're more aware of their reputation than before, and quickly lowered their heads and ran away.

"Just leave the stool at the door for me, you can go back now. Remember to return the flashlight to A-Zhe's house tomorrow."

Li Xiangdong stood in front of his own gate and handed the flashlight to Qian Bin, whose house was the furthest away.

Looking at the tightly closed door, he pushed it, but couldn't budge it. Everyone in the family was asleep at this hour, especially his grandparents who were light sleepers and he didn't want to wake them up.

Li Xiangdong squatted at the gate, took out the last Daqianmen cigarette, lit it, and watched Qian Bin and the others turn into the alley and disappear.

He got up and walked to the back wall of the west wing where he lived, and kicked the earthen bed twice with his feet.

He pressed his ear against the wall to listen to the sounds inside the room, then slowly walked towards the door, smoking a cigarette.