Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1207 Successfully resolved
When Kova mentioned the wine that Grandpa Li couldn't forget, Da Shan's eyes reddened. Kova drew him some crops, and he took Er Shazi into the mountains. They stayed in the mountains for three whole days, dragging a makeshift cart full of sorghum ears.

As Kourva quietly worked on the brewing tools, thinking about Dashan's feelings for Grandpa Li, he was also moved.

The wine was brewed for three days, yielding three jars, weighing about sixty catties. Da Shan's saliva dripped onto the ground, but he resisted the urge to drink it, and Er Shazi kept quiet and didn't utter a sound.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a day for family reunion, Da Shan's home was very quiet.

Grandpa Li was very curious. Why were the two brothers, who were usually so energetic, so quiet? He pretended not to know and slowly went about his business.

After noon, Dashan led his grandfather to the middle room, where a square table was set with three nice cups and three sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Da Shan shouted, "Alright!"

Suddenly, a crackling sound came from outside; it was the sound of firecrackers. Kournikova was carrying a tray.

There are only two dishes inside: braised pork and fried soybeans with pork cracklings.

Grandpa Li smelled the food and a question arose in his mind. Looking at the small amount of food, he asked, "It smells quite good, but is this for three people?"

Soon, Dashan came out carrying a wine jar and a wine pot.

"Grandpa, today I'll show you what it means to have delicious food and fine wine!" Dashan said proudly and loudly.

After the three of them sat down, Dashan poured out some fine wine. When the jar was opened, Grandpa Li was already drunk. He was so happy that he snatched the jar, hugged it to his arms, and the three of them filled a cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Kournikova's taste is not bad, but it's less than 50 degrees.

The father and son were out of sorts; after a long while, one of them would burp and exclaim, "Good wine!"

Kournikova then brought out several cold dishes: mixed pig's ears, mixed pig's heart, and stir-fried cabbage. There was one soup left, but it hadn't been brought out yet.

The three of them drank and chatted, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

While they were enjoying their drinks, Ershazi was completely bewildered. His grandfather was chasing him around with a stick, demanding to know where he got the alcohol.

Ershazi was initially stubborn, acting as if he would never betray his friends, but he couldn't withstand his grandfather's beatings. In the end, he had no choice but to betray Dashan.

Without saying a word, his grandfather hid his jar, took out two strings of pork, and headed straight for Grandpa Li.

"Old Li, it's not fair of you to forget your friends when you have good wine," came the voice of Er Shazi's grandfather from outside.

Grandpa Li instinctively wanted to grab the wine jar and run, but he stopped immediately and said irritably, "You silly Li, watching over wine is your life. Come in, you'll get your share."

An old man with broad shoulders and a burly back walked in. When Kova looked up at the man, she felt like a little chick in front of him.

"Haha, I knew it, Old Li is a true friend," Li Dashan said.

Da Shan, with his straightforward nature, said, "Three jars of wine were brewed, and you gave one to Er Sha? I didn't give it to you, Grandpa Er Sha?"

Li Dashan ignored him completely and said to Grandpa Li, "Come on, let's drink until we drop." He then raised his glass.

Grandpa Li rolled his eyes at him and said, "You're usually so naive, but the sight of alcohol makes you a thousand times more cunning."

Li Dashan looked at Kournikova and asked, "Did you make this?"

Grandpa Li, standing nearby, said, "This is Er Shazi's grandfather; you can just call him Er Shazi's grandfather."

“Yes, Second Grandpa, it was something we all did together. I just offered some ideas,” Kourva said obediently.

Grandpa chuckled and said, "That's a good job. Let Second Fool learn from you so he won't keep climbing over the wall. Haha."

They downed their drinks, and just like that, the banquet began in a daze.

During the banquet, seeing the two grandfathers drinking heartily and the two buddies stealing wine in various ways, the result was the same: they all got drunk. Kova had no choice but to call Xiao Gatou to help escort them home. Xiao Gatou was also bruised and battered. It turned out that his grandmother had smelled the wine and called him a good-for-nothing.

After seeing everyone off, he handed Xiao Gatou a small jar of wine and said, "There's not much wine left, mainly because we're out of grain. I can't brew any more either, so please bear with your grandmother."

Little Ga Tou walked away happily.

The next day, before dawn, a commotion arose outside as everyone gathered around the mountain and talked.

It turned out that everyone wanted to have a good drink, so they clamored for Dashan to lead them to find food, and they arrived before dawn.

There was nothing Da Shan could do; didn't you see Grandpa Li gloating and cheering him on from the sidelines?

Most of the adults in the village went, and all the livestock that could pull things also went. Well, when the sorghum piled up like a mountain in front of Kuva, Kuva was about to cry. How long would this go on?

Finally, they put Ershazi in charge and formed a brewing team to brew wine. Wu Dayong said it would be of great use.

Before the first day of the lunar new year was even over, the whole village was brewing wine, producing no less than five thousand jars. In the end, they even had to use chamber pots before the village chief finally called a halt.

Village chief Wu Dayong said in a serious tone, "Success or failure hinges on this. I will lead the team to the town, taking a side road. We should be back in February. In the meantime, Grandpa Li will take care of us."

Before the first month of the lunar calendar was over, the village's procession set off, taking away three thousand jars of properly packaged wine, leaving the rest for the villagers.

Now the villagers are having a few drinks every now and then, which is delaying their work during the day. If this continues, it will definitely delay spring planting.

Grandpa Li was on duty for the first time and was so worried that he didn't know what to do. He drank every day and didn't plant any crops. What would happen to the spring planting?
Kova thought for a moment and said, "Let's have a fireworks display. He'll prepare the fireworks, and the food will be a pork feast. There's nothing else around here, so we'll encourage everyone to plant sorghum."

Grandpa Li thought it was a good idea and hoped that sorghum could motivate everyone to participate in spring plowing.

And so, Grandpa Li's first bonfire party began, with the four boys busily preparing.

In the evening, everyone sat on the ground. The villagers had all arrived, and Grandpa Li gave the opening remarks.

"Villagers, this gathering is a mobilization meeting for spring plowing. These days, the men in every household drink all the time, not only at night but also in the morning. Now there's not much liquor left. If we drink it all, there won't be any left. If spring plowing is delayed, what will we eat in the future? Besides, if we want to drink again, shouldn't we plant sorghum? Wouldn't it be great if every household brewed their own wine? I hope that after this gathering, everyone will abstain from alcohol during the day and plant the sorghum as soon as possible, otherwise we really won't have any to drink later," Grandpa Li said loudly.

The villagers nodded in agreement. Yes, if everyone drinks it, where will they find sorghum again? They have to plant sorghum.

"Besides, sorghum is also a grain. Today's staple food is sorghum rice porridge. Everyone can try it," Grandpa Li continued.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's all have a good meal today, and spring plowing will begin tomorrow. Let's eat!"

The four boys busied themselves helping the villagers distribute food and drinks. The sorghum rice was placed next to the stove, and people could help themselves if they wanted some.

The bonfire party was a great success. In the end, every household rushed to plant sorghum, and the villagers realized that farming was still very important. They would drink more alcohol later when they were tired at night.

Grandpa Li smiled knowingly as he watched his four busy boys.

Starting the next day, things returned to normal in the village. The wine had been sealed and stored at Grandma Xiaogatou's place. Anyone who needed it could ask for it, but only in the evening.

Everyone was busy with spring plowing, and the children were also busy transplanting sugarcane in the sugarcane fields. When the village chief left, he had already allocated a large plot of land for planting sugarcane. The children knew that this was the raw material for making sugar, so they were very attentive.

Xiao Gatou became the most popular person among the women in the village. Whenever they had free time, the women would go to the woodworking shop to see if they could buy one or two pieces of furniture, especially the chairs, which were really comfortable to sit on.

Kournikova was studying the bean pods, trying to see if she could make soy sauce from the beans inside.

Before the soy sauce was even made, Dashan arrived and said, "I'll take you to see where you just came from. Grandpa said that will help you recover."

Kournikova was taken aback; how could he have forgotten something so important?

(End of this chapter)