60s: I have a store

Chapter 572 Thank you
After discussion, Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Chung decided not to hold a wedding banquet as supplies were in short supply.

If you're going to have a wedding banquet but you really can't come up with anything good, then you might as well not have one!

When Dafu's father and Dazhong's mother found out about this, they started arguing in the threshing ground.

Zhou Dazhong and others could only persuade them from the sidelines.

Dafu's father puffed on his pipe, the pipe bowl hitting the millstone with a bang, "How can there be no wedding banquet? Do you still want to save the reputation of our Zhou family?"

Da Zhong's mother clutched the corner of her apron, her eyes wide open, "That's right! Some time ago, Er Zhu and his family got married and also held a banquet in the village dining hall. How could our Da Zhong have less than them?"

After all, his son is a glorious worker.

Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong huddled under a locust tree, watching their parents gesticulating in the twilight. They dared not say a word, for fear of getting into trouble.

Chen Shumin quietly tugged at the corner of her husband's clothes: "Why don't we just put it on display? It's a token of our appreciation from the villagers."

Li Xiulan nodded, her hair brushing against the back of Zhou Dazhong's hand: "It's impolite to enter empty-handed, so setting up a banquet is also a way of acknowledging the family's identity."

Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Chung had no choice but to agree.

When Da Fu's father and Da Zhong's mother heard their son agree, they stopped arguing and started to prepare things.

In order to hold a successful wedding banquet, Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Chung had no choice but to come to Zhou Yimin's home.

If there is anyone else who can help them, there is no one else in the entire Zhoujiazhuang except Zhou Yimin.

When Zhou Yimin saw Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong coming to him at the same time, he knew that they wanted to ask him for something.

Before Zhou Dafu and the others could speak, Zhou Yimin spoke first: "I know."

When Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Chung learned that Zhou Yimin had agreed, they were very happy. They thanked him quickly and left Zhou Yimin's house.

At noon, Zhou Yimin drove out on his motorcycle, walked around for a while, found a remote corner, and took out 100 kilograms of pork and 20 kilograms of beef that he had bought from the store.

Then he tied the two pieces of meat on the back seat of the motorcycle, looked at his watch, and found that the time was about right, so he drove the motorcycle back towards Zhoujiazhuang.

After returning to Zhoujiazhuang, he gave all the meat to Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu.

After Chow Tai Fook and his team got the meat, they immediately sent it to the village canteen. After all, it takes time to process the meat.

Then they started to decorate the village's big dining hall. After all, it was a wedding banquet, so there had to be some celebratory elements.

In this way, in the big dining hall of Zhoujiazhuang, thirty-six lanterns illuminated the red silk cloth on the beams and pillars.

The pork elbow was stewing in the iron pot on the earthen stove. As the sauce-colored soup rolled around, you could see the shiny pig skin trembling in the heat.

I saw a middle-aged man stirring with a long-handled iron spoon. The red paint on the handle had long been worn to a shine, and the splashing oil left scattered red spots on his bronze arm, but he was unaware of it and just shouted at the top of his voice: "Da Fu's father! Bring up the third basket of steamed buns!"

The coarse porcelain bowls on the Eight Immortals Table were piled up into a small mountain.

The large bowl in the middle was filled with braised carp. The chopped green onions sprinkled on the fish were curled up by the heat. The aroma of soy sauce mixed with rice wine penetrated everyone's nostrils. The egg dumplings in the enamel basin were neatly arranged.

The golden egg skin is wrapped with meat filling, and the folds on the edge look like a bride's embroidered shoes. The most popular dish is the spicy and sour potato shreds. The green and red pepper shreds are dazzlingly bright in the white porcelain plate, and you can hear the crisp sound when the chopsticks flip them.

Soon it was time for the wedding banquet to begin, and the two couples were stopped as soon as they entered the dining hall.

"Dazhong! Come and drink from the cup of wine!" Erzhu held up a broken wine bowl and blocked Zhou Dazhong's way.

The sorghum wine in the bowl swayed over the edge, leaving dark marks on the brick floor.

Just as Zhou Dazhong was about to decline, Li Xiulan came over with a red face and poked his waist lightly with her fingertips: "Don't spoil the fun of the villagers."

There was no choice but to agree to it.

When their wrists were intertwined, the tips of Zhou Dazhong's ears were redder than the peppers on the table. The wine flowed from the corners of his mouth into his collar, wetting half of his white shirt.

On the other side, Chow Tai Fook was surrounded by a few childhood friends.

Brother Zhang held up a wine bowl that was bigger than his fist, with a faint "Fu" character engraved on the bottom of the bowl: "You trampled down my melon shed that year, so you must finish this bowl of wine!"

Zhou Dafu wiped his mouth and deliberately clinked the bowl: "You are the only one who holds a grudge!"

As he tilted his head back to drink the wine, his Adam's apple rolled violently and the wine dripped down his chin onto the knot of his tie, leaving dark spots on the originally straight fabric.

Chen Shumin stood three steps away, watching her husband's eyes go straight but he was still forcing himself to pass a cigarette to someone, and she couldn't help but laugh secretly.

Amid the smoke from the earthen stove, the sound of finger-guessing games rang out one after another.

"The top five - everything goes smoothly!" The roars of Dafudi and Li Feng drowned out the sound of bowls and plates colliding.

Li Feng's white shirt had been unbuttoned, revealing his bronze collarbone. He picked up a piece of tender beef and stuffed it into his mouth, shouting incoherently, "Uncle, your wine is stronger than the Erguotou in the city!"

Dafu's father smiled so hard that his teeth were showing and he added another spoonful of broth to his bowl: "Enough! Enough!"

When the wall clock struck the eighth time, Zhou Dazhong's steps began to stagger.

He leaned against the porch pillar and watched Li Xiulan helping Aunt Wang to add tea. The cuffs of her blue cloth shirt were stained with vegetable soup, but her smile was brighter than a lantern.

Suddenly, he felt dizzy and reached out to hold on to the pillar, but he knocked the hanging paper flowers to the ground, causing everyone to laugh.

Zhou Dafu was even more exaggerated. He was hugging his uncle's neck and talking about trucks. He couldn't even speak straight: "Uncle... that wheel is thicker than your hoe handle..."

"No, no, no!" Chen Shumin was the first to notice something was wrong with her husband.

And just like that, the wedding banquet ended with both grooms getting drunk.

When the moon was above the willows, only a few aunties were left in the dining hall, cleaning up the dishes.

Chen Shumin and Li Xiulan each carried their husbands home, and Chow Tai Fook's leather heels tapped on the bluestone slabs, making a "tapping" sound.

Li Xiulan reached out to brush the rice grains off Zhou Dazhong's hair. Thinking of how nervous he was to the point of stuttering at the blind date, she couldn't help but chuckle - it turned out that this man who could carry half a pig, when drunk, was like a child who needed to be coaxed.

When Li Xiulan helped Zhou Dazhong push open the gate, the kerosene lamp in the house was still on.

Da Zhongniang was sitting in front of the stove, putting uneaten wedding candy into a clay pot.

Seeing his son so drunk, the old man smiled and shook his head: "Let them be. Isn't the life of farmers supposed to be lively and busy like this?" The next day, Zhou Dafu was awakened by the crackling sound of firewood in the stove.

He turned over, his temple felt like it was being stepped on repeatedly by cow hooves, and his nostrils were still filled with the smell of wine and meat from last night.

"Awake?" Chen Shumin's voice came from the stove, with a hint of laughter.

Zhou Dafu propped himself up halfway and saw his wife scooping corn grits porridge into a coarse porcelain bowl. The sleeves of her blue cloth shirt were rolled up to her elbows, and on her exposed wrist she was wearing the silver bracelet he had given her.

Fragments of last night’s memories suddenly came flooding back: I hugged my third uncle’s neck and talked about truck parts, the clinking of wine bowls, and finally, I lay on the table in the dining hall and saw Chen Shumin’s floral dress swaying like a colorful cloud under the lantern…

"I...didn't make a fool of myself, did I?" He touched his dry lips, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper.

Chow Tai Fook was also a little unconfident. He knew his alcohol tolerance, but he had never drunk so much, so he had no idea.

When Chen Shumin turned around, she couldn't hide the smile lines at the corners of her eyes: "What do you think? He mistook the chef's wok for a steering wheel and insisted on demonstrating 'shifting to third gear'. He almost knocked over the vinegar jar."

These words made Zhou Dafu's ears instantly feel hot. He had not expected that he would make such a fool of himself. He estimated that this matter would not be settled for at least three to five months.

Fortunately, I work in the city and rarely go back to Zhoujiazhuang. When I come back next time, I guess everyone will have forgotten about this matter.

Li Xiulan was applying a wet towel to Zhou Dazhong's forehead.

He stared at the beams of the roof, trying to recall how he was carried home last night. He only remembered the end of Li Xiulan's braid brushing against his nose, and Erzhu's laughter lingering in his ears: "Dazhong, you are really good, stuffing the wedding candy into your trouser pocket and saying you want..."

At this moment, he was touching the dirt on the soles of his bare feet, and suddenly found that only one of his cloth shoes was left, and the other one was thrown away in some corner.

"Get up and have a bowl of hangover soup."

Li Xiulan's voice was like honey, but it made Zhou Dazhong feel guilty and he dared not look her in the eye, but he still did as he was told.
When Zhou Dafu walked out of the yard with a messy hair, the threshing ground was already bustling with activity.

Everyone saw that last night’s “protagonists” were all making jokes.

When Chow Tai Fook heard everyone's teasing, he could only make some weak rebuttals.

Just like that, amidst the laughter of the crowd, Chen Shumin came back from the wellhead carrying water for washing.

Seeing her husband's embarrassed look, Chen Shumin finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

Chen Shumin took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sauce off Zhou Dafu's collar, running her fingertips across his burning neck: "Hurry up and wash it. Our parents said they will take us to thank Uncle Sixteen at noon."

In the copper basin beside the well, the clear water reflected a face that was still hungover.

Zhou Dafu looked at his messy hair on the water, and suddenly remembered the way Chen Shumin stood under the lantern and handed him wine in the cafeteria last night - her eyes were brighter than any stars at that time.

On the other side, Zhou Dazhong stared at the swaying shadows of the trees in the water, and thought of Li Xiulan squatting beside him, wiping the oil stains from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, the temperature of her fingertips warmer than the fire on the stove.

"Do you have a headache?" Li Xiulan handed over an enamel mug filled with strong tea.

When Zhou Dazhong took it, he shook his head: "It seems that I can't drink so much next time. My head still hurts a little now!"

Li Xiulan laughed and scolded: "Who told you to accept everyone who comes? Otherwise, it wouldn't be like this!"

Zhou Dazhong quickly assured: "Wife, don't worry, I won't dare to do it next time."

Soon it was noon, and after lunch, Chow Tai Fook and Chow Da Zhong, as if they had made an appointment, came to Zhou Yimin's house at the same time.

The carved wooden door of Zhou Yimin's house was ajar, and a string of dried chilies hung on the copper door knocker, shining bright red in the morning light.

Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Chung stood in front of the door, the red paper wrapped wedding candies in their hands were wrinkled. The friction sound of the candy wrappers startled the sparrows on the door lintel, which flew around in panic.

"Squeak--" The door was pushed open a crack, revealing a face full of wrinkles but full of smiles.

Zhou Yimin's grandmother was leaning on a jujube wood cane, her silver hair tied into a loose bun at the back of her head, and her blue cloth shirt was stained with grains from feeding the chickens: "Da Fu, Da Zhong, you two are here to look for Yimin, right?"

"Hello, great aunt!" Zhou Dazhong bowed hurriedly, the keychain on his waist jingling, "Is Uncle Sixteen at home? We want to thank him."

The old man made way for the door. The smell of wormwood and locust flowers drifted from the main room. "Yimin ran to the river with his fishing rod before dawn."

Zhou Dafu stuffed the wedding candy into grandma's hand. The word "囍" on the red paper package was particularly bright in the sun: "Then let's go to the river to find Uncle Sixteen! You keep this candy, it's the wedding candy for our wedding banquet."

The old man stroked the candy wrapper and laughed: "Oh, look how beautifully the word 'happiness' is cut! You young people are efficient."

The willow trees on the river bank were shaking their newly sprouted branches, and the chirping of water birds could be heard from the reeds.

The two men moved forward on the pebbles. The river water shimmered with golden light in the morning light. A figure wearing a straw hat was sitting on the bluestone slab in the distance. A fishing rod was poked diagonally into the mud. Two lively crucian carps were lying in a bamboo basket at his feet.

"Uncle Sixteen!" Zhou Dazhong's shout startled the dragonfly perched on the fishing rod.

When Zhou Yimin turned around, a half-ear of wheat was visible under the brim of his straw hat. He smiled and waved his fishing rod: "Are you two sober?"

At the same time, he was joking: "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold, how can you bear to get up so early!"

When they heard Zhou Yimin's joke, their faces turned red.

Squeaky: "Uncle Sixteen"

Zhou Yimin did not continue to tease, he knew that everything should be done in moderation, otherwise even if you are joking, it will become true.

The river breeze brought moist water vapor, and Zhou Yimin's white shirt was blown sticking to his back, revealing a faint groove on his spine.

He patted the stone beside him and asked them to sit down. The fishing line made small ripples on the water. "The wedding banquet was very lively yesterday. You two were so drunk that you must have exhausted the new bride."

Zhou Dafu touched the smooth pebbles on the shore, thinking of the strong tea that Chen Shumin had made for him this morning, and his nose suddenly felt sore: "If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have been so smooth..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhou Yimin interrupted him: "Since you all call me Uncle Sixteen, how can I not help?"

A "splash" of water came from deep in the reeds. Zhou Yimin swung his fishing rod violently, and a crucian carp with shiny silver scales drew an arc in the air and fell into the bamboo basket, splashing water that wet Zhou Dazhong's cloth shoes.

The three of them were chatting by the river while Zhou Yimin was fishing.

After experiencing it, Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong finally understood why Zhou Yimin liked to lead the villagers. If possible, they also wanted to learn from Zhou Yimin.

However, the two knew that it was simply unrealistic because they did not have the ability like Zhou Yimin.

(End of this chapter)