Back to my 1980s

Through the thin mist, Song Xueping saw that the man was looking at her again, and she became even more shameless.

After bending down to avoid Song's mother's gaze, she glared fiercely at Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua leaned against the door frame and saw Song Xueping glare at him. He slightly raised the corner of his mouth and pouted at her. Zhao Hua found this misty, indistinct feeling quite interesting.

Song Xueping ignored him, worried that her mother would notice something was wrong, and focused on her fire, no longer looking at Zhao Hua.

After watching for a while, Zhao Hua heard footsteps and voices coming from the courtyard gate. He muttered to himself, "They came back pretty quickly."

He then looked away, turned around, and sure enough, saw Song's father and Song Zhiqiang. He smiled and went up to them, saying, "Uncle, you're back."

Mr. Song casually placed the wooden shovel behind the courtyard gate, dusted himself off, and laughed, "Yes, you're back. Why are you standing here? Why don't you come inside and sit down?"

Zhao Hua nodded slightly and replied, "I'll wait for you at the door for a while, and get some fresh air."

Father Song waved his hand, turned around and led the way to the main room, saying to Zhao Hua, "Why are you waiting for me? Come in and sit down, it's cool inside."

Zhao Hua responded and waited for Song's father to finish washing his face and hands before following him into the house.

Seeing that Song Zhiqiang hadn't followed, Zhao Hua paused and glanced back instinctively.

I just happened to catch a glimpse of Song Zhiqiang sneaking into the kitchen. He probably smelled the aroma of meat and went in to steal a bite.

Zhao Hua withdrew his gaze and followed Song's father into the main room. Just as he pulled up a stool and sat down, he heard Song's mother scolding Song Zhiqiang coming from the kitchen.

The two sat down and chatted for a while, talking about the villagers' harvest this year and how long the wheat would need to be dried. Before long, Song's mother came in from the kitchen.

She was carrying a large enamel plate with freshly baked cornbread on it. She smiled and said, "Let's stop chatting now, let's eat. We can talk after we finish eating." With that, she placed the plate on the table.

Zhao Hua quickly stood up and stepped aside, replying, "Okay, sure."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zhiqiang came out of the kitchen with a big smile.

Father Song glanced at him, waved, and said with a smile, "Qiangzi, go and get all the wine that Xiao Zhao brought. It'll make the work in the fields easier later. Let's have a few drinks today."

Song Zhiqiang grinned and happily replied, "Okay! We must drink to our hearts' content today. We didn't drink enough last time." With that, he went inside to get some wine.

Zhao Hua quickly bowed slightly and gestured to stop him, saying, "No need for that, Uncle. Some porridge will do."

"Tsk! How can a grown man not drink? Have a couple of sips! You brought your own, why are you being so polite? Don't try that with me."

"Okay, I'll do as your uncle says, I'll have a drink!"

While they were talking, Song Zhiqiang returned with two bottles of wine, slammed them on the table, and then turned around and picked up a few rough porcelain bowls, arranging them one by one.

Just as Zhao Hua was about to say a few polite words, Song's father glared at him and said, "Sit down properly and stop dawdling."

Zhao Hua immediately calmed down and sat down, waiting for Song's mother and Song Xueping to bring up the dishes.

As soon as all the dishes were served, Song Zhiqiang picked up the wine bottle and poured some wine.

Song's father picked up the bowl and offered it to Zhao Hua, saying, "Come on, have a drink."

Zhao Hua quickly picked up his bowl and followed, saying, "Uncle, I'd like to toast you."

After a few drinks, their voices picked up, and the three of them chatted louder and louder as they took turns talking.

In the kitchen, Song Xueping had just taken a couple of bites of rice when she heard a commotion in the main room.

After finishing her meal, Song's mother put down her chopsticks and whispered, "After they've finished drinking, tidy up the bowls and chopsticks. I'm going to check on the wheat in the threshing ground for a while, so the birds don't disturb it."

Seeing that Song Xueping nodded in agreement, Song's mother picked up the wooden shovel behind the door and went to the wheat field to keep an eye on the wheat and drive away the birds.

After Song's mother left, the atmosphere in the main room became even more heated, and the three of them drank until they were completely drunk.

When Zhao Hua woke up, it was already evening. He got up, shook his head, and looked around the room, only to find that he was still at the Song family's house.

Rubbing his head, Zhao Hua recalled that at noon he and Song's father, Song Zhiqiang, had drunk all the wine they had brought. The three of them were so drunk that they were walking unsteadily, which is why they lay down on Song Zhiqiang's bed to rest for a while.

I glanced at the door; it was quiet. I was already this drunk, so the other two probably weren't much better off.

Zhao Hua got up and walked out, just as she ran into Song's mother. Song's mother was carrying dinner into the main room when she saw Zhao Hua and said with a smile, "You're awake? I saw you drank so much at noon, so I let you rest here for a while. I was just about to call you for dinner. Go wash your face and get ready to eat. You can stay here tonight."

Zhao Hua smiled sheepishly and said, "Oh! Thank you, Auntie. I didn't realize I'd had too much to drink. I'm sorry for troubling you. Where are my uncle and Qiangzi? Have they gotten up yet?"

Song's mother smiled and said, "Not yet, I'm about to go and call them. You go wash your face first, I'll go and call them."

When Zhao Hua saw Song's mother go into the inner room to call Song Zhiqiang and the others, he smiled and went to the kitchen to get a water ladle to wash his face. He had deliberately drunk too much. Zhao Ru had asked someone to help him put away all the things in the house. It was not easy for him to come all this way, so how could he not stay a little longer?

After Zhao Hua finished washing his face, Song Zhiqiang and his father also came out of the house to wash their faces. As soon as Song Zhiqiang saw Zhao Hua, he laughed and said, "Brother, you've got a good capacity for alcohol!"

Zhao Hua handed him the water ladle and enamel basin, and said with a helpless smile, "It's alright, but you're too drunk to leave tonight."

Song Zhiqiang took the water ladle and laughed, "It's alright. You just came out to relax and have some fun for a few more days. Didn't you say you wanted to catch pheasants at noon? After lunch, I'll go borrow a flashlight from my friend. I'll take you pheasant hunting tonight. The wheat has all been harvested now, so it'll be easy to find some."

Mr. Song stretched lazily to the side, not joining their conversation. He was getting old and couldn't keep up with the younger generation; he was still a bit dazed.

Zhao Hua stood aside and waited for them. Seeing that Song Zhiqiang had finished washing his face, he said, "Haha, yeah, anyway, I'm not in a hurry to go back. I was originally going to go catch some next time I came, but since I have the chance this time, I'll go with you to take a look."

After washing their faces, the three of them went to the main room. Song's mother stood at the door watching them and heard their conversation.

Seeing the three of them come in after washing their faces, he stepped aside and said, "You drank so much at noon, why are you running around at night? Go to sleep after you finish eating. Tonight, Xiao Zhao will sleep in Qiangzi's bed, and Qiangzi will sleep in our bed. Your father and I have to go check on the wheat after we finish eating, so we can sleep in the wheat field tonight."

Song Zhiqiang waved his hand and said, "Why the rush to sleep? We've already slept all afternoon, who can sleep so early? We're not kids, we'll just play for a while and come back. We can add a dish to our family tomorrow and have a good drink with Brother Zhao. It's not easy for us to come all this way."

After hearing what Song Zhiqiang said, Song's mother stopped talking and quietly prepared food for them. After finishing, she and Song Xueping went to the kitchen to eat. Zhao Hua, who came from the future, felt a little awkward, but he had no choice but to follow local customs and eat quietly with Song Zhiqiang and Song's father.