Chapter 35: A Grand Banquet [Please Follow]
The night deepened, the moon a blurry halo, stars sparsely sprinkled across the sky.
After everyone had entered the base, Grandpa, Grandma, and others were overjoyed to see Third Uncle and his family.
The reunion of loved ones always brings delight, especially in this post-apocalyptic world.
A grand feast!
Still, it was set under the central Big Camphor Tree, brightly lit.
Second Uncle, accompanied by several lads, slaughtered a pig and roasted it on the grill.
Li Yu, along with his brothers Li Tie and Li Gang, headed to the warehouse to fetch alcohol. As they arrived at the warehouse, Li Yu checked to make sure no one was around, then his face turned serious and he earnestly asked, "During these years in the military, were you serving with Yang Tianlong and that Zhao Dapao?"
Li Tie and Li Gang were somewhat puzzled why Li Yu was asking about this, but they candidly responded: "Yes, we have been together these past few years."
Hearing this, Li Yu continued, "What's the background of this Zhao Dapao? What kind of person is he?"
Li Tie replied, "He's pretty decent, doesn't talk much, but he is reliable. When we were heading back, we passed by their place. Alas, now he's the only one left in his family..."
Li Gang added, "Dapao, he used to be quite reserved in the army, but once you get to know him well, he's actually quite quirky..."
Li Yu nodded, and then inquired about Zhao Dapao's preferences, and if he had done anything disreputable.
After getting the brothers' responses and combining it with his own impressions from earlier in the day, Li Yu roughly formed a judgment.
He then opened the warehouse door - time to move the alcohol!
It has to be said, Li Yu had made thorough preparations while stockpiling supplies earlier on. Since Grandpa was fond of drinking, and the Li Family members had quite a capacity for alcohol, Li Yu had amassed several tons of alcohol.
Besides the sparser, costlier Maotai and Wuliangye, he also stocked a smaller amount of Luzhou Laojiao, Yanghe Classic, Xifeng Liquor, Fenjiu, JinHui Liquor, Hanker Soy Sauce Liquor, Xuan Liquor, Dong Wine, Red Star Erguotou, Niulanshan, Beidacang Wine, and so on.
It included some regional alcohols: Guangfu's Jade Ice Burn, Gansheng's Four Special Wines, Zhanggong Wine, Yun Province's Heqing Wine, Yanglin Fat Liquor, and others.
Among the baijiu, he had stocked a variety of aromatic types, including strong aroma, light aroma, sauce aroma, Fuxiang Type, pure aroma, and so on.
Apart from baijiu, he also appropriately stocked some foreign liquors, no more than the six basic spirits used in cocktails: Gin, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum, Vodka Tequila.
In his past life, Li Yu had also been fond of drinking and enjoyed tasting various types of alcohol. When in the mood, he would mix his own drinks, not fancy mixed drinks, since the essence of cocktail making wasn't difficult. For instance, a Long Island Iced Tea is nothing more than a third of the five basic spirits poured in, followed by two-thirds cola, a dash of Cointreau and lemon juice, shaken together and served with ice cubes.
Those fancy bartending moves don't make the drinks taste any better; they just make the drink more expensive.
Remembering his life before the apocalypse, Li Yu looked at the full array of various alcohols and couldn't help but smile bitterly; after the end of the world, he had had little opportunity to drink.
When Li Yu and his crew finished moving the alcohol up, Grandpa, a keen drinker, couldn't stay put any longer and came over to grab a bottle of Zhanggong Wine.
He popped the bottle, poured a drink, took a sip, savored, and exhaled. He picked up a peanut and chewed it in his mouth, letting the fragrance of the wine mix with the taste of the food.
Yang Tianlong also enjoyed drinking, but opportunities were rare in the military. He watched with envy as Li Yu's Grandpa drank. Seeing Yang Tianlong's longing look, Grandpa gave a smile and beckoned.
An elderly man and a youth started drinking together on the bench, one with white and silver hair, the other bursting with muscles; yet, the scene looked surprisingly harmonious.
Li Yu motioned for Zhao Dapao to sit down, eat, and drink, then went over to Second Uncle.
He gave Second Uncle Li Hongda a pat, who was sizing up Zhao Dapao, and whispered, "See anything?"
Second Uncle squinted his eyes and said, "I can't tell if he's acting or really is like that, kinda dumb and not much of a talker. Can't read him, let's observe some more."
Li Yu chuckled and said to Second Uncle, "They say the nature of a person's drinking reflects their character. It's not entirely true, but there's some truth in it. Later on, you and Xiao Hang should get Dapao drunk and see what he's really like."
Second Uncle pointed at Li Yu with his finger and looked at him meaningfully, saying, "It always comes back to you, doesn't it?"
Today, when Li Yu spoke with Zhao Dapao and the others, Second Uncle heard quite a bit. He too was touched by Li Yu's sincerity.
Indeed, it was sincerity.
"..."
Li Yu's smile paused for a moment, and after a beat, he sighed wistfully, "This apocalypse..."
Hearing this, Second Uncle also stopped smiling, feeling a bit bitter inside. The pressure on Li Yu was enormous—out of concern for his family's safety, he had to consider everything from all sides.
The roast pig in the center sizzled as it cooked. Li Yu's mother rotated the stick skewering the piglet, sprinkling it with spices like thirteen fragrances, cumin powder, and chili powder,
as well as their secret sauce while its skin turned golden brown.
The unique aroma of the sauce and charred meat wafted through the air with the roast.
Everyone salivated at the scent of the roasting pig.
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Li Suxin, standing to the side, was particularly eager, wiping away drool and reaching out to grab some. But she was held back by Li Yuan. Right then, Li Suxin was just like a little monkey, chattering about when she could eat.
Xuanxuan, standing on another side, wasn't tempted by the roast pig. To her, Li Yu was much more important than any roast pig.
After a while, Liu Fanghua announced that the roast pig, now beautifully crisped, was ready to eat.
The crowd indulged, heaping praise on the dish. The pig's skin was golden and crispy, the meat tender and juicy, fatty without being greasy.
Seizing the moment, Second Uncle led Li Hang and the other lads over to Zhao Dapao and Yang Tianlong, saying, "Now that we're all together, we're family. Let's welcome you guys—tonight, we're not stopping until we're drunk!"
Yang Tianlong burst into a hearty laugh, saying, "Uncle, you've got a way with words. Alright, let's not stop until we're drunk tonight!" The dark complexion on his face flashed with a hint of red.
He adored this atmosphere, this kind of life. Ever since the apocalypse started, what had he and his little sister been through, always living in fear? It's great to have brothers!
Zhao Dapao, on the other hand, didn't think too much and said somewhat bluntly, "I'll call you uncle too, and I'll drink with you!"
On hearing this, Second Uncle burst into a hearty laughter, "Good, good, good."
Li Yu also came by during the feast to clink glasses, and Yang Tianlong tried to persuade him to drink together, but Li Yu joked in refusal, "I'm on duty tonight, and Fourth Uncle and the rest at the gate haven't eaten yet. I'm bringing food to them."
Yang Tianlong then let it go.
A grand feast was set, with Second Uncle and Zhao Dapao and others continuously drinking.
With the moon high in the sky, they had drunk well into the night.
Second Uncle shook his slightly fuzzy head and looked at Zhao Dapao who was now sprawled all over, feeling like he had a pretty good measure of the man.