Chen Lan turned back and asked her mother-in-law and her elderly friends at their table, and all the aunties said in unison, "We're all drinking shaojiu."
She then went to ask Teacher Zhou, Uncle De, Uncle Fu, and Dr. Guo's table, and they also unanimously stated they wanted to drink shaojiu.
Chen Lan specifically went to ask the tables of Xu Mingxuan's comrades, and they also said in unison, "With such good food today, we'll drink shaojiu too."
Xiang Dong and Er Hu, and the rest of their group also expressed their desire for shaojiu.
At this moment, Xiang Xi, Xiao Shuan, and Lin Mao, and the rest of their group also chimed in, "Little Lizi, our table wants beer."
Chen Lan smiled and readily agreed, "No problem!"
Then she turned to ask Cui Qiao, Hu Yuzhen, and the other young wives at their table, "Sister Cui Qiao, Sister Yuzhen, what would you like to drink at your table?"
Hu Yuzhen and Cui Qiao looked at the young wives at their table, and everyone said in unison, "With so much good food, we'll drink beer."
Chen Lan then asked the young wives and young ladies at the other tables, and they also wanted beer.
Finally, Chen Lan tallied it up: ten tables wanted shaojiu, seven tables wanted beer, and the remaining tables of pre-teens, both boys and girls, would uniformly have orange juice or plum juice.
After tallying the quantities, Chen Lan called out to Xiang Xi and Xiao Shan, "Little Watermelon, Xiao Shan, come here a moment, help us take the shaojiu, beer, and fruit juice to each table."
With that, she immediately got up and ran to the storeroom herself, taking out all the shaojiu, beer, and fruit juice she had bought in advance and kept in the system's warehouse.
The shaojiu alone consisted of ten large jars, each containing fifty jin of grain liquor; the liquor jars were all in the storeroom, waiting for Xiang Xi and the others to carry them.
The shaojiu purchased this time was specially bought by Chen Lan from the online shop of a former colleague in the system. Their family had an online shop specializing in bulk baijiu.
That colleague was from Luzhou, Sichuan Province. Their family had an ancestral baijiu workshop used to produce and brew pure grain liquor. Their homemade pure grain liquor was quite well-known in their small county, and their own brewed grain liquor was in short supply.
According to many colleagues who had tasted their liquor, their liquor was described as: "Smells fragrant, tastes of rich cellar aroma, has a mellow flavor, and is 100% pure grain liquor that doesn't give you a hangover."
Chen Lan didn't understand much about the intricacies of these liquors, but she just heard from those who had tasted their liquor that it was good and excellent! She hadn't thought of their liquor at first; it was only when she was tallying the number of people drinking baijiu that she suddenly remembered it!
So, she used her mind to open the system and search for their online shop. It was still open, and fortunately, she was lucky enough to catch them just as they had produced a batch of ninety-day aged concentrated aroma grain liquor. Chen Lan bought five hundred jin in one go.
She planned to store it in the storeroom of the large kitchen for Uncle De, Uncle Fu, and the other old men, as well as the hardworking men, to drink a cup to relieve fatigue after a hard day's work. Five hundred jin of grain liquor would be enough for them to drink slowly for some time.
As soon as the baijiu, beer, and fruit juice were served, the long-awaited feast finally began.
Chen Lan picked up her chopsticks and headed for the large, fiery red basin of Mao Xue Wang that she had been admiring for a long time. She picked up a piece of glistening pork blood with her chopsticks and eagerly put it in her mouth. Oh, mother! It was truly delicious!
The young wives and young ladies at the table looked at the large basin of red pork blood, tender tripe, dotted with plump soybeans, and chili oil floating on top, emitting a rich and tempting aroma. The mouth-watering fragrance had already wafted into everyone's nostrils. Oh, mother! It was so fragrant!
However, just looking at the layer of red chili and glistening oil, they dared not pick up their chopsticks.
Ming Wei didn't care about that. Whatever her sister-in-law liked to eat must be delicious, so she also picked up a piece of pork blood and put it in her mouth. The pork blood, infused with numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant flavors, was truly soft and flavorful, not only good in texture but also exceptional in taste. It was truly delicious!
So, she reached out with her chopsticks and picked up another piece. Seeing Ming Wei's actions, the young wives and young ladies at the table immediately followed suit and picked up a piece of pork blood to try. Wow! This Mao Xue Wang not only looked good but its taste was even more amazing. It was truly indescribably delicious!
Chen Lan then picked up a slice of tripe coated in sauce and ate it. The numbing, spicy, crisp sensation, and the incredibly rich flavor were simply a delicacy on earth. It was too delicious!
The aroma of dishes filled the dining table, and everyone excitedly began to drink and eat. After a few bites of their long-desired delicacies to satisfy their cravings, they began to toast each other. The atmosphere at the table became lively. They talked and laughed, some with arms around each other's shoulders, some laughing heartily, some whispering quietly, and some smiling with pursed lips, as if everything was understood without words.
The entire area outside the large kitchen was bustling and lively for a while. The men were simpler. After a couple of drinks, those who were not familiar before now became friends who could put their arms around each other's shoulders. The women, after a couple of drinks, also became sisters who could talk about anything. The atmosphere of getting along was even more harmonious and natural.
Chen Lan thought to herself, "There's no problem that can't be solved by a big meal. If there is, then have another one." This saying, spoken by some wise person, was truly profound.
By the time everyone was drunk and full, the moon was already high in the sky.
At this time, all the food on the tables had been devoured. There were no leftovers in this era, only unfinished shaojiu. Chen Lan asked Ming Wei, Ming Xuan, and her two younger brothers to help check each table, collect the unfinished shaojiu, pour it into the opened wine jar, seal it, and store it in the storeroom for later.
Chen Lan then quickly called the young ladies who were not yet drunk to help clear the tables and benches. Hu Yuzhen and Cui Qiao, along with a few young wives who were not drunk, cleaned the kitchen and washed the pots and pans.
She also arranged for a few relatively clear-headed young men to help support the elderly gentlemen who had passed out drunk at the tables and quickly send them home.
After everyone had finished cleaning up and left the large kitchen, the cold night wind blew, and everyone instantly sobered up. They had all forgotten one big thing: their little treasures were still at kindergarten and had been forgotten to be picked up.
So, a group of people hurried towards Chen Lan's house.