416: Another twenty years of Spring Festival wine?

"Alright, I've received the payment," Li Xiuming said, looking at the text message on his phone. "Now that your room is all tidied up, there's nothing else to do. You can come to my house for dinner. The ribs and meat you bought have probably turned into steamed ribs and braised pork by now."

Liu Xiaolin hadn't felt hungry, but hearing Li Xiuming say that, his stomach suddenly rumbled. "Now that you mention it, I really am hungry. Let's go eat."

He mainly wanted to talk more with Father Li. As a judge who had handled Hai Zhezhe's case, his thoughts were very important.

"Then let's go, close the door!" Li Xiuming pulled Liu Xiaolin without explanation and headed towards his parents' house.

As soon as they stepped inside, the enticing aroma of meat wafted over.

"It smells so good! Is the braised pork ready?" Li Xiuming was practically drooling.

"Yes, we were just waiting for you two to come back to eat," Li Ma said with a smile when she saw her son and Liu Xiaolin return.

"Stop chatting, quickly tell them to wash their hands and get ready to eat," Father Li said, getting up from the sofa and sitting at the dining table.

"Okay, you two go wash your hands. I'll bring out the dishes and rice now," Li Ma, also afraid the children were hungry, quickly went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Soon, the braised pork and steamed ribs were on the table, along with two already prepared cold dishes. There was also a stir-fried green vegetable and a tomato egg drop soup.

"Alright, we can start eating!" Li Ma said after she finished bustling around.

"Today is Liu Xiaolin's moving day. This meal is our housewarming for Liu Xiaolin, so we should have some wine," Father Li stood up, walked to the wine cabinet by the wall, and took out a bottle of wine. "Twenty-year-old yingchun wine. Most people don't get to drink this! I've saved it for a long time and haven't been willing to drink it. Let's drink it today!"

"Dad, look at how biased you are! I asked for it so many times and you never let me drink it. Now that Liu Xiaolin is here, you let him drink it," Li Xiuming said, feigning anger.

"Brother Li, why call me Liu Zong? Just call me Xiaolin, it's much more intimate," Liu Xiaolin hadn't expected to have such a connection with twenty-year-old yingchun wine. Every time he drank here, it was this wine.

But he still pretended he hadn't drunk it before, and said excitedly, "Thank you so much, Uncle Li! You even brought out your treasured good wine for me. Then I must have a good drink."

"Yes, have a good drink," Li Ma also said with a smile.

After the four wine glasses were filled, everyone clinked glasses: "Congratulations on the new home!"

"Thank you, Uncle Li, Aunt Li, and Brother Li!" Liu Xiaolin said excitedly.

"Take a sip, try it, it tastes very good," Father Li smiled, took a sip, and then watched Liu Xiaolin, recommending it.

Liu Xiaolin, very obligingly, took a big gulp, then repeatedly praised it: "Good wine, good wine!"

In his heart, however, he was thinking that once he finished his business here, he would definitely buy a dozen boxes of twenty-year-old yingchun wine to give to Father Li as a thank you.

The four of them were enjoying themselves when Liu Xiaolin's phone rang.

He took out his phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Xiao Hongmei calling. He walked to the side and pressed the answer button: "Hello, are you off work?"

"Yes, I'm off work. I went to 1401 to look for you but didn't see you. Haven't you checked out yet?" Xiao Hongmei said from the other end of the phone.

"Oh, I've checked out and moved in. I'm at Brother Li's house eating and drinking now," Liu Xiaolin said quietly.

"Oh, I see. Well, you eat then. I'm going home now," Xiao Hongmei said with relief when she heard Liu Xiaolin had moved in.

"Mhm, mhm, thank you. I really owe you," Liu Xiaolin thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

"What are you thanking me for? Why are you saying such formal things? Alright, I'm hanging up and going home," Xiao Hongmei said and then hung up the phone.

"Who was that? Sister Hongmei?" Li Xiuming asked very gossipy after Liu Xiaolin sat down. "Why didn't you invite her to eat with us?"

"Yes, it was Xiao Accountant," Liu Xiaolin suddenly realized at this moment that he couldn't appear too familiar with Xiao Hongmei. Li Xiuming was going to work at Langfang Fine Carving in the future, and if he went there and blabbed, it would cause big trouble. So, in front of Li Xiuming's entire family, he used the distant address "Xiao Accountant."

"Ah? Xiao Accountant? You mean Sister Hongmei? Let her come over and eat with us," Li Xiuming continued.

"She just asked if I had moved, and I said I had, so she went home," Liu Xiaolin said truthfully.

"Alright then, her home is also in this complex, so it's very convenient for her to go home," Li Xiuming said.

"Stop chatting, quickly eat your food! Try the braised pork I made, it's absolutely delicious!" Li Ma said proudly while putting food on Liu Xiaolin's plate.

"Mmm, it's so delicious, just as good as my mom's braised pork," Liu Xiaolin took a bite and immediately thought of his mother's cooking.

He hadn't seen his mother in a long time, nor had he called her. He wondered if she was doing well?

"This child, you must be missing your mom! You're almost crying after just one bite of braised pork!" Li Ma said tenderly, looking at Liu Xiaolin. "It's really not easy working alone outside. If you want to eat braised pork in the future, just come home, and I'll make it for you."

"Thank you, Aunt Li, thank you," Liu Xiaolin wiped away the tears brought on by the spicy wine and said with a smile.

This meal was so enjoyable. Liu Xiaolin drank the twenty-year-old yingchun wine, ate local dishes, listened to Li Ma affectionately call him 'child,' listened to Father Li analyze Hai Zhezhe's case, and listened to Li Xiuming's occasional teasing. He had a feeling of being back home.

Happy times passed the fastest. After the few of them finished a bottle of yingchun wine, most of the dishes on the table were also eaten. It was almost nine o'clock now, and the dishes had already been reheated once. Li Ma was planning to reheat them again.

"Don't reheat them! I'm full of food and wine tonight, I'm so happy!" Liu Xiaolin felt he couldn't stay any longer, as he would disturb Father Li's family's rest. "I should go back, it's getting quite late."

"Stay a bit longer, aren't you alone when you go back? There's still someone here to chat with you!" Father Li said warmly.

"No, no, I also need to call my family. Otherwise, if it's too late, they'll be resting," Liu Xiaolin thought of how long it had been since he contacted his mother and suddenly really wanted to call her.

"Alright then, you go back. It's good to call your mom. Our silly son, I wonder if he'll remember to call me in the future," Li Ma said, looking at Liu Xiaolin with affection.

"Mom, look at you, comparing me to Xiaolin again! Is there any comparability?" Li Xiuming had had a bit to drink, and his courage had grown considerably. He stuck out his neck and yelled.

"I know, Mom was wrong. My son will call me every day in the future, right?" Li Ma wasn't angry and humored her son.

"I'll walk you downstairs, let's go," Li Xiuming stood up, intending to see Liu Xiaolin downstairs.

"No need, we live in the same complex, there's no need to escort me back and forth," Liu Xiaolin refused.

He walked out the door, keeping Li Xiuming's family inside, and then closed the door and went home.

You provided God Wu Ji's "The Rise of Heavy Industry: Building the Light of National Goods"