Li Long had not drunk much. Those few cups were nothing for someone his age, with his physique.
A little after four in the afternoon, he left with Gu Xiaoxia. Gu Boyuan had finished eating and gone home early too; he did not drink either. Li Long had packed two basins of pork stewed with pickled cabbage, one to deliver to Gu Boyuan and one for Gu Xiaoxia to take with her.
These yellow enamel basins with lids were genuinely practical. Though they were not particularly fashionable, even thirty or forty years later, they would still be standard containers for cooked dishes and lard in many rural households.
When they reached the Gu family's home, Gu Boyuan was leaning against the heated wall inside, listening to the radio, with a book beside his hand. Li Long glanced at it. It seemed to be the Chronological Table of Major Events in Chinese History, though he did not get a clear look at the full title.
"You're here, Xiao Long." Gu Boyuan stood up. "We just ate. Why bring more over?"
"Keep it to eat later." Li Long smiled. "Uncle Gu, this is untouched. We set it aside in the pot, not mixed together from the leftovers."
"Haha, I know, I know. I'm not that fussy." Gu Boyuan was quite pleased that Li Long had made a point of explaining. "Your eldest brother drank too much again today, didn't he?"
"Not yet. I reckon once everyone's gone, he'll head off to sleep," Li Long said.
His eldest brother, Li Jianguo, could hold a great deal of liquor, and basically never made a spectacle of himself while drinking. When he drank away from home, he would come back afterward, have a glass of water, then lie down on the bed and sleep. By