The gentle voice of their mother brought Xiaomi back to reality, and she smacked her lips a bit, feeling a little thirsty.
With the help of her mother, she managed to sit up and drank a bowl of warm water, only then realizing that her second sister and Xiao Wei were still lying on the carriage.
In the middle of the carriage was a jar of nearly lted ice, still housed in a clay pot.
This not only kept the carriage very cool, but once the ice lted and it was ti to rest and cook, the clay pot could be placed directly over the fire to boil.
When the water boiled, the steam would evaporate, leaving only a little water and the saltpeter from the water, making it easier to dry.
This thod was taught to them by the cook at the inn on their way here, used to keep their prey chilled with ice.
He also ntioned that it wasn’t difficult, just wood-consuming, and since not everyone could rent saltpeter, few people knew about it.
Having drunk so warm water, Xiaomi was fully awake, rubbed her head, yawned, and then stretched, feeling completely comfortable.
"Mom, did we all get drunk?"
The fragrance of rice wine still lingered in the carriage, indicating they had gotten drunk at noon and were carried to the carriage by their parents.
As soon as she finished speaking, her forehead was flicked by her mother: "You, small as you are, drank the most!"
Xiaomi blinked: "But I was the first to wake up."
That was true, and their second mother helplessly said: "Your second sister and the others never touched alcohol and got drunk after just one bowl, but you had two big bowls."
And yet, she was the first to wake from the drunkenness.
Xiaomi smacked her lips twice; the rice wine was about as strong as beer, but tasted better.
It was because this body had never touched alcohol before that she got drunk.
But after thinking for a mont, Xiaomi said, "Mom, children shouldn’t drink alcohol; it makes them stupid."
Alcohol can indeed numb and stimulate the nerves. Although the likelihood of an incident is small, there is a certain chance it could cause so damage to a child’s brain.
Xiaomi was just trying to be proactive, worried that if her big brother Liu Ze drank, it might really ss up his mind, delaying next year’s exams.
Unexpectedly, their second mother was so startled that she was completely flustered.
"Really? Xiaomi, have you gotten stupid? Do you still rember your mother?"
Without waiting for Xiaomi to react, she hurriedly touched Xiaoxue’s forehead and pinched Jiang Wei’s cheeks.
"They haven’t woken up yet; could their brains have really gotten stupid?"
Within just a few breaths, their second mother’s eyes turned red, as if she was about to cry at any mont.
Xiaomi was terrified and imdiately realized she had misspoken, quickly grabbing her mother’s hand.
"Mom, don’t worry, second sister and Xiao Wei are fine. See, I drank so much and I’m fine too."
The second mother only had a montary brain freeze, and with Xiaomi’s reassurance, she quickly cald down.
Of course, mainly because Xiaoxue and Jiang Wei, under her prodding, both woke up, calling for their mother while yawning and sitting up.
It seed they hadn’t actually beco stupid.
The second mother breathed a sigh of relief: "Xiaomi said that children who drink alcohol could beco stupid. Xiaoxue and Xiao Wei, are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
They had seen it before—while drinking, the adults would sotis dip chopsticks in wine and feed it to the child in their arms.
Usually, it was the child’s father or grandfather doing such things, and if the child got a bit spiced-up, everyone would laugh heartily.
Thinking back, Yu’er had also been fed wine by her father-in-law when she was little, scaring her so much that she ignored him for quite so ti.
But Yu’er didn’t beco stupid either.
Yet, since Xiaomi ntioned the possibility, there had to be a possibility, and the second mother believed it thoroughly.
Xiaoxue and Xiao Wei shook their heads in unison: "No discomfort at all; we slept very comfortably."
Judging by the environnt, they knew they had slept soundly, unlike the last ti on the carriage when they didn’t sleep this well.
Xiaomi was amused and exasperated: "Mom, I said it’s possible, not that it would definitely make soone stupid. Anyway, it’s just best not to drink before fifteen."
She then added: "And I’m not allowed to drink either!"
She originally wanted to say eighteen, but thinking about it, in this world, children could get married and have children at fifteen; many eighteen-year-olds were already parents, so asking them not to touch a drop of alcohol was a bit unrealistic.
"Sis, why is that? Why does drinking make you stupid?" Jiang Wei asked, perplexed.
He thought the rice wine at noon was really tasty.
"You’ll understand when you watch more in the future. It’s those adults, when they drink too much, aren’t they all tipsy and foolish, even slurring their words? Isn’t that getting stupid?"
As for things like nervous system damage, digestive system harm, liver or heart damage, even if she explained, Jiang Wei probably wouldn’t understand.
"But those adults sleep it off after getting drunk and wake up fine."
"That’s not necessarily true," their mother unexpectedly interjected.
Seeing all three children looking at her simultaneously, the second mother frowned slightly: "Now that you ntion it, I once heard of soone who drank too much, got drunk, fell asleep, and woke up as a fool."
Back when she first heard such things, she didn’t think much of it, but reflecting now, was it really the alcohol?
Jiang Wei was so terrified that he covered his mouth with both hands, his expression changing drastically.
Xiaoxue was also filled with apprehension: "Mom, we won’t drink anymore in the future."
Xiaomi was even more amused and exasperated: "Second sister, I ant that you can drink, but wait until you’re older, and even then, drink a little, don’t overindulge."
No sooner had she finished speaking than her forehead was tapped again by her mother.
"Talking about overindulging, the one who indulged the most was you, drinking so much at noon."
Xiaomi hugged her mother’s arm, giggling: "Mom, I just didn’t think about it. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t drink again before I’m fifteen."
Xiaoxue and Jiang Wei nodded repeatedly, indicating the sa for themselves.
"Later, tell your brother and all of them that nobody can drink before they’re fifteen!"
Jiang Wei: "Right, sis, why is it okay after fifteen? Won’t we get stupid then?"
Xiaomi: "Because at fifteen..."
As they chatted away, the carriage gradually left Dianhuai Prefecture, heading howard.
Reviews
All reviews (0)