Zhou Jiao watched as the group reluctantly bid farewell to the enthusiastic villagers, promising to return sometime, though she was speechless. Who knows when that "sometime" will be.
As soon as they arrived in the county town, before having a chance to go home, Zhang Guoqing and his group were pulled to Zhao Dashan's house, ostensibly to discuss the grassland trip, but in reality for another meal.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao quickly asked Zhang Guoqing to bring the bundle she was carrying to the kitchen. With so many people eating, the Zhao family might not have enough food for ten or even fifteen days.
The Zhao family didn't have much, but they had plenty of previously stored wine. By the end of the meal, a few young men had passed out, and only then did the meal come to a conclusion. Yi Jiefang and the others, after sobering up, repeatedly vowed never to drink in the Northeast again; everyone there was like a wine vat.
