Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan, standing to the side, simply smiled faintly. He knew in his heart that this so-called "friendship" was nothing more than a matter of mutual benefit.

He looked at the production line equipment being carefully moved down, his heart filled with anticipation. This cold steel would be the foundation upon which they stood in this chaotic world, the cornerstone upon which they would realize their greater ambitions.

Just then, a Soviet officer arrived with a pair of soldiers, each carrying a case of Tsar Vodka and a case of canned beef.

Andrei turned to Tang Baolin and Lin Yifan and said, "Chairman Tang, Young Master Lin, I know that you Chinese people value etiquette and promises very much, and I also know that this transaction will be very successful."

So I specially had them bring the best and strongest vodka from China, hoping you'll give me the chance to toast you.

Lin Yifan looked at Andrei's smiling face, but he couldn't see the smile in his heart. Old Master Tang was already sixty-four years old, while he was only eight years old. You have soldiers carrying more than ten boxes of 56° vodka to toast us?

Although Mr. Tang's face still wore a smile, it also revealed a hint of embarrassment. Lin Yifan knew that the old man would find it difficult to refuse, so he quickly interjected, "Mr. Andre, thank you for your kindness, but you see... Chairman Tang is already over sixty years old and simply cannot drink strong liquor."

"But I'm only eight years old, just a minor, and I can't drink. How about this, I'll find a few people who can drink, and they can toast you a few times on our behalf, what do you think?"

"Young Master Lin, in our Soviet Union, the older you are, the more you can drink. Children? In our Slavic culture, they can drink alcohol from weaning. An eight-year-old drinking a few glasses of vodka is nothing!"

Andrei laughed heartily, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness, clearly determined to make them drink.

Lin Yifan frowned slightly. This Russian was indeed the type to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. He knew they couldn't drink, yet he deliberately used such words to shut them up.

He glanced at Tang Baolin and saw that the old man's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, clearly indicating that he was also somewhat embarrassed.

With so many Red Party members and Commander Kong's men watching at the airport, a direct refusal might damage the relationship and affect future cooperation.

Although I am only eight years old, I have a master-level physique and a system space. Do you think I care about a mere dozen or so cases of wine? Since you provoked me first, don't blame me for being impolite.

"Since Mr. Andrei is so enthusiastic, it would be inappropriate for us to refuse. We Chinese have an old saying, 'We would gladly accompany a gentleman even at the cost of our lives.' Let's have a few drinks with our Soviet friends today."

After saying that, he turned to Stone, who was standing behind them, and said, "Brother Stone, could you please go to the airport restaurant and see if they have any dishes to prepare? Since our Soviet friends have provided the alcohol, we'll provide the food."

Shi Tou was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Lin Yifan to suddenly agree to drink, but he always carried out Lin Yifan's orders without question, and immediately replied, "Okay, young master!" He turned around and ran quickly towards the simple restaurant in the airport.

Seeing that Lin Yifan had relented, Andrei's smile widened, as if he had won a small victory. He waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to follow Shi Tou and move the vodka and canned beef to the restaurant behind the control tower.

Tang Baolin leaned closer to Lin Yifan, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of worry, "Xiaofan, what's wrong with you..."

Lin Yifan gave him a wink, signaling him to relax.

A moment later, Shi Tou ran back and nodded to Lin Yifan: "Young Master, everything is arranged. I've told them to start using the food we prepared ourselves."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Brother Stone."

After saying that, he turned around and gestured, "Mr. Andrei, please."

Andrei's eyes lit up. He gestured for them to proceed and strode towards the control tower, muttering in broken Chinese, "Young Master Lin is indeed a straightforward man! Tonight, we'll drink until we drop!"

He was followed by four Soviet officers, two of whom were pilots.

Tang Baolin looked at Lin Yifan with a hint of worry in his eyes, but seeing that he was calm and composed, he could only suppress his doubts and follow him.

Commander Kong, Qin Zhirong, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what this eight-year-old boy, Lin, was up to, daring to agree to a drinking contest with this group of Soviets known for their drinking prowess.

But since things had come to this, all they could do was silently pray that nothing would go wrong.

The Soviet side consisted of five people. Lin Yifan invited Kong Jie, Qin Zhirong, and Shi Tou. Originally, it was supposed to be Zheng Shucheng and Xiao Yifu, but because their drinking capacity was too low, they...

The restaurant wasn't large; it was originally a dining area for airport ground staff, but had been temporarily set up. Several long tables were pushed together, and on them were a few dishes that Shi Tou had cobbled together from the supplies he had brought. Although simple, it was still quite substantial.

The Soviet soldiers had already opened cans of vodka and beef, and the strong aroma of alcohol and meat filled the room.

Andrei walked unceremoniously to the head of the table and slapped the table: "Come on, Mr. Tang, young Master Lin, sit here!"

Lin Yifan didn't refuse and pulled Tang Baolin to sit down opposite him. Andrei picked up a bottle of vodka, unscrewed the cap, and a spicy aroma immediately filled the air.

He handed the bottle directly to Lin Yifan: "Young Master Lin, according to our Soviet custom, the first drink is for our friendship, bottoms up!"

Lin Yifan took the bottle and looked at the label on it. 56 degrees, indeed strong enough.

He smiled slightly, didn't drink immediately, but placed the bottle on the table and said to Andrei, "Mr. Andrei, we Chinese also have our own rules for drinking, which emphasize 'eating food first, then drinking, as drinking on an empty stomach is easy to hurt the stomach.' How about we try these simple dishes first to warm our stomachs, and then enjoy our drinks?"

Andrei was taken aback, seemingly surprised that an eight-year-old would say such a thing. He glanced at the dishes on the table, then at Lin Yifan's calm expression, and laughed heartily, "Alright! Young Master Lin is right! We'll listen to Young Master Lin!"

As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks, clumsily picked up a piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth, and nodded as he chewed, "Mmm! Chinese food is delicious!"

Seeing this, Tang Baolin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Lin Yifan an approving look. Lin Yifan remained calm, picked up his chopsticks, and ate his food slowly and deliberately, as if he were really just enjoying an ordinary lunch.

After eating a few bites, Andrei whispered a few words to the two Soviet officers beside him, then turned to Lin Yifan and said, "Young Master Lin, our Major Vasily just said that there are exactly five of us. And you also have exactly five people. How about we have a friendly drinking contest?"

Lin Yifan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and thought to himself, "This bear's tail has finally been revealed." A playful smile appeared on his face: "A friendly match? How does Mr. Andrei want to compete?"