"You are actually taking us to the pub?" Hongjie asked once more, shocked. It wasn't the first time he was shocked by her sightseeing method. Like, almost no historical building, but every time it was something more and more interesting.
"It's just not a normal pub. Even Columbus could visit this pub. So old it is." Lili exclaimed, totally thrilled to be going in. Hongjie was speechless. He couldn't say anything anymore.
Tired, he looked at Lei, expecting help. But he missed that one. Lei was holding her hand, smiling blissfully, and totally ignored him. So Hongjie's gaze turned to Chao.
"Don't look at me. I'm interested in how they make beer," he said and let his head fall on Yitian's shoulder. He looked at Shanshan, the most reasonable one in their group, but since he slept alone in a room, he was now on Lili's side with almost everything. The traitor was bought by sleep.
Huobai chuckled as they were standing in front of a pub, waiting to get inside. The group that had booked the tour before them had a slight delay. The house they were standing in front of had a sign 'l.p. 1499'.
That's why she said even Columbus could walk in there and taste their beer if he wanted. It really was old. Even inside, it still had an old wooden interior.
They went in and the guide actually spoke in English. Luhan and Xisheng said their English level wasn't that high. And it showed when they tried to talk to Lili, who actually refused to speak Cantonese. But it was only for their good. If you want to attend an international contest, you need to know at least English, if not the language where the contest is.
"I'm home here. I had to learn Cantonese when I was in Hong Kong. They should be glad I'm kind enough to speak with them in English and I don't want them to speak Czech," she explained it quite well to Huobai, who asked, and thankfully he understood it because they said the same thing when she was in Hong Kong.
When she was there, they told her that if she wanted to stay there, she should learn Cantonese, because not many people knew English so well for her to be comfortable. So they, especially Lei, taught her Cantonese. When you are in Rome, act as a Roman.
The pub was really old. The interior was wooden and carved, and even the chairs in the Knight room had a coat of arms of every clan in the Bohemian Kingdom.
Or at least the guide had said that. Lili couldn't remember that well, but she had a feeling he said the same thing when she was there in the last year of high school on a field trip.
Yixing was particularly interested in beer making. And when he was brought right next to the huge metal container, showed what was poured where and how. His and Chao's eyes sparkled with joy.
They even had an exposition of how the beer was made in the past. All the tools, barrels, everything was from that time.
At the end of the tour, the guy had poured them beer from the tap and it was darker than the souls of Yitian's mother. Well, Yixing whispered that to Huobai. She heard it. Anger rose inside her when she remembered. But then she watched Huobai struggling as he had the problem of not spraying everyone with the beer he started because the cream had entered his nose and he almost choked.
But their journey hadn't ended there. Like at all. She decided that they had to have the time of their life.
"Do you want to go pubbing?" she asked when they were on the way back.
"Pubbing?" all of them looked confused.
"It's sort of bet in my country, who can go around every pub in a particular part of the capital, and have Mojito in every one of them. It's like clubbing but with pubs or bars," she explained, remembering the show this was in.
Huobai, who felt tipsy just from one beer, was more adventurous than usual. Chao wanted to take Yitian so that he could experience it once in a while, too. Wuchen and Yinli wanted to pass the time. And, of course, Lili and Lei were going.
"Lei… Do you pay?" Lili asked, frowning as she looked at her phone again. Lei nodded and took out his black card. Her eyes glistened when she saw it and smirked when putting the phone back in her purse.
"Okay, then change of plans. In this part where we are, everything is pretty expensive, so every cocktail will be pricey. Let's go to the restaurant first and we will talk there."
Lili took them to a pub. It was a pub in 'Czech' style. Old guys who obviously sat there from the morning, red noses from all the alcohol they drank. The heavy stench of smoke, even though smoking was prohibited and every time they smoked they went outside, it still lingered on them.
"Should I order?" Lili asked, unsure what they would say about the heavy, oily, and satiating Czech cuisine. But they nodded. Because the menu had an English translation under it, they still had no idea what it was.
"This is a braised and baked pork knee with horseradish and pickles." She pointed at the big mass of meat in the middle.
"Chicken schnitzel, ribs, pork schnitzel, fried cheese, fries." She stopped and frowned. Looking at the sauce. She always forgot how to translate that one.
"I have no idea how to translate this sauce, but it would be candle sauce. Because tenderloin in Czech is candle meat, so it's like that sauce with a type of bun." Everyone was staring at the meal with cutlery in their hands, which they got from Lili, and waited for her to start. But she sat back and took one fry into her hands and started eating it with tartar sauce.
Huobai sighed and took the knife in his right hand and fork into his left and pointed down the fork points. Then he nudged Yinli to show him how.
So that was why they weren't eating. Lili chuckled when she saw Huobai showing them how to use cutlery. She let them experience everything. Without her help. Neither Chao nor Yixing had a problem either, but it looked like others hadn't eaten with cutlery that often.
They had another beer with the food. Everyone. Even Luhan and Xisheng had tasted it. They had a sip and weren't fans of it.
For Lili, it was too bitter for her so she was more of a fan of wine, but they should try everything.
Lili helped Shanshan, Hongjie, Luhan, and Aijie to get into the hotel and then run back.
"Either don't drink anymore or Yixing, you watch him. He is ogling my woman." Lei was getting jealous. Lili heard as she was running closer to them and caught her boobs with her arms giggling. She forgot…
"All the bars here are for tourists. They are pricey, full, and lively," she said and showed the way with her finger. They followed her. But Huobai stopped.
"I need to change," he said. Lili was stunned. Then she sniffed and nodded. How could she forget…
"I have to agree. Let's go back and take a shower. I forgot about all the walking we did during the day. An hour later in the hotel lobby." Suddenly, they all agreed.
Later, all who agreed were standing there, except Huobai and Yixing.
"Why do I have a feeling we shouldn't wait for them?" Lili smirked, and Chao nodded.
"I just hope they know how to be quiet," Lei mumbled and Lili shook her head, leading them to the first pub.
After a fourth one, almost all of them were tipsy, except Chao and Lili. Lei, who wasn't drinking, didn't count. After the eighth one, Lili was getting tipsy. Others were randomly falling asleep on the tables.
"Guys, you really shouldn't drink with Czechs," she laughed and saw Chao gritting his teeth, hugging Yitian, who was tangled around his body as a liana.
"I hope you know how to be quiet too," she threw toward Chao.
"Fuck you," he said and helped Yitian up. Lili only laughed and helped wake them all up. Thankfully she knew how to manage drunkards. And safely getting them inside the hotel wasn't that hard.