"Mike, are you sure this is how you open a wine barrel?" In the living room, Georgie, holding a hammer in one hand and a custom-made "tap" in the other, asked hesitantly.
"Trust me, this is exactly how Uncle Kenya does it at the farm..."
Mike directed, "First, find the right spot at the bottom of the barrel, then just hammer the tap in."
"Okay, you said it. If something goes wrong, I'm not responsible~" Saying that, Georgie began installing the tap on the wine barrel under everyone's gaze.
Thud, thud, thud.
With the sound of the small hammer, the custom "tap" was soon wedged into the barrel.
"Oh, amazing, it didn't leak~" Georgie exclaimed upon completing the task.
The tap on the wine barrel was a custom-made switch Mike brought specifically from the farm. The inlet end used an expansion design, and there was a sealing ring at the interface.
With double protection, naturally, the red wine in the barrel wouldn't leak out.
"Alright, Georgie. Let us taste it first." Aside, George, who had prepared three wine glasses, urged.
As someone who liked drinking beer, he didn't reject red wine, especially since this was homemade wine from Mike's farm.
Smelling the mellow aroma wafting from the barrel, George almost drooled.
"As the worker, I have the right to taste the first sip..." Georgie, who was excited, proudly defended his right.
Then, he took a glass from his father's hand and went to the wine barrel.
As the magenta liquid flowed out, the aroma of wine in the room became richer. That slight fermented sour smell made people salivate uncontrollably.
Next, under everyone's gaze, Georgie pretentiously swirled the wine in the glass, then mimicked the movements of a "successful person" and took an "elegant" small sip from the wine glass.
"Tsk tsk~ tastes really good..."
Smacking his lips, Georgie seemed to enjoy the current feeling very much and said intoxicatedly: "A bit sweet... and has a grape flavor..."
Listening to your words is like listening to words.
Wine definitely tastes like grapes...
Finally, unable to stand his eldest son's dawdling, George pushed him aside and went to fill half a glass of red wine for Mike and himself.
It is worth mentioning that the legal drinking age varies across US states; some places even require one to be twenty-two to be eligible to buy and drink alcohol.
Of course, this specifically refers to the age at which minors cannot drink in public places.
As for drinking at home, there aren't so many regulations.
Based on this situation, after Mike and Georgie passed their sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony, Meemaw Connie and the Cooper couple relaxed their drinking rules for them a lot.
Just like now.
"Mike, does the wine taste good?" While Mike was tasting the wine, Missy leaned in front of him, looking curious.
"How should I put it~" Mike organized his language and said: "This is red wine kept for drinking at the farm, not high in alcohol content, very much like grape juice..."
Well, Mike didn't have wine tasting skills. Like Georgie, he could only taste that this red wine had a grape flavor and was a bit sweet.
It probably had some nectar or something added...
"Do you want to taste it?"
Ignoring Young Sheldon's gaze, Mike asked the two little girls in the room.
While Mike and the other two were tasting the red wine, the three children were infected by the atmosphere, with longing looks on their faces.
Compared to adults, children's thirst for knowledge is obviously stronger.
Mike, after asking for the two little girls' opinions, went to the dining room to get two straws, then handed them over along with the wine glass that only had the bottom filled.
"A bit astringent... and a weird smell of fermented fruit..."
Paige, who took a small sip of red wine, put down the straw and gave the final evaluation: "Compared to it, milk suits me better."
Missy on the other side was different. She sucked up the remaining red wine in one breath, then held the empty glass and looked at Mike eagerly, seeming not yet satisfied.
"You're still young, wait until you grow up..."
Feeling the glare from the old father George, Mike rubbed Missy's head and rejected her request.
"Ho, I already smell the aroma of wine~"
At this time, Meemaw Connie, who had prepared the steak feast, leaned out from the dining room and shouted with a smile: "Dinner is ready, come taste the special steak Mary and I made."
"By the way, Mike. Remember to bring that barrel of red wine~"
In the dining room, the center of the table was filled with colorful salads made of various vegetables and fruits.
In front of everyone's seat, there was an independent large dinner plate piled with fried bone-in steak, garnished with ketchup, black pepper, lemon slices, and other sweeteners on the side.
Overall, this big meal looked very formal.
"Thank you Mike and Connie for contributing the ingredients... and thank God for bringing us together to enjoy this delicious food. Amen~"
After the pre-meal prayer, Mary enthusiastically proposed: "Let's raise our glasses to celebrate this wonderful day!"
Obviously, making such a big meal gave Mary a sense of accomplishment.
And having the family reunited to enjoy delicious food made this housewife feel very happy.
"Cheers~"
Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, the adults held red wine, while the children held freshly squeezed juice.
"Mike, did everything go smoothly this time back? How did you arrange things at the farm?"
After tasting red wine and eating a piece of steak, Meemaw Connie, in a happy mood, started chatting.
"Fairly smooth, things at the farm are mostly arranged..." Mike smiled and told everyone about his trip.
Of course, skipping the cannibal matter, he mainly talked about the farm restructuring.
"Really amazing, the practice of distributing small shares of benefits is very smart~" After listening to Mike's narration, Meemaw Connie couldn't help but praise.
With rich life experience, she saw Mike's intention at a glance.
Winning over "talents" with small shares of benefits to achieve a community of interests.
Being able to make such a decision independently at sixteen at least proved that Mike acted decisively and had considerable talent in business.
At the dinner table, except for Missy and the other three children who didn't know much about management, the other adults all acknowledged Mike's excellence.
Comparing horizontally, Georgie, who spent all his savings a few days ago to buy a broken RV, was much worse in vision and pattern.
"Georgie, school starts in two days. You can't use that RV at all, listen to me and sell it..."
George glanced at Mike, then shifted his gaze to his eldest son and persuaded.
For people who don't travel far, an RV is indeed useless, even a burden.
That big guy is very troublesome to maintain, not to mention not suitable for commuting.
However, Georgie obviously couldn't accept his father's kindness. He stopped eating, lowered his head and was silent for a while, then as if making up his mind, said mufflingly: "I want to drop out of school, anyway, with my grades, I can't get a diploma."
Dropping out, this is not a small matter.
"Why?"
George, who didn't understand his eldest son's brain circuit, maintained a certain rationality, comforted his angry wife, and tried to ask in a gentle tone.
They were clearly talking about the RV just now, why suddenly drop out?
"Isn't this obvious? I don't have the talent for studying. Even if I go to high school for another year, no college will want me..."
Georgie explained somewhat dejectedly.
Originally, there was a super little genius like Sheldon in the family, and now there are Mike and Paige, who are also super geniuses.
Compared to them, the pressure on Georgie, who can only pass by cheating, can be seen.
"Grades are not a problem, don't forget you are still a member of the football team. As long as you are willing to work hard, you have a great hope of finding a good university next year as a sports specialty student." George patiently persuaded his eldest son.
Mainly because Georgie is only sixteen now. If he doesn't go to school and wanders outside, he is very likely to be led astray by bad youths in society.
"Football team?" Speaking of the school football team, Georgie seemed even more frustrated: "You know my situation in the team. With the current rotation system in the team, I won't even have many chances to play in the future. What's more, my athletic talent can't make me a professional player at all..."
"In that case, why should I waste time."
Since the Medford football team achieved good results early in the year, the team has undergone a huge restructuring.
Probably similar to competitive employment, the capable go up and the mediocre go down.
Although Georgie likes football very much and has put a lot of sweat into this sport.
But judging from the current situation, he indeed lacks some talent.
His athletic ability is not as good as Sam's, his organizational ability is not as good as Allen's, and his comprehensive strength is even thousands of miles worse than Mike's.
Plus, after the Medford football team made a name for itself, many talented newcomers joined this year.
In this situation, Georgie is even less competitive in the team.
"This..."
As the team coach, George naturally knew his eldest son's situation. On the other hand, the restructuring within the team was proposed by him as the coach first.
Therefore, at this time, George didn't know how to persuade his eldest son.
Competitive sports, which rely heavily on talent, are also very cruel.
"Georgie, I don't agree with you dropping out~"
Over there, seeing her husband speechless, Mary immediately launched the second wave of attacks. She stared at her eldest son with wide eyes and ordered: "Anyway, sell that damn broken RV for me first, and then go to school and study hard~"
Obviously, Mary had a lot of resentment towards her eldest son's RV.
"I have decided. After dropping out, I will drive that RV to see the outside world. You know I have never been out of Texas..." Georgie, uncharacteristically not scared by his mother's momentum, calmly talked about his plan instead.
"I don't agree~"
Mary, with wide eyes, was dizzy with anger by her eldest son's words. She slammed the tableware on the table and scolded: "If you dare to leave this house, don't come back in the future!"
However, the strong Mary did not succeed this time.
Georgie seemed to have entered a rebellious phase, stood up and stiffened his neck: "If I don't come back, I don't come back~"
After speaking, he turned and left the house.
After such a fuss, the warm atmosphere on the dining table was destroyed.
"Mary, you went too far this time. Can't we discuss things properly..."
Meemaw Connie shook her head at her daughter, stood up and said: "I'll go see what's going on with Georgie, hope he doesn't do anything stupid~"
After speaking, Meemaw Connie also quickly chased out.
With two people leaving in succession, there was no dining atmosphere on the table.
"Let's go out and have a look too." Mike signaled Paige and the other three children with his eyes to go out with him.
Obviously, Mary needs to calm down now, and also needs her husband's comfort.
Mike taking people away just leaves space for the Cooper couple to communicate alone.