Chapter 124 It’s New Year
The Spring Festival couplets are written, and the New Year’s dinner in the kitchen is also very good.
The younger ones are responsible for placing the dishes and chopsticks, while the older ones are responsible for serving the stir-fry dishes.
Fan Jin, the eldest, is in charge of the most dangerous things - the small stove and the casserole burning red charcoal fire.
The dishes for the New Year's dinner are not particularly unusual, and most of them are home-cooked dishes that are commonly eaten on weekdays.
But today most of them are concentrated together.
In the middle of the round table is a stew pot.
The whole old hen has been simmered over charcoal fire for a long time, and its bones and flesh have long since become tender and tasty.
The soup is golden and bright, add thinly sliced winter bamboo shoots, the meat is delicious, the soup is delicious, and the side dishes of winter bamboo shoots are even more delicious.
The boiled rabbit is spicy and fragrant, and the bright red color will whet your appetite just by looking at it.
The braised pork has an excellent candy color, and the dry-cooked duck is fragrant.
The clear fish head soup is milky white, and there are small meatballs in it. On weekdays, meatballs must be a heavyweight ingredient, but today I have to stand back.
There are stir-fried vegetables and cold cuts on all sides of the stew pot, totaling eighteen kinds of dishes.
Eight people, eighteen dishes, too much to finish.
Shuiqing wants more than he can eat.
As for the New Year's meal, if you can't finish it and have some leftovers, you can have more than enough every year.
The cups of Shui Qing, Fan Jin, Ling Ran and the others were filled with clear and sweet rice wine.
Five small cups were filled with boiled plum juice.
The family toasted and clinked glasses, first wishing together: "Happy New Year!"
Immediately, Shui Qing took out the gold leaf from the small cloth bag he carried with him and said joyfully: "Come on, let's give out New Year gifts!"
Receiving New Year gifts is the happiest thing for children.
However, looking at the golden flakes on Grandma’s hand, her five little eyes were round and it took her a while to realize, “Is there gold on Grandma’s hand?”
"Really gold?"
"For us?"
"Can I have it?"
With a smile on his face, Fan Jin answered for Shui Qing: "It's gold, gold leaves. It's for you. Everyone has it."
"Two pieces for each person! Your own lucky money will also be your pocket money in the future.
Even the dowry is also the betrothal gift for marrying a daughter-in-law. You should take good care of it. If you lose it, it will be gone! "Shui Qing threatened.
When they heard it was lucky money, the five little ones cheered and almost took off the roof!
"Aniang is the best!"
"Daddy, too!"
After saying the flattering words, he immediately queued up to receive it.
Ling Ran ate the food quietly.
Suddenly he heard someone calling him: "Ling Ran, this is yours!"
He suddenly raised his head, Danfeng's eyes were full of disbelief.
He not only saw a lot of gold leaves before, but also owned a lot.
But that was the past after all.
Since coming out, let alone gold and silver, it is difficult to see even a penny or two. If you can help others and manage two full meals a day, it is considered good.
Silver is even more valuable than gold, let alone gold!
"I, I don't need it." He couldn't ask for it. They took him in, gave him food and drink, and didn't treat him differently. He was very, very good.
He cannot be dissatisfied, nor can he be ignorant.
Shuiqing joked: "No need? Do you not want to marry a wife, or does your wife not need a bride price?"
If other girls’ families have it, you should also give it to them. "
Ling Ran quickly glanced sideways, his sharp face flushed red, and immediately promised: "I can earn it myself!"
Shui Qing smiled and said, "I know you are capable. Well, this can be regarded as an early investment from me and your Uncle Fan. When you become successful in the future, you will pay us back double."
"Take it, you will need it in the future." Fan Jin thought that the child's mother was dead and his father was unkind, and he was alone outside. Life would be much easier if he had money.
He is a man with a rift in his heart and has his own plans for the future, so he will definitely not be able to stay with them forever.
When he went out and had a sum of money with him, he and Shui Qing felt a little more relieved.
"Yes, Brother Ling, we all have it, and you should have it too!"
"Since your parents gave it to you, just accept it."
"We are a family, so of course we all have it."
Ling Ran's hands holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, he looked at everyone who was thinking about him, stretched out his palms, and took them.
Aunt Shui Qing said that she would pay them double in the future.
Double?
Ten times, a hundred times, he can't even pay it back...
The fresh New Year gifts were distributed in place, and they were as heavy as gold leaves. The five little eyes were so excited that they sparkled.
Fan Jin also prepared New Year gifts.
Unlike Shui Qing, who was wealthy, he prepared books.
A bound volume copied by himself.
It doesn’t cost much money, but it’s full of sincerity.
Except for Fan Jiang, who doesn't like reading and literacy, the others are still very happy.
The New Year's Eve meal takes a long time and is not finished until the afternoon.
After finishing the New Year's dinner, I cleared the table and started making dumplings.
Villagers in Shanshui Village do not have the custom of making dumplings, mainly because white flour is too expensive and they are reluctant to part with it.
In the past, when we were still living together with Fan's mother and Fan Qian, we had New Year's Eve dinner and whatever we wanted in the evening.
But these days are different from the past. There is enough food, so naturally you can take care of whatever you want.
"What kind of dumplings do you want to eat?" Shui Qing asked everyone for their opinions.
After moving to a new home, we now have a kitchen and a chopping board for kneading dough. I have eaten dumplings several times, and everyone has a different favorite taste.
You have to ask clearly and choose your favorite filling!
"Pork and cabbage stuffing!" Fan Jiang quickly raised his hand and shouted.
“Chives, vermicelli and egg filling!”
"Green vegetables and mushroom stuffing."
"Vegetarian three-fresh stuffing."
"Pure meat!"
Shuiqing: ..... Very good, five people with five different flavors, you asked in vain.
She shouldn't have asked!
"I eat whatever I cook."
"Mother, I'll cut the vegetables."
"I'll chop the meat stuffing."
"I'll roll the dumpling wrappers."
"I'll wrap them."
Shuiqing was very pleased, but it was still good to raise a kid, so he could help when working.
Kneading dough is a laborious job, so leave it to Fan Jin.
Chopping meat is also a laborious job, so leave it to Ling Ran.
Chopping vegetables is a delicate job, so Yan Qiu is responsible for it.
The rest of the people do what they can.
The tiled kitchen is spacious, bright and clean. There is a fire in the stove. The cold wind is blowing outside, but the house is warm.
The villagers of Shanshui Village are also celebrating the New Year.
Although they don't have the conditions of Shuiqing and Fan Jin's family, they do their best within their ability.
Some people killed chickens and ducks, some stewed big fish, and some stewed fat meat...
Aunt Zhang's family was particularly grand this year.
Chickens and ducks can lay eggs, so they were reluctant to kill them, but they earned a lot of money before the New Year, a full ten taels.
Fat meat is 32 wen per pound, so they cut two pounds.
Lean meat is 20 wen per pound, so they cut three pounds.
The fat from the two pounds of fat meat on the New Year's dinner was fried and scooped into the oil tank. All the fat was used to stew Chinese cabbage, and both the cabbage and the soup were full of shiny oil.
Two pounds of lean meat was left.
Half a pound was sliced and used to stir-fry peppers, and half a pound was shredded and used to stir-fry winter bamboo shoots.
I steamed a bowl of salted fish that I had pickled before.
I also used five eggs and leeks to stir-fry a large plate.
A rich New Year's dinner with meat, eggs and fish was ready.
In sharp contrast to other families in the village was the New Year's dinner of Old Fan's family.