Chapter Thirteen Recipe

Zhang Dahe cleared his throat, looking very energetic.

"Liuji, Yi'er, Nan'er! Get ready, it's time to go and kowtow to the village elders to wish them a Happy New Year! We'll do our best for good luck and also share in their blessings and longevity!"

Zhang Liuji responded and quickly put a thick new cotton-padded coat on his son Nan'er and put a tiger-head hat on him.

Nan'er's little face flushed with excitement.

Zhang Yili straightened his cotton-padded coat. Although he still had lingering thoughts from the sleepless night and longing for the warm kang bed, he couldn't break the tradition of paying New Year's visits on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

She took a deep breath of the chilly air, dispelling the last bit of laziness.

"Father, Uncle, let's go." Zhang Liuji picked up Nan'er.

"Go on, go on! Drive carefully, and keep an eye on Nan'er!"

Wang gave instructions and then slipped a small cloth bag into Zhang's hand.

"Yi-jie, take this. There are some candies inside. Share them with the great-grandchildren of your great-grandparents."

"Okay, Auntie." Zhang Yili took the cloth bag and put it in her pocket.

As soon as the three of them stepped outside, the cold wind felt like fine needles pricking their exposed skin.

Zhang Yili quickly pulled her scarf up, leaving only her eyes visible.

Along the village road, groups of people were already exchanging New Year's greetings. Most of them were adults with children, dressed in their best clothes of the year, their faces beaming with New Year's joy, and they greeted each other loudly.

The sound carried far in the cool air.

They first went to the home of Grandpa Li, the oldest man in the village, at the east end.

Grandpa Li is almost eighty years old, with white hair and beard, but he is still very energetic. He is sitting in a round-backed chair in the main room, smiling as he accepts the kowtows of the younger generation in the village.

The room was packed with people.

"Grandpa Li! Happy New Year! May you have boundless happiness and longevity!"

Zhang Liuji, holding Nan'er, knelt down first and respectfully kowtowed.

"Happy New Year, Master Li! May you live a long and prosperous life!"

Zhang Yili also knelt down, her voice clear and crisp.

"Okay! Okay! Get up! Get up!"

Grandpa Li grinned from ear to ear, and with trembling hands, picked up a red paper packet from a small table beside him and handed it to Zhang Liuji.

"Here's some New Year's money for the children! May they have peace and safety!"

She picked up another red paper packet and handed it to Zhang Xiaoyi, saying, "Yi-jie, take this too! You're a young lady now, about to get married, take this to buy a flower to wear."

"Thank you, Master Li!" the brother and sister said in unison.

Zhang Liuyi took the thin red envelope. It was slightly cool to the touch, and he could feel the outline of several copper coins inside.

Next is Granny Zhao's house in the west of the village.

Grandma Zhao's eyesight wasn't very good, but her hearing was sharp. When she heard the New Year's greetings, she fumbled for her grandson to bring out a large plate of roasted peanuts and melon seeds, and insisted on stuffing them into their hands.

"Here you go! Here you go! It's homemade, and it smells delicious! Yi-jie is getting prettier and prettier! Liu-ji is also more mature! Nan-er has grown taller!"

Similarly, two red envelopes were also given.

They went from house to house, from Grandpa Sun in the south of the village to Grandma Qian in the north.

Every house I visited had a similar scene: a noisy and crowded main room, kind or stern but always smiling elderly people, sunflower seed shells and peanut shells scattered all over the floor, and red envelopes stuffed into my hand, carrying the warmth and blessings of the elders, along with a small handful of roasted nuts or a few pieces of cheap hard candy.

Zhang Liuyi's cloth bag gradually emptied, replaced by a handful of roasted nuts and a few red envelopes, as well as Nan'er's pockets bulging with candy.

The cold wind was still biting. After walking through most of the village, Zhang Yili felt his cheeks stinging from the wind and the soles of his feet were numb from the cold.

Nan'er was already tired from walking and fell asleep on Zhang Liuji's back, her little mouth slightly open.

Zhang Liuji was also so cold that he kept stamping his feet, and his breath was thick and rapid.

"Is it almost done, Yi-jie?" Zhang Liuji asked, looking at his younger sister's cheeks, which were red from the cold.

Zhang nodded, rubbing his frozen hands: "Okay, I'm done praying, let's go back. It's terribly cold."

The little excitement she had for the New Year had long been worn away by the relentless cold and the constant walking, leaving only an endless longing for the warm kang (heated brick bed) at home.

Back at Zhang Dahe's house.

As soon as I pushed open the courtyard gate, the warmth from inside the house and the lingering aroma of food rushed in like a warm tide, instantly enveloping my frozen limbs and bones.

Inside the main room, Zhang Dashan and Zhang Dahe were peeling the leftover roasted nuts and seeds from the morning with Aunt Wang and Li Xiulan, chatting casually.

Seeing them return, they greeted them, "You're back! Come inside and warm up!"

Zhang Liuyi couldn't wait to take off her heavy cotton-padded coat and scarf.

She went to the kitchen, scooped up a ladle of hot water, and carefully washed her face and hands, which were red from the cold. The warm touch made her frozen skin tingle slightly.

On the stove, the leftover chicken soup rice from this morning was still warm, emitting an enticing aroma.

She ladled out a small half bowl, drank it down while it was still hot, and a warm current spread through her stomach, making her feel more energetic.

After handing over the red envelopes and roasted nuts to Aunt Wang for safekeeping, Zhang Yi felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion wash over him.

Laziness emanates from every bone in my body; all I want to do is find a warm place to lie down.

She greeted everyone and then tiptoed back to the west room. The room was quiet, and the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) was warm, radiating a comforting warmth that made one drowsy.

She took off her outer clothes, leaving only her undergarments, and crawled back into the fluffy, soft quilt.

Outside the window, there seemed to be the sounds of children chasing and playing, but they had all become distant and indistinct.

The only sounds in the room were her own even breathing and the faint crackling of firewood burning in the stove.

I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

After a while, Zhang Dashan finished cleaning the kitchen and wanted to call his daughter to get up and help.

He pushed open the door to the west room and this was the scene he saw.

The little girl was curled up in the thick quilt, only half of her face showing. She was fast asleep, her cheeks flushed from the heat, her brows relaxed, and there seemed to be a faint smile on her lips.

A few stray hairs clung to her sweaty forehead, rising and falling gently with her even breathing.

Zhang Dashan stood at the door and watched quietly for a while.

His daughter, who was usually so energetic, looked completely relaxed and asleep, which filled him with a bittersweet and comforting warmth.

He quietly retreated and carefully closed the door, the hinges making a very slight creaking sound.

"Let her sleep."

Zhang Dashan spoke very softly, with a hint of doting, to his elder brother, sister-in-law, and daughter-in-law who were looking over from the main room.

"Today is the only day I can finally get a good night's sleep. I'm tired from visiting relatives and friends for the New Year. I'll take care of the work outside."

Zhang Yili was awakened by the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

She opened her eyes abruptly. The room was dimly lit, with only a sliver of orange-red twilight filtering in through the west window.

Oh no! She slept until almost sunset! She hurriedly threw off the warm blankets and sat up.

She sighed in frustration, hurriedly put on her cotton-padded coat, and ran to the kitchen in her slippers.

Inside the kitchen, the oil lamp was already lit, and in its dim yellow light, Li Xiulan was busy at the stove with her back to the door.

The pot was bubbling away, and that enticing aroma was coming from there.

"Sister-in-law! I'm so sorry! I overslept!"

Zhang Liuxin rushed in, her face still flushed.

Hearing the sound, Li Xiulan turned around and immediately noticed the disheveled wetness on her face and the messy stray hairs at her temples. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh my! Our capable little Yi, you're awake? Look how sleepy you are, you're even drooling!"

Her tone was full of mischievous laughter, but there was no hint of blame.

Zhang Liuyi was even more embarrassed by the laughter. She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, her cheeks turning even redder. She quickly changed the subject.

"Sister-in-law, what do you need me to do? I'll help you!"

"No need to rush, the work is almost done."

Li Xiulan smiled and waved her hand, pointing to the stove.

"You've come at the right time. Come here, let your sister-in-law teach you something."

Zhang Yili quickly went over.

On the stove, a large basin of thawed pig offal had already been sorted and processed.

The pig's stomach and lungs were washed clean and set aside.

The other pile contained appropriately sized pieces of pig heart and intestines.

Li Xiulan pointed to the pile of pig stomachs and lungs.

“Look, this tripe and lungs are perfect for making soup. Add some white radish or cabbage stalks, and the soup will be milky white, very delicious, and nourishing.”

She then pointed to the bowl of chopped pig heart and intestines next to her.

"These need to be braised to mask the spiciness and make them taste better."

As she spoke, she lifted the lid of a small, steaming pot next to her.

The pot was half full of dark brown broth, bubbling gently, with a rich aroma wafting out, spicy yet with a sweet aftertaste.

Li Xiulan picked up several small cloth bags from beside the stove and showed them to Zhang Yi as if they were her own treasures: "Look, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and this peppercorn, fennel seeds, cardamom... Put a little of each, wrap it in gauze, and that's a spice packet."

As she spoke, she deftly grabbed a small handful of various spices, wrapped them in a clean piece of coarse gauze, tied it tightly, and threw it into the pot of dark brown broth.

"This braising liquid needs to be boiled first to extract the aroma from the spice packet."

Add the chopped offal, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to a simmer.

Li Xiulan gestured for Zhang to keep an eye on the fire in the stove.

"Like this, leave a little fire and simmer it slowly. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will become. You can add some salt and soy sauce to taste in the middle. When you can easily pierce it with chopsticks, it's almost done. Take it out and let it cool. When you want to eat it, cut a plate and it'll smell amazing! If you were to sell it, you could earn a lot more money than just selling raw meat!"

Zhang Liuyi carefully wrote it down, watching intently. "Sister-in-law, this method is really good! I've remembered it! Thank you for teaching me!"

Li Xiulan put the pot lid on, wiped her hands with her apron, and turned to look at Zhang Liuyi.

"No need for thanks. We're family, no need for formalities. This method is something I learned from an old cook when I was helping out in town; it's not a secret recipe. If you learn it, you can set up your own stall or do some small business at the Xiong family's place to supplement your income. Having more money in hand will give you more confidence in your husband's family, and you'll live a more comfortable life. My sister-in-law can't go out much, and her children are still young. If you can use this skill and earn money, my sister-in-law will be very happy!"

Li Xiulan's words soothed Zhang Yi's heart.

She gripped the edge of her apron tightly and solemnly replied, "Yes, sister-in-law, I understand."