Chapter 137 Pork skin jelly, stir-fried beans with three kinds of shredded vegetables, braised sea cucumber with tendon...

In the blink of an eye, it's already New Year's Eve.

Early in the morning, the family drove out to pick up seafood. Zhang Hainiu's stall was bustling with activity. Those who arrived a little later would find that there wasn't a single shrimp left, let alone any seafood.

Zhang Hainiu was very enthusiastic and handed over the prepared shrimp, crabs, fish and shellfish to Wen's father.

"May you have a prosperous New Year, boss!"

"May you prosper in the New Year."

Wen Fan looked at the contents of the bag and expressed satisfaction with the quality.

Wen Fan took advantage of the morning to go to the market to see if there was any fresh produce. He picked out a few kinds of fresh vegetables and had already figured out the menu for dinner.

Dinner was predictably plentiful, so lunch was exceptionally simple: cold pork skin jelly and a stir-fried vegetable dish.

Simple and delicious.

Especially pork skin jelly.

Of the five pigs from a while ago, Wen Fan ate all the other parts, leaving only a little bit of pigskin.

Scraping the hair and grease off the pig skin is an extremely tedious step, and Wen Fan only recently had time to do it slowly. She carefully plucks the pig hair with tweezers so that the final aspic will be crystal clear. After processing, Wen Fan also boils the pig skin slightly and soaks it in diluted white vinegar to remove impurities and fishy smell.

Next, cut the pork skin into small strips. Add some spices to the water used to cook the pork skin jelly to remove any unpleasant smell. The right amount of spices can enhance the flavor of the pork skin jelly. When cooking the pork skin jelly, it needs to be cooked over low heat the whole time. You need to keep an eye on the heat and skim off the foam with a spoon.

After simmering the aspic until it thickens, add simple seasonings and let it solidify at room temperature.

The finished aspic is bouncy, smooth, and translucent. After simple slicing and seasoning, it has a cool and slippery texture. The pork skin pieces inside are especially chewy and have a pleasant texture.

Wen Fan mixed a plate of it, and the whole family finished it all.

Right after finishing their meal, Wen's mother started arranging for them to put up couplets at the shop.

"Sister Hui asked me to put them up in her shop as well."

Song Hui and her son went back to their hometown in Northeast China early this year. When they arrived, they realized that the couplets in the shop had not yet been put up, so they quickly called Wen's mother to ask her to do so.

Father Wen: "Old Qu entrusted it to me."

The pharmacy closed even earlier than Song Hui's family's convenience store.

The couple brought along couplets and a string of firecrackers.

When they got to the street, many shops had already put up their couplets. The few remaining shops quickly finished and set off a string of firecrackers to mark the end of a busy year for their businesses. Mr. and Mrs. Wen were also quick; after putting up the couplets, they rushed home.

There's a lot to do today.

Wen Fan and the dog stayed at home. Wen Fan threw a small ball at Danhuang to play with, while messages kept popping up in the class group chat.

[Han Lulu: Ugh, so boring! I don't know anyone back in my hometown, I can only play with the dog!]

As they spoke, they showed off their little mongrel dog warming itself by the fire, its body covered in sunflower seed shells.

[Qin He: ...Be content, at least you have a dog to play with. I just came from a family dinner restaurant, I'm completely exhausted. Seriously, why do adults always have to ask about grades at times like this?!]

[Han Lulu: Hey, hey, you got first place!]

[Qin He: Getting whatever score I get is annoying. We kept talking about it at the table. My cousin ran away after dinner... If you ask me, it would be better to spend the New Year in the countryside.]

[He Yuzhen: Ta-da~ My grandma's dumplings are super, super delicious!]

[Class monitor: Thumbs up.]

[Han Lulu: It looks delicious! By the way, where's Wen Xiaofan? Say hi! I want to see your New Year's Eve dinner!]

[Qin He: ...No, you can't eat it anyway, won't you feel bad watching?]

[Han Lulu: Even if it's painful, I have to watch! I sent so many gifts during that live stream a while ago, Wen Xiaofan's cooking skills have really improved! It's a good thing I wasn't there, otherwise I would definitely go and try what a pig-slaughtering feast tastes like! Calling Wen Xiaofan!]

[Wen Fan: ? Who cooks New Year's Eve dinner at 1 PM?]

When Wen Fan chimed in, Han Lulu became even more excited, and the entire group chat was filled with her comments.

I want to eat a pig-slaughtering feast!

How about we have a pig-slaughtering feast together next time?

I want to eat the "Eighteen Stuffed Pork Stew" with braised pork belly, pearl meatballs, stir-fried pork slices, and sauerkraut and pork soup...

The long list of dishes made Wen Fan dizzy.

Fortunately, Qin He intervened in time, asking Wen Fan if he had read any books during the winter break.

Wen Fan:......

Seemingly sensing Wen Fan's slackness, Qin He couldn't help but remind her.

School starts on the 16th of the first lunar month, and there's a placement test on the 20th. Don't forget everything from last semester.

Wen Fan felt a bit nervous after Qin He's words. She had been relaxing lately, probably because she had done well on her final exams. Although she had read some books, she was definitely not as diligent as she had been when she was in school.

Now that I think about it, she hadn't even finished her homework!

Wen Fan's mind went blank for a moment. He made up his mind that starting tomorrow, it would be a new year, and he would definitely start with a fresh start, study hard, and make progress every day.

We chatted in the group until after 3 p.m., and gradually some people stopped talking. It was obvious that they had been dragged away by their parents to do chores.

Wen Fan also helped his parents put up couplets, then paper-cut window decorations, and then they would make dumplings and cook other dishes.

This time, Wen's mother also stepped into the kitchen. Since it was their own family's New Year's Eve dinner, they didn't care about anything special. Wen's mother took charge of cooking, and Wen Fan gave instructions. They made a plate of stir-fried beans with three kinds of shredded vegetables in a proper manner.

"Is it tasty"

Wen's mother looked at her daughter with a tense expression.

After tasting it, Wen Fan gave a thumbs up: "Great!"

Three-shredded fried beans is made by mixing fried potato shreds, onion shreds, cilantro, and fried peanuts together. The potato shreds are soaked in water to remove starch beforehand and then fried until crispy and separate. The sauce is sweet and sour, and after a little mixing, a sweet and sour fried aroma wafts out.

The dishes looked appealing, and the shredded potatoes gave me the illusion of eating a snack.

After Wen's mother finished making this dish, she set it aside. The family members came and went in the kitchen, and they would always take a bite as they passed by. Before the banquet was even over, half of the dish was gone.

Finally, Wen's mother changed to a smaller plate, which made it look less shabby.

Apart from the stir-fried beans with shredded vegetables, all the dishes on the New Year's Eve dinner were so delicious that they made your mouth water.

Braised sea cucumber with tendon: the tendon is stewed until it becomes translucent and gelatinous, and the dark brown broth is thick and glossy. As the vegetables are added, the sea cucumber trembles and moves slightly. Just looking at it makes you imagine the soft, chewy texture in your mouth.

Fish is an essential part of the New Year's Eve dinner. A dish of hibiscus-shaped fish fillets is placed in the center. The beautifully shaped fish fillets are fried and bloom like a peony flower. At the bottom is a base of mashed potatoes. The fish fillets are arranged on top and then drizzled with a sweet and sour sauce.

The braised abalone with pork belly was tender and juicy, the golden prawns were crispy, and there were also four-happiness meatballs, braised pork knuckles, and crab stir-fried with rice cakes...

A table full of New Year's Eve dinner, Wen Fan took a picture and posted it in the group chat.

[Han Lulu: Waaaaah, it smells so good!]

[He Yuzhen: Is that a fish in the middle? It's so pretty!]

Qin He: Indeed, it's quite good.

[Class monitor: Thumbs up.]

...

Wen Fan thought for a moment, then logged into Wenji's account and posted his family's New Year's Eve dinner with some festive music as a way of sending New Year's greetings.

Unlike the restraint in the class group chat, the comment section became lively almost instantly.

[Momo: Oh no, my mouth is sweating!]

[Dry Noodle Guy: To put it bluntly, this was the kind of food Emperor Qianlong ate while he was alive.]

[Dry Rice is the Best: Waaaaah, honestly, after seeing your dishes, I've lost all my enthusiasm for the New Year.]

[Undetermined: Do you sell braised sea cucumber with pork tendon at this restaurant? And crab stir-fried with rice cakes! Where can I buy these rice cakes? They look so soft!]

[Yakashi: I didn't go home for Chinese New Year this year. I found this guy, Gaba, dead in my rented room.]

[Xiaoyu: If I ever had money, the first thing I'd do is ask you to cook me a New Year's Eve dinner!]

[Momo: I was thinking about having pork stew a few days ago, and after finally getting through the year-end rush, I went to the store only to find a notice on the door saying they wouldn't open until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year... Seriously, it's one thing to not accept New Year's Eve dinners, but why are they only opening on the seventh day? Many stores open as early as the fifth day.]

...

Wen Fan threw the picture and ran away, leaving his phone aside. With so much food, shouldn't they eat it while it's hot?

The family raised their glasses filled with Coke.

"Happy New Year!"

Wen Fan prepared several dishes without salt for the egg yolk, and the dog buried its head in its food and ate them.

The heating was on high, and soon I was sweating.

Wen's mother kept reminding her not to eat too much.

"We still need to make dumplings at midnight."

The TV was on, showing the Spring Festival Gala, and Wen Fan watched the not-so-funny skit with great interest.

Around 11:50, the sound of firecrackers popping and crackling came from downstairs.

Wen's mother went to cook dumplings, while Wen Fan changed his clothes and waited for his mother to finish cooking. The family then went downstairs to set off firecrackers.

A large crowd had already gathered downstairs. The snow from a few days ago hadn't melted yet, and children were setting off small fireworks in the snow.

Wen's father hung the firecrackers outside, and Wen Fan volunteered to go up and light them.

A flash of fire illuminated the entire snowfield in a fiery red glow, with shattered cannon casings scattered all over the ground.

The clock has struck twelve.

Wen Fan was surprisingly serious.

This is her first Spring Festival in this world.

Happy New Year.

****

The holidays always seem to pass by unexpectedly quickly.

Especially for Wen's father and mother, who have little connection with their hometown, the Spring Festival is simply a time for the family to spend more time together.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the family went to the temple fair; on the second day, they went to the movies; on the third day, they went shopping; on the fourth day…

When she turned to the sixth day of the lunar month, Wen's mother remembered her previous plans.

"We were supposed to go see a house, I almost forgot."

So the family dressed up warmly and drove to check out the new housing developments. There weren't many new developments in the city, and after looking around, Mrs. Wen was still hesitant.

Many of the houses are nice, but they are too far from the shops.

However, most of the properties located near the shops are second-hand houses.

Wen's mother hesitated and asked Wen Fan whether he wanted to live in the new house or the old house.

Wen Fan suggested that it would be better to stay closer.

"That way you won't be so tired."

Houses that are too far away are exhausting just from the travel time.

Wen's mother thought about it and agreed, so she told the real estate agent to keep an eye out for houses in the vicinity.

After settling all the household chores, the family finally decided to open a shop.

On the morning of the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, when Mr. Wen opened the front door, guests entered with great surprise.

Are you open today?

Father Wen: "...We only open in the evening."

We haven't been open for business for half a month, shouldn't we tidy up first?

The customer wasn't discouraged. After finding out the opening hours for the evening, he happily went home.

Wen's father and mother put on hats and cleaned the shop. In the afternoon, Yao Qingqin also arrived.

After a Spring Festival break, Yao Qingqin had gained some weight and brought her daughter with her when she arrived.

Yao Qingqin's daughter has big eyes, which Wen's mother likes very much, and she gave her a few lollipops.

The other person said thank you in a childish voice.

Yao Qingqin was beaming with joy, firstly because she was happy that her daughter was becoming more and more outgoing, and secondly...

"Boss lady, I'm divorced!"