As soon as Sha Zhu left, Xu Damao sneaked up to Yan Bugui from the entrance of the courtyard and said, "Hey, Uncle Yan, Happy New Year!"

"Xu Damao, you scared me just now. Happy New Year! Damao, you just got back?" Yan Bugui was startled by Xu Damao's sudden appearance and then complained.

"Yeah, I just went to Dad's and I just got back!" Xu Damao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Yan Bugui.

"Come, come, Uncle Yan, have a smoke." Xu Damao was incredibly enthusiastic.

This made Yan Bugui a little embarrassed.

Xu Damao and Yan Bugui started smoking.

Xu Damao then casually asked, "Uncle Yan, I think I heard Sha Zhu mention Teacher Ran at the door just now? Who is Teacher Ran? Could she be Sha Zhu's girlfriend?"

"A partner? Sha Zhu doesn't deserve a partner. Teacher Ran is Bang Geng's homeroom teacher. Don't you remember? She came to our department last time." Yan Bugui said with a face full of sarcasm.

"Oh, I remember now, that woman. What's wrong? Did Sha Zhu start dating someone?" Xu Damao also remembered who it was and asked nervously.

"Him! How could Teacher Ran possibly be interested in Sha Zhu? I reckon Sha Zhu's fallen for someone."

Yan Bugui sneered, "Sha Zhu is really like a toad trying to eat swan meat. He's playing so fancy games himself, yet he's still thinking about the real swan."

"Pfft. Hahahaha, someone like Sha Zhu, wanting to find a teacher as a girlfriend, that's hilarious!"

Xu Damao echoed him immediately, but a strange look flashed across his eyes.

"Who says otherwise? Sigh," Yan Bugui sighed, not replying. He was also a little worried now.

Why was I so greedy back then? Why did I have to take the things that Sha Zhu gave me? Now I'm in a dilemma.

After getting the information he wanted, Xu Damao exchanged a few pleasantries with Yan Bugui and then went home.

Humph, that stupid Zhu ruined my family and now he wants to find a partner? No way!

Today is the Little Lunar New Year, and Ma Hua (MCA) doesn't have time to play with these beasts. He got up especially early and then busied himself in the system's courtyard, slaughtering chickens and geese.

MCA specially prepared a large pot with a diameter of one meter. They even slaughtered forty chickens for this pot.

It's said that a goose is too big to fit in a stew, but a big pot can be used to stew a small chicken. As the old saying goes, no feast is complete without chicken. Eating chicken during the New Year is auspicious and brings good fortune.

One pot of stew is enough for my family to eat for several days; if it's not enough, I'll stew some more.

After cleaning the slaughtered chickens, Ma Hua put them in a large basin, added salt, pepper, scallions, and ginger, and marinated them for 30 minutes.

After marinating, heat oil in a wok, add rock sugar and start caramelizing it until it turns a deep reddish-brown color. Then add water to the wok.

Add the secret spice packet, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt to the pot.

After the broth boils, add the marinated chicken, bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit in the pot for another hour.

The preparations for the smoked chicken are now complete.

Once the time has elapsed, prepare a clean, large iron pot, and place a steamer rack inside.

Drain the still-warm roasted chicken. Then place it evenly on the steamer rack.

The secret to this smoked chicken's color is that the chicken must be hot during the smoking process, otherwise it won't color properly.

Once the iron pot is almost red-hot, add an appropriate amount of white sugar and tea leaves. After it starts to smoke, immediately cover the pot with the lid and wait for four minutes.

The moment of witnessing a miracle has arrived! The roast chicken, which was just a pale yellow, instantly turned a deep red, a tempting and delicious red.

Although the chickens weren't large, there were many of them; one pot wasn't enough, and Ma Hua had to go back and forth several times to finish smoking all of them.

Once Ma Hua finished, he immediately picked up one of the roast chickens, tore off the leg, and began to enjoy it.

The moment the chicken touches your mouth, you're greeted with a rich smoky flavor. The skin is fragrant, and the meat is tender and juicy.

After Ma Hua finished eating, he couldn't help but exclaim that the chicken, raised with the spring water, was even better when stewed with the spring water.

The chicken wasn't dry at all! Oh my god, it's so delicious!

Ma Hua quickly devoured the entire roast chicken, and even smacked his lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction.

While MCA was still recalling the Q&A about the roast chicken and whether the process and ingredients needed improvement,

Then I heard someone knocking on my door.

*Clang clang clang.* Ma Hua frowned. Who would come looking for me at a time like this?

Although Ma Hua thought this way, she still got up to open the door. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Yan Jiekuang.

Upon seeing Ma Hua, Yan Jiekuang immediately shouted, "My dad wants you to go to the front yard for a meeting. Remember to hurry up!"

Are you crazy? Instead of spending the Lunar New Year with your family, you're having a pointless meeting.

Although the MCA was somewhat annoyed, they still arrived at the meeting place.

It wasn't until the MCA arrived at the meeting place that they discovered this.

Huo Liu Haizhong and that deaf old lady, those two troublemakers, are back! When did they come back? I didn't know!

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Yan Bugui coughed twice: "Everyone, today is the Little New Year."

I, the old man from this courtyard house, would also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance.

"There are a few main things we need to discuss at this meeting today. The first thing is to welcome Comrade Liu Haizhong and the deaf old lady back from their labor reform."

Hopefully they will actively correct their mistakes in the future and avoid repeating them.

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's words, Liu Haizhong's already gloomy face instantly darkened.

It's already hard enough not being able to sit in the main seat, and you damned Yan Laoxi even publicly called out that you just came back from labor camp.

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. You just wait, Yan Laoxi, just wait until the day I, Liu Haizhong, become the boss!

"Ahem, there's one more thing. According to tradition, every household in our courtyard should put up couplets or something."

A few years ago I even charged everyone a writing fee.

But this year my status is different; I'm the only elder in our courtyard now. After thinking about it, I've decided I won't accept the writing fee."

"OK."

"Uncle Yan did a great job, he handled this matter very well."

"Yes, that's great!"

The group, who had initially shown no interest in the meeting, were surprised to hear that Yan Bugui was offering to write couplets for free.

They immediately cheered. It must be said, Yan Bugui did a really good job.

"Ahem, although I won't accept the writing fee, you should think about how hard I've worked..."

"Just give me some peanuts and melon seeds as a token, consider it your wish, right?" Yan Bugui chuckled.

“Hey Lao Yan, what’s the difference between this and taking money?” Liu Haizhong immediately retorted sarcastically.

"Exactly, and I was just speaking up for you."

"Yeah, pshaw, to put it bluntly, he's still a miser, not giving a penny! What's he pretending to be, you bastard?" The people who were praising him just now are now criticizing him quite harshly.

They don't even charge money, they only accept peanuts and melon seeds. Pshaw, why don't you accept Brain Gold (a health supplement)?