Chapter 109

Han Kemei was not sure about commenting on Bi Xiaosi's behavior. After all, the fact that the naughty kids blew up the neighbor aunt's hidden meat and caused a conflict between the old lady and her son and daughter-in-law did not sound that closely related to her, a firecracker seller. However, Han Kemei also keenly heard that if it were not for Bi Xiaosi, those children would not have had the chance to touch the firecrackers at all, so she kept her mouth shut.

Ugh! What's the point of being lively or not? It would be bad if I upset my sister-in-law and brother during Chinese New Year. So Bi Xiaosi should just stop making a fuss and have fun at home.

There were seven people eating, and it took four of them until almost noon to make the dumplings. They made six large dumplings and used up all the dumplings that Bi Chunliu had.

Finally, he finished rolling the dough. Bi Qiuguo flexed his hands, stretched, took a deep breath, and ran to the kitchen to tell his elder sister that he was almost done wrapping the dough. He also had a bite of the meat that had just come out of the pot.

The meat was fresh out of the pot. Bi Qiuguo was so scalded that she kept making sizzling sounds. Even when Bi Chunliu gave her chopsticks, she shook her head and refused.

Bi Chunliu took a bowl and put a few pieces of meat in it. He said, "Bring it over and let everyone taste it. Then clean up the chopping board and the basin. We'll start eating right away!"

"good!"

Before the three people finished making dumplings, Han Zhong combined the two remaining wrappers and made a sun shape. The three people patted their hands on the dough and each pinched a piece of meat to eat.

The sauce was rich and fragrant, and the meat was stewed until it was tender and mushy. Han Kemei felt that her hands must have been burned red, but she still held the meat tightly, unwilling to let go. The piece of meat she held was from the pig's trotter, soft, tender and chewy. She put it in her mouth and took a sip, and the meat seemed to melt in her mouth.

I don’t know whether it was made by my sister-in-law or Weiguo, it’s so delicious! Han Kemei beat his chest in his heart: Why didn’t my brother think of looking for my sister-in-law earlier!

"It's delicious. The meat tastes so good!" Han Zhong was also very satisfied.

Bi Qiuguo had finished her piece. She swallowed and began to tidy up the things on the table. She stacked the two basins together, swept the noodles on the chopping board, and finally put the chopping board, rolling pin and dough cutter into the basin.

"Uncle Han, Sister Xiaomei, Third Sister, we are about to have dinner. I will go serve the dishes!" Bi Qiuguo went to the kitchen with a basin.

Bi Xiahe and Han Kemei quickly swallowed the meat and went to the kitchen to serve the dishes.

Han Zhong hummed "I have so many cousins~" and took a broom to start sweeping the noodles and vegetables that had fallen on the ground.

In the kitchen, Bi Chunliu plated the dishes for lunch one by one. They had already agreed to eat a little at noon to save room for the New Year's Eve dinner, and the much-anticipated New Year's Eve dinner would start at four o'clock in the afternoon.

"Wow--"

Han Kemei took the sweet and sour pork ribs in his hand and took a deep sniff. His mouth began to drool unconsciously. Sweet and sour pork ribs!

"Dad, look, my sister-in-law made sweet and sour pork ribs!"

Han Zhong and Han Kemei both love sweet and sour dishes, but Han Zhong has been told by his doctor to eat less of them for the past two years. Xing Fei is fine; she's usually busy and doesn't nag him, but Xiaomei is different. Every time he takes a few more bites from his chopsticks, Xiaomei reminds him. Now, when he sees these golden sweet and sour spareribs, he can't resist.

Han Kemei: "Dad, sister-in-law said there will be more in the evening. You can only eat...three pieces at noon, otherwise you won't be able to eat the dinner."

Han Zhong squinted at his daughter and said unhappily, "You're not the one to tell me!" Doesn't he know the difference between eating once and eating every meal?!

Han Kemei put down the plate, turned around and went to the kitchen, not forgetting to say, "Don't eat secretly, I know where all the ribs are placed. Dad, if you want to eat secretly, I will let my brother stew it for dinner tonight."

Han Zhong really didn't want to cheat on his wife. After all, this was his son and daughter-in-law's house. No matter how greedy he was, he couldn't do it. "...Get out of here."

Lunch was served. Bi Chunliu and the other two prepared four dishes in total: sweet and sour pork ribs, stewed meat with sauce, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried cabbage. They also prepared a lot of multi-grain dumplings, the kind with more white flour and less multi-grain flour.

Xing Fei: "Let's not eat too much at noon. Eat until we're 60% to 70% full. We've made a lot of preparations for the afternoon meal. It would be a big loss if we don't have enough food to eat at night."

Bi Qiuguo nodded vigorously. She could smell it. As soon as she entered the kitchen, the fragrance was so strong that she didn't want to come out.

Han Zhong picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and said, "Eat it quickly."

When the elders spoke, everyone followed suit and took the dishes they wanted to eat.

"Burp~" Bi Qiuguo burped, then covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes rolling around. Although his brother-in-law told him not to eat too much, he still couldn't control himself and ate too much.

Bi Chunliu: "...Qiu Guo, move around to help digest the food."

Bi Qiuguo smiled and followed her third sister to clean up the dishes. Bi Chunliu heard her pestering Xia He to ask if she could accompany her to the supply and marketing cooperative.

It was the first year that the family had a daughter-in-law. Han Zhong thought that although the in-laws were gone, the old lady was still there, so the son and daughter-in-law had to go back to their hometown. "Chunliu, have you told your grandma? When are you going back?"

Bi Chunliu: "On the third day of the New Year, my third aunt will go back to her parents' home on the second day of the New Year."

"That's good." Han Zhong said, "Xiao Fei, I have two bottles of malted milk in my bag. Take them to Grandma Chunliu."

"good."

Bi Chunliu: "Dad, just take one can, you can drink the rest yourself. My uncle coaxed me to give him more milk."

"Then leave it at home for you guys to drink. Working or studying strains your brain, so you can replenish your energy." Malted milk was given to Han Zhong by someone else. He didn't like drinking that stuff.

Xing Fei: "Take it. If no one drinks it, give it to Guangyao."

"Okay, thank you, Dad." Bi Chunliu agreed. If he said he would stay at home, there would be no need to worry about whether anyone would refuse to drink it. Qiuguo would definitely drink it.

It was winter and there was not much entertainment, so Xing Fei went to the kitchen and brought a small stove. After dinner, the family would sit by the fire and boil some water for tea.

Bi Chunliu held a candy in her mouth and thought that if her living conditions improved in the future, she could roast marshmallows like she had seen in the videos. Now, if she wanted to eat a snack, besides the rice crackers at home, she could only roast sweet potatoes. The only fruit at home was apples, but she couldn't roast apples...

The family chatted and after about two hours of rest, it was time to prepare dinner.

Bi Chunliu had originally estimated dinner would be served at four, but in the end, they were busy until almost five. The three of them pulled out all the stops, making braised pork with soy sauce, pig's blood tofu, braised fish, braised pork, stir-fried lamb with scallions, smashed cucumbers, cold pork liver, crispy pork pot, candied apple, and tomato and egg soup. Bi Chunliu counted the nine dishes, mostly meat, so he used the remaining tomato and asked Weiguo to make a "Flaming Mountain with Falling Snow."

Bi Weiguo was at a loss holding the tomatoes. He didn't know what to do with the snow falling from the Flaming Mountain...

"Hahahaha Weiguo, what your elder sister is talking about is tomatoes mixed with sugar." Xing Fei thought to himself that sister Chunliu is really good at naming.

Bi Chunliu also laughed. She instructed, "This is the only tomato left. Remember to use your knife skills well and don't cut it too thick."

"good."

All the dishes were prepared and then served one by one. Ten dishes and a soup, the table was so full that it almost couldn't hold any more. Not only Han Zhong, who was sitting in the main room, but even the three people serving the dishes were stunned, especially Bi Xiahe and Bi Qiuguo. Except for the day of their eldest sister's wedding, they hadn't eaten so much meat and vegetables in years. Suddenly, they felt like they were dreaming...

Bi Qiuguo placed the dishes on the table in a daze. He pinched his thigh, and the sudden pain made him realize he wasn't dreaming. His elder sister and the others had really cooked so many dishes! They had so much food for their New Year's Eve dinner! It was so delicious.

In addition to the dumplings, Bi Chunliu also steamed a pot of white flour buns that afternoon. The soft, white buns sat atop the warmed multi-grain dumplings, making the latter look even more delicate and delicious. There was no room on the table, so Bi Chunliu found a stool to place the buns and dumplings.

"Crackle, crackle..." There were people outside who were also having breakfast early. As soon as Xing Fei hung up the firecrackers, someone started setting them off outside.

Bi Chunliu handed the burning fire stick to Xing Fei, who lit the firecrackers and rushed into the yard. The family covered their ears as the firecrackers popped. Bi Chunliu's ears were covered by Xing Fei's. She turned to look at Xing Fei, who smiled. Bi Chunliu pressed her forehead against Xing Fei's chin and smiled too. After the firecrackers finished going off, Xing Fei checked them, swept the flying shells into a pile, and then went back to the house to prepare dinner.

"Dad, it's New Year's Day, why don't you say a word?" Xing Fei poured Han Zhong a cup of wine and another for himself. The others had soda in their glasses.

Everyone's eyes turned to Han Zhong, waiting for him to speak.

It was the first time that Han Zhong was watched by so many relatives in his own home. He suddenly felt inexplicably excited. He thought for a moment and said, "This year is a different year. Xiaofei and Chunliu are getting married, and we have three more relatives: Weiguo, Xiahe, and Qiuguo. We are all one family. As long as we are decent people and love our country and our families, we will get better and better if we work together! I won't say more. As the elder, I'll drink first!" Han Zhong finished the wine in the cup. "Let me say one more thing. I hope everyone in our family will have a smooth work and study. I wish our motherland good weather and more prosperity!"

"Good!" Bi Qiuguo and Bi Weiguo applauded Uncle Han.

Han Kemei: ...Dad's taste has suddenly risen so high.

"Okay, let's eat!"

Everyone at the table picked up their chopsticks and picked up their favorite dishes.

Sweet and sour spare ribs were not cooked. Instead, Han Zhong and Han Kemei, father and daughter, had candied apples. The syrup coating the outer layer of the apple was stretched out long, and Han Kemei rolled it three times before breaking it. When the candied apple was put into the mouth, the outside was crispy, and the outer layer of the apple was soft and tender when touched by the teeth, but the inside was still crispy.

Bi Chunliu, Xing Fei and Bi Weiguo all ordered the crispy pork hotpot, which was topped with vermicelli, cabbage, black fungus, pork and a generous layer of bean sprouts. Bi Chunliu was most satisfied with the bean sprouts, which tasted fresh and crispy.

Sisters Bi Xiahe and Bi Qiuguo, one of them picked up their chopsticks and moved towards the cold pork liver, while the other was obsessed with the meat. Before she had even chewed the one in her mouth, her eyes were already fixed on the next piece of meat.

It turned out that none of the seven people had small appetites. Even the oldest one, Han Zhong, was one of the main eaters.

Bi Chunliu had been worried about leftovers, but she hadn't expected the seven of them to finish most of the food, even sharing a bowl of tomato and egg soup. Well, if they all went to a buffet together, they'd definitely scare the boss with their food, Bi Chunliu thought.