Chapter 163 Another Year (Page 1/2)

The next morning, Lin Man asked Huo Qinghuan to help take care of her son, while she and Liao Sijie started to get busy.

She didn't clean the house during the Little New Year, so she planned to do a thorough cleaning before Liao Sijie returned.

She took down all the bedding in the three rooms and washed them. Lin Man was washing the quilts, and Liao Sijie carefully wiped the windows, removing the dust and cobwebs one by one, even the cobwebs on the walls and door cracks.

By ten o'clock, the quilts were washed and the house was cleaned. Lin Man took Liao Sijie to the kitchen to fry pork belly, meatballs, fish fillets, and make lard...

Then he started preparing lunch, and after lunch he started preparing things for Liao Sijie to take back home.

Lin Man prepared for her a braised pig's trotter, three pounds of fragrant braised pork, a piece of pork belly and a bag of freshly fried meatballs.

Thinking of her aunt's large family, she took some extra things for her, including two lively groupers, a bag of fat shrimps and crabs, ten pounds of flour, and a few pounds of candies, biscuits and apples.

Lin Man put all these things in a woven bag. Huo Qingci was worried that his cousin couldn't carry so many things by herself.

I plan to lend her my bike for a few days. After all, her home is not far from her workplace, and it only takes about ten minutes to walk there.

"Si Jie, you can't carry all these things by yourself. Why don't you just ride your bike back and come back on the third day of junior high school?"

"Cousin, that's not good, right? Aren't you afraid that I'll fall into a ditch while riding your bike? It would be troublesome if the bike was broken."

"It's okay if he fell. As long as he's okay, it's fine. Go back early and tell your parents that we won't be visiting for the New Year."

In the past, when I visited my aunt to wish her a happy new year, I would mainly send her some delicious food. Now that I send the food, they don’t come to visit me anymore. It is indeed not very convenient to travel with two children.

What's more, my aunt's residence doesn't even have a place to stay, and they would just be causing trouble for them if they went there.

After Liao Sijie left, there were only four people left at home. Lin Man still prepared a large table of dishes for the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve.

There are four-happiness meatballs, taro braised pork, a braised food platter, steamed grouper, steamed lobster with garlic and a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup.

Looking at the untouched braised pork on the table, Lin Man couldn't help but think of the scene last year when her mother-in-law, grandfather, and aunt's family accompanied them to celebrate the New Year.

It’s lively and fun when there are many people around, and everyone enjoys eating. Last year, there was nothing left out of ten dishes, but this year I only made six, and some of them were barely touched.

After Lin Man cleaned up the dishes, she went back to her room and got two red envelopes, giving one to Huo Qinghuan and one to her son, then sat on the sofa and chatted with Huo Qingci.

"Qingci, I think the New Year will be more lively when there are more people at home."

Huo Qingci smiled and said, "Yes, the New Year is more lively when there are more people. Grandpa is old, and I want to go back early and spend a few more years with him."

"If you go back, will you go back to the same hospital?"

"Not necessarily. Grandpa might want to send me to the Air Force Hospital so that I can be closer to my parents and see them more often."

"Oh, I see! Your brother will definitely live at home after his wedding. We can't possibly live there, right?"

"No, Qinghuan also wants to go back and live there. There aren't enough rooms, so we might have to stay in the family quarters of the military hospital."

After hearing what Huo Qingci said, Lin Man wondered if her grandfather was already trying to find a way to transfer him back.

Lin Man suddenly said, "Qingci, are we going back this year for your brother's wedding?"

"Manman, didn't you say before that school might resume? If it does, we'll send Qinghuan back home and let Dad and the others meet Ningning."

If the school really resumes classes, he will send his brother back to school. He can't let his brother stay here to study.

After being here for a year and a half, not only does he hardly understand the local dialect, his younger brother understands it even less. After all, studies are a big deal and cannot be delayed.

(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 163 Another Year (Page 2/2)

Huo Qingci stood up, grabbed two candies from the fruit bowl on the table, peeled one and put it into Lin Man's mouth, then put one into his own mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it, saying:

"I remember when my grandmother was still alive, she always liked to keep the candies given to her by relatives until Chinese New Year. As a result, all the candies melted. In order to avoid wasting them, we could only lick the candy wrappers before eating them."

"Did you like sweets when you were a kid?"

"well enough."

After Huo Qingci finished speaking, he suddenly saw Huo Qinghuan holding a candy and letting his son lick it. He hurriedly stopped him, "Huo Qinghuan, Ningning is still young, you can't give him candy. What if he swallows the candy and gets it stuck?"

Huo Qinghuan explained: "Brother, I didn't let him eat it, I just asked him to lick it twice."

Lin Man picked up Huo Yining and sat down, then said to Huo Qinghuan, "Huanhuan, your brother is right. Ningning is teething now, so she must not eat sweets!

What's more, he is still so young. If he accidentally swallows the candy and can't spit it out, it will cost him his life!"

After hearing this, Huo Qingci nodded repeatedly, indicating that he fully agreed with Lin Man's statement.

Then, he narrated with a serious expression: "Last month, a five-year-old child died because he ate an orange-flavored hard candy and kept it in his mouth without chewing.

Somehow, the candy got stuck in my throat and I couldn't get it out. By the time I got to the hospital, I was already dead."

Hearing this, Huo Qingyan, who was standing by, turned pale with fear at the story told by his elder brother, and quickly apologized to his elder brother:

"Brother, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong. I will never give Ningning candy again."

Before going to sleep, Lin Man called Huo Qingci to her side and said earnestly:

"Whether adults or children, if something is stuck in their throat, they can use the Heimlich maneuver for emergency treatment."

Huo Qingci was very curious about this and quickly asked his mother what the Heimlich maneuver was.

Without a word, Lin Man pulled Huo Qingci up and stood up, ready to personally demonstrate and explain this life-saving method in detail...

…

During the Spring Festival, people usually prepare sumptuous dishes to bring good luck, especially those from wealthy families.

During this period, people rarely eat vegetarian dishes, but instead various meats are the main dishes.

Huo Family in Beijing

On New Year's Eve, Xiao Ya also carefully prepared six meat dishes: sweet and sour pork tenderloin that is bright red, oily, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant chicken soup stewed with red dates and longans, and steamed sea bass that is so tender that it melts in your mouth.

The soft, fragrant, fat but not greasy braised pork trotters, the sweet and fresh prawns, and the sweet and sour spare ribs are sour and delicious that will make you salivate.

Looking at the delicious food on the table, Huo Li couldn't help but recall the happy New Year time he spent with his eldest grandson on the island last year. He felt deeply moved: It's still more lively to celebrate the New Year with more people!

He looked at Huo Qingyan, whose eyes lit up, and said, "Qingyan, you're engaged. The day after tomorrow, you must remember to go to the Ling family to pay New Year's greetings to your father-in-law, and then stop by the Ye family on the way."

“Okay, Grandpa, I’ll remember that.”

At this time, Huo Junshan stood up and filled a glass of fragrant white wine for his father Huo Li, and said:

"Dad, can you find a way to get Qingci home for a reunion next year? My lovely grandson is already one year old, but I haven't even seen him once!"

Huo Li glanced at Huo Junshan, sighed helplessly and said, "Do you think I don't want them to come back? Some people were jealous and were eyeing your son covetously.

I was afraid that he would be plotted against, so I sent him to the island to avoid danger.