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It's the third update today!

In the end, the whole pot of bean paste was burnt. There were no sticky rice cakes, but we could make bean buns.

In the past, when the harvest was good, every household would steam several pots of sticky rice cakes, which were eaten in the morning and evening, and could also be served to guests.

But we didn't plant any glutinous rice this year, so what are we going to steam?

However, I can use sweet potato flour to steam bean buns. I don't have much sweet potato flour left at home, so I'm thinking of grinding it slowly in the evening using a small mill in my online space, rather than going out and attracting attention.

All the main dishes are ready; they just need to be steamed.

I took out the rice I grew myself from my storage space. Because I ground it with a small mill, there were some broken grains, so it wouldn't attract attention. I don't want to go without rice for the New Year; it's exhausting!

Hearing the knock on the door, it was Liu Jingze's mother. "What did you bring me, Auntie?" Zhang Hongmei asked as she saw her carrying a bag of flour.

"Hehe, I ground the glutinous rice your third uncle gave me into flour last time, and I'll bring you some steamed sticky rice cakes to eat."

"Auntie, I just finished making the bean paste and was thinking of steaming sweet potato noodles since I didn't have any sticky dough, but I didn't expect you to bring it to me."

"That means you're lucky, girl. I have to go back now; there's still some bean paste stuck in the pot."

It's like my wish came true; I wish there were spare ribs.

"Hongmei, open the door!"

"Brother Dashan? What's going on here?"

"I brought you some spare ribs? Didn't you buy a lot last year? I bought them today because I'm slaughtering a pig."

"My goodness, are my words really that effective? And how much money is involved in the mountain?"

"Including the pig's trotters, it weighed a total of 25 jin, at 5 mao per jin, and I paid 12 yuan."

Zhang Hongmei happily carried the ribs into the yard, chuckling to herself as if she'd become a demigod.

I'm not stewing pork ribs today. I'll put them in the big vat in the yard, take the key, and go to Zhang Xingguo's yard to heat up the kang (heated brick bed) and do some cleaning.

Zhang Hongmei only planted radishes in this yard; she didn't plant anything else because it was too dry, and even the radishes were quite small. In the end, she shredded them all and waited for Zhang Xingguo and the others to come and take them back.

On the morning of the 29th, Er Ya brought Zhang Hongmei a basket of chestnuts, all of them blanched. This year, Zhang Hongmei couldn't buy any candy, so when the children came, she could only give them some blanched soybeans and pine nuts. With chestnuts, they could at least have a change of pace.

"Hongmei, when are you going to the city? Have you packed all your things? My dad said he'd like to take you there by bus?"

"It takes a whole day to get there by train. Why don't you come with me? We can carry it in two trips."

"Is it okay? You have too much stuff, you'll probably need tickets."

"We'll take the tickets, it's better than rushing to catch the bus. We can just wait for the second one in the village."

"Let's go on the thirteenth, go home for the festival on the fifteenth, and then ride bicycles together on the sixteenth."

"It'll probably be a hassle. Zhu Zi and I have already taken out our bedding to wash. Let's take the oxcart to school instead; we have too much luggage."

“Okay, I’ll ride my bike to the city myself that day. I’ll bring all the odds and ends.”

"Oh right, my mom said today's meal is sorghum rice and cabbage stew with tofu. I'm so hungry."

"I also like sorghum rice. The cornbread is made by grinding the corn kernels into the dough, which makes it hard to swallow."

"I wonder what the high school cafeteria is like? Anyway, the food at my school always gives me heartburn."

"It's the same, the food is all brought by the students themselves, how good can it be? I don't eat at school, I bring my own food. When you go to high school, you don't have to live on campus, you can cook your own meals at home."

"Sigh! I'm so conflicted. You said you're taking the college entrance exam next year, which should be a happy occasion, but we can't be together anymore."

"You can stay at my house even when I'm not there, right?"

"We'll see when the time comes. I'd rather use the time I would spend running back and forth to home to read more books."

"We'll see when the time comes!"

"Yes, it's a bit too early to worry about that now."

Zhang Hongmei carried the bowl and accompanied Er Ya home to get it, and then they went to the canteen together.

In the afternoon, when I had nothing to do, I read some old newspapers. When the children came over, I turned on the radio and sang along with them.

Around 4 PM, we went to Zhang Xing's house to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed). We also prepared the dough for them to cut into noodles when they arrived.

We ate dinner in the cafeteria again, and it wasn't until after 7 p.m. that we heard the sound of cars outside.

Zhang Hongmei opened the door and saw Wang Xiaoshun jump out of the car, grinning foolishly at her. Then Zhang Shouyi and Zhang Xingguo also got out of the car.

"Hongmei, you're all grown up now, have you missed me?"

"Yes, I've thought about it. Uncle Zhang, Brother Zhang, and Brother Xiaoshun, I've thought about it too."

Zhang Shouyi stood in front of Zhang Hongmei and asked, "You really miss me? But I haven't received a single letter from you."

"I don't know how to write letters, and besides, don't I always reply to Uncle Zhang's letters?"

"Hehe, that's for my dad, not for me."

"They're all the same, they all carry my thoughts and blessings."

Zhang Xingguo watched the two bickering and felt secretly pleased. His son had been keeping a straight face every day since he went back home, and was so busy that he was rarely seen.

It was only because I casually mentioned wanting to spend the New Year at Hongmei's place that he worked overtime for a month and managed to free up ten days to come with me.

Wang Xiaoshun quickly carried things into the house. "Uncle Zhang, why did you bring so much stuff? I'm going to high school in the city when school starts, and there's not enough for the few of us to finish it all."

"If you can't finish it, I'll send it to the city for you." Zhang Shouyi didn't quite like Zhang Hongmei's politeness.

"When did you deliver it? What if I come back too early?"

"I'm leaving on the ninth day, so I'll see you off that day."

"No need, I'm planning to go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"You can come stay at my house. They have bedding, and the cafeteria has bowls, so it's fine, isn't it?"

"Alright then. I'll save myself the trouble. Uncle Zhang, I'll roll out the noodles. There's hot water in that pot, you guys can wash up."

Zhang Hongmei made a large bowl of hot sauerkraut noodle soup, added six poached eggs, and served them chili oil, a bowl of pickled vegetables, a plate of cabbage hearts mixed with bean curd slices, and a plate of peanuts.

"Would you like some Hongmei too?"

"I'm not eating anymore, I already ate my fill in the cafeteria."

"The food in the cafeteria can't compare to the food at home," Zhang Xingguo mumbled.

"I'm full, so I won't eat anymore."

After the three of them finished eating, only half a bowl of pickled vegetables remained on the table.

Zhang Hongmei: You're still letting me eat this? If you all eat it all, what am I supposed to eat?

Zhang Shouyi got up to help carry the table, but Zhang Hongmei refused, saying, "I'll finish this little bit of work right away. You guys take a rest. I've already heated up the kang (heated brick bed) in your house. Go to sleep if you're tired."

"I'm tired, I'm getting old, I can't do anything right anymore, you young people chat for a while." After saying that, Zhang Xingguo took the keys from Zhang Hongmei and left.

Wang Xiaoshun also went along; he had to help the leader boil some water for soaking his feet.

"Brother Zhang, you must be tired. Go back and rest. Come back and chat again tomorrow."

"I'm not tired. I slept in the car. I came to see what I brought you, including some foreign bread."