A large basket of dumplings was put into the boiling water pot. Each white and fragrant dumpling looked like a silver ingot. The sun poured in from the window, and the mist rolled in front of the stove. The whole room was filled with the faint smell of smoke and dumplings.

Grandma Xie smiled and said, "Hurry up and get the bowls and seasonings. It's time to eat the dumplings!"

Xie Fei and Xie Zhao both went to wash their hands, while Cheng Yaoyao picked up the pig's large intestine and said he wanted to stir-fry it: "This stir-fried pig's intestine should be eaten right after it's been fried. Now is the perfect time to put it in the pot!"

Grandma Xie is good at cleaning pig offal. She uses a little coarse salt and half a spoon of rapeseed oil to clean the pig's large intestines, lymph nodes and most of the fat. Oil is expensive these days, and the fat on the pig's large intestines can be eaten. However, Grandma Xie never eats it, and she doesn't let the children eat it either. She buries it in the vegetable garden as fertilizer.

Cheng Yaoyao threw the pig intestines into boiling water to blanch them, removed the remaining mucus, took them out, washed them with cold water, and cut them into small pieces. He chopped the green onions, ginger, and garlic, threw them into the oil pan to sauté, quickly stir-fried the pig intestines, added soy sauce, salt, and chili sauce, and stir-fried them for two or three times, then poured in the chili peppers and green onions and stir-fried until they were cooked.

This dish of stir-fried pig intestines is simple to make, and the key is to master the heat. If you stir-fry it for a little longer, it will be overcooked. Cheng Yaoyao stir-fried the pig intestines, which were soft, tender and chewy, and evenly coated with sauce and spicy sauce. They smelled fragrant and tasted even better.

A big pot of hot white dumplings, a plate of spicy fried pork intestines, a dish of pickled cucumbers, a dish of spicy cabbage, and a plate of vinegar pork fried at noon. This late New Year's Eve dinner was quite sumptuous.

Everyone sat around the table, and the kerosene lamp was lit early, so the kitchen was bright. A large bowl of dumplings was placed in front of each person, and oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili sauce were placed on the table, as well as a small dish of ground garlic. You could adjust the flavor to your taste. There was also a pot of hot dumpling soup, which was the original soup and the original food.

Xie Zhao took out the soda and opened a bottle for each of them. Countless tiny bubbles rose from the narrow glass bottle, exuding a cool fruity aroma.

Cheng Yaoyao started to make a noise: "Before we eat, let grandma say a few words! Applause!"

Xie Zhao and Xie Fei applauded enthusiastically.

Grandma Xie held up a soda and said with a smile, "Finally, the family is reunited. Today is our New Year's Eve dinner. Grandma wishes you all good health and everything goes well. I hope Yaoyao and Zhaoger can get into college soon, and Xiaofei will have a smooth career! And Jianjian, stay healthy and grow fatter!"

Jianjian, who was lying on the stove eating meat, heard it and raised his chubby face: "Yeah! Yeah!"

Everyone couldn't help laughing. Cheng Yaoyao and the other two raised their sodas and said in unison, "I wish grandma a long life and good health!"

Grandma Xie said happily: "Okay, okay!"

The soda bottles collided with each other with a crisp sound. Cheng Yaoyao clinked his soda bottles with his grandmother and Xie Fei, then turned around and clinked his soda bottles with Xie Zhao. Under the light, Xie Zhao's eyes sparkled, as if they contained a sky full of stars. The cold soda turned into wine, making Cheng Yaoyao's cheeks hot.

It was Xie Fei's first time to drink soda. She drank it in one gulp and it made her head hurt. It was stimulating and powerful. She said happily, "Brother, soda tastes really good."

Xie Zhao said: "Yaoyao bought it for you."

"Sister Yaoyao is so nice to me!" Xie Fei coquettishly hugged Cheng Yaoyao's arm, causing Xie Zhao to look at her deeply.

Grandma Xie took out three red envelopes from her pocket and said, "Here, one for each of you. Keep them well."

"Thank you, grandma!" Cheng Yaoyao said sweetly and took it with both hands. He squeezed it and found something hard inside. Cheng Yaoyao was curious and looked at Xie Zhao and Xie Fei, but they looked normal.

Cheng Yaoyao had no choice but to suppress his curiosity and put the red envelope in his pocket. Opening the red envelope in front of others was a very uncultured behavior.

Grandma Xie took the lead in picking up a dumpling and took a bite, urging, "Eat it quickly. It will get cold if you don't eat it now. Eat it while it's hot!"

Xie Zhao and Xie Fei were very considerate and took the lead in picking up a piece of fried pig intestines. Xie Fei immediately showed a surprised expression: "It's delicious! Sister Yaoyao, this pig intestine has no strange taste at all, it's delicious!"

Xie Zhao didn't say anything, but just took another bite with chopsticks. Grandma Xie also tasted it and said, "Mm, it's delicious! Yaoyao is really good at cooking. In the past, I added a lot of spices to the offal we brought back from our family, but it either had a weird smell or was overcooked. This fat intestine is fragrant, tender, smooth and crispy, it's delicious!"

Cheng Yaoyao said proudly: "This is my grandfather's specialty, he would not make it easily!"

"You're fussy again." Grandma Xie put two dumplings in her bowl. "Eat them quickly or they'll get cold."

Cheng Yaoyao scooped up a dumpling and was about to eat it. The whole family stared at her and said, "Blow on it before you eat it!"

"..." Cheng Yaoyao blew on it and then took a bite. The soft dumpling skin broke open, and the fresh and fragrant boiling juice inside overflowed. The dumpling was filled with a meatball, which was fresh, tender and chewy, and it was so delicious.

A plate of raw fried pork intestines with dumplings was quickly eaten up cleanly, especially Xie Zhao, who put the dumplings into his mouth without taking a breath and finished a big bowl of dumplings in the blink of an eye.

Grandma Xie went to cook another pot. This time, she cooked fennel dumplings, which were fragrant and appetizing. People in Tianshui Village rarely eat fennel, and it was the first time for the Xie family to make fennel dumplings. After taking a bite, Grandma Xie said, "These fennel dumplings are really delicious!"

"Is it delicious?" Cheng Yaoyao was not too hungry anymore, so he scooped up a dumpling and blew it slowly: "There are also corn and pork fillings, and cucumber and egg fillings. I will make them for you in the future."

Xie Zhao directly moved the dumplings he had dried in front of Cheng Yaoyao and took away her bowl of hot dumplings.

Cheng Yaoyao said coquettishly: "You don't even put vinegar in this bowl!"

Xie Zhao scooped some vinegar into her bowl, and Cheng Yaoyao pointed at a fat dumpling and said, "This dumpling doesn't look good, take it away. Not that one, this one!"

After the dumplings were replaced, Cheng Yaoyao wanted to eat pickled radishes, so Xie Zhao put down his bowl and scooped some for her from the pickled vegetable jar. Cheng Yaoyao teased Xie Zhao for a long time, and Xie Fei noticed it and looked at Grandma Xie secretly.

Grandma Xie picked up a piece of spicy cabbage for Xie Fei and said, "Eat it quickly."

This spoiled girl is unreasonable but still stubborn. When she got home today, she ran into the matchmaker for Zhao Ge'er. If she is not allowed to vent her anger, she will have something to complain about in the future.

Cheng Yaoyao ate the pickled radish shreds and finally gave Xie Zhao a piece of pickled pork: "I'll make some sweet soup later!"

Xie Zhao smiled in a flattered and surprised way. Grandma Xie was too embarrassed to watch, and the little guilt she had felt towards her grandson disappeared completely. He was such a loser!

After dinner, the table was cleared and the windows were opened to let out the smell of food. Xie Fei rinsed two large pots clean, filled them with water, and boiled them over the remaining fire. This was for the whole family to wash.

The whole family was still sitting in the kitchen, resting. The stove was burning, and the kitchen was warmer than outside. Cheng Yaoyao cooked a pot of peach gum and water chestnut sweet soup, which was the most nourishing drink in the dry winter.

After taking a sip of the sweet soup, Grandma Xie let out a long sigh. Only then did she realize how much she missed Cheng Yaoyao's bowl of sweet soup. Xie Zhao and Xie Fei also had the same look on their faces. This coquettish girl had already integrated into the lives of the Xie family and became an inseparable part of them.

Grandma Xie held a cup of hot soup, her eyes full of experience thinking about something behind the mist. Xie Fei and Cheng Yaoyao were facing each other, unpacking packages on the clean dining table. Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao brought back a lot of things from Shanghai, all of which Xie Fei had never seen before.

Every time a package was opened, Xie Fei would let out a small cry of surprise and chatter away, asking Cheng Yaoyao what it was.

"This is a hair dryer I bought from Friendship Store." Cheng Yaoyao held up the hair dryer and showed it to Xie Fei, "Just plug it in and you can blow dry your hair."

Xie Fei exclaimed in amazement, holding the hair dryer and looking at it over and over again: "It's a pity that we don't have electricity at home..."

Xie Zhao added: "The village will have electricity in the spring, and we will then pull a wire to our house."

Xie Fei was excited and scared at the same time: "Really?! In our village, only the brigade office has electricity. Can our home also have electricity?"

Cheng Yaoyao said happily: "Great! Once we have the power cables, we can buy a refrigerator and a TV!"

"TV!" Xie Fei almost fainted. "We can buy a TV too! I heard that TV is used to play movies at home. Is there really someone in it?"

The two of them were getting happier as they talked, but Grandma Xie poured cold water on them, saying, "Don't be so happy, it's nothing. Let's wait until everyone in the village has electricity. We can't be the first to do so."

Cheng Yaoyao's mouth flattened. Xie Zhao said, "The captain told me that by then every household will have their own electric wires, and it's up to them whether to use them or not."

Cheng Yaoyao immediately perked up again, secretly squeezed his eyes with Xie Fei, and the two of them huddled together and started whispering again.

Grandma Xie said to Xie Zhao, "You are indulging her even more! Xiao Fei has also become ambitious."

"It's better if Xiao Fei is more lively." Xie Zhao had a gentle smile in his eyes, staring at Cheng Yaoyao who was talking and laughing with Xie Fei. The red light from the fire reflected Cheng Yaoyao's fair face, and her eyes were rolling, making her look more and more charming, making people want to hold her in their hands.

Grandma Xie stood up unhappily and pounded her arms: "You've been making a fuss all day, go wash up and go to bed. We'll open the gate early tomorrow morning, Yaoyao, you have to get up too."

Cheng Yaoyao raised his head: "Me?"

Xie Zhao knew that she was not happy to get up early, so he tried to help her, but then he heard Grandma Xie say, "Tomorrow people from the village will come to pay New Year's greetings. You are my grandson's wife, so don't you need to help greet them?"

"Hey, hey?" Cheng Yaoyao widened his eyes in surprise.

Grandma Xie walked out of the kitchen with her hands behind her back, muttering, "It's better to settle it earlier, so that the matchmaker won't come to our house again."

In the past, Grandma Xie always wanted to wait until Xie Zhao was admitted to university before seriously proposing marriage. This was the first time she agreed. Cheng Yaoyao didn't think much of it, but when he turned around and looked at Xie Zhao, his usually stern face was like spring water thawing, and he was already full of joy that he couldn't hide.

Medicinal herbs and straw raincoats were hung on the wall of the storage room. The candlelight flickered, and the room was filled with moisture and a faint medicinal fragrance.

Cheng Yaoyao said lovingly: "I miss you so much..."

Xie Zhao, who had brought in the hot water, felt warm in his heart and looked at Cheng Yaoyao. However, she was lying on the edge of the wooden barrel, with her face pressed against the edge, sighing with love.

If she were to say what she missed the most about Xie's house, this bathtub would definitely be in the top three. After soaking in the bathtub for a few months, the hot water made her aching muscles and bones relax. Cheng Yaoyao put her wet black hair like seaweed behind her head, revealing a small face that was steamed more tenderly by the hot steam: "Xie Zhao, did you secretly use my bathtub when I was not at home?"

"No." Xie Zhao turned his head and looked straight ahead. He scooped up a few ladles of hot water and slowly added it to the bathtub.

"My bathtub is still the most comfortable." Cheng Yaoyao was floating in the bathtub.

Xie Zhao said: "Is the bathroom in Shanghai not good?"

"Not good. Although there is hot water, every time I take a shower they knock on the door to urge me to take a shower. The bathtub is the one they have used before, so I don't want to use it." Cheng Yaoyao said casually while washing his hair seriously.

What Cheng Yaoyao didn't say was that when Cheng Yaoyao was at the Cheng family, every time he took a long time to take a bath, Wei Shuying would either knock on the door on purpose or complain at the dinner table the next day, saying that there were four people in the family, but Cheng Yaoyao occupied the bathroom alone, preventing them from even going to the toilet. Only someone like Wei Shuying would bring up the issue of a girl's bathing at the dinner table. How could a girl like Cheng Yaoyao have the nerve to argue with her about her own bathing? As a father, Cheng Zheng couldn't intervene too much, either pretending not to hear or scolding him a few words, which didn't hurt. This kind of trivial matter doesn't hurt, but over the years it is the fault of the malicious person. Cheng Yaoyao couldn't stand it, let alone the original owner who had a bad temper.

Xie Zhao felt as if his heart was being squeezed. He never wanted to see someone who suffered any grievances, but now he was seeing someone who suffered grievances in his own home. Xie Zhao reached out and held Cheng Yaoyao's wet, white hand: "Sister, I will give you a home of our own in the future."

I won’t let you suffer any injustice from others again.

Cheng Yaoyao understood Xie Zhao's unfinished intention. With black hair and red lips, Cheng Yaoyao's wet water dripped down his small jaw. He leaned towards Xie Zhao like a fairy. The hot water overflowed the edge of the bucket, and Xie Zhao's forehead was sweating. In the medicinal perfume that filled the room, he accurately caught the sweet rose scent.

Cheng Yaoyao's sweetness was tinged with thorns: "Who allowed you to turn your head? You rascal."

Xie Zhao's cheeks were burning, and he quickly turned his head away, but he heard that cute voice mixed with a hint of anger: "... Turn back!"

Xie Zhao turned back suddenly, the scent of roses filled his face, and a soft and sweet kiss touched his lips: "Jiu."

…

When Cheng Yaoyao finished his shower and returned to the room, the bed was already covered with a thick mattress and quilt, which had been exposed to the sun all day and was soft and smelled of soap. As soon as Xie Zhao let go, Cheng Yaoyao rolled into the quilt and his feet touched a filled hot water bag.

"Is it warm enough?" Xie Zhao reached out and touched the quilt.

"That's enough." Cheng Yaoyao then took out the red envelope that Grandma Xie had given him and said, "Let me see your red envelope."

Xie Zhao took it out and handed it to her. When she opened it, she saw that it was two new yuan. Cheng Yaoyao was surprised and asked, "It's different from mine. Could it be that mine is coins?"

Cheng Yaoyao opened her red envelope and Xie Zhao looked at it with her. It turned out to be a golden copper coin: "What is this?"

Xie Zhao said: "This is money. It is made of gold."

"It's really gold! No wonder it's heavier than a copper coin." Cheng Yaoyao looked at the gold coin that looked exactly like a copper coin, "Isn't this very precious?"

Xie Zhao said: "When I was a child, my grandmother used this to relieve her stress."

"One per person?"

"One for each person."

"..." Cheng Yaoyao took a closer look at Xie Zhao, and after confirming that he was not joking, he took a breath and asked, "How much did that stress-reduction activity cost?"

Xie Zhao couldn't help but ruffle her hair: "We asked adults to save all the New Year's money for us, and it's considered private money."

Xie Zhao's palm was warm, and Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help rubbing it. She remembered that in the dream of the Red Mansion, the Jia family always gave people a lot of gold and silver ingots, so this amount of gold coins was not exaggerated.

Cheng Yaoyao put the gold coins into his small purse and lay down in the quilt. He asked curiously, "Why didn't you use the gold to exchange for food?"

What Cheng Yaoyao was asking was, since the Xie family lived in such a difficult situation in the past, but Grandma Xie did not take out this gold, could this gold coin have any special meaning?

Xie Zhao smiled slightly and said, "This is the only one left in the family. Grandma left it for her grandson's wife."

"Bah, who is your wife?" Cheng Yaoyao hid his face in the quilt. After a while, a white and tender hand reached out again and grabbed the small purse in a flash.

Xie Zhao's shoulders trembled, and he leaned over and hugged the quilt together, his heart full of sweetness.

The second day of the Chinese New Year was a good day. There was a frost last night. The black tiles were covered with white, and icicles hung under the eaves. The farmers in Tianshui Village loved this good weather. A night of frost could kill many pests, and next year there would be a good harvest!

Xie Zhao got up early in the morning, used a ladle to break the thin layer of ice on the water jar, scooped water to water the vegetables. Then he drew a few buckets of water from the well to fill the water jar. The Xie family's well was very deep, and the water was steaming and warm to the touch.

Xie Zhao brushed his teeth, washed his face, and poured the remaining water into the ditch. The noise startled the chickens in the chicken coop, and they began to cluck and jostle for food.

On the pile of firewood next to the chicken coop was a gourd filled with rice bran and chopped grasshoppers. Xie Zhao also picked up a handful of green vegetable leaves, chopped them up with a rusty kitchen knife, mixed them with the rice bran, and poured them into the chicken feeder.

A dozen yellow or ochre-colored hens jumped into the basin and scrambled to eat. A little rooster with a red crown stood proudly on the top of the pen, not competing with the hens for food. Xie Zhao sprinkled some food on it alone. This was the little rooster chosen by Cheng Yaoyao, and the whole family always preferred it.

The door of the east room creaked open. Grandma Xie had combed her hair and was wearing a brand new red cotton jacket. She buttoned her collar while saying, "Zhao'er, I've told you so many times that you don't have to do this job! You just came back from Shanghai, why don't you sleep a little longer? Put it down, let grandma do it."

Grandma Xie stole the gourd from Xie Zhao's hand, so Xie Zhao picked up a big broom made of bamboo sticks and swept the yard. The dew on the bluestone floor tiles had frozen, and when exposed to the sun, they became slippery, so it was easy for Grandma Xie to fall.

Grandma Xie added water to the chicken feeder while scolding, "Can't you take a break?"

Xie Zhao said without even raising his head: "Not tired."

Grandma Xie's heart was as warmed as if she had drunk a cup of boiling hot tea in the middle of winter. This eldest grandson had been taciturn since childhood due to family misfortunes, but he was a very filial and considerate person.

After Xie Zhao finished sweeping the yard, he wanted to chop firewood again. Grandma Xie pressed down hard: "Daguan sent two loads of firewood a few days ago. Don't be busy! Go and wake up Yaoyao. Someone will definitely come to the house today. Don't sleep in."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhao immediately rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and went to Cheng Yaoyao's room.

Grandma Xie was both angry and amused. This grandson was good in every way except that he was too attached to his wife, just like his father.

When Cheng Yaoyao woke up in the morning, he heard the chickens clucking in the yard and the sound of Grandma Xie busying around in the yard. Cheng Yaoyao didn't even blink, and called out in a long voice: "Xie Zhao——"