The meal was ready quickly. The Lin family had a sumptuous reception tonight. Mother Lin braised a large pig's trotter, stewed an old hen, had a big bowl of spicy shrimp, and several vegetarian dishes, filling the table with dishes.
"Mom, where did you buy these shrimps?"
Jing County is an inland county, and it is usually difficult to buy sea shrimps. River shrimps are very common, but not often bought.
"Last week, our department director went on a business trip to an eastern coastal city, and a few of us asked him to bring back some seafood. Shrimp are hard to carry, so the ones we brought back were all frozen, but they tasted pretty good when made into spicy shrimp."
Mother Lin placed the last dish on the table and introduced it to her husband and sons with a smile on her face: "Here, this is the dried orchid that Xiaoshan made herself, and this cold bean curd was made by Huaying and Xiaojiang. It tastes really good. You should try it too."
"My daughter made this, I had to try it."
Father Lin picked up his chopsticks and greeted the two guests: "Huaying, Xiao Jiang, you've been traveling all day, so eat more tonight. Eat whatever you like, don't be polite."
"Yes, uncle."
This wasn't Yun Huaying's first time eating at the Lin family, so she was pretty familiar with them. She picked up her chopsticks and picked up a shrimp for Jiang Yuan, "Jiang Yuan, eat."
Lin Shan also picked up some food for her parents and brothers, and ate some shrimp herself. She smiled and said, "My mom's cooking skills are getting better and better. These shrimp are fragrant and spicy, and they go well with rice."
"You said in your letter before that you learned a lot of new dishes from Huaying. This year's reunion dinner for the New Year depends on your performance."
As Lin's mother spoke, she cut the pig's trotters into pieces and gave each of the three girls a large piece. She greeted the guests, "Jiang Yuan, Hua Ying, try the pig's trotters. They've been steamed for two hours, so they should be soft and mushy."
"Thank you, auntie."
Jiang Yuan likes the warm atmosphere in their family very much, with a kind father and loving mother, harmonious brothers, and mutual respect and love. This is the happiness of a family.
You will never experience this kind of warm happiness in her home.
Lin Shan had been smiling since she returned home. She scooped a large spoonful of chicken for each of her two brothers and said to them with a smile, "I'll buy another chicken tomorrow and make you steamed chicken in lotus leaves. Huaying taught me this. I guarantee you'll be drooling over it."
A few days ago, they made steamed chicken in lotus leaves. The three of them sat around the stove and ate the whole chicken with sauce. I still miss the fragrance.
Brother Lin looked at her and smiled, "You have good food over there."
"That's a must."
Lin Shan boasted, her smile thick. "Our standard of living is impeccable. We have eggs for breakfast, meat for lunch and dinner, pork, pheasant, and rabbit. Our staple food is rice and noodles, alternating between them. Jiang Yuan is an expert at making noodles, and all the kinds of noodles she makes are delicious."
During the winter snowy period, they also insisted on going to the mountains to set bait and traps, and brought back a lot of pheasants and rabbits. Except for those eaten fresh, they all smoked them into dried goods.
There were thirty or forty dried goods stored in the cabinet before. A week ago, Yun Huaying took them to the county town to find He Jun to sell them. The three of them each got more than twenty yuan.
They also kept ten. Lin Shan took two home, Jiang Yuan sent two to her eldest sister, and they took all the other Yunhuaying trees, planning to give some to their uncle and the Han family to eat during the New Year.
After dinner, Yun Huaying planned to visit her teacher's home. She had originally planned to go tomorrow morning, but she just learned from Lin's father that Teacher Zhao's husband had been transferred to the city for work, and they were packing their luggage and would move out in the next two days, so she made a temporary decision to go there tonight.
Yun Huaying took a cloth bag and filled it with milk powder and malted milk, and also used a small bag to fill it with some high-quality wild Gastrodia elata and ginseng. She also took some commonly used good medicines and medicinal teas that she prepared herself, and two pieces of homemade bacon. After packing everything up, she was ready to go out.
"Huaying, let's go together."
Lin Shan also prepared some gifts. In her hands were a collection of children's stories and three sets of works published by the Youth Daily. She said with a smile, "I'm going to give a set of these works to the teacher."
The other members of the Lin family also changed into thick cotton-padded jackets and planned to accompany them to the teacher's house for a visit. Jiang Yuan also went with them.
Just as they reached Teacher Zhao's house, Yun Huaying saw her going downstairs to take out the trash and ran over with a smile: "Teacher Zhao."
"Jacaranda."
Teacher Zhao smiled happily, quickly threw the garbage into the bucket next to him, and strode over. "When did you come back?"
"Arrived this afternoon."
Yun Huaying also smiled brightly in front of the teacher. Noticing that the teacher had lost a lot of weight in the past six months, she hurriedly asked, "Teacher Zhao, how come you've lost so much weight in the past six months? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine. I've had a lot of things going on at home over the past six months. My mom and mother-in-law aren't in good health, and I've been taking care of both of them, and planning my son's wedding. I've been so busy that I've lost some weight."
Teacher Zhao was very happy to see her. She was obviously not as cold as before, with a smile on her face. He pulled her aside and asked, "Is your fiancé here?"
"He didn't come this time because he was busy with work. I'll bring him to visit next time."
While they were talking, Lin Shan and the others came over. She also smiled and called out, "Teacher Zhao."
"Lin Shan, you're back too."
Seeing the Lin family all arrived, Teacher Zhao smiled and greeted them, praising her: "I heard from your parents that you performed very well as an educated youth in the countryside, you have a strong ability to adapt, and you have even published an article and a book."
"Hehe, I came here today just to show off to you." Lin Shan waved the book in her hand.
"Haha, then the teacher must appreciate it."
Teacher Zhao smiled broadly and looked at the only unfamiliar face. "Who is this?"
"Teacher Zhao, this is our friend Jiang Yuan, also an educated youth who went to the countryside. She is from S Province. She didn't go home for the New Year, so we invited her to come and visit." Yun Huaying introduced her.
"Hello, Teacher Zhao." Jiang Yuan called out with a smile.
"Comrade Jiang Yuan, hello, welcome."
Teacher Zhao greeted everyone with a smile and said, "Come on, it's cold outside. Let's talk at home. We can sit down and have a good chat."
There are only Teacher Zhao and his wife at home. Their children are all married and have their own families, and they all live alone outside. This time, because her husband has been transferred to another job, the couple are packing their luggage at home and have decided to move to the city tomorrow afternoon. It is just in time for them to come here today.
Teacher Zhao’s husband was also a warm-hearted person. He treated them with the best tea and brought out all kinds of delicious food at home for them to eat.
"Lin Shan, Huaying is dating someone and is getting married. Do you have a partner?" Teacher Zhao was also concerned about her personal affairs.
"Not yet. I don't have any idea for the time being. Both of my brothers are still single and not married. I'm not in a hurry. Maybe later." Lin Shan answered frankly and generously.
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