The lard residue was fried on the same day, sprinkled with sugar, and shared among the five children.
Sausage is actually pork sausage. After it is made, it needs to be tied tightly with white ropes and hung on a bamboo rack to dry for two days.
Sun Aiju built a rack in the yard and hung sausages on it. Da Wa and the other three had to check on it every two hours, for fear that stray cats and dogs would take away the sausages they coveted.
Two days later, the sausages were dried and New Year's Eve arrived.
Early in the morning, Ning Tang was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. She yawned and looked up, seeing two little heads standing in front of the bed.
Sanwa said, "Mom, shame on you. Why don't you get up?"
Erniu said, "That's right, grandma has already braided my hair into pigtails."
These days, Sun Aiju has been braiding her pigtails in different ways, making the little girl look so beautiful that she shows them off everywhere.
Ning Tang glanced at the sky and estimated it wasn't even seven o'clock yet. "It's so early, I might as well get some more sleep. Oh, and where's Da Wa?"
Chen Lie: "Dawa and Dezi were setting off firecrackers in the yard, saying it was the loudest on New Year's Eve."
...So she was just woken up by the firecrackers set off by the eldest child.
Ning Tang tried to take a nap, but the continuous sound of firecrackers, not only in her own yard, but also in the whole village, was deafening. She couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up.
I was holding a toothbrush and an enamel pot, preparing to go to the yard to wash up. As soon as I lifted the cotton curtain, I saw red firecracker shells all over the ground.
Looking again, Ningde was holding a stick of incense in his hand, and Da Wa was squatting next to him, screaming and yelling. There were several kinds of firecrackers placed at their feet, some of which were not even opened.
The eldest child saw her and said, "Mom, you're finally up."
"Today is the earliest day I've ever woken up, okay?" Ning Tang said, "It's all thanks to the sound of your firecrackers. I can still hear them even with my head covered with the quilt."
Big Boy nodded and said, "Then you should thank me. I woke you up."
Ning Tang really wanted to punch him and rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't be thanking you, these sausages should be thanking you. The smoke from the firecrackers you set off must have smoked the sausages again."
The eldest boy realized it later and suddenly jumped up, jumping three feet high, "Ah! My sausage!"
Ning Tang smiled at his back and nodded with satisfaction. You little bastard, you dare to fight with her.
Of course the sausages were fine. When Sun Aiju saw them starting to set off firecrackers, she put the bamboo rack into the house. Da Wa was just alarmed for a false alarm.
By the time he found it, the sausages were already out of the pot.
Sun Aiju stood in front of the stove, staring at Da Wa. The smell of frying sausages filled the air.
The sausages were cut into small pieces and fried in a pan. They were golden in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Big Boy couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
Originally, the sausages could have been steamed, after all, oil is expensive, but steamed sausages are definitely not as delicious as fried ones. In addition, lard was fried two days ago, so there was still plenty of oil at home. Sun Aiju gritted her teeth and chose to fry the sausages.
Seeing how greedy he was, Sun Aiju couldn't help but laugh. She picked up a few pieces of sausage from the plate and gave them to him. "Eat something first to fill your stomach."
The eldest child took it and said crisply, "Thank you, grandma."
"Hey." Sun Aiju smiled so much that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes popped out. She reminded him again, "Remember to give some to Erniu and Sanwa."
She only said that she would give one to Erniu and Sanwa, and let Zhou Yin take care of the twins.
From outside the house came the eldest child's voice, "Okay, Grandma."
Sun Aiju almost lost herself in the sound of "Grandma" and wished she could share the whole pot of fried sausages with her eldest son.
Da Wa brought the sausages to the main room and divided them with Er Niu and San Wa, taking them piece by piece.
Ning Weiguo was sitting aside smoking a pipe. Seeing the three children gathered in the main room, he put out his cigarette silently and went to light the stove.
Soon, the room became warm.
Sanwa glanced at the stove, took a piece of sausage and put it to Ning Weiguo's mouth, standing on tiptoe, "Grandpa, eat sausage."
Ning Weiguo's eyes flashed with an inconspicuous smile, and he pretended to take a bite, "Hey, Grandpa ate it."
It was easy for him to fool Sanwa with his fake moves. Sure enough, Sanwa thought he had eaten the sausage and ate it happily.
Ning Tang passed by, pinched a piece and put it in his mouth. It was fat but not greasy, and juicy. "Hmm, delicious." After saying that, he pinched another piece.
The eldest boy saw that half of the fried sausage on the plate was gone, and pouted, "Mom, you are really good." He snatched the food from the little kid.
Ning Tang patted his head and said, "See? You're so capable, and you're trying to teach me a lesson."
Ning Weiguo coughed and said, "How can you just pat a kid on the head? What if he gets stupid?"
Big Brother made a face at her and grinned at Ning Weiguo, saying, "It's so nice to have grandpa to protect me."
In Shangang Village, with the support of his grandparents, he is not afraid of Ning Tang, let alone Chen Lie.
Ning Tang took advantage of Ning Weiguo's inattention and pretended to raise his fist. His meaning was very obvious: he would settle the score with him when he returned to the island.
Da Wa's face changed instantly. He had been so comfortable in Shangang Village that he had forgotten about going back. He quickly gave Ning Tang a smile, picked up the last piece of sausage, and put it to Ning Tang's mouth, "Hey, Mom, have some."
That's right.
Ning Tang ate the sausage under the drooling and envious gazes of the eldest, second, and third children. He patted the eldest child on the head and praised him, "Good son."
Big Brother really wanted to ask her, have you washed your hands?
But he wisely swallowed his words. He was afraid that Ning Tang would beat him up, and he still owed a beating from Chen Lie. What if Ning Tang got mad and instigated Chen Lie to beat him up? What would he do then?
In the blink of an eye, it was night and the New Year’s Eve dinner began.
Outside the house, there were constant sounds of firecrackers, and inside the house there was a lot of noise.
There were nine dishes and one soup on the big round table, including braised pork, sweet and sour pork, braised chicken with oysters, steamed sea bass, baby cabbage with garlic sauce, corn with pine nuts, cold-boiled pig ears, stir-fried potato shreds with Chinese sausage, stir-fried vegetables, plus a tomato, enoki mushroom and tofu soup. Everything was delicious and there were even more meat dishes than vegetarian ones, which showed that a lot of thought and money was spent on it.
These nine dishes and one soup symbolize perfection. They are even more sumptuous than the first meal Ning Tang and his friends had after returning to the village. After all, it is the New Year's Eve dinner.
In addition to rice wine, there was also orange soda on the table, which made the eldest and the other two very happy.
Ning Xue bought five bottles of orange soda. She was afraid that the twins would get stomach upset from consuming too much of the cold, so she didn't let them drink it. So the two extra bottles were shared among the three little ones. How could she not be happy?
Ning Tang looked at the sky outside the house which was almost illuminated by the fireworks, and couldn't help but sigh that it would be even more perfect if there was another TV to show the Spring Festival Gala.
Unfortunately, the first Spring Festival Gala was not held until 1983. It has only been seven or eight years now. There are still five years left. I guess I will have saved enough money to buy a TV by then.
No one could resist the aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner, as it was a rare meal in a year. Soon, the whole table of New Year's Eve dinner was eaten up.
After dinner, the two eldest boys wiped their mouths and went to find Ningde to set off firecrackers.
Chen Lie couldn't help but complain, "These past few days, they've fired enough cannons to blow the whole yard up."
He just said it casually and went to help Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin clean up the dishes.
The New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous, and the bowls and chopsticks used by the whole family could pile up into a small mountain. There was also meat and fish, which were not easy to wash. Unlike the bland meals we usually had, the bowls and chopsticks could be cleaned by simply rinsing them under the faucet. These bowls and chopsticks had to be washed carefully for a long time while squatting in front of the basin with a loofah.
The weather was cold and it was difficult to work. If Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin were the only ones doing it, it would take at least half an hour to wash.
Shen Lie went to help.
He rolled up his sleeves, held the dirty bowl in one hand and the loofah in the other, squatted on the ground, and did the work more efficiently than Sun Aiju.
Sun Aiju couldn't help but look at him again and again, nodding secretly in her heart, and asked aloud, "Chen Lie, did you wash the dishes when we were at home?"
Chen Lie kept moving. "No, Ning Tang also washes at home, but I wash more. Her hands are tender and mine are rough, so I do more. As a grown man, I shouldn't be dirty when doing housework."
Su Junyan happened to pass by and rolled his eyes. "So you're the only one who loves your wife so much that you'll help her wash the dishes, right? And now you're helping her wash the dishes, showing off your talent? I can't get you."
Ning Xue saw Chen Lie helping to wash the dishes, and seeing that her mother looked unhappy, she nudged Su Junyan with her elbow, "Hey, why don't you help wash the dishes too."
Su Junyan had never done this kind of work before. Ning Xue treated him like a master on Hailang Island. He said impatiently, "Why should I go?"
Ning Xue sighed, "Chen Lie has gone, and since he's also his son-in-law, why aren't you going?"
"Then why don't you go?" Su Junyan said, "Washing dishes is a woman's job."
Ning Xue opened her mouth to retort, "If Ning Tang didn't go, I wouldn't go either."
Before she married Su Junyan, she helped with housework at home out of necessity. But now it's different. She is married, and married well, with her back straight. If she is asked to wash dishes again, she will not be happy.
Neither of them could convince the other, and they couldn't come to an agreement. They grew tired of each other and simply went their separate ways.
Ning Xue went outside to get some fresh air, while Su Junyan was smoking in the main room.
Chen Lie came over with a rag to wipe the table. Su Junyan deliberately said, "Chen Lie, you are a grown man, why are you doing housework and wiping the table? Aren't you ashamed?"
Chen Lie glanced at the rag in his hand. What was so shameful about it?
He can hold a gun, and he can also hold a rag.
One that can be big or small is a dragon; one that can only be big is a worm.
So he just ignored Su Junyan's words and laughed it off. "Mom and aunt are too busy, so I'm helping them. If I finish the work sooner, it will be good for them too. They can relax sooner."
Su Junyan didn't hear that Shen Lie was perfunctory. He just felt that Shen Lie was deliberately provoking him. He felt unhappy and said, "Then why doesn't Ning Tang lend a hand? You are a man and she is a woman. Women should do more housework. She doesn't wash the dishes. Ultimately, it's because Uncle and Aunt didn't teach her well."
They said he could do it, but Ning Tang couldn't.
Chen Lie threw the rag on the table. "I don't think my parents-in-law didn't bring me up well. A capable man wouldn't blame his wife for not washing the dishes. He would only blame himself for not being able to make enough money to hire a servant to do the dishes for his wife."
She was openly and covertly disparaging Su Junyan for being lazy, not doing housework, not having the ability, and not being able to afford anyone to help with housework, which was why Ning Xue had to wash dishes on the island until her hands cramped.
After hearing this, Su Junyan's face turned blue and purple, which was more beautiful than the fireworks outside. Ning Tang couldn't help but burst out laughing.
It seemed that Su Junyan was not convinced and was about to say something bad.
Ning Tang quickly pulled Shen Lie out, "Alright, alright, it's New Year's Day, don't argue with him."
Chen Lie looked down at Ning Tang, "Who am I speaking for, you heartless little bastard?"
Ning Tang pulled his hand and shook it left and right. "Okay? Okay? Okay, it's my fault. My fault." She pointed at the fireworks in the sky. "Look? Are they good? Are they good?"
"It looks good." Shen Lie responded.
"Chen Lie, thank you for accompanying me home for the New Year."
"Um."
The two of them leaned against the door, looking at the sky, the exploding fireworks reflected a brilliance in their pupils.
"Another year."
"Well, another year."
In the main room, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju gathered the three little ones together and gave them New Year's money.
Let’s start with the youngest three children.
The third child took a step forward, a smile spreading across his round face. "I wish grandma and grandpa good health and safety."
This year he learned his lesson and prepared his speech in advance, unlike last year when he made a joke of "May you be blessed as far as the east sea and have the whole world as your home".
If Ning Weiguo really wished him like this in front of him, then Ning Weiguo's pipe would not hit the door sill, but would hit Xiao Sanwa's hand.
Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju smiled and pinched his little face, "Hey, good boy Sanwa, here's your New Year's money."
After saying that, he gave him a thick red envelope.
Sanwa put the red envelope into his pocket and motioned his second sister to go up and receive it.
Sun Aiju helped Erniu braid a festive little braid today as usual. Both she and Erniu thought it looked nice, but according to Ning Tang, this little braid, tied with a red hairband, looked like a firecracker that had become a spirit.
Erniu also said in a crisp voice, "I wish grandma and grandpa a happy Spring Festival and all the best."
"Good, good, good." The old couple said good words over and over again.
Sun Aiju was just about to give Erniu the red envelope she and Ning Weiguo had prepared when she suddenly remembered that Erniu was also going to school this year. So she asked her, "Niuniu, how did you do on your exams this year?"
Erniu said loudly, afraid that the old couple didn't hear her, "Grandma, Grandpa, I got 98 points in Chinese and 95 points in math on this test."
Sun Aiju's eyes widened. "Ah, such a high score? Oh, my, our second daughter is amazing."
Erniu puffed out her chest proudly and said without any modesty, "I'm third in our class."
Mom was right. She went to school and studied hard, and she did very well in the exams. Not to mention that Dad showed off to others every day outside. Even grandparents praised their daughter for doing well in the exams. So, she must study hard!
Sun Aiju took out another two cents from her pocket without thinking and stuffed it into the red envelope. Today? This red envelope must be priced higher!
Erniu took the red envelope with a proud and confident look, and her steps were like a young rooster that had just grown a comb.
It’s the eldest child’s turn to receive the red envelope.
The old couple continued to smile, "Big boy, how many points did you get on the exam this year?"
This year, the eldest child still scored 100% in math. After Ning Tang's tutoring, his Chinese improved a bit, but he still didn't get full marks, only 75 points.
Compared to Erniu, his grades weren't very impressive. He said dejectedly, "Chinese 75, Math 100."
As he spoke, he stared at the red envelope in Sun Aiju's hand without blinking.
After hearing his test score, grandma wouldn’t take out two cents from the red envelope and put it back into her own pocket, would she?
No wonder Da Wa thinks this way.
There are five children in the family this time. Apart from the youngest, Sanwa, who attends the Yuhong class, the other four are school-age children.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu still performed at a stable level, scoring two hundred points again, which really proved their reputation of being the best.
Erniu also did very well in the exam, getting almost full marks in both subjects.
In comparison, the eldest child’s grades are not so impressive.
Anyway, he is already prepared to receive the red envelope.
Unexpectedly, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju were not angry at all after hearing his results. Instead, they smiled and said, "Good, good, good, you did very well on the test. Just like Erniu, I'll give you an extra two cents."
The eldest boy opened his eyes wide and didn't react until the red envelope was in his pocket.
How could he know that Ning Tang and Ning Jun, Ning Jun, had been carrying two red lanterns home every semester since he started school, and Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju were no longer surprised by it.
Ning Tang is better off, he's just hovering around the passing line. Even if he makes mistakes in reading questions occasionally, he still has to go home with a red lantern.
The old couple counted the red lanterns until their hands were tired.
So, Da Wa's grades weren't a big deal. In fact, in the eyes of the old couple, a score of 75 in Chinese was very good! As for a score of 100 in math, the old couple wanted to announce it to the whole village.
Of course, it was with a smile.
The eldest child didn't understand, so he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, "Wow, grandma and grandpa, you are so kind."
He announced that from now on, the old couple would be his, Shen Dawa’s, grandparents!
The three children ran out of the house, opening their red envelopes while watching the fireworks. Ning Tang saw them holding red envelopes and casually asked, "How much did grandma and grandpa give you?"
The eldest child was counting the money, his eyes wide open with laughter. "Grandma and grandpa gave us one yuan each. Erniu and I did well in the exam, so grandma and grandpa even gave us an extra twenty cents each."
That means that the eldest and second daughter got 1.2 yuan, and the third child got 1 yuan.
Shen Lie raised an eyebrow, "This is too much."
Which child can afford so much money?
He estimated that the amount must be the New Year's red envelope plus the gift for meeting the guests.
When Da Wa heard what Chen Lie said, he looked at him warily and protected the red envelope behind him, "Dad, you don't want to take it away, do you?"
Chen Lie had this in mind. This one dollar was a huge sum of money for three kids, and he was afraid that they would lose it.
Hearing what the eldest child said, the second and third children quickly protected the red envelopes. The three little ones all looked at Chen Lie vigilantly.
Chen Lie was speechless. He was his biological father, and they? Was this to prevent thieves?
Ning Tang continued, "You're overthinking it. Your dad and I don't need that little money. Why would he accept your money? Your dad just wants to tell you that you should take good care of the red envelopes and not spend them recklessly. Once you save the money, we can go to the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiang City to buy books."
That’s right!
The three little ones then remembered that there was such a thing as buying books.
One by one, they kept the red envelopes carefully, playing with them for a while and then looking at them twice, for fear that they would be lost and unable to buy books. They were more careful than Chen Lie who took them and looked at them.
Chen Lie smiled. Ning Tang still had the initiative. To deal with Da Wa and the other three, it still depended on her.
As for Ning Wei's party, he saw the two old men and three children happily giving out red envelopes, and moved Zhou Yin, which clearly meant that they should also give red envelopes to Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.
Zhou Yin curled her lips and went into her and Ning Weidang's room. After groping for a long time, she came out slowly and called Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, "You two come here."
The twins looked at each other and saw in each other's eyes that they didn't want to go.
Children are the most sensitive. The twins noticed early on that Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin disliked them.
Ning Xue, however, was completely oblivious. With a beaming smile, she pushed the twins towards Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin, "Hurry up, your grandma and grandpa are calling you."
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu slowly moved to the front of Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin, calling out softly, "Grandma, Grandpa."
"Hmm." Ning Weidang put on a serious face and, imitating Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, asked the twins, "How many points did you two get on the test?"
The twins looked at each other and muttered, "100% in math, 100% in Chinese."
A hint of surprise and then a hint of joy flashed across Ning Weidang's eyes. He didn't expect that the twins would score so high.
Ning Xue continued, "They both get 100% marks in exams every year. They're so smart. They're born to study."
Having said that, Ning Xue still felt in her heart that the twins' perfect scores were largely due to her hard work in studying.
Zhou Yin curled his lips. "He scored high on the test? So what? He's not your biological child."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Ning Xue's face, and she hurried to look at the twins. As expected, she saw resentment on the twins' faces.
Ning Weidang thought to himself, yes, so what if he got high scores in the exam? He is not his biological grandson. Even if he is his biological grandson, he is still an outsider, not to mention not being one.
So what does Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's good performance in the exam have to do with him?
Ning Weidang thought back to what Sun Desheng had said two days ago. He was about to praise the twins, but his face fell. "Smart? What do you mean by smart? You're just in the lower grades. Didn't you get 100% on your exams every year before? And didn't you still not get into college?"
His words and deeds showed contempt.
Not going to college is a big worry for Ning Xue, and it’s not her fault.
Her face turned pale, and Zhou Yinyi saw that she was not doing well, so he quickly tried to smooth things over. "Oh, it's New Year's Day, why are you talking about this? Come, come, grandma will give you some New Year's money."
She wanted to pull Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's hands, but she was too anxious and used too much force. The twins screamed at the same time, "Ah! It hurts!"
He was so busy rubbing his wrist that he didn't even say a word of blessing.
Zhou Yin chuckled and pulled out two old red envelopes from his pocket. The paper had turned white and the edges were curled up. It was obvious that they had been used for many years. "Here, these are your red envelopes."
The twins took the red envelope, put it in their pocket without even looking at it, and ran out of the house.
The red envelope was so thin that it was not as attractive to them as the beautiful fireworks outside.
Ning Xue followed them closely and asked the twins for red envelopes.
The twins were unhappy. Although the red envelope was very small, it was for them. What would happen if Ning Xue went over there?
Ning Xue was not so stingy as to covet the red envelopes from Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. She just wanted to see how much money Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin had given to the twins.
The twins reluctantly took out the red envelopes from their pockets. Ning Xue took them, opened the seal and took a look. Two one-cent notes fell out.
There were two children, each of whom was given a penny.
Ning Xue wrinkled the two old red envelopes. This was too stingy!
She originally thought that Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin would at least give each of the twins a dime for her sake, but she didn't expect it to be only one cent!
In fact, Ning Wei and Zhou Yin were planning to seal the five-cent coin.
However, Ning Weidang was in a bad mood after being stabbed by Sun Desheng, and Zhou Yin was in a bad mood because Ning Xue did not bring back any money or local specialties this time, and also brought her family and ate a lot of food at home. He felt that he had been at a disadvantage and was tight-lipped. Both of them were stingy and did not want to give more money, so they only gave one cent.
Su Junyan came over and took a look. It was only one cent. He clicked his tongue and said, "Only one cent. You're giving it to a beggar."
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