"Wow! It smells so good!" Minghua, Mingduo, Mingxia, Zhou Zhang, Zhou Xing and other children who smelled the scent crowded into the kitchen, staring at the pot with their eyes and sniffing the white steam emitted from the pot.
The youngest Mingxia couldn't help but drool.
"Do you want to eat?" Zhang Qiurui looked at the little ones with some amusement.
"I want to eat it. But grandma said that these ingredients are for Uncle San's wedding banquet. We can't eat them secretly." Minghua smacked her lips.
"Okay! Wait a minute, I'll cut some for you to try." After Zhang Qiurui saw that the stew was almost done, she took out the braised pig's head, pig's ears and pig's tongue and placed them in a wooden basin to cool.
After they cooled down a little, she picked out a small section of pig tongue and began to slice it carefully. Each slice was cut into even thickness, which made people's appetite increase at the sight of it.
"tasty."
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s so delicious.”
After giving each of the little ones a piece, they all opened their eyes wide with surprise on their faces. In their impression, it seemed that only pork belly was delicious, but they didn't expect that the meat on the pig's head was so good.
Mingduo chewed it carefully, her eyes turned into crescent shapes, and she nodded continuously.
Mingxia didn't even bother to wipe the saliva from the corners of her mouth. She was only focused on enjoying the happiness from the tip of her tongue. Occasionally, she would cough slightly because she ate too fast, but then she couldn't wait to stretch out her little hand, wanting another piece.
"You little guys are pestering your aunt for food.
"Qiu Rui, please stop pampering them! These little guys are usually spoiled. If you let them get a taste of goodness today, they'll be even harder to control in the future." Zhou Guihua, while helping to process the pigs, naturally smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen. She entered the kitchen and saw several little guys surrounding her daughter, eating with gusto, their faces filled with satisfied and happy smiles. Zhou Guihua said with a bit of amusement.
Zhang Qiurui responded with a smile, "Mom! Let them have a taste. I didn't give them too much. These days are festive occasions, so let them have some fun. Mom, you can try it too and see if my stew is delicious."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of braised pig tongue and gave it to Zhou Guihua to taste.
The flavor was rich, the meat was tender, and the pig tongue was springy. After Zhou Guihua ate it, her eyes lit up and she nodded, saying, "What did you put in there? It's so fragrant and delicious. It tastes even better than pork belly."
"I just put some star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and other spices into the marinade, and added soy sauce and salt for seasoning." The spice bag Zhang Qiurui bought from the trading supermarket naturally did not contain only these spices. She picked up some spices she had at home and said.
After braising the pig's head, Zhang Qiurui started to fry the oil and the braised pork. He spent the whole day preparing food in the kitchen.
........。
Three days passed quickly and it was January 8th.
On the wedding day, his third brother borrowed a bicycle from the brigade, hung red silk on the bicycle, wore a big red flower on his chest, and went to the county to pick up the bride.
In this era, there are no luxurious wedding car processions, dazzling fireworks, or grand banquet halls. It is rare to pick up the bride on a bicycle.
As for the bride's dowry, most of them were carried back by hand, while the better ones used bicycles to deliver the bride and dowry.
"The bride and groom are here, let's set off the firecrackers." The kid at the door of Zhang's house shouted excitedly when he saw a bicycle decorated with red silk coming from afar.
Because after a family welcomes the bride home, they will scatter wedding candies and fruits for their children to eat.
In this day and age, it is rare to have a few candies throughout the day, so children are particularly looking forward to such occasions.
For a moment, the sounds of firecrackers, laughter, and blessings from the villagers were intertwined.
The Zhang family's door was open, and the yard was decorated with lights and colorful decorations, filled with joy.
"What about three turns and one ring?"
"There are also two sets of bedding. Look at the fabrics. They are all in good condition."
"There are cabinets, dressing tables, kettles, toilets, and everything."
The large group of people who came to Zhang's house for a feast were writing their betrothal gifts. When they saw the dowry, they started talking about it, their eyes full of envy and admiration.
In this era of material scarcity, these dowry items were undoubtedly rich, symbolizing the wealth of the bride's family and the strength of the groom's family.
Zhang Wenmin rode his bicycle slowly into the yard. The bride sat on the back seat. Her face was not covered with a red veil. She was wearing a grass-green military uniform with a red flower on her chest. When Yu Yang saw so many people, his face turned red.
After entering the yard, Zhang Wenguo, Zhang Wenfu, and his two uncles-in-law gathered around. Some helped unload the dowry items, while others were busy preparing for the next ceremony.
"Come and have some candy and fruit. Don't rush over." After the bride and groom entered the yard, Zhang Qiuyu brought out a plate of wedding candy and peanuts and melon seeds, and greeted the children around with a smile.
The children rushed forward, scrambling to grab the candies, melon seeds and peanuts on the plates, and laughter filled the entire yard.
Zhang Wenmin and his bride came to the main hall surrounded by the crowd.
The room was filled with smoke and fragrance, and tea was already set on the table. According to custom, Zhang Wenmin first picked up a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to his father, who was sitting at the head of the table. His father took the tea, took a sip, and nodded with a smile. He then gave each of them a red envelope, expressing his blessing and approval of the newlyweds.
Then, Zhang Wenmin and his wife served tea to his mother in turn.
After serving tea, Zhang Wenmin and the bride were finally seated.
At this time, the banquet was set up in the yard and the members of the team took their seats one after another.
"Qiu Rui, it's almost time to cook." At this time, Zhang Qiuyu walked into the kitchen and said.
“The cold dishes have been cut and prepared.
Remember, after I finish cooking the fifth hot dish, they will serve the dishes one by one, and the first three dishes can be served all at once.
"After the dishes are heated, serve one every minute." Zhang Qiurui said as he tasted and seasoned the mushroom and pork soup. When he found it was just right, he poured it into the bowls one by one.
Gao Erping helped to serve the dishes. When she saw that there was less food in one bowl, she added a little more.
Although there are nine hot dishes, in fact many dishes are already prepared, and steamed fish and pork with preserved vegetables are already steamed in the pot.
In fact, there are only six dishes that need to be stir-fried, some of which are cooked foods. If the fire is high, they will be stir-fried faster.
As time approached noon, bursts of "crackling" sounds indicated that the banquet had begun.
The banquet table was full of people, and when they saw the dishes prepared by the Zhang family, they were all amazed.
"Three cold dishes, all meat! The Zhang family invested a lot of money."
"I still have two taels of wine. I can satisfy my drinking craving today."
"The first two hot dishes are either meat or eggs. This banquet is a real steal."
"There's also fish, pork head, and pork with preserved vegetables."
"There are three cold dishes and nine hot dishes."
"Haven't you noticed that even the vegetables are cooked so deliciously? Who's cooking in the Zhang family today?"
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