The 29th day of the lunar year, the eve of the Lunar New Year, is filled with a festive atmosphere. Village streets are festooned with lights, and red lanterns hang high in every household, as if announcing the approach of the New Year. People busily prepare New Year's goods, their faces filled with happy smiles.
Children played excitedly, their laughter echoing from time to time. They looked forward to the arrival of the New Year, wearing new clothes, holding red envelopes, and enjoying the joy of the New Year.
There was a burst of fragrance coming from the kitchen. Xu Qianjiao came out of the room and ran to the kitchen, "Mom, what delicious food did you make? It smells so good."
Xu's mother scooped up the small twisted dough sticks and fried dough sticks with a slotted spoon and said, "I made small twisted dough sticks and fried dough sticks."
Xu Qianjiao walked over, picked up one with her bare hands and put it in her mouth. The fried dumplings just out of the pan exuded a rich aroma, which was the unique fragrance emitted by the oil and flour after being heated.
When you take a bite, the first thing you feel is the crispy crust, which makes a "crunch" sound under the pressure of your teeth. Then, the delicious filling will instantly spread in your mouth, with a light sweetness and oily fragrance, which will make you linger in your mouth.
This time, Xu's mother made two flavors of fried dough sticks, peanut and sesame, and coconut shreds.
The crispness of peanuts complements the crunchiness of fried dough sticks, the sweetness of shredded coconut blends with the flavor of dough, and the sweetness of sugar adds a unique sweetness to the fried dough sticks.
"Mmm, delicious." After that, she picked up another one and put it in her mouth. Xu's mother patted her hands gently and said, "Have you washed your hands? They are so dirty, like a child."
Xu Qianjiao smiled guiltily and changed the subject, "Mom, this is really delicious. You are amazing."
Xu's mother was very happy with her flattery and didn't argue with her too much, "Come on, stop flattering me."
After saying that, she saw Xu Qianjiao was about to eat it again, so she slapped her hand and said, "Eat less, we'll have dinner soon. If you eat too much, you won't be able to eat later."
Xu Qianjiao pouted, "I know."
Xu's mother lifted the lid of the pot next to her, and an even more overbearing aroma wafted out of it: the aroma of meat and spices, layered and layered, filling the air. You could almost see the aroma rising slowly like smoke, lingering around you.
"Mom, it smells so good. Are you making braised food again?" Xu Qianjiao said to her mother in surprise.
Mother Xu picked up a pig's large intestine and a piece of pig's head with chopsticks, put them on a clean chopping board, and chopped them up deftly and put them in a bowl. "When we go to Cheng's house for the New Year's Eve dinner later, remember to bring this braised food with you."
Xu Qianjiao quietly reached in and ate a piece, then said incoherently, "Okay, I understand."
Xu's mother glared at her angrily and warned her, "Don't eat secretly. Go back to your room and get ready. It's time to leave."
"good."
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As evening fell, the winter sky darkened slightly, and a chill wind howled, sweeping away the last rays of sunlight. The streets and alleys were filled with the thick aroma of the New Year, and every household began to bustle with preparations for the most important moment of the year: the New Year's Eve dinner.
The windows were covered with crystal ice flowers, and the house was brightly lit and warm like spring.
In the kitchen, Xu's mother put the freshly fried pickled cabbage pig intestines and braised pig head meat into a basket and covered it tightly with a cloth. "Come, Jiawen, I've prepared two dishes for you. It should be almost done."
Cheng Jiawen lifted the cloth and saw two large bowls of meat in the basket. He looked at Xu's mother with emotion and said, "Thank you, mother."
"Let's go. It's getting late. It should be time to go there now." Mother Xu said with a smile.
"good."
After saying goodbye to Xu's father and mother, Cheng Jiawen and Xu Qianjiao walked back to the Cheng family with the basket.
Along the way, the village was quiet. At this time, every household was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. They held hands and slowly walked towards the Cheng family.
Over at the Cheng family, everyone was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. Mrs. Cheng looked at the all-vegetarian ingredients in front of her and frowned, muttering in her heart: "Why are they all vegetarian? Are they saying that we're going to have an all-vegetarian New Year's Eve dinner? No way, this is too tragic."
Mrs. Cheng also saw the pile of cabbages and white radishes in front of her and curled her lips. "How stingy! It's New Year's Day and there's not even a bit of meat. Mother is really getting more stingy."
The two sisters-in-law looked at each other. Sister Cheng smiled and looked at Mother Cheng on the side. "Mom, what are you cooking tonight?"
Mother Cheng pointed at the pile of Chinese cabbage and said, "Boiled Chinese cabbage, what else can it be?"
"Just...just this? It's New Year's Day, and you didn't even buy any meat?" When Mrs. Cheng heard what Cheng's mother said, her face was about to break.
"Their family can't be that poor. They can't even afford meat during the New Year. They've worked so hard all year, and this is all they have for New Year's Eve dinner?"
Mother Cheng glared at her unhappily. "Yes, that's it. Eat it or not. Oh, go to the chicken coop and pick up two eggs to make egg soup."
After saying that, Cheng's mother walked straight out of the kitchen, muttering to herself, "You're dreaming! You still want to eat meat. Meat is so expensive now. Why not just ask the fourth child to bring some back? Why do you have to buy it yourself? She heard that the Xu family bought a lot of pig offal. Although it's not real meat, it's still meat after all. It doesn't cost her any money, so why bother her?"
If Cheng Jiawen knew what she was thinking, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood. It turned out that he was the real sucker, and the meat for the whole family depended on him. Fortunately, it was only this year.
He had already decided that he could spend the first year at the Cheng family, and after that, he would not come back for the New Year's Eve dinner, so he agreed to take the meat so readily.
The couple walked into Cheng's house with the meat. Cheng's mother saw the basket in his hand and took it with a smile on her face, "Fourth brother, fourth brother's wife is here. What delicious food did you bring? Let me see."
After saying that, he directly lifted the cloth of the basket and saw two large bowls full of meat. He immediately nodded with satisfaction and said, "Come on, come on, sit down, sit down. Zhaodi, get a stool for your fourth uncle and fourth aunt."
"Okay." Cheng Zhaodi, who was washing dishes on the side, responded.
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