Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Jinjiang Solo
"These are the New Year gifts from your cheap Yue family."
Mother Gu kicked the bags on the ground. The quality of these things was just average. To be honest, the Gu family really looked down on them.
"Mom, you know what kind of family the Wang family is. It's great that they can send these."
Although Gu Yan was also annoyed at his fiancée's family's disappointment, he could also speak conscientiously that the Wang family's New Year gift was a huge expense.
"If you had listened to me earlier, would there be such a shameless Yue family?"
Gu's mother got angry when she mentioned this matter. Her son found a partner by himself. If it was a good match, she wouldn't say anything. But no matter how you look at it, those people in the Wang family are not presentable. The Gu family didn't even visit the Wang family during the New Year, letting everyone know that the Gu family was very dissatisfied with this marriage.
Yes, everyone had met the Wang family during the engagement ceremony and knew how unpresentable they were. Many people even made fun of the Gu family in private!
"Okay, let's put Ah Yan's marriage on hold for now. Let's wait until he graduates."
Father Gu didn't want to mention the Wang family at all, so as not to dirty his mouth.
"yes."
What else could Gu Yan say? Of course he agreed. In fact, he didn't really want to get married. He didn't know why. Although he still liked Wang Lingya, he didn't have the strong feeling he had before.
Zhang Mengzhi was happy when she knew that both the Gu and Wang families were not doing well.
During the Chinese New Year, he invited his grandparents to Zhang's house and spent New Year's Eve with him and Zhou Guilan.
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, he went to the market and bought ten kilograms of fresh meat, two chickens, a duck and six fish.
The chickens and ducks were killed on the same day, and the feathers were plucked by boiling water. After plucking, there was still some fluff on them, so we put them on the fire and burned them.
The leftovers were pickled with salt; more and more people would come to visit the Zhang family to pay New Year’s greetings, and these chickens and ducks would come in handy.
There are also fish, which are kept directly in basins and can be caught when needed.
Zhang Mengyao and Xia Dayong took their two children back to the Xia family to celebrate the New Year.
Although they were unhappy with each other, they had to go back to Xia's house for a reunion dinner during such a big festival as the New Year. Zhang Mengyao would only take her husband and children back to her parents' home on the second day of the New Year.
There were only four people in total, and Zhang Mengzhi only cooked six dishes.
"Steamed fish, homemade tofu, steamed spareribs, braised pig's trotters, boiled bacon and sausage, and shredded cabbage. The dishes are ready, grandma, grandpa and grandma, we can start eating."
Zhang Mengzhi said after wiping her hands on her apron.
"Come on, come on, Sister Zhou, let's sit down quickly. There are a lot of delicious dishes on the table today!"
Grandma took Zhou Guilan's hand and let her sit at the top seat.
"You guys sit down too. Thank you for your hard work today."
Zhou Guilan was in a very good mood because of the Chinese New Year, because just this morning she had a phone call with her two sons and heard the voices of her grandchildren.
She now has four generations living under one roof, and God has been very kind to her.
"Grandma, don't worry, this is what I should do."
Zhang Mengzhi shook his head. It was just a few dishes. How could it be considered hard work? He was not a person who could not endure hardship, but everyone thought he could not endure hardship.
When he was young, his family didn't let him do much. Now that he has grown up, he naturally wants to give back to his family. He does all the housework he can so that his parents can relax a little.
He also taught his younger sister well, helping to reduce the burden on his parents. Compared with his peers, Zhang Mengyu is much more diligent.
"It would be better if the fish was braised instead."
Of all the dishes on the table, the only thing Zhou Guilan was dissatisfied with was the steamed fish.
"Grandma, we just had braised fish two days ago. Let's try a different flavor today."
Zhang Mengzhi knew why she was unhappy, but he absolutely could not make pickled fish. It tasted bad without chili, but Dapo couldn't eat it with chili. Wasn't that embarrassing him? Sweet and sour fish was fried, and sugar was added. The three elderly people in the family were all old, so he never made food that was too sweet.
So the best way is to steam it, because there are three elderly people at home today, and even if Zhou Guilan is not satisfied, he can only steam it.
"Eating fish is good for your health, grandma, grandpa and grandma, eat fish."
Zhang Mengzhi said after picking up a piece of fish for each of the three elderly people.
The fish is quite big and the bones are also quite big, so be careful when eating it so that they don’t get stuck in your throat.
The most feared thing about eating fish is eating fish bones, which are very uncomfortable when stuck in the throat. Nine out of ten children have had fish bones stuck in their throats, so when Zhang Mengzhi chooses fish, she tries to choose fish with fewer bones or larger fish.
In this way, no matter which one you use, the fish will not easily get stuck in the throat by bones when cooked.
"Year after year, there will be more than enough."
Although Zhou Guilan was tired of eating, she still said auspicious words while eating.
"Yes, there will be surplus every year."
The grandparents also said this and ate the fish that their eldest grandson picked up.
No matter how you eat the fish during the Chinese New Year, the fish head and tail cannot be moved, and the fish body cannot be turned over. So when steaming the fish, Zhang Mengzhi directly cut it open and steamed it on a plate. This way, you don't have to turn it over when you eat it.
Turning the fish over while eating it represents capsizing of the boat, which is very unlucky. Therefore, no matter whether it is during festivals or just ordinary times when eating fish, people are not allowed to turn the fish over.
Zhang Mengzhi's method is the most appropriate. Otherwise, you won't be able to eat the lower side of the fish, which would be a waste.
Someone must have said, "You can't turn over if you can't eat it?" That's definitely because they haven't been hit on the hand by an adult since they were young.
Because he was taught since childhood that one should not turn the fish over when eating it, or he would be beaten if he did. So even if Zhang Mengzhi likes to eat fish, if the fish is not split open and laid flat on both sides, he will not turn the fish over no matter how much he likes it.
Anyway, no matter what, whether there is such a saying in the local area or not, try not to turn the fish over when eating it. If you don't turn it over, at most you can't eat it, but if you turn it over, you may offend the host.
As expected, the reunion dinner was not finished. Zhang Mengzhi covered it with a cover and put a book on it.
Even in winter, he couldn't guarantee that mice wouldn't run out of the corners.
At night, my grandparents didn’t stay at Zhang’s house to rest, they went back to their own home to stay up all night.
Zhang Mengzhi had no choice but to send the two old people back to the small building while it was still early.
"Grandpa and grandma, I will come to wish you a happy new year tomorrow."
When leaving Zeng's house, Zhang Mengzhi said to the two old people.
"Okay, okay, come with your mother and the others."
Grandpa said happily when he thought about meeting his daughter and son-in-law tomorrow.
"Come early tomorrow and grandma will give you a big red envelope."
Grandma is also looking forward to tomorrow.
"good."
Zhang Mengzhi agreed.
However, I still had to wait until noon the next day to arrive at my grandmother's house.
There was no other way. My parents only got home at noon. I barely had a meal and a short rest before taking my children to pay New Year's greetings to them.
"Auntie, we'll be back soon after we finish paying New Year's greetings."
It was very rude to leave Zhou Guilan alone at home during the Chinese New Year, but the Zhang family had no choice. Zhou Guilan had no choice but to go with the Zhang family to pay New Year's greetings.
She said she was Zhang's aunt, but in fact she had nothing to do with Zhang's father because she and General Zhang had separated.
The only connection between the Zhang family and her is through their two sons. If their surname was not Zhang, Zhou Guilan would never live in the Zhang family even though she died.
Therefore, Zhou Guilan was not suitable to go back to his hometown with Zhang's father for the New Year, nor was she suitable to go to Zeng's house with them to pay New Year's greetings. Fortunately, considering that she was in the Zhang family, after paying New Year's greetings, Zhang's mother had a private conversation with her parents, and then the Zhang family returned.
If we talk about what Zhang's mother said in secret to her parents, it is actually related to her life experience.
Knowing that her daughter had told her eldest grandson her life story, the great-grandmother looked at her daughter nervously.
"Meng Zhi didn't say anything, right?"
"Mom, what are you thinking? Mengzhi is my son, what can he say?"
Mother Zhang laughed. Although she was not her parents' biological daughter, Meng Zhi was her biological daughter!
"Look at me, I'm old and confused, I can't even speak."
Great-grandmother slapped her mouth gently.
"Mom, don't worry. Mengzhi has had a good temper since he was young. He agrees with any decision I make. He won't disown you just because my biological parents are rich."
Mother Zhang also knew what her mother was worried about and spoke immediately.
"I know Meng Zhi has a good temper and won't disown me, but I guess..."
The grandmother knew that her worries were unnecessary without her daughter telling her, but she just couldn't help but worry!
"Mengzhi has never seen them. The first person he called "grandma" since he was a child was you!"
Mother Zhang hugged her mother. It was this woman and her husband who raised her, and she was the only mother she recognized.
Whether the boss's family will come back or not in the future has nothing to do with her. If they were interested, there would be no news in the past few years.
Since they clearly didn't want to recognize her, Zhang's mother wouldn't go and recognize them. Besides, she didn't have such an idea, she was very satisfied with her current life.
Blood ties are indeed important, but some things are not just about blood ties.
"Yes, after Meng Zhihui called people, the first person he called was me, besides my parents."
Grandma suddenly felt confident.
At that time, my daughter's mother-in-law lived in the countryside and it was not convenient for her to come to the city to take care of her daughter-in-law, so she was the one who took care of her daughter during the confinement period and took care of her grandson.
Even if the big boss and his family came back, she would tell them without any guilt that she had not treated her daughter and eldest grandson badly.
"Yes, when my brother and sister-in-law were still around, the house was so lively! Meng Zhi would even smile at his uncle and act like a spoiled child with him."
Talking about the past, Mother Zhang couldn't help feeling sad.
"…It's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore."
Thinking of her son and daughter-in-law, the grandmother couldn't help but feel sad, but she didn't want to see her daughter crying on New Year's Day, so she immediately hugged her to comfort her.
"Mom, I miss my brother and sister-in-law."
Her brother and sister-in-law were a few years older than her, and they were really good to her and never treated her as an outsider. But God was so fair, such a good brother and sister-in-law died early in an accident.
"Grandma, Mom, we're leaving."
Zhang Mengzhi knocked on the door outside, interrupting their sadness.
"Yes, yes, yes, you have to go back early, Sister Zhou is waiting at home!"
The grandmother wiped her eyes and wiped the tears from her daughter's face.
"Then mom, take good care of yourself and dad at home. I will come to see you later."
Mother Zhang calmed herself down and said goodbye to her mother.
"Okay, your father and I know how to take care of ourselves, and the same goes for you and your son-in-law. Don't get too tired."
The grandmother sent her daughter and her family out the door, and did not return to the house with her husband until they were out of sight.
"Mom, are you and grandma crying?"
On the way home, Zhang Mengyu looked at her mother's red eyes and asked.
"Children should not ask about adult matters."
Father Zhang covered his daughter's mouth. How come this child doesn't know how to read people's faces? Doesn't she know when to shut up? Shouldn't she ask more questions?
"It's okay, I just miss your uncle."
Mother Zhang pulled the corner of her mouth and said with a hint of bitterness.
"My uncle and aunt are such good people, they will definitely have a good life in their next life."
Zhang Mengzhi comforted her mother.
"Meng Zhi is right. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are good people. They definitely don't want to see you sad for them."
Father Zhang also likes his elder brother-in-law's family, but it's no use even if he likes them. His elder brother-in-law and his wife have passed away many years ago, and he was the one who helped with the funeral.
"Okay, let's not talk about it. It's unlucky to cry on New Year's Day."
Mother Zhang said not to mention it, and no one dared to mention it again.
My uncle and his kin are a taboo in the Zeng family, and everyone will feel sad when they are mentioned.
Fortunately, the weather was hot, and when Mother Zhang returned home, her eyes were no longer red.
"Auntie, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll ask Meng Zhi to make it for you."
Zhang's mother asked as soon as she entered the door. It's embarrassing to leave the elders alone at home.
"I haven't digested my lunch yet!"
Because she didn’t go out during the Chinese New Year, Zhou Guilan felt very full and didn’t want to eat anything for dinner.
"Then let's have something easy to digest tonight, okay?"
When Zhang Mengzhi heard her say this, he immediately started thinking about what to digest.
"Okay, let's cook some porridge! I remember there's a piece of rice tofu at home, right? And there are two sticks of rice dumplings at home, so let's cook them together and have a lighter meal."
Mother Zhang thought this was a good idea. She had eaten a lot of meat in the past few days, so she could eat something light at night.
"Is oily rice porridge still considered light?"
Zhang Mengyu complained that she couldn't understand why her mother talked about "lightness".
"Isn't the porridge with oil tasty enough? I remember there are some pig skins on the edge of the field. Let's dig them up and cook them together. That will definitely be tasty."
When Mother Zhang thought about using pig skin to cook porridge, her mouth almost watered.
In fact, according to the custom in my hometown, we have to eat pasta on the first and second days of the New Year, but the country has always said not to be feudal and superstitious, and white flour was not easy to obtain in those years, so this custom has long been broken. We can cook whatever we want to eat, and don’t care whether eating porridge is appropriate or not!
Moreover, the oily rice porridge is cooked with soup made from bones. How can the taste be compared to that of ordinary porridge?
When Zhang's mother spoke, no one dared to disobey. Zhang Mengzhi picked up a hoe and went to dig pig skin arches, also known as fish mint and Houttuynia cordata.
Houttuynia cordata likes moisture, so it is planted in a cool place near the well. With a hoe, several Houttuynia cordata were dug out, with leaves and roots.
Zhang Mengzhi bent down and pulled them out of the mud, shook off the excess soil, threw them aside and continued digging. He repeated this process and soon dug up a large pile.
"Brother, let me help."
Zhang Mengyu trotted over and helped his brother separate the leaves and roots and put them into the basket.
The leaves are used to cook oily rice porridge, and the roots are used for cold dishes. Of course, the cold dishes use non-spicy oil so that the mother-in-law can also eat a little. Although she is not from Shu Province, she married to Shu Province and later tried to eat Houttuynia cordata. At first, she was not used to it, but after eating it a few times, she found that the taste was better than she imagined, so she also liked this taste.
"I still remember when I first married and came to Shu Province, I couldn't even get used to the smell of pig skin."
Zhou Guilan picked up a piece of Houttuynia cordata and said, she was still very young at that time, less than 20 years old!
"How did the eldest wife get used to it later?"
Zhang Mengyu sat with her. The two of them had a very good relationship, so she was more casual when speaking to Zhou Guilan than to other elders.
"Because if you don't eat it, there will be nothing else to eat!"
Zhou Guilan smiled and said, "Food was so precious back then! Even wild vegetables were scrambled to be dug." Her original family was good, but after marrying into the Zhang family, she had to adapt to the local customs.
From being uncomfortable at first to getting used to it later, it was also her compromise with life. The result of not compromising was going hungry.
Compared to being hungry, the taste of Houttuynia cordata is nothing. After you get used to it, you will find that its taste is not that bad, and then you will like it.
"I know. Our teacher said that there were wars everywhere outside at that time."
Zhang Mengyu not only heard it from his teacher, but also from other elders, so he is very clear about this history.
"Yeah, so as long as there's food, no one will be picky about food."
Zhou Guilan really likes this great-niece, so she is willing to tell her some stories about her past.
It's not like she hasn't seen girls of the same age as Zhang Mengyu, but she always thinks her niece is the best. It's not that other girls are bad, but they can't compare to Zhang Mengyu. Girls from good families are spoiled, and girls from poor conditions have no confidence, unlike Zhang Mengyu, who is born with confidence and not spoiled. In Zhang Mengzhi's words, she is easy to raise.
In fact, girls like Zhang Mengyu are the best. No matter what environment she is in, she will live a good life.
Zhou Guilan hoped that her granddaughter would be like Zhang Mengyu.
The second day of the Chinese New Year is the day when married girls return to their parents' home. Zhang Mengyao returned to the Zhang family with her husband and children early in the morning.
"Mom and Dad, I'm back." Zhang Mengyao pushed the door open and walked in with a swagger, followed by her husband and children.
Looking at it this way, it really looks like the queen with her entourage!
"sister."
Zhang Mengyu ran out.
"Little fish."
Zhang Mengyao stretched out her hands, ready to hug her sister.
result……
Zhang Mengyu lowered her head, crawled under her arms, and hugged her nephews.
"Xiaoyu and Xiaoshuang, Auntie missed you so much."
“…”
Zhang Mengyao, who was so happy that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, put down her hands.
"Sister, brother-in-law."
Zhang Mengzhi came out.
"Mengzhi, you are still the best."
Zhang Mengyao hugged her brother for a while and then let go. After all, they were old and it was not good to be too close.
"Dream knowledge."
Xia Dayong was grinning foolishly while holding a bunch of things in his hands.
"Come in, what are you doing standing in the yard?"
Father Zhang stood under the eaves and called for help.
"good."
Zhang Mengyao ignored her husband and children and trotted towards Zhang's father.
"Dad, I'm back."
"You're back, come in and warm yourself by the fire."
Father Zhang said to his eldest daughter with a smile.
"Thank you, Dad."
Zhang Mengyao entered the main room and found her mother and eldest mother-in-law sitting together by the fire. They put their feet on the baking oven and put an old coat on their feet to prevent the heat from escaping and keep them warmer.
"Big wife, mother."
"Mengyao is back, come and sit down."
Zhou Guilan pulled over a stool and asked her to sit down.
"Thank you, grandma."
Zhang Mengyao sat between her mother and her eldest wife.
"Come over to the fire."
Mother Zhang gave half of her baking basket to her daughter.
"Thank you, Mom."
Zhang Mengyao took off her shoes and put her feet on the oven. Soon her whole body was warm. Since she had a child, her hands and feet were often cold. But she had to go to work and could not put her feet on the oven to keep warm like she did at home. So she had to endure it when she was at work.
"Your feet are still so cold. I'll ask a Chinese doctor to take a good look at you later."
Mother Zhang is worried about her eldest daughter’s health and wants to ask her uncle to take good care of her daughter. She can’t let her daughter stay cold forever!
"Okay, I'll listen to mom."
I have to say, the difference between caring and not caring is huge.
The day before yesterday, she went back to the Xia family for a reunion dinner, but Old Lady Xia didn't even prepare a baking tray for her and didn't even have any meat dishes.
The reunion dinner was not fun at all, and I came back with a lot of anger. Old Lady Xia was always making fun of me, and if it wasn't the New Year, she would have had a fight to the death with the other party.
She doesn't know what it's like for other married women to return to their parents' home, but for Zhang Mengyao, returning to her parents' home is like relaxing.
Really, as soon as she returned to her parents' home, she relaxed completely. She didn't have to do anything. When she was tired and wanted to sleep, she would go to the bed she had before she got married and take a nap. When she woke up, it was time for lunch.
Look, she doesn't have to do anything, her brothers and sisters at home will do it for her.
"Sister, get up and eat. Are you still asleep?"
Zhang Mengyu came in and called for help, but her sister didn't move for a long time, so she couldn't help but shouted again.
"No, I just didn't react for a moment."
Zhang Mengyao came back to her senses and explained.
"Are you not used to sleeping?"
Zhang Mengyu reached out and touched her forehead. Since she was not angry, it meant that she was not sick.
"No, it's because I saw the room hadn't changed at all, and I thought I was back to before I got married."
Zhang Mengyao explained.
Before she got married, there were only five people in the yard. She was the oldest, her younger brother was in the middle, and her younger sister was the youngest.
Obviously life was not very good at that time, even eating was tight, but I was happy.
"Hahaha, then Xiaoyu and Xiaoshuang will be sad."
After hearing her words, Zhang Mengyu no longer doubted her and instead extended his hand.
"Come."
"Let's go!"
Holding her sister's hand, the two sisters walked out of the bedroom hand in hand.
"Mom has been sleeping for so long!"
Xiaoshuang ran over and hugged her mother's thighs. She hadn't seen her mother all morning.
"I'm sorry, Xiaoshuang, Mom didn't mean it."
Zhang Mengyao hugged her daughter and apologized to her. She really forgot about her two children. She just couldn't help but go back to the room where she lived before getting married and fell asleep when she dozed off.
While lying in bed, she was still thinking, how nice it would be if she could be a girl for the rest of her life!
However, the time that has passed cannot be reversed. No matter how she changes, she can never go back to the time when she was a girl. The only thing she can do is to live every day that follows and not bring trouble to herself and the Zhang family.
"Sister, brother-in-law, are you happy living here after moving?"
Zhang Mengzhi came in wearing an apron. He cooked all the dishes for lunch today. Seeing Zhang Mengyao wake up, he asked with concern.
Although my sister's face is still rosy, it is still not as good as when she was a girl. She has too many things to worry about. Without the help of her husband's family, many things can only be discussed and handled by the couple themselves.
His mother told him that this was a woman's life after marriage, unlike when she was a girl where she didn't have to worry about anything.
Therefore, Zhang Mengzhi had to be a support for her sisters all her life and not let them be bullied.
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