Chapter 20 Someone Actually Gave Me a New Year's Gift
The Yao siblings breathed a sigh of relief when the meat was brought back.
Yao Shula carefully examined the meat that Director Wang had prepared; it was all good quality meat.
If you were to buy this outside without meat coupons, it would cost at least twenty yuan.
Especially the pork belly, with its three layers of fat and lean meat, it would definitely be delicious if made into braised pork.
"Sister, the meat that Director Wang bought all has skin on. We can remove the skin, process it, and fry it into pork belly."
When the time comes, cooking vegetables or cabbage with pork skin will also make a meat dish.
Alternatively, you can boil pork skin jelly, then stir-fry it with peanuts, vegetables, and dried tofu to make a cold dish.
"We'll make a small pot of it, enough to last us for many days!" Yao Shuxin checked the meat she had bought and immediately offered her opinion.
Yao Shula was a little surprised to see Yao Shuxin looking so serious.
"When did you learn to do these things? I didn't know that."
"I learned it from Grandma Zhou. Even if there are things I don't understand, I can ask Grandma Zhou!"
"Sister, I want to do more things for you so you won't be tired!" Yao Shuxin said immediately.
"Sister, I can help you too!" Yao Shuli, who was happily circling the basin of meat, also came over to chime in.
Yao Shula quickly waved her hand.
"You two should focus on your studies after school starts; don't think about anything else."
Come on, let's discuss it again. We'll probably need to buy quite a few more things for the New Year..."
Before Yao Shula could finish speaking, Yao Shuxin had already come over with a piece of paper.
"Sister, you're right, there are still so many things to buy!"
First, there's the coal briquettes. We only have less than twenty left at home. At three briquettes a day, that'll only last for seven days.
During the Chinese New Year, coal factories are closed, making it difficult to buy coal briquettes.
Therefore, we'd better buy another fifty coal briquettes.
Although some individuals make and sell coal briquettes, Grandma Zhou said that the coal content in these privately made briquettes is not as high as that in coal briquettes from coal factories.
It's better to buy them from the coal factory.
Besides coal briquettes, sweet potato vermicelli is also gone. The supply and marketing cooperative no longer sells sweet potato vermicelli; if you want to buy it, you can only go to the market area and wait for the kind that rural people make themselves and sell.
Shuli, starting tomorrow, go to the market area early in the morning and wait there. Let your sister give you some money first, and buy a pound if you can.
We don't need firewood for burning grass anymore. My uncle said he'll send some sawdust and scraps from the lumber mill in a couple of days.
There must be a fish on the table during Chinese New Year, symbolizing abundance year after year!
These fish are hard to buy; you either have to queue at the vegetable company or wait at the market entrance for rural people to come and sell them.
And there's cake. You have to buy two of Funing cakes, because it symbolizes rising higher and higher!
No, you need to buy four pieces of Funing rice cake. You're going to your uncle's house on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so you can't go empty-handed. Bringing two pieces of rice cake is the best option.
We don't need to buy couplets and firecrackers... We can't set them off at home right now..."
Yao Shuxin looked at the paper while chatting with Yao Shula.
Yao Shula was a little dumbfounded. Did she really have to buy so many things?
Does that mean I'll be running around buying all these things every day for the next few days...?
No wonder the old folks keep saying they're busy with the New Year; they really are busy.
Yao Shula sighed, picked up the note Yao Shuxin had written, and prepared to continue tomorrow...
"Shula! Shula! How's your New Year's shopping going?" someone suddenly called out to Yao Shula.
The three siblings hurriedly looked towards the courtyard.
Upon looking, they immediately saw Zhou Ping'an from Grandma Zhou's house next door, who was perched on his wall and shouting towards Yao Shula's wall!
Yao Shula quickly led Yao Shuxin and Yao Shuli out.
"Brother Ping An, have you bought all your New Year's goods? We only bought meat, cabbage, and radishes."
"We haven't bought many of the others yet!" Yao Shula said hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping'an immediately leaned over in this direction again.
"Do you want some ribbonfish? A batch of ribbonfish just arrived at the cold storage. They're not small; they're all about three fingers wide."
If you want it, I'll help you..."
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Brother Ping An." Yao Shula nodded immediately.
Ribbonfish! Good stuff. I'll clean it up after buying it. I'm going to fry meat chunks anyway, so I'll fry the ribbonfish and put it in the kitchen.
That way, you can just cook some whenever you want to eat it, and it won't spoil in cold weather!
"Okay! I'll get you three jin!"
"By the way, is there anything else you need to buy? Do you want me to buy it for you?" Zhou Pingan casually asked.
Yao Shula immediately took out the piece of paper that Yao Shuxin had written.
"Brother Ping An, there are still quite a few things to buy!"
"I was just about to take Shuxin out to buy some. How about we borrow your tricycle again?" Yao Shula immediately handed the paper to Zhou Ping'an.
Zhou Ping'an...
Zhou Pingan took the paper, glanced at it, and sighed.
There's still a lot to buy; expecting the three siblings to buy it themselves...
I don't even know how many days it will take to buy them!
"Alright, I'll buy it for you! It's not easy for you three siblings."
I bought everything for you this afternoon by riding my tricycle!
This afternoon... Shuxin, come with me! You tidy up at home; someone might be coming over!
As he spoke, Zhou Pingan stuffed the paper into his pocket.
...
In the afternoon, Yao Shuxin was dressed warmly, and her sister had given her twenty yuan in her pocket.
My sister said that when we go shopping with Brother Ping An this afternoon, I must take the initiative to pay.
Also, I'll buy Brother Ping An a pack of cigarettes...
Zhou Ping'an was riding his family's tricycle, his body wrapped up tightly, and he was wearing leather gloves.
Yao Shuxin sat on the side of the tricycle and happily went shopping with Zhou Ping'an.
Yao Shuli was a little envious and wanted to go too, but Yao Shula was worried that if they had to go out in the afternoon, it wouldn't be good to leave someone at home.
So they detained Yao Shuli to guard the house.
Watching Yao Shuxin drive away in Zhou Ping'an's car, Yao Shula originally wanted to take out the bedding from the bed to air it out while the sun was shining.
As soon as I entered the house, I heard someone knocking on the door.
Yao Shuli quickly ran over to open the door.
"Aunt Sun, what brings you here? Big sister, Aunt Sun is here!" Yao Shuli shouted loudly to Yao Shula.
Yao Shula quickly put the mattress she had picked up back down.
When someone arrived, she realized it wouldn't be appropriate for her to air out her bedding, so she quickly went out to greet them.
"Godmother, what brings you here?"
Master Sun was carrying a net bag in one hand and a piece of pork in the other.
The fat is quite thick...
"Shura, it's almost Chinese New Year, so I'm bringing you some things to eat for the holiday."
...
Two cakes, a bag of peanuts, a bag of melon seeds, and two pounds of meat.
“Godmother, you sent a lot of things the other day, these... I can’t accept them.”
"Take it one step at a time. This is for you to eat during the Chinese New Year. If any guests come over, you have to give them a handful of peanuts or melon seeds!"
And this meat... it's so fatty! When you make dumplings, wrap them with cabbage and add lots of meat.
Look how thin you siblings are.
Remember to go to the factory tomorrow to collect your year-end bonus, okay?
I know there's a lot of stuff, including candy and peanut brittle. Remember, don't forget!
After putting the things down, Master Sun invited Yao Shula and her two siblings to his home for the New Year again, but Yao Shula politely declined.
Before I could even put away the things that Master Sun had brought, the door was pushed open again.
Uncle Shu arrived, still pushing a flatbed cart...
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