When Qiao Ruichen came in, he saw the little mouth under his daughter's cherry lips and couldn't help but smile.
Miao Wan glared at him secretly, "What are you laughing at? Doesn't Taotao look good like this?"
Qiao Ruichen knew that he had been a bit reckless last night. When he approached the mother and daughter, he was pinched on the waist. He just gently held Miao Wan's hand and shook it.
He would also say something nice like, "The baby you give birth to will definitely be good-looking."
Miao Wan hummed, carrying Taotao as she walked out. "Have you finished the work assigned to you?"
After eating and drinking, if anyone dares to slack off, Taotao will scratch his face.
The smile in Qiao Ruichen's eyes deepened. "I've been to Wa City. Bayin will send us more felt. The Yu family will make wooden stakes according to the drawings I drew. The Yang family is also familiar with the process. The ground nails will be ready and delivered to us in a few days."
I arranged work for him when I sent Miao Wan back yesterday.
It’s the first year since the Ruan family arrived in the northwest, so we can’t just leave them alone. Besides, the chefs are all in the Ruan and Sun families. If they celebrate their own New Year, the Qiao and Zhang families won’t be able to have a big meal.
But if we have a dinner party at the end of the year, there are too many people from several families and the room cannot accommodate them all, so we have to stand and it is so crowded.
In the courtyard, I'm afraid of the cold and the snow.
Miao Wan planned to do the same as the butcher's stall in Washi, set up a tent in the courtyard, light a brazier in the tent, and then use the stall cart used to make spicy skewers to cook the hot pot base, and everyone could add whatever they wanted to eat.
Just move the chairs from each house for the elders to sit on, and the younger generations and children can sit down, and then have the buffet fast food.
It's just right for a food trial for the shop after the New Year, killing two birds with one stone, it's perfect, all we have to do is trouble Qiao Ruichen to arrange it.
He is the only one who knows how to set up the tent.
Miao Wan was about to hum a few more lines from him when she went out and saw everyone gathered around the newly built kiln. The yard was filled with the faint aroma of roasted oil, and her stomach growled a few times.
I did too much physical exercise last night and I'm really hungry now.
Forget it, I'll deal with him after I've eaten and drunk enough.
Mrs. Zhang and her husband, as well as Zhang Erzhuang and his wife were also there. Zhang Dazhuang went to Jufu Restaurant to deliver meat. On the other hand, Qiao Shengwen was not there. He probably went to Ruan's house.
All that was left were the chattering children, jumping around in circles.
Butcher Zhang had two hanging on his body, Zhang Erzhuang and his wife also had a few hanging, and Mrs. Zhang was holding a braised egg in her hands.
The other children had no one to hold them, so when they saw Qiao Ruichen, they were not afraid at all. They called out to their uncle and uncle in a low voice. When they heard Qiao Ruichen's response, they immediately asked to be held without any hesitation.
So, Qiao Bailao, who was known for his ability and hard work, had three hanging on his neck and arms at once.
Ever since the Ruan family arrived in the northwest, the number of children in the family has grown a little overweight, with more than ten of them running over at any time.
When the weather gets cold, there is no need to go to private school. With the two big boys, Donkey Egg and Dog Egg, taking care of the kids, it is so lively that even pigs would despise them. From time to time, you can hear elders yelling and threatening to beat the kids.
But Miao Wan really likes this kind of lively atmosphere. In the past, she was embarrassed to go to other people's homes during the New Year, so she celebrated the New Year with the village chief and her father who had brought the village party secretary grandfather to spend the New Year with her.
After Sister Chenxi got married, the family was full of elders, and she was the youngest. The only one who was more noisy than her was a dog.
Sometimes when she passed by other people's homes and heard the laughter and children's screams and scolding, she felt particularly envious.
Taotao was a little jealous at first and leaned towards Qiao Ruichen.
Unexpectedly, as soon as her great uncle lighted the firewood in the kiln, a wave of heat came, and the sweet and rich aroma of roast duck made Taotao immediately forget what jealousy was, and she turned her head to stare at the roast duck.
Qiao Ruichen: "..." It seems that the daughter is even more heartless than her mother. She even abandons her father for food.
Miao Wan chuckled on the side, thinking that she had praised this person to tears on the kang last night, but if the spicy duck tongue and Qiao Bailao were placed in front of her, she would definitely choose the spicy duck tongue without hesitation.
A man’s mouth can deceive people like a ghost, but a woman’s mouth can deceive people like a ghost.
Miao Wan came over carrying Taotao, and the remaining children who were not held by anyone gathered around as if they had found their organization.
"Auntie, when can we eat the roast duck?"
"Aunt, can we still have fried chicken legs today?"
"Auntie, I still want to drink Wawa water!"
"I want to, too. Auntie, can you hug me?"
…
Miao Wan: "..." Everything else is easy, just one baby in each hand. Sorry, her old waist is really unable to do it.
She took two steps forward calmly. The roast duck smelled even better. Her stomach was empty, but she was also greedy.
"Uncle?"
Ruan Qi was helpless. "These little guys have asked me eight hundred times. Didn't you say it would take an hour and a half? There's still half an hour left. I think it's still a little short of the mark."
Miao Wan's eyes turned, "We can't just sit there and wait. We still have to chop the green onions and winter melon, and mix the sauce."
Ruan Qi asked his apprentice to watch over the kiln entrance, "I'll go right away."
"Then can you fry some chicken legs for us? I'm so hungry!" Miao Wan hugged Taotao and pretended to be pitiful.
Taotao pouted, and her little lips in the Qing Dynasty costume made people laugh, "Hungry~Eat~"
The children were amused by Taotao and started to laugh. They also imitated her and shouted, "Hungry~Eat~"
Taotao was stunned for a moment, probably because it was the first time someone followed her. She didn't know where such a small child got such a strong addiction. She clapped her hands and laughed shrilly: "Meat~Meat leak (meat)~"
The children also clapped their hands: "Meat! Meat!"
Ruan Qi pinched his forehead and said, "Okay, okay, I'll make whatever you want to eat. Don't shout, my head hurts."
Although most of the children in the Ruan family were raised in a free-range environment, there were many rules at home. He was old-fashioned and liked to have a stern face, but the children were quite quiet in front of him.
I don’t know why, we’ve only been in the Northwest for a short time, but after being led by Miao Wan for a few days, we all became screaming people.
If three women were one play, then each child that passed through Miao Wan's care could be the beginning of three plays. With so many children...
Even Madam Zhang and the others could hardly bear the commotion.
Only Qiao Ruichen remained consistent. While carefully protecting the child, he also kept an eye on Miao Wan, thinking that if she got tired of holding the child, he would abandon the son and replace him with his daughter.
Miao Wan didn't feel her husband's consideration. She just thought that eating too much fried meat would not be good for the child, and the child should eat more vegetables.
So she stood at the kitchen door again and started pointing, "Uncle, why don't you fry some vegetables for me? The children need a balanced diet."
The children were unhappy: "Ah? No~"
"So do you want to eat fried radish balls or boiled radish?" Miao Wan felt that she was very democratic and gave them the choice.
Donkey Egg quickly said, "Aunt, let's eat the carrot balls. Don't let Uncle waste a whole pot of oil!"
Goudan also nodded, "How about some fried barley rolls? And cat ears!"
“And gold ingots!”
The Ruan family children became curious again.
"What are cat ears?"
“It’s delicious.”
"Can gold ingots be eaten?"
"tasty!"
"Eating gold will kill you!"
"Won't."
So the children agreed: they wanted to eat cat ears and gold ingots.
Ruan Qi: “…” What you said is just like what I would do.
It doesn’t matter, he can’t, Miao Wan (mouth) can.
After the roast duck was ready, the tables in the main hall of the Qiao family were not enough, so they moved a square table from the Ruan family and the Zhang family to make a long table.
With the help of Sun Laohuo, the table was filled with food, which was dazzling. The smell made people drool and they wished their mouths could cover the sky so that they could swallow it all at once.
The three apprentices brought by Sun Laohuo can barely stand on their own, so after everything is arranged, he came back with Zhang Dazhuang.
He is very skilled in making snacks like cat ears and gold ingots, and he made them well.
Ruan Qi took his apprentice to prepare the soft pancakes and ingredients for roast duck.
Although there were many twists and turns when making the roast duck, after it was ready, both chefs seemed to have mastered the slicing of the duck on their own.
The duck skin is sliced separately, some of the duck skin and meat are sliced separately, and some of the duck meat is sliced separately. The duck skeleton is cleaned very cleanly.
There was a lot of meat and ingredients on the table. Miao Wan took advantage of the fact that the others were still rubbing their arms, not knowing where to start, and put Taotao down and started cooking.
Spread out the thin pancake, spread the black bean sauce on it first, then put the shredded green onion and winter squash on it, pick up a piece of duck skin with chopsticks and dip it in the black bean sauce, wrap it into a square size that can be eaten, and stuff it into your mouth——
"Ahhh——" Taotao, who was lying on the kang, cried out anxiously.
She watched her mother wrap it up. When Miao Wan opened her mouth, she also opened her mouth, but the whole thing went into her mother's mouth, which made her very anxious.
Qiao Ruichen also imitated Miao Wan and made one, then fed it to Miao Wan's mouth. Miao Wan opened her mouth, and Taotao continued to follow. Then her mother ate without even raising her head, and Taotao could only eat air.
Seeing that his father was eating too, Taotao remembered that his father had just held another child, and his little mouth pouted and he was about to cry.
Miao Wan deliberately bit off a fingernail-sized piece of duck skin, breaking it up slightly so it wouldn't get stuck in her throat. Then she used a little bit of shredded winter squash dipped in black bean sauce, wrapped it in a one-sixth-sized pancake, and stuffed it into Taotao's mouth when she was about to cry.
Taotao held his mother's hand and didn't even miss the sauce on Miao Wan's fingers. He ate so hard that his eyes narrowed, and once again forgot about being jealous of his father.
Qiao Ruichen: “…”
He quietly put down the pancake dipped in sauce, took a bite himself, his eyes lit up, and without caring about anything else, he rushed to eat with everyone else.
Not only himself, he also helped Miao Wan to rob.
In fact, there were quite a lot of roast ducks, eight in total, but this thing was so delicious that you had to rush to eat it, and there wasn't that much duck skin. It was the first time for everyone to taste this sweet and crispy skin, and it felt even more addictive than braised pork.
Even the children were quiet, no one was making any noise, they were just focused on eating.
There are many ducks, and there are also many adults and children in the family. There are more than thirty mouths, and the ducks are not enough to feed them. Fortunately, there are still many fried meatballs, fried chicken legs, fried flower rolls and sugar-baited snacks.
Finally, Miao Wan leaned against the kang and remembered that she had a husband.
She looked at Qiao Ruichen eagerly, "Husband, can you make me some digestive tea? It's in the kitchen cabinet."
Qiao Ruichen nodded, "Okay."
Seeing him leave, Geng also got up and said, "The children have eaten a lot. I remember there are also hawthorns. I will boil some water for them to drink."
After the mother and daughter left, Madam Zhang glanced at Qiao Shengwen, who had also chased out to perform, and whispered in Miao Wan's ear, "Awan, as a daughter-in-law, is it okay for you to order Ruichen around like this?"
At least you should learn from your father-in-law.
She really treats Miao Wan as her own daughter now. No matter whether it is for money or true feelings, she is considering Miao Wan anyway.
This daughter-in-law was leaning on the kang like an old man, and the child was allowed to sleep on the side. Everyone else in the family was busy, which looked a bit inappropriate.
Apparently, Ruan's aunt thought the same thing, and she couldn't help but stand up and said, "I'll go help too."
Miao Wan was a little hesitant and wanted to sit up straight to show her seriousness, but... she was too full and couldn't sit up straight.
Seeing her like this, Yang spoke up for her, "Well, mother, don't worry about it. Isn't it always like this in their family? Miao Wan is good at talking, so she has to ask her brother-in-law to do the work. Besides, once her brother-in-law comes back, she won't have the energy to work."
Qiao Rui had been listening attentively, but when she heard this she frowned and asked, "Why is my sister-in-law so bored now that my brother is back?" Could it be that her brother was bullying her?
Yang paused and coughed lightly. "Think about it, I have to watch over the newly bought pigs all night, worried that they won't sleep well. Your brother doesn't come home often, so your sister-in-law might be taking care of him and not getting enough sleep."
Everyone: “…”
Qiao Ruichen choked at the door. The description of Zhang's second sister-in-law might be more appropriate in reverse.
No one would discuss this much in front of the children.
The Chinese New Year is just over ten days away. Since Sun Laohuo and Ruan Qi are both here, Miao Wan is not afraid of bothering Sun Ada, so she simply lets them look at the recipes she wrote and study the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner.
With a kiln at home, making bread becomes much more convenient.
They have cola fried chicken, and both restaurants also make braised pork. So, it’s time to bring out the fast food restaurant’s signature dish - hamburgers - to meet the children.
In later generations, McDonald's and KFC were sought after by many adults and children.
After Sun Laohuo and Ruan Qi got the recipe, they found that it was mostly pasta. It was not complicated at all. It was a bit like baked naan, but softer than baked naan, and baking soda was used.
Both of them have just come into contact with this thing and need to study it in detail.
Before that, the most important thing is to set up the Qiao family’s big tent first.
Originally, Miao Wan wanted to say that it was just for occasional gatherings when the weather was cold, and there was no need to dress it up too well.
As long as the wooden clamps are strong, covered with oilcloth and felt blankets, with a brazier inside and the hot steam from the soup, it will be fine.
Who knew that during these days when the Chinese New Year was approaching, everyone was moving things out of their homes, and when they saw Uncle Geng setting up a tent according to the method left by Qiao Ruichen, they couldn't help but come over to help.
When it comes to New Year's things, people subconsciously try to pack them in a good way.
The Zhang family felt that the tent still needed to keep warm, so Madam Zhang and Mrs. Geng, together with the women of the Ruan family, sewed two layers of oilcloth and felt blankets together to make a tent with a thickness similar to that of the northern Mongolian tents.
Qiao Shengwen and Ruan Jiasheng thought that since the tent would be used as a dining room, couplets and red lanterns were necessary. They enthusiastically wrote and made lanterns and decorated the four corners of the tent.
The kids loved running around in the tent.
Seeing that the tent was well tidied, Miao Wan became interested and gave each child a pen made of pig bristles.
She prepared various colored dyes and took Taotao and the children to teach them how to draw cartoons outside the tent.
This aroused the addiction of others, and parents also started painting at altitudes that their children could not reach. Although their levels varied, they all had their own merits.
What surprised Miao Wan was that even Zhang the butcher had great skills and he drew the piglet very lifelike.
When she asked, Butcher Zhang smiled innocently and said, "I've been butchering pigs all my life. I've touched so many pigs that I can draw them just by feeling them."
Miao Wan: “…” Well, that’s okay. No wonder so many playboys in TV dramas draw pictures of beauties.
Her father-in-law could do it too, so the painting competition finally came to Qiao Shengwen, Ruan Qin and Ruan Jiasheng.
The three people painted a Northwest New Year's blessing scene, both the people and the scenery were lifelike. It surrounded the tent on three sides, and Zhong Kui and the Kitchen God were specially painted in front of the main door.
When Qiao Ruichen came back in the afternoon of New Year's Eve, he was shocked to see a small house built in the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was actually a fancy tent.
He thought to himself, she is indeed his wife, she is really capable.
In fact, Miao Wan didn't expect the tent to become like this.
At night, everyone lit the red lanterns outside the tent.
Miao Wan came out of the room holding Taotao, and looked outside the tent illuminated by the red light. Some people were looking at the paintings and laughing, while others were running and playing. The crackling sound in the tent was accompanied by a strong fragrance, which was so beautiful that it almost took one's breath away.
She felt a sudden lump in her throat, and Qiao Ruichen calmly held her hand.
Miao Wan turned around and smiled brightly at him, "This fireworks display is so beautiful. I wish it could be like this every year."
The fiery red lanterns reflected in people's eyes, and Qiao Ruichen only felt that his wife's curved almond eyes were indeed beautiful.
The author has something to say:
Qiao Bailao: Wife, who is more important, me or duck tongue?
Miao Shiren: You, you, you are the most important (as long as the duck tongue doesn’t appear).
While writing this, I was so hungry that I almost stopped to watch a food video to satisfy my craving. I love love love love roast duck! I love spicy duck tongue even more!
Hey, it’s closed. I haven’t eaten it for a long time~
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