Fresh pork, with a 3:7 ratio of fat to lean, is minced into a fine paste while retaining some chunks, resulting in a delicate texture and satisfyingly chewy meat pieces.
It's delicious, really delicious.
But what tastes even better is the current state of mind, the joy of being able to eat dumplings whenever you want, and the freedom and unrestrained life.
Zhang Xianglian recalled the days when she could only eat leftovers from the pot after cooking, and when there were no leftovers, she would eat vegetable soup, and when there was no vegetable soup, she would swallow cornbread dry. Tears streamed down her face.
Liu Cui empathized with her and put her arm around her shoulder, gently comforting her, "It's all in the past, sister. We'll all be fine from now on, and things will only get better."
Zhang Qiquan didn't want to see their tearful faces, so he raised his glass to break the silence, "Alright, alright, let's be happy during the New Year. No matter what happened before, we'll always have meat dumplings to eat from now on."
Jiang Sheng was the first to respond, "I absolutely refuse to eat wild vegetable fillings."
How much do they dislike wild vegetables?
Zheng Ruqian chuckled, and everyone else joined in the laughter.
They raised their glasses together, drank tea, and celebrated the New Year.
Suddenly, a series of noises came from outside, and Jiang Yi to Jiang Ba from the next table all ran into the yard and exclaimed in surprise.
It turned out that the wealthy families in the prefectural city were setting off fireworks, big and small, scattered and clustered, many times more beautiful than those in the town.
Jiang Sheng stared intently at the ground, her eyes glued to it.
Relying on his familiarity with the city over the past six months, Zhang Qiquan took the initiative to introduce the fireworks to Xiao Jiangsheng, saying, "The fireworks over there belong to the Wu family, those over there to the Liu family, those over there to the Wang family, and the furthest ones belong to the Bian family. It seems the Wang family is the wealthiest; their fireworks are huge and beautiful..."
Fang Heng stood upright at the window, looking in the direction of the Wang family.
My mother once said that my uncle was honest and kind, while my aunt was stingy and calculating. Neither of them were good at business, and they squandered most of the property left by my maternal grandparents. If it weren't for the Fang family's help several times, they wouldn't have been able to maintain their current wealth.
Later, her father died in battle and her mother committed suicide, but the Wang family did not decline; instead, it became even more prosperous.
The trickery involved is obvious if you think about it.
How terrifying are our relatives! For the sake of wealth and status, they can turn their backs on us without mercy, turn their blades against the younger generation they once loved, and disregard past affections.
It's just unknown how long the wealth and status the Wang family gained by manipulating Fang Heng can be maintained.
How long can the Fang family remain so arrogant?
"Third brother." Xu Mo walked over unnoticed. "The Wang family has fallen. Are you sad?"
Fang Heng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly smiled.
"Brother, you look down on me, Fang Heng, too much. Although my parents' lives have nothing to do with the Wang family, they have turned their backs on me without mercy and ignored the kindness my parents have shown me over the years. In my heart, they are like traitors."
"In the army, traitors are to be executed by slow slicing."
Xu Mo nodded, his gaze gradually hardening. "The position of Prefect of Anshui must not fall into the hands of the Sun family."
Anyone in this world with ability will not only defend but also attack.
Waiting until someone hurts you before retaliating is not kindness, it's foolishness.
The Wang family wanted to crush them with one blow, so they retaliated with ruthless schemes.
Fang Heng turned around, his gaze falling directly into Xu Mo's deep, unfathomable eyes.
Although they are young, they have experienced many ups and downs and have already developed composure, calmness, and a bit of shrewdness.
Chang Yan also came over at some point, stood next to Xu Mo, looked in the direction of the Sun family, and smiled, "The Sun family only helps Madam Wang, not the entire Wang family."
When there's conflict within a family, things get interesting.
Just as the fireworks ended, Jiang Sheng skipped in and was taken aback when she saw her three brothers huddled together, their bodies covered in frost. "Big brother, third brother, fifth brother, what are you doing?"
"Was the fireworks beautiful?" Xu Mo softened instantly.
"If you haven't had enough, I'll take you to see other places." Fang Heng grinned.
"Or we could buy some," Chang Yan said, tilting his head.
Hey, it looks like three dogs that were about to fight suddenly saw their owner come back and quickly wagged their tails.
Jiang Sheng shook her head, dismissing the strange thoughts, "No, no, fireworks are too expensive, let's just watch others set them off."
She skipped and hopped to the round table and shouted, "Time to eat dumplings!"
Zheng Ruqian was dozing off when she startled him awake. He opened his eyes and looked around. When he saw two carts full of dried green beans in the yard, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Eat dumplings, eat dumplings, they'll get cold if you don't eat them now," Zhang Xianglian urged the children.
Wen Zhiyun picked one up and put it in her mouth. Hmm, it's not poisonous. She took two more bites, and it was indeed not poisonous.
The three children who were standing at the window also returned. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they had a good sleep.
In Fucheng, there is a custom of visiting relatives and elders on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
However, Jiang Sheng and his siblings had no elders and few acquaintances, so they simply paid their respects to Aunt Zhang and Zhang Qiquan and his wife. The three of them symbolically wrapped some copper coins in red handkerchiefs, not many, just to wish for good luck.
If we're talking about the only two people with whom they have social interactions, it would be Zheng Ruqian and Xu Mo.
Xu Mo wanted to visit the prefect to thank him for his love for the people and for seeking justice for them.
This also laid the groundwork for opposing the Sun and Wang families.
Zheng Ruqian prepared several bundles of cured meat, brown sugar and wine, as well as a pot of stewed pork belly and dried green beans, and rushed to deliver it to Youranju as soon as it came out of the pot.
Before long, they returned.
"Manager Hao accepted it and even gave me some New Year's money," Zheng Ruqian reported to his brothers. "This time, the dried green beans are almost guaranteed to be sold."
If you make delicious dried green beans, you won't have to worry about not having anyone wanting them. The 25 taels you lost before the New Year will definitely be earned back after the New Year.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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