Early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Chunmei got up and started preparing breakfast at home. Since breakfast shops were not open on the first day of the Lunar New Year, she had to prepare breakfast at home.
The steamed buns and mantou for breakfast were bought before the Lunar New Year from a steamed bun shop that the family particularly liked. They were frozen immediately after purchase, and during the Lunar New Year, they could be taken out and heated up whenever they wanted to eat them, and they tasted almost as good as freshly steamed ones.
By the time Xia Minmin came out of the wash-up room, the steamed buns and mantou that Li Chunmei had made were also ready.
"Chunmei, go wash up, I'll get you some steamed buns and mantou."
"Okay, remember to heat up the milk."
The family's breakfast is very simple: two or three steamed buns or a glass of milk. After eating, they can quickly tidy up and head out the door.
"Jianguo, are the main power switch, water taps, and gas valves all turned off?"
"Everything's locked, so don't worry!"
"Mom, you've checked it six times already!"
Ms. Li Chunmei's obsessive-compulsive disorder is simply incurable; she repeatedly checks doors, windows, and electrical switches.
Xia Jianguo checked the time; it was almost time to meet the taxi driver he had arranged with yesterday.
"It's almost time, let's go wait for the car outside the community." Xia Jianguo picked up his luggage and went out.
Ms. Li Chunmei was in charge of locking the door, and she checked again and again to make sure the door was locked properly.
I didn't have to wait long outside the residential area before the taxi I had booked arrived.
The taxi driver got out of the car, opened the trunk, and put the luggage inside.
"Brother Xia, have you been waiting long?"
"We just arrived too."
"Happy New Year, sister-in-law!"
"Happy New Year to you too. I'm so sorry to bother you on the first day of the Lunar New Year."
"Sister-in-law, you're too kind. It's worth it just for Brother Xia's three times the fare."
In just a few words, we arrived at the train station.
Li Zhonghua and his family were already waiting at the entrance.
Xia Minmin glanced at her digital watch; there were still thirty minutes until the agreed time, so she wasn't late.
"Happy New Year to my second aunt, second uncle, and Xiaomin."
"Happy New Year, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, and Sister Qing!"
Several adults exchanged New Year's greetings.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone pushed their suitcases into the station.
"Sister Qing, have you been waiting long? Why are you here so early?"
"Hey, don't even mention it. Yesterday, we had arranged for a taxi driver to pick us up at 7 o'clock, but Grandpa insisted that it was too late and wanted to change it to 6:30. We had no choice but to leave at 6:30. Today, Grandpa started knocking on the door to urge us to get up at 5 o'clock."
"Grandpa is really amazing. It's not his first time going out, so why is he so excited this time?"
"Perhaps Grandpa couldn't contain his excitement at the thought of being able to pay homage to Chairman Mao."
"It should be because Grandpa mentioned the Chairman's matter more than once after the itinerary was confirmed."
Xia Minmin glanced at her maternal grandparents, who had been smiling throughout, and could tell they were full of anticipation for the trip.
Li Chunmei asked, "Sister-in-law, did Xiaoxiao go home last night?"
"They're back. They didn't get home until after 11 p.m. They weren't even awake when we left."
Sun Erni's expression turned sour whenever Li Xiaoxiao was mentioned.
"It's good that you're back!"
After sitting in the station for only a few minutes, it was time to queue for ticket inspection. Train tickets for the first day of the Lunar New Year were easy to buy; I booked soft sleeper tickets through scalpers at an extra cost. Train tickets for the return trip on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year were harder to buy; I could only book hard sleeper tickets.
At the current train speed, it would take about a day and a night to get to Beijing. There are so many people and so much fun. After a good night's sleep, I arrived in Beijing early the next morning.
After getting off the train, Xia Jianguo found a breakfast shop that was still open, ate a little something, and then looked at the map he had bought from the newsstand.
After discussing it, everyone decided to stay at a five-star hotel near the Forbidden City. Although the price wasn't cheap, since we were on a rare trip, we should stay in a comfortable place.
Xia Minmin took two taxis to the hotel. The drivers were very talkative and recommended many good restaurants near the hotel. She decided to try them at noon.
After checking into the hotel and putting down our luggage, the family prepared to explore the hutongs and several nearby attractions.
Li Qing said, "No wonder it's the capital city, it's just different!"
The hutongs still retain their quaint courtyard houses, and with the Lunar New Year celebrations, the hutongs are filled with a festive atmosphere.
Xia Minmin and Li Qing ate as they walked, completely unable to control their mouths. Fortunately, there was strength in numbers, and although they looked like they had bought a lot, each of them took a bite, so they didn't actually eat much.
For lunch, we ate at the hot pot restaurant recommended by the taxi driver.
Although it was only the second year of junior high school, there were still quite a few customers eating in the shop.
As soon as they opened the door, they felt the heat inside the room, a stark contrast between the hot and cold air inside and outside.
"Hello, how many are in your party?" The waiter immediately came over to greet the new customer.
"Eight people."
"Hello, this way please. Our large table is in the back."
The staff led everyone to a round table and handed them menus.
"This must be your first time eating hot pot at our restaurant, right? You look quite unfamiliar with us."
"We came here as tourists, and the taxi driver recommended your restaurant."
"No wonder our restaurant, despite being an established brand, isn't well-known; most of our customers are regulars," the waiter explained.
Xia Minmin said, "Sister, then please give us some recommendations! We'll make whatever tastes good!"
To truly experience authentic local cuisine, it's essential to consult with locals.
“We don’t know either, could you please help us with this?” Li Zhonghua said.
"We prefer our mutton hotpot to be fresher; people who aren't used to it might find it fishy."
"That's alright, we can accept it."
"Alright! I'll get it for you. You guys order first. We need a dish of lamb tail fat, it's very important, whether the hot pot is fatty or not depends entirely on it. Our lamb is all hand-cut, including lamb shoulder, lamb tenderloin, lamb ribs, flat pork, and lamb belly, all of which are highly recommended."
Li Qing asked, "May I ask which parts of the sheep are cucumber strips and flatbread?"
"Cucumber meat refers to the inner thigh of the hind leg of the lamb, while flat-strip meat refers to the meat outside the lamb's spine," the waiter explained.
"Let's try three plates of each of the cuts you just recommended, and four plates of seasonal vegetables."
"Okay, wait a moment. Once the broth is ready, pour in the mutton tail fat first, and then add the mutton after the pot boils. I'll also prepare the dipping sauce for you! Our sesame sauce is highly recommended."
Thank you.
Everyone was quite full after leaving the hot pot restaurant; it's definitely true that eating with the locals is the right choice.
Xia's grandfather said, "Let's come here for one more meal before we go home."
"Okay, okay."
In the afternoon, we went to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Tiananmen Gate Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, and the Great Hall of the People.
When Grandpa and Grandma Xia went to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, they couldn't control their emotions and kept silently shedding tears.
After leaving the memorial hall, the two elderly people were still in low spirits. After having a simple dinner outside, they went back to the hotel to prepare for bed.
I have to get up at 3 a.m. tomorrow to watch the flag-raising ceremony. If I want to see the flag-raising ceremony up close, I have to get up early. I'm staying at this hotel because it's very close to the square, less than 500 meters away.
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