Sunrise and sunset, snowstorms upon snowstorms, it seems like the Laba Festival is just around the corner.
Before dawn, Tao Hongying, along with Shuiling, Shuiyun, and Qiong's sister-in-law and Dongmei who came to help, heated up the two large pots on the stove.
Then, the eight kinds of grains and beans that were selected yesterday were washed clean, added with plenty of water, and cooked.
As dawn broke, the Laba porridge in the pot was stirred until it became thick and sweet.
This is true for every household in both Xincun and Ercun.
The mischievous boys, unusually, didn't stay in bed. They got up on their own, still sleepy-eyed, and held their bowls, ready to drink Laba porridge.
Actually, nowadays life is good, and a bowl of sweetened multigrain porridge is nothing special.
But the season and the food itself add a touch of extra flavor!
Outside, the cold wind howled and snowflakes fluttered. The family gathered together, drinking a bowl of hot Laba porridge.
This Laba porridge is no longer just porridge; it represents peace, reunion, and abundance.
The whole family drinks this for peace of mind and reassurance.
Jiayin drank two large bowls of spicy cabbage, salted cucumber, and mustard greens pickled by her mother. Finally, she walked around the floor with her round little belly to digest her food.
Li Lao Er originally wanted to rest at home for a day, but Zheng Feng came back early in the morning, said a few words, and then he went into the city.
He wasn't presumptuous. Having heard about the location of Yaochi and its tight security, he planned to borrow a few men from the Marquis.
But the Marquis is in the military camp, and it would take half a day to ride back and forth, so he might miss the opportunity.
Fortunately, Zheng Liu and Zheng Qi, along with Jia Ren and the others, had gone to Quanzhou with the men sent from Zhengjiazhuang. However, Zheng Sanjiang and Jia Huan's servant, Zheng Er, were both in the city and could lend a hand temporarily.
So, when the sun was high in the sky, Zheng Sanjiang and Zheng Er, disguised as father and son, set off carrying a load of wild pears...
In the Li family courtyard, Madam Wen and Wenjuan were doing needlework together, chatting with Old Madam Li.
Mrs. Wen and Wenjuan conceived less than a month apart, and now they are both five or six months pregnant, with very large bellies.
In this kind of weather, they don't dare to wander around outside. They usually just dart between the two courtyards, which is their only form of exercise.
Grandma Li filled a large basin with sticky rice, intending to clean it, make sticky noodles, and then steam bean buns and fry oil cakes.
This is a custom from the north. Even though we moved to the new capital, my family still likes this dish.
Because life was so poor back in the north.
In the best year, our family steamed only about a hundred bean buns and fried twenty oil cakes.
That was the sweetest and happiest taste in the whole family's memory.
Nowadays, the family eats white rice every meal, and buying a hundred or so kilograms of sticky rice is just a matter of a word. The old lady plans to make more and send some to relatives and friends so they can enjoy something fresh.
Madam Wen and Wenjuan found it interesting and their mouths watering, so they put down their needlework and joined in the busy work, chatting and laughing, making it quite lively.
Grandma Li said, "Here, sticky rice isn't called sticky rice, it's called glutinous rice, and it's not a precious thing. But back in my hometown, it's twice as expensive as regular white rice."
"That year, my second son worked as an accountant in the city. The master gave him a few pounds of meat as a reward, and I gritted my teeth and steamed bean buns and fried dough cakes with it."
"Jiaxi and Jiaan are only four years old. After eating the fried cake, they licked all their fingers one by one."
"At that time, I thought that when life got better, I would definitely fry hundreds of oil cakes so that the children could eat their fill."
"As a result, we'll be frying a huge basin of oil cakes today, because the children have all flown out of their nest and can't be easily gathered back!"
Madam Wen guessed that Old Madam Li missed her grandson, and quickly advised, "If this sticky dough can be stored, why not freeze two balls?"
"During the Lunar New Year, the children always gather back home, and we can fry them fresh and eat them right away—that's when they taste the best!"
“Yes, Grandma,” Wenjuan said. “Huan’s in the city too. He’s getting busier and busier. He hasn’t been back for four or five days. Let’s keep some more so he can have some fried cakes when he gets back.”
Grandma Li couldn't help but laugh, and said reproachfully, "Don't worry, your child's father won't be left out. Jia Huan loves sticky food, but he's sensible and won't say much."
"His younger brothers had eaten the sticky rice cakes sold in Luoan Town so many times that they never remembered them. It was Fu Niu'er who never forgot to bring a box of them back for Jia Huan every time she came back from town."
Wenjuan blushed; she, as the daughter-in-law, actually knew nothing about these things.
No wonder my husband treats his sister-in-law so well; she is indeed much more sensible and thoughtful than other children.
Tao Hongying came in from outside, casually grabbed a thick cotton cloak, and said as she put it on, "Mother, I'm going to take a walk around the second village. The New Year is coming soon, and I'll see if any of the workshops or families are having any difficulties."
"Go on, take Fu Niu'er with you." Old Mrs. Li assigned the task to her daughter-in-law. "That girl ate a lot this morning, be careful she doesn't gain any more weight, she'll be fatter than a pig at the New Year!"
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
Jiayin was all smiles, not angry at all. She ran over and hugged her grandmother's neck, acting cute and playful for a while before putting on a cloak and going out with her mother.
In the cold winter, handmade noodles don't dry well without the help of the sun and autumn wind, so they have to be dried in a heated room.
This is definitely more troublesome, but fortunately we have enough manpower, so production has not been delayed.
Moreover, due to the custom of giving gifts during the Lunar New Year, the sales of handmade noodles have also seen a small peak.
Xiao Cui'er is busy all day long. During the day, she manages the workshop and handles big and small matters in the village. At night, she also learns to write and calculate with Hui Niang.
She really wished she could grow eight hands so that one hour could be divided into three.
Right now, she's organizing the ledgers.
Although he doesn't know many characters, he struggles with writing and arithmetic.
But she was clever; she used symbols to represent them, and managed to record things quite neatly and without any mess.
Seeing Tao Hongying and Jiayin approaching, she quickly stepped forward to greet them.
The Li family has always offered a helping hand to this noodle workshop when needed, but they never participate in its operations.
For example, Professor Tao Hongying taught everyone how to make handmade noodles and simmer meat sauce. She also guided the production of all the materials used in the workshop, and helped to streamline the assembly line operation step by step.
But she didn't say a word about the entire workshop, from buying raw materials like flour and vegetable oil to selling them, how much the cost and profit were, and how they were distributed.
The wounded soldiers, veterans, and the Marquis's personal guards in the Second Village are undoubtedly brave and loyal.
However, many of these people have families, and money is involved, so the Li family had to avoid suspicion.
Despite all their precautions and efforts, they were still suspected of embezzling funds...
After the workshop got on track, each process was assigned an older veteran, making a total of five people who formed a management team, plus Xiao Cui as the manager and accountant.
Together, these six people managed to run the workshop quite well.
Most of the villagers in the second village work in the workshops, and by managing the workshops well, they also manage the village well.
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