Chapter 46 New Year's Eve Dinner But thinking of you is my most important thing...
"Phew, we're finally here! Let's hurry, it's freezing!"
"Serves you right for being so vain and not wearing more layers."
"Isn't my leather jacket cool? Humph." The man who spoke smugly twirled around.
Chen Mian's thoughts were pulled back from her memories, and she silently followed her father to their family's grave.
In a small area, there are several stone tablets scattered around.
In the center is the joint tomb of Chen Mian's grandparents, and around it are several uncles whom she has never met.
She took out the offerings from the basket and placed them one by one in the front position, then stepped back, knelt down, and burned paper money with her father.
The yellow and white paper scraps were consumed by the flames and turned to ashes. The north wind swept in, carrying away some fragments, and also taking away the endless longing of the living.
Chen Yongliang kowtowed three times earnestly, hoping that his parents and brothers were doing well over there and that they would bless his family with peace and good fortune.
Chen Mian didn't have much of an impression of her father's other relatives, but she followed their instructions diligently. If there really were gods in the world, she hoped they could bless her brother to be invincible forever.
Chen Yongliang then took out a bottle of baijiu from his pocket and poured it in front of the grave, saying, "This was your grandfather's favorite drink when he was alive."
"Let's go home." Chen Yongliang stood up, brushed the dirt off his legs, and said gently to his daughter.
The person is gone, and those who are alive are busy with their own lives. It's enough if they can come and visit occasionally each year.
More longing and emotions are best kept buried deep in the heart.
"good."
...
Have you made up your mind?
"That's fine."
Lin Huijun helped her youngest daughter down from the chair.
These past few days they've been so busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner that they completely forgot to put up Spring Festival couplets at their own home.
"Your dad goes to the county to sell Spring Festival couplets to others all day long, and he doesn't even know to put them up at home in advance."
I only remembered this when I came across some of his earlier writings.
Lin Huijun complained, but her face was filled with a gentle smile.
He was clearly not really angry; he was just muttering a few words.
She knew that her husband had been riding his bicycle dozens of kilometers back and forth every day recently, which was not easy, and he couldn't even afford to eat a hot meal in the county at noon.
She also asked if she should write it at home in advance and then sell it herself for a day or two, because standing outside all the time in the winter weather is unbearable.
The husband said, "Everyone comes here to celebrate, so it's better to write the blessings they want on the spot."
This way, we won't waste paper and ink...
Lin Huijun shook her head, lifted the curtain, and went inside.
Chen Muhe also smiled and smoothed things over, "Dad must have kept them in advance, but they were pasted too early a few days ago and the wind ruined them, so they don't look good anymore."
"You're always the best at talking at times like this."
"Let's go, let's continue chopping vegetables."
My son probably won't be able to come back this year. There will only be four of us at home celebrating the New Year, so we won't be able to eat much.
But Lin Huijun still wanted to make it perfect, hoping for good luck.
The crispy pork meatballs and chicken blood noodles I prepared a few days ago are enough to make three dishes. Add cold noodles, cold pig's ear salad, and a few stir-fried hot dishes.
"Oh right, there's also spiced vegetable."
Blanch the pre-treated bitter almonds to remove their bitterness, then mix them with carrots to make a cold salad.
And then there's the crispy pork, which is made by mixing lean meat with crumbled steamed buns, kneading it into an oval shape, and steaming it.
When eating, slice it and arrange it on a plate. Half of the plate should be crispy pork slices, and the other half should be fatty pork slices. Pour a spoonful of broth over it and heat it in a pot.
Break open the lotus leaf pancake, and you'll find a piece of crispy pork and a piece of fatty pork, their textures blending together in distinct layers that melt in your mouth.
As for the potato balls I made a few days ago, it's even simpler to eat them. Just put the balls in a bowl, drizzle a spoonful of honey on top, and heat them up.
The two sisters could never get enough of these two dishes...
"Mom, we're back!"
Chen Mian lifted the curtain, bringing with her a blast of cold air.
She was holding something in her hand when she suddenly walked behind her sister and placed it on her sister's neck.
"Ah, it's so cold, what is this?" Chen Muhe was startled by the sudden chill.
It's snowing!
"Really? My mom and I were chopping vegetables and didn't even know."
Chen Mian nodded and continued, "However, the rain hasn't been heavy yet, and there's only a thin layer on the ground."
"It's boring, there aren't enough to play with." She pouted.
"It's alright, the snow should continue for a few more days." Lin Huijun put down the eggs she was holding, walked outside, lifted the curtain, and looked at the gloomy sky.
"Where's your dad?" Lin Huijun didn't see her husband.
"He went to heat the kang (a traditional heated bed), saying that everyone has worked hard all year and should rest early after dinner today."
Lin Huijun smiled and said, "The food will be ready soon."
Chen Mian added some firewood and charcoal to the stove and shook the handle on the side to make the fire burn brighter.
"Mom, why haven't I seen you making yellow wine?"
She went into the kitchen. "Where did you put the rice wine that was brewed this year? I can't find it."
"It's right next to that sauerkraut jar."
As soon as the lid is lifted, the aroma of Shaoxing wine wafts out.
It has a very refreshing fruity aroma, with lots of rock sugar and dried tangerine peel added, and it's not very alcoholic.
Chen Mian rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out an enamel basin, scooping out several large spoonfuls of rice wine. "Then I'll heat the rice wine on the stove first."
"Okay, once you've set it down, come help me peel the garlic. The dressing for the cold dish hasn't been mixed yet."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Chen Mian deftly picked up a clove of garlic, separated it into small pieces, smashed them all with a knife, and then peeled them very easily, saving time.
Take out the family heirloom garlic mortar, sprinkle a little salt, mash it into garlic paste, then pour in vinegar, chili oil, and other seasonings.
Mix well, then pour it over cold dishes.
At the dinner table, Chen Yongliang helped his wife bring out the last dish, braised pork knuckle, and the New Year's Eve dinner was complete.
"Eat quickly."
...
"We're eating, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing her son's absent-minded look, Yu Xiaoyue tapped the bowl in front of him with her chopsticks.
It was a rare occasion that neither the father nor the son had to work on New Year's Eve, so the family of three could spend the whole year together. However, one of them kept his eyes glued to the Spring Festival Gala on TV, while the other seemed lost in thought.
Yu Xiaoyue grew angrier and angrier, and couldn't help but kick her husband.
"Oh, were you just calling me?" Ji Feng snapped back to reality.
Yu Xiaoyue gestured in her son's direction, and Ji Feng glanced up and replied nonchalantly, "Sichun is here, don't worry about her."
"Alright, I wonder when he'll bring his daughter-in-law back to me."
Yu Xiaoyue was a little worried. With her son's simple-mindedness, she couldn't expect to be able to rely on him for the time being.
Ji Feng: "Haven't we already met that girl? How can you say we brought her back?"
Not long after the three of them finished eating, Yu Xiaoyue said she was sleepy and wanted to go back to her room to sleep. Before leaving, she glanced back at her husband.
Ji Feng stared at his wife's back for a few seconds, then stroked his chin, his eyes lit up, and he quickly got up and followed her back into the house.
In an instant, Ji Yu was left alone in the living room.
The Spring Festival Gala on TV hadn't finished yet, but he wasn't interested. All he could think about was why he and Mianmian couldn't be from the same hometown.
That way, I could secretly go see her during the New Year. Unlike now, the two of us are like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, finding it difficult to even meet.
Mianmian has been back for so many days now, I wonder how she's doing, and if she misses me.
"Ring ring..."
The phone rang in the living room. Ji Yu thought it was another assignment from work, so she quickly got up.
Ji Yu put the microphone to her ear, but couldn't hear anything. She was puzzled and was about to ask what was going on.
A familiar, sweet and charming voice came from the other end of the microphone.
Happy Chinese New Year.
"Happy...Happy Chinese New Year..."
Ji Yu never expected Chen Mian to call her, and a surge of joy welled up inside her.
The next second, her last shred of rationality returned, and she stammered, "Where...where did you get this phone number? You didn't actually come all the way to town, did you?"
It's so late, it's too dangerous for a girl like you to be out alone..."
As Chen Mian listened to the man's rambling and concerned tone on the other end of the phone, a slight smile appeared on her lips as she explained with a smile.
"I'm not that stupid, okay? Someone in our village got a phone installed, that's why I called you."
"Then, do your family members know about us?" Ji Yu was unusually shy; he wasn't mentally prepared to meet Mianmian's parents.
“I told them I was calling my brother’s unit.”
"Oh..." Ji Yu replied softly, his handsome eyebrows drooping.
It turns out I was just an afterthought.
He thought she was missing him.
After a moment, he straightened up again and asked the other person expectantly, "Can I call you again later?"
There were still many days before Chen Mian returned to Xinjiang, and he was afraid that he would be unable to stop thinking about her.
It would be nice to be able to exchange a few words with someone occasionally.
"I... I won't bother you all the time, really just occasionally, I swear," the man added cautiously, afraid of being rejected.
But I was still rejected.
Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, Chen Mian felt conflicted, but they were still only in the early stages of getting to know each other.
Besides, it's the village chief's phone number, so it's not convenient to talk to him.
She did come to call her brother's unit tonight, but she managed to get the village chief's wife away by citing the unit's confidentiality requirements.
Although the phone went through to the military base, I didn't hear from my brother. He said he seemed to have gone on a mission.
I don't know what happened again, they won't even let us rest during the Lunar New Year.
After hanging up the phone, she stood there for a moment, then gritted her teeth and pressed another string of numbers.
She didn't know why she had become like this; when the call connected, she didn't know what to say.
After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a "Happy Chinese New Year".
When Ji Yu saw that there was no sound on the other end of the phone, she thought that Chen Mian was angry, so she quickly coaxed her softly.
"I know I was wrong, please don't be angry, okay?"
I apologize for my rudeness. How about I treat you to dinner when you get back?
Chen Mian: "I'm not angry. You can write this number down first, and contact me if it's urgent."
"good."
But thinking of you is the most important thing to me...
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