"By the way, Grandpa found a nice house. He said it can be renovated and become very comfortable to live in. It's located about one kilometer from the Forbidden City, but the price is a bit high."
"If my wife wants it, we'll figure out how to use the rest of the money," Han Qiushi whispered the price to Lin Xiaoxiao.
That house costs at least 40,000 yuan, and that's because it's quite dilapidated. If the house were in better condition, it would cost at least close to 50,000 yuan.
Han Qiushi still doesn't know how rich Lin Xiaoxiao is, but even his family couldn't come up with that much money. They would have to borrow money from relatives and friends to make ends meet, so he guessed that Lin Xiaoxiao didn't have it.
To everyone's surprise, Lin Xiaoxiao nodded decisively, "Okay, I don't need to see this house, I want it." She would buy this house in this location even if it cost 50,000 or 60,000 yuan, let alone 40,000.
You're near the Forbidden City. Houses in this location are extremely rare. Regardless of whether they're dilapidated or not, just grab a piece of land first.
"Wife, from now on, my child and I will have to rely on you for support," Han Qiushi said jokingly.
He never expected Lin Xiaoxiao to be so rich; this wife of his was a real gem.
"Depend on!"
"Sister-in-law, I always knew you were generous, but I didn't expect you to be this extravagant, buying a house like it's nothing." Han Qiulin was now truly envious of her older brother.
Not only is his wife beautiful, but she's also incredibly wealthy...
He felt resentful... No, wait, shouldn't he be trying to curry favor with his sister-in-law who's so rich?
That way, if his family has meat to eat, he'll have soup to drink!
"Sister-in-law, you're so generous! Don't forget me when you're making money in the future. I'll go get you some fruit right now."
After saying this, Han Qiulin went to peel an apple for Lin Xiaoxiao without saying another word. Lin Xiaoxiao and the other girl burst into laughter when they saw Han Qiulin's fawning manner.
Around noon, Grandpa Han arrived. Everyone ate a simple lunch, and afterward, the group chatted for a while.
Zhang Feng and the old man went to find a stack of red paper, a brush, and ink, planning to write this year's couplets together.
In the past, the old man always wrote the couplets. This year, Zhang Feng was here. He is a teacher and an intellectual, so his calligraphy is naturally excellent. The old man invited him to write some together.
After Zhang Fengcai finished writing the first line of the couplet, the old man came over to take a look. After examining it for a few seconds, he said, "Teacher Zhang's calligraphy is really good, unlike mine, which is just a roughneck who only knows how to fight."
"You're really good. You have character and spirit. It was definitely the right decision to bring you here to practice calligraphy." The two were discussing calligraphy.
The remaining people used the remaining red paper to cut paper snowflakes.
They also cut out some "double happiness" characters, which would come in handy for their wedding in a couple of days. While cutting, Su Li chatted with Bai Hehua, her eyes occasionally glancing at Lin Xiaoxiao.
Seeing that Lin Xiaoxiao was not at all restrained at the Han family's house, but rather quite relaxed and at ease, his smile widened even more.
They not only made some for their own homes, but also cut extra paper-cuts to share with their close neighbors, just to create a festive atmosphere.
Everyone had something to do that afternoon.
Because Lin Xiaoxiao showed off her skills last time, everyone wanted to try her cooking again. Feng Dabing's cooking is delicious, but they can eat it every day, so the chance to eat Lin Xiaoxiao's cooking is less frequent.
Lin Xiaoxiao didn't hesitate or refuse, and planned to prepare two dishes.
Lin Xiaoxiao is preparing a squirrel-shaped mandarin fish dish; the New Year's Eve dinner should not only be delicious but also visually appealing.
She was preparing this dish when the Han family bought a sea bass from somewhere. As soon as Lin Xiaoxiao saw the fish, she thought of this cooking method and immediately rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
This dish is easy to cook, but preparing the fish is a bit troublesome. First, cut off the head of the sea bass, then fillet off the middle bone, and then remove the fish bones from the belly. After all that is done, score the fish meat with crosshatch cuts.
Scoop a basin of water, add scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, and pepper, and soak the fish in it for about ten minutes.
Once the soaking time is up, drain the fish and sprinkle starch into the crevices of the fish meat. Then heat the oil in a wok until it reaches about 60% of its maximum temperature. Place the fish in the oil to fry until it sets, and also put the fish head in. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove the fish meat from the oil.
After finishing these preparations, Lin Xiaoxiao set the fish and other ingredients aside and started making a thickening sauce in a pot. She mixed some tomato sauce, sugar, and lemon juice that she had secretly transferred from her spatial dimension, all in a 1:1 ratio with water. When the sauce had thickened in the pot, she poured it over the fish, and the beautiful squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was ready.
After finishing this dish, Lin Xiaoxiao also made a cold dish using the available ingredients. Then she quickly made room for Feng Li to fry other things, like meatballs and tofu.
There was still some cured pork that Lin Xiaoxiao had sent last time at home. She washed it with hot water, cut it out, and then, seeing that the Han family had some dried bamboo shoots, she also prepared some boiling water and soaked the bamboo shoots in it.
To ensure everyone had some fresh vegetables, Lin Xiaoxiao had taken a lot of vegetables from her space a couple of days earlier during the event. When she took the vegetables home, Zhang Feng and Su Li gave her a few words of advice, telling her to prioritize safety above all else.
When Lin Xiaoxiao came to the Han family this time, she brought a lot of vegetables with her. While she was blanching the cured meat, she took a handful of garlic sprouts to process.
After the dishes were prepared, the tables in the outer hall were also tidied up, with plates of food being laid out in a continuous stream. Because there were many people, two tables were set up.
Mr. Han took out a bottle of good liquor that he kept at home; men usually drink baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor).
The woman drank the osmanthus rice wine she bought outside, and Lin Xiaoxiao also took a couple of sips.
After clinking glasses with Zhang Feng, Grandpa Han drank his wine, immediately poured himself another, and looked at Lin Xiaoxiao and the others, raising his glass.
"Come on, we have a new member in our family today, a new family member. Let's all bump into each other and wish everyone a smooth, happy and fulfilling life ahead."
Outside, the wind was still blowing snow, but inside, it was unusually warm and lively, with wine, meat, and laughter.
Not only the Han family, but on New Year's Eve, once the firecrackers went off outside, it felt like they started going off from all directions, one louder than the other, and they didn't stop for a long time.
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