Chapter 127 Preparing for the New Year
The sweet and sour flavor comes from cooked apples, and the red date flavor is also very strong. Although it's a bit of a mixed stew, the taste is indeed quite good.
While drinking, he kept turning the meatballs with tongs, afraid that he might burn them if he wasn't careful.
The meatballs swelled slightly under the heat of the charcoal, forming small bulges, which then deflated with a soft pop after a while.
The oily aroma grew stronger and stronger. Judging that one was almost done roasting, I picked it up and put it on my plate to try.
Dip it in a little garlic and chili, blow on it to cool it down, and then carefully take a small bite. I declare this to be the best way to eat meatballs.
The aroma of the meatballs is enhanced by the high temperature. The surface is slightly charred, but the inside is full of oil, making them even more fragrant than the grilled fish balls from convenience stores.
As the meatballs cooked more and more, I couldn't even finish eating them all, and the dogs were already whimpering softly with envy.
Place the four meatballs on the side of the plate, let them cool, and then feed them to the four dogs.
Little Earth wasn't there, so I shouted loudly twice, and only then did Little Earth slowly return.
Feeding meatballs to dogs is really boring; they swallow them before I can even get a good look at them. Only the little one chews a bit slower, so I can watch it.
After a long wait, the roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes are finally cooked. Compared to those roasted in an oven, these are cleaner.
Peel off the sweet potato skin to reveal the orange-yellow flesh inside, glistening with a layer of honey, which looks incredibly tempting.
Take a bite, and the sweet honey permeates every strand of sweet potato flesh, making it soft, tender, and sweet.
I plan to make the roasted potatoes savory, dipped in some barbecue sauce, and they'll be delicious with every bite.
The combination of sweet and salty makes it not greasy at all.
They drank too much water, and one sweet potato or potato was enough to fill them up. The rest were cooled, mashed up, and fed to the dogs, which also solved their lunch problem.
The next day was not a good day; the sky was overcast, and a particularly cold wind was blowing.
I got up in the morning, wrapped myself in a thick cotton-padded coat, heated the kang (a heated brick bed), fed the pigs and chickens, and decided to stay in the east room and not go out.
With the Spring Festival approaching, it's time to get some new clothes for the dogs.
Little Di and Little Gua have their own red sweater, which they wear specifically during the Spring Festival.
This is the first time that Xiao San and Xiao Si are celebrating the Spring Festival. They don't have new sweaters of their own yet, and they're thinking about Xiao Yi and Xiao Er at the Baizhen base, so they plan to make two sweaters for them too.
Not satisfied with the stitches they had learned before, they learned new patterns from books.
A few days ago, I noticed that the four puppies were about the same size, so I decided to knit four sweaters of the same size.
Outside, it was gloomy and cold, while inside, the stove crackled and popped. I sat on the scorching hot kang (heated brick bed), watching TV while knitting a sweater. Several dogs on the ground were either playing and laughing or fast asleep.
It got dark quickly, and the dog's sweater was finished. I pulled my dog over and put it on. It fit perfectly. The red sweater was decorated with small yellow flowers, making the dog look energetic and delicate.
I'm not in a hurry to finish just one piece a day. There's still some time before the Spring Festival, and there's not much work to do in winter, so I have plenty of time to knit slowly.
But after I finished the second piece, I got a little tired of it and had to do something else to relax, otherwise I would get dizzy and lightheaded if I picked up the knitting needles.
So I started planning to make a mat. The dogs' little black paws run all over the place every day, and the mat gets dirty. I wash it several times, but now the cotton is really loose and it's not comfortable to use anymore.
Wash everything, including the mat the mother wolf had used, and put it in the sun to dry.
It dried in just one day. I put on a mask, took the mat apart, and took out the cotton inside, laying it flat on a new cloth.
Seeing that it wasn't thick enough, I added some new cotton and then sewed a new pad in one go using a sewing machine.
When the new puppy mats were distributed to the dogs, Xiao Gua was overjoyed, fighting over them and carrying the mats around in his mouth.
Xiao Di seemed a little sullen, as if he didn't like the new mat and missed the old one more.
I looked at the old cloth, and reluctantly added cotton, sewing it into four ugly dolls.
When I distributed the ugly dolls again, I knew I was right. Little Earth loved the dolls and slept on the new mat with one in his mouth.
It seems she likes both the new and the old.
Once the dog sweaters are completely finished, I'll put them on all four dogs and take a look.
Once they're all dressed up, the bright red color makes them look especially festive, truly capturing the spirit of the New Year.
Suddenly I stopped liking the clothes I had bought and wanted to knit one for myself.
So for several more days, apart from chores like tending the fire and feeding the pigs, I was busy weaving.
But before the garment was finished, another problem arose at home that required our attention.
The mother rabbit gave birth.
Because the mother rabbit had made her own nest in the straw beforehand, and I was focused on knitting, the baby rabbits were dry when I found them, and they looked like they had been born for a few days.
The rabbits weren't afraid of me. I checked carefully and found there were eight of them. Suddenly, the pressure increased, making things even worse for this already struggling family.
Raising nine rabbits at once, I wonder how much food I'll have to feed them every day.
No matter how much pressure there is, the mother rabbit should not be neglected after giving birth.
I can't completely change their food, because I'm afraid the mother rabbit won't be able to adapt. Their main food is still corn leaves, but I also selectively feed them a little carrot, apple, dried cabbage, or cabbage as a supplement every day.
I knitted my own sweater very slowly, a little bit each day, until it was finally finished seven days before the Spring Festival.
I tried them on, and the color is a true Chinese red. They're a little loose, but very comfortable to wear and not tiring at all. I'm extremely satisfied.
Once the knitting is completely finished, it's time to start planning the spring cleaning and preparing for the New Year.
Although we're going to spend the Spring Festival at the Baizhen base this year, we can't just leave our own family unprepared.
The annual spring cleaning is a tradition. Although we keep the house clean, there are always some odds and ends piled up in the corners. The main thing to clean is these.
First, take the clothes out of the closet, fold them neatly, and then put them back in.
Organize the clutter piled up in every cabinet or corner, throw away the useless items, and put the useful items back in their place.
After everything was tidied up, the house looked brand new, which made me feel comfortable and at ease.
The next day, I woke up and officially began preparing for the New Year.
First, make roasted nuts and seeds.
The hazelnut trees on the back hill have always been there, so there's no need to be stingy with hazelnuts; I'm going to stir-fry a whole pot of them for the New Year.
Clean the large iron pot thoroughly and dry it. Pour the hazelnuts into the pot and stir-fry continuously until they are cooked and cracked. Then, remove them from the pot and seal them for storage.
Following the recipe in the book, I'm also going to make some spiced dried peanuts.
The production process is a bit complicated, but since it's only Chinese New Year once a year, it's only fair to put in some effort.
Rinse the peanuts several times in clean water until they are thoroughly clean.
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