Chapter 562 A Dream of Youth 94
On New Year's Eve, the mother and daughter practiced swordsmanship again. Xie Qi, who was originally only teaching Xie Ning, also started teaching his own mother. However, in the end, both siblings were kicked out because their father wanted to personally teach their mother swordsmanship.
Xie Ning and Xie Qi pulled their heads back from the garden gate, clicked their tongues twice, and then ran together towards the kitchen.
"Auntie, Aunt Yan, what are you doing?" The two people and the wolf poked their heads into the kitchen, almost drooling at the aroma.
Xie Yun raised his eyebrows and smiled as he picked up a small plate and gave a few pieces to the two of them to eat. "This is crispy yellow taro. We had a lot of taro left over, so we steamed it today. Then we mashed some almonds and torreya nuts, added some soybean paste and flour from Liu's shop on Ma Xing Street, and fried it. It's still hot, so eat carefully and don't burn yourself."
The little wolf howled a few times, and Xie Yun inside smiled and shook his head, then put a few more pieces of raw meat in a bowl for the little wolf to eat.
Xie Ning had just picked up a piece when Xie Qi next to him took a bite. It was so hot that he gasped for breath, but the crisp sound was really tempting.
One bite offers the soft, powdery texture of taro and the crunchy texture of the nuts on the outer skin. It contains no added salt, just the pure, fresh, and savory flavor of soybean paste.
Xie Yun only gave each of them three slices, since they were going to have New Year's Eve dinner soon and they couldn't eat too much before the proper meal.
Although she was worried that the children would overeat, Xie Yun couldn't help but give them some more. When Chen Wanniang finished practicing her sword and came to the kitchen, she saw the two children eating with their mouths full of oil. She couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Are you planning to eat your New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen?"
"Mother, I couldn't resist."
Xie Qi put the last bite of crispy pork into his mouth, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the stove. He wanted to eat more, but then he got a smack on the head. "Go wash up quickly, dinner will be ready soon. There are some hawthorn cakes here, have a couple."
Xie Ning smelled the sweet and sour aroma of hawthorn cake and wanted to say that it would cause indigestion and wouldn't help with digestion, but her hand reached out uncontrollably.
She promised she would only be unrestrained for one day!
When the two finished washing up, the dining table was already full of delicacies. Xie Ning and Xie Qi first went to the Xie family elders to bow and say auspicious words, followed by Xie Wangzhi, Chen Wanniang, and Xie Yun.
"Please sit down, there's no need to stand on ceremony."
After Grandpa Xie and Grandma Xie started eating, Xie Qi immediately reached for the hibiscus meat with his chopsticks, saying, "Mother, you are amazing! This hibiscus meat is even better than the one from Zhenxiu Pavilion."
"Sweet-talking." But Chen Wanniang was quite pleased with it.
"Is this sliced meat?" Grandfather Xie looked at the dish on the table with some curiosity.
"It's a fake fried meat dish, a vegetarian dish. It involves slicing bottle gourd and gluten into thin slices, marinating them with seasonings, then frying them in oil, and finally stir-frying them with scallions, peppers, oil, and wine. This way, the bottle gourd and gluten not only look like meat, but also taste like it."
Xie Ning buried his head in his rice and muttered a compliment, "This fake fried meat is so delicious!"
Chen Wanniang smiled and said, "I think it's good too. I ate it once at Wangyue Tower before and figured it out."
"This pork knuckle is quite good." Xie Wangzhi raised an eyebrow, and the taste seemed somewhat familiar.
Xie Yun then laughed and said, "That's from Heji Shop. Their braised pork hock is unique in Beijing. I had to queue up for a long time yesterday to get it."
Grandma Xie loved to eat it. Her teeth weren't very good, but this braised pork knuckle was so tender and juicy, with a wonderfully rich and flavorful taste. Even before she tasted it, she was already drawn to its enticing color and aroma.
Xie Ning kept eating with his chopsticks. The fried pork bones were delicious; they were made from the bones of young chickens and were Xie's grandfather's favorite snack with his drinks.
Speaking of wine, there's some Tusu wine being warmed up right here. Xie Ning can't drink it; only adults can. Xie Qi only had a small half-cup, so he couldn't drink any more.
Although I don't drink much, the aroma of this wine is truly intoxicating.
After-dinner snacks are a must, and Xie Ning now prefers chestnut sticky rice chicken to sweet snacks.
The aroma of lotus leaves and chicken permeates the rice, making the soft and delicious rice even more tempting than the chicken, with the subtle fragrance of lotus leaves. Combined with the sweet aroma of chestnuts, the overwhelming fragrance wafts out the moment the lotus leaves are opened.
Since Xie Ning couldn't drink alcohol, Chen Wanniang prepared a bowl of bright-colored and sweet pear honey syrup for her to drink.
Xie Ning, who had been craving something, was instantly satisfied.
The sound of firecrackers from the palace could be heard from afar, mingling with the sounds of firecrackers from every household, creating a lively and festive atmosphere. It was a time when the old year was over amidst the sound of firecrackers, and the warm spring breeze brought new life to the New Year.
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