The village chief nodded hurriedly, his eyes revealing obvious tension and anticipation. His gaze was fixed on Gu Bin, as if afraid that he would change his mind. He asked eagerly, "Is everything ready? Shall we go pick up the goods now?"
Gu Bin nodded intently, a hint of caution in his eyes.
The group resembled a mysterious gang meeting in a movie, cautiously following the village chief toward the place where the meat was kept.
Everyone remained silent throughout the journey, with only the soft rustling of the soil beneath their feet adding to the tense atmosphere of this clandestine transaction.
Soon, the group walked quickly to the door of a house on the edge of the village.
The village chief stepped forward and gently knocked on the door a few times; the knocking sounded particularly clear in the quiet atmosphere.
The people inside had been listening intently, their nerves on edge, waiting. As soon as they heard the knock, they immediately opened the door as if they'd been electrocuted, cautiously peeking out their heads.
Seeing that it was the village chief, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and he carefully opened the door completely.
As soon as you enter the house, a faint aroma of meat wafts through the air.
Two cleaned pork slabs, along with two thick hind legs, were laid out on the ground. The pork was reddish-brown with clear marbling, clearly indicating that it had been carefully prepared. Next to them were neatly strung strips of pork, arranged in an orderly fashion.
Just looking at all this meat, Xie Yan's mind was already filled with all sorts of dishes: braised pork, boiled sliced pork, and of course, most of them were to be cooked for the New Year. Even with all that planning, this one piece of meat wouldn't be enough!
Xie Yan's gaze involuntarily drifted to the pig's head beside him.
hiss!
Pig's head meat is also delicious.
One bite of that cold dish of pig's ears and you're instantly overwhelmed by its delicious aroma.
After thinking it over, Xie Yan leaned closer to Yu Yuehui and said, "Wife, let's buy another pig's head."
Yu Yue looked back at the pig's head over there, "Hmm~ it's very clean." "Good."
The village chief looked at the four of them with a simple smile and said, "This is all the meat our village can sell this year. Which one do you want?"
"Oh! Right, we also have pork fat." As he spoke, he reached out and lifted a curtain, revealing pork fat that had been hidden, glistening with an enticing sheen.
Yu Yue turned to look at Xie Yan, her eyes questioning, and asked softly, "Do you want some pork fat?" Before they came, they had only agreed to buy half a carcass of meat, but they didn't expect there would be pork fat as well.
Xie Yan barely hesitated; his eyes lit up instantly, and he said without hesitation, "Yes! Once the pork fat is rendered, it won't spoil easily if stored in a jar. If we can't finish it, we can take it back to our hometown."
Finally, Gu Bin's family decided to buy an extra piece of pork fat.
Nowadays, pigs are fed with wild grass, so they don't grow very fat, and there's not much pork fat. Everyone knows how precious that stuff is.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, before dawn, Xie Yan's family got up early to prepare for the New Year.
Xie Yan changed into an old set of clothes, carefully put on a hat, and after tidying herself up, she turned around and helped Chaochao change into an old set of clothes that she didn't usually wear: "Baby, we're going to work today, so don't get your nice clothes dirty."
After the whole family changed their clothes and finished breakfast, they busily started frying New Year's treats. The first thing to do was to fry the dough cakes. Yu Yuehui skillfully rolled out the dough, while Chaochao squatted in front of the stove, carefully tending the fire. Her little face was full of focus. Now she was a super skilled worker and no longer made herself into a mess like before.
Xie Yan stood beside the oil pan, holding long chopsticks in her hand.
The position of frying the pancakes for the thank-you banquet is particularly important. Not only do you have to keep flipping the pancakes in the pan, but you also need to pay special attention to the oil temperature. If the oil is too hot, it will burn; if it is too cold, it will not brown properly.
So he not only had to ensure that the fried dough sticks inside were fried until golden brown on both sides, but also had to pay attention to the oil temperature and constantly tell Chaochao to control the size of the fire.
Yu Yue carefully took a coin from a paper bag in the kitchen and gently placed it in the oil pan.
She put this coin in when she was frying dough sticks last year, and she brought it with her when she came to Beijing this time.
This is a local custom in Xiliu Village. When frying dough cakes, a coin is placed in the pan to reduce the amount of oil used. Although there is no scientific basis for this, it is a habit passed down from generation to generation in every household. Now that everyone is short of oil, they all do it, taking it as a kind of hope.
The coins used for frying dough sticks have become a kind of inheritance; Yu Yuehui's coin was specially found by Qian Hong for her daughter.
Every time Yu Yuehui finished frying the dough cakes, she would carefully take the coin out of the oil, gently place it in a piece of special parchment paper she had prepared beforehand, and carefully wrap it up.
The coin will only see the light of day again when they fry dough cakes again.
Rapeseed oil itself has a certain antibacterial property, so even if this coin is used repeatedly, there is no need to worry about bacteria growing and affecting the making of the fried dough sticks or the health of your family.
Xie Yan's skill in frying dough cakes is now superb. The first dough cake that comes out of the fryer is golden in color and emits an enticing aroma.
Yu Yue quickly put it aside. After it cooled slightly, she carefully tore off a piece, held it to Xie Yan's lips, and asked with anticipation in her eyes, "How is it?"
The first batch they fried was spiced, crispy on the outside, making a "crunch" sound when you bite into it, but soft and delicious on the inside. Combined with its slightly hot texture, it tasted absolutely delicious.
Xie Yan's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up, praising without reservation, "Wife, your fried dough sticks are as delicious as ever!"
When Chaochao saw that his father had already finished eating and was writing his review, while he hadn't even tasted it yet, he immediately became anxious. He pouted, tugged at Yu Yuehui's leg, and said in a spoiled tone, "Mom, I want to eat too!"
Although she prefers sweet flavors, the spiced ones are also delicious.
Yu Yuehui bent down and tore off a piece for her, gently placing it in her hand and softly instructing, "Blow on it, it's a little hot."
Chaochao had no choice but to silently close her mouth, which had been wide open.
Well, she doesn't deserve her mother's loving care.
The fried dough wasn't very big, and the three of them shared it and finished it quickly.
After frying all the sweet fried dough sticks that Chaochao liked, Xie Yan finally let out a long sigh of relief, straightened up, and rubbed his sore back. Bending over to pick up the dough sticks for so long was really hard on his back; every time he bent over and stood up, it felt like a test for his back muscles.
Xie Yan looked down at the little guy at his feet, who was eating with great relish. Chao Chao's little face was full of satisfaction, with oil stains hanging from the corners of his mouth. He looked extremely cute.
Looking at her, Xie Yan couldn't help but sigh again, "Children really grow up so slowly."
If only Chaochao could grow taller and bigger quickly, would I really need to work so hard?
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