The next morning, Fu Wan opened her eyes and saw the familiar roof beams, only then realizing that she was no longer in a foreign country, but had returned home.
It's still better to go home. No matter how soft the blankets are in a hotel, they're not as warm as home.
She sat up. The children and Qin Anning were no longer in the room; they had obviously gotten up.
Winter mornings are always bitterly cold. The temperature inside the house is a bit higher, and the temperature difference causes the windows to be covered with a foggy mist of water vapor.
She got dressed and went out, just as Ye Xiaocui came out carrying a bowl of porridge.
Seeing her daughter come out, she quickly said, "Go brush your teeth quickly, I cooked some porridge this morning, it's still warm!"
"good."
Fu Wan glanced at her bowl. Ye Xiaocui was quite generous with her porridge these days, but it wasn't just plain white rice porridge. Ye Xiaocui had also cut a few sweet potatoes into it, making it look delicious with its red and white colors.
While brushing her teeth, Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu ran back from outside.
They had already started their winter break, but they kept up the habit of running at school. The children were energetic and not afraid of the cold; they ran laps around their doorstep every morning to exercise.
Ye Xiaocui was worried that the road was slippery and the children would easily fall. Seeing this, Fu Laoda simply ran with them every day, both to keep an eye on the children's safety and to get himself some exercise.
"Ah Wan, you're awake?"
Qin Anning also came out of the kitchen with chopsticks in hand, followed by Fu Ming carrying two bowls of porridge.
Fu Wan nodded with toothpaste foam in her mouth. Seeing this, Qin Anning turned around and went back to get Fu Wan a bowl of porridge.
Since there was porridge but no side dishes, Fu Wan set her sights on the seaweed that Ye Xiaocui had washed.
Making a cold seaweed salad doesn't take long. The seaweed from last night was washed but not yet dried, so there's no need to soak it.
There was still some firewood burning in the stove, and Ye Xiaocui was using fire tongs to put large pieces of charcoal into the fire basket.
The fire basket is a traditional local heating tool, usually made of bamboo and wire.
This thing has a ceramic basin in the middle, filled with sawdust, then topped with a layer of charcoal burned from firewood, and a few pieces of purchased charcoal. Finally, it's covered with a wire mesh. Elderly people can use it to keep warm all day. (Image of a fire cage, please delete if infringing copyright). Friends from the south might have seen it, but this kind of thing is not common in villages; most households use coal stoves or braziers for heating. Ye Xiaocui learned to make this herself when Fu Laoda had free time, and Ye Xiaocui got used to it.
There were quite a few of these things back then, but they were gradually phased out in later eras when electrical appliances became more advanced.
Fu Wan hadn't seen this thing for many years, and seeing it now brought back fond memories of the days when she and Ye Xiaocui would sit by the fire pit to warm themselves.
Seeing Fu Wan watching her from the side, Ye Xiaocui couldn't help but feel a little strange.
"Ah Wan, what are you staring at me for? Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
"Oh, no rush, I'll make some seaweed salad."
Ye Xiaocui suddenly realized and gestured for her to use the water in the small pot.
The water there was boiled by her for the children to wash their faces; if it were put in a big pot and boiled for a few more minutes, the water would boil.
Making cold seaweed salad is also simple. Once the water boils, put the seaweed in and blanch it for about half a minute, then take it out and rinse it with cold water.
This helps the seaweed retain its crisp texture. After blanching the seaweed, Fu Wan added a clove of garlic. Too lazy to heat the oil, she simply opened the cabinet and scooped in half a spoonful of chili sauce made by Ye Xiaocui.
After stirring, a bowl of spicy and crisp seaweed salad is ready.
This is perfect for making porridge.
When Fu Wan brought out the seaweed, Fu Ming had already eaten more than half a bowl of porridge.
Seeing the seaweed in Fu Wan's hand, his eyes lit up, and he casually complained, "Wan, really, you didn't even tell me you wanted to make seaweed salad..."
Fu Wan remained silent and placed the dishes on the table.
"What, why should I tell you?"
"I told you I'd eat slower! Now look how delicious this seaweed is, hehe, I'm going to have to eat another bowl of porridge!"
Fu Wan was speechless and choked with emotion. Sweet potato porridge itself was already a little sweet, so Ye Xiaocui and the others usually didn't need any side dishes to go with it.
Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu were even more delighted; Ye Xiaocui had added a small spoonful of white sugar to their bowls, making them taste sweet.
But some people don't like sweet things. Boss Fu and Fu Wan don't really like sweet flavors. Boss Fu picked up a mouthful of seaweed with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. This is the taste. Paired with a bowl of porridge, it's so refreshing!
After finishing breakfast, Ye Xiaocui stayed in the room by the fire and started twisting hemp rope.
Even though she doesn't have to go out to work in the winter, she's still busy. After spring arrives, she can use hemp rope when she goes out to work, and if she makes a lot, she can sell it in town for money.
However, they wouldn't sell for much. In the past, Ye Xiaocui might have been interested, but now it's just a way to pass the time.
Fu Wan went inside and put on a thick coat before coming out. She was going to ride her bike to the cannery, and if she didn't wear something warm, her limbs would freeze stiff.
"Mom, I'm going to the cannery."
"Okay, will you be back for lunch?"
Fu Wan thought for a moment and hesitated.
"I probably won't go back. I still need to go to the county town with my older brother and the others to buy some things later."
"By the way, Mom, is there anything you need to buy for the New Year?"
At this point, Ye Xiaocui perked up and launched into a long list of remarks, like an announcer.
"Buy some wheat flour and rice, and some cornmeal too, so we can have some stock up for the New Year."
There are also fruit candies and peach crisps, which the children like to eat when they come to pay New Year's visits.
By the way, see if you have any red paper firecrackers. Your brother bought some a few days ago and we've set off two sets these past two days, but we might not have enough.
Oh, and I'll buy two cans of food too..."
Fu Wan felt a chill run down her spine and immediately gestured for a halt.
"Mom, why don't you come to the county town with me? You can decide what to buy then."
"I'm going to the county town too? This..."
The old lady would only go to the market in town or visit the temple to pray to Mazu. She didn't know how long ago it had been since she last went to the county town.
Fu Wan thought about it more and more and felt that this was a good idea. "Yes, let's go to the county town. It's almost Chinese New Year, and I'll buy you a new set of clothes."
"Oh dear, we're too old for this kind of money. We should just buy it for the kids."
Ye Xiaocui habitually refused, but she wasn't against going to the county town; she just had some concerns.
"If we're going, how will we get there?"
Fu Jian took the tricycle to the factory to deliver goods. It was quite cold sitting on the back of the motorcycle in the middle of winter.
If we were to take a tractor, I don't know if Uncle Niu would have time today.
At this moment, Qin Anning, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, spoke up, "Hey, I have a car, come ride in mine!"
This solved Fu Wan's immediate problem, and Ye Xiaocui's eyes lit up again when she heard that she would be going out in Qin Anning's car.
A luxury car! She's never ridden in such a high-class car before!
After this discussion, Fu Liang happened to send over some dried radish that Jiang Chunlan had made. Hearing that they were going to the county town, he was also somewhat interested.
The final result was that Fu Liang and Fu Ming rode motorcycles, while Qin Anning drove, taking Fu Wanye, Xiao Cui, Jiang Chunlan, and the two children with them.
As for Boss Fu, he was pulled away by Village Chief Fu again, who said he wanted to discuss something.
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