Chapter 69 Mid-Autumn Festival [Second Update]
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wen's mother made a point of turning off all her cell phone alarms so that the whole family could get a good night's sleep.
The next day, when Wen Fan opened his eyes, it was already past ten o'clock.
The dizziness from oversleeping made her panic as her first reaction, but within two seconds she realized that she was neither in the palace nor on a weekday.
Wen's mother told her to rest during the holiday and not to get up too early. Wen Fan leaned against the headboard and picked up a comic book to read.
She was never interested in novels, but she was fascinated by comics.
A high school detective who shrinks, a blue cat that can pull all sorts of strange gadgets out of its pocket, and a variety of bizarre and outlandish world-building elements...
After flipping through half of the comic book, Wen Fan heard his parents get up.
Sunlight streamed into the living room through the window, and Wen's mother called Wen Fan to drink milk.
"Let's go see a movie after we finish drinking."
It's a holiday now, and everywhere is crowded. Although this city isn't a tourist hotspot, the surrounding Qingtang Mountain, several reservoirs, and local museums, botanical gardens, and zoos are all packed with people during holidays.
So the whole family went to see a movie.
Wen's mother couldn't remember the last time the family went to the movies. She only remembered that her daughter was still very young at the time, and she bought a bucket of popcorn at the movie theater entrance. It was so expensive that it made her feel bad.
Wen Fan had no objection to his mother's habit of organizing family outings whenever she had time off, and the family chose a very popular movie. Before entering the theater, Wen's mother bought three buckets of popcorn.
But after watching it, none of the family thought it was that good.
Wen's mother was somewhat disappointed; she hadn't expected movies to be so bad these days.
Wen Fan: "The popcorn is quite delicious."
The caramel flavor was bought, and Wen's mother thought it was too sweet, but Wen Fan thought it was just right and ate two and a half buckets by himself.
Feeling thirsty after eating, the family walked past a milk tea shop. Wen Fan slowed down, glancing furtively at her mother.
"...What would you like to drink?"
Wen Fan cheered and rattled off a list of dishes as if he were reciting a menu.
"Strawberry milk tea with less milk foam, more strawberry pieces, and less ice."
Upon receiving her milk tea, Wen Fan took a large, satisfying sip. She had gained experience with it; she used to always order extra sugar, but later realized that sometimes less sugar actually enhances the flavor.
It was almost noon, so the family randomly picked a restaurant to eat at. The restaurant had a nice name and nice decor, with lush greenery around each round seat and lots of pretty lights.
This was also the first time that Mr. and Mrs. Wen had ever been to a store like this.
Wen's mother awkwardly took out her phone: "Take some photos too. Many young girls work very hard to get good photos."
A few days ago, Wen's mother was greeted by a pretty girl on the street. The girl was very enthusiastic, but Wen's mother couldn't remember her at all until the girl mentioned that she went to the shop every day to order two servings of claypot rice. Only then did Wen's mother realize that this was a regular customer.
"...You look beautiful today."
It's completely different from just throwing on a short-sleeved shirt in a store.
The girl smiled, her lips pursed: "That's because I'm going to a comic convention today! Of course I have to take some photos!"
Wen's mother didn't know what a comic convention was. She searched it up when she got home and found out that it was related to anime. She thought that her daughter's only hobby besides cooking was reading comics. She wondered if her daughter would go, but when she looked at the tickets, it seemed that they were all sold out. She could only regretfully give up.
The environment was indeed beautiful. Wen Fan took out his phone, snapped a few photos, and that was it.
More than the scene itself, Wen Fan was interested in the fact that such a beautiful restaurant must have delicious food, right?
In less than ten minutes, the five dishes we ordered were served.
Wen Fan frowned. In front of him was a brass pot containing chicken pieces and mashed potatoes that were not clearly identifiable. Several shrimp were coated in a rich, creamy sauce, and tofu cubes were sizzling on a hot plate. Next to them was a small pot of rice noodles and a platter of several cold dishes.
Wen Fan tried them one by one; they weren't particularly delicious, but they weren't exactly bad either.
If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be that the setting is more important than the taste.
The only thing that Wen Fan found somewhat acceptable was the small pot of rice noodles. Regardless of the taste, at least it had the warmth of being freshly cooked.
Looking at Wen's father and mother, Wen Fan realized that his parents also seemed unable to eat.
Mr. Wen was somewhat frustrated. He even had a ridiculous thought: the food at this restaurant was not even as good as the claypot rice he made.
Wen's mother silently looked at the bill, then looked up resentfully.
"I even specifically searched for recommendations."
Wen Fan smiled, her eyes crinkling: "It's alright, actually."
"No, no, that's fine... Just grab something to eat, we'll cook for ourselves when we get home tonight."
Wen's mother muttered that everything online was a lie. The photos looked so good, and it was some kind of "pretty meal" that had been all the rage lately. But it tasted like this?
Never mind, I'll just go home and eat my daughter's cooking.
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Wen's mother made a phone call to Zhang Hainiu, who runs a seafood stall, and asked him to save some crabs for her.
The family left the mall, got into their van, and went to get the crabs.
Zhang Hainiu called out loudly, "Although the best crabs aren't in season yet, the ones I've saved for you are definitely the best available on the market."
It's only early October, so the female crabs' roe isn't firm enough yet, but the runny roe is still delicious. The male crabs don't have much roe, but it's acceptable. Wen Fan weighed his hands in his hands, nodded, and told Zhang Hainiu to pack it up.
Besides crabs, Wen Fan also bought some swimming crabs and shrimp.
"I'll make crab stir-fried with rice cakes tonight."
I didn't eat well at noon today, so when I got home in the afternoon, Wen Fan started preparing food.
While directing his father to peel and wash the vegetables, Wen Fan bit into an autumn pear and stared at the fire.
Stir-fry the chicken until it changes color, then add various spices. The bottom of the pot turns red, and a fragrant and spicy aroma wafts out. At this point, add hot water and taro, and simmer until the taro becomes powdery and the chicken pieces are tender. Then, bring the pot to a boil and reduce the sauce over high heat.
Wen Fan rummaged through drawers and cabinets, found a brass pot that was not used at home, and set it up like the one in the shop.
"Taro and Chicken Stew"
The brass pot, adorned with chicken pieces in chili oil, and the taro inside, which turned into a paste with a gentle press, surprisingly resembled a restaurant setting.
Wen Fan tossed the pear core aside and started stir-frying over a high flame.
Cut the blue crab in half, coat the cut surfaces with flour, and fry until golden brown. Add scallions and garlic to the pan to remove any fishy smell, then add the crab shells and stir-fry briefly before adding rice cakes.
Stir-fry beef, deep-fry shrimp, stew pork ribs, and make a few meatballs to add to winter melon soup...
Wen Fan finished all of this methodically and quickly made about ten dumplings.
The dumplings are filled with shrimp, corn, and pork. After they are wrapped, they are placed on a corner of the cutting board, waiting for the family to finish eating before cooking the rest.
Since there wasn't enough room at the dining table, the whole family simply sat around the coffee table to eat.
Golden-fried blue crabs paired with white rice cakes occupy the center position. Sticky taro and chicken pieces in the copper pot exude a fragrant aroma. The beef and scrambled eggs are tender, the dry pot shrimp is spicy and flavorful, and the pork ribs stewed with corn are topped with a few steamed buns. Meatballs float in the winter melon soup.
The dishes that night weren't anything special, but they were comforting and made one's appetite soar.
Mother Wen took out a Coke that had been chilled in the refrigerator, and after the family raised their glasses in celebration, they began to enjoy the Coke.
The crab meat is tender, and the rice cakes are stewed until they stretch out long with just a gentle bite.
The taro was cooked until it became sticky and mixed with the broth. When Wen's father dipped the taro in the broth, it had a surprisingly unique flavor.
The beef was incredibly tender, so smooth and juicy, paired with a golden egg that you'd want to ask where the rice was after just one bite.
...
After finishing the meal, have some dumplings and a bowl of soup to smooth things over. A feeling of pure bliss will well up from your lips and tongue, and finally turn into a soft sigh.
But then Wen's mother took out mooncakes.
Yes, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival, how can we celebrate without mooncakes?
Wen Fan's Five Blessings Mooncakes come in five varieties: Sichuan pepper beef, golden thread five nuts, lotus seed paste with egg yolk, ham and lard, and old-fashioned red bean paste.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Wen had tasted the mooncakes while they were making them, they still couldn't resist reaching out their hands when they saw the mooncakes laid out in front of them.
"etc."
Wen Fan took out a small knife and cut each of the five mooncakes into three pieces.
"Share it."
Wen Fan picked up a piece of golden thread five-nut mooncake first. She had made and eaten golden thread five-nut mooncakes many times, but no mooncake was as meaningful as this one.
First, boil the shredded pork. Then, put the boiled shredded pork into a pan and stir-fry it with various seasonings. After stir-frying, the shredded pork will become slightly loose, but not quite to the point of being meat floss. At this point, put the shredded pork into the oven and bake it until it turns into golden threads. Then it can be used to make five-nut mooncakes.
The golden thread seasoning is sweet and savory, and the five-nut mooncake is no longer simply sweet or savory. With one bite, the oily nuts, paired with chewy golden threads, create a surprisingly rich texture that makes you wonder if this is really a five-nut mooncake.
The other mooncakes each had their own unique charm.
The Sichuan pepper beef has a numbing and fragrant flavor, and the beef itself is rich and flavorful.
The egg yolk in the lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk is rich and creamy, while the lotus seed paste is sweet and refreshing.
The mooncakes made with ham and lard have a rich, oily flavor. The ham is salty and fragrant, and the crust is also soaked in oil. Taking a bite is as satisfying as eating a big mouthful of meat.
Old-fashioned red bean paste has a simple, pure sweetness; its delicate and smooth texture surpasses all others.
Wen Fan finished his portion and then watched as his mother and father ate their mooncakes in small bites. Even Danhuang was happily eating his special mooncake, a puppy-shaped mooncake that Wen Fan had steamed with vegetables and minced meat. Danhuang made whimpering noises as he ate it.
She suddenly remembered something and took out her phone.
"Mom and Dad, shall we take a picture?"
The shutter clicked, and Wen Fan sat between her parents, thinking, "This is wonderful."
She finally has her own family.
"Hey, shall we go out and look at the moon?"
"The moon is so big tonight."
...
Meanwhile, not far from the Wen family's residence.
Yao Qingqin originally intended to do what was best for her daughter by going to her mother-in-law's house for a family reunion dinner with her husband. However, after only a few bites, her mother-in-law started her old routine of urging her to have a second child.
The husband sneered twice, his tone sarcastic: "Mom, why are you still pressuring me? She's earning five thousand a month now, and she doesn't care about me anymore. She doesn't wash clothes or dishes, she's just waiting for a divorce."
Yao Qingqin frowned. She had never told her husband that she looked down on him. In fact, she hadn't spoken to him at all during this period. She would come home very late and sleep in the small room with her daughter. She hadn't even mentioned a raise.
Just as Yao Qingqin was about to say something, her eyes fell on her daughter.
The daughter clutched her little spoon, too frightened to speak.
Yao Qingqin found out, probably because the little girl was just repeating what she was saying to her mother about getting a raise.
As the husband spoke, veins bulged on his neck, and he smashed a bowl in his hand: "You're just a waiter, what's so great about you? You look down on me just because I don't earn much?!"
Her in-laws instinctively reached out to stop her, and Yao Qingqin almost laughed out of anger as she picked up her frightened daughter.
"You see others as you are yourself."
He used to look down on himself for being a housewife because he earned money, so he naturally assumed that his wife would look down on him if she earned about the same amount of money as him.
Yao Qingqin did look down on him, but that had nothing to do with who earned more or less.
"Alright, you don't need to smash things here. I've made my point clear: I want a divorce, and I want to take the children with me."
"That's impossible!"
Yao Qingqin raised her eyes: "How is it impossible? The child is over three years old now. You haven't been involved in the child's growth at all. The household expenses are all paid for with my premarital property and my parents' help. I still have a job and can earn money."
Based on these points alone, she wouldn't lose a lawsuit.
The in-laws panicked. They hadn't taken Yao Qingqin's earlier talk of divorce seriously, thinking that what good jobs could a woman like her find? They figured she'd probably come back sheepishly soon.
But now their son says his wife also earns 5,000 yuan a month, and the elderly couple are feeling very uneasy.
Is this really a divorce?
That won't do!
The mother-in-law pretended to hit her husband: "Xiaoqin, don't be angry. This boy just had a few drinks and was acting crazy. How could he keep talking about divorce?"
Her father-in-law glared at her and yelled at her husband to apologize.
Yao Qingqin suddenly felt that the scene in front of her was like a farce.
She entered into marriage just to watch this family put on a show on this day of family reunion, against their will.
She's not going to serve me anymore!
Yao Qingqin picked up her daughter and took the milk she had bought on the way there.
"Come on, baby, let's go to Grandma's house for the holiday."
"Xiaoqin!"
Yao Qingqin turned around and said, "Mom and Dad, I'll call you one more time for the sake of the child. I'll be staying at my mom's place with the child tomorrow. You can call me whenever you've decided."
She should have moved out a long time ago!
She took her daughter out the door, and the child hugged her neck and cried softly.
"Mom, should I not have told Dad that you got a raise?"
She didn't want to harm her mother; she just wanted her father to know that her mother could earn money now, so that he would stop saying that her mother was just a freeloader.
Yao Qingqin switched arms to hold her daughter: "No, baby did very well."
She should also let her husband know that she can earn that five thousand yuan too.
What's so great about that!
When Yao returned to her parents' home with her daughter in her arms, her mother was surprised to see her return but didn't ask any questions.
"Perfect timing, the crabs your dad bought have just been steamed."
Yao Qingqin felt like she had something stuck in her throat. Her parents didn't ask anything, but just urged the mother and daughter to eat.
After the meal, Yao's mother took out mooncakes.
"Your boss gave us mooncakes, but your dad and I didn't eat them. We guessed you might come over tonight."
Yao Qingqin suddenly covered her face: "...I'm sorry."
In the years to come, I will inevitably have to trouble my parents.
Yao's mother patted her hair: "It's no big deal. Your brother and sister-in-law aren't home, so it's good that you're coming back to stay. The baby is also well-behaved, so I don't have to worry about him."
"Come and try this mooncake. You'd better work hard from now on. It's not easy to find a good employer like this."
"Mom, you eat too."
"This Sichuan pepper beef and ham with lard is salty, Dad, you should eat more of this."
"Mom, the red bean paste is so delicious."
...
Across another street, Song Hui urged her son to eat.
Yang Tao said "Wait a minute," lit three incense sticks, and bowed to the black and white photo on the wall.
"Dad, I'm going to eat now. This mooncake is made with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk. You should try it."
Song Hui urged him again, and Yang Tao finally shouted, "Coming, coming!"
Wow, Mom, you cooked so many dishes today!
"Hey kid, weren't you going to do a live stream?"
"I didn't say I was going to livestream the family dinner... Okay, okay, I'll turn on the equipment now!"
...
At Qu Qingqing's house, Qu's father, unusually, didn't go fishing today. Instead, he bought a bunch of ingredients to show off his skills to the children.
Instead of showing off his skills, he ended up making a table full of food that was neither particularly good nor bad.
Qu Qingqing wanted to complain a million times, but she also felt that at least there had been progress, so she could only offer a few insincere compliments. Then she ran away to Qu Xiaoyu's room.
"It tastes awful, so awful."
"Hey, do you have the mooncakes the Wen family gave us? Give me one."
Qu Xiaoyu: "Stop eating, sis. There are only five in total, and you've already eaten two."
"...You've gone too far."
"...Sis, sis, please don't eat anymore."
Qu Qingqing insisted on taking it out, and upon looking at it, she laughed.
"You stole one too!"
Otherwise, why would there only be two?
Qu Xiaoyu: ...
"...Mom, Qu Xiaoyu stole some food!"
Qu Xiaoyu: ...
...
Zhang Fengqiu touched her daughter's belly and said, "You can't eat anymore."
That night, the little girl ate more than ten shrimp, drank a bowl of soup, ate a few pieces of pork ribs and chicken, and finally ate two large mooncakes, making her little belly bulge out like a frog.
Luo Tiantian: "...I'm not full yet."
"You're full."
"I'm not full!"
"Then what's wrong with this little belly?"
Luo Tiantian tilted her head and brilliantly came up with an answer: "My belly is full of cuteness."
The family couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Zhang Fengqiu suppressed a laugh: "Then I'll give you some more after your little cutie leaves tomorrow."
...
The moonlight was perfect. On the unlit streets, the bright moonlight seemed like a cascading white veil, covering whatever it touched with a white film of light.
The Wen family of three was so full that they took a walk to admire the moon. Egg Yolk followed behind, sniffing around from time to time. As they walked down the street, the family would occasionally look up at the increasingly bright moon.
The moonlight was like water, and in it, Wen Fan suddenly felt a sense of relief.
The dew is white tonight, and the moon is bright in my hometown.
But for her, the deep palace at that time was not her hometown, nor was the small bridge and flowing water of her childhood her dreamland.
This is her hometown.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Two chapters today, word count met.
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