As soon as I entered the house, I saw Liu Hongmei and Liu Hongjun sitting together picking chives, and there was a large pile of fresh, tender green vegetables in the kitchen.
The green beans are bright green, clearly picked that morning; the eggplants and peppers are all carefully selected, smooth inside and out; the tomatoes are round and plump, their ripeness evident without even touching them.
“People from Xingning Village just came. Several families came, dropped off their things and ran away. We couldn’t stop them. They were afraid your mother wouldn’t accept them, so they told her several times that these were vegetables that hadn’t been sprayed with pesticides and were for their own consumption, to reassure her.”
Liu Hongjun said with a smile:
"They even said they wanted to thank you, saying that thanks to the radish seeds you sold them, the village has already started harvesting radishes these past few days, and they'll be able to have a good New Year this year!"
Vegetable prices are high in winter, so these fresh vegetables are a heartfelt gift.
Liu Hongmei, her face beaming with pride, said earnestly:
"Xu Lanjuan, who grows radishes with you, also came this morning. She brought a rack of spare ribs, but she wouldn't listen to take it back. As for rice, the villagers are all kind and honest. If you have any benefits in the future, please take care of them. Of course, if they make things difficult for you, don't worry about it. Take care of yourself first."
Xu Milu nodded in agreement.
After the radishes were harvested that day, many villagers came to her to buy giant, delicious radish seeds.
Xu Milu had previously claimed that she had 100 jin of seeds. Villagers bought 50 jin of seeds one after another and planted them urgently. Finally, they successfully harvested the seeds before the Chinese New Year, which made the village chief, Tian Wenle, very happy.
Old Liu's eyes were fixed on these pesticide-free, organic vegetables. His hands, which hadn't cooked in ages, suddenly itched to cook. With a few quick strokes, he finalized this year's New Year's Eve dinner menu, rattling off a long list of dishes:
"Okay, let's keep it simple this year. We'll have one Four Happiness Meatball, for completeness and happiness; one Honey Spiced Chicken, for good fortune and auspiciousness; Braised Pork Ribs, for rising to new heights; Spicy Chicken, for a prosperous and thriving year; Braised Beef, and a Braised Pork Knuckle, for soaring success and good health; and Braised Pig's Trotters, for wealth from all directions, for good luck."
Stewed mutton is a must, and stewed radish is even better. I love braised shrimp and millet, so I have to have some. Don't cut that abalone raw; just braise it with some braised pork in Shaoxing wine. And hot, sticky eight-treasure rice—I guarantee you'll lick your lips clean after eating it!
Fish is a must, so we need peony-flavored pickled fish and sweet and sour live fish, symbolizing "abundance year after year." For steamed dishes, we need braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens and steamed scallops, emphasizing "rising steadily." Cabbage sounds like "hundreds of fortunes," so we'll make a stew of pork head, cabbage, and vermicelli that you all love—a soft and delicious meal that will bring you good fortune all year round. As for the remaining pickled garlic, pickled vegetables, and chopped chili peppers, we need to start preparing those in the next couple of days.”
As the old man spoke, Xu Milu took notes, and in the end, she simply gave up completely.
Is this simpler?
Your "keeping it simple" seems to be a little different from mine...
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