Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and Xu Milu didn't go anywhere; she stayed home to help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
People downstairs have already started setting off firecrackers. Big red lanterns and bright red curtains adorn the entire neighborhood, creating a festive red ambiance.
Everyone greets each other with "Congratulations!" and the smell of gunpowder from the firecrackers instantly brings the festive atmosphere to the air.
"Knock knock knock—"
"Sizzle—"
The sounds of chopping vegetables and frying oil came from the kitchen, accompanied by the roar of the range hood and a fragrant aroma.
Old Liu uses rapeseed oil to cook. Although it produces a lot of smoke, the dishes taste delicious. Right now, he just pours a layer of hot oil over the chili powder, and the aroma of the chili is fully released.
"Grandpa, the chili powder you ground this time is spicy enough, the chili oil you make will definitely taste delicious."
Xu Milu sniffed, but her hands kept moving.
Old Liu, somewhat pleased with himself, picked up a bit of freshly poured chili oil with his chopsticks and brought it to his granddaughter's lips:
"These are chilies dried this autumn. Autumn chilies have a strong flavor, but they tend to taste bitter when stir-fried. They're perfect for making chili oil when dried."
Xu Milu took a bite with her chopsticks, and a fiery, stimulating sensation immediately burst forth on her tongue, followed by the aroma of sesame and scallion oil.
According to Ningcheng's custom, people eat dumplings for breakfast and lunch on New Year's Eve, which signifies a fulfilling year ahead. The whole family must work together on this day to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Their family tradition is to make a jar of chili oil on New Year's Eve, symbolizing "prosperity and good fortune".
In autumn, the chili peppers harvested are hung in strings to dry in a well-ventilated place, preferably on the window security bars—at this time of year, almost every household in Ningcheng has two strings of bright red dried chili peppers hanging on their windows.
As the sun gradually dries the chilies to a beautiful red color, the dried chilies crumble easily when squeezed, and at this point, the dried chilies have the best flavor.
Wash the dried chilies, let them dry, then grind them into chili powder. Add sesame seeds, scallions, a little salt, and chicken bouillon to taste. Finally, pour boiling hot oil over the chilies.
With a sizzling sound, the chili oil, an indispensable part of Ningcheng people's dining table, is made. It's perfect for mixing with noodles or stuffing with steamed buns. In the hearts of Ningcheng people, it holds a position comparable to the national chili sauce "Lao Gan Ma".
"Hungry? Why are you eating chili oil here? It's freshly heated oil, don't burn your tongue, do you hear me?"
Liu Hongmei was frying meatballs. She held the prepared meat filling in her hand, picked it up with a spoon, and a round little meatball rolled down the edge of the oil pan.
This is a skill in itself. Some people make meatballs that are always oddly shaped, but Liu Hongmei can turn those sticky meat fillings into plump little meatballs, it's almost like magic.
Xu Minian, wearing a cotton hat, came back from outside and immediately crouched down at the kitchen doorway, sniffing around.
"Sis, it smells so good! What are you and Grandpa doing?"
"Fried chili peppers, do you want some too?"
Xu Milu said irritably, but still took advantage of Liu Hongmei's inattention to steal a freshly fried meatball and stuff it into his mouth. It was so hot that he kept panting, but he still refused to spit the meatball out.
"You two siblings, not only do you not help, but you only make things worse! Dad, you shouldn't spoil them so much, or they'll become too spoiled!"
Liu Hongmei said reproachfully, but though she said that, the smile on her face never stopped:
"If I had done this when I was a kid, you would have been yelling at me with a spoon by now!"
Old Liu's face hardened:
"You're still a child. I only scolded you back then because the family wasn't well-off. Do you think the family would be short of meat for a child now? When you were little, didn't you always like to stick around me during the New Year to steal a piece of bread or a roasted potato?"
Upon hearing this, even Sun Zhi, who was peeling garlic outside, couldn't help but laugh, and the whole kitchen was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"Knock knock knock—"
A knock came at the door. It turned out that Liu Hongjun had come with her son Hao Chen. Her husband, Hao Xu, was a police officer at the local police station and had to work on New Year's Eve, so she simply brought her son to spend the New Year with her.
"Wow, it's so lively! You're all so excited even before we arrived? Did you find out I brought my son here to freeload a meal?"
Liu Hongjun inherited her father's loud voice; just like Wang Xifeng, her laughter burst in before she even entered the room. Hao Chen, following behind her, was exceptionally well-behaved, earnestly greeting everyone:
"Hello Grandpa, hello Second Aunt, hello Uncle Sun—"
When it came to Li Ning, who was sitting in the living room peeling potatoes, he got stuck.
"Uncle Li Ning!!"
Li Ning was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat today, but Hao Chen still recognized him at a glance.
Li Ning quickly waved his hand:
"Hey, hey, hey, don't call me that. It's too much of a generational difference. You're my junior aunt's younger brother, how can you call me uncle? Besides, I'm not that old. Hehehe, just call me brother, just call me brother."
Xu Milu happened to be carrying a bowl of fried shrimp chips when she heard this and couldn't help but tease her:
"Chenchen, let Uncle Li Ning take you out to set off firecrackers later. Aren't you a fan of his? Let him sign your autograph."
Li Ning looked miserable with a wrinkled face:
"Oh dear, little aunt, please don't make fun of me. I just look old. You know, I only came to your house to escape my mom's nagging at home, so why are you hurting my feelings?"
As he spoke, he put his arm around Hao Chen and Xu Minian's shoulders like a good buddy, and winked at them, saying:
"Don't listen to your junior aunt. You two call me brother, and I call your sister junior aunt. Let's address each other separately. You want an autograph? Can we film a video for Douyin instead?"
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