"Since you all say so, then I'll swallow my pride and accept your offer."
Unable to out-argue the three of them, Chen Tongsheng, his face flushed, took a large bite of meat. The chicken leg meat, though thick, was incredibly springy and not dry at all. "Mmm, godmother, this chicken tastes just as good as last time, still so delicious."
"Eat more if you like it." Li Xiuju smiled faintly and put some more meat into his bowl, making Chen Tongsheng feel helpless. "Godmother, that's enough, that's enough. Chenyu and Baoyu haven't eaten yet."
Baoyu held up his empty bowl, as if he had gotten a great deal, saying, "You've all been so busy talking that I've already finished a bowl of chicken soup."
"Exactly, if you can't finish it, don't always use us as an excuse," Zhou Chenyu teased, glancing leisurely at the plate of food.
She doesn't like eating chicken thigh meat, but prefers the meat near the chicken's belly, where the skin is thin, the meat is little and not fatty, and it can be eaten clean in one bite.
Zhou Chenyu picked up a piece of chicken and dipped it in the sauce.
The perfect combination of scallion and ginger juice sizzled in hot oil and boiled chicken in clear broth not only preserves the original flavor of the free-range chicken but also adds a rich and flavorful touch with the dipping sauce. She feels that she could eat this dish every now and then without getting tired of it.
Of course, the Chinese New Year period is an exception.
Seven dishes for four people—not too many, not too few.
After eating for an hour, the garlic sweet potato leaves and dry pot rabbit meat were all gone, a little bit of celery and dried tofu was left, and most of the remaining poached chicken, taro and braised pork, and stuffed tofu were left untouched. The rice cooking in the pot was not touched at all.
Fortunately, it's autumn now, so the vegetables won't spoil if left until tomorrow.
They ate dinner early tonight. After they finished eating, they sat in the courtyard. The sun had not yet set, and the nearly full moon had already appeared.
After everyone had finished eating, they cleaned up the dishes and sat motionless in front of the courtyard, listening to the children playing in front of the door, waiting for night to fall.
Seeing that no one was touching the mooncakes, Zhou Chenyu took one and broke it into four pieces. "You have to eat a mooncake to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Here, everyone gets one."
Li Xiuju smiled, took the small piece of mooncake offered to her, and savored it slowly.
"Thank you, little sister." Chen Tongsheng smiled as he accepted the tea, then opened his mouth and ate it in one gulp.
Zhou Chenyu handed the mooncake to Baoyu. Baoyu secretly turned his face away, then turned back in a cowardly manner. Seeing the mooncake, he felt a little nauseous and smiled obsequiously:
"Sister, can I not eat? I ate three big mooncakes yesterday, and I really can't eat anymore."
"So that's why there are so many less mooncakes than I just bought. You ate them all. Eating three big mooncakes at once, aren't you afraid of getting sick of them?" Zhou Chenyu rolled her eyes at him and didn't force the mooncakes into his hands.
Baoyu was in the wrong and was scolded by his sister, but he didn't refute a word. He silently drank some tea to clear his mind.
After finishing her mooncake, Li Xiuju looked up at the moon overhead. "The moon is beautiful this Mid-Autumn Festival. I remember last year it rained for several days straight, and we couldn't see anything. Wasn't that right?"
“Godmother, yes, that’s absolutely right, I remember it very clearly.” Chen Tongsheng smiled. “Last year, the city was supposed to hold a grand lantern festival, with lanterns hanging all over the city. But then it rained for several days in a row, and all that work was for nothing.”
"Is the lantern festival fun?" Zhou Chenyu asked casually as she moved a small stool to sit down next to him. Baoyu, holding a cup, turned his ear towards her and asked, "Yes, is it fun?"
Li Xiuju gently stroked her hair, her old eyes shining, and said with a sigh, "During the three days of the lantern festival, the curfew was lifted throughout the city, and the streets were filled with all kinds of lanterns. Although it was night, it was as lively as daytime, and there were people everywhere all night long."
Chen Tongsheng patted his knee and nodded, "Besides, last year's lantern festival didn't happen, and the weather is so good this year, I guess this lantern festival will be even more grand."
"Really?" Zhou Chenyu blinked. Now they had money in hand and were no longer bothered by having to go back to work on time. They had both money and time.
A slight smile played on her lips. "The lantern festival is so grand this year, and we've already had dinner while it's still light out. Why don't we go into town together and join the fun?"
Baoyu listened attentively from beginning to end, his heart already itching with anticipation, eagerly awaiting this very question. He excitedly replied:
"Great! It's rare to have the curfew lifted, the night market is sure to be incredibly lively."
Infected by Baoyu's emotions, Chen Tongsheng said, "If you are willing to go, then I will gladly accompany you."
Li Xiuju glanced at her leg and looked troubled. "My leg is too weak to walk, so I won't go with you. If you want to go, then go with the student. Don't wander around and cause trouble for no reason."
Chen Tongsheng's expression changed, and he looked at Zhou Chenyu along with Baoyu.
“That won’t do.” Zhou Chenyu stood up and said condescendingly, “Since it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion, of course the whole family should be together. Since you can’t walk, let’s find a restaurant, sit down, have some wine, and listen to some music. That would be nice.”
Upon hearing Zhou Chenyu's words, Chen Tongsheng hurriedly nodded in agreement, "That's right, godmother, you should come with us."
Before Li Xiuju could answer, Baoyu ran outside and prepared the cart.
Seeing the children's posture, Li Xiuju knew that she had no choice but to go.
She patted her clothes and stood up lazily. "Fine, you all don't mind that I'm an old woman and a burden, so what am I afraid of? If you don't have enough fun in the city, don't regret it."
Zhou Chenyu said playfully, "I'm not afraid, anyway, it's not my turn to push."
Afterwards, they left Huang Dou in the yard to guard the house, locked the door, and Chen Tongsheng and Baoyu pushed the cart in front while Zhou Chenyu helped Li Xiuju out.
As the group walked to the banyan tree at the village entrance, a voice called out from behind, "Auntie, Chenyu, wait!"
"Is that Hongmei's voice?"
Li Xiuju stopped and turned around, seeing Hongmei running after her, panting anxiously, "Auntie, Chenyu, are you going to the city to see the lantern festival?"
“Yes.” Zhou Chenyu saw Daqing pushing a cart and waving, with Grandma Wang standing behind him holding a child.
Li Xiuju seemed to have found kindred spirits, and a broad smile spread across her face. "You're also going into town for fun?"
“Exactly.” Hongmei nodded with a smile. “We were also going to push a cart to take Grandma into town, but when we came out and saw you pushing carts too, we figured you were going into town as well. To save time and effort, Shuqing asked me to go up and ask you if you would mind coming along. Shuqing and Baoyu can take turns, so it won’t be too tiring, and we can keep each other company when we come back at night.”
Li Xiuju loved lively gatherings, but the task of pushing the cart required Baoyu and the young scholar, so she looked at the two behind her with a troubled expression.
Chen Tongsheng pointed to his own fleshy body and said, "I'm full of energy."
The couple, Shuqing and Hongmei, had helped them a lot in the past, and Baoyu had always wanted to repay them, but had never had the chance. How could he refuse this opportunity?
He met Hongmei's expectant gaze and smiled warmly, revealing his teeth, "Okay."
Hongmei smiled and said, "I'll go back and give them my report."
"Don't worry, we'll wait for you here." Li Xiuju watched Hongmei's running figure, her face showing both joy and concern that Hongmei might fall.
Zhou Chenyu put his arm around her shoulder and teased her on purpose, "Grandma, it's so late and you can't move around easily, how about we skip the lantern festival?"
Li Xiuju withdrew her gaze, pinched Zhou Chenyu's waist, and scolded with a smile, "You quick-witted girl."
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