Chapter 416 New Year

Around noon, Li Zhan and his men came back.

Xiaowen, Xiaowu and the triplets were each holding a rabbit, while Lizhan was carrying a wild deer. There were also four or five pheasants carried by Xia Shuangshan, Yang Qiushi and Rong Zhenbang.

As soon as the triplets entered the yard, they ran over.

"Mom! We caught a rabbit!"

Because Ye Ye ran too fast, he fell and bit the snow on his face.

Fortunately, there was a thick layer of snow in the yard, otherwise I would have fallen and my nose would have bled!

Xia Juanjuan hurried over and pulled him up. Yeye's little face was wrinkled, with snow all over his eyebrows and face, which made him look both cute and funny.

Xia Juanjuan held back her laughter and wiped the snow off his face before saying, "Why are you running so fast?"

Ye Ye didn't cry either. She excitedly picked up the rabbit that had just fallen and said, "Mom! Rabbit! I want to eat roasted rabbit!"

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "Okay. We can eat it however you want."

Then she asked, "Why is the harvest so good today?"

Li Zhan laughed and said, "Have you forgotten what your man does? Catching a few rabbits and pheasants is easy, isn't it?"

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "Virtue!"

Yanyan said excitedly: "Mom! This rabbit is so stupid! We got some wheat grains and made a trap, and we caught it in no time!"

"There was also a wild deer, which was so frightened when it saw us that it lay straight on the ground pretending to be dead, and was caught by us!"

Several little guys were chattering excitedly.

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "You are all amazing! Since we have caught so much game today, let's just be a little rough today."

Li Zhan laughed and said, "What are you going to do?"

Xia Juanjuan said, "Don't we have firewood at home? Let's light a fire under the pergola and grill the meat while we warm ourselves."

With that, everyone took action.

There was too much food to be eaten in one meal, so Xia Juanjuan asked Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei to take the triplets and deliver a rabbit and a pheasant to Secretary Zhao's home and Aunt Wu's home respectively.

Xia Juanjuan, Lin Yuru, Shen Wanxue and Chunyan were responsible for boiling water to pluck the feathers of the remaining three pheasants and clean up their internal dirt.

Li Zhan, Xia Shuangshan, Rong Zhenbang and Yang Qiushi were responsible for skinning, gutting and cleaning up the wild rabbits.

After a while, the meat was almost cleaned up.

Xia Juanjuan first marinated one of the wild pheasants with cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt and ginger, and left the others as they were.

Several children also came back, their hands were not empty, they brought back a cabbage, three or four radishes, and three or four onions.

Although these things are all vegetables grown in the fields, since they came back temporarily, it was not convenient for Xia Juanjuan to take out fresh vegetables from the space, so they just happened to be able to be used.

The seasonings were borrowed from Aunt Wu's house yesterday, but only salt and ginger were borrowed; cumin, chili powder, and other spices were all taken out from the space.

In addition, Xia Juanjuan also asked Li Zhan to dig some clay and mix it into soft mud with hot water. She also asked Xiaowen to borrow some dried lotus leaves from Aunt Wu's house.

People in the countryside would pick some corn leaves, boil them in water, then dry them and store them. When steaming steamed buns, they would use them to spread on the grate to prevent the buns from sticking to the pot.

There is a lotus pond in Qingshui Village, so people would pick lotus leaves and preserve them in the same way.

Xiaowen came back with three or four lotus leaves after a while.

Xia Juanjuan soaked the pheasant in water to soften it a little, then rubbed it with oil, salt, cumin and chili powder, stuffed mushrooms and onions into its belly, and then carefully wrapped it with several layers of lotus leaves, and then covered it with a layer of mixed mud.

After a fire is lit in the shed, the clay balls with the chicken wrapped in them are put into the fire and cooked together. This is the common way to cook beggar chicken.

Everyone brought out chairs and gathered around the fire to warm themselves.

Li Zhan took several pickled rabbits, divided each into four, put a rabbit leg on each portion, pierced them with branches, and roasted them over the fire.

Xia Juanjuan also used the stove to burn firewood and stewed the remaining chicken in a casserole with radish pieces, dried black fungus, dried wild mushrooms, etc.

In a short while, the hare was roasted to a crispy outside and tender inside, sizzling with oil.

Sprinkle a layer of salt, cumin, and various spices on it, and everyone takes one, even the wolf cub, and starts to enjoy it.

When we were almost done eating, we had some light chicken soup and soft, tasty radish cubes to help us digest the greasy food.

We chatted while roasting the fire. After finishing the roasted rabbit, we took the beggar's chicken out of the fire, broke up the dirt on the outside with a hammer, removed the lotus leaves, and the chicken, which had been roasted soft and oily by the heat, began to emit bursts of aroma.

Everyone shared the food and ate it till they were all very full.

Rong Zhenbang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Juanjuan still has a lot of ideas. This way of eating sounds rough, but it is really fresh."

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "Dad, if you like, we can come over after the winter vacation. We have a place to stay in the countryside anyway."

After finishing the meal, everyone rested for another night, and returned to the county town early the next morning. They did not eat the wild deer, but brought them to the county town. Half of them were given to Li Jie and Zhou Qiuhuo's families, who made them into bacon and stored them for later consumption.

The other half was taken on the train back to Beijing and sent to the Fu family.

Yang Qiushi also moved into the courtyard.

Soon, everyone in school finished their final exams, the winter vacation came, and it was almost the New Year's Eve.

Everyone started to prepare for the New Year.

The New Year's goods to be purchased are no different from previous years.

The family's income was nominally only Liezhan's allowance and her subsidy. In addition, the Fu family knew that she was selling clothes outside.

Therefore, it is impossible to buy a lot of expensive things at once.

The electrical appliances I bought from Chen Rongsheng last time in Guangzhou are still lying in the space. Only Li Zhan knows about this at home.

However, it is not easy to take out large electrical appliances, but when it comes to food and clothing, Xia Juanjuan is not so frugal.

She went out with Li Zhan, saying they were going to the vegetable market, but in fact they took out half a piece of pork directly from the space, and also took a lot of other chickens, ducks and fish and brought them back home.

In the north, the temperature outside is generally below zero in winter, so there is no need to worry about pork, chicken, duck, fish, etc. going bad. Just drill a hole in them and hang them on a tree in the yard with a rope.

The children, including Chunyan, each had a new set of clothes made. The elderly took cotton cloth and cotton from the space and asked the tailor shop to make thick cotton coats and trousers for them.

In addition to Xia Shuangshan, Lin Yuru, Shen Wanxue, Rong Zhenbang, and Yang Qiushi who lived together in the courtyard, there would naturally be no shortage of people from Old Master Fu and Fu Weixin's side.

In addition, Xia Juanjuan brought her triplets to Grandma Luo in the nursing home and sent a set of medicine and some food.

The triplets shouted, "Grandma! Can you come to our house and celebrate the New Year with us?"

Many of the people living in the sanatorium here are relatives of martyrs, so every year, the sanatorium organizes programs and various New Year activities, etc., which is actually quite lively.

After hearing what the triplets said, Xia Juanjuan's heart moved, and she smiled and said, "Aunt, the kids are right. If you are willing, come home and spend the New Year with us. We have a place to live. You can stay there for a few days. If you are not used to it, you can come back to the nursing home. It will be convenient."

Grandma Luo had no relatives or friends. Usually, only Xia Juanjuan and her children came to visit her. After hearing this, she was worried about causing trouble for Xia Juanjuan, so she waved her hand and said, "Forget it. I have a lot of old sisters here. We can talk and make dumplings together and live happily."

In the past, Xia Juanjuan had suggested that she go over and stay for a few days, but Grandma Luo refused every time.

However, it is Chinese New Year after all, Xia Juanjuan said with a smile: "Aunt, it's Chinese New Year, and it's lively over there too. You can come and stay for a few days. If you really can't get used to it, we can send you back, isn't that okay?"

"Grandma, come on over! My mom will make a lot of delicious food!"

Grandma Luo looked at the children and finally nodded, saying, "Well! Then I'll be shameless and stay over for a few days."

That's settled.

The next day, Xia Juanjuan came with Li Zhan and took Grandma Luo to the courtyard.

Next, everyone worked together to clean the house, buy New Year's goods, prepare food, fry the dumplings, put up spring couplets, and buy firecrackers. After all the busyness, it was New Year's Eve.

After setting off firecrackers, everyone gathered around a big table and had a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner of dumplings, chicken, duck, and fish.

After eating, Xia Juanjuan took out some fried peanuts, melon seeds and other things and placed them on the table. She also took out some playing cards and mahjong from the space.

Everyone sat at a table of four, playing cards or mahjong. Even the children had two tables set up for them to play.

Those who know how to play teach those who don’t know how to play, and they don’t play for money, they just play for entertainment.

I played until eight or nine o'clock and then went to bed.

Lizhan directly sent the triplets to sleep with their two older brothers, Xiaowen and Xiaowu.

On New Year's Eve, of course he has to monopolize his wife and not let those little brats mess around!

As a result, Xia Juanjuan slept in on the morning of New Year's Day.

Lin Yuru couldn't help but come over and shout, "How can you sleep in on the first day of the new year? The dumplings are almost clumping up."

It started snowing again at midnight last night. Now the triplets, Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei are playing in the snow and making snowmen in the yard.

Yanyan turned around and said, "Grandma, we're all up! My mom isn't even as diligent as us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhan walked over and patted him on the head, saying with a smile: "What are you saying about your mother, you little bastard? Be careful or your mother will beat you up!"

When Yanyan heard this, she thought about how she had been spanked when she was naughty in the past, and she subconsciously covered her butt.

Li Zhan brought a bowl of dumplings into the house and said with a guilty smile: "Just sit up halfway and I'll feed you."

Xia Juanjuan gave him a reproachful look, half sat up while holding her aching waist, took the bowl, and said, "I'll eat it myself. If I let you feed me again, the whole family will laugh at me."

Li Zhan chuckled twice and said, "Don't worry, I won't laugh at you."

Xia Juanjuan threw the pillow over: "Don't you even look at who did this? If you dare to laugh at me, humph!"

However, Lizhan is already 31 years old, and his energy is still as strong as before. Xia Juanjuan really admires him.

It’s not that she didn’t want it, but she enjoyed it the first one or two times, but later on she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Thinking about how I begged in a low voice last night, and this bastard didn't hold back at all, I just wanted to beat him up!

The dumplings were filled with pork and cabbage. After eating the dumplings, Xia Juanjuan still struggled to get up.

All the adults in the house are up.

Xia Juanjuan and Li Zhan, together with Chunyan, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, Beibei and the triplets, went from house to house for a hundred years.

Everyone has also prepared New Year's money for them.

However, Xia Juanjuan had gone through it in advance. People like Yang Qiushi, Shen Wanxue and Rong Zhenbang always gave expensive things, and Xia Juanjuan had already told them not to give such expensive things. She had given them some money in advance so that they could give red envelopes.

Children just use the New Year's money to celebrate and buy firecrackers and some snacks.

Chunyan did not go home for the Chinese New Year this year. There are so many people here, and if she went back, she would be even busier during the Chinese New Year.

Xia Juanjuan asked for her opinion, and after thinking about it, she said she would not go back.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, she also received a share of the New Year's money.

Although she is older than the other children, she is afraid that she will see Xiaowen, Xiaowu and others using their New Year's money to buy things during the Chinese New Year, while she is the only one who doesn't have any. Even if she doesn't say it, she must feel sad in her heart.

Chunyan was overjoyed. In rural areas, the New Year's money is actually a swap of money from one family to another, so everyone tries to save as much as possible.

Slightly older children don't have it.

She probably just remembers that she was oppressed when she was seven or eight years old.

"Fourth uncle, these...are these really all for me?"

Li Zhan smiled and said, "Well. Keep it. If you want to buy anything during the New Year, use it as pocket money."

Chunyan said "Hey!" happily.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Xia Juanjuan and Li Zhan brought a few children and gifts to visit the Fu family to wish them a happy new year.

Fu Dongjin, Fu Beifa and his wife, and Fu Nanzheng and Yue Sizhu also came back.

The children in the family were in a mess and went to play war games with other children in the compound.

Yue Sizhu has been pregnant for two months, but it is not noticeable from her figure. However, she was suffering from severe morning sickness and did not eat much at lunch.

Fu Nanzheng carried some plum candies with him, and whenever he felt upset, he would give one to Yue Sizhu, and his eyes were full of doting.

The day passed as I accompanied Mr. Fu for a walk and practiced calligraphy with Fu Weixin.

In the next few days, I visited relatives and friends, and also started preparing the raw materials for the halogens and the opening of two stores.