The Spring Festival couplets are written, and the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen is almost ready.
The younger children are responsible for setting out the bowls and chopsticks, while the older children are responsible for serving the stir-fried dishes.
The eldest, Fan Jin, was in charge of the most dangerous task—carrying the small stove with its glowing red charcoal and the earthenware pot.
The dishes served at the New Year's Eve dinner weren't particularly unusual; they were mostly everyday home-cooked meals.
However, most of them are gathered together today.
In the very center of the round table was a stew pot.
The whole old hen, having been simmered over charcoal for a long time, was so tender and flavorful that the meat easily separated from the bones.
The broth is golden and glossy. Add thinly sliced winter bamboo shoots, and the meat is delicious, the soup is tasty, and the side dish of winter bamboo shoots is even more fresh and sweet.
The boiled rabbit is spicy and flavorful, and its bright red color is enough to whet your appetite.
The braised pork belly was perfectly caramelized, and the dry-pot duck had an irresistible aroma.
The clear fish head soup is milky white, and small meatballs are added to it. Normally, meatballs would be a heavyweight ingredient, but today they take a backseat.
The stew pot is surrounded by stir-fried dishes and cold plates, totaling eighteen different dishes.
Eight people, eighteen dishes—they couldn't possibly finish them all.
Shuiqing wanted more than she could finish.
It's all about having leftovers from the New Year's Eve dinner so that there's abundance for the coming year.
The cups of Shui Qing, Fan Jin, and Ling Ran contained clear and sweet rice wine.
The five small cups are filled with boiled plum juice.
The family raised their glasses and toasted each other, first wishing each other a Happy New Year!
Immediately, Shui Qing took out gold leaves from her small cloth bag and said cheerfully, "Come on, let's give out New Year's gifts!"
Receiving New Year's gifts is the happiest thing for children.
However, seeing the glittering, flat object in their mother's hand, the five little ones stared wide-eyed for a while before realizing, "Is that gold in Mother's hand?"
"Is it really gold?"
"For us?"
"Can I take it?"
Fan Jin smiled and answered for Shui Qing: "It's gold, gold leaves, for you all, everyone gets one."
"Two pieces each! This is your own New Year's money, which will also be your allowance in the future."
"It's both a dowry and a betrothal gift for marrying a wife. You must keep it safe, or it'll be gone!" Shui Qing threatened with a snort.
Upon hearing that it was New Year's money, the five little ones cheered so loudly they almost lifted the roof off!
"Mother is the best!"
"Father is good too!"
After saying the flattering words, they lined up and went forward to receive their gifts.
Ling Ran ate her meal quietly.
Suddenly he heard someone call out to him, "Ling Ran, this is yours!"
He suddenly looked up, his phoenix eyes filled with disbelief.
He not only saw a lot of gold leaves before, but also owned a lot of them.
But that was in the past.
Since leaving, let alone gold or silver, it's hard to even see a penny or two. If I can get two full meals a day by doing odd jobs, that's considered good.
Silver is already precious, let alone gold!
"I...I don't need it." He couldn't accept it. They had taken him in, given him food and drink, and treated him without discrimination; that was already very, very good.
He cannot be ungrateful, nor can he be ignorant.
Shui Qing joked, "Don't need it? Do you not want to get married, or does your wife not need a dowry?"
"You should give other girls what they have too."
Ling Ran quickly glanced to her side, a faint blush rising to her sharply defined profile, before promising, "I can earn it myself!"
Shui Qing laughed and said, "We know you're capable. Here, consider this an investment your Uncle Fan and I are making in advance. When you become successful in the future, you can repay us double."
"Take it, you'll need it later." Fan Jin thought that this child's mother was dead and his father was unkind, and he was all alone away from home. Having money on him would make his life much easier.
He is a man of deep thought and has his own plans for the future; he certainly cannot stay with them indefinitely.
Having some money on him when he goes out makes him and Shuiqing feel a little more at ease.
"Yes, Brother Ling, we all have them, you should have them too!"
"Since your parents have given it to you, you should accept it."
"We're a family, of course we should all have it."
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