The food vendor gave Fang Lin three servings of dumplings, and she paid for them. The food vendor then pushed the food cart to the next carriage.
Fang Lin said, "Big sister, bring your daughter and come eat with us."
The woman said, "We can't accept this; we can't always let you buy us food."
Fang Lin said, "Since you don't have money for food, I should help you. We should have dumplings on New Year's Eve. Come on over."
The woman said thank you and took her daughter to sit down opposite Fang Lin.
Fang Lin placed her bowl on the table, took some slices of beef from her bag and put them in the bowl, saying, "The dumplings on the train are too small and not enough to fill me up, so I'll have some beef."
The woman said thank you and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Fang Lin said, "Sister, don't always say thank you. Meeting on the train is fate. I can't help you with anything else, but buying you and your daughter three meals a day is no problem."
The girl ate a slice of beef and said, "What kind of meat is this? It smells so good!"
Fang Lin asked, "This is braised beef. Haven't you ever tried it before?"
The girl shook her head after hearing this.
The woman said, "I earn a little over a hundred yuan a month working, and I've never been able to afford to buy beef for my child."
Fang Lin asked, "Where is your husband?"
The woman said, "My husband died when my daughter was two years old."
This mother and daughter are so pitiful. Fang Lin took out a hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to them, saying, "Your money has been stolen. How will you live when you get back? I can't help you much, but take this hundred yuan with you."
The woman said with tears in her eyes, "I already feel bad that you bought food for my daughter and me, I really can't accept this money."
Fang Lin said, "Take it as I say."
The woman said thank you, took the money, and put it in her pocket.
Fang Lin said, "Don't go out to work next year. Find a job in our hometown. The wages are lower here, but at least it's safer to stay at home. Don't you think what you're saying is right?"
The woman nodded after hearing this and continued eating.
After finishing her meal, Fang Lin asked, "Little girl, are you full?"
The little girl said, "I'm full."
Fang Lin placed the remaining beef from the bowl into the girl's hand, saying, "Take this and eat it if you get hungry."
The little girl said, "Thank you, Auntie."
Dong Qing and his wife were watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV. He said, "I'm going to the kitchen to cook a few dishes. After the fireworks at midnight, our family will sit down for a late-night snack."
Li Yuzhu asked, "Do you need my help?"
Dongqing said, "I don't need your help, you can watch TV."
Dong Qing went into the kitchen, turned on the stove, and first made nine cold dishes. Then he prepared the ingredients for several hot dishes.
After the coal fire is lit, heat oil in a wok to make braised pork. First, stir-fry the pork in the wok to render some of the fat. This will make the braised pork more fragrant when you eat it.
After the oil was rendered out, Dongqing poured out the excess oil, then added the prepared caramel coloring, cooking wine, and light soy sauce. He stir-fried it for a while, then poured in an appropriate amount of boiling water and added the prepared spices.
In those days, pigs were fed for a long period of time, resulting in tougher meat that needed to be stewed in a pot for at least two hours.
With nothing to do in the kitchen, Dongqing returned to the living room and sat down next to his wife to watch TV.
Around midnight, Dongqing placed ten boxes of fireworks in the yard and then went back inside to continue watching TV.
When the clock struck twelve on the TV, he went out into the yard and set off fireworks.
This year, it wasn't just his family setting off fireworks on New Year's Eve; his three older sisters' families all set off fireworks at the same time. The four of them became a hotspot for fireworks displays throughout the city, illuminating the sky and showcasing the festive spirit of the New Year through the exploding fireworks.
Dong Qing is now the richest man in the city, so no one is surprised that he set off fireworks like this this year; he's truly wealthy.
After the fireworks were set off, Dongqing invited her three sisters and their families into her home for a late-night snack. She also called Chen Hong and his wife to come over. The meal lasted until after 3 a.m. before the families gradually dispersed.
On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Fang Lin arrived at her stop and asked, "Sister, I need to get off now. Where are you getting off?"
The woman said, "We've reached our final stop. Thank you for taking care of us along the way. I hope we can meet again in this life."
Fang Lin picked up her luggage and said, "I hope we'll have the chance to meet again in this life. Goodbye."
The woman said goodbye, and Fang Lin carried her luggage toward the carriage door.
Fang Lin, who has a stepmother, doesn't want to stay at home even for a day. If it weren't for her father, whom she cares about, she would never come back.
She walked into the ticket hall and bought a return ticket for the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Tickets were not in short supply and were easy to buy during the Spring Festival.
The temperature in my hometown is much higher than in the north. Today's high was 12 degrees Celsius, and my cotton-padded coat was definitely too hot. I'll still be able to use it when I travel back home.
She stored her coat at the train station's luggage storage area, put the storage ticket in her pocket, picked up her luggage, walked out of the county train station, and headed towards the bus station.
On the way, I went into the post office and made a long-distance call to Dongqing to let him know I was safe. I told him my train number and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to come back? Why don't you stay home and spend more time with your father?"
Fang Lin said, "I don't want to stay at home for even a day longer because of my stepmother. If it weren't for my concern for my father, I would never go back."
Dong Qing completely understood Fang Lin's feelings, and said, "Okay, I'll pick you up at the station."
Fang Lin said thank you and then hung up the phone.
Fang Lin stopped in front of a halal beef stall. Back home, she was so poor they couldn't even afford meat. She wanted to buy some beef for her father to take back home. She asked in her authentic hometown dialect, "Boss, how much is the beef per pound?"
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