Chapter 127
The busy days passed quickly, and it was the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in a flash. After finishing the lunch business, Su Ji Food Shop officially closed and would not reopen until the next year.
The work before a long holiday is not as simple as closing the store. The store must be cleaned from top to bottom, and all the pots and pans in the kitchen must be cleaned and dried. If they are left with moisture, they will easily become moldy and rusty.
First, boil water in a large pot and rinse the tableware with boiling water to disinfect and remove grease. After taking the tableware out, the heat will evaporate the water stains on it if you just let it sit for a while, so there is no need to wipe it a second time.
These days, Su Miao and his father took the time to buy a lot of New Year's goods. The goods in the city were indeed richer than those in the county. The quantity and variety of their purchases doubled compared to the previous year.
The group of people had a clear division of labor and were quick and efficient. They had packed up everything by 3:30.
Su Yuanzheng gave Yingzi and Jiang Fengyi year-end bonuses and New Year gifts, including a red envelope of 20 yuan each, a pot of oil, several iron boxes of biscuits and pastries, and five pounds of mixed candies.
The two of them said a lot of auspicious words and went home happily with the New Year gifts.
I have already made an appointment with Uncle Huzi to take his ride back at five o'clock. His car is half empty, which can accommodate their mountain of New Year's goods.
They packed up their luggage and put it in the yard to prevent anything from being left behind.
I checked that the garbage at home was thrown away, the clothes were put away, the windows were closed, and the refrigerator had been emptied and the power was turned off in advance. I waited for Uncle Huzi's car on time at five o'clock.
Su Miao opened the courtyard door and looked up to greet Uncle Huzi: "Uncle Huzi! You're here!"
"Hey! Miaomiao! I'm here! There are some things, I'm here to help you move them."
After loading all the things into the trunk and getting in, Su Miao asked his father to carry a few boxes of snacks and candies and put them at his feet.
Riding in a truck is a completely different feeling from riding in a car. The truck is taller and the view is wider. It feels like you are sitting on top of passers-by.
The vibration amplitude of the "bang bang bang" sound was quite large. Less than ten minutes after getting in the car, Su Miao fell asleep again amid the conversation between his father and Uncle Hu Zi.
I only remember that Uncle Huzi said that his previous business of transporting goods was still going on, and with the extra orders from their family, he had a lot more money on hand. His younger brother graduated from secondary technical school this year and has been working in a factory in Guangdong for the past few months. He sends money back every month, so he can have a good New Year this year.
When they arrived at the alley, Su Miao was woken up by his father in a daze. After getting off the car, his mind was still not clear, so he sat on the stone pier at the alley and watched the adults unload the goods.
Su Yuanzheng ran back to get the tricycle out, and then he and Huzi put the New Year's goods and luggage on the tricycle. Then he waved, "Miaomiao, get on and go home."
Su Miao regained consciousness after a while of fresh air and belatedly asked, "Where's Brother Yu?"
"Just now, when he passed by the entrance of our village, we let him go back directly to avoid making another trip tomorrow."
"Oh, I see."
Su Miao nodded. Anyway, he had already given Brother Yu a red envelope of 100 yuan in advance, and the New Year's goods had been distributed, so it would be convenient for him to go back directly.
After getting on the tricycle, Su Miao waved goodbye to Uncle Huzi: "Goodbye, Uncle Huzi!"
"Okay! Bye!"
But after a few seconds, Uncle Huzi's voice came from behind again: "Brother Yuan! Miaomiao! There are still some things I forgot to take! Here are a few boxes!"
Su Yuanzheng waved his hand without even turning his head: "Happy New Year! Take it back for the children!"
"Brother Yuan! How can this be possible!"
"It's not for you! It's for the child!"
Not giving him a chance to catch up, Su Yuanzheng closed the gate as soon as the tricycle entered the yard.
After a while, Su Miao heard the sound of the truck starting to leave.
She stretched and walked into the house carrying her package: "Dad, we haven't been back for so long, I guess we need to do a good cleaning. And the quilts, now that the sun has set, can't be dried until tomorrow."
Su Yuanzheng said, holding up his hands full of things, "Don't worry! When your second uncle and second aunt came to buy New Year's goods yesterday, they came over to clean up. The quilts and other things have been drying in the sun for most of the day."
Su Miao walked into the living room and saw that the wooden table and sofa had indeed been polished to a shine, without a trace of dust.
When I entered the room again, I found that it had not only been cleaned beforehand, but the windows were also opened for ventilation. There was no musty smell at all, and the soft quilt on the bed even exuded the scent of sunshine.
"Dad, my second uncle and second aunt are so thoughtful. Luckily, they prepared more gifts this year than last year, otherwise I wouldn't be able to give them away."
"It's okay! We don't care about that in our family. Miaomiao, are you hungry? Daddy will take you out for a midnight snack. I heard from your uncle Hu Zi that there have been a lot of small vendors on the street in the past six months. The prices are affordable and the food is delicious!"
"Great! Great! Since we don't have to buy groceries at home, we don't have to cook anymore."
The father and daughter packed up their things quickly and went out on their tricycle to look for food.
Although I have only been away for half a year, the changes in the county town are still visible to the naked eye. There are many more stores, the downtown area has expanded slightly, and the streets are very lively at night.
A late-night food street has formed from the theater gate toward the department store. Some vendors use tricycles, and some use carts. They set up stoves and place low tables and stools behind their stalls for diners to eat.
There are boiled noodles, meat porridge, barbecue, etc., with wisps of smoke rising up, and the most beautiful smell of fireworks soothes the hearts of ordinary people.
Su Yuanzheng slowly pedaled his bike over and asked his daughter, "Miaomiao, what do you want to eat?"
She pointed to a small stall on the side of the road with a big sign and said, "Dad, do you want some dumplings? And some hot soup."
I parked the car directly next to the stall and ordered their favorite chive and pork dumplings.
The dumplings are freshly made. Generally, when the stall owner first sets up the stall and there are not so many customers, he will make a few more dumplings and put them on a large tray, covering them with gauze. When a customer orders them, he can cook them directly.
But a group of customers came before the Su father and daughter and ordered all the dumplings, so the proprietress had to make them fresh.
Su Miao sat on a bench and watched the proprietress making dumplings under the yellow street light, while the sound of guests chatting at the next table filled his ears.
Some are couples, some are groups of friends, and some are families.
After a day of hard work, everyone can finally relax and enjoy the rare leisure time with important people.
An old lady selling sour food passed by with a cart, and Su Miao went to buy a small bag of sour food.
Use a long bamboo stick to pick up a piece of green papaya, tilt your head back and take a bite. The sweet and sour refreshing juice enters your mouth first, and then you chew it. The fragrance of papaya and the crispy texture are very satisfying.
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