Chapter 598
"Dad, I've seen cockfighting in Ning County, but I've never seen bullfighting. Is that true where we live?"
Su Yuanzheng tapped the steering wheel with his fingers and said:
"Yes, I took you to see it when you were little. You were quite young at that time and you were so scared that you burst into tears. I haven't taken you to see it since then."
"So, we have it in Sujia Village too? I only remember cockfighting, not bullfighting."
"Cockfighting requires a small area, just a random circle on the street, so you often see it during street festivals in the county town. Bullfighting requires a larger area, so it usually takes place in the village. You rarely go back to the village, so it's normal that you haven't seen it."
Su Miao tilted his head to look at his father and asked with some doubt:
"The conditions were so difficult back then, how could we let the cows fight? Shouldn't animals this big all belong to the brigade? My second uncle once said that there were only three cows in our village."
Su Yuanzheng recalled and said, "It seems that there was indeed no bullfighting during the most difficult years. Later, the household contract responsibility system was implemented and each family was allowed to raise poultry and livestock. Only when conditions improved did it start again.
You were probably only four or five years old at that time. The competition you went to see was the first one after so many years of suspension. Although individuals could raise cattle, the cattle were not yet big enough. The best cattle from each village were selected to participate in the competition.
It seemed to be organized by the county, with many villages participating. The first place prize was 100 yuan. Our village only had one old water buffalo, and the others were oxen. We didn’t even win the preliminaries, hahahahaha!!!”
He laughed as he spoke, his laughter tinged with nostalgia.
Su Miao nodded in understanding, this made more sense.
Su Yuanzheng continued, "However, bullfighting is indeed very rare, only once every few years. Even if it happens, it is only a little bit stopped, not as fierce as they did. If the bull gets angry, we will go up to stop the fight and pull them apart.
After all, livestock are so precious, how could we bear to hurt them? It can be seen that the conditions here are much better than ours. They actually let cattle fight to death, but we also play cockfighting fiercely."
Speaking of fighting cocks, Su Miao thought of his seventh uncle's cock "Jinzai", which was pecked to the point where not even a few feathers were left. After retiring, he was well raised for many years before he died. He used to be a bully in the village.
She only went back to the village with her father once or twice a year and was never chased by the dog, but she was chased by it a few times.
Every time "Jinzai" was driven away, Uncle Qi would bring it to her house to apologize and buy her some candy to coax her.
Memories that I thought I had long forgotten suddenly came flooding back.
…
The distance from Jinhua to Changcheng is really far. After hurrying, the father and daughter entered the city before dark.
After checking into a room at the guesthouse and storing my luggage, I went out to look for food. The sky was already dark and the street lights were on.
"Hello, sister. We want to go out for dinner. Can you recommend a restaurant for us?"
When he came just now, Su Miao used a handful of soft ginger candy to establish a good relationship with the girl at the front desk, so now it is much easier for him to find out things.
Sure enough, the girl at the front desk said enthusiastically, "You've come all the way here, you must want to try our local cuisine, right? Turn left and walk forward. After passing the intersection, continue walking for five minutes and you will see a restaurant.
The restaurant is quite big but has no sign, and it serves authentic Changcheng cuisine.”
She looked at the clock in the hall and said, "The boss's daughter should be back from school at this time. If I see a little girl coming out to greet customers at the door, then I'm on the right track."
"Okay~ Thank you, sister. Let's go look for that store."
The father and daughter followed the directions given by the receptionist and, as expected, they found a restaurant. A little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, was sitting at the entrance. Whenever someone passed by, she would sweetly greet them, "Hello, guest! Would you like to eat in? The prices are cheap and the portions are generous!"
Seeing Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng approaching, her eyes lit up and she quickly stood up from her chair:
"Uncle! Sister! Do you want to eat? The chef with twenty years of experience is in charge, and the ingredients are fresh and delicious!"
Su Yuanzheng was amused by her eloquence and said, "Little girl, we're having dinner together. Can you help me make the arrangements?"
"Okay! Please follow me, I'll find you the most comfortable position!"
As you push the door and enter the restaurant, you are greeted by the aroma of food mixed with the smell of cooking smoke. A yellowed poster of "Popular Movies" is posted on the wall, and many diners are sitting at several wooden tables.
There was a small blackboard at the front desk with the words "Today's Special: Whitebait Egg Soup" written on it, but someone had crossed it out with chalk.
The seats on the first floor were full, so the girl said, "Let's go up to the second floor. There's a window seat there, very comfortable!"
She took the father and daughter to a window seat on the second floor. Looking down from the window, she could see residents who had eaten and drunk their fill and were out for a walk.
"This is our menu. What would you like to eat?" The little girl took out the two menus she had been holding and handed them to Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng respectively.
The menu was entirely handwritten. Although the handwriting was a bit immature, it was very neat. The price was marked behind each dish. Su Miao took a look and found that the prices were indeed affordable.
"Little sister, can you recommend some signature dishes for us?"
The little girl seemed to answer this question very often, pointing to the corresponding place on the menu as she answered:
"Uncle and sister, our best dishes here are stir-fried bacon with quinoa, three-cup chicken, and Yuzhang crispy duck. As for snacks, Nanchang white sugar cake is also very delicious."
Su Miao nodded and said, "Then give me one portion of each of these dishes."
Su Yuanzheng added, "Little girl, I noticed there are small clay pots on everyone's table. Are they soup pots?"
"Yeah, yes, uncle. This is a stew that we in Changcheng love to drink. Today we have egg and meat pie soup and longan and pig heart soup."
Su Yuanzheng said in surprise, "Then give me a can of each. I haven't had any proper soup since I left home. I feel really bad."
The little girl carefully wrote down the dishes they ordered in the notebook, then frowned and said:
"Uncle and sister, the dishes you ordered may be a bit too much. I'm afraid it's not enough for two people."
"If we can't finish the food, can you pack it up for us to take away?"
The little girl nodded vigorously and grinned, "You can pack it up! I asked my dad to buy those foam boxes for customers to pack for free."
After ordering the dishes, the father and daughter sat down and waited.
Su Yuanzheng turned around and looked at the dishes of the diners around him, and said in a low voice:
"Miao Miao, I see that everyone else has bright red dishes on every table. Does Changcheng like spicy food? I, your dad, can't handle spicy food."
Su Miao also came over and whispered, "I heard that people in Changcheng can really eat spicy food, but I think spicy food is just one of the characteristics here, not the whole thing.
Look, among the dishes we ordered, Three Cup Chicken and Yuzhang Crispy Duck are not spicy, and they are signature dishes."
"Oh! That puts my mind at ease."
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