Thank you for enduring the hardships of ten months of pregnancy and the excruciating pain of labor to give birth to me. Thank you again for your companionship over the past twenty years, which made up for the seventeen years of lack of maternal love.
I have no regrets anymore!
Zhang Guoqing looked at his wife happily and shouted, "Mom, I'm here. Take the little birthday girl to see the big birthday girl first. It will be ready here soon."
Zhou Jiao peeked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She pulled her mother away and asked her mother whether her father had changed into his red underwear and put on the military pants with the red belt hidden inside.
Since that year when I came to Beijing, it seems to have become a routine.
On this day, the whole family would stop their morning exercises, and occasionally they would entertain a few uncles, such as her father's sworn brother Wang Dawei.
The only difference was that Old Madam Cheng was missing. If she were still here, she would be standing in the kitchen early in the morning, smiling, watching Zhang Guoqing and his two sons prepare longevity noodles...
Zhou Jiao walked out of the kitchen and looked back at that place. Some people left, but she still kept her heart deep in her heart.
Perhaps the old lady has reunited with her adoptive parents and her elder sisters and brothers-in-law as she had hoped.
I hope the old lady has got what she wanted.
"Your dad is so happy today. He said, 'What nonsense!' He doesn't believe in it. But didn't you see him change into something so early in the morning? He doesn't mind wearing anything bright red."
Zhou Jiao smiled brightly when she heard that. "When you're 66, I'll prepare something for you too."
"Of course I must." Miao Lishan said with a smug smile, "Your aunt called me last night and was so envious. She asked your uncle-in-law why he didn't have a daughter."
"When they are 66, I will also prepare something for them."
"Hahaha, I deliberately didn't agree to them. But, your aunt and the others are far away, so there's nothing I can do. As for your aunt and the others, you really have to prepare when the time comes. They treat you like their own daughter."
"Okay." Zhou Jiao would never forget how Cheng Ruzhu treated her family, always giving them good things. Especially to her father, whom she treated like a real brother.
She could not forget that when her eldest cousin from the Wen family was getting married, her father was pushed by Cheng Ruzhu and her two siblings to sit in the main seat belonging to her uncle.
Later, when her second cousin got married, her father asked the remaining two nephews to sit in the main seat once each, otherwise they would have to sit in the main seat.
What is commendable is that Cheng Ruzhu never came to her family for any work-related matters. The only time she helped was when her mother Miao Lishan personally recruited Xiaoyu into the art troupe.
So, she never thought that relatives who were not related by blood were not relatives, such as her godfather Zhao Chuangguang and her uncle Wang Dawei...
They are not blood brothers but they are like brothers to her father.
"Mom, come back early tonight. I've set up a banquet at the old house and invited all the uncles and aunts. You and my dad have to accompany them."
"Okay, I'll take a leave of absence this afternoon and go over early. Do you think you have anything else?"
"It's almost time. Let's celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival at home at noon." Zhou Jiao thought for a moment, "We'll go to the old house together around 2 or 3 pm. My aunt has already agreed to go with my uncle after 5 pm."
"good."
Zhou Jiao said as she saw Zhou Xiaozheng coming out of the study. Her eyes suddenly widened with joy and she bowed to him in congratulations, "Dad, happy birthday, may you live a long life."
"Okay, I hope you live a long life." Zhou Xiaozheng smiled brightly upon hearing this. He knew that his daughter Jiaojiao cared most about these four words. "Are you done with your work? Come sit on the sofa and rest for a while."
"Not busy, not busy, hahaha..." Zhou Jiao giggled happily, walked forward and pushed him to sit on the sofa, squatting in front of him.
Zhou Xiaozheng stroked her head, "What a silly girl! Happy birthday!"
“Have fun together, have fun together!”
"Here we are, eat the longevity noodles and live a long life..."
Following Zhang Guoqing's loud shout, the words arrived before the people did. Soon, the three Ping'an brothers behind him each carried a tray and entered the living room and placed it on the dining table.
Longevity noodles?
As the name suggests: According to custom, a whole bowl of longevity noodles contains only one noodle. The noodles must not be torn when cooking. The whole long noodle must be cooked in the pot to represent longevity.
This family doesn't follow the rule that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen.
Therefore, this handicraft must be done every year on the birthdays of the elders in the family. For Ping'an and his three brothers, practice makes perfect.
In the early hours of the morning, not long after Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing left, the three brothers got up, washed, went to the kitchen, took out the fermented dough, and began to stretch it into long noodles with their skillful strength.
At this moment, there are seven bowls of noodle soup - a base of broth, a single white noodle, topped with seared shrimp, minced meat, golden egg yolk, and garnished with shredded cucumber and bamboo shoots.
The color, aroma and taste are so good that it will whet your appetite.
After eating longevity noodles, it’s time to go to work.
Just looking at Zhou Xiaozheng's background, Zhou Jiao blinked her eyes: Did her father forget to give her a gift? Or should she go into the study and take a peek to see what he has prepared?
"Wife, I'm leaving too. Go upstairs and have some sleep."
"Oh, I'll be back early at noon." Zhou Jiao replied casually, waved her hand, and suddenly paused... This guy didn't give her a gift either. What's the point of being so mysterious?
She took a nap as soon as she got off work last night, so she didn't feel sleepy anymore. She stayed with Aunt Chen in the kitchen, and they started to drain the soaked rice dumplings and glutinous rice left over from yesterday.
Fold the zong leaves into a funnel shape, put the rice in, cover one end, roll it up, and tie it with thread, and a small zongzi will come out of your hands.
While wrapping the rice dumplings, the rice dumplings wrapped in the early morning were also being cooked on the earthen stove. The boiling water in the pot made a gurgling sound, and soon the unique fragrance of the rice dumpling leaves could be smelled.
There is also a faint aroma of baking soda on the glutinous rice.
Without even opening it, Zhou Jiao could imagine that when the leaves of this pot of glutinous rice dumplings were removed, there would be a bright yellow and transparent glutinous rice ball, and when you took a bite, you would find sweet and sticky red bean paste filling inside.
There is also a pot of steaming rice. As time goes by, the rich aroma of the mixture of rice and meat can no longer cover up the fragrance of the rice dumplings.
Aunt Chen saw her wrinkling her nose and sniffing, revealing an intoxicated expression, and asked with a smile, "Do you want me to peel two for you to try first?"
"It's not fully cooked yet." Zhou Jiao smiled and blinked. "There are too many varieties. I'd better wait until they are all cooked before choosing. It's so painful to have to choose before eating."
"Hahaha..." Aunt Chen laughed happily at the sight. Isn't that a lot? Sweet and savory, separated into two large pots, with all kinds of flavors and colors.
Not to mention the Beijing date dumplings filled with candied dates and red dates, there are all kinds of fillings such as red bean paste, chestnuts, lotus seeds, various fruits, soybeans, and osmanthus.
It's just a salty white rice dumpling. It's not as varied as the sweet ones, but this girl has a lot of fillings. A handful of fresh meat and ham here, a small dish of pork belly and salted duck egg yolk there.
After thirty pounds of glutinous rice and white rice are soaked and expanded, all the fillings can be wrapped. When you start eating, if you don’t look at the colorful silk threads, you really can’t find a favorite flavor.
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