I heard the laughter of the brothers in the inner room as they imitated a skit about making a movie.
The steam blinded her.
In a trance, I seemed to see the scene twenty years ago!
At that time, the whole family also made dumplings around the stove, but my parents were still alive, and the new sisters-in-law shyly lowered their heads and pinched the folds of the dumplings.
She is still young too.
"Dumplings are coming——"
Zhuang Fangtao walked into the main room carrying steaming dumplings, and white mist rose from the edge of the plate.
Li Guifang hurriedly lifted the door curtain, and a familiar aroma hit her face - the freshness of cabbage stuffing mixed with dried shrimps, the fragrance of sesame oil wrapped in chopped green onions, it was the taste of the Chinese New Year in her memory.
The eight-person table was already packed with people. Li Mingyuan was distributing chopsticks to the children. Xiaoyuan stared at the dumplings eagerly and counted them: "I have two more than Xiaoyang!"
"What's the rush?" Li Jianguo spread out the blue-rimmed porcelain bowls one by one, the bottoms of the bowls making a crisp sound as they hit the table. "Everyone gets a share."
Li Guifang's eyes fell on the cupboard, the top shelf.
The pair of enamel bowls printed with the Double Happiness pattern were still placed in their old place. The paint on the edges of the bowls was a little peeling, but they were polished to a shine.
She tiptoed to take it down, and ran her fingertips over the notch on the edge of the bowl - it was where her mother accidentally knocked it the last time she washed dishes.
"Serve some for Mom and Dad too." She put two dumplings into each bowl and drizzled sesame oil on them.
Golden oil beads slid down the plump white dumplings and formed small crescents at the bottom of the bowl.
The room suddenly became quiet. Xiaoyang bit his chopsticks, looked at the photo frame on the altar, then looked at the adults: "Can great-grandmother eat it?"
"Yes." Li Jianguo rubbed the child's head. "Just smell this fragrance. Even gods would be tempted."
My third aunt brought the last plate of dumplings and said, "Eat them while they're hot, or they'll get lumpy if they get cold."
The sounds of chopsticks and laughter returned. Li Guifang picked up a dumpling and took a bite, the hot broth filling her mouth.
This is the taste - my mother always said that you should stir the stuffing in one direction so that it will stick together.
"I remember when I was little, during Chinese New Year," Li Guifang said as she made dumplings. "We would fight over the copper coins in the dumplings. My third child even choked on them."
Li Jiandang scratched his head embarrassedly: "Sister, how come you still remember this?"
Laughter rang out in the room.
After lunch, Li Jianguo took out a small radio and tuned to the opera channel.
Amidst the humming and singing, the brothers talked about what they had seen and heard during their time away from home over the years.
"Haicheng has changed a lot now," Li Jianguo said slowly. "There are more bicycles on the road, and many families have bought TVs."
Li Guifang refilled her brother's tea and asked, "Are you all used to your life?"
"I wasn't used to it at first, but now I've adapted," Li Jianjun continued. "I just keep missing the taste of home."
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