Chapter 199 Changing the Rules
After setting off a string of firecrackers and ten double-bangs, Sheng Xitai was still a little unsatisfied.
By this time, the dumplings in the pot were cooked. Zhang Shuzhen ladled dumplings into a bowl while calling to the children to come back for dinner.
Upon hearing that the dumplings were ready, Sheng Xitai didn't say he hadn't had enough fun. He dashed back to his room, took off his shoes, and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed) to eat dumplings.
Sheng Xiping and the others entered the room behind them, looking speechless. Just then, all the dumplings were put into a bowl, and Sheng Xiping carried it directly into the house.
"Dad, let's change the rules in our family from now on."
On New Year's Eve, the dumplings were eaten the same way as usual, scooped out with a strainer and placed on a plate. Eating them like that, all watery and mushy, was unpleasant.
As he carried dumplings into the house, Sheng Xiping muttered to himself.
I don't know how the Sheng family passed down this rule, but on New Year's Eve, the dumplings and the soup must be served together in a bowl.
Then each person gets a bowl and eats it with the soup, but they're not allowed to dip it in garlic sauce or anything like that; they just eat it like that.
In Sheng Xiping's opinion, this way of eating dumplings probably comes from the fact that his family was poor in the past and they didn't dare to eat as many dumplings as they wanted on New Year's Eve, so they came up with this idea.
The dumplings are in a bowl with dumpling soup, so they'll cool down slowly. If you want to eat them, you have to blow on them one by one and eat them slowly.
After finally finishing the dumplings, you still have to drink the dumpling soup.
I eat slowly to begin with, so I feel full very easily. With the addition of dumpling soup, I get full before I can even finish a few dumplings, so naturally I can't eat much more.
Moreover, eating dumplings in such watery soup, without being allowed to dip them in garlic sauce or vinegar, really makes it hard to eat much. I felt full after only a few.
Life was tough back then, so it's understandable that they ate like that.
But the Sheng family isn't so poor that they can't afford a meal of dumplings. It's not right to not let people eat as much as they want during the New Year, is it?
Sheng Xiping has never liked this way of eating. He prefers dumplings that have been scooped out with a strainer, with the wrappers dry and crisp, dipped in garlic sauce, chili oil, vinegar, or something similar. They taste delicious with every bite.
Having not eaten like this for so many years, Sheng Xiping had almost forgotten that the Sheng family still had this rule.
Looking at the dumplings in the bowl, Sheng Xiping suddenly lost his appetite and felt they were too greasy.
He chopped up a huge piece of meat this afternoon; the way he eats it is enough to subdue a person.
"Huh? Isn't this the custom in our hometown? On New Year's Eve, dumplings are boiled in water, and we don't eat scallions or garlic."
"You guys used to eat this all the time, so what's wrong with it?" Sheng Liancheng was bewildered by his son's question.
Back in his hometown, it was always like this. In the years since he moved to Northeast China, Sheng Liancheng has changed many of his habits, but this one rule has remained unchanged.
No one has mentioned this before, so why are they suddenly saying they don't want to eat like this?
"I always say that our family is not like that. On New Year's Eve, we also put the dumplings in a plate to eat."
In all these years of marriage, when have you ever seen me eat more than a few dumplings on New Year's Eve?
In the past, life was tough, and we only ate dumplings once a year. They tasted delicious and tempting no matter how we ate them. Can things be the same now?
"Are we short of food? Why do you have to do this?"
Zhang Shuzhen came in carrying a bowl, and upon hearing Sheng Liancheng's words, she immediately rolled her eyes at him.
“Yeah, Dad, eating dumplings like this really doesn’t taste good.” Sheng Xi’an and the others chimed in.
Even Sheng Xitai, who usually has the biggest appetite, looked at his father and nodded repeatedly. "Mmm, mmm."
Sheng Liancheng was completely stunned. No one had ever mentioned this before, and he didn't know that his wife and children didn't like this approach.
"I'm giving you guys dumplings. When I was a kid, this was the meal I looked forward to the most."
Back then, my grandfather would serve dumplings, one spoonful per person's bowl, three or four dumplings in total. One bowl wasn't enough for us; we'd all eat two or three bowls.
My grandpa said, "Oh, Cheng, you've eaten three bowls!" I enjoyed it too.
Sheng Liancheng recalled that he didn't think there was anything wrong with eating dumplings like that before; it was fine.
"That's because we were poor back then. We fooled the kids on one hand, and it sounded good to others on the other."
"When people say she ate three bowls of dumplings, they think that's a lot, but she actually didn't eat many," Zhang Shuzhen snorted.
Why don't you tell me how many times a year we ate dumplings back then? And how much meat was in each dumpling you made?
Do you want to try some of our dumplings today and see how much meat is in them?
If you want to eat like that, then you can eat it yourself. We won't do it like you; we'll scoop it onto our plates.
When the children were young and the family was struggling financially, Zhang Shuzhen felt that it was okay to just let the children be.
Now that our son is all grown up and about to get married, some of the old customs should be changed.
Otherwise, if Zhou Qinglan marries into the family next year and they do something like this during the New Year, the new bride will definitely not be used to it.
Sheng Liancheng still didn't believe it, so he scooped a few dumplings from the basin, picked one up, and took a bite.
It's delicious! It's nothing like what my wife and kids said about it being too greasy.
Sheng Liancheng didn't believe in such superstitions and ate four in a row. The fifth one really didn't feel quite right.
Half of the meat in those dumplings was added by Zhang Shuzhen, who also added oil and the broth from braising the meat when she prepared the filling. How could they not be delicious?
While Sheng Liancheng was eating dumplings, Sheng Xiping had already gone to get a stack of plates and a strainer. Zhang Shuzhen scooped the dumplings from the basin onto the plates.
The dumplings had been soaking in the basin for a while, and the dumpling wrappers had lost their elasticity and become mushy.
Meanwhile, Sheng Yunfang hurried to the kitchen and brought out some garlic sauce. It was the same garlic sauce she used for making aspic in the afternoon, and she could use it for making dumplings in the evening as well.
Sheng Yunfang took the garlic sauce, and Sheng Yunfei took the vinegar bottle; the two sisters worked together quite well.
"There's no more chili oil. If you want vinegar, pour it yourself."
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