In the Sheng family, this is the rule: those who study are considered children, and those who don't study are considered adults.
While the three men were drinking, Zhang Shuzhen asked Sheng Yunfang to get a few bottles of soda, and poured a glass for each of them.
Sheng Xitai was in a hurry, so he poured the soda a little too quickly. As a result, the foam suddenly surged up.
Sheng Xitai was so anxious that he quickly went over and took a sip, not wanting to waste it.
Sheng Xitai's stunt had everyone laughing uncontrollably.
"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you. All you think about is food all day long. When will you be able to get rid of this habit?"
The dishes were all served, the wine was poured, and the family sat around the table.
Sheng Liancheng looked around the table, then back at his sleeping grandson on the kang (a heated brick bed). Oh, he felt incredibly happy.
"Come on, let's have a drink first. It's Chinese New Year today, and our family has three new members this year: our daughter-in-law, our eldest grandson, and our youngest grandson."
"A large and prosperous family! Good days! Come on, let's cheer for our family's good days!"
Sheng Liancheng is bringing out the wine, so why aren't the others hurrying up?
Whether they drank or not, everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.
"Happy New Year and all the best!" Sheng Xiping led the way, and several younger children echoed him, shouting out New Year's greetings together.
During the Chinese New Year, the children were so happy that they shouted a little loudly.
Caught off guard, Zhang Shuzhen felt a jolt of fear and quickly turned to look at her grandson on the kang (a heated brick bed).
It turned out that Xiao Xinhua was sleeping soundly there and was not affected at all.
"Keep your voices down, everyone. There's someone sleeping on the kang (heated brick bed), don't scare him," Zhang Shuzhen said, turning her head to the children.
"Mom, it's okay. We'll just talk normally. Xinhua will get used to it gradually."
"Kid, you always said that you have to fall and get hurt to grow strong."
Sheng Xiping laughed as soon as he heard this. Isn't this a double standard from Mom?
When my family was little, we never told anyone to speak softly or anything like that. Everyone just spoke as they pleased.
Northeasterners are naturally loud when they speak. Sheng Xiping and Sheng Xi'an were even more boisterous when they were young, and their younger siblings have grown up just as much.
Sheng Xiping still remembers that once he overheard his mother chatting with the neighbor next door, saying that there was no need to worry about it. She would be the same as usual, even with children. A little noise at home is good, as it makes the children more resilient.
If it's quiet all day, the slightest noise will frighten the child.
Unexpectedly, when it came to her grandson, Mom changed her rules. First, she sent the dog away, and now she won't let him speak loudly.
There's really no need for that. The dog has been home these past few days, and I haven't heard Xinhua crying or fussing. Just now, everyone was talking loudly, but the little guy was still sleeping as usual.
You'll get used to it. You can't be too meticulous when raising children; the more meticulous and attentive you are, the more trouble you'll encounter.
"Can today's children be compared to those of you when you were young?"
Who took care of you back then? Three to five days after birth, you had to go to work in the fields. The baby would be pushed into the kang (heated brick bed) and you would go to sleep.
There's a huge mess to do both at home and outside. If you don't work, you won't even get to eat. Who can take such good care of you?
With so many free people in the family now, what's so difficult about taking care of one child? It just requires careful attention, doesn't it?
Zhang Shuzhen got angry and stared blankly at her son.
"Mom, they're all the same child, there's no need to treat them differently. They'll grow up quickly, it'll be fine."
Sheng Xiping still insists on his point of view: children should be raised in a relaxed manner, and there is no need to be too meticulous.
"Alright, you two can argue all you want. We're eating, and we're not listening to you two."
When Sheng Liancheng saw that the mother and son were arguing, he quickly stepped in to mediate and smooth things over.
"Why aren't you eating all this delicious food? What are you waiting for? Xinhua is doing just fine, isn't she? She didn't cry."
If you two keep arguing, he'll wake up before we finish eating.
Zhang Shuzhen thought about it and realized it made sense. The baby could wake up at any time, and once he did, he wouldn't be able to eat in peace.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense, let's eat."
So, the conversation came to an end, and everyone picked up their chopsticks and put their favorite dishes into their mouths.
Apart from the mung bean sprouts, dried tofu, and aspic, which are vegetarian, the rest of the dishes on this table are quite oily.
Especially the braised deer tendon with scallions and the honey-braised bear paw, both of which are dishes that require a lot of cooking time and skill.
Not to mention ordinary days, even during the Lunar New Year, Zhang Shuzhen had never done this before.
Since it's a rare opportunity to do this, the children are naturally curious and all put their efforts into these few things.
In the past, both deer tendons and bear paws were delicacies that were tributes to the imperial court and could only be enjoyed by high-ranking officials and nobles. They were not something that ordinary people could afford.
Nowadays, with the emphasis on hard work and frugality and the opposition to extravagance and hedonism, these precious ingredients have lost their market.
Without a place to buy them, they couldn't get any money back, so Sheng Xiping and his group didn't think the things they encountered while hunting were anything special.
Zhang Shuzhen was meticulous in her daily life, keeping everything she could. Just in time for the New Year, she took out the food and made it so that her family could all try something new.
The prepared braised deer tendon with scallions is golden in color, chewy and tender, full of collagen, and paired with scallion whites, it tastes very fragrant and has a rich collagen content.
Needless to say, the bear paws are cleaned, coated with a thick layer of honey, and simmered over low heat for more than an hour.
Then rinse off the honey with water, add the seasonings back in, and simmer over low heat for at least three hours.
The bear paw itself is rich in fat and collagen. After being stewed for a long time, it becomes so tender that it trembles when touched with chopsticks.
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