Chapter 307 Staying Up Late on New Year's Eve
"Brother, come on, have some snacks!" Shen Xiaoxiao put the snacks on the table, then plopped down next to her brother and said happily, "We can eat and chat at the same time! That way I won't fall asleep."
They talked about Shen Xiaochuan's various interesting experiences in the army, and Shen Xiaoxiao listened with great interest to the sweat and laughter during training.
As they chatted, the topic shifted to the days after Shen Xiaochuan left home, and the life of Shen Xiaoxiao and her parents.
Shen Xiaochuan listened attentively as his younger sister recounted the details of their family life, feeling the deep affection between them.
Before we knew it, it was already past 9 p.m.
Shen Xiaoxiao suddenly stood up. "Brother, let's make dumplings!" she said, and quickly ran into the kitchen to get the all-purpose flour and other ingredients needed for making dumplings.
After hearing Shen Xiaoxiao's words, Shen Xiaochuan was slightly taken aback before realizing: "That's right, isn't midnight on New Year's Eve the time to eat dumplings?"
He couldn't help but chuckle; his family was so happy to see him back that they had forgotten everything else.
“Okay!” Shen Xiaochuan readily agreed.
"I'll go chop the dumpling filling, it's all up to you!" Before she finished speaking, she turned and ran into the kitchen like a gust of wind, leaving Shen Xiaochuan standing there.
Shen Xiaochuan snapped out of his daze, looked at Shen Xiaoxiao's retreating figure, and couldn't help but smile, "Still so reckless."
Entering the kitchen, Shen Xiaochuan saw that Shen Xiaoxiao had already taken out a large piece of meat and a cabbage. She placed the meat on the cutting board, preparing to start chopping the dumpling filling.
“My family loves celery dumplings, but unfortunately we don’t have any celery right now, so we have to use cabbage instead,” Shen Xiaoxiao said to Shen Xiaochuan as she picked up a cleaver, ready to start cooking.
Shen Xiaochuan quickly stopped her, saying, "Let me do it, you go and rest."
As he spoke, he took the cleaver from Shen Xiaoxiao's hand and skillfully began chopping the meat.
Shen Xiaoxiao stood to the side, watching Shen Xiaochuan's skillful movements, and couldn't help but stare in disbelief. She hadn't expected her brother to have such excellent cooking skills.
"Brother, did you go to join the army? Look how skillfully you chop vegetables, anyone would think you went to learn to be a chef!"
Shen Xiaoxiao blinked her big eyes, looking at Shen Xiaochuan with a face full of curiosity, and said with a grin.
Shen Xiaochuan's hands didn't stop moving at all. He skillfully chopped the vegetables and answered without looking up, "Yes, when I first joined the army, I spent half a year in the mess hall."
"Oh, I see!" Shen Xiaoxiao nodded in sudden realization.
Before long, the dumpling filling was chopped. Shen Xiaochuan put the filling into a large bowl, mixed it well, and then happily went to roll out the dumpling wrappers to prepare for making dumplings.
Just then, Ma Aning woke up.
She walked out of the room in a daze, and her mood immediately brightened when she saw the brother and sister chatting and laughing as they made dumplings in the yard.
"Oh my, my son is really back!" Ma Aning felt a surge of joy, and only then did she realize that everything before her eyes was real, and not a dream.
Shen Xiaochuan looked up and saw Ma Aning. He quickly called out, "Mom! You're awake!"
Ma Aning's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. She quickly walked to Shen Xiaochuan's side and said, "Yes, Mom is awake. You're making dumplings? I'll come and help."
After Ma Aning finished speaking, she went to the kitchen to wash her hands, tied on an apron, and walked to the dining table to start rolling out dumpling wrappers.
Her movements were skilled and fluid, and soon a stack of round dumpling wrappers was formed.
"Xiaoxiao, Xiaochuan, you're wrapping dumplings a little slowly." Ma Aning couldn't help but tease them as she watched Shen Xiaoxiao and Shen Xiaochuan sitting at the table, wrapping dumplings at a leisurely pace.
Shen Xiaoxiao and Shen Xiaochuan exchanged a glance, and then simultaneously quickened their movements.
Shen Xiaoxiao's technique was skillful. She picked up a dumpling wrapper, quickly placed an appropriate amount of filling in the middle, and then gently pinched it with her fingers to make a small and exquisite dumpling.
The dumplings she made had neat and beautiful pleats.
In comparison, Shen Xiaochuan's movements appeared somewhat clumsy.
Although he tried his best to imitate his sister's technique, he could never quite get the strength and angle right, and the dumplings he made were either oddly shaped or the filling leaked out.
"Brother, didn't you say you worked in the army's mess hall? How come your dumplings aren't as pretty as mine?" Shen Xiaoxiao looked at her brother's less-than-successful attempt and proudly raised her head to say.
Shen Xiaochuan scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "There's nothing I can do. I'm pretty good at chopping and stir-frying vegetables, but I'm not good at making dumplings."
"What are we going to do then? If you want to eat dumplings in the future, but you don't know how to make them yourself, are you going to have to find a wife who knows how to make dumplings?" Shen Xiaoxiao blinked her big eyes and playfully teased her brother.
Shen Xiaochuan was amused by his sister's witty remark and laughed heartily. He reached out and gently tapped her on the head, scolding her playfully, "You little rascal, how dare you make fun of your brother?"
Shen Xiaoxiao chuckled, stuck out her tongue, and then continued to concentrate on making dumplings.
The three of them chatted and laughed, filling the room with joyful sounds.
In the end, they didn't let Shen Xiaochuan continue causing trouble; they just had him keep them company and chat.
Before long, the table was neatly filled with dumplings. A careful count revealed more than a hundred dumplings! Each dumpling was plump and white.
Ma Aning looked up at the wall clock; the hour and minute hands were almost pointing to 12 o'clock. She smiled and said to Shen Xiaochuan, "It's almost time, it's almost 12 o'clock."
"I'm going to cook dumplings. Xiao Chuan, go check if your dad is awake and call him to get up so we can eat dumplings together."
Shen Xiaochuan nodded, then stood up and walked into the house.
Upon entering the room, a strong smell of alcohol hit him, causing Shen Xiaochuan to frown. Looking at Shen Zishan on the bed, he was fast asleep, his snores echoing throughout the room.
Shen Xiaochuan tiptoed to the bedside, bent down, and whispered, "Dad, get up, it's time to eat dumplings."
In his sleep, Shen Zishan seemed to hear his son's voice. He slowly opened his eyes, looking sleepily at Shen Xiaochuan standing by the bed. A smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "Xiaochuan, is that you? You're back? Am I dreaming?"
Shen Xiaochuan nodded with a smile: "Dad, I'm back. You're not dreaming. Mom cooked dumplings. Let's go out and eat quickly."
Shen Zishan sat up and rubbed his head: "Okay, okay, I'll get up now."
In the kitchen, Ma Aning put dumplings into the pot, and steaming hot water vapor filled the entire room.
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