Chapter 12 Construction Begins
February 25, 1992, is the 16th day of the first lunar month. It is a good day for marriage, engagement, groundbreaking, construction, praying, and burials, but not for opening a business or fasting and offering sacrifices.
The weather was nice and the sky was clear.
Wang Xiuren reverently placed the three animals in order, with the pork on the front, the chicken on the left with its head facing forward, and the fish on the right with its tail facing forward.
Wang Zongsheng helped light incense and candles and burn paper money.
Everything was ready. Wang Zongsheng and Lin Qiu led Wang Shan to kowtow three times respectfully to the ancestral gods of heaven and earth, and Lin Ting lit a plate of two thousand firecrackers.
Amid the crackling sound of firecrackers, construction of Wang Xiuren's new house officially began.
The smoke in the air and the red paper flying around like stars made Lin Qiu extremely excited.
She brought Wang Shan to distribute candies, melon seeds and peanuts to the villagers who came to watch the fun, and everyone gave their blessings and praised them with kind words.
Wang Xiuren packed red envelopes and distributed them to the workmen, each containing 1.88 yuan, for good luck. The masters also spoke well of him when they received the red envelopes, which made Wang Xiuren's mouth almost grinning.
"Mom, have some candy!" Wang Shan held up the candy high in the air. "Mom, have some. It's sweet!"
Lin Qiu took the candy, peeled it and put it in his mouth.
Looking at Wang Xiuren who was grinning foolishly, his parents with happy faces not far away, his brothers who were working hard, and his daughter who was smiling sweetly beside him, she felt an inexplicable confidence in her heart. She thinks her life will definitely get better and better in the future! Everything will get better!
"Shanshan is right, it's very sweet!"
Both mother and daughter had sweet smiles on their faces.
After putting away the items used for the sacrifice, Lin Qiu took his daughter back to prepare the meal. The seven or eight chefs working there had to prepare it quickly, otherwise if the meal wasn't ready by mealtime, it would become famous throughout the surrounding area.
Zhou Qing and Lin Ping also hurried over to help. It was not an easy task for Lin Qiu to prepare meals for so many people alone.
Li Xiuying was happily chatting with others, and when she saw the opportunity, she quickly ended the conversation and followed in. Although he was praised by others for being considerate to his son and wife, he was still unhappy. But what to do then? You still have to do it. After all, if your son is building a new house and his parents don't help, people will talk about them. She and Wang Zongsheng are people who care so much about their reputation that they definitely cannot tolerate being pointed at or gossiped about by others.
The meal was cooked in the old house, and we borrowed the big stove there. There was no other way. We couldn't rely on one coal stove to feed so many people. Lin Qiu originally wanted Lin Hui to help build a stove, but Wang Zong was afraid of people talking behind his back, so he used a condescending tone to inform Wang Xiuren that he could use the stove in the old house.
Even though Lin Qiu disliked the people in the old house, he was worried that the weather would affect his cooking, so he decided to go to the old house to cook. It would be a waste not to use it!
Early in the morning, Wang Xiuren delivered firewood, rice, oil, salt and vegetables to the old house. Lin Qiu washed her hands, washed rice and cooked, Lin Ping helped wash the vegetables, Zhou Qing cut vegetables at the chopping board, and Wang Shan sat obediently on the small stool under the stove.
Li Xiuying arrived in a hurry and was given the job of making fire.
After washing and cutting, everything was ready. Lin Qiu swiftly put on an apron and picked up the spatula.
Heat the oil over high heat, fry the processed fish until both sides are golden brown, then serve and set aside. Stir-fry the scallion, ginger and garlic, then add a spoonful of chopped chili and stir-fry. Add water, and when the water boils, put in the fried fish. Cook over high heat until the sauce thickens, then serve on a plate. The braised fish with a rich red sauce is ready, and sprinkle with chopped green onions for garnish.
Then Lin Qiu quickly washed the pot and prepared to make roast chicken with potatoes.
The sacrificial chicken was steamed and now cut into pieces and placed on a plate. When the oil is boiling, pour in the chicken and stir-fry evenly. Then add the chopped potatoes and continue to stir-fry. Then add water, cover the pot and simmer. When the potatoes are cooked, add the red pepper, stir-fry for a few times and serve. The soft and delicious potato roast chicken is ready.
Lin Qiu's smooth movements dazzled the eyes of the people. Even Li Xiuying could only find the flaw of excessive oiliness.
"Sister, when did your cooking skills become so good?" Lin Ping exclaimed.
"You'll get it if you do it more!" Lin Qiu answered casually.
In fact, Lin Qiu's cooking skills have improved on the one hand because he has been cooking for more than 30 years, so his skills have improved to some extent; on the other hand, it is due to the rise of short videos. By copying the cooking steps of the grandmas in the food section, he can basically make the dishes almost exactly the same.
Lin Qiu didn't waste any time and continued to wield the spatula. Soon, delicious dishes came out of the pot one after another.
There were eight dishes in total, including braised pork, celery and dried tofu, sauerkraut vermicelli, scallion fried egg, shredded cabbage, stir-fried shredded vegetables, braised fish and stewed chicken with potatoes. The table was filled to the brim with rice wine.
When the workers saw the sumptuous lunch, they thought the host was very kind. After tasting the food, they praised it highly and made up their minds to help the host with his work.
The family members were eating at a small table below the main hall. Everyone was amazed at Lin Qiu's cooking skills and buried their heads in the food. Wang Shan's mouth was full of grease while she ate. Even Wang Zongsheng asked Lin Ting to have a drink with him.
The meal was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests, and they all finished their meal.
After eating and drinking, the masters started to build the wall using the piles driven in the morning and the lines drawn.
Wang Xiuren was in charge of transporting and delivering bricks. It was hard work, but he was less than 30 years old and had a strong body. He pushed the wheelbarrow to transport bricks. His hands and feet were weak from exhaustion after each trip, but his face and heart were filled with joy.
Lin Qiu wore work gloves and stacked the bricks on the red brick clamps. Lin Ping also helped stack the bricks on the side. Soon, both of them were so tired that they could not straighten their backs.
Zhou Qing understood that her daughter had a lot to do, so she helped clean up the pile of dishes after lunch. Since Lin Ting had drunk some wine, he was responsible for watching Wang Shan take a nap.
When Li Xiuying saw someone washing dishes, she made the excuse of taking care of Wang Zongsheng who was drunk and did not show up again.
Around five in the afternoon, when it gradually darkened, the workers finished their work and rode their bicycles home.
Lin Qiu originally wanted to keep her family for dinner, after all they had helped out all day. However, Lin Ting felt that his daughter was tired after a day's work and didn't want her to prepare dinner, so he insisted on leaving. In the end, only the family of three was left in the whole house.
Wang Xiuren picked up the tools scattered on the ground and put them in order. Lin Qiu followed suit and picked up the broken bricks and stones and piled them aside. Wang Shan was the most idle and played with the sand carefree.
By the time everything was almost cleaned up, it was already completely dark.
Lin Qiu simply fried some egg fried rice on the coal stove for dinner, and then boiled water for a bath.
By the time Lin Qiu finished taking a shower, dried his hair and prepared to turn off the lights and go to bed, Wang Xiuren was already snoring.
Yes, everyone was exhausted today. Lin Qiu rubbed his sore waist, turned down the light, and lay down.
Everything was quiet and it was pitch black outside, with only the sound of the wind outside and snoring in my ears.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
