Chapter 31 Mid-Autumn Festival
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the festive atmosphere in Pengcheng becomes more and more intense. In front of shops of all sizes, mooncakes of various colors are neatly displayed, and fruit stalls have piles of yellow grapefruits and red pomegranates. Even the stalls in the vegetable market are filled with plump white lotus roots and angular ones like cow horns.
On the afternoon of August 14, Lin Qiu went to the nursery to pick up Wang Shan. Wang Shan ran over with a small schoolbag on her back and a red bamboo paper lantern in her hand, which could barely be seen to be in the shape of a rabbit.
"Mom, is the lantern I made pretty?" Wang Shan held up the lantern high to show off to Lin Qiu, "This is what Teacher Huang and I made together. It's a little rabbit!"
"That's beautifully done!" Lin Qiu praised in a cooperative manner, "Shanshan is really amazing!"
Wang Shan jumped for joy when she heard the answer she wanted. "Teacher Huang said that we should go out and play with lanterns tomorrow night. This is a tradition."
It was hard for this three-year-old kid to remember such a long sentence. Lin Qiu smiled and replied, "Okay, tomorrow night, let dad take us out to play with lanterns."
"Teacher Huang said that we have to eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Wang Shan turned around and said to her mother solemnly. The little foodie is never vague about food.
"Okay, okay, okay! I'll give Shanshan mooncakes tomorrow!"
Lin Qiu found it a little funny. Wang Shan, who had been in kindergarten for more than half a year, always kept the catchphrase "Teacher Huang said". Come to think of it, Wang Xiuren and I are busy making money during the day and just want to rest when we get off work at night. We have very little time to spend with Wang Shan, so it's no wonder that she calls Wang Shan "Teacher Huang" all the time every day.
The more he thought about it, the more sorry he felt for her, so Lin Qiu decided to take her out for a good time tomorrow.
Wang Xiuren knocked on the door when he got home today. It was not because he forgot to bring his keys, but because his hands were full of things and he had no hands free to open the door.
"Why are there so many things?" Lin Qiu opened the door and looked at Wang Xiuren who returned with a lot of things, feeling a little puzzled.
"The mooncakes, cantaloupes and grapefruits were distributed by Brother Man. Everyone got one. He said he rushed them to us the day before. Thank you for your hard work." Wang Xiuren explained, picking up the plastic bag on his left.
"This box of coconut juice, grapes, pomegranates, and these Lego items were given to me by the owner." Wang Xiuren put the things in his right hand on the ground. "It was the same company that I looked at the blueprints with last time. The owner was quite satisfied with the work I did, and he asked me to bring these things back."
Wang Shan ran over and said, "Dad, you brought back so many delicious foods!"
"Yes! Dad brought back a lot of delicious food, all for my little greedy cat!" Wang Xiuren scratched Wang Shan's nose, "Who is my little greedy cat?"
"I am! I am!" Wang Shan raised her hands high and kept circling around Wang Xiuren, "I am the greedy little cat from my dad's house!"
"Dad, open one to satisfy my little cat's craving!" Wang Xiuren opened the box of coconut milk, took out three cans and put them on the table. "Let's all try it today to see what the coconut milk advertised on TV tastes like."
"Go wash your hands quickly, you look at the little greedy cat and he's getting anxious!" Lin Qiu hurriedly urged Wang Shan who was already sitting at the table.
Wang Xiuren quickly washed his hands, returned to the table, and swiftly opened the pull ring on the can. "Drink it, little greedy cat!"
Wang Shan held the coconut juice in both hands and shouted at Wang Xiuren and Lin Qiu in a baby voice, "Cheers, Dad! Cheers, Mom!"
The couple looked at her with a smile, and cooperated by picking up the coconut juice and clinking their glasses together.
"cheers!"
Wang Shan gulped down a big gulp and announced loudly, "It's really delicious! This is the best thing I've ever tasted!"
After saying that, he took another big sip.
Wang Xiuren also took a big gulp, "It's really delicious! The things on TV are really not deceptive. You should try it too."
"It's quite delicious." Lin Qiu took a sip and found it still tasted the same. "But Shanshan, finish your meal first and then drink the coconut milk."
Wang Shan held the coconut milk and didn't want to let go, staring at Lin Qiu with blinking eyes.
"It's no use looking at me! Drink the coconut milk first and you'll be full, otherwise you won't be able to eat later." Lin Qiu was unmoved, "If you don't listen, next time mom and dad drink, you just watch them."
Only then did Wang Shan put down the coconut milk and started eating.
When the little one turns one year older, she can read people's expressions. If you relax a little, she will start to take advantage of you. If you keep a straight face, she will behave herself.
"That's what a good girl is!" Lin Qiu picked up a piece of braised beef and put it in her bowl. "This is the beef you like. Eat more and grow taller."
In order to drink the coconut milk as quickly as possible, Wang Shan took a bite of rice and a bite of beef, and even put the cabbage, which she usually didn't like to eat, into her mouth and chewed it in big mouthfuls.
After the meal, Wang Shan sat on the chair with her belly protruding as she wished, sipping the coconut juice in small sips, lifting her little feet up and down, enjoying herself.
The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived as scheduled. Because they didn’t have to go to work or school, the family of three stayed in bed and got up very late.
The mooncakes that Wang Xiuren brought back yesterday served as today's breakfast, which just happened to fit the Mid-Autumn Festival scene.
Break one open, and you’ll see the lightly-colored lotus paste, glossy and translucent, with the sandy and oily egg yolk embedded in it. Take a bite, and the crispy, sweet flavor will overflow.
Lotus seed paste and egg yolk mooncakes are very popular with Wang Shan and have become the most delicious food in her heart. Wang Xiuren also likes to eat this kind of fragrant, soft, sweet and delicious Cantonese mooncake, but Lin Qiu thinks it is too sweet. He only takes a bite and puts it aside and Wang Xiuren eats it.
After eating the mooncakes, the three of them went to the newsstand to call home.
Lin Ting was waiting at the prefabrication yard as usual. When the phone was answered, there were still familiar greetings and regards, as well as concern and reluctance for his relatives far away.
Every time he hung up the phone, Lin Qiu always hoped that the mobile phone era would arrive soon so that he wouldn't have to wait in front of the phone for a long time and hang up in a hurry.
Every time a festival comes, it means that homesickness reaches its peak. People who have left their hometowns have to experience the pain of missing their loved ones every time they celebrate a festival. The moon is round, the moon cake is round, but it is difficult for people to reunite.
Lin Qiu and Wang Xiuren's emotions gradually calmed down until they entered the vegetable market and felt the life of ordinary people. Wang Xiu Renren was even glad that Lin Qiu brought Wang Shan to Pengcheng. At least now, the family of three was reunited.
After a stroll through the vegetable market, I brought back the chicken legs that Wang Shan liked, and the pig's trotters that Wang Xiuren specifically requested. Lin Qiu saw some fresh chestnuts, so he weighed half a pound and paired it with half a side of chicken. They were great whether braised or made into soup.
The osmanthus fragrance fills the air and the crabs are plump.
The seafood stall in the vegetable market is having a promotion on hairy crabs. A male crab weighing 3 taels is 4 yuan each, and a female crab weighing 3 taels is 5 yuan each. This price may not seem cheap now, but in a few years the price of one will at least increase tenfold.
Lin Qiu thought about how in his previous life he had spent at least four or five hundred yuan on buying hairy crabs. Comparing the prices now, he turned his desire into action and picked three females and two males. During festivals, we always have to add some hard dishes.
Come empty-handed and leave with full loads.
Returning home with his favorite ingredients and festive atmosphere, Lin Qiu quickly prepared a sumptuous reunion dinner.
The braised pork trotters are spicy and fresh, the pan-fried chicken legs are tender and juicy, the chestnut stewed chicken is sweet and soft, the stir-fried seasonal vegetables are refreshing and delicious, and the steamed crabs are plump and sweet.
When the meal started, Wang Shan raised the coconut milk again. Wang Xiuren and Lin Qiu clinked glasses with her tacitly. Then the three of them began to concentrate on eating, not wasting the delicious food and the festival.
Three meals a day, four seasons of clothes, together create a place called home. People gather together because of food, fireworks in the world, and flavors last forever.
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