"What's up?" Li Xiulian asked with a smile as she watched the three of them come out. "I was waiting for you to eat, and I went into the house to talk in private."
Su Aimin smiled and said, "The mother and daughter chatted for a while. Come on, is it time for dinner?"
"It's almost done." Zhang Xinlan lifted the lid of the wooden pot, and an amazing aroma wafted out. "This chicken soup will be ready soon."
Today, everyone in the family is together, and we specially killed a chicken and stewed it. The current regulations are that a family in the countryside cannot raise more than five chickens. The Su family has a total of four chickens. They killed chickens when Su Qingyun was sick and when Su Congjun got married. The only chicken left in the house is the last old hen that lays eggs.
Wu Guixiang couldn't bear to kill it, so she asked Zhang Xinlan to go to the town and buy one.
There was the fish that Su Qingyun loved to eat, the meat that everyone liked, and the ham that Su Congwen had sent to them on short notice. Zhang Xinlan was quick and cut some more ham to stir-fry with cabbage. The table was full of dishes. Even in the city, few people could afford to eat so well, let alone in the countryside. The fragrance of the Su family's food spread far away, and many people were sniffing and swallowing their saliva.
The chicken soup was ready, the soup was fresh and the meat was fragrant. The family members scooped a bowl each and drank it with small sips. There were not many feed chickens now. Zhang Xinlan had a sharp eye and picked a free-range chicken. She drank it in one gulp, and it was so fresh and fragrant that she felt so comfortable that all the pores on her body opened up.
"Second Aunt's cooking skills are really good." Wen Sisi's eyes sparkled with admiration, "It's almost as good as the chefs at the state-owned restaurants I ate at in the county."
"Then how can I compare with the chef in other restaurants?" Although Zhang Xinlan said this, a smug smile appeared on her face.
"Yeah, comfortable." Wu Guixiang sighed with satisfaction. Although the second son's wife had many flaws, her cooking skills were really impeccable.
Being able to drink a bowl of hot chicken soup on such a cold winter night is something I couldn’t even dream of in the past, but now life is getting better and better.
Thinking of this, Wu Guixiang smiled and looked at the large table of children and grandchildren with satisfaction. Although their Su family was not a wealthy family, at least they had enough food and clothing, and the family members were harmonious. This was good enough.
After drinking a bowl of soup, Zhang Xinlan suddenly sighed, and her smiling face fell. "It would be great if our Congwen was here too."
This sentence made everyone silent. It was always a bit unpleasant to think that one person was missing from the family reunion.
"I don't know how Congwen will spend this New Year's Day in the army?" Zhang Xinlan sighed with a gloomy look.
Su Qingyun comforted her, "Second aunt, don't worry. Second brother has a much more lively time in the army than we do. I read in the newspaper that in the army, everyone celebrates the New Year together, eating dumplings and singing military songs. It's a lively day."
"Really?" Zhang Xinlan didn't quite believe it. How could life in the army be more comfortable than at home?
"Of course it's true. Otherwise, you can ask Second Brother in person when he comes back." Su Qingyun said confidently, "Besides, although Second Brother didn't come back, his blessings and greetings were sent. It's just in time, not late at all."
"Look." Su Qingyun pointed at the ham and cabbage on the table, "This ham is almost here to represent my second brother."
"You little girl." Zhang Xinlan was left both amused and confused by her words.
Su Qingyun's witty remarks made everyone at the table laugh.
"Come, Yunyun, eat this piece." Su Aimin picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks for his daughter, which was the fish tail.
Su Qingyun likes to eat fish, but the part she likes to eat is different from that of ordinary people. Most people like the belly of the fish with fewer bones, but she likes the tail of the fish with more bones and less meat.
Su Congjun also picked up a piece of ham for his wife and whispered, "This is what my second brother sent back. The food in Chuncheng is so delicious."
Wen Sisi took a bite and nodded hurriedly, "It's delicious."
Su Congwu looked at the whole family. His father picked up food for his mother, his uncle picked up food for his aunt, his younger uncle picked up food for his aunt, and took care of her from time to time. Not to mention the affectionate look of his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Even his grandfather, who was always taciturn, picked up food for his grandmother.
He was the only one left at the table, and no one cared.
Su Congwu gritted his teeth, picked up a large piece of food for himself, and put it into his mouth to chew angrily. Since no one picked up any food for him, he picked it up himself and ate even more!
The meal was quickly finished with lots of chatting and laughing. No one was in a hurry to rest today and decided to sit around the stove for a while.
Qin Ying thought of the things her parents had sent her, and quickly went to get them. She gave everyone some beef jerky and raisins, and said, "Everyone, try this as a snack."
"Why is this meat so dry?" Zhang Xinlan muttered, putting it in her mouth. "Oh my god! This is too hard!"
She covered her cheek and screamed, feeling as if her teeth were about to break out.
Zhang Xinlan’s exaggerated performance made everyone afraid to eat the beef jerky. Is this thing really that hard?
Wu Guixiang stopped just as she was about to give it a try. Her teeth were in even worse condition. Should she just give up? It would be troublesome if that tooth fell out.
Su Qingyun died of laughter. Her second aunt was so expressive and exaggerated. She took the beef jerky and demonstrated to everyone, "This kind of jerky is air-dried, so it is indeed a bit hard."
She tore off a thin strip and said, "It is usually eaten by tearing it into thin strips. The more you chew it, the more delicious it becomes. You can try it." If you eat it in one big bite like her second aunt did, it will definitely not be chewed.
Everyone followed her way of eating, tearing off small strips one by one and putting them into their mouths. It was hard to chew, but the more you chewed, the more delicious it became, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste. The mouth was filled with the aroma of meat with a unique dried flavor, spicy and fresh. It was as if you were on a lush green grassland at this moment, with a gentle breeze blowing, and the sound of cows mooing in the wind.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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