The children were not hungry and felt that it didn't matter what they ate. The main reason was that there were so many snacks at Dr. Wang's house, all of which they had never seen before, such as candies, chocolates, and strange-tasting broad beans. They ate this and that.
Zhou Jiakang felt that no other Chinese New Year had ever been as relaxing as this year. Now that he was back in Funiu, he could show off in front of his friends for a long time.
"Tanghulu, Tanghulu!" An old man with gray hair came over carrying a Tanghulu.
Several children shouted, "Mom (old man) we want to eat!"
"Okay, let's eat candied haws." Zhou Huairong nodded readily, took out a five-yuan bill and handed it to Zhou Jiaming, "Take your sister-in-law to pick some."
"Oh!" Zhou Jiaming happily took the money and saw the candied haws seller carrying them. "Come here, I'll take you to buy some."
Zhou Huaijun patted Zhou Xiaolin, who had fallen asleep while watching a movie, and whispered in her ear, "Yaoyao, wake up! Your brothers are here to eat candied haws!"
"I want the gourd!" Zhou Xiaolin rubbed her eyes, leaned on his shoulder, and said sleepily.
Zhou Jialiang and his friends came over with candied haws in their hands. "Here comes the candied haws!"
Zhou Huaian looked at Yang Chunyan and the others and asked, "Would you like to have one too?"
Several people shook their heads and said, "Forget it. We'll be at South Street soon. If we eat, we won't be able to eat hot pot later."
Several children were holding candied haws in their hands, and their little mouths were chattering non-stop.
Zhou Jiakang saw a child in the photo studio wearing a small military uniform and a military cap with a five-pointed star on it. He quickly ran to Zhou Xiaoqian and the others and said, "Sister, look, there are small military uniforms over there. I want to take a photo wearing them, too."
"Wow, it's real!" Zhou Xiaowen exclaimed in surprise after seeing it, "I also want to wear the little military uniform and take photos."
Zhou Xiaoqian turned her head and took a look. "It's very expensive to take pictures at the photo studio. Aunt Yao said that Uncle Wang has a camera at home. After lunch, let's go to the river to take pictures."
"Wow! Uncle Wang's family even has a camera!" Zhou Jiakang said with envy, "I wish my family could have a camera someday."
Zhou Xiaoru pulled him aside and said, "Xiaokang, if your family had a camera, we could take as many pictures as we want!"
Zhou Jialiang smiled and said, "Xiaokang, tell Second Aunt to buy a camera so we can take the photos ourselves!"
Zhou Xiaoqian glared at Zhou Jialiang and said, "Don't listen to Brother Liang. If you dare to ask mom to buy a camera, you will be beaten three times today."
"A camera costs a lot of money. I'm not that stupid!" Zhou Jiakang looked at Zhang Xiuxiang who was walking in front of him and touched his butt. "Brother Liang is the worst. He got beaten himself and wanted us to get beaten too."
Zhou Jialiang rolled his eyes: "..."
The adults walking in front had already arrived at the mutton restaurant. Zhou Huairong saw a few children mumbling in the back and shouted to them, "Hurry up, we're going in!"
The mutton restaurant had a square stove with a yellow copper basin in the middle and charcoal fire burning underneath. When I went in, I found that there were already two tables occupied.
When the boss saw them coming in, he greeted them happily, "Doctor Xiao Wang, are they all your relatives?"
Wang Zhen smiled and nodded, "Two tables, please. We want a big pot!"
"Okay!" The boss brought out a pot of tea. The adults and children sat down on long benches around the stove at one table. After a while, someone came out with charcoal and poured it into the furnace.
The boss brought out a copper basin filled with mutton soup and placed it on top. The milky white mutton soup contained wolfberry, angelica, and codonopsis pilosula...
After a while, a large plate of thinly sliced mutton, yam, cabbage, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and cabbage were served on the table.
“We have tomatoes to eat these days?” Yang Chunyan looked at the tomatoes floating on the mutton soup curiously and thought, are there people growing greenhouse vegetables now?
"I grow them myself. I built a shed with white plastic film. We had tomatoes before the New Year, but they are enough for my mutton restaurant." The boss put the plates aside. "Enjoy your meal!"
Wang Zhen looked at the row of glass wine jars on the cabinet, which contained champagne, sake, and soda, and pulled Zhou Huaian to pick some wine.
Yang Dongmei and Wang Zhen have been here several times and whispered to Yang Chunyan and the others, "The mutton hotpot here tastes good. Every time we come, there are always several tables."
Zhao Huifang said: "The boss of this shop is really hardworking. He is the only one open during Chinese New Year."
Zhang Xiuxiang nodded and said, "I thought no one would go out to eat during the New Year, but I didn't expect there would be several tables full of people!"
Yang Chunyan thought about the future, even the New Year's Eve reunion dinner will be eaten outside, "Maybe I am tired of cooking, so I want to relax during the New Year."
Zhao Huifang: "Yes, we have a big family, and every time we cook, we start preparing in the morning, and it takes most of the day before we can eat."
After the mutton soup in the pot boils, add the meat slices, yam, tomato, bean sprouts, radish slices and other foods that are not easy to cook.
Yang Chunyan and others took a dipping bowl, scooped a spoonful of fermented black beans, fermented black beans, chili powder, Sichuan pepper powder, salt, coriander and chopped green onions into it, and waited for the mutton soup in the pot to boil again, then scooped some soup with a spoon and mixed it in.
Zhang Xiuxiang went to the next table to take a look and saw that the older ones were helping the younger ones to finish their meals. She gave them a few instructions and then sat back down.
Zhou Huaian's family had eaten mutton hotpot several times. The older ones, Zhou Jiaming and Zhou Xiaoqian, knew how to make the dipping sauce. After Yang Chunyan and her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law served them the meat and vegetables, they didn't pay much attention to them.
Zhou Huaian's three brothers and Wang Zhen came over with champagne, sake and soda, and put some for the children. Then everyone started eating.
Zhou Xiaolin sat next to Zhao Huifang, enjoying the food fed by the aunt and the youngest aunt, her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster, "Youngest aunt, the red one is delicious."
"Yes, this one is delicious." Yang Chunyan pinched a piece of yam for her, "If you like it, auntie will pinch it for you!"
"Hmm!" The little girl picked up the spoon and put the yam into her mouth, "We have this at home."
"We have mutton at home, too!" Zhou Jiakang, who was sitting behind her, picked up a piece of mutton, dipped it in the dipping water, chewed it for a few times, and opened his eyes wide, "It's delicious! It smells so good!"
Yang Chunyan turned around and picked up a piece of tomato for him, "Try this."
Zhou Jiakang took a bite and nodded repeatedly, "Delicious! Brother, sister, this is delicious too!" Then he pointed to the tomatoes in the vegetable bowl, "They are sour and sweet. Why don't we grow some to cook hot pot?"
Zhou Xiaoqian: "You're the only one who knows how to eat?"
The others nodded at the same time, "We know it tastes good too."
Zhang Xiuxiang glanced back at him and said, "The boss said that we need to use white plastic film to build a shed for planting, but plastic film is very expensive."
"Oh!" Zhou Xiaokang immediately wilted after hearing that. He didn't dare to say anything else and started eating obediently.
At the end of the meal, some of the children ate some rice, some ate a bowl of mutton noodles, and after finishing the mutton hotpot, everyone was sweating.
After coming out of the mutton restaurant, Zhou Huaian looked at the woolen sweaters held by Yang Chunyan and the others and said with a smile, "No wonder they say that we have four seasons in one mountain and the weather is different every ten miles. We still wear padded jackets when we go down the mountain. We can't even wear woolen sweaters in the city."
Wang Zhen smiled and nodded, "It's already as warm as spring, but it's still freezing and snowy in the north!"
After hearing this, Zhou Jialiang turned around and said, "Uncle Wang, I know what it's like to be in a world of ice and snow."
Wang Zhen smiled and asked, "Where did you see it?"
Zhou Jialiang pointed in the direction of Bailing Mountain and said, "On the old high mountain over there, after the snow, even the trees on the top of the mountain are all white, and there are a lot of icicles hanging on the trees."
There is at most a little icicle around Funiu Village, and there is no snow at all except in the mountains.
Zhou Huairong: "When we were collecting truffles there, it snowed heavily during the coldest days. When we woke up in the morning, the snow in the yard covered our feet."
Zhou Huaijun: "It's snowing on the grass too. Only the mountains have snow."
Zhou Jiakang became interested after hearing this and pulled him aside, saying, "Old man, next year we will go to Bailing Mountain to collect truffles and see if there is a heavy snow."
Zhou Jiaming nodded repeatedly, "Old man, next year we will switch with Second Dad. People will freeze to death in Bailing Mountain."
Zhou Xiaoru said curiously: "I want to see snow, I haven't seen it yet!"
Zhou Jialiang waved his hand cheerfully, "Next year it will be your turn to go to Bailing Mountain."
After Yang Chunyan had eaten, she felt drowsy, yawned, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, I found that working at home doesn't seem to be tiring enough!"
Zhao Huifang nodded, "I was just about to say that I want to sleep after eating."
Zhou Xiaowen hurriedly pulled her, "Mom, we need to take a photo."
Zhao Huifang smiled and waved her hands, "I can't walk anymore, ask your old man and your father to take you there."
Yang Dongmei looked at the time and said, "It's only half past one. Let's go to the hotel and get a few rooms. We can sleep for an hour or so and then we can take pictures."
Wang Zhen nodded and said, "Yes, you came here by tractor, so it's okay even if you go back late."
"Great! Great!" Zhou Huaian thought this was the best option. He took Zhou Huaijun's arm and the group turned at the intersection and walked towards the hotel.
The hotel was closed for the holiday, so they entered the yard from the back door and checked into a few rooms on the second floor. Yang Dongmei pulled Zhou Xiaoqian's ponytail and said, "Go to whichever room you want to sleep in!"
"We sisters share a room." Zhou Xiaoqian and her sisters looked at the guest room curiously, "Why are the sheets, pillows, and blankets here all white?"
"White ones look cleaner," Zhang Xiuxiang reminded, "Take off your outer pants before sleeping, and remember to fold the quilt when you wake up."
"I understand." The sisters sat here and there and felt around, thinking that staying in a hotel was a novel thing.
Yang Chunyan and a few others lived in the same room. When they woke up, it was almost three o'clock. They saw Zhao Huifang and a few others were still sleeping. Just as they were about to wake them up, they heard Zhou Huaishan shouting outside.
Zhou Huaijun's voice also rang out, "Old Three, go to the back door."
Zhou Huaishan asked: "Is Doctor Xiao Wang here?"
Wang Zhen walked out upon hearing the voice, "Third brother, is there something wrong?"
Zhou Huaishan shouted, "Qiuyue's youngest sister's husband broke his leg... He is waiting at the entrance of Desheng Hall now, and I would like you to help take a look."'
Li Qiuyue rode with Li Qiuxia for three hours. When they arrived at the gate of Desheng Hall, they were so tired that they didn't want to move, so he had to come here alone to look for someone.
Wang Zhen nodded readily after hearing this, "Okay, you go down first, I'll follow you." (End of this chapter)
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