Yang Chunyan returned to the room, and Zhou Huaian also ran in, "They poured a lot of wine into me, and I feel dizzy."
Yang Chunyan glanced at him with a smile, "You let them force you to drink? I think you just get more energetic the more you drink!"
"Hehe!" Zhou Huaian leaned forward and kissed her, "It's the New Year, I'm happy, let's drink a few more glasses!"
"You don't have to get up early tomorrow, just sleep a little longer!" Yang Chunyan lifted the quilt and lay down.
Zhou Huaian nodded, "Yeah, if you hadn't told me I wouldn't have remembered that I haven't slept in for a long time. Tomorrow I'm going to sleep until the sun sets before getting up!"
Yang Chunyan looked at him with amusement and said, "Okay, it's okay to sleep until noon!"
Zhou Huaian lay down on the bed and thought for a while, then he leaned over with one hand supporting his head and looked at Yang Chunyan who was lying on her side, "Do you want to know why I don't dare to go out alone at night?"
Yang Chunyan raised her eyes and said, "If you want to talk, I will listen!"
Zhou Huaian lay facing her, one hand on her waist, "When I was fifteen, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fangtian Brigade showed "The Legend of the White Snake". Yiding and I went to watch it and slept at his house."
"His family hadn't built a new house at that time, and they were still living in the old house at the foot of the mountain. Not long after I fell asleep, I dreamed that the Seven Fairies flew down from the South Mountain and flew all the way to my bed. Then, I found that I couldn't hold my urine, and then my pants got wet..."
Yang Chunyan suppressed her laughter and said, "It's just a wet dream. She's the daughter of the Seven Fairies. You should be happy! Why are you still afraid of the dark?"
"Listen to me!" Zhou Huaian said with some embarrassment and fear, "I thought I had to pee, and I was too embarrassed to call Yiding, so I got up and tried to get some water to wash."
"The moon on Mid-Autumn Festival was very big and bright. When I walked to the well and just picked up the bucket, I saw a woman with disheveled hair standing up from the corner, growing taller and taller..."
"I suddenly remembered the stories about mountain spirits and ghosts my grandma told me. It said that if you encounter such a thing, you have to take off your shoes and throw them over the head of the ghost. The shoes have to be higher than the ghost. I immediately took off my shoes and threw them over. The shoes flew over the woman's head and she disappeared in an instant..."
"I was so scared that I ran back to my room and told him what happened. Ding Ding Cat said it was impossible and that I was so sleepy that I must have seen it wrong. He also said that I was sleepwalking..."
"I dragged him out to look for my shoes outside the courtyard wall. The scariest thing was that there wasn't even a footprint in the corner. Since then, I have been afraid to go out alone at night."
After hearing this, Yang Chunyan remembered that in the past, when she was enjoying the cool air in the yard in June, she would always pester the old man to tell her stories about mountain spirits and ghosts. She seemed to have heard of someone who encountered a ghost that was getting taller and taller while walking on the road at night, and was so scared that he had to drag his sister with him even when he went to the toilet at night...
Zhou Huaian buried his head in her vest and said in a muffled voice: "Yan'er, I think it was my grandma who blessed me that day. She suffered all her life and never had a good meal. Now our lives are getting better. If only she were here again..."
Yang Chunyan felt her vest was wet with tears, and her heart ached. She didn't know how to comfort him, so she turned around, hugged him and patted his vest, "Grandpa often said that the thing she was most worried about was you. Now that you have established your own family, she should be relieved in heaven..."
…
New Year's Eve, also known as New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, and Suichu, refers to the last day of the lunar calendar each year. It is connected with the Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month).
It is the day of the year when people get rid of the old and welcome the new, pray for blessings and ward off disasters. It is also a festival to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, to start a new year and to make everything new.
As usual, the old man got up early in the morning to release the chickens and cleaned the front and back yards and even the front gate.
Yang Chunyan and Zhou Huaian kneaded the glutinous rice flour and made glutinous rice balls. They made some of each kind of filling, including sesame filling, brown sugar flower filling, and soon the chopping board was filled with round, white and plump glutinous rice balls.
After the water boils, put the glutinous rice balls into the pot, then gently stir them with a spatula. Wait for the glutinous rice balls to float from the bottom of the pot and they will be cooked after three rolls.
Zhou Huaian brought over a bowl and served one bowl to each person. Yang Chunyan called the old man over, and the three generations sat around and started eating together.
Zhou Jiaming and Zhou Jialiang ran in and said, "Dad, let's go to the river to fish."
Zhou Huaian glared at the two brothers and said, "You have to wait until I finish my meal before you go fishing!"
I told you that Daddy wouldn't go play cards today! Zhou Jiaming glanced at his brother and said, "Yeah! We'll wait for you!"
Zhou Huaian glanced at the two of them, ate the dumplings slowly, and helped heat up the pig food, feed the pigs, and clean the pigpen. Then he went to get the fishing net and bucket and took the two people who were waiting anxiously out.
When they reached Zhou Huaijun's house, they ran into Zhou Jiakang, who was out to play with the brothers. Zhou Xiaoqian followed them when she heard they were going fishing. Now even Zhou Xiaowen and Zhou Xiaoru came...
Zhou Huaian looked at his nephews and nieces who followed him and said, "It's New Year's Eve, and I'm already a baby."
Zhou Jiakang showed off his firecrackers to Zhou Jiaming and his brother, "My mom gave me two dimes from my wages, and I went to the agency store to buy them this morning."
Zhou Jiaming: "My mom gave us five cents, and we went to buy some before we even had dinner. I also bought a pack of firecrackers!"
The three boys took the firecrackers and started setting them off with a crackling sound.
When we walked into the grove, we saw several families had put up Spring Festival couplets.
Lin Wu and his wife were boiling chicken by the ditch. When they saw Zhou Huaian and his group, they asked happily, "Zhou Laoyao, where are you planning to go?"
Zhou Huaian: "Let's go fishing. We haven't prepared the carp for New Year's Eve yet!"
When Lin Wu heard this, he thought that river fish were much more delicious than pond fish, so he hurriedly said, "Catch a few more and sell one to me."
Zhou Huaian nodded readily, "Okay! I'll leave you one if there's any extra."
Zhou Jialiang also deliberately threw firecrackers at the feet of several girls, in return they surrounded and beat him up!
Zhou Xiaoru took out the money from her pocket and said, "We have money too. Let's go to the agency store and buy some to scare them."
“Lululu!” Zhou Jialiang made a face at them. “There are so many people in the agency store. It’s hard to squeeze in.”
Zhou Huaian smiled and said, "Xiao Qian, take your sister to Uncle Yi Ding's house to get some. He has firecrackers, firecrackers and everything else."
"Oh oh!" Zhou Xiaoqian pulled her sister and ran, "Let's go to Uncle Yiding's house to get some firecrackers!"
Zhou Jiaming and others hurriedly chased after them.
Several children ran to the field road leading to the old house and met Zhou's mother and others who were carrying chickens and ducks. Now even Luo Qiaoling followed them. The group of people called Zhou Yiding to get firecrackers, threw firecrackers, and walked towards the river in a mighty manner.
As we walked along, the village was full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year. Every household had pasted red New Year decorations on their doors. Some were squatting at the door killing chickens and ducks, and children were chasing each other with firecrackers.
When we got to the drying dam, we saw a crowd of people here and there, some playing flower cards with local leaf cards, some playing long cards, and some playing upgrades and running fast together...
Children holding windmills and balloons were chasing each other in the drying dam. From time to time, the sound of firecrackers could be heard. The drying dam was even more lively than when the grain was distributed during the autumn harvest.
From time to time, the crowd that gathered the most could hear voices of encouragement and shouting, "Hey, hey, hey, come on, give it a big one, I guarantee we'll take it all..."
Everyone takes advantage of the Chinese New Year to relax. Throughout the year, only during these few days can they spend money openly and without worrying about the tigress at home pulling their ears...
Li Guangming saw the two of them and said, "Zhou Laoyao, Yiding, why don't you give it a try?"
Zhou Huaian waved his hand, "Win a few more rounds, and we'll go fishing!"
Li Guangming said cheerfully: "There were too many people. I couldn't squeeze in, so I fished on the side and won 20 cents..."
This year, as long as the family is not lazy, they will have extra money in their pockets, and the women in the family will be more tolerant than in previous years, and they will not be scolded if they win or lose a few dollars.
Zhou Huaiqing shouted, "Youngest brother, come and try some! Someone from the lower Tian Brigade will come to sell fish soon, so it won't delay your lunch."
Zhou Huaian smiled and waved his hand, "No, the kids are waiting in front!"
Zhou Huaijin emerged from the crowd and said, "Zhou Laoyao, you bastard, it's New Year's Eve and your kid is afraid to go back and kneel on the bed footstool!"
He still remembered the last time Zhou Huaian refused to accept the truffles his family bought from Boss Xiong, and he wanted to find an opportunity to make a few sarcastic remarks at him.
Zhou Huaian glared, "Whether I'm a henpecked man or not is none of your business! What's wrong with kneeling on the bed step? I'm willing!"
Zhou Yiding then added, "Your kid thinks you are the security guard at Sanchakou, and you are in charge of many things!"
Zhou Huaiyin hurriedly said, "Youngest, don't pay attention to him. He's upset because he lost money!"
On New Year's Eve, Zhou Huaian didn't want to argue with anyone, so he waved his hand and left with the bucket.
…
Yang Chunyan and Zhou's mother fried crispy pork and potato cakes at home. They peeled and washed the potatoes, cut them into slices and steamed them in a steamer.
Cut the best pork belly into small strips about the thickness of your index finger, add some salt and a little pepper to the meat and mix well. Then beat a few eggs and mix well. Add sweet potato starch and pour it into the meat, mix well and marinate for a while.
Before serving, use chopsticks to pick up the meat and check if the surface of each piece of meat is evenly covered with batter. If not, mix it well before heating oil in the pan.
Heat the oil until the foam disperses, use long bamboo chopsticks to pick up the meat slices covered with batter and put them into the pan. First fry the skin over high heat to set it, then take it out and fry it over low heat until the surface is golden and crispy. Use a colander to filter out the excess oil and it is done.
Yang Chunyan picked up a piece of crispy meat and started eating. "It's delicious, just the right amount of saltiness, crispy and not greasy."
Zhou's mother smiled and said, "Mom used to help the chef who made the Nine Big Bowls. He said that the authentic fried crispy meat must be made with tenderloin, but people in the countryside are not used to it because they think it is not greasy. Pork belly is better. It tastes crispy and tender when fried and not greasy."
Zhou Yumei: "I remember that my favorite thing when I was a kid was to eat the nine big bowls. My grandma would take us to the banquet in turn, and she also told us not to sit at the same table with the little kids, but at the table with the old men and women, so that we could eat the good food."
Mother Zhou felt a little sad when she heard this. "Those years were really hard. Your husband and I only had the work points to support the five of you. The little brats ate up your parents and we were almost begging for food."
Yang Chunyan smiled and handed her a piece of crispy meat, "Mom, we have to look forward. Look, things are getting better and better now!" (End of this chapter)
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