Chapter 115: Chinese New Year (Page 1/2)
Xiao Rong packed the dried pineapples, banana chips and dried wild vegetables in a bag and prepared to give them to Lin Man and Huo Qinghuan as snacks.
Huo Qingci wanted to say no, as Manman already had all these spaces, but he was afraid of hurting his aunt's self-esteem, so he finally let her do as she pleased.
It was already eleven o'clock when Xiao Rong picked up her aunt's family. When she got home, she gave all the dried pineapple, banana chips, and three pounds of dried purslane she brought to Lin Man.
Lin Man accepted it with a smile, "Auntie, you are here now, you don't need to bring anything."
"I don't have anything good to give you. This purslane I dug from the banana field, blanched it, and then dried it. It's great for stewing salted fish or meat."
"Thank you, auntie. You and your family can stay here tonight! The bunk beds can accommodate four people. Qingci used a straw mat to make a bed on the ground for my two cousins to sleep on."
Xiao Rong asked, "Where do my sister and Qing Huan live?"
"Qinghuan sleeps in the back with grandpa, grandma sleeps on the bed with me, and Qingci sleeps on the floor in our room."
When we invited my aunt and her family to come over for the New Year, they had already figured out how to sleep eleven people in three rooms.
Xiao Rong sat for a few minutes, then took Liao Sijie to the kitchen to help. Huo Qingci also went to the kitchen. Huo Li accompanied Liao Hongyuan for tea and chat, while Lin Man treated the children to candy and biscuits.
Liao Siyu is one year younger than Huo Qinghuan and is a bit introverted. She doesn't dare to reach out to take the snacks from the fruit bowl unless she is given the chance.
Lin Man grabbed a handful of fruit candies and stuffed them into her hands. "Siyu, take whatever you like. Just treat it like you're at home."
Liao Siyu smiled shyly, her voice as soft as a mosquito, "Thank you, cousin."
"Weiming, Weihao, don't be polite. The fruit plate is for everyone to eat."
Liao Weiming smiled and nodded, "Thank you, cousin, we are eating."
Huo Qinghuan also grabbed a handful of bubble gum from the fruit bowl and stuffed it into Liao Weiming and Liao Weihao's hands. "Cousin, I'll take you to the backyard to see the pineapple and coconut trees I planted."
When Liao Siyu saw her brother go to the backyard, she felt embarrassed standing alone among the adults, so she quietly followed them.
Liao Weiming looked at the row of pineapple seedlings and said, "If you want to eat pineapples, you can come to our farm. During the pineapple season, the ripe pineapples in the fields are either left to ferment in the fields or taken to the pig farm to feed the pigs."
Huo Qinghuan smiled sheepishly, "Eating too much pineapple will make your mouth rot. I don't really like eating it, I just like growing it."
"There are a lot of newly sprouted banana saplings on the farm. If you want to plant some, I can get you a few."
"Okay, thank you first, cousin. I'll come see you next time I go to the farm. Look at the sugarcane my sister-in-law and I planted. Isn't it growing exceptionally well?"
"Your yard is so big, you actually planted so many fruit trees. Our place is also spacious. My mom didn't have time to plant anything, so she planted peppers instead."
"What kind of vegetables do you want to plant? Our family has reserved seeds for this year. We have beans, eggplants, bitter melons, cucumbers, and tomatoes."
Liao Siyu asked Huo Qinghuan in a low voice, "Cousin, do you have watermelon seeds at home? I want my mother to plant watermelons next year."
Lin Man came over and rubbed Liao Siyu's little head. "We have watermelon and cantaloupe seeds. The land around your house is very large and can be used to grow fruits and vegetables."
Liao Weiming nodded and said, "When I get back, I'll use a hoe to dig up the grass around the house and plant some early-ripening watermelons at the end of March. I'll give them to my cousin and his wife when the time comes."
Lin Man joked, "Then thank you first."
If they planted watermelons in their backyard, there would probably be no place to grow vegetables. She usually planted watermelons in Huo Qingci's space.
(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 115: New Year (Page 2/2)
Xiao Ya worked hard all morning and finally had the reunion dinner at 12:30. Looking at the large table of meat, vegetables and seafood, several children swallowed their saliva at the same time.
The day before yesterday, when Huo Qingci brought back a large bag of meat in a woven bag, Xiao Ya was completely shocked and thought he had robbed something from somewhere.
Because the woven bag contained a big pig's head, two pig's feet, a pig's liver, a pig's large intestine, a pig's stomach, four ribs, six pounds of pig tar, twenty pounds of pork, and fifteen pounds of ribs.
Xiao Ya's eyes widened, her face full of surprise. She asked Huo Qingci where he bought so much meat. Huo Qingci directly said that he bought it from a dealer at a high price.
Since everything was already bought, Xiao Ya naturally couldn't say anything to blame him, so she just treated it as a prosperous year.
The pig heart, pig tongue, pig tail, two other pig feet, and the remaining fresh lean meat were all placed in the refrigerator. The other meat and ribs were all smoked into bacon, and the pig blood was all made into pig blood meatballs.
The table was full of meat and seafood, and not only the children were greedy, but the adults were also greedy.
Liao Hongyuan couldn't remember how long it had been since he had eaten meat. Looking at the greasy braised pork, he couldn't help but pick up a piece.
Xiao Ya also picked up a piece for Xiao Rong. "I haven't seen you for more than eight months. You look dark and thin now. Come and eat more meat."
Liao Hongyuan said, "People here just blanch their food in water and it's ready. Very little oil or salt is used. We came to the farm for reform. Unlike those people in the military, who were given coupons, we were lucky enough to get rations."
Huo Li counseled, "Everything will get better slowly. Qingci will pay Xiaojie her salary and issue some receipts. Xiao Liao, don't worry. Just focus on recovering from your injuries."
Liao Hongyuan raised his glass and toasted Huo Li. "Grandpa, thank you for taking care of our family. I am very grateful."
"We're all family, so why bother talking? As long as your family is doing well, Xiaoya won't be that worried."
Liao Hongyuan wanted to toast Xiao Ya and Huo Qingci, but was stopped by Xiao Rong. "Your leg isn't healed yet, so drink less. I'll toast everyone."
Lin Man didn't expect that her aunt would drink. Not only her, but her mother-in-law also drank.
It seems that she is the only woman in the family who can't drink. She will get drunk after drinking two glasses of red wine. She looked at her aunt and mother-in-law clinking glasses with envy.
Huo Qingci picked up a piece of soft braised pig's trotter for Lin Man and said, "Eat it quickly. This is your favorite braised pig's trotter. Mom knows you like spicy food, so she added some dried chilies."
Lin Man also picked up two pieces of pork ribs for Huo Qingci and said, "You eat too."
Xiao Rong put down her wine glass and teased with a smile, "This young couple looks so loving. Si Jie, when you look for a man in the future, look for one like your cousin."
Liao Sijie was so angry that she said, "Mom, why are you talking about me again? Anyway, I don't plan to get married before I'm 22."
She hoped that her family could return to the city the day after tomorrow, but seeing her eldest cousin building a house here, she knew that it would definitely not happen in the next two years.
She could only accept her fate if she couldn't go back. If they still couldn't go back after five or six years, she would find a partner to marry on the island.
"My child, this is all for your own good."
"Well, I understand. I'll help my cousin's wife take care of the children in the next few years. When their children grow up, I'll find someone to marry, okay?"
Seeing her niece arguing with her sister again, Xiao Ya hurriedly advised, "Xiao Jie, your mother also hopes that you can marry well and not have to suffer with them on the farm. Okay, everyone, eat more. Let's have hot pot tonight."
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