Chapter 226: Guests Arrive (Page 1/2)
Lin Man was worried that the weather in October would be bad and that there would be autumn rain. Sure enough, it started raining from the next day and continued for four or five days.
The rain kept falling, making Lin Man anxious. If it continued until the 21st, would An An’s first birthday party still be held?
I originally planned to buy a bicycle but didn't go and it was still raining. When it got dark, the tofu workshop delivered four baskets of old tofu.
Lin Man thought, they do have some free time on rainy days, but how can they make moldy tofu on rainy days?
There was no other way, Lin Man could only ask someone to borrow a few more large winnowing baskets. She had some space, but it was not easy to take out all of them.
Huo Qingci was cooking dinner, while Lin Man was busy cutting the old tofu in the box into small cubes, putting them in a winnowing basket to dry out the moisture, and then covering it with thick straw and waiting for it to ferment and grow mold.
Seeing Lin Man cutting tofu, Huo Li walked over and said, "Xiao Man, how come we have so much fermented tofu?"
"Grandpa, Dad and Mom also like to eat it. Make some more and bring a jar back for them."
"So it was prepared for them, Xiao Man, you're tired from work, don't make so much next time, let them make whatever they want to eat."
If she really made less as her grandfather said, and if her parents-in-law came to her house for dinner and expressed their liking for fermented tofu, she would naturally feel embarrassed to refuse them.
Yet once it is given to them, they have little left of their own.
These jar dishes are usually eaten with porridge, and they drink porridge almost every morning.
Fermented tofu is only made once a year. A year is so long, and there are so many people in their family, so whether they give it away or not, these two jars of fermented tofu will definitely be eaten up.
Besides, she still has to work now and doesn't have much free time to spend on making these appetizers.
Lin Man smiled slightly, "Grandpa, since you're going to make it, why not make more? I plan to pickle two more jars of spicy cabbage when the cabbages are on the market."
Huo Li nodded in agreement: "Well, one jar of kimchi will be enough. We can also buy some kohlrabi to make some pickles."
"Okay!" Lin Man responded.
"After the rain these few days, it should be sunny in a few days. An An is a blessed person. We have to set up three tables of banquet for the first birthday party. Please invite Uncle Qingci and others to come and have fun together." Huo Li continued.
"I understand."
Unexpectedly, Grandpa's words came true. The rain stopped that night, and there was even a ray of warm sunshine at noon the next day.
By the 19th, the roads were completely dry. Lin Man and Huo Qingci didn't even have time for lunch, rushing to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy bicycles.
When Lin Man bought a bicycle, she added a baby seat to the crossbar of the bicycle, and also added a baby seat to the crossbar of Huo Qingci's bicycle.
They plan to send their two children to the primary school nursery in the first half of next year. Lin Man discovered that Liao Sijie seemed to have a boyfriend.
Although she didn't say who that person was, Lin Man still felt her changes. She would apply lotion every day and sometimes even secretly look in the mirror.
Two days ago, Huo Yining said to her before going to bed: "Mom, my cousin and uncle are holding hands. Will she be pregnant?"
"Who is your cousin holding hands with?"
"An uncle, he also bought me candy. My cousin made me hungry, so I won't tell you yet."
Lin Man asked Huo Qingci, "Is Si Jie dating someone?"
"I don't know either. My mom or my brother must have introduced her to someone. Since they didn't tell us, let's just pretend we don't know!"
Lin Man raised her eyebrows, with a hint of doubt and surprise in her eyes, and asked softly: "Could that person be Lin Jing?" Although her voice was not loud, it carried a power that could not be ignored.
Huo Qingci was stunned and said worriedly: "Manman, please stop joking, okay? If..."
"What if? Keep talking! You want to say that person is Lin Jing, right?"
(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 226 Guests Arrive (Page 2/2)
Lin Man looked at Huo Qingci with a half-smile and continued, "If that person wasn't Lin Jing, then why didn't Si Jie just say it?
Forget it, let it be! It’s their own business anyway.”
Huo Qingci also thought of this possibility. He didn't expect that his younger brother and cousin were ignorant. Wouldn't this make things difficult for his wife?
"Manman, don't be angry. When An'an's birthday comes, I'll go find Qingyan and find out what's going on.
I never thought that we would miss so much important news just because we were not at home during the day."
Lin Man said indifferently, "Let them be. If Si Jie really marries Lin Jing in the end, you can come and give her a gift.
If you marry someone else, I'll give you a fifty-dollar gift. What do you think?"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Lin Man thought to herself that if Liao Sijie really married Lin Jing, it would not be a big deal.
After all, they were all adults, with their own choices and decisions to make. And based on her understanding of Liao Sijie, she probably wouldn't visit her very often in the future.
Even if he occasionally brought Lin Jing to visit, he only needed to treat them like ordinary neighbors, neither too enthusiastic nor too cold.
On the 19th, they bought bicycles and in the afternoon they took back two hundred eggs in a foam box. At noon on the 20th, Huo Qingci did not take a nap, but went into the space to kill a sheep and a pig.
In the evening I brought back four pig's trotters, two pork ribs, eight pounds of pork belly, six pounds of spare ribs, twenty pounds of mutton, and various vegetables.
Lin Man prepared hairtail, shrimp and apples, which were also sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives.
On the 21st, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was gentle. In the afternoon, Lin Man had no classes scheduled, so she asked for leave from school and stayed home to prepare the dishes for the banquet.
Because grandpa had been talking about wanting to eat taro pork belly a few days ago, she cut the pork belly into squares, fried it in hot oil until crispy, and then quickly soaked it in cold water for later use.
In the afternoon, Lin Man started to stew the kelp and bone soup early, letting the rich aroma fill the whole house.
Then, she carefully cooked delicious lamb, and all she had to do was make a few simple stir-fries before dinner.
Time slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye it was almost five in the evening. At this time, the guests began to arrive one after another. To Lin Man's surprise, those who were supposed to be there showed up as scheduled, and even some people who were not originally invited came to the banquet.
Looking at Liao Sijie's excited and cheering face, Lin Man suddenly understood in her heart - it turned out that Liao Sijie and Lin Jing were really together.
Despite this, Lin Jing's arrival was understandable, but the fact that Lin Hun and his wife also showed up was something that Lin Man was really surprised about.
With so many relatives and friends present, it was naturally difficult for her to drive the guests away in person.
Besides, today was her son's first birthday party, and Lin Man didn't want to put on a gloomy face, so she decided to let things take their course and let them go.
She stood quietly by the stove, holding a spatula, and reheated the mutton that had been stewed at noon.
At this moment, Yang Huiling led Su Yingzi into the kitchen and asked with a smile, "Xiao Man, you are in charge of cooking today! Why didn't Qing Ci see him?"
Lin Man smiled and replied, "He said he would try to go home early today. He hasn't come back yet. Maybe he encountered a patient who needed surgery!"
Su Yingzi looked at the dried chili peppers on the stove and said, "Sister-in-law, can you put less chili peppers in the dish?"
Lin Man's eyes turned, and she smiled and said, "I see. I've already added chili peppers to some dishes, but I won't add chili peppers to dishes that don't have chili peppers. The next dish I'm going to make is hairtail fish. Yingzi, how do you think we should prepare this hairtail fish?"
Su Yingzi's eyes suddenly lit up, "You can either pan-fry the hairtail or make it into hairtail soup."
"Make it into hairtail soup? Oh~..." Lin Man stretched out her words...
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