After waiting for more than ten minutes, the tractor arrived at the entrance of the village.
As soon as the car stopped, everyone rushed to climb in to grab a seat.
There were no seats on the tractor, so everyone brought their own bags to sit on.
Yan Ning squeezed in and sat down next to Old Lady Yan.
After everyone got on board, the tractor started to head towards the commune.
The cold wind blew into the car, and the people in the truck were frozen stiff.
Yan Ning wrapped herself tightly in a scarf, hat and gloves, but she didn't feel cold at all.
Several young wives in the car who were shivering from the cold looked at Yan Ning with envy.
Huang Zhaodi in the corner kept glancing at Yan Ning.
She had thought about Yan Ning before, but unfortunately Yan Ning rarely went out, and this was only the second time she saw Yan Ning.
His mind, which had originally grown dull, immediately became active again when he saw Yan Ning's attire.
Wang Guihua, who was standing next to her, poked Huang Zhaodi's arm and whispered:
"Do you think the captain's mother is crazy? She raised a little girl so well.
It would be better to save this money for my sons and grandsons!"
Huang Zhaodi rolled her eyes and said, "Who says it's not true? If someone marries her, they will definitely worship her as an ancestor."
Yan Ning looked at the two of them, wondering how he could make them remember their mistakes.
The two of them were whispering to each other in the corner.
Although the sound was very small, it still reached Mrs. Yan's ears with the cold wind.
Old Lady Yan started to scold: "Huang Zhaodi, Wang Guihua, you two bitches, try to say one more word.
Do you want to go pick up manure and clean the cowshed in the spring? I will grant you your wish."
Everyone in the car looked towards the two people in the corner.
Huang Zhaodi and Wang Guihua didn't dare to confront Old Lady Yan face to face, so they had to keep their mouths shut.
The little incident in the car passed quickly and the tractor arrived at the street in the county town where New Year's goods were sold.
The streets were filled with various stalls, and everyone felt the New Year atmosphere.
Yan Ning and his group got out of the car and walked along the street.
When she saw what she wanted to buy, Mrs. Yan stopped and started bargaining.
After bargaining, Yan Ning rushed to pay.
Later, I walked around and bought all kinds of dry goods and ingredients that I didn’t have at home.
Yan Ning specially bought some spices for braised meat and went to several stalls to buy them all.
I also bought a fish, which means abundance every year.
There are also couplets and firecrackers. Setting off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year makes it festive.
You don’t need to buy dried fruits, snacks, candies, etc., as we have them all at home.
You don't need to buy pork. The brigade will slaughter the New Year pig tomorrow and each household will receive a share based on the number of people.
It was mainly Mrs. Yan who decided what to buy, and Yan Yuqi and Yan Yulin were there to help carry things.
I walked around two streets and went to the supply and marketing cooperative before I bought everything.
Several people were carrying bags full of things.
Yan Ning looked at the time. It was already eleven o'clock, and there was still half an hour before the tractor was scheduled to depart.
She had originally planned to invite everyone to a state-owned restaurant for lunch, but now there was no time, so she decided not to go.
Several people rushed to the place where they got off before.
There were already five or six people on the tractor, and Yan Ning and his companions got on and occupied a good position.
At half past eleven, the tractor set off on time.
Huang Zhaodi and Wang Guihua, who were a step slower, chased after them and shouted.
"Wait a minute, stop the car, we haven't gotten in yet."
The tractor driver turned a deaf ear to them, and the tractor disappeared from their sight with a "thump thump thump" sound.
Old Lady Yan yelled, "Serves you right."
…
The next day was the day when the brigade slaughtered the New Year pig.
All the villagers depend on this pork to have a good year.
The brigade raised fifteen pigs, and ten of them had to be handed over by the end of the year.
The remaining five pigs were slaughtered two days before the New Year and distributed to all the members of the team according to the number of people.
Except for Yan Ning, all the other members of the Yan family went to the threshing ground early in the morning to watch over the slaughtering of pigs and the distribution of meat.
Because of the benefits of being the team leader, Yan Guoshu was given two extra pig trotters and five pounds of pork.
The other members of the Yan family each received three pounds of pork.
After buying New Year’s goods and distributing the New Year’s pig, it was New Year’s Eve.
It was Friday and all state-owned enterprises were still working.
There was no such thing as annual leave in that era. It seemed that the Spring Festival holiday only started after 1979.
So Yan Guodong was still working in the county party committee compound, and only rushed back to have the New Year's Eve dinner after get off work at six o'clock in the evening.
After breakfast early in the morning, Mrs. Yan and Song Xiuyuan began to prepare fried food.
Fried various meatballs, vegetarian meatballs and fried hemp leaves.
Yan Guoshu and Yan Yuqi slaughtered chickens and fish.
Yan Ning processed two pig's trotters and four pounds of pork to make braised dishes.
Yan Yulin was also busy, helping to pick and wash the side dishes.
After Mr. Yan put up the couplets, he came to help wash vegetables and light the fire.
Yan Ning soaked some sea cucumbers and shark fins last night.
She plans to make a braised sea cucumber and a stewed shark fin today.
I had a bowl of noodles for lunch and continued working.
At around 6:20 in the evening, the New Year’s Eve dinner was ready.
A pot of old hen soup, a dish of braised shark's fin, a dish of braised sea cucumber, a dish of braised pork and pig's trotter, a bowl of braised pork, a dish of stir-fried meat, a steamed fish, a dish of three fresh vegetables, a dish of stir-fried spinach, and a dish of boiled Chinese cabbage.
Ten dishes, ten perfect dishes.
After waiting for a few more minutes, Yan Guodong came back on his bicycle.
Seeing Yan Guodong coming back, Old Man Yan smiled and told Yan Yuqi to set off firecrackers.
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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