Zhao Hanyun's house was finished, though only partially. In just a month and a half, they'd only managed to create the outlines and install the doors and windows. They hadn't painted or powdercoated yet. The deadline was too tight, and the cold weather made it impossible to work. Zhao Jianguo was satisfied with the work being done to this point. If they continued now, the cold wouldn't have been so good, so they decided to wait until spring.
Zhao Jianguo did not delay the workers' wages. After the work was completed on the last day, he settled the wages with everyone on the table. Zhao Jianguo gave each person an extra Mao Zedong note for their hard work during these days. The workers were so happy that they told him to remember to call them when Zhao Jianguo built a farm in the spring. They guaranteed that quality and speed would be the absolute priority.
The construction of the farm would not be completed until the spring. After Zhao Jianguo finished his housework, he removed the temporary shed and moved the large furniture into the house. There were only a few things in the house before, and they took up half of a small room. Fortunately, the house had not been renovated yet, so Zhao Hanyun suggested that they all live in the store. Since there were only so many things in the house, they could lock the yard so that no one outside could see them.
In fact, Zhao Hanyun had even secretly painted a talisman on his door, saying "No strangers allowed," to prevent those ignorant thieves. However, this was actually a bit redundant. With Jiang Da and the others' orders, it was estimated that Lijia Village would become a forbidden area for gangsters in the future.
"It's already the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year is coming soon!" Yan Jinlan flipped through the family calendar. "Tomorrow is the eighth day of the first lunar month. How about we make some Laba porridge?"
This caught Zhao Hanyun's attention. How come she had never had Laba porridge before? "Mom, do we have the tradition of Laba porridge here?"
It’s not that Zhao Hanyun wanted to ask, it’s just that a habit that had been formed for decades in the previous life suddenly changed, which is too strange.
"Who says it's gone? Eating Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is a tradition passed down by our ancestors," Zhao Jianguo said seriously. "We were poor back then. We could barely eat enough to fill our stomachs, so how could we have the energy to cook Laba porridge?"
"We used to eat rice soup every day. People would see double when looking at us from above. You're much happier now." Yan Jinlan felt a little nostalgic. Although life was hard in the past, people were down-to-earth and worked hard just to have enough to eat. It's not like now, when people have enough to eat, they just want to make more money. When they make money, they want power. When they have power, they want more...
"Mom and Dad, think about what ingredients you need and I'll prepare them!" Zhao Hanyun didn't want Zhao Jianguo and the others to continue reminiscing about the past. They could save these for chatting when they were free. Now was the time to prepare the porridge.
"I haven't done it, so how would I know!" Yan Jinlan said unhappily when Zhao Hanyun interrupted her memories.
Zhao Jianguo received his daughter's gaze and said hesitantly, "How about we just cook eight things together?"
Zhao Hanyun speechlessly called out the small ball in the space, and decided to ask this little ancestor if he knew.
"Laba porridge! I know!" Little Ball nodded.
"Then tell me quickly what it is cooked with!" The three members of the Zhao family looked at the small ball in unison, with anticipation in their eyes.
"I don't remember." The little ball touched his head embarrassedly. He had been locked in the space for a long time. The only reason he remembered the existence of food like Laba porridge was because he had secretly eaten it in a kitchen that year. How could he remember what he had eaten now!
"Forget it, let's just cook porridge according to our own ideas." Zhao Hanyun looked at the time. It was almost nine o'clock. It was time to go to bed after preparing everything.
"Okay!" Everyone was confused, so they decided to just leave it at that.
Zhao Hanyun found rice, glutinous rice, millet, chestnuts, red beans, mung beans, peanuts, pine nuts, almonds, dates, grapes and other miscellaneous things in the space, totaling fifteen or sixteen kinds.
"Should we put them in the order they need to be cooked or just stew them all in one pot?" Looking at the ingredients Zhao Hanyun brought out, Zhao Jianguo looked at Yan Jinlan for help.
"How stupid! Soak these beans and other hard ingredients first, and get up early tomorrow morning to cook them." Although Yan Jinlan didn't know how to cook Laba porridge, she decided to soak everything first because of her understanding of the ingredients. This way, she would save a lot of time when getting up tomorrow morning.
"Mom, make more soup." Zhao Hanyun reminded his mother when he thought of Yuan Jingyi and the others as well as Jiang Da and the others in the courtyard.
"Got it. I'll make a big pot of it tomorrow to see if it's enough."
"Wife, isn't soaking overnight too long?" Zhao Jianguo said, looking at the beans soaking in water. "If they swell up, they won't taste good!"
"That's right!" Yan Jinlan also thought of this problem. After thinking for a while, she said, "Then let's soak it for two hours. It's nine o'clock now. If it's done by eleven o'clock, thank you for your hard work, husband."
Zhao Jianguo didn't expect that he got such an answer just by asking a question. He felt like he was shooting himself in the foot.
Zhao Hanyun watched the amusement between his parents from the side. Seeing Zhao Jianguo's proud and arrogant face, it was too funny. Then he couldn't help laughing: "Dad, you are so funny. Give it to me. I will give it to you tomorrow morning."
As Zhao Hanyun became more and more proficient in controlling space, adjusting time was no problem for him now. He could do it with just a thought, which was convenient.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Zhao Jianguo was afraid that Zhao Hanyun would regret it, so he quickly handed the basin on the table to Zhao Hanyun: "Girl, come on!"
"I want to drink two bowls!" Zhao Hanyun directly put forward his conditions, so that he would not be disliked if he drank too much.
"If you can drink it, you can have as many bowls as you want." Upon hearing Zhao Hanyun's request, Yan Jinlan said very boldly.
After packing up their things, the three of them went back to their rooms to rest. They had to get up early to cook porridge tomorrow, so they had to get a good sleep today.
"Little ball, if you meet Bai Xue, let it stay in this space longer." Zhao Hanyun wanted Bai Xue to ask Zou Li whether she should let Bai Xue pack up some Laba porridge to take back. After all, it was her first Laba Festival since she returned. Although not many people knew about it, it couldn't stop her from wanting to share her good mood with others.
"Got it!" The little ball now represents Zhao Hanyun to receive and deliver objects in the space. Now Bai Xue is often chased around by Xiao Huang and other bees under its command. The little ball is famous for its revenge.
"Also, don't order Xiao Huang to avenge you every day. A man should save his own face, don't you know?"
"Got it!" The little ball hung his head. He finally had someone to back him up, but...
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