It's no wonder that children are the happiest during the Lunar New Year. They have plenty of food and clothes, and they can play outside all morning without getting scolded.
During the Chinese New Year, people tend to be more lenient with their children.
Little Jianxin didn't get to play with her friends in the end. Mingzhu took her back and fed her again. Before leaving, she was given a lot of snacks and then put back.
She had eaten a big breakfast and hadn't even digested it yet when Mingzhu fed her again. When she left Mingzhu's house, the little girl was so full that she looked like a little penguin, wobbling and unable to walk. She was so lazy that her eyelids were almost closed.
Upon entering the house, a table laden with a sumptuous feast greeted the little girl, whose eyes widened instantly. Even after she was full, she couldn't help but drool.
Wow, sister, there's so much delicious food!
It's all meat.
"belch!"
Seeing this, I assumed she hadn't digested the meat she ate that morning, so I simply stared at her little belly.
"Can you still eat?"
I helped take off the little coat and shook off the layer of snow on it. When I lifted it, I realized that the weight was wrong.
"Didn't you share the things in your pocket with your friends? Why did you put them back?"
Jian Xin ate two small persimmons first, then took an orange and let Jian Dan do as she pleased.
"No, I didn't see them."
The simple hand movement paused.
"Didn't you see it?"
That shouldn't be the case, she saw it herself!
Wearing many layers, and with the indoor temperature high, her little face felt hot and slightly dizzy from the wind. Her speech became even more slurred and soft, and her little body was unsteady, leaning towards Jian Dan.
"I didn't see it! Sister Mingzhu gave me some delicious food, and I brought it back for her. There's so much!"
While they were taking off their clothes, the child became incredibly sleepy. He tilted his head to the side and leaned against Jian Dan's chest, starting to snore softly.
Looking at the half-finished food on the table, Jian Dan was speechless. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to have lunch anytime soon.
Yes, I woke up much earlier than usual this morning. Children have limited energy, so my afternoon nap was two hours earlier than usual.
I put the child at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), covered him with a small blanket, and he was already fast asleep.
After finishing my work and putting the kids to sleep, I'm not in a rush to cook dinner. It's all semi-finished anyway, so I can just cook it later.
I fed the little ones outside first. There was nothing else to do for a while. I looked at the snow falling heavier and heavier and felt sleepy, so I simply got onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and took a nap with the little girl in my arms.
The garrison, Cheng Jin, and the others looked at the half-grown leeks with joy on their faces, and the head chef even grinned from ear to ear.
Although we haven't planted many, it's a good start.
"We'll have chive dumplings for dinner, and each person can have two to try."
"That's too little, not even enough to fill a tooth gap."
Cheng Jin had no choice.
"Okay, okay, we'll plant more this year, alright?"
Cheng Chao hummed softly from the side.
“I told you, but you didn’t believe me.”
Cheng Jin had a headache; he regretted it too, but he hadn't expected to grow up in such cold weather.
"Alright, plant more this year, let's make the kind of greenhouse you mentioned."
In a couple of days, after the New Year, Cheng Chao, go and ask about the specific steps and what we need so we can start preparing early.
We'll make plans as soon as spring arrives, taking turns clearing the land. We're not expecting anything else this year; we just need enough vegetables to eat this summer and autumn.
As soon as autumn arrives, the greenhouse is built early. If you're worried about not understanding how to do it, go to the village and find a few old farmers to give you some guidance.
I refuse to believe that with so many of us, we can't pull this off.
The light is dim in winter, and it gets even worse when it snows outside.
The room was warm, and the kang (heated brick bed) was cozy. The two sisters woke up from their nap just as it was getting dark.
Jian Dan was still half asleep. It took her a while to sit up before she realized what was happening. She pulled Jian Xin's blanket tighter, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went to the kitchen to add some firewood.
I ate a few chilled strawberries before I was fully awake.
Back in the room, Jian Xin was also awake, wrapped in a small quilt, kneeling blankly on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring out the dim window.
"Sister, is it dark yet?"
The little voice still had a hint of hoarseness from just waking up, and Jian Dan seemed a little embarrassed.
"It's dark now, and it's snowing."
Do you want to get up, or lie down a little longer?
The little girl tentatively stretched out her arm, simply reached out and caught it, picked it up, and then sat down. She casually picked up the blanket and wrapped it around herself.
The fire has just started, and the temperature hasn't risen yet; the room is still cool.
Having just woken up, the little girl leaned listlessly against Jian Dan's chest, shaking her head, the little crooked hairs on her head swaying with her movements.
"I'm not sleeping! I'm not sleeping! I can't go out and play!"
After giving the child a few sips of water and raising their temperature, I removed the blanket and put a cotton-padded jacket on them.
"If you're not going to sleep, get up and see what we want to eat. We can cook too, and I'll help my sister make dumplings later, okay?"
Xiao Jianxin has an unusual passion for making dumplings; she gets all excited when the topic comes up.
"Okay, give some back to Uncle, and also to Brother Cheng Chao,"
Simple didn't care who she wanted to give it to; she just wanted to find something for the child to do.
"Alright, alright, give it to whomever you want, here you go,"
She casually stuffed a strawberry into her mouth, making her little mouth bulge.
If I cook at this time, it will be time to eat around six or seven o'clock. Making dumplings in the middle of the night would be too infrequent, so I might as well make them all at once and cook some later to mark the occasion.
Anyway, it's quick to make the filling and dough, and it's only for two people, so a little bit is enough. We're not counting on this as a main meal to fill us up.
Xiao Jianxin went to inspect the semi-finished products on the table, asking questions about each one.
"Sister, what are you going to do with this?"
Is this a succulent?
I just kept kneading the dough while dealing with the situation.
“That’s a fish,”
“That’s a sweet potato,”
"That is..."
Anyway, the little princess went around and didn't miss a single dish. Moreover, after being given a simple explanation, she didn't want to part with any of the dishes.
Her brows were furrowed in worry.
Jian Dan ignored her, put the dough aside to rest, and chopped a cabbage into filling.
Having lived in the countryside for so long, I've learned quite a bit. People say that the dumplings for New Year's Eve dinner are either cabbage dumplings, which symbolize abundant wealth.
It's either celery, which means being diligent.
Many families may not be able to add any diced meat to their dumplings for the Lunar New Year, but even if they are made entirely of vegetarian ingredients, it makes them very happy.
Of course, these were said in private; otherwise, they would all be categorized as feudal superstition or feudal remnants.
Since I don't like the taste of celery, I'm going to make cabbage and pork instead.
The cabbages were all grown by ourselves in the fall, and there are still quite a few in the cellar, but since there are only two of us, we don't plan to pack too many; just enough to make it look festive.
So I took a small head of cabbage and started chopping it up.
We've been using a lot of meat these past few days, so there was some leftover meat at home. My son and I both like lean meat, so I specifically chose a lean piece.
To be honest, Jian Dan's cooking skills are largely due to her willingness to use a lot of oil and seasonings, and the use of cheating seasonings.
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