Preparations before the New Year
There are only three days left until Chinese New Year.
Old Qin's tofu stall was waiting for the last sale on the 28th, and Hu Yufeng sent Qin Shengtian to help her son.
The three of them have their own main tasks: cleaning and preparing New Year's goods.
The twenty-sixth is the day for cleaning. In Xiaogou Village, people believe that dust from the previous year cannot be carried over to the next year, and every corner inside and outside the house must be cleaned thoroughly.
It was a rare good day, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.
Hu Yufeng asked the old lady to boil two large pots of hot water, and she and Yang Xiu were responsible for washing and scrubbing.
The Qin family usually changes and washes bedding frequently, but the most difficult thing to clean is Qin Shengtian’s bedding, which has an unpleasant smell of smoke.
Hu Yufeng angrily cursed: "You old chain smoker, you only know how to smoke, why don't you smoke to death, the same thing, you are like rolling in the mud..."
Yang Xiu was very strong, so she took over the work from Hu Yufeng, "Mom, I'm very strong, let me wash the bedding."
Hu Yufeng did not refute and exchanged basins with Yang Xiu.
One morning, the mother and daughter washed everything that needed to be washed and hung two full ropes to dry.
The temperature outside was very low in winter, and the clothes froze solid soon after being hung out. The water on the clothes formed thin icicles before it could fall to the ground.
Qin Yu and Qin Shu shuttled back and forth below, curiously reaching out to poke away a few of them.
"You two can play, but you must not break the ice cream into pieces and eat them. There's detergent in them and it'll give you a stomachache." Yang Xiu instructed the two.
"I know, Mom..." There were bursts of laughter from the yard.
Clean the house in the afternoon.
Yang Xiu was very agile. She first used a broom to carefully sweep away the cobwebs and dust from the roof and cracks in the wall.
Then sprinkle water evenly on the floor and sweep it, and finally wipe the tables and cabinets clean with a wet rag.
After cleaning a room, Yang Xiu would stand outside the door and look inside to see if there was anything dirty and then clean it.
Hu Yufeng was in charge of sweeping the yard, and while sweeping she scolded Qin Shengtian:
"Are you blind or something? You have no eyesight. There's been snow in the yard for days but you didn't know how to clear it out. You were waiting for me to clear it for you, but you just kept crying..."
Qin Shengtian quickly shoveled the snow in the corner, greased the bottom and slipped out.
Twenty-seven is steamed buns.
The Qin family steams five or six baskets of steamed buns every year and eats them until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This year is no exception.
Yang Xiu and Hu Yufeng each kneaded a bowl of fermented dough.
First add the alkaline flour, and when the sourness and alkali are appropriate, knead it into long strips, and then cut it into even-sized dough pieces for later use.
"Mom, how many steamed buns and dumplings should we steam?" Yang Xiu asked Hu Yufeng.
"Let's make two baskets of steamed buns and two more baskets of dumplings, and fry the remaining flour into pancakes..." Hu Yufeng thought for a while.
Yang Xiu had strong hands and in just a few strokes he turned the dough into steamed buns.
Hu Yufeng watched Yang Xiu's actions with admiration, and felt deeply that Yang Xiu was really a good daughter-in-law. She had been blinded by greed in the past.
Thinking of something, she suddenly said, "Xiu'er, let's fry some fried dough twists this year, and fry some fruits for the two children. I think they both like to eat this."
Yang Xiu looked at Hu Yufeng in surprise, as if he couldn't believe it.
She spent six years in Lao Qin's home. Hu Yufeng thinks that cooking with oil is too wasteful and has never made any oil-based products. Qin Yu and his friends can only eat fried fruits when they go to their grandmother's house in the first month of the lunar year.
Hu Yufeng was in a good mood: "Can you make fried dough twists?"
"Yes, yes, yes... I can!" Yang Xiu nodded repeatedly.
With motivation, Yang Xiu worked even faster, and the old lady could hardly keep up with her speed in making the fire.
No one can resist the charm of fried starch.
The two children ran in with their noses twitching, rubbed against Yang Xiu's legs and said, "It smells so good, Mom, what are you doing?"
"Grandma will fry some twisted dough sticks and fried fruits for you. They will be ready in a while..." Yang Xiu said with a smile.
"My grandma is so nice, thank you grandma..." Qin Yu smiled widely at Hu Yufeng.
"It's my grandma..." Qin Shu said dissatisfiedly, trying to win favor.
Hu Yufeng touched this and that, and said to Qin Yu, "Take Xiaoshu out to play first, and come over to eat when he's ready."
Qin Shengtian also came over following the smell. The old lady secretly stuffed a fried cake into his hand, but Qin Shengtian held it in front of his chest and quickly slipped away.
Yang Xiu's eyes twitched when he saw this. He meant, do you think it's very hidden? ? ?
As expected, Hu Yufeng spoke:
"You are a thief in your own home, sneaking around. I don't give you food or drink, so you have to steal..."
"Xiu'er, pick a few and take them out. Whoever wants to eat them can take them. This way, we won't raise a thief in the house..."
The old lady blushed and lowered her head to make a fire.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu picked up a few oil cakes and put them on the dining table.
The little farce was quickly revealed.
Yang Xiu started to make twisted dough sticks, while Hu Yufeng followed suit with great interest.
"Look at this, it's not as good as yours."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu quickly praised: "That's it, Mom, this is your first time, it's great that you did it this well, I didn't succeed the first time."
"Who did you learn this from?" Hu Yufeng asked curiously.
"My grandma, there were 13 people in our family and there wasn't enough food, so my grandma thought of different ways to cook. I have been following my grandma in cooking since I was five or six years old." Yang Xiu sighed as she recalled the past.
"Your grandmother is a great person. If you learn skills from a great person, you will become good." Hu Yufeng affirmed.
"Well, I'm very grateful to my grandma. She taught me a lot." Yang Xiu said with a smile.
It's a rare occasion that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chat about family matters in peace and harmony.
This was also the first time that Hu Yufeng listened carefully to Yang Xiu's family affairs.
With occasional comments, the atmosphere became quite lively.
In the evening, Hu Yufeng called Qin Wenli and his wife and said, "Let's discuss what to buy and let Wenli buy it tomorrow."
Qin Wenli heard this and said, "Then I'll write it down. Mom, wait a minute, I'll go get a pen."
When Qin Wenli entered the room, Hu Yufeng said:
"We have to buy couplets. We need six sets including the gate."
Qin Wenli Ji (Book of Rites).
"You have to buy melon seeds and peanuts. Three pounds of each will be enough. Buy one pound each of white sugar, brown sugar, and fruit candy..."
Hu Yufeng mentioned what she could remember and asked again:
"Xiu'er, is there anything missing from the kitchen seasoning?"
Yang Xiu heard this and said, "Jiang Fen, buy some more vinegar, we don't have much at home."
Hu Yufeng asked Qin Wenli if he had anything to add, and Qin Wenli thought about it and filled in a few items.
"Grandma, buy some firecrackers..." Qin Yu led Qin Shu in and ran, looking at Hu Yufeng with hope in his eyes.
"Come up quickly. Buy it. Buy it for my eldest granddaughter if she wants it." Hu Yufeng carried the two children onto the kang and said with a smile on her face.
Qin Wenli wrote it down with a smile.
"What else do you want grandma to buy for you?" Hu Yufeng teased Qin Shu in her arms.
"Flowers, put flowers... bang..."
Qin Shu opened his arms and imitated the explosion of fireworks, while making sound effects with his mouth.
Qin Wenli was about to stop her when he heard his mother say, "Okay, buy some and set off fireworks for our little tree during the New Year."
Qin Shu happily twisted himself in Hu Yufeng's arms, then stood up, hugged his grandmother and kissed Hu Yufeng on the cheek.
Hu Yufeng patted the little body in her arms, and the sound of ice and snow melting came to her heart.
A loving smile appeared on his face.
Qin Wenli and Yang Xiu looked at the scene and smiled at each other.
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