Two days of drizzle had made the early winter weather even colder. Everything was damp, and the morning mist was thick. At first glance, one could only see a few meters ahead. Lin Yan was afraid that he might trip and fall if he couldn't see clearly, so he walked even more carefully.
After slowly moving to the kitchen, Lin Yan filled a bowl of pumpkin porridge and drank it standing by the stove without any side dishes.
The land next door has been bought, but it is not convenient to build a house in winter. After discussing it, the family decided to build a wall first, so that at least they can dry bean curd sheets inside, and then find someone to build a house when the spring comes next year.
Because they didn't want the tofu skin business to be too conspicuous, they decided to build a wall with blue bricks, which would be both sturdy and block the view.
Zhao Qiming went to the next village to order blue bricks today. Once the bricks arrive, he will ask the men in the village for help and the bricks will be laid in two or three days.
You can ask the villagers for help. Generally, you don’t have to pay them, just provide them with a lunch.
Lin Yan didn't need to worry about it. Ah Mo would prepare the meal when the time came. He didn't feel comfortable doing it right now, so he decided not to take on the task.
The fog slowly dissipated, leaving only moisture in the air. In this kind of weather, laundry wouldn't dry, and even if it dried after a few days, it would still have an unpleasant odor. Lin Yan hung his spare clothes on the truss, waiting for better weather to wash them.
With nothing else to do, Lin Yan simply took out her needle and thread and made a few pairs of socks for the baby. Estimating the time of delivery, it should be around February of next year, which would be close to the Chinese New Year, so it's unclear whether it will be before or after the Lunar New Year. Lin Yan touched her belly and sighed.
Lately, I've been feeling breathless and needing to breathe deeply. The doctor took my pulse and said it's a common pregnancy trait: the baby is getting bigger and bigger, pressing on the organs in my stomach, and I occasionally have trouble breathing. Sometimes, Lin Yan really wishes the baby would be born sooner so she wouldn't have to go through this.
All in all, Youxi is already eight months old. Lin Yan plans to stay at home for the next two months and not go anywhere. If she needs to move around more, she can just walk around in the yard. Fortunately, the yard will be cleared out in a few days, and the bamboo poles will be moved next door.
Busy with his work, it was already noon. Lin Yan saw that his family hadn't returned yet, and he didn't know where his mother had gone. He looked outside the door, but there was indeed no one there. He poured himself a bowl of porridge and ate it. Feeling lazy and not wanting to cook anything else, Lin Yan finished his porridge and still felt a little hungry. He went back to his room to get the snacks Zhao Shiyun had brought him last night. After eating a few pieces, he felt full.
It's easy to feel sleepy after eating, so Lin Yan simply closed the gate and went back to the house to take a nap. His parents both had keys, so he didn't worry about being locked out.
An hour later, Lin Yan got up and saw that Li Yuemei had returned, so he asked.
"Your father and I went to order some green bricks. The quantity is a bit large, and he is still arguing with the seller. I thought you couldn't be home alone, so I came back first. By the way, I ground some glutinous rice flour and will make dumplings for you in the afternoon." Li Yuemei said as she poured the glutinous rice flour into the bowl.
Lin Yan hadn't eaten glutinous rice balls for a long time. Hearing this, he smiled and took Li Yuemei's hand, "Mo, let me help you make it."
"Can I make it with peanut filling?"
"Okay, I'm fine with anything."
Li Yuemei ate a simple bowl of porridge and began to prepare. Lin Yan washed his hands and stood beside her to help. Li Yuemei added warm water to the glutinous rice flour and began to knead the dough. Soon, the dough became smooth and pliable. Lin Yan peeled peanuts nearby.
Li Yuemei pinched off a small piece of dough, rolled it into a long, round strip, then cut it into small pieces. Finally, she rolled the small pieces into balls and set them aside. After peeling the peanuts, she added a little hot oil to a pan and began to stir-fry until they were fragrant and crispy. She spread the roasted peanuts on a chopping board, covered them with parchment paper, and crushed them with a wooden stick. She then added sugar and a pinch of sesame seeds and mixed them thoroughly. The peanut filling was ready.
Then it was time to start making the glutinous rice balls. Li Yuemei took a small piece of dough, pressed a hole in the middle with her fingers, scooped a spoonful of peanut filling into it with a small spoon, and finally carefully pinched the opening closed and rolled it into a glutinous rice ball. Lin Yan also helped, and the two of them worked in perfect harmony. In a short while, they had wrapped a large plate full of glutinous rice balls.
At that moment, Zhao Qiming returned. Seeing their dumplings, he smiled and exclaimed, "They smell so good! I can even smell the peanut filling." Li Yuemei smiled and said, "Just wait for the water to boil before putting them in the pot. Go light the fire." Zhao Qiming responded and began to light the fire. After the water boiled, Lin Yan threw in two pieces of malt sugar and placed the dumplings one by one in the pot. Soon, the dumplings floated to the surface. Li Yuemei added cold water twice, and when they floated again, they were ready to be served.
Lin Yan filled a bowl with glutinous rice balls and took a bite. They were soft, glutinous, and sweet, with the aroma of peanut filling spreading in his mouth. He said with satisfaction, "Mom, the glutinous rice balls you made are so delicious."
Li Yuemei also blew on the glutinous rice balls on the spoon and took a careful bite. "It's just the right amount of sweetness, really good. I'll cook it for Shiyun and Yu Ge'er when they come back."
Lin Yan ate six glutinous rice balls, which were too many for him to handle. The soup in the bowl was sweet, and Lin Yan finished it in a few gulps. He put down the bowl and said, "Oh, let's make some with sesame or red bean paste filling next time."
"Okay, just make it if you want. By the way, the winter solstice is coming soon, so we can make dumplings then."
Lin Yancai remembered that the winter solstice was just a few days away. He nodded and began to look forward to it. He hadn't eaten dumplings for a long time. It would definitely be delicious if he made some dumplings with cabbage and pork filling or zucchini and egg filling.
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