The donkey cart slowly drove into the village entrance and soon stopped at the door of the Zhao family. Zhao Shiyun jumped out of the cart and said, "Dad, come and help."
"Coming." Zhao Qiming moved upon hearing the voice. Li Yuemei lifted one side of the oilcloth from behind, and the other side faced the road so that she would not be seen.
"Wow! So much meat!" Zhao Qiming exclaimed when he saw the half pork. Then he and Zhao Shiyun each carried one side and moved it into the yard. Yu Ge'er quickly brought a large basin, and Zhao Shiyun and the others quickly put the pork into the basin.
Lin Yan was holding An An and standing under the eaves. He was surprised to see so much meat. "Mo, why did you buy so much?"
"I'm thinking of curing some spareribs, but I don't know if it's too late."
"There's still bacon in your backpack." Lin Yan reached out and took a tumble.
"Yes, I bought a few to eat during the New Year. Tomorrow I'll cure some ribs and a few more pieces of meat. It will be almost ready for the Lantern Festival. What do you say, Brother Yan?"
"Okay, I made some money this year, so I can spend it as I please."
An An opened his eyes wide and watched his father speak, his mouth opening and closing, so he curiously reached out his hand to pull it, and Lin Yan was suddenly pulled by his lower lip, and he hissed in pain.
"Oh, our An An, why are you pulling daddy's mouth?" Lin Yan quickly put his hand down and shook it gently to coax him.
Zhao Shiyun washed his hands and walked over, "An An, Daddy will hug you."
Lin Yan carefully handed the baby over to him to hold, while he started to look for New Year's goods. He bought quite a lot, so he should have bought everything.
"Brother Yan, An An has peed. Is there still a pee ring?" Zhao Shiyun reached out and touched something wet.
"Yes, I washed it and hung it in the house." The weather was bad so I didn't do much laundry, but I washed An An's diapers one by one. Usually they were hung in the yard, but today they were hung in the house and dried in a brazier so that they would dry faster.
Zhao Shiyun heard this and carried An An into the house to change her diaper. Lin Yan felt like he was almost rusty from taking care of the baby every day. Now that Zhao Shiyun was holding him, he simply went to prepare dinner.
"Ah, let me cook later. I haven't cooked for a long time."
"Okay, you do it." Li Yuemei put the New Year's goods in order one by one and put the cotton cloth back in their room first.
Lin Yan took a knife to cut a piece of meat and soaked some sweet potato flour, planning to make pork stewed with vermicelli.
Lin Yan washed the pork and cut it into small pieces. He also washed some cabbage to cook together later and chopped some onions, ginger and garlic.
Blanch the pork in a pot. Once the water boils, skim off any scum and remove the pork. Heat oil in a new pot and sauté onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add the pork and stir-fry. Add white wine to remove any unpleasant smells and soy sauce for color.
When it was almost done, Lin Yan added a spoonful of water to cover the pork, then put the soaked sweet potato flour and vegetables into the pot. If there was not enough water, he added another spoonful to cover the ingredients, covered the pot and simmered it.
At this time, Zhao Shiyun changed his diaper and came out holding An An. He smelled the fragrance coming from the kitchen and saw Lin Yan busy in the kitchen: "Brother Yan, what are you cooking? I'm almost dying of greed before it's even out of the pot."
Lin Yan smiled and said, "Pork stewed with vermicelli, then you can eat more later." After that, he threw in a handful of chili peppers and continued to simmer.
An An waved her hands in Zhao Shiyun's arms, babbling, as if she was also attracted by the aroma. Zhao Shiyun smelled the spicy smell coming from the pot and quickly hugged An An away.
After a while, the soup in the pot became thick, and the pork stewed with vermicelli was almost done. Lin Yan finally sprinkled in a handful of chopped green onions, stir-fried it a few times, and it was ready to be served.
Lin Yan made quite a bit and filled a large basin. He carried the basin to the main room and shouted, "It's time to eat!"
The family washed their hands and sat together. Zhao Shiyun took out the basket, placed it on a stool, and carefully placed An An in it. The basket was made of ropes, with small balls tied to the handles. An An was placed in it during meals. An An had a lot of fun playing with the balls, and the adults could eat their meals in peace.
Yu Ge'er scooped a spoonful of vermicelli and covered the rice with it, then ate it happily. He was also on vacation, and recently at home he was either helping to take care of An An or hiding in his room embroidering handkerchiefs, and he didn't go out to play.
The whole family was extremely satisfied with the meal, and everyone had a round belly. Lin Yan walked around the yard in circles to digest the food, and Li Yuemei walked around with An An in her arms, stopping and walking. An An was rocked to and fro, and soon fell asleep.
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