On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Yan brought Zhao Shiyun and New Year gifts back to her parents' home to pay New Year's greetings.
Lin Yan felt a little sad that Ah-mo was alone during the Lunar New Year. Actually, he had asked his family for permission before the Lunar New Year and invited Ah-mo home to celebrate with him, but Ah-mo had refused. Perhaps because she was afraid of disturbing the Zhao family and causing gossip about Lin Yan, Lin Yan tried to persuade her for a long time but to no avail.
All he could do was give her more New Year gifts and come back early, hoping to spend more time with her.
Zhao Shiyun was now helping Zhou Chunlan fetch water from the river. Her home wasn't far from the river, so two or three fetches were usually enough. His son-in-law had arrived, eager to fill his mother's water jar.
Zhou Chunlan and Lin Yan were chatting in the main hall. Lin Yan told his mom about his new food idea. He frowned and said, "Mom, I think deep-frying is too oily and not suitable. Do you have any better ideas?"
Zhou Chunlan thought for a moment and suggested, "Why not fry it? It won't use so much oil." Lin Yan's eyes lit up. "Yeah, why didn't I think of that?" He asked excitedly, "Well, what about the chili sauce? Do you know how to make it?"
Zhou Chunlan nodded. "I can make it, but your father doesn't eat spicy food and can't smell the chili sauce, so I never made it. After your father passed away, I didn't think about it anymore."
Lin Yan looked at Amo who suddenly became depressed, held her hand tightly, and comforted her silently.
Zhou Chunlan shook her head to indicate that she was fine. She continued, "I just haven't made it for many years, so I don't know if my skills are still there." She made it at home before she got married. Her parents thought it was delicious, so they asked her to make more and sell it in town. Her business was pretty good, but it was ultimately not as good as the dozen or so taels of betrothal gift.
We grow spring peppers and autumn peppers here. Spring peppers are sown in January-February, transplanted in March-April, and mature in May-July; autumn peppers are sown in July-August, transplanted in August-September, and mature in October-December.
Spring peppers can be planted next month. Most of the autumn peppers harvested have been dried, but Zhou Chunlan still has a few left to pick. She will pick them later and make hot sauce for Yan Ge'er to try as a new food. This will also allow Yan Ge'er to accompany her to town to do business earlier.
Lin Yan had informed Zhou Chunlan of this before the New Year, and Zhou Chunlan was naturally happy. He repeatedly confirmed whether the Zhao family really agreed to his going to town to sell tofu, and Lin Yan nodded in agreement without getting tired of it. He was also happy.
Zhou Chunlan didn't prepare many dishes because she was spending the New Year alone. She only cooked chicken, meat and eggs on New Year's Eve. The rest were only water chestnuts and cabbage. She had been eating hot pot these days. She would heat up the leftovers in the hot pot, and it would be warm and comfortable to eat.
She bought more than ten pounds of charcoal before the New Year. The price went up during the Spring Festival, to 8 cents per pound. Zhou Chunlan was reluctant to buy too much. She only bought enough for hot pot and to occasionally warm herself by the fire when it was too cold.
Lin Yan came back today, bringing a chicken with him. Zhou Chunlan went to the backyard and caught another, and Zhao Shiyun helped kill both. It's a common custom here: when you return to your parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, you bring a chicken, kill and cook it there, and then they kill a chicken too. When you leave, you take half of the chicken back, and also return a portion of any candy or pastries.
After paying respects to their ancestors, the three of them sat down to eat. On the main hall table sat two plates of chopped chicken. The chickens had been raised for over a year, and were incredibly fatty. The chicken broth was coated in a layer of golden oil. Half the chicken was placed in the hot pot, and the slow-cooking water chestnuts were added first. Then, some chicken and cabbage were added. The chicken was already cooked, but it was cold, so it was better to heat it up. The cabbage soaked up the chicken fat, and every bite was filled with a delicious flavor.
Lin Yan loves to eat cabbage in winter. He picks up a piece of cabbage with chopsticks and dips it into the bowl, coating it with sauce. The taste is so delicious.
This dipping sauce was prepared by his grandma. It is just simple soy sauce, chopped green onions, some sesame seeds, chili powder, and a spoonful of chicken oil. It tastes great even when dipped in shoe soles.
Although Lin Yan's father doesn't like spicy food, he inherited his grandmother's taste for spicy food and has loved it since childhood. Zhou Chunlan made chili powder for him. Fresh red chilies are first dried for a few days to remove moisture. Then the stems are removed and dried again. Once they are dry, they are ready to be stir-fried. Stir frequently to prevent them from becoming burnt. It takes about half an hour to cook. Then, after cooling, they are crushed in a mortar and pestle. Sesame seeds can be added for flavor.
The chili powder wasn't overpowering, unlike hot sauce, which has a slightly pungent flavor due to the garlic. Lin Yan's father tolerated chili powder, but after Zhou Chunlan made hot sauce once, he sneezed several times and walked around the kitchen. Zhou Chunlan felt sorry for him and never made hot sauce at home again.
Make a small can of chili powder each time and make more after eating. If you make too much, it will get damp. Zhou Chunlan will dry more chili peppers at one time so that it won't take so long to make more when the chili powder is finished.
Lin Yan loves the chili powder that Ah Mo makes the most; he always adds it to his sauerkraut and noodles. However, this chili powder isn't a good addition to new dishes; hot sauce is more suitable.
This was Zhao Shiyun's first time eating this kind of dipping sauce. At home, it was just soy sauce, chopped green onions, and chicken broth, which was pretty simple. Mom didn't buy chili sauce often, so it was gone after we finished eating it, and she'd never seen her make chili powder before. This one, with chili powder and sesame seeds, was indeed much more delicious.
"Brother Shiyun, is it delicious?" Lin Yan asked with a smile. Zhao Shiyun nodded and ate without even looking up.
"Brother Yan, mom made two cans of chili powder. Remember to bring them when you go back." When Lin Yan got married, the chili powder at home had just been eaten up, and there was no dried chili left. In December, she harvested a lot of chili peppers and brought them back to dry. After they were made, they would be enough to eat for a while.
Lin Yan nodded. Without Amo's chili powder, the noodles he ate at his in-laws' house didn't taste good anymore. He was so greedy.
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