Before the Chinese New Year, the hand warmers in Madam Su's embroidery shop were finally made. Zheng Xiu tried them when she received them. They were filled with a layer of fine silk cotton, which was not only beautiful but also very warm.
The big one for Zheng Ren had a sky-blue cord underneath. The two small ones were equally finely crafted, with a lace tied at both ends so that the children could hang them around their necks. However, the shape of the fox skin was not exactly enough to make three, so one of the small ones was pieced together, but Madam Su's craftsmanship was amazing, and you couldn't tell unless you looked closely.
Zheng Xiu thought about it and gave the pieced-together one to Zheng Yu.
The children were naturally happy to see the new hand covers, but Xue Shao was reluctant to accept them at first. After all, he knew that they were gifts from his father to the Zheng family, so how could he take them back?
Zheng Xiu said, "Look, I made them according to your and A Yu's sizes. They are so small. If you don't want them, it would be a waste to keep them."
Xue Shao still insisted, "Then give them all to A Yu for future use."
Zheng Xiu had no choice but to explain, "This hand cover will not wear out in one or two years. After two years, A Yu will have grown up and the size will not be suitable."
Zheng Yu also helped his sister to cheer him up at the right time, "Sister made them especially for you, so just take them. If you don't want them, she will definitely be unhappy! Besides, isn't it good for us to use the same one?"
Xue Shao had to thank her and take it.
Not only Xue Shao, Zheng Ren also felt regretful when he got the hand warmer and said, "Why don't you use it to make a shawl? Why did you cut three hand warmers? What a waste of material. But since it can be made, you can use it."
Zheng Xiu smiled and said, "I mostly stay at home, and just curl up on the kang when it's cold. Dad, on the other hand, often has to read and write in the academy, so it would be convenient to use. Although the thing is good, it will be used in time. Dad, just think of it as a filial piety from your daughter." There
is no need to be polite with family members. After listening to this, Zheng Ren smiled and said, "Okay, then when Dad is free, I will find you an exquisite hand warmer."
Zheng Xiu smiled and agreed.
However, although Zheng Ren and Xue Shao only accepted it after Zheng Xiu's persuasion, they actually liked it very much. Xue Shao and Zheng Yu would wear the hand covers around their necks every day when they went out to play. Even Zheng Ren, who was indifferent, would carry the hand covers wherever he went when he went out to visit relatives and friends before the New Year.
The fiery red fox skin was really rare, let alone being used to make hand covers.
Therefore, people often asked where they got such a good thing.
At this time, Zheng Ren and his two children would smile and say with a little pride: "My sister/daughter made this specially for me!"
Zheng Xiu was busy cleaning the house before the New Year, but she didn't know that her father and two children were promoting her outside.
The New Year's Eve dinner was shared by old man Zheng and old lady Zheng. The south is not like the north, where people only eat dumplings during the New Year. Instead, they have to serve big dishes. Old lady Zheng is old, and Zheng Ren lost his wife. The most important meal of the year should have been prepared by Zhu. However, the year Zheng Xiu first traveled through time, after seeing Zhu's terrible cooking skills, she began to fight for the right to be the chef. Zhu was happy to be lazy, so she naturally let her do it, and just helped at the stove.
Zheng Xiu, the daughter of Zhu, would be thirteen after the Chinese New Year. However, she was raised by Zhu as a pampered child, thinking that she would marry into a wealthy family as a wife. Therefore, apart from embroidering and practicing calligraphy at home, she did not take care of anything else. She did not even go into the stove room, but sat at the table with the others waiting for dinner.
The New Year's Eve dinner for the Zheng family, which had nine people in it, was prepared by Zheng Xiu alone. She was not a person who would compromise, and she made sure to make the New Year's Eve dinner rich and appetizing. She started working after lunch, and finally finished the dishes when it was dark.
In addition to dried chicken and duck, the meal also included fish, shrimp, and an old hen stewed in soup.
Zheng Xian helped serve the dishes, and the family had dinner in the main hall. Old man Zheng and old lady Zheng sat at the top, with one person sitting on each side.
Zheng Xiu cleaned up the stove and became the last person to come to the table.
As soon as she sat down, she heard Zhu say, "Xian is really fast at serving the dishes. She is getting more and more capable. Let me see, is it not overcooked?"
Zheng Xiu, who had been busy for the whole afternoon, had not heard a single compliment, but heard Zhu complimenting Zheng Xian.
Zheng Ren picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and gave it to Zheng Xiu, saying, "Just now your grandfather praised your cooking skills and said that your dishes are getting better and better."
Old man Zheng was a man of few words. Normally, he would hardly say a few words to his wife. It was obvious that he was very satisfied to receive a compliment from him.
Zheng Xiu curled her lips and smiled, "As long as grandpa and grandma enjoy the meal."
Everyone else at the table had already picked up their chopsticks, but Grandma Zheng was still not eating. Zheng Xiu thought she felt the food was not to her liking, so she said, "Grandma, is it not to your liking? Is there anything you want to eat? The stove is still on and it's still in time to fry something."
How could Grandma Zheng be dissatisfied with the sumptuous meal? She just frowned and said, "The harvest is not good this year, and everything is expensive. How much money will a table
of dishes like this cost?" Except for the dried chicken and dried duck, the dishes on the table were prepared by them, and the other ingredients were all brought by Zheng Xiu from her own home. Zheng Ren and Zheng Xiu didn't feel distressed, but Old Lady Zheng was the first to feel distressed.
However, the quality of life of the two families has always been very different, and Zheng Xiu didn't know what to say for a moment.
Zheng Ren said, "Mom, it's rare to have a rich meal during the New Year, why are you saying all this?"
Old Man Zheng also said, "Eat, don't talk too much."
Old Lady Zheng had to swallow the rest of her words.
The people in the second room didn't care about them, just ate their own food.
Zheng Rong was the youngest boy in the family. Zhu took the lead in picking up a chicken leg for him. Zheng Rong finished the chicken leg in a few bites and clamored to eat another one.
Zhu put her chopsticks into the chicken soup again and said to Zheng Yu, "Auntie, your brother is still young, please let him go. I'll give you two chicken wings later, okay?"
Zheng Yu turned her head and looked at her sister. Zheng Xiu nodded to him. The people in the second house have always been like this. The two families only eat together every New Year. There is no need to quarrel over a chicken leg. But Zhu's behavior is too ugly. It's just a few chicken legs. Although Zheng Rong is the youngest, he is only a few months younger than Zheng Yu, less than half a year younger. Is it necessary to use age to make a fuss?
Zheng Yu nodded and said, "Second Aunt, give the chicken leg to Ah Rong."
Zhu's eyebrows were delighted, and she quickly found the chicken leg. The hen was stewed until it was soft, and she pulled off a large piece of it with skin and meat.
Then she heard Zheng Yu say, "Anyway, I often eat it at home."
Zhu was teased. This made her seem like her family was too poor to eat chicken, so they looked poor.
Zheng Xiu couldn't help laughing when she heard this. Her brother knew it himself, and Zheng Yu was deliberately teasing her.
She did not say that he was naughty as usual, but picked up a piece of fish for him with chopsticks, "Ayu, eat more fish, eating fish will make you smart."
Zheng Rong had just taken a bite of the second chicken leg, and upon hearing this, he turned to his mother and said, "Mom, I want to eat fish too."
There was only one fish, and Zhu Shihe was embarrassed to give all of it to her son, so she could only pick up the bones-free fish one by one and give it to him with chopsticks.
Zheng Yu was not a fussy child, and he did not take it seriously. Anyway, there were so many dishes on the table, all made by his sister, and every one of them was delicious.
The chicken and fish on the table were eaten first, and Zheng Xiu ate half a bowl of rice and scooped up chicken soup to drink. In fact, she also liked to soak rice in soup, but the rules on New Year's Eve did not allow it to be eaten like this, otherwise it would rain if she went out in the first month of the year.
Zheng Yu reached into the chicken soup with his chopsticks to look for something. Zhu saw it first and said, "Auntie, what are you looking for? Your chopsticks are messing around so much that no one else can eat." She completely forgot how anxious she was just now.
Zheng Yu pouted and said, "I'm looking for chicken liver. My sister likes it."
Zheng Xiu likes chicken liver, but compared to chicken, it's not a rare thing. It's all left over. Zheng Yu rummaged around in the soup pot for a while and finally found a piece of chicken liver. Just as he was about to pick it up, Zheng Rong started to make a fuss again, "Mom, I want some chicken liver too."
Zheng Yu refused to give in this time. He picked up the chicken liver and put it in her sister's bowl of chicken soup.
"Sister, eat quickly, don't let others take your food away again."
Zheng Xiu wanted to laugh helplessly, but Zheng Rong suddenly shouted, "What do you mean by take? My mother said that everything in the house will be mine from now on! You took it away from me!"
Zheng Yu was a child after all. He had given in twice before and got angry now. "What do you mean by yours? These dishes are all brought from my house. You are so poor, how can you afford to eat these?!"
"Ayu!" Zheng Xiu called him hurriedly and stopped him from continuing.
Zheng Yu felt aggrieved. His sister had been busy all afternoon. What's wrong with eating a piece of chicken liver? Zheng Rong was the only one who was bad! He wanted to monopolize everything!
The two children were arguing, and the adults were not in a position to intervene. Zheng Xian, who was sitting next to Zheng Rong, said softly, "Okay, Rong, stop making trouble. He is right. Our family is poor, and it is already unfair for them to eat with us. How can you still snatch food?"
These words were really heartbreaking. Not only was it a stab in the face, but it was also a slap in the face of the eldest wife. Zheng Xiu was so jealous that she wanted to laugh. "I am poor and I am right, you are rich and you are guilty." This set of sayings can be heard in any era.
Zheng Xian was twelve or thirteen years old, and she was not a child who did not understand the situation. She spoke without regard for the face of her elders. Even a clay figure has some earthiness, not to mention Zheng Xiu. She was about to stab back when old man Zheng slammed the table and said, "Eat your meal well! Second son's family, be quiet!" He gave them an unhappy look.
Old man Zheng rarely talked, let alone lost his temper, but old lady Zheng and her two sons knew that he had a bad temper when he was young. Old lady Zheng tried to smooth things over, saying, "Eat quickly, the food is getting cold, and after eating, the eldest and second sons have to go set off firecrackers."
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