Chapter 70 Lantern Festival.
The Lantern Festival is here. This is a reunion festival. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the year is truly over.
In He Susu's hometown, the Yuanxiao is eaten by cooking a rich meal. Those in the army who are better off make their own glutinous rice balls. When Mrs. Wu and her family came to our house before, they talked about this and briefly explained how to make the glutinous rice balls.
It is said that the ingredients in the more hearty glutinous rice balls alone must include black sesame seeds, walnuts and peanuts, and the dough for the glutinous rice balls is made of glutinous rice. At a glance, it is actually very similar to making dumplings, except that the ingredients are prepared and the dough is prepared, and then the fillings are wrapped in the dough and rolled into balls to make glutinous rice balls.
He Susu had never eaten glutinous rice balls before, so naturally she wanted to try the flavor. She had originally planned to exchange various ingredients from the shopping system and make them herself, but who knew that when she opened the shopping system, she would see that the first item on the list was glutinous rice balls.
She clicked on the detailed description of the glutinous rice balls and saw that they were filled with the best black sesame, walnut and peanut fillings.
Since there were ready-made dumplings to exchange for and eat directly, He Susu naturally wouldn't think too much and started making them.
Moreover, there is a special offer for exchanging dumplings at this time. For every kilogram of dumplings, 2 points of diligence are exchanged for one kilogram, and one kilogram of dumplings is given for free. In other words, only 1 point of diligence is required to exchange one kilogram of dumplings.
He Susu couldn't help it, and directly used 4 points of diligence to exchange for two kilograms, and obtained a total of four kilograms of black sesame, walnut and peanut stuffed dumplings.
In fact, the reason for eating glutinous rice balls is to enjoy their meaning. On the night of Lantern Festival, we cooked a few to try. He Susu exchanged so many of them thinking of giving some to her sisters-in-law.
Previously, during the Laba Festival, she felt that the eight ingredients in the Laba porridge gift package were too high-profile, so she did not give it away. Since moving to the family compound, Mrs. Wu and her family would come to chat and joke with her from time to time, and sometimes they would give her some of the vegetables they grew or the wild fruits they picked from the mountains. He Susu also thought about giving them something.
And Sister Shao was the person who introduced her to Cheng Shi. She had always taken care of her when Cheng Shi was on a mission before. Last time, Sister Shao's parents sent her a jar of jam made from loquats from their home, and she even gave her one to eat. He Susu remembered all these good things.
He Susu took out four pounds of dumplings from the storage compartment and took a look at them. They looked as if they were freshly wrapped, and the filling wouldn't be exposed even if she gave them to others as gifts.
First of all, she would give one pound of dumplings to her sister-in-law Su Yu, then one pound of dumplings to her sister-in-law Shao. He Susu counted the remaining three pounds of dumplings and divided them into three equal portions, putting them on plates separately.
To prevent the dumplings from sticking together, she sprinkled some flour on the plates to prevent them from sticking, and then stacked them one by one and put them in the backpack.
The sun was not too strong in the morning, so He Susu went out with a basket on her back. She walked along the residential area and first went to give Mrs. Wu some glutinous rice balls.
Mrs. Wu opened the door when she heard the noise, and seeing He Susu, she smiled and said, "Susu, come in and sit down."
He Susu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I won't go in. Last time you talked about how to make glutinous rice balls, I bought some ingredients and came back to make some glutinous rice balls. I wanted to bring some over for you to try."
As she spoke, she took out a plate of dumplings from her backpack.
Mrs. Wu saw that the dumplings were round and white, and smiled, "You made these dumplings really well, but you should take them back and share them with Captain Cheng. My family is also making dumplings, so we can have some. I know your intentions, Susu, thank you."
He Susu insisted: "I have already brought it here, so why should I take it back? Just accept it, sister-in-law. It's a good opportunity to try my cooking. Since I got married, you have been so kind to me and gave me things from time to time. I have never given you anything, and today is finally the chance."
After hearing this, Mrs. Wu said, "Okay, Susu, since you are so thoughtful, I will take some to try. I don't need that much, so you can take the rest home."
He Susu: "They are all packed in a whole plate, sister-in-law, just take them in and put them away. I really have more at home, and I am planning to take some to sister-in-law Fang and sister-in-law Ye."
Sister Wu looked at her backpack and knew that she was not being polite, so she accepted it with a smile: "Okay, then sister-in-law, I won't be polite. Thank you, Susu."
She took the plate and carried it into the kitchen, took out another plate to put the dumplings and flour in, and then took out the empty plate: "I'll give this plate back to you, thank you."
"You're welcome, sister-in-law. You can continue making dumplings. I'll go find sister-in-law Fang." He Susu said with a smile.
Mrs. Wu nodded: "Okay, then you walk slowly."
After seeing He Susu off, Mrs. Wu smiled and lamented that Susu was so generous and warm-hearted that she even sent so many dumplings over. Then she went into the kitchen.
I saw three children in the kitchen, shouting: "Mom, these dumplings smell so good, there must be something good inside."
The youngest son nodded: "Yes, I can tell it's better than the ones we make at home as soon as I smell it."
Mrs. Wu was making the glutinous rice balls with only some black sesame seeds as the filling. Fearing that it would have no taste, she reluctantly added some white sugar to mix it in for a little sweetness.
She glanced at the three children and said, "You can't do anything all day long. You just think about food. Go make dumplings for me, or we won't have anything to eat tonight."
After sending the three children away to do their work, Mrs. Wu walked over and took a meat bun that He Susu had brought and put it to her nose to smell it. Naturally, she couldn't smell it clearly because of the not-so-thin layer of glutinous rice dumpling dough, but with her outstanding sense of smell, she could still vaguely make out the fragrance inside.
There are black sesame seeds, walnuts, and peanuts!
Oh, there are all the best fillings here, and they actually have all three things that can be made. Susu also gave so many dumplings from her home. Mrs. Wu felt sorry for Susu for spending the money on the ingredients, but was also grateful for her generosity and kindness.
I have already collected them all, so I will just take some good things from home and give them to Susu next time.
On the other side, He Susu went to Fang Saozi's and Ye Saozi's homes. After much refusal, they finally accepted the glutinous rice balls she sent them and thanked her happily.
Mrs. Fang was also making glutinous rice balls. She made a whole plate of them with black sesame and peanut fillings, enough for everyone to eat, and then stopped.
Mrs. Ye was still angry that her husband sent extra money back home during the Chinese New Year, which made her family's New Year so tight. She was angry and decided not to make dumplings, and planned to just have a rough time tonight.
When He Susu heard about this, she smiled and advised her a few words, saying that it seemed that her dumplings were sent at the right time.
Sister Ye smiled and said, "Susu, you really sent the dumplings at the right time. It is thanks to you that I can eat dumplings."
Her four-year-old daughter, who was at home, also joined in the fun and thanked him in a baby voice, "Thank you, Aunt He. I have some glutinous rice balls to eat, too."
He Susu smiled and touched her pigtails: "You're welcome. As long as Niuniu likes to eat glutinous rice balls, that's good."
After saying goodbye to Sister Ye for a few words, He Susu went to Sister Shao's house again.
Mrs. Shao was not making glutinous rice balls. She had just returned from the Women's Federation. Seeing He Susu, she said happily, "Susu, come over. Come in and sit down. It's Lantern Festival today. Why don't you ask Cheng Shi to come over to your house to eat with you tonight?"
She was not just being polite. Her husband had a good relationship with Cheng Shi. In previous years, she would sometimes invite Cheng Shi to come over for dinner during the Lantern Festival.
After saying this, Mrs. Shao was already thinking about what kind of meat dishes she had at home that could be used as main dishes.
He Susu followed him in and found a chair to sit down: "Sister-in-law, you are too polite. We have prepared meat and vegetables at home, and the soup is already boiling. I will not come to bother you and the political commissar in the evening."
Mrs. Shao nodded and said, "That's fine. You two can eat by yourselves. I didn't prepare anything and didn't tell you in advance. I'll prepare it in advance and invite you to come over for dinner later."
She thought to herself that it was not easy for everyone these days, and Su Su was probably embarrassed to agree to come over for dinner. Plus, there didn't seem to be anything delicious at home, so Mrs. Shao didn't insist.
He Susu took out a plate of glutinous rice balls from her backpack: "Sister-in-law, these are the glutinous rice balls I just made this morning. I'll give some to you and the political commissar to try."
"Oh, child, you have such a deft hand. You have made the dumplings so quickly. I will also make dumplings later. You should take these home and eat them slowly." When Mrs. Shao saw the dumplings, she couldn't help but admire how well they were made, but she refused to take them.
He Susu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I have so much left at home, enough for Cheng Shi and I to eat. I brought these here especially for you and the political commissar to try, so just accept them. I won't take them out anymore if I take them out."
Mrs. Shao was a straightforward person, and seeing He Susu's sincerity, she accepted it.
"Okay, then I won't be polite. Thank you, Susu. I'll invite you and Cheng Shi to come over for dinner later. You can't refuse."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, sister-in-law, I've agreed and will definitely come over when the time comes. Just let me know in advance so I can come over to help with the cooking."
Mrs. Shao smiled and said, "Then it's settled."
The two chatted for a while, and He Susu said she was going to deliver some dumplings to her third sister-in-law, then she went out and walked towards the second family quarters.
Arriving at Building No. 3 in the Second Family Quarters, she met many military wives who were talking about making glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival. He Susu smiled and greeted them, then went straight to her third brother's door and knocked: "Sister-in-law, are you home?"
Su Yu quickly came over to open the door: "Su Su is here, come in and sit down."
He Susu followed him into the house: "I made some glutinous rice balls this morning, and I thought of sending a plate over for you to eat."
As he said this, he took out the last plate of dumplings from the backpack and gave it to Su Yu.
As the aunt and sister-in-law have a good relationship, Su Yu was not polite and took it directly: "You actually made the dumplings so early, I was thinking of making them in the afternoon. Now that you brought so many, I don't have to make any in the afternoon. Give more to my little sister, you brought so many, is it enough for our family to eat?"
He Susu nodded: "There's enough food, don't worry, sister-in-law."
She pulled Dabao and Erbao over, stroked their heads and said, "Dabao and Erbao's hair seems to be a little longer."
Su Yu: "Yes, but we have to wait until after the second day of the second lunar month to cut their hair, otherwise I want to fry them now. If the hair is too long and covers the eyebrows and eyes, it will not look lively enough, especially since Dabao will go to school in a few days, it will be inconvenient for him to read."
He Susu smiled helplessly and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. I can only wait until after February 2nd to get my hair cut."
The custom here has always been not to cut hair in the first month of the lunar year, but the second day of the second month is a good day to cut hair.
The eldest and second child looked at each other and grinned. They just didn't like having their hair cut.
Su Yu sat down and chatted with her aunt for a while, saying that if she went to work and the eldest child went to school in a while, she would have to trouble her to help look after the second child.
He Susu agreed without saying anything: "Okay, sister-in-law, when you go to work, you can send Erbao to my house, just like before. Erbao and I get along so well, right, Erbao?"
Erbao came to Xiaogu's side affectionately and nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Yes, Xiaogu, I'm looking forward to going to your house to play."
Hehe, following his aunt, he gets candies and cakes to eat. Of course, he prefers to do whatever he wants at his aunt's place, although occasionally his aunt will supervise him to see if he has completed the writing tasks assigned by his mother, but happy things always outweigh those unwilling things.
Su Yu was extremely relieved: "I feel most relieved if I send my second child to you. When he is old enough to go to primary school next year, I won't have to bother you anymore."
He Susu smiled and said, "It's no big deal. I just happen to have an extra companion."
After talking for a while, Su Yu invited the guest to stay: "Let's have lunch at home. Cheng Shi will pass by here on his way home from training anyway. Just call him downstairs and come up."
He Susu smiled and shook her head: "No, take out all the meat and vegetables at home and put them there for me to deal with when I get back. Besides, I still have to go back to clean up the mess left over from making the glutinous rice balls. Sister-in-law, tell my brother that we have guests at home tonight and we won't be coming over."
Seeing this, Su Yu had no choice but to nod: "Okay, I'll talk to your brother later. Be careful on your way back."
"I know." He Susu walked out of the house carrying a basket on her back, turned around and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, happy Lantern Festival."
Su Yu also smiled and replied: "Happy Lantern Festival."
Only then did He Susu go downstairs and go home carrying the basket.
Cleaning up the mess of making dumplings was fake, but preparing the meat dishes for lunch was real.
He Susu grabbed half a handful of pickled mustard greens, washed them, took a kitchen knife to cut them into segments and then into small pieces. Then she took half a pound of pork, rinsed it and began to chop it into minced meat. Finally, she mixed the minced meat and pickled greens together, stirred them evenly, and chopped them a dozen times. She planned to steam the pickled greens and meat patties for lunch.
The pickled spicy cabbage is ready. Just scoop some out of the clay pot and put it on the chopping board, then you can stir-fry it directly in the pan later.
After Cheng Shixia came back from training, he quickly fried the food. Then he took a shower and changed into clean clothes. Then the couple started to eat lunch.
The steamed meat patties with preserved vegetables are very fragrant. The preserved vegetables themselves are salty with a hint of sweetness, and when mixed with the minced meat that is 30% fat and 70% lean, it doesn't taste dry, and the diced fat isn't greasy either. Everything is just right, and it's especially delicious when eaten with white rice.
He Susu asked: "Did you run into Li Yang this morning and tell him about coming to our house for dinner tonight?"
She had previously troubled Li Yang to borrow her car, and had asked him to help pick people up during the New Year. She had always said she wanted to treat him to a meal. It happened that she had gone to the county town to buy meat and vegetables two days ago, so He Susu and Cheng Shi discussed and decided to invite people to their home for a meal on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Li Yang is single and lives in a dormitory in the army. The food in the Lantern Festival canteen is usually more sumptuous, but it would be better to invite him to your home to have fun on such a festival.
Cheng Shi nodded: "I didn't run into him when I went there this morning, but I met him just now when I was leaving the army after training. I have already told him to come to my house for dinner in the evening, and he agreed."
He Susu: "That's good. I'll prepare the meat and vegetables early this afternoon."
Cheng Shi: "Okay, I'll deal with the rest after I get back from training. Today is a holiday, so the leader has said that we can get off work an hour earlier."
"I see." He Susu replied, "Oh, I made some glutinous rice balls at home this morning, so I can cook them and eat them together after dinner. I made too many glutinous rice balls, so I gave some to Sister Shao and three other sisters-in-law who are my good friends. I also gave some to my brother."
Cheng Shi thought that the family had distributed a few glutinous rice balls, but he didn't know that his wife had given away about three pounds of glutinous rice balls. He nodded and said, "Okay, Susu, you've worked hard making glutinous rice balls."
"It's okay. I heard my sisters-in-law talking about how to make dumplings a few days ago, so I bought the ingredients earlier. I tried making dumplings this morning and it was quite successful." He Susu said calmly.
After lunch and washing the dishes, the couple went back to their room for an afternoon nap.
In the afternoon, Cheng Shi went to the army for training. After waking up, He Susu sat for a while before going to the kitchen to prepare dishes. She was serious about entertaining Li Yang.
The mutton soup I made last time was very good, and after that I only used mutton shanks and bones. There was still a pound of mutton left at home, and He Susu planned to make that mutton soup again.
It’s a pity that the tofu was all gone. Even if I could exchange it in the shopping system, it would be hard to explain. So I just added red dates and wolfberries to make soup together.
Not all the mutton is used to make soup. Half a pound is used to cook mutton and pickled radish, which is considered a hard dish. There is no other way. The family bought a lot of pork this time, but no chicken or duck, so we can only use mutton and pickled radish to make a meat dish.
Then take out a piece of pork belly, wash it, cut it into pieces and put it aside. Fold the bean curd sheets into small pieces and put them aside. Take out the salmon and sprinkle it with green onions, ginger and garlic and then steam it.
After finishing her work, He Susu went to take a break. When she thought it was about time, she came back into the kitchen, moved the soup pot on the coal stove aside, and put a large iron pot on top.
She first added oil to fry the bean curd sheets until crispy, then removed them and set them aside. Then she added the chopped pork belly to stir-fry to release the fat. After removing some lard, she added the bean curd sheets, various spices, and soy sauce, added water, covered the pot, and simmered it.
I ate up both pig's trotters earlier, so I'm going to make a dish of pork belly and bean curd sticks tonight.
Cheng Shi came back earlier than usual, and he went into the kitchen to work without taking a break. Seeing that the mutton soup was already cooked and the pork belly and bean curd were also well cooked, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Susu, you are really quick, thank you for your hard work."
"We only have one coal stove at home, so we have to cook these time-consuming foods first." He Susu said with a smile.
Cheng Shi followed his wife's advice and made a dish of braised lamb with pickled radish, steamed salmon and salted fish, and stir-fried spicy cabbage. In total, there were four dishes and one soup for dinner, which was very sumptuous.
Li Yang had a mission in the afternoon, so he drove back to the army at 5:30. He went back to the dormitory, took a quick shower, changed into fresh casual clothes, picked up his things and rushed to the family quarters.
"Brother Cheng, sister-in-law, I'm sorry I'm late." Li Yang said hurriedly as he entered the door.
Cheng Shi nodded: "It's okay, it's still early, it's normal for you to be busy with tasks. You just said you were coming over, why do you need to carry anything?"
Li Yang put the cakes he brought on the coffee table: "They're not good things, I just bought some mung bean cakes for you to eat. I'm glad to be able to come over for dinner tonight."
He Susu smiled and greeted: "The food is ready, let's get ready to eat."
After Cheng Shi prepared all the meat and vegetables, he put the braised pork belly and bean curd skin that he had cooked earlier back into the pan, stir-fried them a few times, and put them on a plate, and reheated the mutton soup. He then went into the kitchen and brought it out, and He Susu also brought out a bowl of white rice.
Li Yang looked at it and exclaimed: "Oh my God, Brother Cheng and sister-in-law, you guys cooked so many dishes, it's too expensive."
He saw pork belly, salted fish and mutton, all good stuff.
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "You're welcome. You helped us a lot before and we haven't said anything yet. And today is Mid-Autumn Festival, so the food is richer than usual. Come sit down and eat."
He Susu also called out, "Eat quickly."
The couple wanted to wait for Li Yang to pick up their chopsticks first, while Li Yang wanted to wait for Brother Cheng and his wife to pick up their chopsticks first. Finally, they smiled and everyone started eating together.
He Susu tasted it and found the pork belly to be cooked till soft and melt-in-the-mouth. It was not greasy because the fat was stir-fried in advance. The bean curd sheets were soaked up with the sauce-colored soup and the aroma of meat. It was soft and tasty and had the unique aroma of soy products.
The mutton was fresh and braised to be salty and delicious, and the pickled radish cubes also became delicious and especially crisp. The salmon salted fish was indeed quite salty, and the meat was a bit dry but the taste was good. After being sprinkled with green onions, ginger and garlic and steamed, the taste was much richer.
Li Yang praised the food while eating, saying it was much better than what he had eaten in the cafeteria.
He said, "Sister-in-law, you are such a great cook. The braised pork belly with bean curd is delicious, the braised mutton with pickled radish is also delicious, and the salmon with salted fish is delicious. The whole table of dishes is delicious!"
He Susu couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "Thank you very much. I made the mutton soup and the braised bean curd with pork belly. The rest were made after Cheng Shi came back."
Li Yang looked at Cheng and exclaimed: "I didn't expect that you, Brother Cheng, are such good cooks. You and your wife work well together. Sister-in-law doesn't have to work so hard."
He didn't have the idea that cooking was a woman's job. When his father was at home, he would occasionally go into the kitchen to cook, and he had learned to cook since he was a child. Of course, the food didn't taste very good.
Although he was quite surprised that Brother Cheng went into the kitchen to cook, Li Yang wisely chose to say something nice.
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Of course I am. I just come back from training to help out for a while. Most of the time, it's Susu who's busy in the kitchen."
To be honest, although Susu didn't like to work in the kitchen, she had to take on the task of preparing meals because he was busy coming back from training. You know, preparing meals is more complicated and difficult than cooking, so it was easier for her to cook with a spatula after he came back.
These processes are always kept in mind.
He Susu: "As long as the food tastes good, let's eat quickly."
During the meal, Cheng Shi and Li Yang were the main people talking, while He Susu sat aside, listening and eating seriously.
After the meal, each person has a bowl of warm mutton soup, which is so refreshing. What's more, the soup contains solid mutton, and the wolfberry and red dates are so sweet.
After the meal, the dishes were put into the kitchen sink to soak in water, and Cheng Shi treated Li Yang to tea in the living room.
He Susu sat aside and listened for a while. About half an hour later, she went into the kitchen, turned on the coal stove, and took another small pot to cook the glutinous rice balls. The glutinous rice balls were round and plump. After taking them out, four were placed in a bowl. They looked pretty good.
"Come and eat some glutinous rice dumplings. Eating them will make the new year sweeter until the end of the year."
Li Yang was just surprised this time: "Sister-in-law, I didn't expect there were dumplings to eat!"
"Yes, I made it myself this morning. Come and try it." He Susu said with a smile.
She was also looking forward to the taste of the glutinous rice balls. She scooped a glutinous rice ball with a spoon and took a bite. The glutinous rice ball skin was very soft and sticky, and the sesame filling inside instantly overflowed. The sesame seeds were dense and sweet, and the walnuts and peanuts tasted crunchy and chewy even when they were powdered. The filling was very fragrant, and the glutinous rice balls were also delicious.
Cheng Shi and Li Yang were much more rough when eating the glutinous rice balls. They ate one in one bite and kept praising their deliciousness.
When Li Yang was about to leave, he said, "Brother Cheng and sister-in-law, I will go back first. Thank you for your hospitality tonight. The meat and vegetables for dinner were delicious, and the dumplings were also delicious. I think I will remember the taste of the dumplings tonight. I had a very happy Lantern Festival."
"Don't be careful. Just be careful on your way back." Cheng Shi smiled and sent him out.
Afterwards, Cheng Shicai went to the kitchen to collect the dishes, while He Susu went to take a shower first. After they finished their work, the couple came out to hang out the washed clothes, and when they looked up, they saw a full moon in the sky.
Lantern Festival, now is the best time.
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