Chapter 124
This year, the Gu family celebrated the New Year in Nan'an County. Cheng Gang and his wife wanted the two families to spend a good New Year together. A
good New Year is naturally inseparable from slaughtering pigs.
The Cheng family did not raise pigs, but Nan'an County was close to the military farm, which had several hundred fat pigs. The fat pigs were like small hills, weighing two or three hundred kilograms. The wives of the military in the county were generous and took money to the farm to buy pork, only two or three kilograms, and went home to make dumplings for their own goodwill.
Cheng Gang asked his old comrade to go to the farm and order a pork chop and two large pig heads. Pork chop is pork ribs, which are good for stewing soup or making dumplings. Pig heads are used to make braised pork. Li Xiujuan's braised pork is so delicious that it can be smelled all over the street.
On the 25th of the 11th month, Nan'an County had a light snowfall. This was the second snowfall this year. It was not heavy, but it fell all day and all night.
The next day, the sky was white, and the snow on the ground was only creaking when it was an inch thick.
The ball-wrapped Yuanyuan ran up, leaving a row of small footprints. Gu Doudou simply rolled on the ground, which made the boys around jealous. They also ran over and rolled on the ground. Lin Yao and Li Xiujuan also smiled when they saw it. It was almost the New Year, so it was okay to let the children play. On
the 23rd of the 11th month, the family swept the shed, wiped the dust, and cleaned the windows.
On the 27th of the 11th month, the New Year atmosphere in Cheng'an County became stronger. Every household cut new cloth to make new clothes for the children. The parents of boys also bought a few strings of firecrackers, fruit candies, orange candies and sorghum candies, and stuffed them in the pockets of the children. Setting off firecrackers and eating candies was sweet.
The production teams near the military area had people walking on stilts and singing operas, which delighted the old men and women who loved to watch operas. They carried small stools to watch them early in the morning.
The Nan'an County Cinema organized a movie screening, such as "Revolutionary Heroine □□" and "Railway Guerrillas". In the evening, before it got dark, the children went to the cinema in groups of three or five to buy tickets. On
the 29th day of the 11th lunar month, the Cheng family began to grind tofu, make peanut candy, brown rice candy, and pickle various salty goods. Among them, the most attractive to the children was the peanut candy made at home. The peanuts and sesame seeds grown at home were roasted in a pot, rolled into pieces, and boiled with red dates and brown sugar into candy blocks as thick as fingers. They were placed in the yard to dry overnight. When you get up the next day, they are frozen hard. Eating a piece is so sweet and fragrant that you would not trade it for White Rabbit milk candy.
Lin Yao also steamed a pot of wedding buns, and stewed meat in the stove. The whole yard was filled with the aroma of steamed buns and meat.
Cheng Gang and Gu Shian hung two big red lanterns at the door of their house, pasted Spring Festival couplets with Jianghu on the door, and pasted window flowers on the windows. Li Xiujuan cut them, with "Year after year of fish, wealth and prosperity" and looked very festive.
Gu Doudou told Cheng Ping'an and Yuanyuan jokes with witty remarks.
The two children laughed.
Cheng Gang finished sweeping the snow and washed his hands on the opposite side. Hearing bursts of laughter in the house, he said to Gu Shian, "More people is good, look how lively our house is."
Deputy Director Gu raised his eyebrows. Well, when did they become a family?
At night, the two families arranged accommodation. Gu Shian and his wife had a good relationship, and Cheng Gang and his wife were not much better.
The old Gu family of four lived in one room. Li Xiujuan didn't want Cheng Gang to stick to her because of her big belly, so she separated the rooms.
On the night of New Year's Eve, Cheng Gang looked reluctant, and Lin Yao was amused.
Unexpectedly, when she turned her head, she met the affectionate eyes of Deputy Director Gu.
Gu Shian saw his wife looking back at him, smiling, and exuding the sour smell of jealous single dogs. This man's annoying look made Lin Yao pinch his waist, but the young wife was quiet, and her little pinch was like an itch.
Deputy Director Gu thought his wife wanted to go to bed early, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't worry, wife, let's go to bed in a while..."
Lin Yao blushed: "........"
Who is in a hurry to go home? I told you to be quiet and stop looking like a peacock in heat.
Isn't it embarrassing?
Doudou and Ping'an jumped out of the Cheng family's living room with Xiao Niuniu, their eyebrows wrinkled into a ball, scratching their heads in confusion, thinking that Deputy Director Gu was like the big dog next door, so stupid.
This time it was Li Xiujuan's turn to cover her mouth and laugh. She finally realized that Deputy Director Gu was also a sticky wife. As long as his wife was not around, he would follow her and spit.
Doudou, a clever boy, followed suit and made a face: "Hehe..."
My parents have such a good relationship.
Before dawn on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the streets of Nan'an County were filled with the crackling sound of firecrackers.
Gu Doudou and Ping'an, brothers in the outer room, could not wait to get out of their beds, holding their double-kicks and bamboo poles and running over to call Yuanyuan to set off firecrackers in the yard.
When the little girl heard this, she jumped up like a monkey, put on a cotton padded jacket and ran out in a hurry.
At seven o'clock in the morning, the two families dressed neatly and went out. Outside, the sound of firecrackers was overwhelming and the smell of gunpowder filled the air.
In 1967, due to the special situation, no firecrackers were set off throughout the country. It has been slow in the past two years. Although we cannot offer tributes to our ancestors during the New Year, it is still okay to set off some firecrackers.
Li Xiujuan was pregnant and it was difficult for her to move. There were seven or eight people in the two families during the New Year. There were many things to eat and drink during the New Year, and there were many things to do.
If it weren't for Lin Yao's help, Li Xiujuan would have been really busy and had a bad New Year. Li Xiujuan
simply packed the dumplings for the New Year early, some with sauerkraut filling, some with cabbage, green onions and oil residue filling, and froze them in the water tank in the yard. In the winter, it was a natural refrigerator.
The three children in the family were running around outside, Lin Yao chatted with Li Xiujuan in the house, and the two grown men, Gu Shian and Cheng Gang, were in the kitchen making dumplings.
Cooking is a job that requires practice.
Cheng Gang rarely does housework at home. His big black hands are trained with guns, so it is difficult for him to light a fire and cook dumplings.
Cheng Gang is clumsy and can't light the beehive stove for a long time. The kitchen is filled with smoke and fire. He has to ask Gu Shian for help.
"Old Gu, what's wrong with this stove?"
Gu Shian came over to take a look.
Good guy, the beehive stove is full of branches, and there is no flame at all. Cheng Gang wants to put wood in it.
"Too much wood."
Deputy Director Gu took over and lit the fire in a few seconds.
When the water in the pot boiled, Cheng Gang stupidly took a large lid of dumplings and put them directly into the pot to cook dumplings.
Li Xiujuan saw this through the window in the living room, and her temper was gone.
"Cheng Gang, what are you doing? How can you be so rude?"
Cheng Gang was afraid to move because of his wife's yelling. He didn't dare to move until Lin Yao persuaded Li Xiujuan to go back. After
a while, Gu Shi'an was also scolded by Lin Yao for letting Yuanyuan eat an extra candy.
The two grown men looked at each other and felt a sense of mutual respect.
The dumplings were out of the pot, and the two families gathered together to eat dumplings.
It was New Year's Day, and Cheng Gang took out his treasured wine and wanted to have a drink with his "good buddy".
Gu Shi'an usually didn't drink, but today the two brothers had a good chat and he drank a sip.
Doudou Yuanyuan and Ping'an were drooling over the canned yellow peaches on the table.
Children like to have a bite of sweet canned food.
The two mothers gave each of the three children a bowl of fruit. The yellow fruit flesh was hidden in the sugar water. They gently poked one and put it in their mouths. Soon, the sour and sweet taste spread on the tip of their tongues.
The three children were smiling happily while eating.
Cheng Gang drank two sips of wine and was in high spirits. He proposed to practice boxing with Gu Shian.
Gu Shian readily agreed.
Wang Chenggang shook his hands excitedly, "Let's go to the county training ground. It's New Year's Day today, and there's no one there!"
The two wives reported to their wives and went out.
Before leaving, Cheng Gang said, "It's so festive outside today, don't let anything happen."
Lin Yao felt that he had the potential to be a crow mouth, but that's a story for later.
The two fathers went out.
Lin Yao and Li Xiujuan drank two glasses of hot water. The three children in the family changed into new clothes for the New Year and wore new shoes, looking very proud.
Lin Yao braided the girl's hair into two braids, tied a long red hairband around the ends of her hair, matched it with a small cotton jacket made of red cotton cloth, and covered it with a woolen sweater of the same color. It was delicate and beautiful, and the girl looked even more delicate and beautiful.
"Oh, my Yuanyuan is so beautiful."
Li Xiujuan touched Yuanyuan's small braids, and her love was beyond words.
Gu Doudou proudly puffed out his chest.
Several children had greeted their fathers earlier, and now they were greeting their mothers with auspicious words. The two mothers took out red envelopes with a smile, and Gu Doudou winked at Cheng Ping'an. The two boys took the lead to get the marriage certificate and rushed home.
What were they going to do? Of course, they were going to the family compound to greet the New Year.
Lin Yao followed behind calmly and saw that Cheng Ping'an was still holding Yuanyuan's hand like his big brother, and Yuanyuan was still talking to him happily.
Gu Doudou glanced at Cheng Ping'an, who was smiling gently, and then looked at his silly sister, his eyes flashed, and he shook his head without saying a word.
Cheng Gang lives in the Cadre Family Hutong in Nan'an County. The old leaders in the hutong are retired and like to be lively. They are naturally happy to have so many beautiful children at home. So the three children walked around in the hutong and looked around. After a morning, their pockets were full of red envelopes.
Gu Doudou even secretly asked Yuanyuan, "Sister, how many red envelopes do you have?"
"Hehe... a lot." Yuanyuan shook the bulging red envelopes in her pocket and smiled happily.
"Doudou, shall we go to Chang'an Avenue in the afternoon?"
Chang'an Avenue?
Gu Doudou's eyes lit up. Of course, we must go. Chang'an Avenue is the most lively street in Nan'an County.
Cheng Ping'an said, "Okay, Doudou, go tell my parents."
Gu Doudou: "Why do you want me to tell my uncle and aunt?"
Cheng Ping'an smiled slyly, "My parents love you, they will listen to what you say."
Gu Doudou: "......."
Come on, this brat is setting a trap for him.
However, Gu Doudou really, really wants to go to Ping'an Street. .
So he went to ask for the two families' favorites - the fat boy Yuanyuan. It is true that Uncle Cheng and Aunt Cheng like him, but his sister is the favorite child of both families.
Yuanyuan is very considerate, and Ping'an is even more considerate, so he accompanied his sister to find his parents.
Li Xiujuan thought it was something else, but it turned out that the children wanted to go to Chang'an Street. What a big deal!
Originally, the Gu family came to Nan'an County, so they had to go shopping more.
Otherwise, it would be a wasted trip.
Gu Doudou and the others were all grinning with joy when they heard that the auntie had agreed.
After lunch, it was cold and the roads were slippery. Li Xiujuan didn't go out, and Lin Yao didn't want to go out and get cold either. Gu Shi'an and Cheng Gang took their children to Chang'an Street.
As soon as they reached Chang'an Street, they met a few hoodlums with guns wandering over.
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