On New Year's Eve, Han Yulan woke up her two children early in the morning. They had been clamoring to go out to buy New Year's goods the night before, and Han Yulan was afraid they would be unhappy if she didn't take them, so she had no choice but to wake them up and go together. Wu Ma and Liu Ma prepared the meat they had prepared before Xia Liang, and the family of six set off on a tricycle and a bicycle.
First, she bought some cabbage and radishes, since there weren't many other fresh vegetables available these days. She didn't buy any potatoes since she already had them at home. Finally, she bought red paper to write couplets herself at home, and also some apples and other things. Xia Liang, seeing that there was really nothing else she needed to buy, said, "Why don't we go back? We still have plenty of meat, eggs, fish, and chicken that we bought before." Before the New Year, she went to the village several times and bought a lot of chickens, planning to raise them until the New Year. The sheep were tied to the persimmon tree in the backyard, and the two little girls often fed them with leftover cabbage leaves. Seeing that there was nothing she really wanted to buy, Han Yulan said, "Alright then! Anyway, none of the pastries taste as good as yours, so we won't buy anything." The family prepared to go home, but suddenly it started to snow lightly. Snowflakes landed on the two sisters' hats, and they helped each other wipe them off. Xiao Yuanzhi said, "I wish we had a car, then we wouldn't have to worry about rain and snow." Xia Liang glanced at her daughter and asked, "You want a car?" Hearing her mother ask this, the little one thought there was hope and asked, "Mom, can our family afford a car?" "My classmate said cars are very expensive." Xia Liang nodded, "They are indeed very expensive, but my family can afford them. How come your classmate knows so much at such a young age?" Xiao Yuanzhi said indignantly, "There's a girl in my class whose family owns a car. Her dad even drove to the school gate to pick her up before. Another child touched her family's car, and she scolded him, saying that the other child was poor and couldn't afford a car, and shouldn't damage her family's car." The whole family was silent. For such a young child to say such harsh words, the adults must not be good people either. They would have to tell Yuanzhi to stay away from people like that.
Back home, Gu Weiguo helped Gu Yunxi write couplets, Gu Yanxiao assisted Xia Liang in the kitchen, and Han Yulan took her granddaughter to feed the sheep. This was at the granddaughter's request; she had just heard her father say that he was going to kill the sheep for dinner, and she couldn't bear to part with them, saying that they were her pets and had to be kept. Helpless, Gu Yanxiao had to go out again to buy mutton.
In the evening, the Gu family's New Year's Eve dinner was ready. Gu Yanxiao lit the firecrackers first, covered his ears, and went home. The family then enjoyed a lively New Year's Eve dinner together. When it was time to stay up late to welcome the New Year, the two little ones were already very sleepy before 11 p.m. Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan gave them lucky money and sent them to bed.
The Spring Festival was very lively. The two children were a bit older, and their son could come home for the holiday. The whole family was together, and Han Yulan was overjoyed! She took many photos with her family using her eldest granddaughter's camera. On the day they returned to their hometown, holding the photos her son had retrieved, she said goodbye to her granddaughters with great reluctance. She held one granddaughter's hand in each hand: "Dabao, Erbao, do you want to come back with Grandma for a while and come back when school starts?" The two little ones were conflicted. They really didn't want to leave their grandma, but they also didn't want to leave their father! Their father could only come home once a year, and his vacation was about to end. They wanted to stay with their father too. What should they do? The two sisters looked to their mother for help. Xia Liang knew what her daughters were thinking, so she said, "After your father goes back to his unit, I'll have Aunt Chen take you back, okay?" The two little ones nodded excitedly: "That's great! I miss Grandpa and Grandma, and I miss Dad too!"
Rarely hearing his daughters think of him, Gu Yanxiao picked up his two daughters and said to his parents, "Hurry up and get in the car, it's getting late." Seeing his smug look, Han Yulan knew exactly what he was thinking. She rolled her eyes at him and then pulled Xia Liang, saying, "Have you finished the medicine that old Chinese medicine doctor prescribed? If you have, go see him again and get some more. Be careful not to overwork yourself. If anything happens, you can always ask someone for help. Things aren't like they were a few years ago." Xia Liang nodded, "You and Dad should also take care of yourselves. Try to persuade Dad to work less overtime. And you should be careful too if you encounter unreasonable people." Han Yulan patted Xia Liang's hand, "Don't worry! I know what I'm doing." Xia Liang's advice wasn't unfounded. A colleague of hers had once tried to mediate a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict, but was accidentally pushed by the unreasonable old woman. Her lower back hit the concrete platform, and she couldn't straighten up. She was taken to the hospital and stayed there for a long time before returning to work. Now, she always complains about her back pain when it's cloudy or rainy.
Grandpa and Grandma went back to their hometown, and the two little ones are a bit unaccustomed to it. Xia Liang noticed that they haven't been in a very high mood these past two days, so she thought she should cook some delicious food for them to cheer them up.
Finally, Xia Liang made a Western-style fast food meal for the two children: hamburgers. The two little ones had never seen hamburgers before, and their eyes lit up when they ate them for the first time. They chased after Xia Liang, asking, "Mommy, how are these hamburgers made? I haven't seen anyone selling them on the street. Did you make these yourself?" Xia Liang coughed twice and said guiltily, "Yes, do you want some more, sweethearts? If you want some, Mommy will get you some." Little Yuanzhi was too small to finish a whole one, so Xia Liang got one for her older daughter.
Just as she wiped her hands, her little daughter asked, "Mommy, how do you make this? Can you teach me? I want to make it myself when I grow up." Seeing her daughter's face covered in tomato sauce, Xia Liang found a handkerchief to wipe her face. "Of course you can! It's very simple. You just need some flour, yeast, butter, and milk. Mix them together, shape them, and let them ferment in a sealed box or bowl. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake in the oven. As for the chicken cutlet, it's like the fried chicken Mommy used to make. Marinate the chicken, coat it with seasonings, flour, and egg wash, and then fry it until it looks like this. Isn't it simple?" The little girl scratched her head in confusion. How could it be simple? It was definitely not simple at all!
Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw her father almost finish the rest of the hamburgers. She rushed forward, protecting the plate of hamburgers, and said, "Daddy, leave some for us, I haven't had enough yet!" Gu Yanxiao saw his daughter's puffed-up face and poked her cheek, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry, your mother made a lot, there's still some in the kitchen." Hearing this, little Gu Yuanzhi stopped protecting her food and obediently sat down to continue eating her hamburger.
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