The Li family's banquet was quite grand. As it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone was off work and were happy to come over for a meal during their time off from paying New Year's greetings.
When He Ruixue stayed at home, Zhao Meiya often brought her food.
The dishes that had just come out of the kitchen were put into her bowl before they were even served on a plate.
She had a point, saying that her whole family had come to help, so what was wrong with bringing some extra food back?
Not to mention, even if the dishes are cooked by the same person, the dishes at the banquet and those cooked at home are different.
Especially the fried crispy fish and braised pork, which are not easy to find at home.
Li Youlu really has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He got a few pounds of beef ribs from somewhere and stewed them with green and red peppers and potatoes. They were fragrant and chewy.
Due to the shortage of supplies, the banquet was only held for one day and ended soon. Even the local rich people at that time could not afford to host the buffet banquets that lasted for several days like those in later generations.
The Li family was quite satisfied with He Qiu Sheng's cooking skills. In addition to giving him a few dollars, they originally wanted to give him a pound of meat.
However, He Qiu Sheng didn't want it, but took a big fish as long as his arm home.
First fry it and then stew it, add sauerkraut and tofu, the soup is milky white and bubbling in the hanging pot, and the whole family eats until their stomachs are full.
At the dinner table, He Ruixue finally remembered, "Mom and Dad, I have a friend in Xingze County. I met him on a business trip. He said they're going to build a chemical fiber factory over there and they can get me a job. I haven't decided whether to take it or not. What do you think?"
She briefly described the size of the factory and the salary, and everyone present was very excited.
Wang Taozhi glanced at He Xiaoyou and said regretfully, "Xingze County? Doesn't it take half a day to get there by train? It's a bit far. Otherwise, it would be better to let Xiaoyou go."
He Xiaoyou shook his head, "Mom, I'm not going."
"Mom didn't plan to let you go. Seeing that you were about to get married, I wanted to find you a partner in the city. As long as you don't follow your brother's example and give me a grandson before you get married, I don't mind who you marry."
Hearing this, He Xiaotuan and Lu Lan lowered their heads and ate in embarrassment.
He Xiaojie thought of the conversation on New Year's Eve and glanced at her brother, but didn't say anything.
"I know, Mom. I'm still young."
"Your sister said the same thing back then. What about now? I'm too lazy to even talk to her."
Zhao Meiya thought for a moment and said, "Regarding formal jobs, they're in high demand everywhere. People work hard but can't get one. I'll go back to the village and ask around. Your uncles' families should want one.
It doesn't matter if it's far away. Young people should go out and work hard. When the work turns into money, you and your friend can split it in half. Only then will he think of you when good things happen to him in the future."
The village is their roots and they cannot cut off contact with it. The elders of the He family helped them a lot in the past, and any return they can give is appreciated.
But she had no intention of giving the job away for free. No one with a brain kicked by a donkey would do that.
Even family members have to settle accounts clearly. He Xiaojie and others have to pay He Ruixue back every month after they get a job, let alone relatives who are several rooms away from them.
"Mom, I understand. I'll write him back after I get to work."
…
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when married women return to their parents’ home.
Zhao Meiya's parents on her mother's side have both passed away, and she doesn't interact much with her remaining brothers and sisters, seeing each other only once every two or three years.
Transportation is inconvenient and her parents' home is far away, so it is really troublesome to go back and forth.
Lu Lan had such a fierce quarrel with her natal family that the two sides almost severed their relationship.
Over the years, seeing the prosperity of the He family, her family wanted to move in, but it was difficult to mend a broken heart. Lu Lan only had face for her family.
Of course, she still had to repay her parents for raising her, so every year she just asked someone to send some things back to them, but she never showed up in person.
Pan Shuyu's family members are now scattered everywhere, and their house has long been destroyed, but Ye Zhen sent a letter saying that she could come to their place for a meal.
She felt that it was unnecessary. Although they were relatives, it was not convenient to visit on this special day. She could just find a place to get together in a few days.
He Ruixue was listening to the radio at home, while Jiang Yanxu was sitting next to her reading a book, with dried persimmons placed in front of them.
There are two persimmon trees in the yard next door, planted by the Huang family. They are full of fruits in autumn.
Last year there was little rain, so the persimmons were very sweet, but they were difficult to preserve.
When the persimmons are ripe, pick them and peel them all. Some of them are dried into persimmon cakes and stored in clay jars.
The other part is sliced and baked in an earthen oven to become dried persimmons, which are almost as sweet as candied fruit even without sugar.
However, this thing is quite cold, so pregnant women should not eat too much of it, otherwise He Ruixue would be able to show off in one meal.
There was warm tea at hand, which they had picked from the mountains at the beginning of this spring.
That time we went a few miles deeper into the mountains and found an old tea tree on the sunny slope. It was probably more than ten years old, with a circle of small tea trees growing around it.
It is not a rare variety of tea, but it has a unique fragrance and a refreshing taste.
Pick a batch before Qingming Festival and another batch before Grain Rain.
The two of them roughly knew the process of frying tea, but neither of them had ever put it into practice.
So they first tried using tea trees that were not very old. It didn’t matter if they were roasted badly, they could still drink it.
Once you become proficient, fry all the tea leaves and put them into iron cans, which the whole family can enjoy for a year.
Leaning on Jiang Yanxu's shoulder, He Ruixue hummed softly along with the program on the radio.
Just as I was enjoying it, He Xiaojie suddenly pushed open the door and came back angrily, almost dropping the bicycle to the ground.
However, she was reluctant to damage her beloved car, so she regained her composure briefly, moved more gently, and parked the car safely in the house.
He Xiaojie walked over, picked up the teacup on the table and started drinking it, finishing all the tea in one breath.
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