Eat dumplings

The sound of firecrackers popped in the village, accompanied by the barking of chickens and dogs.

Song Shixia teased them: "You should ask Dad for his opinion."

The two boys looked at their father with longing faces, while Ji Weiqing was helpless.

"Don't kick the quilt at night."

Ji Yuan hugged his brother and jumped up and down: "Great!"

Song's mother knocked on the door and poked her head in: "Why aren't you guys asleep yet?"

Song Shixia pulled open the quilt and spread it out: "Let's sleep now. The child wanted to sleep with us, so he took off an extra quilt."

Song's mother smiled and said, "Dabao and Xiaobao are really attached to you. I'll bring another quilt for you." It is said that being a stepmother is not easy. Seeing that her daughter gets along so well with the children, and the children are so well-behaved and obedient, she finally put her mind at ease.

The young guys washed their clothes and got into bed. Song Shixia wrote down the amount of their red envelopes so as not to mix it up with her own money. She said that she was not just coaxing them to save money, and that they should be able to save a lot of money when they grow up.

She opened the remaining two red envelopes. Her parents gave her fifty, her brother gave her thirty, and Professor Ji gave her the biggest red envelope, which was one hundred yuan.

Song Shixia teased him: "I manage your salary, where do you get the money to give me a red envelope?"

Professor Ji was speechless for a moment, obviously not expecting her to ask that.

"This is the bonus given before the New Year and the travel allowance."

He looked a little nervous, perhaps because it was the first time he was caught hiding his private money and he seemed a little overwhelmed.

Song Shixia looked at him with a smile: "I'm just kidding you, thank you for the red envelope, Teacher Ji, but what if I don't have anything prepared for you?"

Ji Weiqing turned his head away: "No need to give me a red envelope, you are younger than me."

Song Shixia stopped teasing him. The family of four turned off the lights and went to sleep. The sound of a rooster crowing could be heard from the yard.

Last night the whole family stayed up until four in the morning, and at ten in the morning the sounds of people coming in and out of the door were heard in the yard.

Song Shixia opened her eyes and found herself alone on the bed. Next to her pillow was her new outfit, a bright red down jacket given to her by Sister Yao Xue.

When Song Shixia came out of her bedroom, the whole family had put on new clothes. Her parents were wearing new clothes sent by her mother-in-law, which were thicker than the cotton-padded clothes she had chosen for them.

The young men had brand new furry tiger hats for winter. Song Dongdong finally put on the leather jacket and another pair of new sneakers that his brother-in-law bought him. The leather jacket was a single piece of clothing for spring and autumn, and he wore two thick sweaters inside to keep warm.

He wore such a thin coat in front of his mother just to take advantage of the New Year when adults couldn't spank or scold children. If he had worn it at other times, he would definitely have been scolded.

Song Shixia saw Song Dongdong, who was wrapped up like a bear, and said, "Why don't you change into a cotton coat? I bought you one, so why are you wearing such thin clothes?"

Song Dongdong smiled proudly: "I haven't worn it out to show off yet. I won't catch a cold if I wear two sweaters inside. Otherwise, my mother will settle the score with me later."

Song Shixia was helpless: "You know that you will be punished in autumn, but you still wear such a thin coat? Can't you wear it in spring?"

"I would like to, but there are no festivals in the spring, and my mom won't let me wear it."

She shook her head sympathetically: "Poor child."

Song Qiu Sheng came back from outside. He was also wearing a leather jacket, fashionable jeans, and a pair of brown leather shoes.

Song Dongdong's eyes widened: "Wow! Brother, you are so fashionable!" The leather jacket and jeans are so handsome!

Behind Song Qiusheng followed Ji Weiqing.

"Hey, you're all up now. I thought you were just getting up for lunch."

The word "you guys" was used very cleverly. She was the last one to get up in the family. Song Shixia felt that her brother was targeting her.

"You didn't go to bed until after four last night, so it's normal to get up late." After she said that, her eyes fell on Professor Ji. He was wearing a black down jacket. The puffy down jacket did not make him look bulky, but instead made him look more secure.

Song Dongdong ran to his brother in a blink of an eye and said, "Brother, why are you wearing so little? Aren't you cold?"

Song Qiusheng was amused when he saw his coat: "Are you stupid? Why are you wearing such a thin coat in the middle of winter? Why don't you change it quickly?"

Song Dongdong was reluctant, and Song Qiusheng unzipped his coat: "My clothes are lined with velvet, why don't you change quickly? Are you going to get scolded when mom comes back?"

Song Dongdong felt unbalanced: "Why is there velvet in your clothes?"

Seeing that he was about to cry, Song Qiusheng suddenly had a headache: "I have another one in my closet that I can lend you. Don't tear it."

Song Dongdong burst into laughter and quickly went back to the house to change clothes.

Song Shixia whispered to Professor Ji: "Where did you go?"

"In the morning, you were all still asleep, so you went for a walk around the village."

Song Qiu Sheng took Ji Weiqing for a leisurely stroll in the village to familiarize themselves with the route. Unfortunately, few people in the village were awake, and most of them stayed up until almost dawn before going to bed. He had no chance to show off his new clothes and his brother-in-law's down jacket.

Song Shixia muttered quietly: "I didn't even hear them getting up. When I opened my eyes, the children were all up."

Ji Weiqing's eyes were filled with smiles: "You went to bed late, you should sleep more."

He had long been accustomed to her biological clock, and it was normal for her to sleep until ten o'clock, but he didn't understand why she could sleep so much.

At dinner time, there was finally some movement in the village, with children's voices and dogs barking one after another.

Song Shixia filled the table in the main room of his house with peanuts, melon seeds and snacks. He placed the unfinished snacks on a plate. They would taste mediocre if he continued to eat them, so he might as well take advantage of the fact that the children were coming to help him today.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people ate dumplings. Song Shixia helped prepare the cabbage and pork filling, and Song's mother made leek and pork filling, and his brother helped to make the filling.

The pork grown at home tastes much better than the pork bought outside. If she didn't find raising pigs too troublesome, she would have set up a pig farm to be self-sufficient.

Song Shixia ate dumplings and said to her parents, "Mom, the pork we raise at home tastes really good, better than the pork in the city. And you can see that we have a lot of lard. Why don't you and my dad stop farming and just raise pigs."

Song Qiusheng nodded while eating his dumplings: "I agree. Your skills in raising pigs are truly unique. The pork tastes really good."

Song Shixia knew that the reason why pork tasted so good was because it was fed with spiritual spring water. As long as she didn't say it, everyone would think that her parents took good care of the pigs.

Song Qiu Sheng followed suit and said with emotion: "If you ask me, my family is really good at cooking. The chickens and ducks my sister raises in the city are also delicious. I didn't eat much because they were all ordered by the cafeteria at her school."

Song Shixia's eyes lit up: "Mom and Dad, you should raise one too. I'll help you contact the canteen, and then you won't have to worry about sales. You don't have to worry about the future at all."

If her brother hadn't mentioned the canteen, she would have forgotten that she could have asked her parents to raise chickens, ducks and pigs and reach a cooperation agreement with the canteen. The canteen always complained that she didn't raise enough chickens to buy, but the chicken coop in her yard was so small, how many could they raise?

Song's father and mother were moved after hearing this.

Father Song put down his chopsticks and spoke carefully: "Can we really buy it in the canteen? Don't they have a special supply channel? Why would they be willing to buy our meat?"

Song Qiu Sheng replied eagerly, "Dad, I promise you, if I can't sell it, I will take it to the market myself. The canteen will definitely rush to buy it. You can't tell the difference between our pork, so why not ask the neighbors who bought our pork?"

Song's father still had concerns, but Song's mother gritted her teeth and made the final decision: "Xia Xia, what do you think is the best way for our family to raise pigs? I don't want the land at home to be empty. Your father and I can feed the pigs well by feeding them cornmeal and sweet potato vines from farming."

Song Shixia said slowly: "Since it's the first year, buy fifty chickens, twenty ducks, two boars, and eight sows."

Mother Song was surprised and asked, "Are ten pigs too many?!"

Song Shixia chuckled and gave his parents a reassuring look: "I still think ten pigs are not enough. After dinner, we can take a walk around the village and ask for feedback on the pork."

Song Qiu Sheng was the one who could most intuitively feel that the pork at home was delicious. At first he thought that everything tasted delicious when he returned home because he was homesick. However, after eating at home for a few days, he discovered that the real reason was that his mother's cooking skills had improved.

In fact, Song Shixia was unsure. The people in the village only ate meat a few times a year. To them, as long as it was meat, it was delicious, and it was probably difficult to tell the difference.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yang and Ji Yuan ate ten dumplings each today, and their stomachs were full. Song Shixia held back her smile and fed them hawthorn pills.

"Next time, don't force yourself to eat more. Even though dumplings are delicious, you can't eat too much."

Ji Yuan pointed at his fingers and said: "The dumplings are delicious, better than before!"

Ji Yang pursed his lips and said, "Sorry, we couldn't help it."

Song Shixia touched his head one by one and said, "No need to apologize. It will be uncomfortable if you eat too much. You can eat in the afternoon if you like. Mommy didn't stop you from eating."

Ji Yang looked up and assured her: "We won't do it again next time."

"I believe you, Yangyang is a man of his word. When you feel better, just walk around in the yard to help digestion. Don't go out, okay?"

Song Shixia helped to wash the dishes in the kitchen, leaving the main room for the men to clean up.

The mother was still asking about raising pigs, and she was always worried that she might not be able to do it well. Song Shixia soothed her mother's emotions while drawing cakes for her.

Ergou from next door was the first to come and pay New Year's greetings. He waited for a long time at home, and only came after Song Dongdong finished his meal. He could smell the smell of dumplings through the wall, and his mother would not let him visit during mealtime.

As soon as Ergou entered the yard, he shouted, "Song Dongdong, go out and buy some firecrackers! I got the New Year's money!"

Song Dongdong took out a handful of change from his pillowcase. This was the pocket money his sister gave him that he had not spent.

"Ergou, let me tell you, I saw someone I know on TV yesterday..."

Song Dongdong and Ergou walked out arm in arm, and Song Dongdong mentioned that he had seen his nephew's grandparents at the Spring Festival Gala last night.

He walked to the door and stopped: "Dabao and Xiaobao, are you two going to the canteen?"

Ji Yang looked at his brother first, and Ji Yuan nodded.

"Uncle, let's go." He pulled his brother to follow.

Ergou exclaimed in a supportive manner, and finally said with regret: "It's a pity that last night was New Year's Eve, and I couldn't come to your house to watch TV. I also wanted to see the people on TV."

He then asked Ji Yang: "Are your grandparents really on TV? What do they do to be on TV?"

Song Dongdong was also very curious.

Ji Yang frowned and thought for a long time, and finally came up with an answer: "Grandma works in the hospital, and grandpa is a soldier."

Er Gou was envious: "He must be a doctor if he works in a hospital. Ji Yang's grandparents both have stable jobs. No wonder they can be on TV."

Song Dongdong felt that something was wrong. His elder sister and brother-in-law also had stable jobs, yet they had never been on TV.

When they arrived at the grocery store, the two kids stared at their phones.

After picking out the firecrackers, Song Dongdong asked casually, "What's wrong?"

Ji Yang summoned up his courage and said, "Uncle, we want to call grandpa and grandma."

Ergou urged Song Dongdong, "Hurry up, let them fight. I want to hear what the person on TV sounds like."

Song Dongdong quickly took out the only two yuan he had left.

"Is that enough? Do you know the number?"

Ji Yuan took out a card the size of an ID card from his pocket. "This is the ID card that Mom prepared for us. It has grandma's phone number on it."

Song Dongdong was jealous and he also wanted an ID card.

Here we set off firecrackers at 12 o'clock at night and in the morning during the Chinese New Year, so after the New Year's Eve party, we set off the morning firecrackers at around 4 o'clock.

When I was a kid, my family always ate glutinous rice balls during the Chinese New Year. In the past two years, my family has always eaten dumplings during the Chinese New Year. So is there really a distinction between the north and the south? I don’t think my family is particular at all. When I was a kid, I ate steamed buns on the first day of the Chinese New Year. My mother steamed so many buns that I felt like I ate them from the beginning of the Chinese New Year to the end of the Chinese New Year.