Chapter 327 Another Year

The old man used to say that whether you have money or not, marrying a wife will help you celebrate the New Year.

For the Sheng family, not only did they have a daughter-in-law and a grandson, Xinhua, but also an eldest grandson, Chen Feng, during the Chinese New Year this year. Naturally, they had to make arrangements.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Sheng Liancheng got up and led his sons to clean up the yard.

Clear all the snow from the yard, then put up lantern poles, hang lanterns, put up couplets, window grilles, blessing characters, and all kinds of busy work.

As for Zhang Shuzhen, she didn't follow along and was busy with this. She had another mission.

"Fourth and fifth, you two take good care of Xinhua at home. I will take your sister-in-law to the bathhouse to take a good bath. When I come back, we will make food."

Zhou Qinglan was born to Sheng Xinhua on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. As of today, it can barely be counted as thirty days. Logically speaking, it should be the first day of the first lunar month tomorrow.

This month, without washing or bathing, and smelling like sweat and milk, Zhou Qinglan felt that she was going rotten, and she couldn't celebrate the New Year in such a dirty way.

Ordinarily, Zhou Qinglan shouldn't be allowed to go out to take a shower in this cold weather, mainly because she was afraid of getting caught in the wind on the way back and forth.

But although the temperature at home is okay, there is no suitable furniture. The large basin for washing clothes is okay for children to bathe, but adults can't sit in it, so there is no way to wash.

So Zhang Shuzhen said, let Zhou Qinglan dress more tightly and let her accompany her to the bathhouse.

As the New Year approaches, the employee bathhouse is crowded every day, and sometimes there is no queue.

Therefore, on the morning of New Year's Eve, the bathhouse is still open and only rests in the afternoon.

Zhang Shuzhen led her daughter-in-law to the women's room of the employee bathhouse. Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had not taken a bath for a long time, so they took a good soak in it and scrubbed.

Zhang Shuzhen also helped Zhou Qinglan clean her hair.

For convenience during confinement, Zhou Qinglan went to get her hair cut at the end of December. The original big braids were cut into a hinged head.

So I haven't washed my hair during this month, but it doesn't mean my hair is tangled and cannot be combed out.

Short hair is easy to clean and comb. It took the couple more than an hour to finally wash it off and tidy it up neatly.

Zhang Shuzhen brought several dry towels and kept wiping Zhou Qinglan's hair until it was almost dry. Then the two of them got dressed and covered themselves tightly and went home.

"Daughter, you go back to the house first. You don't need to interfere with any of the work at home today. You just need to take care of the child."

After returning home, Zhang Shuzhen did not let Zhou Qinglan work in the fields and still asked her to go back to the house to rest.

Zhou Qinglan originally wanted to help with the work, but she has been going crazy just lying around in the house for the past month.

But her mother-in-law insisted. At this moment, Xinhua was crying again and wanted to breastfeed. Zhou Qinglan had no choice but to go back to the house to take care of the child.

Zhang Shuzhen, on her side, led her daughter to work in the kitchen for a while.

This winter, although Sheng Xiping was not at home, thanks to Huahua, the family did not run out of meat, and a lot of it was saved in the big vat in the warehouse.

Zhang Shuzhen has not been idle these days. What should be cooked and stewed has been prepared for a long time.

Last night I specially brought some frozen meat back and kept it for cooking today.

Yesterday, brothers Sheng Xian and Sheng Xikang followed their brother's instructions and went to the river bend near Diaoyutai to dig holes in the ice and catch several big fish.

There is an abundance of all kinds of ingredients at home, so you can use your cooking skills to your heart's content.

This is the first year for the Sheng family to import food. Zhang Shuzhen pays special attention to it and must cook more delicious dishes.

Sauced pork elbow, braised pork vermicelli, braised chicken with mushrooms, rabbit stewed with potatoes, braised pork with bracken, stir-fried roe deer meat, braised deer tendons with green onions, braised bear paws with honey, braised fish, pickled cabbage ribs, skin jelly, pork slices, Sauce pig heart and liver, fried tomato box and fried mushrooms.

There are fourteen dishes in total.

As if Zhang Shuzhen didn't think it was enough, she happened to have mung bean sprouts sent by the Liu family, so she mixed some dried tofu and shredded carrots with sweet and sour seasonings.

The last dish, which Zhang Shuzhen learned from Chef Li, is the kind of sausage stuffed with meat stuffing in casings.

On the day of Chen Weiguo's wedding, this dish was the most popular. Many people asked how to make it, and Zhang Shuzhen also paid attention.

There happened to be a rack of washed pig intestines at home, so Zhang Shuzhen took them out in advance, slowly opened them, washed them again, and scraped off the grease.

Following Master Li's method, the mixed meat filling was filled in, and before steaming in the pot, holes were pierced in the casings to vent air.

Not to mention, the cooking was really successful. All of this was served on a plate, making up sixteen dishes.

The Kang table in the Sheng family was too small to use, so it was placed aside and a large table was placed, making the plates eager to be piled up.

"The food is all here. Hurry up and wash your hands and sit down. Let's eat."

Zhang Shuzhen and her daughter brought up the last dish, carefully counted it, and after confirming that it was sixteen dishes, started to greet everyone to eat.

"Daughter, let's go, hold the child, let's go to the east room for dinner."

Zhang Shuzhen turned around and went to the west room. When she opened the door, she saw that her grandson was sleeping soundly, so she came forward, wrapped her little grandson in her arms, and carried her to the east room.

Zhou Qinglan also got off the ground and came to the east room together.

The east room of the Sheng family has two large Kang beds in the north and south, leaving an aisle less than two meters wide in the middle.

This side station was placed just on the aisle. Sheng Liancheng and Zhang Shuzhen sat on the edge of the south kang, and Sheng Xitai and Chen Feng sat on the edge of the north kang.

Others were sitting on stools, sitting in a circle around the table.

As for Sheng Xinhua, who was just one month old, he couldn't eat anything yet, so he could only lie on the kang and fall asleep.

Sheng Xiping took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and poured a glass of wine for Sheng Liancheng, Sheng Xi'an and himself.

Sheng Xi'an no longer studies and becomes an educated youth. He is considered an adult and can drink some.

This is the rule in the Sheng family. Those who study are considered children, and those who don't study are considered adults.

The three men were drinking. Zhang Shuzhen asked Sheng Yunfang to get a few bottles of soda, and everyone poured a glass.

Sheng Xitai was anxious, so he poured the soda a little faster. It didn't matter now, he just watched the foam come up.

Sheng Xitai was so anxious that he quickly went over to take a sip, but he couldn't let it go in vain.

Sheng Xitai made everyone laugh like this.

"Slow down, no one is trying to compete with you. You are thinking about eating every day. I hope you can get rid of this problem sometime."

The dishes were served, the wine was filled, and the whole family sat around the table.

Sheng Liancheng looked around the table, and then looked back at his little grandson sleeping soundly on the kang. Oh, in his heart, it was so beautiful.

"Come on, let's take a sip first. It's the Chinese New Year today, and our family has three new members this year, a daughter-in-law, an eldest grandson, and a younger grandson.

The population is prosperous, and good days are coming. Let’s work hard for our family’s good days. "

Sheng Liancheng brought the wine, why didn't the others hurry up?

Drinkers and non-drinkers all picked up their glasses, and everyone stretched out their arms to touch them.

"Happy New Year and all the best." Sheng Xiping took the lead, and several children followed, shouting New Year blessings together.

Happy New Year, the children's shouts are a bit loud.

Zhang Shuzhen was unprepared. She felt excited at that time and quickly looked back at her little grandson on the kang.

It turned out that Xiao Xinhua slept soundly there, and it didn't affect him at all.

"Please keep your voices down, there is someone sleeping on the kang, don't scare him." Zhang Shuzhen turned back and said to the children.

"Mom, it doesn't matter, we just talk normally, Xinhua just needs to adapt slowly.

Children, those who are beaten and beaten are the ones who grow strong. You often said this when you were a child. "

Sheng Xiping laughed when he heard this. Mom, is this called double standards?

I remember that when we were young at home, we were never told to keep our voices down. Everyone just said what they wanted to say.

Northeastern people are born with loud voices. Sheng Xiping, Sheng Xian and others were more noisy when they were young. The following younger brothers and sisters have also grown up.

Sheng Xiping still remembered that one time he heard his mother chatting with the next door neighbor, saying that she didn't need to worry about it. It was like normal life, but it would be the same after she had a child. It was good to have some movement at home, and the child was strong.

If it is quiet all day long, the child will be frightened by the slightest movement.

Unexpectedly, when it was the grandson's turn, the mother's rules changed. First she sent the dog out, and now she is not allowed to speak loudly.

In fact, it's really unnecessary. Gouzi has been at home these days, and he hasn't heard Xinhua crying. The big guy was talking loudly just now, so the little guy should sleep anyway.

Just get used to it. You really can't be too meticulous when raising children. The more meticulous you are, the more troubles you will have.

“Can today’s children compare with when you were young?

Who cares about you at that time? Three or five days after he was born, he had to work in the fields. The child would push himself into the kang and fall asleep on his own.

There are a lot of things going on at home and outside. If you don’t work, you can’t even eat. Who can take care of it so carefully?

Now that there are so many idle people at home, why is it difficult to take care of one child? Can't it be more precise? "

Zhang Shuzhen was angry and glared at her son.

"Mom, they are all the same children. There is no need to treat them differently. The children will grow up quickly. It will be okay."

Sheng Xiping still insisted on his own point of view. Children should be raised extensively, there is no need to be too meticulous.

"Okay, you two take your time and argue. We're eating, and we won't listen to you two."

Sheng Liancheng saw that the mother and son were fighting each other, so he quickly opened his mouth and settled the mud in the middle.

"If you don't hurry up and eat this table of good food, why are you waiting? Isn't Xinhua good? I didn't cry.

If you two continue to argue, he should wake up before finishing the meal. "

Zhang Shuzhen was right when she thought about it. There was no guarantee when the baby would wake up. Once the baby woke up, he would not be able to stop eating.

"Okay, I won't talk nonsense to you and hurry up and eat."

So, the conversation came to an end, everyone picked up their chopsticks, picked up their favorite dishes and put them in their mouths.

Except for the mung bean sprouts, dried tofu and skin jelly, the dishes on this table are all vegetarian.

Especially the braised deer tendons with green onions and the braised bear paws with honey, both are dishes that require a lot of heat and test your cooking skills.

Let alone ordinary days, Zhang Shuzhen has never done it even during Chinese New Year celebrations in the past.

It’s a rare time to do this, and the children are very curious, and they all try their best to do these things.

In the past, whether it was deer tendons or bear paws, they were treasures that could only be eaten by dignitaries as tribute to the imperial court, but not by ordinary people.

Nowadays, as hard work and simplicity are advocated and luxury and pleasure are opposed, the market for these precious ingredients has disappeared.

If you don't acquire the place, you can't get the money back, so Sheng Xiping and the others didn't think it was a good thing when they came across it while hunting.

Zhang Shuzhen lived a careful life and kept everything that should be saved. Just in time for the Chinese New Year, she found out and made it so that everyone in the family could try it.

The cooked scallion-roasted deer tendon is golden in color, elastic and pliable, full of collagen, and paired with white scallions, it tastes full of scallion aroma and rich in collagen.

Not to mention the bear paws. Clean the bear paws, apply a thick layer of honey on them, and cook them over a slow fire for more than an hour.

Then rinse off the honey with water, add the ingredients again, and simmer for at least three hours.

The bear paw itself is rich in fat and collagen. After a long period of stewing, it has become crispy and trembling when touched with chopsticks.

When Zhang Shuzhen applied honey, she used a large needle to poke many small holes in the bear's paw.

The honey seeped into the bear's paw, and it was sweet and smooth in the mouth. It was so delicious that you couldn't stop eating it.

And the sausage is also very popular.

When the Chen family held a banquet, the children did not go there. Afterwards, Xu Xiuxiang specially stuffed half a sausage into Zhang Shuzhen and asked her to bring it back for the children to taste.

Everyone in the family agreed to eat these. Sheng Xitai was very greedy, but there was too little intestine and he couldn't even enjoy it.

This time when I saw that I had made it, the children didn't care about it and hurriedly put it into their own bowls.

Even if the Sheng family could eat this table of delicious food, they wouldn't be able to eat it.

In the end, everyone's stomachs were full after eating, and most of the dishes were left.

"Oh, today's food is so delicious, I'm full." Sheng Xitai, the best eater, was defeated in the end and said while touching his belly.

"Aren't you quite good at eating? Today you ate openly? How come there are so many old people left on this table?

Eat quickly and don't stop. "Sheng Xiping looked at his younger brother and said deliberately.

When Sheng Xitai heard this, he waved his hands in fright and at the same time retreated directly into the kang.

"No, no, I'm full, really full."

Are you kidding me? What about this big table of food? How big a belly must he have to eat so much?

Sheng Xitai's cowardly look made the whole family laugh.

At this time, Sheng Xinhua, who was sleeping on the kang, was probably hungry, so he made some noise.

Zhang Shuzhen saw it and quickly picked up the child.

"You little guy is very considerate, let your mother have a relaxing New Year's Eve dinner. Come on, let me carry you to change the diaper."

With that said, Zhang Shuzhen took the child to the west room, followed by Zhou Qinglan.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the west room and changed the baby's diaper, and then Zhou Qinglan picked up the baby to breastfeed.

This little guy is getting older, and he is not so honest when feeding. While eating, his calves are still twitching, which is very interesting.

"Old lady, bring the child over later. I'm not worried about it yet."

Sheng Liancheng stood in the outer room and shouted towards the west room.

The child was small and would not be carried out easily. Sheng Liancheng wanted to care for the child, but never had the chance.

It’s finally the end of the month, why don’t you have a good kiss?

"Oh, I got it, just wait." Zhang Shuzhen responded in the room.

"Hurry up and clean up the east room and let the second and third brothers chop the meat. We have to make dumplings tonight.

For the meat filling, use the two pieces in the red basin in the outer room. That bit of meat is better. "Zhang Shuzhen also did not forget to instruct her sons to work.