New Year Extra②
New Year's Extra: Scones
In the Jiang family, New Year greetings have always been a very sacred thing.
Ever since Jiang Feng got married and Professor Li gave Jiang Feng a courtyard house as a wedding gift, the Jiang family has never been back to the countryside in City Z for New Year's Eve dinner.
The old man was originally from Peiping, but now he has returned to his roots. Now he eats New Year’s Eve dinner in Peiping with Professor Li’s family. If Jiang Yong's family is free, they will also come to Peking to celebrate the New Year together. It mainly depends on whether Xu Cheng will give them leave.
According to an insider (Chen Xiuxiu), Jiang Yong once accidentally told Xu Cheng about the Jiang family's New Year's Eve dinner while at work. After that, "Zhiwei" will publish a special New Year's issue. Added.
Although the New Year's Eve dinner is in Peiping, I still have to go back to City Z to pay New Year greetings.
Under normal circumstances, everyone in the Jiang family would grab air tickets for the second or third day of the Lunar New Year to return to City Z, stay there until around the Lantern Festival, and then return to Peiping.
Grandma Jiang has given the key to the country house to Li Cuihua next door, and asks the Zhao family to help take care of the house and clean it. In return, when the Jiang family returns home, they usually make two portions of vegetables and dumplings. One portion is eaten by oneself and the other portion is taken to the Zhao family next door.
In the past two years, Li Cuihua's waist has been bad and she can't stand cooking for long periods of time. She is very happy to be able to reduce the pressure during the New Year.
According to Comrade Cuihua, who did not want to be named, her unlucky grandson Zhao Liang suddenly became very fond of labor around the Chinese New Year, especially cleaning. He wanted to go to the next door to sweep the floor four times a day. The whole village was beaten up by this unfortunate grandson.
According to common sense, a few years ago, the Jiang family would have sent their ticket grabbing expert Jiang Zaide to snatch the tickets to City Z for the whole family.
But this year is different, things have changed this year.
Zheng Siyuan is getting married on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Jiang Feng, Jiang Jiankang, Jiang Weiguo and Jiang Weiming will be in charge of the banquet. The others have also received invitations to attend the wedding. The Jiang family will definitely not be able to return to the countryside before the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
This makes Grandma Jiang, who has always regarded New Year greetings as a business, which must be completed at a fixed time every year, very anxious. She has been calling her brother since she was a child to discuss what to do.
Jiang Feng's great-uncle fell ill the year before last, and his hearing loss became more and more serious after he came back from hell. If you don't yell so loud that the entire courtyard can be heard when you make a phone call, it's impossible for my great-uncle opposite to hear you.
In addition, Grandma Jiang has been somewhat deaf in recent years and has to confirm a sentence several times. As a result, the whole family heard the entire phone call between the brother and sister.
It doesn't matter if the Jiang family can't return to Z city this year, the Zhao family has come to Peiping.
Zhao Mei's husband worked in Shanxi Province a few years ago. In recent years, his job has been transferred to a city near Peking.
It's not far away, it only takes about two hours to drive there.
Although Jiang Feng's cousin Zhao Zhuangshi got carsick, seasick and airsick, and walking was the safest way to travel, he couldn't hold back Zhao Mei's filial piety.
Zhao Zhuangshi has been in poor health since he was a child, and at this age he is even suffering from geriatric diseases. Zhao Mei asked Jiang Shoucheng to help register the expert number of Renyi. She was originally planning to take Zhao Zhuangshi and her grandfather (Jiang Feng's great-uncle) to the hospital for examination in the spring, but it happened that the Jiang family could not go back for the New Year this year.
The two parties hit it off immediately, and Zhao Mei and her husband brought their parents over to celebrate the New Year. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the two families gathered together. They didn't say whether they wanted to say New Year's greetings or not. They went to Jiang's house.
The main reason is that Zhao and Mei's three-bedroom house cannot accommodate so many people.
.
On the first day of the new year, Jiang Zaide, Jiang Shoucheng, Jiang Junqing, and Jiang Junlian gathered in the yard to gossip after finishing making dumplings.
As for why they didn't stay in the heated house and had to go to the yard to enjoy the breeze, it might be because Jiang Feng was baking pancakes next to them.
Everyone wants to eat the freshest baked scones, and there is nothing to worry about if the wind blows.
Sitting around the fire, eating melon seeds and gossiping, the cold wind is no longer so cold.
"I heard that Sister Meimei's house has three bedrooms. How can it be accommodated when both parents are here during the Chinese New Year?" Jiang Ran expressed concern.
"Let's stay in a hotel." Jiang Junqing quickly cracked the melon seeds and couldn't stop looking at the pancakes Jiang Feng was about to bake.
"Don't think about it, my sister-in-law hasn't eaten yet and it's not your turn." Jiang Junlian knew what Jiang Junqing was thinking without even looking, "Didn't you smell the chili sauce in the kitchen before? These scones are definitely spicy.”
Jiang Junqing sniffed: "I want to eat spicy food too."
Jiang Junqing's words were like waking up someone in a dream, and several people present reacted instantly, yes, why is it that our pursuit of scones is limited to sweet ones with fruit fillings, but we never thought that we can also eat spicy ones? .
Jiang Zaide was quite moved.
Jiang Shoucheng stood still.
Jiang Ran didn't know whether he should move now.
Jiang Junqing looked at Jiang Junlian.
Jiang Juanlian moved.
"Brother, sister-in-law Qiqi is still making food for Xiaobai in the kitchen. Do you want me to help? I'm very good at chopping vegetables now." Jiang Junlian said.
His mind was filled with thoughts about Zheng Siyuan's wedding banquet on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and wondering if there were any mistakes or omissions. Jiang Feng, who didn't listen to a word and had no idea what they were talking about, said:?
"Ah?" Jiang Feng didn't think anything was wrong and nodded, "Qiqi seems to be in the kitchen. If you want to help, go to the room and see if Xiaobai and Xiaoyun are awake. If they wake up, they will probably make a scene. .”
"Yueru is in the room, don't worry." Jiang Zaide said.
Jiang Juanlian ran towards the kitchen with cheerful steps.
After Jiang Feng came back to his senses, he wanted to hear some gossip, but he didn't know where everyone was talking before, so he could only start a conversation by himself: "I remember when grandma called before, she said that aunt was going to bring us some specialties. You guys Do you know what it is? ”
"It should be the vegetables grown by my aunt." When talking about this, Jiang Shoucheng had something to say, "I had a chat with Sister Meimei years ago. She said that my aunt has been obsessed with growing vegetables in the past few years and sends some cabbage every now and then. Come over with vegetables, radishes, etc., and all the pension will be given to the courier company.”
"Auntie didn't send any meat?" Jiang Zaide questioned, "My mother told me that my aunt raised two pigs in the countryside this year and they are getting fat."
"Sister Meimei brought them with her when she drove to pick them up." Jiang Shoucheng grabbed a handful of melon seeds and cracked them while saying that there was no delay at all, "Do you know how many pounds of pigs my aunt raised this year?"
"How much?" Everyone said in unison, and Jiang Feng was attracted.
Jiang Shoucheng stretched out his hand and compared an astonishing number to everyone, with a solemn expression: "More than five hundred kilograms!"
"Wow!" Everyone exclaimed.
"More than five hundred kilograms?!" Jiang Feng was shocked.
Some very unpleasant memories came to mind instantly.
He has never been so glad that he doesn't have to go to his uncle and grandpa's house to pay New Year greetings this year.
Everyone continued to chat about other gossips, both their own and others. For example, the second aunt had begun to introduce blind dates to Jiang Shoucheng. Jiang Feng and Jiang Zaide's two sons deeply hurt her, and Jiang Ran also had stability. Jiang Shoucheng's girlfriend, the only single one of the four Jiang brothers is Jiang Shoucheng.
The second aunt is now trying to force her son to lose weight and finding a blind date for her son. Both hands must be tight. Jiang Shoucheng shouted that love should be free. She also used Zheng Siyuan and Jiang Zaide as examples to try to persuade the second aunt to force him to lose weight. of.
Jiang Feng:?
Why is it useless to force you to go on a blind date?
"But Brother Cheng, you are indeed a little too fat now. I feel that you have gained a lot of weight since you became a full-time employee." Jiang Feng began to speak for his second aunt.
"Well, it's not like the work pressure is too great and I have to rely on eating to relieve stress." Jiang Shoucheng looked sad, "It's not like you don't know how busy our emergency department is."
"Who told you to choose the emergency department? There are obviously more relaxed departments, but you don't go to the emergency department, which is tiring and expensive." Jiang Zaide complained ruthlessly.
"The emergency department is so good. Director Zhong, Dr. Cao, and Dr. Lu are all easy to talk to. They are all familiar with each other, and I am also familiar with them." Jiang Shoucheng looked like you don't understand, "I'm not short of money anyway, my dad The demolition money was previously given to Taifeng Don’t I get the dividends from the renovation of the building now? I don’t want to buy a house like Lao Sun. Oh my god, do you know how expensive the house is now? If I didn’t sell my blood, I couldn’t afford it. ”
Jiang Zaide felt deeply: "Shops are more expensive. Yueru and her parents have saved some money over the years and want to sell the original shop and buy a larger shop to open a donkey meat barbecue restaurant."
"Thanks to the fact that I saved a lot of money in the past few years to buy a house, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford this new shop."
Speaking of this, Jiang Feng remembered that Jiang Zaide was admitted to the hospital a few years ago because he was too serious about his work, and couldn't help but ask: "I've always been weird, Brother De, you didn't have a girlfriend before, why are you so anxious to think about it?" Buying a house in BJ? ”
Jiang Zaide:......
Can he say that he wants to take advantage of the right time, place and people and live next door to his younger brother so that he can earn money in the future?
Although he has achieved this goal.
Just when Jiang Zaide was thinking about what to say to fool him, Jiang Juanlian came over with a basin of hotcakes.
"Brother, when I went to get carrots from the refrigerator just now, I saw the chili sauce you made this morning to use as scone filling. Sister-in-law Qiqi said that the freshly made chili sauce is best used up on the same day, and it happened to be in the kitchen. There is still some unused flour, so I helped finish the food supplements, and Sister-in-law Qiqi made some new cakes for you to bake together.”
"Not much, that's all."
Everyone took a look and saw that there weren't many, only 20 per pot.
Jiang Feng:...
It was really hard for Jiang Junlian. She could accidentally see the chili sauce he put in the refrigerator with a lid on it.
Having been in charge of the Jiang family's New Year's Eve dinner for so many years, how come Jiang Feng didn't know what Jiang Junlian was up to?
Over the years, Jiang Feng has experienced the old man's happiness, and finally understands why the old man often says he thinks well, but secretly gets up early to make a big pot of fried spring rolls.
This may be the joy of feeding.
"Leave it alone, I'll bake it later." Jiang Feng nodded.
"Thank you for your hard work, brother!"
"Are you thirsty? Do you want me to get you a glass of hot water?"
"Brother, I remembered. There are coffee beans in my room that my colleagues gave me some time ago. I am going to make you a cup of freshly ground coffee with milk and sugar!" De Ge took the lead and rushed out before Jiang Junlian.
"Brother, I have honey grapefruit tea made by Yue Ru herself. I'll make you a cup." Brother Cheng followed closely behind.
"Brother, I haven't made the pig food for Dahua yet. I'm going to make pig food for Dahua!"
In the blink of an eye, the four people dispersed.
The old man who was sitting in the room watching Grandma Jiang playing mahjong with a panoramic view of everything:...
"Every one of them is whirring, but there is no formal pattern." The old man who had lost the joy of feeding said in a low voice unhappily.
"What's that whirring about? Hongzhong." Chen Suhua asked curiously.
"It's good that the juniors are energetic." Jiang Weiming smiled and punched out a piece of cake.
The neighbor who came over to join in the card game played a trick: "I like to come to your house to play cards during the Chinese New Year. The children are so lively."
"It's quite lively. What a fool." Professor Li smiled slightly, hiding his merit and fame, and stood up to do some activities.
Jiang Weiming estimated the time: "Is Xiaofeng's cake almost ready?"
"Almost." The old man nodded. "People like to bake cakes in the yard during the Chinese New Year. I don't know who I learned from."
How could Jiang Weiming not know what the old man was thinking, so he got up and imitated Professor Li's example of moving, and said: "My body is stiff from sitting all the time when playing mahjong. Brother, why don't we go to the kitchen to move around and fry some spring rolls?" ”
The old man's eyes lit up: "Let's go, I've made the spring roll wrappers this morning, and I'm going to fry some fried pancakes. How can I not eat spring rolls and pancakes for this Chinese New Year!"
After saying that, he pulled Jiang Weiming and rushed to the kitchen, leaving his neighbor with a dull look on his face.
"Hey, can we still play mahjong?"
"Beat." Grandma Jiang said firmly, "Wait for me and ask my third daughter-in-law to come over."
"There is a chef in their store who is very good at playing mahjong. My third daughter-in-law always plays mahjong with him during lunch break, and her skills are not bad at all!" (End of Chapter)