Tang Fan couldn't remember how long it had been since he had a full New Year.
Since his parents died early and his sister got married far away, he didn't pay much attention to this day. He was an official in the capital, and the holidays were even more deserted. He was used to staying in the house alone, watching It is a leisurely way of warming up the fire.
But habit is habit. In fact, when A-Dong happily posted Spring Festival couplets and made fruits, the long-lost memory that was deeply hidden in his memory was turned out again.
Although A-Dong is small, she is a girl after all. She is skilled at dressing up, and she thinks of things a lot more carefully. She is all alone in the house, and big men like Tang Fan and Suizhou will not think of anything but In addition to pasting the Spring Festival couplets, a few red lanterns should be hung under the corridor to increase the joy.
As the New Year is approaching, there are fewer and fewer things in Shuntian Prefecture, but Beizhen Fusi is busier and busier. Suizhou leaves early and returns late every day, and only Tang Fan can go home early to help.
But he wasn't the one to do housework at all, he couldn't find it even after wiping it with a rag, A-Dong pushed him straight out in disgust: "Brother, don't make trouble, just write the couplet, and Don't forget, write a few blessing characters in red, and stick one in each house."
Tang Fan smiled and said, "I wrote it earlier, I wrote it earlier, and I posted it all. My sister is not as verbose as you!"
He simply leaned on the pillar, watching A-Dong busy inside and out, and his heart was warm: "Let me go and help you boil some water? Or help to clean the pillar? The pillar is so high that you can't clean it, isn't it? Should I come?"
A-Dong was wiping the chair, when he heard the words, he gave him a roll of eyes in disgust: "As long as you don't wait to finish wiping and don't know where to put the rag, I'll be thankful!"
Tang Fan was cheerful and not angry: "Didn't I find it later? Then again, A-Dong, why do I think you've been so diligent these days that you're not so active in eating, are you trying to save me food? what?"
A-Dong stuck out his tongue: "No, it was Brother Sui who told me that day."
Tang Fan was surprised: "What did you say, why didn't I know?"
A-Dong smiled and said, "It's nothing, that is to say, you are working very hard in the yamen office. Let me not care about having fun and ignore you."
Tang Fan didn't expect Sui Zhou to remember this, obviously because he was ill when he was sitting on the threshold of the backyard that day and got sick because of the cold wind, so he kept talking about A-Dong in private.
But he also knew that A-Dong was not really having fun and forgot to cook for him, but during that time he was so busy that he went home and fell asleep. Often A-Dong cooked food, but he ate it outside and didn't come back. He didn't need to eat, and it ended up being wasted. A-Dong didn't know if he needed to go home for dinner that day, so he didn't do it. Now that those irregular days have passed, everything has returned to normal.
Hearing A-Dong say this, he felt a little guilty, and felt that Xiao A-Dong had taken the blame: "I'll talk to you, Big Brother Sui, another day."
"No need!" A-Dong was still smiling, "I know that Big Brother Sui will only talk about me because he treats me as a younger sister. If it's irrelevant, he won't even bother to talk about it! Although I'm young, I know that Who treats me well, like before, Mrs. Li, Sister Achun, and the others, who treat me well, I take each of them into my heart!"
Tang Fan joked, "Then who treats you badly?"
A-Dong shook his head: "Forget it! I used to be sold into the Li family as a slave, and those who sold me treated me badly, but now I forgot what they looked like, brother, didn't you tell me, remember to be grateful Don't hold grudges, so that you can be happy every day!"
Tang Fan laughed: "Yes! Oh, I'm really relieved to be the eldest brother, you remember every word I said, and seeing you are heartless, you thought you were thinking about eating every day! "
A-Dong gave him another big eyeball: "Eating is the most important thing, and everything else is the second most important. This is what you taught."
Tang Fan rolled his eyes from choking: "When did I teach you this kind of thing, so it's not a rice bucket?"
A-Dong smiled: "Yes, you are!"
Tang Fan grinned: "Okay, it's getting more and more unruly!"
The two were used to bickering on weekdays. A-Dong was not afraid of him at all. Hearing this, he made a face and continued to wipe the chair.
However, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this faction, the New Year has come unknowingly.
The New Year is now counted from the first day of the first lunar month, and the officials' holiday also begins on this day and ends on the fifth day of the first lunar month, for a total of five days.
Some people are going to ask, my God, is there such a short vacation at the end of the year
No, no, starting from the eleventh of the first lunar month, there will be a ten-day Lantern Festival holiday, which is the biggest holiday of the year.
However, if there is a nationwide natural disaster, the Lantern Festival will also be cancelled. The emperor's excuse is very high-sounding: the people below are all displaced, how can everyone still be in the mood for the festival? At this time, not only the officials' holidays will be canceled, but also the Lantern Festival that should be held in the capital on the days of the Shangyuan Lantern Festival.
Fortunately, this year finally passed peacefully. Although there were some disasters, it gradually subsided and did not extend to the New Year. Naturally, everyone's holidays do not need to be cancelled.
The biggest thing right now is the north side. I heard that just when Wang Zhi and the others just left Beijing, they really caught up with a group of Tatars who plundered the Datong area, and the official army rushed to the front line to fight. I don’t know what happened now. .
Although the holiday is only on the first day of the New Year's Eve, the yamen has basically been sealed since the day before New Year's Eve. Although I have to go to work on New Year's Eve as usual, the yamen is almost half empty. Some people who couldn't ask for leave also wandered around in the yamen, doing nothing, and before the time came, they closed the yamen early.
It was still dark, and there were not many pedestrians on the road. It was many times more depressed than usual. Everyone was rushing back to have a New Year's Eve dinner. The smell of hearty meals is heard from every household, and there are occasional laughter and laughter from children. It is much more lively than usual, and even from a distance, there are scattered firecrackers.
Before you know it, another spring comes.
The people work hard all year, and they are busy, just for the family reunion. An Ansheng sits down for a New Year's Eve dinner. If there are two more plates of fish and meat on the table, it will be the biggest reward for this year.
In this small three-entry house in the north of the city, there is more A-Dong this year, and Tang Fan doesn't need to spend the New Year alone anymore.
Although Suizhou moved out, he had his parents in the high hall, and naturally he had to go back for the reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year. He also invited Tang Fan and the others to eat together, but Tang Fan politely declined, saying that he and A-Dong were two People haven't spent the New Year together yet. This year is the first year, and the two brothers and sisters should have a good time.
Since he said so, Sui Zhou naturally did not force it, so he went to Sui's house for a reunion dinner, while Tang Fan and A-Dong stayed behind.
Tang Fan recognized A-Dong as a girl at first, but it was just out of A-Dong's request. At that time, Tang Fan couldn't bear to watch A-Dong go to other families, so that a little girl went to be a slave and a maid again, so she sold her Destroy her, restore her freedom, recognize her as a sister, and let this little girl have something to rely on in the future.
Of course, if A-Dong has a bad temperament or doesn't get along with him, Tang Fan will at most return her the deed of prostitution, or help her find a family to live in, and will never take her with him. After all, it is the fate of the two.
But since there was A-Dong, Tang Fan really didn't need to touch his hands, even the New Year's Eve dinner, because he helped cut vegetables and cut them into pieces, the little girl was kicked out of the kitchen and laughed at He was "born rich and honored", so Master Tang had to stand embarrassedly to help serve dishes and bowls. In front of the Admiral of the West Factory, Tang Tuiguan, who was able to talk eloquently without being inferior, is now being turned around by a little girl. But he was still warm and happy in his heart.
When the sky was completely dark, the table of the Eight Immortals was already full of dishes.
There were only two of them in Tang Fan, and Suizhou didn't come back to eat, so the dishes were limited, but they were just four dishes, one porridge and one snack.
But because the brothers and sisters of the Tang family are all foodies, and under the nitpicking of Master Tang, A-Dong's cooking skills have also improved a lot, and he has begun to learn to play with various tricks in cooking, so these four dishes and one soup, two meat and two vegetarian. , and is much more particular than ordinary people.
One of the meat dishes is pearl balls made of chicken breast, which can be eaten with sesame sauce, which is the most sweet and delicious.
There was also the honey roasted leg of lamb that made Mr. Tang greedy for a long time last time. A-Dong learned how to do it in Suizhou, and she actually tinkered with it. She said that the heat was not as good as that made by Suizhou, but anyway Tang Fan has never eaten Suizhou's food, but only Adong's food is full of praise.
There are also two vegetarian dishes.
One is vegetarian goose. The boiled yam, glutinous rice, winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc. are wrapped in yuba skin, and the whole piece is fried in a pot. When it is cooked, take it out and cut it into sections, and place them on a plate. tricks.
The task of laying the stack is very simple, A-Dong was too busy to leave, so he handed it over to Tang Fan. Other people's houses are honestly folded in three stages, and it's fine to arrange them neatly. As a result, Master Tang had to be ingenious and wanted to put a "year" character, but the craftsmanship was not good. This dish has also become the messiest looking dish in the New Year's Eve dinner.
There is also a fried gluten, but it is not cooked like ordinary people. Instead, it is fried with chicken soup, winter bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and when these three flavors penetrate into the gluten, this dish is even Great.
The main food is chicken soup porridge simmered with chicken soup and ham over a small fire. I bought a whole chicken, and the chicken breast was first brought out by A-Dong to make pearl dumplings. The rest was put into the soup and boiled for a full two hours. , Although there is only Tommy, no chicken, but in fact the essence is all in the chicken soup, the white soft glutinous porridge is slightly fragrant with chicken soup, and you can vaguely see sporadic minced ham. Fragrant.
After the meal, there are also melon and fruit desserts, which are candied oranges prepared by A-Dong in advance.
The share of two people, so even if it is very rich.
Tang Fan looked at this table of delicacies and sighed, "I haven't had a complete New Year's Eve dinner for many years!"
A-Dong asked curiously, "How many years has it been?"
Tang Fan thought for a while and said, "It's been at least seven or eight years. My parents died when I was thirteen, I was a middle-aged scholar when I was fourteen, and my eldest sister got married when I was fifteen, so I traveled away from home and took the imperial examinations. I was awarded a jinshi and became an official in the capital. This is not the case in seven or eight years. I still remember when I went back to see my sister last time, my nephew was still sloppy in his speech. Now it’s time for enlightenment. I don't know if you still remember me!"
A-Dong excitedly said, "Then I can be an auntie?"
Tang Fan burst into laughter: "Yes, my sister is a child born after she married for the past three years, she is five years old this year, she is three years younger than you, but she is a generation lower than you, waiting for him to grow up later. Must not be reconciled!"
A-Dong was happy for a while, and then a little worried: "But I'm not from a bad background. If I ask him to call me auntie, will it humiliate him?"
Tang Fan patted her on the head: "You are young, do you know what humiliation is? Don't use random words! Now that your surname is Tang, that is our Tang family. When you have time to go back to Jiangnan to worship ancestors, I will take you back. The name is added to the genealogy. Whether a person is noble or not depends not on his background, but on his character. The founding emperor of this dynasty is still a monk, and he is nowhere higher than you, and I have never seen him do this. Inferiority, now the world is not kneeling and worshipped by all people? Although you are a woman, don’t learn those bad habits of self-harm and self-pity.”
A-Dong nodded as if he didn't understand, and asked again, "Big brother, you taught me to read and write, but I'm stupid, so I can't learn it. Will it embarrass our Tang family? Is big sister good at reading?"
Tang Fan sneered: "Yeah, when your eldest sister was in the boudoir, she was also a talented woman, but I didn't let you study so that you could recite poetry and draw like your eldest sister, but to let you understand how to be a human being. The truth is, this does not require much knowledge, and when you can read those legendary texts, you will even be a teacher."
To say that Master Tang taught girls is really different. Others use the books of the sages as teaching materials. At worst, they have to be the Four Books of Women. He is good. He used the legendary words as a reference, and he is not afraid that the girls will learn badly.
But I heard Tang Fan say: "The principle of teaching people to get rid of evil and turn to good is the same everywhere. There are sages and sages in books, but there are not necessarily no books. I will pick two interesting books for you when you can read them thoroughly. When I can explain it, I won't have to stare at you and read."
A-Dong happily asked, "Okay, then if I still have time, can I learn Kung Fu from Brother Sui?"
Tang Fan was surprised: "You want to learn kung fu?"
A-Dong nodded: "I have been stronger than others since I was a child. Brother Sui also said that I have a good foundation and that I am suitable for learning Kung Fu. He also said that I am good at shaping up at my age. It will be too late in two years, when I learn Kung Fu. , in the future, when you go to the tree to pick locust leaves for cold scouring, don't rob me again, eldest brother!"
Others say that they have learned kung fu and have high aspirations. They must say that they will report to the emperor's family, become the champion of martial arts, and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy in the future. Even if A-Dong is a woman, it is good to talk about self-defense and fitness. In the end, a foodie is a foodie. Sentences are inseparable from nature.
But Tang Fan was very happy when he heard it, and actually said: "Okay, then we will plant two fruit trees in the yard, and we will give them all to you when we harvest!"
A-Dong's saliva flooded: "Then if you want to plant some pear trees and jujube trees, you can make a lot of snacks. I can make glutinous rice stewed pears and jujube mud cakes. Aunt Zhang next door taught me!"
Tang Fan smiled: "Okay, okay!"
The two of them talked happily, and they really weren't a family, and they didn't enter the same family.
The brothers and sisters chatted and laughed. After dinner, they cleaned up the tableware and chopsticks, and they were about to enter the custom of cooking the new year.
Ordinary people go to bed early at night, but there are exceptions. On the night of New Year's Eve, the whole family must stay until midnight. This is a custom passed down from ancient times, and it has not changed until now.
But the night is long and the kids can set off fireworks, and the adults have to come up with a lot of tricks to polish the time.
Now there are only two Tang Fan and A Dong in the family. It was a good New Year's Eve, and Tang Fan didn't want to spend it, so the two of them found some games to play.
Forget about playing chess, not to mention that A-Dong is too young to know anything, it is just a first glimpse of the door. The difference in strength between the two is too great, and it is not fun to play, so Tang Fan found a vase and some bamboo sticks. Play pot throwing, betting on who hits the most, five rounds count as a round, two wins in three rounds to win, and the loser has to stand at the door and learn to bark three times.
Tang Fan also had a childish innocence, so he played with A-Dong in high spirits.
As a result, after playing for a round, I found something was wrong, and quickly asked: "Why is your caliper so good, is it because of your talent?"
A-Dong was at a loss: "What is the talent cake, I didn't eat that!"
Tang Fan: "... Hehe, I think your daily reading task can be a little heavier. Does that mean that you are born so good at throwing pots?"
A-Dong said: "No, after I pestered Big Brother Sui to teach me kung fu, he gave me a small bow and asked me to shoot at the leaves every day. "
Tang Fan: "Then did you hit a leaf?"
A-Dong said embarrassedly, "The shot is a hit, but it's only one or two times out of ten, and it's still covered."
Tang Fan: "...I think it was a mistake from the time I proposed to pitch the pot with you."
A-Dong blinked: "Brother, do you want to default on your debt?"
Tang Fan said helplessly: "It's not bad, but can we negotiate, the bet is considered void?"
A-Dong looked confused on weekdays, and was quite cunning at the critical moment. Hearing the words, he said, "No, brother, you said that you must be faithful to your words, and promise a lot of money!"
Tang Fan slapped her on the head angrily: "I don't usually see you being so brilliant in my studies, but now I can tell allusions! The three rounds are not over yet, it's hard to say who wins and who loses!"
He was aroused to be competitive. However, sports talent is also a talent. It is not something that Master Tang can do if he wants to work hard. It is useless to struggle. The rules are now suffering.
A-Dong laughed and said, "Brother, I'm willing to admit defeat!"
Tang Fan naturally didn't want to let a little girl look down on him. He thought to himself that no one was outside in the big night. He opened the door and shouted twice. If anyone heard it, they would just think it was another dog barking. He said calmly: "It's natural to be willing to admit defeat. Your elder brother's words are counted. When did you regret it? You have to learn such an excellent character!"
A-Dong's behavior of selling melons and bragging about him only got A-Dong's face, and the little girl followed him, just to see him make a fool of himself.
Tang Fan opened the courtyard door, two red lanterns hung at the door, and there was a little more light in the shadows, but it seemed happy.
His heart slammed, and he shouted directly: "Wang! Wang! Wang!"
Before waiting for the last shout, there was already one more person in front of him, almost scaring Master Tang to death.
Taking a closer look, he realized that it was Suizhou.
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "..."
Master Tang suddenly felt ashamed and threw it to his grandmother's house.
The villain Tang Fan complained first: "Why are you here, not even a footstep!"
Suizhou said helplessly: "I've never made a sound when I walk, what are you doing standing at the door and learning how to bark!"
A-Dong's snickering came from behind, and Tang Fan blushed: "I lost the bet!"
Suizhou nodded and snorted: "What are you playing?"
"Throw the pot." Tang Fan said casually, and suddenly came back to his senses: "Why did you come back so early, aren't you watching the night there tonight?"
The two walked in one after the other, and Sui Zhou said, "No."
He didn't explain much, but Tang Fan was so smart, he knew that he must have suffered another run on the house, so he just came back after eating, so he didn't ask any more questions, just smiled: "Then come back just right, three Playing chess and cards alone is interesting, if I play with that girl, A-Dong, I won't be able to play, it's too easy to win!"
A-Dong grimaced at him: "Yes, so you chose the most difficult pitch, and you still lost!"
"Damn girl!" Tang Fan put on a hideous look, raised his hand and pretended to hit her, the little girl immediately smiled and ran away: "I'll keep watch tonight, I'll boil water and make tea for you!"
Sui Zhou watched the two of them fighting, a smile appeared on his face, and he thought it was better to come back, even if he didn't say anything, just looking at it like this, he felt happy.
If Tang Fan thought it was interesting to celebrate the first year after his family broke down, Suizhou did the same, and so did A-Dong.
The three have their own different experiences, but they are brought together by fate.
It is said that if you cultivate in ten years, you can cross the boat together, and if you can cultivate under the same roof, at least it must be a fate that has been cultivated for more than 50 years.
The three of them played chess and cards. With Suizhou joining in, it suddenly became more interesting. Both left and right were entertainment and relaxation. Tang Fan didn't have enough energy and had to kill all directions. Everyone won and lost, talking and laughing. Time passed without knowing it.
Midnight is approaching, and the sound of firecrackers from far and near is becoming more and more frequent. Firecrackers are set off not only to welcome the new, but also to remove the old. Therefore, many people will set off firecrackers after midnight, and they will also put a hanging before midnight to show that the old is getting rid of the old. ,Vientiane update.
Tang Fan and the others also bought firecrackers. Suizhou went out to order them, and A-Dong followed them with fireworks and set them off in the yard. The lively sound of firecrackers rang out in the alley. The splendid fireworks instantly illuminated the entire courtyard. A-Dong clapped his hands and laughed and laughed. Although there were only three of them, the atmosphere was booming.
After setting off firecrackers and fireworks, A-Dong ran to the kitchen to make dumplings.
The dumplings were already packed. The cabbage and pork stuffing and the Sanxian vegetarian stuffing were not specially distinguished. The white and tender dumplings rose and fell in the boiling water, and then they were brought up and served on the plate.
I saw that the dumplings on the plate included exquisite and beautiful top-quality dumplings, as well as crooked and crooked dumplings. Those defective dumplings were boiled with water, some of their skins were broken, and the stuffing inside was exposed, which was really appalling.
Master Tang is also thick-skinned, and said with a smile: "Ha, I think it was those fillings who wanted to see who was eating them, and ran out in a hurry!"
Sui Zhou and A-Dong looked at him together, although they didn't say a word, but that meant: shameless!
Master Tang turned a blind eye, stretched out his hand and picked one up, dipped it in vinegar and put it in his mouth, not forgetting to brag: "It's delicious, it shows that the people who make dumplings are really good at craftsmanship, you eat them too, watch what I do, come here. Come!"
Being thick-skinned to this extent can be regarded as reaching a new level.
The other two had nothing to say and had to bury their heads in the dumplings.
After a while, A-Dong spit out a copper coin from his mouth.
Tang Fan smiled and said, "I'm lucky to eat, and I will have great luck in the coming year!"
A-Dong was very happy, and happily wiped the copper coins and put them on the table.
After a while, Suizhou also got a copper coin.
Tang Fan and A-Dong also said congratulations as usual.
After a while, Tang Fan ate it himself.
Repeat it several times.
In the end, A-Dong couldn't be happy anymore and said depressedly, "Brother, how many coins did you put in it?"
Thirty dumplings came down from a plate, and the three of them ate almost 13 copper coins in total, except for the defective ones that were broken at the beginning.
The copper coins in the dumplings were originally intended for good intentions, but now they are so good that they almost slap their teeth every once in a while.
Tang Fan and Sui Zhou paid more attention, but that's fine. A-Dong almost broke a tooth and couldn't help crying.
The unscrupulous Master Tang looked at her like that, and laughed happily: "Didn't I never eat copper coins when I was young, so I put more now, lest I miss it, who told you to bite so hard when you eat it! "
Of course A-Dong was not to be outdone, and the two started fighting again, until Sui Zhou packed up the dishes and returned, and the little girl finally got a little sleepy.
"Brother, do you think we can live like this every year from now on?" The little girl sat next to Tang Fan, eagerly waiting for midnight.
"What do you think, Guangchuan?" Tang Fan rubbed her head, raised his head and asked Suizhou who just walked in.
"Yeah." Sui Baihu only responded, short and powerful.