Chapter 8: Celebrating the New Year
(Part 2)
The New Year is a major event for common folks, meticulously prepared by every household; for the Liu family, this piece of meat was exceedingly precious.
Gazing at the cured pork, its hue rosy and aroma rich, Hongmei, the Liu family’s daughter-in-law, expressed surprise: “Was this made by our neighbors?”
Grandmother Liu sighed: “I suppose so; Xiao’an would never know how to do such things.”
Hongmei: “This cured meat is excellent; it seems the maker is quite capable. I wonder how it was done? Our family has tried curing meat before, but we could never achieve such results.”
Of course, Grandma Liu knew it was good; that was precisely why she traded her family’s most precious old hen for it. Taking it for free? That was something she would never do.
“Curing meat may seem like a small matter, but on a larger scale, it’s quite a skill; let’s not pry into it.”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Hongmei’s face: “Mother, that’s not what I meant. I just found it somewhat surprising that our neighbors previously seemed disinclined to live harmoniously with Song’an, yet now they appear differently.”
In truth, not only did the daughter-in-law think so, but Grandma Liu shared the same view. After three months of marriage, the young woman neither showed herself nor spoke much; how could one consider this living properly? Moreover, having seen her, it was evident she came from a wealthy family. Though not necessarily noble, she might well belong to a merchant household; certainly, she had not grown up in the countryside.
One would have expected her hands never to have touched spring water, yet unexpectedly, she knew how to cure meat.
“Never mind. When Song’an decided to marry, we all foresaw this. It’s a matter between the couple; we shouldn’t interfere. It’s just hard on Song’an, though fortunately he is capable.”
Hong Mei: “That makes sense. Song’an has had it tough all these years on his own. Let’s hope they both fare well.”
Granny Liu turned and went inside. With noon approaching, it was time to start preparing the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.
Yuan Yao was also busy. The “her” Granny Liu referred to wasn’t the current her. Over the past four years, Yuan Yao had gained considerable experience in both the prefectural capital and the imperial capital. Not to mention her shrewdness and capability in business, she had also learned numerous recipes for the kitchen. Take this dish of lotus root sandwiches, for instance; Jiang Song’an had never even seen anything like it before.
Two slices of lotus root were cut but not completely separated in the middle, intentionally left connected so they opened up like a little pouch. Meat filling was then stuffed inside. Jiang Song’an chuckled, “Isn’t this how dumplings are made? The lotus root slices have become the dumpling wrappers.”
Yuan Yao shot him a glance. When she was busy, she didn’t feel like dealing with men, yet her hands never stopped moving. The lotus root sandwiches, now filled, were rolled in beaten egg, coated with flour, and then dropped into the hot oil. Sizzle! Bubbles immediately began to form.
Jiang Song’an and the three little ones widened their eyes.
“This is called lotus root sandwich, also known as ‘ever-smiling’,” Yuan Yao explained at that moment.
Hearing this name and seeing their eldest sister lift the split-open lotus root sandwiches from the pot, everyone burst into laughter.
Yuan Shuang remarked, “How vivid!”
Yuan Qi: “It smells so good…”
Yuan Yao smiled. With meat, oil, and eggs all going into this dish, how could it not be fragrant? If it weren’t for the New Year and the auspicious meaning behind its name, she might not have been willing to make it at all!
Jiang Song’an, who had been standing quietly to the side, said nothing. When Yuan Yao glanced at him, she discovered that the man was actually drooling over the freshly fried lotus root sandwiches just taken out of the wok.
Yuan Yao: “…”
“Everyone out! Don’t hinder my cooking; soon you’ll be dripping saliva all over the place!”
Helplessly, the few of them were ushered out of the kitchen. Yuan Yao was even making jokes now, a clear sign of her excellent mood. She couldn’t help but press her lips together in a faint smile. That subtle smile alone made Jiang Song’an freeze on the spot. However, after a moment, he realized his awkwardness and immediately led the three little ones outside.
“Let’s go reinforce the chicken coop!”
“Hooray!”
Hearing that they were going to repair the chicken coop, all three grew excited!
Yuan Yao continued preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Though the family’s circumstances were far from ideal, Yuan Yao still managed to prepare a decent spread of dishes. Yesterday’s New Year pig had been partly cured into preserved meat, but she had also set aside some fresh portions, making full use of every part.
Pig’s trotters were a true treasure; whether braised or stewed, they were utterly delicious. While pork was generally considered less refined than mutton, everything changed that year in the capital when an imperial physician suddenly claimed that eating pig’s trotters could make a woman’s skin plump and delicate enough to break at a touch. This caused quite a stir: many noble ladies secretly developed a craving for them. Gnawing on trotters might be deemed unladylike, yet no one could resist their irresistible aroma!
Yuan Yao loved them too.
Next came the braised intestines, a dish often deemed too humble for the table. Yet Yuan Yao once learned from an elderly northern woman a method to clean them thoroughly. Surprisingly, not only was there no off-putting odor, but when stir-fried with aromatic spices and chili peppers, the bold, numbingly spicy flavor was so intense it could practically blow the roof off the kitchen!
Fried lotus root sandwiches, braised pig’s trotters, stir-fried intestines, plus cured pork stir-fried with garlic sprouts, and a simple soup of cabbage and tofu—this made up a lavish New Year’s Eve dinner that many could only dream of. Finally, a dish of plain stir-fried cabbage was added, ensuring a serving of fresh vegetables, and the whole family prepared to begin their meal.
“Dinner’s ready!”
This cheerful call came from Yuan Shuang. The little girl, who until now had never spoken so loudly in all this time, was simply overjoyed!
Recalling how last year during the New Year they could barely afford rice, now they could see plates and bowls brimming with meat! And since today was indeed the New Year, their joy nearly made them take flight!
Jiang Song’an had bought some firecrackers when he went out yesterday; though not many, they were enough. Amid the eager anticipation of the entire family, he lit the fuse. Soon, amidst a crackling burst of sound and sparks illuminating the night, the eyes of those in the courtyard brightened as well.
It was already dark now; “New Year’s Eve dinner” truly lived up to its name.
After the firecrackers finished, the whole family gathered around the dining table.
Gazing at the braised pig’s trotters, their color a rich red and their texture crystal clear, the three sisters could barely suppress their drooling, yet they forced themselves to hold back; after all, their brother-in-law had not yet picked up his chopsticks. Jiang Song’an was equally tempted, but Yuan Yao had not yet spoken…
In that moment, one could almost discern the family hierarchy just from the scene at the dining table.
Yuan Yao herself paused briefly, a flicker of amusement dancing across her brows: “Why are you all staring? Eat!”
Only then did the entire family hastily reach for their chopsticks.
This demeanor doesn’t resemble that of a family settled in town; it looks more like they’re fleeing disaster.
Yuan Yao sighed helplessly. Although she wouldn’t demand so much from her younger sisters in this lifetime, basic etiquette for young ladies was still necessary. Seeing that Yuan Shuang and Yuan Qi were behaving perfectly fine, it was only Yuan Li who…
With her face contorted and teeth bared, Yuan Yao felt a headache coming on.
Yuan Li had sauce smeared all over her mouth; the moment she looked up, she caught her eldest sister staring at her.
“Eldest Sister…?”
Remembering that today was the Lunar New Year, Yuan Yao ultimately said nothing: “Eat…”
Yuan Li: “Eldest sister, you eat too!”
Yuan Yao had a small appetite, and the three sisters couldn’t eat much either, so most of the meat ended up in Jiang Song’an’s stomach. As the family’s main provider, he deserved it. In the end, Yuan Yao ladled him a bowl of soup, saying, “Save some room; we’ll be having dumplings shortly.”
The whole family froze again in surprise.
Dumplings…?
After eating so much meat today, they were still going to have dumplings!!
The three sisters’ eyes instantly lit up again—no, wait, four pairs of eyes, for it was dumplings, something Jiang Song’an hadn’t enjoyed in quite some time either.
Yuan Yao remained composed and simply replied with an “Mm.” “The dough is ready. Everyone come help shortly; no slacking off.”
“No slacking! We love making dumplings the most!” the three sisters exclaimed in unison.
After finishing their New Year’s Eve dinner, the whole family gathered together to make dumplings while staying up to welcome the new year.
Jiang Song’an had somehow procured a small flask of wine and, with a smile, asked Yuan Yao if she would like some.
Yuan Yao shook her head. Though she had no fondness for alcohol, she said nothing; as long as a man avoided vices like gambling, a little drink was hardly worth mentioning.
The whole family sat quietly in the main hall, making dumplings together. Outside, the wind and snow grew heavier, reminiscent of Chang’an City, yet this was Shenmu Town, a thousand li away from the capital.
Yuan Yao couldn’t make sense of what had happened, but she understood one thing: since fate had brought her here, she must accept it; Heaven’s arrangements always served a purpose.
There was, however, one drawback—it was far colder here than in Chang’an.
Shenmu Town lay in the south, where every household used wooden beds and warmed themselves in winter with charcoal braziers. Not having slept on a northern kang before was fine, but now that she had experienced its warmth, this winter felt utterly unbearable.
Yuan Yao sat for a while until her legs grew cold; she bent down and added two more pieces of firewood to the brazier.
Jiang Song’an noticed and asked, “Cold?”
Yuan Yao didn’t pretend otherwise; she simply nodded.
Jiang Song’an got up, went outside, and brought in several more logs. Judging by the wind and snow tonight, it wouldn’t stop anytime soon, so he wanted to avoid having to get up in the middle of the night and catch a chill.
“There are some differences. The South doesn’t have kang beds; if we had a large earthen kang bed with a kang table like in the North, the room would be much warmer.”
Yuan Yao suddenly looked up. “You know about kang beds? Were you in the North before?”
Jiang Song’an hadn’t expected her to know about them either, especially since Yuan Yao appeared to be a typical Southern girl. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “My family fled here from the North during the famine.”
Yuan Yao immediately fell silent.
Fleeing from disaster, huh…
No wonder.
She had long suspected that Jiang Song’an was not a local; tall and imposing, with no parents or relatives to speak of, it made perfect sense that he might have arrived as a refugee. Recalling that war had broken out in the north three years ago, she wondered if that was when he had fled here.
Just as she felt curious about Jiang Song’an, he too was curious about her.
“Does your home also have a kang?”
Yuan Yao was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. “No, I’ve only read about them in storybooks.”
Jiang Song’an was even more surprised. “You read books?”
Yuan Yao pressed her lips together and nodded.
Jiang Song’an suddenly felt a pang of inferiority.
No wonder she had suggested sending Xiao Qi to school; it turned out she could read herself. In these times, a girl who knew how to read was either a young lady from a wealthy family or one born into a scholarly household.
He wondered what had brought her to Shenmu Town.
Jiang Song’an suddenly felt curious and wanted to ask, but before he could open his mouth, Yuan Li’s voice reached him.
“Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law, look! I caught a fish!”
Yuan Yao glanced over and found it quite impressive; she couldn’t help but smile and say, “Not bad, keep up the good work.”
The question Jiang Song’an had wanted to ask was thus interrupted.
Yet, with plenty of time ahead, he didn’t dwell on it too much. As the whole family wrapped dumplings together while staying up to welcome the New Year, the wait until midnight wasn’t so hard to endure.
Shenmu Town saw few fireworks set off, yet there was still enough to bring joy. Everyone in the household thought Jiang Song’an had bought only one string of firecrackers, but unexpectedly, as if performing a magic trick, he suddenly produced another one.
The three sisters’ eyes lit up: “Brother-in-law!”
Amid the family’s eager anticipation, Jiang Song’an smiled as he took out a fire starter and handed it to Yuan Yao. “Shall I light it?”
Yuan Yao hesitated for a moment before accepting it. “Then I’ll light it myself.”
“Go ahead. The fuse is long enough; it won’t hurt you.”
Yuan Yao nodded.
The second firecracker of the Jiang household crackled loudly at midnight; with the sound of firecrackers, the old year passed and the new one arrived. Yuan Yao slowly curved her lips into a smile.
What a wonderful day this truly is.
–
After the firecrackers were set off, the three little ones could no longer stay awake and went to bed early. Yuan Yao was so drowsy that her upper and lower eyelids kept fighting each other.
Winters in the south are indeed cold; even with a warming bottle placed in the bed beforehand, the chill still lingers, though only for a short while.
When Jiang Song’an approached from behind, the very air around them seemed to grow scorching hot.
He wrapped his arms around Yuan Yao and whispered something into her ear.
Half-asleep, Yuan Yao only caught his words: “Indeed, there are no heated brick beds here, but as long as I am with you, you will not freeze.”