Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As the Winter Solstice approached, Yezhi, after school, pulled Zhang Ling to the Vegetable Store for a big meat purchase. Yezhi wasn't sure if people in Northeast China celebrated the Winter Solstice, but in her hometown, it had become increasingly important over the years. As long as it was the Winter Solstice, all the lamb restaurants would be bustling. If you didn't make a reservation in advance, you would just have to stand by and watch.
"Sister Ye, what is the Winter Solstice? Why do we have to eat dumplings?" Zhang Ling asked, carrying two pounds of mixed pork. Yezhi held two large white radishes and a bunch of tender green onions as they walked slowly through the snow.
Yezhi was surprised. Could it be that people in Northeast China didn't celebrate the Winter Solstice? That couldn't be true; it was a traditional Chinese festival. "Sister, doesn't your family celebrate it?" Zhang Ling tilted her head and thought for a moment. "My family has never celebrated it. I did see Lu Xiaoli's family making dumplings before."
It turned out that she was the only one excited about it; everyone else seemed completely indifferent. No wonder the Vegetable Store and meat shop weren't as crowded as she had imagined. Earlier, she had worried about not being able to buy meat and had asked Xiao Fang to spend a lot of money on a leg of lamb from the Cosmic Mall Website. Now it seemed she had overdone it a bit, but whatever, as long as she was happy.
Yezhi enthusiastically told Zhang Ling about the origins and customs of the Winter Solstice. "Sister, the Winter Solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms and one of the most important ones... After the Winter Solstice, we enter the coldest days of winter... The dietary customs on this day vary across regions..." Zhang Ling listened with great interest. She still didn't know that on this day: people in old Beijing eat wontons, Northerners eat dumplings, Southerners eat lamb and tangyuan, and some even eat dog meat.
As they entered the alley where Lin's family lived, an elderly woman greeted Yezhi warmly. "Little Lin's family is back! Wow! Buying so many vegetables; are you hosting guests?"
Yezhi particularly disliked being called "Little Lin's family," but this elderly woman never changed her ways. Yezhi had been living in Lin's house for over a month and had never initiated a greeting with anyone. Until recently, when Xiaobinzi was at home recovering from an injury, neighbors brought oranges and Frozen Pears to visit him. After Yezhi served tea and water during their visits, the nickname "Little Lin's family" stuck to her. The neighbors began chatting with Yezhi frequently, which felt like poking a hornet's nest; they often came over to chat about trivial matters or borrowed salt or vinegar—most often they borrowed the bathroom! There was no choice; besides a public restroom at the end of the alley, only Lin's house had a small toilet. She cleaned it every day, but it remained dirty; if Xiaobinzi hadn't volunteered to help clean it, Yezhi would have kicked out those borrowing the bathroom! In truth, she really wanted to do that but held back for Xiaobinzi's sake. Fortunately, she would be returning to Zhoujiatun in just a few days.
Yezhi nodded at the elderly woman and jogged back to Lin's house with Zhang Ling. She closed the door tightly and started working in the kitchen with Zhang Ling.
Zhang Ling kneaded dough and rolled out dumpling wrappers while Yezhi cut half of the leg of lamb into pieces, soaked them in cold water for a while, then boiled them to remove blood before adding water for slow cooking along with some orange peels and locally grown white radish. Soon, a fragrant aroma filled the air.
"Sister Ye, it smells so good! I think lamb is only delicious when it's skewered; stewed soup always has a strange smell! Why doesn't this one?" Zhang Ling sniffed curiously.
Yezhi picked up an orange peel. "This is our secret weapon." Zhang Ling asked Yezhi how to make lamb soup, and Yezhi shared all her knowledge.
Once Yezhi mixed together lamb with green onions and pork with cabbage for dumpling filling, she started wrapping dumplings with Zhang Ling. The dumpling wrappers made by Zhang Ling were thick in the middle and thin at the edges while being uniform in size—something Yezhi could never achieve. In her past experiences, she either went to Harbin Dumpling Shop or settled for frozen dumplings; her memories of wrapping dumplings were from childhood when she used special transparent plastic molds: place a wrapper inside, add filling, press down with both hands, and a plump dumpling would take shape.
When Xiaobinzi and Zhang Dou returned from work and rushed into the kitchen, their presence significantly sped up the dumpling-wrapping process. Freed from wrapping duties, Yezhi added a small handful of goji berries into the lamb soup and washed various dried mushrooms, bean curd skin, and vermicelli before preparing simple seasonings: some green peppers and slightly spicy chili powder mixed with salt, MSG, sesame seeds, and chopped green onions for dry dipping sauce. The only regret was not being able to buy Sichuan peppercorns; otherwise, it would have been even more fragrant. In fact, Yezhi's favorite was still doubanjiang mixed with southern-style fermented tofu ingredients—just like Sichuan peppercorns; they were also unavailable—a real pity.
Everything was ready. Yezhi instructed Xiaobinzi to borrow a stool from the neighbor. Not long after borrowing the stool, Uncle Zhang and Auntie arrived at the Lin family home, carrying two cans of fruit. "Uncle Zhang, Auntie, you could have just come without bringing anything," Yezhi said with a smile as she took the cans. Xiaobinzi welcomed Uncle Zhang and Auntie into the house, while Yezhi and Zhang Ling busily prepared dumplings. Zhang Dou brought a large pot of lamb soup to the table and soon jumped into the kitchen, urging Yezhi and the others to hurry up. Yezhi replied irritably, "What are you rushing for? The dumplings aren't cooked yet; how can we serve them?" Zhang Dou scratched his nose, waiting for Yezhi's orders.
Yezhi and Zhang Dou each carried a plate of dumplings into the room. Uncle Zhang and Auntie sat at the table, while Xiaobinzi and Zhang Dou took seats on either side, with Yezhi and Zhang Ling squeezed together.
Zhang Dou was the most eager, quickly taking a sip of soup that burned his mouth. Auntie couldn't stand seeing Zhang Dou so impatient and gave him a couple of hard taps. "You little rascal, why are you in such a hurry? Your dad hasn't even picked up his chopsticks yet; you have no manners." Zhang Dou yelped from his mother's hits, making everyone laugh.
Xiaobinzi brought out a bottle of Moutai from inside and poured some for Uncle Zhang and Zhang Dou. Auntie waved her hand to decline, saying that Zhang Ling was too young for it. Xiaobinzi clearly had no intention of pouring any for Yezhi either. Yezhi became anxious; she had never tried Moutai before. She held up her empty bowl and extended it towards Xiaobinzi. "It's a holiday today, and you're still recovering from your injury. Let me keep you company while you drink with Uncle Zhang and Zhang Dou to celebrate." What a grand reason!
Yezhi raised her glass, saying, "Uncle Zhang, Auntie, Zhang Dou, sister, Xiaobinzi, I'm very happy to know you all. I toast to you; Auntie, sister, Xiaobinzi, just enjoy your soup!" After saying this, Yezhi downed her drink in one go. What good wine! Compared to the several thousand yuan Wuliangye, Moutai's sauce aroma was more to her liking—elegant and delicate in flavor with a full-bodied richness and lingering aftertaste; the aroma of Moutai was endless. Such good wine should be bought more for collection when she has the chance.
The meal was lively. Uncle Zhang and Auntie praised the lamb soup endlessly. Indeed, Cosmic Mall sold only top-quality products; the lamb was extremely fresh without any gamey smell. The orange peels Yezhi added along with various methods to remove the gamey taste were actually unnecessary and somewhat detracted from the lamb's inherent flavor. After everyone finished off the lamb and radishes, they boiled some dried mushrooms, tofu skin, and vermicelli before finally enjoying bowls of hot soup sprinkled with green onions—especially warm and comfortable! Zhang Dou stuffed the last three pork and cabbage dumplings from his plate into his mouth, patted his belly happily, and said, "So delicious! If we could eat like this every day, we'd be so happy!" After saying this, he shot a sour glance at Xiaobinzi.
After sending off the Zhang family members, Xiaobinzi went next door to return the stool while Yezhi cleaned up the kitchen. There were still many dumplings left that she and Zhang Ling had made but not cooked yet. Yezhi had already planned to make potstickers in the morning paired with creamy oat porridge—it would definitely whet their appetites. However, her good mood only lasted until Xiaobinzi returned.
Yezhi watched as Zhao Yueying from next door followed behind Xiaobinzi holding a porcelain spittoon with an unhappy expression on her face. Zhao Yueying was a tenant from the neighboring courtyard who had been coming over daily since they started talking; she often used their toilet without flushing it properly or sometimes missing entirely—causing quite an unpleasant smell. In fact, it wasn't just Zhao Yueying who had this habit; many who borrowed their toilet did too—even though Yezhi had prepared a large bucket of water for them beforehand. They ignored it completely when she gently reminded them to flush after use. Within two days, rumors spread around the alley that Lin's daughter-in-law didn't know how to manage household matters; Zhao Yueying was particularly vocal about it.
"The Lin family is making delicious food again today; we could smell that meat fragrance all the way at the alley entrance—it’s making us drool," Zhao Yueying said as Yezhi forced a smile and retreated into the house.
Lin Haitao frowned seriously and said sternly, "Comrade Zhao, if you keep talking nonsense about 'the Lin family,' don't come back!" Yezhi chuckled quietly while eavesdropping inside; it was useless—these people feared his cold demeanor but still gossiped behind his back.
Zhao Yueying seemed genuinely afraid of Officer Lin's stern face; she stopped talking after finishing her business in their toilet and left with a mumbled "thank you."
Time flew by quickly; today was the last day of 1980. Teacher He announced that there would be no classes for New Year's Day holidays. Yezhi decided to go home for the holiday; she happily walked out of the classroom with Zhang Ling only to find Sun Dajiang squatting at the classroom door. Yezhi felt troubled—Sun Dajiang had come looking for her multiple times now; each time she brushed him off more than before—yet he seemed undeterred!
"Comrade Sun!"
Sun Dajiang stood up and smiled brightly at Leaf Sister, "It's vacation time, right? I'm here to take you back to Zhoujiatun."
Lu Xiaoli perked up her ears to eavesdrop. The more she listened, the more she felt that Leaf Sister was quite lucky. On such a cold day, someone had come all the way to the city just to take her home.
"No need, you go about your business. Someone is driving me home; it's faster and more comfortable. Riding in a carriage is cold and slow..." Yezhi feigned disdain.
Sun Dajiang suppressed his anger. Could it be that the County Party Secretary's son was really pursuing Leaf Sister? He felt confident against Xiao Cheng, that pretty boy, but compared to the Secretary's son...
"Indeed, a car is better. Then Leaf Sister, you should take the car home!" Sun Dajiang didn't want to offend the Secretary's son and decided to step back.
Once Sun Dajiang walked away, Yezhi sighed in relief and happily pulled Zhang Ling back to the Lin family. Unbeknownst to her, Sun Dajiang had been following her from behind.
"Auntie, I want to ask where Leaf Sister lives!" Sun Dajiang trailed behind Yezhi into the alley where the Lin family lived.
"Who is Leaf Sister?"
"The one you just greeted, the girl on the left is my sister, Yezhi." The aunt suddenly understood, "Oh! You mean the girl from the Lin family."
The aunt still had a sense of caution and scrutinized Sun Dajiang for a moment. "You say she's your sister; how come you don't know where she lives?"
Sun Dajiang sighed, "My sister has been having some trouble with our family over her relationship..." Before he could finish, the aunt exclaimed in surprise, "What! Your family doesn't agree? No wonder there hasn't been a banquet or why she isn't living at home. Sigh! Young man, listen to me; Xiao Lin is a good young man. They make a great couple. You should persuade your parents not to be so stubborn; after all, she's their own daughter."
As Sun Dajiang listened, he clenched his fists tightly. Hearing that Yezhi was living with a man made him curse under his breath, "Shameless!" He then stormed off, ignoring the stunned aunt.
Comment 0 Comment Count