Chapter 145 New Year’s Day
January 2001, 1, New Year’s Day.
The term New Year's Day has existed since ancient times. In China, it represents January 1st of the Gregorian calendar. It is also commonly known as the New Year in most countries in the world. On the island, it is also commonly called the New Year.
Time flies, and before we know it, it's a new year again.
The calendar at home was also replaced last night, and the dragon pattern on the calendar was changed to a snake pattern.
For the other party, the year 2000 was very special. Not only did he enter junior high school, but his family also officially embarked on the path of mussel farming.
Like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, the impact of his rebirth began to gradually emerge, and many people and many things gradually became different from the trajectories of the past.
With the arrival of the new year, we naturally have to make persistent efforts! This feeling of everything being full of hope is probably the most wonderful experience after rebirth.
On the first day of 2001, Fang Wei got up early as usual.
The weather today is very good. The temperature is a little cold, but it doesn’t feel cold. Instead, it feels refreshing and clear.
Xu Cailing had not planned to run today, but he woke her up early and asked her to go for a morning run with him, on the pretext of watching the first sunrise of the new year.
The two ran all the way from Donghua Village and picked up Liu Zhiyi in Shayang Village. The three of them ran all the way to Xiaobaisha and saw the first sunrise of the new year as promised.
"Ahhhh——!"
"I want to grow five centimeters taller this year! And I want to be in the top ten in the class in the exam!"
Xu Cailing put her hands in front of her mouth and shouted her wishes loudly to the rising sun.
"Ahhhh——!"
"This year I want... I don't know what I want, I want them all!"
Liu Zhiyi followed suit and also expressed his wish.
"Ahhhh——!"
"I want them all too!" Fang Wei shouted.
Xu Cailing felt very disadvantaged. Seeing that they wanted everything, she hurriedly added: "Me too! Me too!"
After Greedy expressed his wish, the three of them ran back, frolicking and playing, basking in the sunshine.
When passing by Shayang Village, Fang Wei and Cai Ling couldn't resist Uncle Liu's request to stay, so they had breakfast together at Liu Zhiyi's house. The big steamed buns and salty bone porridge were delicious.
"Uncle, you and Zhiyi, come to my house for hotpot at noon! It will be more fun with more people!" Fang Wei invited.
"You young people are having fun, an old man like me won't join in the fun! Go ahead Zhiyi, it's okay to go early, and see if there is any work to help out." Uncle Liu said with a smile.
"Yeah." Liu Zhiyi nodded.
"Take this bag of glutinous rice cakes and eat them." Uncle Liu said as he brought over a bag of prepared glutinous rice cakes.
They are all made by him. The main ingredient is glutinous rice. He steams it and then pounds it in a stone mortar until it becomes soft and flexible. He then dips it in seasoning powder made of fried rice, peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, etc. It tastes flexible and sweet. Many families on the island have the habit of making glutinous rice cakes during festivals. It is considered a local snack with quite local flavor.
"Uncle, no need..."
"Hey, they're all homemade, you can take them over and try them! I think it's too sticky, it might stick to my uncle's teeth!"
Fang Wei smiled, was polite and didn't refuse.
Most of the interactions in the village are like this. If someone grows more vegetables than they can eat, their neighbors will give them some. If someone makes rice dumplings or rice cakes, they will pick a few and send them to each other.
The saying that a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor may not apply in big cities, but it is true on a small island.
"Uncle, let's go!"
"well."
Liu Liangxun laughed and watched his granddaughter go out with Fang Wei and Xu Cailing.
He was happy to see his granddaughter go out and exercise more. It was not good to stay at home all day. Ever since Zhiyi made friends with Fang Wei, Cailing and Asheng, the little girl had become much more cheerful than before.
……
Having just finished breakfast, the three of them stopped running and walked slowly together on the loess country road.
Xu Cailing was very proud, and the other party said, "See! This time you didn't even brush your teeth before eating breakfast!"
"…Is your focus a little off the track?"
"This shows that it is more scientific to eat breakfast before brushing your teeth."
"Okay, you win."
Listening to their boring topics, Liu Zhiyi couldn't help but laugh.
The girl was carrying the bag of glutinous rice cakes in her hand and walking slowly, her eyes more focused on the scenery along the way.
I still remember that when she was learning to ride a bicycle, she rode here. The weeds on both sides of the country road were green at that time, but now most of them have turned yellow.
Seeing Liu Zhiyi looking around like a curious baby, Xu Cailing asked curiously:
"Zhiyi, you haven't been to Donghua Village since that time except for the time I drove you there, right?"
"Um... um."
"what?!"
Xu Cailing was stunned by Liu Zhiyi's house. The island was not big to begin with. For Cailing, it was obviously quite incredible that she had only been to Donghua Village, which was so close, once.
Liu Zhiyi was also a little embarrassed. It was true that she had been here for such a long time, but except for the places she passed by on her way to school and the small white sandy beach where she ran every day, she had not been to most places on the island. She had reached a certain state of being a stay-at-home.
"No, Zhiyi, it seems I have to take you out for walks more often in the future!" Xu Cailing said seriously.
"Is it someone walking the dog?" Liu Zhiyi blinked.
"It's a stroll!"
If Zhiyi hadn't been pulled away by someone, Cai Ling had no doubt that he would stay at home forever.
……
Soon, the three of them arrived in front of two houses that were next to each other.
"Zhiyi, do you want to go to Fang Wei's house or mine?"
"Ah? Aren't we going to Fang Wei's house for hotpot?"
"It's still early. It won't be lunch time that soon. There's no rush to prepare the ingredients. Just find something to do." "Hmm..."
Liu Zhiyi thought about it and said, "Then I'll go to Cailing's house first!"
"Okay, wait for me to go back and brush my teeth and wash my face, then I'll ride my bike to take you for a stroll on the island!" said Xu Cailing.
"Uh-huh!"
"Then don't hang out too late, it's almost time to come back for hotpot."
"Know!"
The two girls went into the next room together.
Fang Wei ignored them and went back to the yard to brush his teeth, wash his face, water the vegetable garden and feed the chickens.
When he walked out from the chicken coop, two girls ran out from his living room laughing.
Fang Wei: “……?”
"You two climbed through my window again!"
"Cai Ling brought it!" Liu Zhiyi said.
"Zhiyi said he wanted to try it!" Cailing said.
Don't blame each other!
Before Fang Wei could figure out who was the leader of the trouble, the two girls pushed his bicycle out of the yard.
"No, wait, why are you riding my bike?!"
"Go out for a walk."
"Don't you have a car at home?"
"Your bike is new, and it's smoother to ride! Zhiyi, go faster..."
"..."
Under Fang Wei's speechless gaze, Liu Zhiyi sat astride the back seat of the bike, Xu Cailing stood up and pedaled, and the two girls rode his bike away.
……
A Sheng came over at around nine o'clock in the morning.
The two brothers played Contra together.
After playing for a few rounds, Tian Xilan came back from the dock buying vegetables after doing odd jobs at the farm.
We had hotpot together at noon today, so she bought a lot of dishes. Seeing the two brothers playing games, she called them over to join in the fun.
The two brothers did odd jobs, but as the family's chef, Tian Xilan did most of the work herself.
Hotpot is also called dabianshao here. In the winter, hotpot is the best way to liven up the atmosphere at a small gathering like this one.
The ingredients are mainly seafood. I buy them and process them myself. I kill the sea bass and slice it into thin slices, peel the prawns and make shrimp balls, and make cuttlefish into cuttlefish balls...
Ingredients such as scallops, oysters, clams, crabs, pork belly slices, radishes, tofu, and bok choy are also indispensable.
Compared to cooking for six or seven people, making hotpot together is actually less troublesome. You just need to prepare the ingredients.
While the two brothers were busy helping, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi came over with Wen Susu.
"Eh? Sister, how did you run into Cai Ling and the others?"
"Hahaha, I just happened to meet Cai Ling and the others on the way, so we came here together!"
Just like the day of the home visit, Wen Susu came by bicycle, but unlike the day of the home visit, this time she also bought a lot of fruits.
The fruits on the island are already expensive, not to mention it is winter. Wen Susu walked around the town for a long time before she picked out some good fruits.
"Teacher Wen, you are so polite! You just come over to have a meal and have some fun together. Why do you buy so many things..."
"Of course! Let's buy some and eat together! Auntie Tian, if you need any help, I'll help you."
"No, no, there's not much to do. It will be done soon."
Having said that, Wen Susu did not just sit there and watch. She squatted down and helped Fang Wei and the other three to pick onions, peel garlic, chop ginger, wash meat and vegetables.
This was her first New Year's Day spent on the island. Instead of going home to celebrate the holiday, she came to Fang Wei's home to celebrate it.
But it felt more lively than going home for the holidays. Everyone gathered around the shaking well, chatting and laughing, washing the ingredients in their hands, and preparing for the hot pot later.
As Fang Xianfeng returned from the dock, everyone was present, the ingredients were almost ready, and the hot pot was ready to begin.
The father and son moved the coffee table and moved the dining table to a more spacious place in the living room.
There was no induction cooker at home, so they used a gas stove when making hot pot. Fang Wei took out the small single-burner gas stove and placed it on the table. Fang Xianfeng placed the gas bottle under the table and connected the gas pipe. Tian Xilan brought out the pot of seafood soup from the kitchen, placed it on the stove, and lit the fire.
The flames licked the bottom of the pot, and soon the already boiling soup began to bubble up again. Before the ingredients were even added, the air was filled with a rich, fresh aroma.
"It smells so good! Auntie Tian, how do you make this soup?"
"Fry the fish bones and shrimp shells until fragrant, then add hot water to boil, the soup is especially white!"
Everyone worked together to bring the prepared ingredients to the table. Soon, the table was full.
"Hey! I almost forgot I bought a drink! Wei, that bottle of Coke is on my motorcycle, go get it."
"I'm going, I'm going!"
Ah Sheng ran to get the big bottle of Coke, dangling it on the motorcycle for a long time, and when he unscrewed the bottle cap, the soda inside spurted out.
Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi took over the task of pouring the drinks, Cailing was responsible for pouring the Coke, and Zhiyi was responsible for holding the cups.
Everyone gathered at the dining table and started to enjoy hotpot.
Looking at the people gathered in his home, Fang Wei couldn't help but smile.
It is probably a rare thing to have parents, teachers, childhood sweethearts, desk mates, and buddies sitting together at the table.
(End of this chapter)
