My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 236 Full Moon Wine

"Hello everyone, this is 11:00 AM Beijing time. Welcome to today's 'Hourly News Report.' Here are today's top political news..."

Inside a pavilion in the bamboo grove, on a stone table, sits a brand-new radio, emitting the magnetic voice of a male radio host.

Chen Ling and a group of people stood or sat around the radio, listening quietly. After listening to a segment of domestic news, Liang Yuemin turned down the volume and looked at Chen Ling, saying, "How's it going, Fugui? Are you satisfied with this radio?"

"Satisfied, very satisfied." Chen Ling nodded repeatedly, then expressed his gratitude to Liang Yuemin.

"Are you satisfied now? You have such a big farm, and you don't even have a TV. You can't even watch TV when you want to. How boring is that..."

Liang Yuemin glanced at him helplessly. Chen Ling's son was turning one month old, and he and Liu Yinhuan originally wanted to give him a television as a gift. However, Liang Hongyu objected, saying that televisions were too valuable in the mountains, and it would be difficult for Chen Ling to accept them. So they decided to forget about it.

So he picked out a top-quality radio in the city and brought it back.

"I wanted to buy a TV last year, but the signal here is bad, and I can only get a few channels. The electricity in my farm is also not very good. It would be better to put it in the county town, where the signal is better, but I don't go there often. I'll wait a bit longer."

As Chen Ling spoke, he pointed to the power lines outside the farm for the group to see. The voltage at the farm was unstable, and there were frequent power outages these days. In addition, there were signal problems, so the TV they bought wouldn't be able to be used. Even if they could watch it, the viewing experience would be poor. Having experienced the baptism of future internet TV, he felt it was better not to buy one.

As for the radio, we used to have one at home, but it broke down and we neither repaired it nor bought a new one.

He and Wang Susu usually just read books and newspapers, which they thought was enough, and they had never thought about this matter before.

"The electricity here is really bad."

Zhao Dahai said, "Then you'll have to wait a little longer. In two months at most, we'll come and install the new transformer for your county."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yuemin asked, "Has the township replaced it with a new one? I bought a TV for my father-in-law's family during the Spring Festival. It's actually not bad. It just doesn't receive many channels, and power outages are rare."

These days, transformers are updated and replaced extremely slowly. Technological innovation can't keep up, transformers are difficult to use, noisy, and require frequent repairs when it's windy or rainy. In such cases, a power outage of two or three days is considered short.

Fortunately, there were few electrical appliances in rural areas at that time, and people were used to using candles and kerosene lamps for lighting. For most households, the presence or absence of electricity did not have a significant impact.

Even if there is electricity, it's so expensive that I can't bear to use it all day.

Zhao Dahai shook his head: "They didn't replace it with a new one. They just did a major overhaul for them last year when they were installing high-voltage power lines. It looks better than other places."

“I see, that explains it.” Liang Yuemin nodded.

Chen Ling laughed and said, "I'm not in a hurry for a TV or anything. A radio is enough. I can listen to storytelling at noon, opera in the afternoon, and the weather forecast and storytelling in the evening. I can listen to Rui Rui grow up all the time."

As the group chatted, several children followed behind Wang Zhenzhen, laughing and hopping as they walked out of the farm. Their childish laughter attracted the attention of the adults.

"Where are you guys going again? It's almost noon and you're still running around." Chen Ling called them back.

“Our brother-in-law doesn’t run around, but Mom told us to go pick some watermelons.”

"Oh, you're picking watermelons? Go ahead, but come back quickly after you've picked them. It's so hot outside, don't play around too much."

"Know it."

After Liang Yuemin's family arrived today, Little Fatty and Little Chestnut joined the group of Boy Scouts. From the moment they got off the bus until now, they've been catching fish and shrimp, climbing trees to steal birds' nests, and playing non-stop.

If we don't remind them, they'll definitely play around while picking watermelons and won't be able to finish picking them all in a long time.

Sure enough, with Chen Ling's reminder, they quickly returned carrying watermelons.

These watermelons were seeds left over from the watermelons that Chen Ling improved last year with spiritual water. He didn't have time to take care of them this year, so he let them grow freely, and they turned out quite well.

Aside from the relatively thick rind, the melon tastes and feels quite good. When cut open, the flesh is firm, juicy, and its bright red color is extremely tempting.

"Come on, let's eat watermelon! Today's watermelon is from Xishan. It's not exposed to the sun, so it tastes great without needing to be soaked in cold water."

Chen Ling greeted everyone. There were quite a few people today, so he cut three large watermelons in one go. Adults and children alike held slices of watermelon and ate to their hearts' content.

"Wow...wow..."

They were eating cool and delicious watermelon downstairs when Rui Rui suddenly burst into tears upstairs.

"Goodness, he must be angry because we ate watermelon without inviting him," Wang Qingwen said with a laugh, wiping the juice from the corner of his mouth.

Everyone laughed when he said that.

After laughing, Su Li changed her words: "It's gotten hot again these past few days. I'll take two slices of watermelon up to Su Su. Can Su Su eat watermelon?"

"Yes, I can eat it. I'm almost out of confinement, so eating a few slices of watermelon is fine, as long as it's not too cold," Chen Ling said.

Tomorrow is the baby's one-month birthday, and Wang Susu will be out of her postpartum confinement period. She can now get out of bed and walk around, and can also eat some of the things she couldn't eat during her pregnancy.

However, since Rui Rui is breastfeeding, Wang Susu, as a mother, still has to avoid certain foods.

"Alright, the watermelon wasn't soaked in cold water today, so Susu should be able to eat it." Su Li picked up two slices of watermelon and handed them over.

The eldest sister-in-law went upstairs, and the second sister-in-law quickly got up, picked up a few pieces of watermelon and said, "I'll give some to our mother and Aunt Hongyu as well."

Two elderly women were busy picking and washing vegetables and tidying up the kitchen behind the farm.

The other women had just come downstairs and, having finished eating the watermelon, sat under the eaves of the bamboo house, helping Chen Ling peel the watermelon.

After peeling off the greenish-yellow skin and scraping off the parts that people leave behind, the remaining white part of the melon becomes the ingredient for today's dish.

"Uncle, can I order from the menu you wrote down for Aunt?"

Xiao Tongtong took down the calendar hanging in the kitchen and ran over, looking at him expectantly with her round eyes.

"Sure, you order. Whatever you want to eat, your uncle will make it for you."

Chen Ling was happy to oblige his two nephews' requests, as long as they weren't unreasonable.

"I want to eat pickled fish, twice-cooked pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, oh, and spicy chicken, crayfish, braised snails, and hot pot chicken..."

Xiao Tongtong read out two or three dish names, and the chubby boy and Chestnut next to him whispered to him to add more.

Chen Ling was speechless. Apart from the first three dishes, the others were not on the menu, and Wang Susu couldn't eat those things at all when she was pregnant.

“You guys are really good at ordering. It’s almost noon, and we haven’t had time to make anything except for the pickled fish and twice-cooked pork. How about I make you two other cold dishes? How about Sichuan peppercorn shredded chicken and cold-served rabbit? Your grandma started marinating the rabbit this morning, just for you.”

"Row."

The little creatures nodded vigorously without stopping for a moment, swallowing their saliva, thinking that everything Chen Ling described tasted delicious.

"You dare to make demands of your uncle? Go help him kill fish later!" Wang Qingzhong lifted his son and nephew up with his arms, swung them around twice, making them laugh until they were panting.

Then he took a fishing net to the lotus pond to catch fish.

Wang Qingwen, along with Zhao Dahai and Shanmao, went to catch and kill chickens.

Chen Ling went to the kitchen behind the farm to start preparing the dishes.

On a hot day, soup dishes like pickled fish are fine, but spicy ones are okay if there are only a few people. However, if there are too many people, it's not pleasant to eat together in a steaming hot mess.

He walked over, and Qin Rongxian and his son followed to help.

The three of them started by making vegetarian dishes and cold dishes.

For vegetarian dishes, we had stir-fried cabbage, bitter melon with eggs, and loofah with green beans. The farm's vegetables were all ready-made, and the women had already picked and washed them.

Cold dishes include things like mung bean jelly, mixed shredded vegetables, cucumber and tomato salad, etc.

The cold dishes can be made by Qin Rongxian and his son; it's simple and quick.

Chen Ling then started a fire to cook the vegetables.

First, stir-fry the cucumber slices, then slice the cucumber slices into strips.

Add half a spoonful of lard to the pot. In summer, the lard melts and quickly releases its aroma.

Chen Ling put the melon rind in and stir-fried it vigorously until a large plate of stir-fried melon and cabbage was ready.

Very few seasonings are used; just a pinch of salt is enough. This dish is refreshing and helps cut through the greasiness of summer.

The bitter melon with eggs and the loofah with green beans were already chopped up by Qin Rong beforehand, so he could just stir-fry them directly in the pan. These were all a piece of cake for him.

After finishing the vegetarian and cold dishes, Wang Qingzhong and the children cleaned the fish.

After the fish was brought to the kitchen, Chen Ling went to the storage room connected to the kitchen, opened the sauerkraut jar, and started scooping out the sauerkraut.

We still haven't finished the two large vats of sauerkraut we pickled last winter.

The large vat for pickling vegetables was over a meter tall and could hold dozens of kilograms of pickled vegetables. Even the chopsticks used to scoop out the pickled vegetables were longer than the large chopsticks used for frying dough sticks. If Wang Cunye and his companion hadn't come over, he and Wang Susu could have eaten this every day until autumn.

Upon opening the lid, a tangy and fragrant aroma immediately filled the air, making one's mouth water. Chen Ling swallowed hard twice, and with a few bites, scooped out handfuls of pickled cabbage before quickly closing the lid. Then, he opened the cabbage leaves to let them unfurl and rinsed them clean in water.

The pickled cabbage was neatly arranged on the cutting board. Chen Ling cut off a piece and put it in her mouth to chew. The pickled cabbage tasted extremely good, sour, crisp and refreshing, and very tempting. Chen Ling ate it with relish and then let out a long sigh.

"Good heavens, the cook stole some food!"

"What do rich people eat? Pickled cabbage? What's so delicious about that?"

Qin Rongxian and his son laughed.

"I can't help it, that's just my taste."

Chen Ling loved this since he was a child. Not to mention pickled cabbage, he could eat pickled radishes as snacks. He would grab pickled radishes and play hide-and-seek with cornbread every day.

Amidst laughter and chatter, he smacked his lips to savor the remaining taste before slicing the prepared pickled cabbage into thin slices on a diagonal.

After processing the sauerkraut, proceed with processing the fish.

Two large grass carp, cleaned and gutted, had their meat removed and sliced ​​thinly. The heads were split open, and the bones were chopped into several sections. The meat and bones were placed in separate bowls.

Mix the seasonings, ginger, and garlic into a paste, then mix with the eggs to form a paste. Pour the paste into the fish bowl, toss and turn the fish to coat it with the paste.

Then add more firewood, put lard into the pot, sauté scallions, ginger and garlic until fragrant, then add pickled cabbage, add water, cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

A few minutes later, the lid was opened and the aroma of the sauerkraut soup filled the air. At this point, the fish head was added first, followed by the fish bones. After boiling over high heat, everything was removed, leaving only the soup pot. The fish meat coated with starch was then slid into the soup.

After the fish soup boiled twice, the aroma was incredibly rich, and could be smelled throughout half the farm. Not to mention Qin Rongxian and his son, adults and children outside also gathered around, staring longingly into the kitchen, swallowing their saliva.

"It smells so good! Fugui, don't bother with anything else, let's just eat here!" Zhao Dahai exclaimed.

The others nodded vigorously in agreement.

This tangy and appetizing pickled fish dish is so delicious that it whets the appetite and makes you want to eat more rice. Its charm is simply irresistible.

"Everyone, please be patient. Just wait a little longer. The cold-cooked rabbit and Sichuan peppercorn chicken will be ready soon, otherwise we won't have enough food."

There were five or six little kids in total, and there wasn't enough food to even fill their teeth.

As Chen Ling was speaking, the sauerkraut fish was ready. Qin Rongxian and his son had also prepared the cold dishes and made a twice-cooked pork dish.

The group waited impatiently, their hearts pounding with anticipation at the aroma.

It felt like an eternity. Although it wasn't actually that slow, they still felt like they had waited a long time. The sauerkraut fish was just too tempting, making their mouths water. All they could think about was eating, and the wait was too agonizing for them.

"Waaah, I finally got to eat this fish! I was so excited I could cry."

After all the dishes were served, Zhao Dahai shouted exaggeratedly.

This fat guy loves to act silly and make a fool of himself.

He was still talking, and everyone else had to stop talking. The chopsticks clattered as the children scrambled to eat, their chopsticks almost coming to blows.

The dish of pickled fish was quickly devoured, with most of it gone.

Zhao Dahai stared in disbelief, then cried out with a mournful face, "How come you guys are eating so fast? I haven't even had a few bites yet!"

He's too fat; he can't even move as fast as the little kids.

"If you don't eat and just keep complaining, who can you blame?"

The more he shouted, the happier everyone laughed, and the faster they picked up the food with their chopsticks.

The sauerkraut fish was quickly finished. Everyone had already eaten watermelon and was a bit full, so they slowed down.

Chen Ling then brought out the chilled wine, and they ate and drank together, making for a very lively meal.

For these people, there were no outsiders today; they were all Chen Ling's relatives and friends, and no one was being polite.

After finishing their meal, without taking a break, Chen Ling led the cow and the dog to the reservoir to play in the water. The adults and children had a great time.

Several children were riding on white oxen and swimming around in the water. When the village children were attracted to them, they got even more excited and started a water fight.

Later, the adults all joined in, playing until they were soaking wet, not caring at all, shouting and yelling, having a great time.

……

The day before the baby's one-month celebration is this lively, and on the actual one-month celebration day, the first day of the seventh lunar month, it's even more lively.

As soon as they got up in the morning, Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng led the villagers to the farm to get busy, cleaning, tidying up tables and chairs, and putting away plates and bowls in the kitchen.

Chen Ling had already notified everyone at home beforehand that they had no grudges against each other and were on good terms with each other.

Therefore, an unusually large number of people came.

Wang Laishun and Chen Sangui remained the same as always, setting up a square table and recording the gift list in the pavilion outside the farm.

When they hold a full-month celebration for their child, some people give money to the host, while others give gifts such as pork, eggs, cloth, canned food, and milk powder.

However, compared to giving money as a gift, giving gifts is more popular and is more appreciated by the host.

In the past, when people were so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, rural women relied entirely on the food from the full-moon celebration to replenish their bodies during their postpartum confinement period. Otherwise, where would they get the money to buy proper supplements?

Today, the people coming and going were like this, some carrying baskets, some carrying crates, each carrying something and first going to the pavilion to have Wang Laishun and the other person register it on the gift list.

Then we went inside the farm.

At this time, Wang Lixian and others had already set up tables and chairs inside the farm.

The two chefs from Chenwangzhuang arrived the earliest. They had come over last night to discuss with Chen Ling what dishes to make today. This morning, Chen Ling wrote down the ingredients he needed to buy on a piece of paper and had Zhao Dahai drive to the county town to buy them. By discussing things in advance, they could prepare without any rush.

The farm was bustling with activity as the women went up to the bamboo house to visit Wang Susu and the children.

The men stopped to talk at the wooden bridge by the lotus pond, where Chen Ling warmly greeted them.

Chen Ling was dressed unusually formally today. He was wearing a white shirt, leather shoes, and his hair was styled in the currently fashionable three-seven part.

Everyone who saw him said he looked very stylish today, dressed more formally than he would for Chinese New Year.

After the praise, there was a barrage of congratulations.

People in the countryside are mostly reserved; they can't express themselves directly. They need to chat and laugh for a while before revealing their true feelings in their words.

Chen Ling was delighted to hear this.

"Baoliang's here. Why did you bring so much stuff? Here, have a smoke."

"Oh dear, Aunt Xiuju, you have to be careful on the bridge with the baby. Xiao Mao, you have to eat more today with your grandma."

No matter who came, Chen Ling greeted them with a smile, his face beaming with joy, a smile he couldn't suppress even if he wanted to.

I was overjoyed. I had been looking forward to it for so long, and finally it was our turn to hold a banquet for our son. How could I not be happy?

"Chuangzi, why are you so late? You're the last one here. You'll have to drink three cups of wine as punishment later."

"I, I, I was thinking of coming yesterday, but my motorcycle broke down on the way. It was just fixed."

"Haha, come in quickly, I was just kidding, I'm not blaming you."

The full moon celebration was held in a lively and bustling manner, with relatives and friends in attendance, including all the members of the bride's family who could come.

Not to mention Chen Ling was happy, even Wang Susu felt extremely happy and satisfied seeing the lively scene inside and outside the farm.

"Eat and drink as much as you want at lunchtime. If you're still not satisfied, don't worry, we'll have another meal tonight."

After everyone had arrived and taken their seats, Chen Ling shouted, and men, women, and children clapped and cheered, bringing the lively atmosphere to its peak.

-

This is considered an extra chapter; there will be another chapter around midnight.

In the first half of the month, many people gave tips. I took a closer look at the weekend and found that I had more than 30,000 coins. It would be unreasonable if it were less.

The subscription rate has been quite low recently; out of more than 20,000 people who have added it to their favorites, less than one-tenth have actually subscribed.

Therefore, I never ask for tips, only subscriptions. Subscriptions are the foundation that supports authors. I humbly request all my brothers and sisters to subscribe and support me on Qidian.

(End of this chapter)