Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Soon it was the end of the year, and those who had been admitted to universities received their admission letters.

New Year's Eve arrived in this weird atmosphere. No matter whether other families were happy or sad, it had nothing to do with Chunni's family. They were still very happy to have a big meal on New Year's Eve.

Originally, the old man wanted Chunni and others to go to his house to celebrate the New Year.

However, Chunni declined politely. He Yanqing and Yun Shu were also living in their home, and it would be inappropriate to leave them behind to celebrate the New Year at the uncle's house.

Chunni went to her uncle's house and took two handfuls of pickles, preparing to use them to make salty braised pork.

She also asked Xia Zhi to kill a rabbit and made it into pickled pepper rabbit, which was spicy and tender.

In addition, there are mushroom soup, fried cabbage, mapo tofu, braised fish, both meat and vegetarian, and the dishes are richer than ever before.

The staple food is white rice, which is Chunni’s first time since coming to Lion Rock.

I bought the tofu secretly in the county town and gave a piece to the old man.

Fish is indispensable during the Chinese New Year, as it indicates abundance every year. The fish is distributed by the production team. At the end of each year, fish are caught from the team’s pond to reward the villagers.

Even if the food is poor at other times, we have to prepare for the New Year with a rich meal, looking forward to eating meat every day next year, having surplus every year, and having a better life day by day.

He Yanqing and Yun Shu went to the county town early. When they came back, one of them carried a bag of sugar and the other carried a bottle of wine.

As soon as they came back, they helped Chunni and her brother, so the food was quickly served on the table.

"Wow, Chunni, your cooking skills are really good. The color, aroma and taste are so good that I am drooling just looking at it."

Although Yunshu had lived in Chunni's house for quite a while, her meals were simple, not so rich. She was in awe of Chunni's cooking skills. She had been spoiled since she was a child, so how could she cook? It was only after coming to Lion Rock that she learned a few simple dishes that would not kill her.

"Sister Yunshu, please stop praising the girl. Be careful that she might become proud." He Yanqing said this with a hint of intimacy.

Yun Shu looked at him amusedly but said nothing.

"Praise from diners is the best reward for a chef. I like being praised, it makes me feel so happy!" Chunni had an expression that seemed to be asking for praise.

"Hahahaha, what am I praising you for? Praising you for being thick-skinned?" He Yanqing laughed heartily. Yun Shu's laugh was much more reserved.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and eat!" Chunni quickly changed the subject and while speaking she picked up some rabbit meat for Qiuguo.

As soon as Chunni picked up her chopsticks, everyone started eating.

"You all have received your admission letters now!" After eating until she was half full, Chunni took out three bowls and poured some wine.

"I'll use this glass of wine to wish you two a bright future! You guys drink it, I'm fine with that."

Chunni will be eighteen after the Chinese New Year and can drink a little.

The main thing is that there should be wine at this moment.

“Haha.” Yun Shu smiled and took a sip of wine, then ate a bite of pickled pepper rabbit. The double spicy stimulation made her feel like she was going to fly!

"You two girls, drink less. Xia Zhi, you are still young and are not allowed to drink!" He Yanqing was originally trying to persuade Chunni and Yunshu, but unexpectedly saw Xia Zhi secretly pouring wine and hurriedly stopped him.

As a teenage boy, who doesn’t want to taste the wine?

Xia Zhi had only intended to take a sip quietly, but he didn't expect to be caught by He Yanqing.

"I've never drunk it, but I wanted to try it." There was a hint of embarrassment on Xia Zhi's face.

"Today is New Year's Eve, such a good day, I agree, you can have a sip on Xiazhi, just one sip!"

Chunni's face was slightly flushed.

Boys in the village would be allowed to drink a sip of wine by their parents on important occasions, which was a sign of a boy's growth. But Xia Zhi's father was gone, and she, as a sister, was the only one who felt sorry for him.

Xia Zhi took a sip and felt its spiciness making his face burst. He quickly ate some cabbage.

The other people laughed so hard when they saw him like this.

"Qiuguo, do you want to drink? Come and drink my wine." Chunni looked at her sister again and decided to tease her.

Qiu Guo, with an expression of polite refusal, quickly moved to sit next to Yun Shu and asked Teacher Yun to save her.

"Hey, I'm not your teacher anymore. Just call me Sister Yun. It's more intimate." Yun Shu was a little sad. She was admitted to the university, which also meant that she would leave Lion Rock. She thought she would be very happy, but she didn't expect to feel a little sad in her heart. Yun Shu knew that it was because she was reluctant to leave.

"Sister Yun!" Xia Zhi was climbing up the pole, and his sister called out to him.

"Hahaha" everyone laughed again, but this laughter was more or less mixed with a bit of sadness.

"Which school did you apply to, and what major do you plan to study?" Chun Ni couldn't bear to see the sadness, so she quickly changed the subject.

"I applied to Rongcheng Medical College to study medicine." He Yanqing understood Chunni's meaning.

"I applied to Chengdu Normal University, majoring in Chinese Language and Literature. I found that being a teacher is quite interesting." Yun Shu talked about his plans.

After that, they talked about their ideals and the future while eating. In this way, the meal lasted until the New Year's Eve.

We wished each other a Happy New Year.

He Yanqing and Yun Shu planned to say goodbye and go back to the educated youth site, where a group of educated youth were partying.

Chunni and her brother wanted to see them off, but they declined. One of them wanted to go, while the other didn't.

In the end, Chunni and her brother compromised and sent them to the village entrance.

I don’t know how they walked, but Yunshu and Xiazhi walked in front while talking, while Chunni and He Yanqing walked behind.

"Xia Zhi, are you about to graduate from junior high school?" Yun Shu took the initiative to bring up the topic.

"Yeah." Thinking that Yun Shu was going to college, Xia Zhi suddenly felt a little inferior.

"Then continue reading?"

"No, I will go home to help my sister after I get my diploma. It's not easy for her to raise three of us siblings."

"Yeah. That's good. Studying is not the only way out. There are top talents in every field." Yun Shu knew their family situation and could only comfort them.

"Then will you come back after you leave?" Xia Zhi's voice was so low that Yun Shu almost couldn't hear it clearly.

"Maybe. I don't know." Yun Shu felt sad. The two walked forward in silence and never spoke again.

Chunni, on her part, didn't say a word either.

"Why do you want to be a doctor?" Chunni was very curious.

"Well, this is a somewhat personal story, do you want to hear it?" He Yanqing was very different tonight, his usually smiling face became a little serious. Chunni wanted to ask, but she didn't dare. She was a little nervous and a little expectant. Finally, she touched the calluses on her hands and sighed.

"Isn't saving a life better than building a seven-story pagoda?" He Yanqing looked at Chunni's dodging eyes and concealed his inner excitement. Yes, in this situation, what is he expecting? He became cheerful and heartless again, as if the question just now was just Chunni's illusion.

"Not bad, not bad." Chunni's praise was dry. The day was just like that. "Remember to go home and sleep early!"

"it is good!"

Chunni felt that the words "go home early" were a bit ambiguous, and her face started burning. She covered her face with water, handed the torch to He Yanqing, and ran away quickly.

He Yanqing watched Chunni run away in silence, then called Yunshu and walked towards the educated youth point.