Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

As the year draws to a close, the villagers of Lion Rock finally get the land they have longed for.

All villagers plan to work hard on their own land next year. Every household, including those who used to be lazy, has left their homes and come to their land. Some are fertilizing spring wheat, some are weeding, and some are turning the soil. They are all busy and happy. There is no farmer who doesn't like the land. They serve it like they serve their ancestors, and in return they hope that this yellow land can provide enough food for the whole family to survive.

Chunni and Xiazhi also went to the fields. Their family had little land. Yang Anzhang had always taken care of them, and the land he allocated to them was not far from their home. The fields were divided into dry fields and paddy fields. A small dry field was planted with rapeseed. The paddy fields were now planted with nothing and did not need to be managed at all. Winter wheat was planted in the soil, and it had just sprouted, so weeding was enough. Finally, the land where they used to grow vegetables was also allocated to them. There was nothing in the land except radishes, cabbages and lettuce. The work in the fields was finished in a few days.

Soon, it was New Year's Eve again.

This year, Chunni, Xiazhi and Qiuguo celebrated New Year's Eve together.

The New Year for three people seems a bit lonely.

But Chunni still prepared a rich meal, including braised pork, braised fish, chicken stewed with mushrooms, roasted rabbit, deep-fried meatballs, stir-fried cabbage, pickled radish, and braised pork, filling the table.

"Wow, every dish looks delicious. I'm drooling!" Xia Zhi said in an exaggerated and funny way.

"Yes, yes, sister, your cooking skills are good enough to open a restaurant in the county town, and the business will definitely be very good." Qiu Guo has grown a lot in the past two years. She has a fair complexion and a good foundation, and has become a well-known little beauty. Her brothers and sisters are willing to spoil her, so she is more daring to speak out.

Dong Lin stared at his elder sister without blinking, and was obviously very interested in opening a restaurant.

"I'll go when I save enough money." Chunni has the idea of ​​opening a restaurant.

"Hurry up and set the table. Xia Zhi's saliva is almost dripping into the bowl."

"Hahahaha." Xia Zhi heard Qiu Guo's loud laughter. As expected, sisters and the like are the most annoying.

After eating and washing the dishes, Chunni scooped hot water from the small pot into the basin.

"It's summer solstice, come and wash your face and feet, then you can eat meat wherever you visit next year!"

Summer solstice...is it ever going to end?

Dong Lin narrowed his eyes and smiled as he watched his elder brother being teased by his elder sister.

After everyone had packed up, they stayed up by the fire in the yard. Chunni and the others chatted idly while eating rice candies, melon seeds, peach cakes bought from the county, and homemade cold rabbit, braised food, chicken feet, chicken wings, duck feet, etc.

"Sister, I want to go to the south to have a look." Xia Zhi had this idea since Sun Ping came back from the south. Considering that Chunni had to work, teach, and cook cold rabbit, she was too busy to do it, so she didn't mention it.

Now that he doesn't have to work every day and it doesn't matter if he's a little lazy on his own land, he decided to go south to try his luck.

"I want to go and see it too." Chunni has always been yearning for Guangzhou and Pengcheng in the south. She wants to see the sea and the circle there. She wants to earn some money and then lie down.

Chunni is not a hard-working person. It was Chunni's dream to save enough capital in the early days of reform and opening up and live a free and easy life.

You still have to think about your dreams, what if they come true!

Xia Zhi was very surprised. Ever since his parents passed away, he could no longer see through his sister. She was like a moth, wrapped in a thick cocoon. Outsiders could see her true face through the cocoon, but it gave people a hazy and distant feeling. He had never expected that his sister would be interested in Nanbian'er.

"Okay. Let's go together, so we can have someone to look after us."

"Then let's set off in a few days, before the spring plowing and planting." It seems that the eldest sister has already made plans, Xia Zhi thought.

"It's just that your teaching job..."

Chunni waved her hand and said, "I forgot to tell you that the production team primary school will be closed from next year, and all students will go to the commune primary school. I, as a substitute teacher, will have a lot of free time."

Summer solstice and autumn fruits... so sudden?

Dong Lin covered his mouth and laughed, obviously he had known the news for a long time.

"What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?" Yang Bangming did not stay at home to celebrate the New Year, but came to Chunni's house.

Qiu Guo went to open the door and welcomed Yang Bangming and his wife in. They brought some sugar canes.

"Cousin and sister-in-law, come and warm yourself by the fire." Chunni greeted them warmly, and went to the main room to bring out two stools for them to sit on.

"Where is Xiao Guoping? Why don't you bring him here?" Chunni liked the little nephew next door very much, so she asked.

"He's asleep, and his grandparents are watching him." Wang Lamei thought of her naughty son with a loving face.

"You were just talking about where to go!" Yang Bangming brought the topic back.

"We want to go to the south and take a look." Xia Zhi said while gnawing on chicken feet.

"Really? When are you going to leave?" Yang Bangming was very interested. He had some extra money, and he also wanted to go to the south.

"We'll leave in a few days. Cousin, if you want to go, come with us." Chunni saw what he was thinking and invited him to go with her. The train is very chaotic now, so it would be good to have one more person to look after us.

"Okay then." Yang Bangming agreed readily.

The topic ended here, and everyone started to reminisce about the past. Memories are always beautiful, probably because life was so hard, beautiful things are especially memorable!

"That year, the fish pond was dry, with only a little water left. Most of the big fish had been caught, leaving only a few small fish in the pond. A dozen children from the village rushed into the pond to catch fish. Each of them looked like a loach, with only their eyes, mouths and noses visible. When they caught a fish, they smiled so hard that their teeth were showing." Yang Bangming couldn't help but smile when he thought of his childhood.

"Yes, I still remember that time. That night, the village was filled with the cries of children. Everyone was beating the kids. There were boys' singles, girls' singles, and boys' and girls' doubles! Hahaha!" Chunni was too young at that time and did not go to the pond, so she escaped a beating.

"Haha, I also had fried bamboo shoots with pork that day!" Yang Bangming was not embarrassed. Who hasn't been beaten when they were a child?

"Hahahaha!" Wang Lamei laughed so hard that tears came out of her eyes. Seeing everyone so happy, Xia Zhi thought of a joke and quickly asked everyone to be quiet.

"There was a kid named Xiao Ming. One day, he saw something on the street. He didn't recognize it. He was very curious, so he walked closer to take a look, but couldn't tell what it was. He sniffed it, but couldn't tell what it was. Finally, he took a small piece and put it in his mouth to taste it. Uh, pooh pooh pooh, it turned out to be shit!"

"Hahahaha!" The laughter could be heard from far away.

"Brother, I'm still eating!" Qiu Guo was eating a piece of peach cake. After hearing this joke, the piece looked like dried shit to him.

"Uh..." Qiuguo put down the peach pastry and stopped eating it.

"Hahahaha!" Another burst of laughter!