I trade in both worlds

After throwing the dirty clothes into the washing machine, Xu Xu took the children back to cook dinner.

"Mom, what delicious food are you making?" Xu Qiwei walked into the kitchen smelling the fragrance and looked at Xu Xu's busy figure.

"What delicious food do you want to eat?" Xu Xu asked with a smile while busying himself.

Xu Qiwei tilted his head and thought for a while before saying, "I want to eat fish and shrimp."

"Everything. In addition to fish and shrimp, there are many other delicious foods tonight." Xu Xu replied with a smile.

"Is there anything else to eat?" Xu Qiwei walked to Xu Xu and stood on tiptoe to see what was cooking in the pot.

"Okay, don't go so far. Go back and play with your uncle and the others. When the oil in the pot comes out, it will dirty your new clothes." Xu Xu pushed him out of the kitchen.

Hearing that his new clothes would get dirty, Xu Qiwei turned around and ran away without Xu Xu pushing him.

After two days of hard work, the New Year's Eve dinner was finally ready. Xu Xu took a few small bowls and put three pieces of each dish into the bowl.

A bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, five cups of wine and three cups of tea were prepared and placed on the altar in the main hall to worship the grandparents and parents.

Call a few children, light candles, burn three incense sticks per person, and worship silently.

Xu Xu looked at the altar quietly, not knowing what she was thinking, until Xu Tiantian pulled her trouser leg and she came back to her senses.

He picked up Xu Tiantian and asked the children to sit on the kang: "Okay, sit on the kang, we are ready to eat."

Xu Xu brought the dishes to the table. She first served each child half a bowl of pork tripe and chicken soup: "This is pork tripe and chicken soup. Drink some soup to warm your stomach first."

"Sister, I want that." Xu Zhun took a sip of the soup and pointed at the pepper and salt fish cubes.

"Okay." Xu Xu picked out a piece of fish belly and gave it to him: "This is salt and pepper fish fillet. Be careful when eating it. Fish has bones. Eat it more often and don't let the bones get you choked."

"Good." Xu Zhun couldn't wait to take a bite of the fish and praised it highly: "Wow, this salt and pepper fish is so delicious!"

"Mom, I want shrimps." Xu Qiwei said, pointing at the ginger and scallion shrimps.

"Peel them carefully, don't prick your hands." Xu Xu picked up two shrimps for him and turned to ask Xu Jin: "Xiao Jin, what do you want to eat?"

Xu Jin was biting a piece of braised pork. Hearing this, he looked at the dishes on the table and pointed at the fish balls and asked, "What is this?"

"Fish balls, this is something I just learned how to make. Try it and see if it tastes good." Xu Xu directly scooped two fish balls for him.

Xu Tiantian was not to be outdone and pointed at the fish balls and shouted "Ahhh", indicating to Xu Xu that she wanted to eat some too.

"You little greedy cat, wait." Xu Xu took a coat and put it on her, then picked up some fish balls for her to eat.

The children ate with gusto, and Xu Xu watched them with a smile. She picked up food for the children from time to time to make sure they could eat every dish.

"Sister, you should eat too." Seeing that Xu Xu hadn't moved her chopsticks much, Xu Jin urged her.

"Okay, sister will eat too." Xu Xu responded with a smile, then picked up a piece of fish and put it into her mouth.

The fish was tender and delicious, and she nodded with satisfaction.

She had been busy in the kitchen all day and was full from smelling food, so she had no appetite at all.

Xu Xu picked up some dishes politely, but mainly took care of the children, asking them from time to time if they were full and if they needed more food, fearing that they would be hungry.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Xu Xu started making dumplings with the children.

Xu Xu took out a pot of dumpling stuffing and pre-rolled dumpling skins from the kitchen, and then asked the children to sit around the table.

"Come, I'll teach you how to make dumplings." Xu Xu said with a smile, already holding a piece of dumpling wrapper in her hand, "Watch me make it first, then you can try it."

The children all stared with their big curious eyes, watching Xu Xu making dumplings seriously.

Xu Xu first placed the dumpling skin on the palm of her hand, then scooped a spoonful of dumpling filling on the dumpling skin. Then she folded the dumpling skin in half and gently pinched the edges with her fingers. A beautiful dumpling was ready.

"Wow, sister, the dumplings you make are so beautiful. I want to try it too." After exclaiming in amazement, Xu Zhun picked up a piece of dumpling wrapper and started trying to make dumplings.

"Sister, I also want to make a nice-looking dumpling." Xu Jin also picked up the dumpling wrapper.

Although his little hands were not very skilled, he tried seriously to learn how to make dumplings like Xu Xu.

Xu Qiwei didn’t know how to make dumplings yet. He just played with a dumpling skin with his little hands, kneading it constantly and finding it very interesting.

Seeing this, Xu Tiantian also wanted to play, so Xu Xu simply picked up a fish ball and handed it to her, and she calmed down.

"Sister, do you think the dumplings I made are pretty?" Xu Jin proudly held up the dumplings she made. Although the shapes were a bit strange, they were full of childlike fun.

"It looks great. Xiao Jin is really amazing." Xu Xu praised him with a smile.

"Sister, I can also make a good-looking dumpling." Xu Zhun was not to be outdone. She carefully made a dumpling with a unique shape.

"Xiao Zhun is awesome too." Xu Xu praised with a smile.

Just as he was feeling proud, Xu Jin discovered that the filling of the dumplings he made was exposed. He looked at the hole in the dumplings and pouted: "Sister, my dumplings are broken."

Xu Xu took his dumplings and comforted him, "It's okay, sister will help you fix it."

Xu Xu picked up a dumpling wrapper, gently twisted off a small piece, stretched it a little, dipped it in some water, and stuck it on.

Xu Xu took the dumpling and looked around. When he saw that it was firmly fixed, he handed it to Xu Jin: "Look, it's fixed."

Xu Jin took the dumpling and only smiled with his eyes narrowed after making sure it was truly mended.

Xu Xu watched the children making dumplings with a smile. She gave them instructions from time to time. Amidst laughter and joy, the dumplings were finally made.

Xu Xu put the dumplings into the pot to cook, and after a while, a pot of fragrant dumplings came out of the pot.

However, when Xu Xu walked out of the kitchen with the dumplings, he found that the children had fallen asleep.

Fortunately, she didn't cook too much, just enough for two people, so now I have to eat it by myself.

She gently placed the dumplings on the table, sat on the edge of the kang, and looked at the sleeping faces of the children. Xu Xu's heart was filled with warmth and satisfaction, but also with an unspeakable sadness.

The light of the oil lamp flickered, illuminating Xu Xu's sad yet strong face, her eyes filled with endless longing for her deceased parents.

She gently stroked the children's heads and prayed silently in her heart that they would grow up healthily and stay away from the sufferings of the world.

In the dead of night, Xu Xu's thoughts surged like a tide. She thought of her parents and their love and care.

In just one year, her parents passed away one after another, leaving her alone to struggle in this world.

Her tears slid down involuntarily, dripping onto the cold ground and turning into drops of crystal tears.