Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

On New Year’s Eve, families hold a banquet with the young and old gathered together. They say many auspicious words and the dinner is called New Year’s Eve dinner, commonly known as family reunion.

……

Autumn goes and winter comes like a flash of lightning. The coldness quietly permeates the sky and the earth. In the streets and alleys at the foot of the mountain, people shuttle through the bustling market.

The fresh fruits and vegetables were shining with an attractive luster, just like treasures waiting to be chosen; the plump New Year pig had been carefully cut up, and the pieces of meat were hung in an orderly manner on the butcher's rack; and the colorful and exquisite sugar figures attracted a group of children to gather around them.

The courtyard of the house has long been swept spotlessly clean, and a brand new peach charm has been placed on the door. Smoke curls up from the cooking stove, and the New Year's dishes stewed in the pot emit a mellow and rich aroma, which lingers in the air and touches people's hearts.

From the distant temple, bursts of melodious bell ringing came. The clear sound echoed in the biting cold air, calling the wanderers away from home to speed up their pace and return home.

Riders on skinny horses slowly rein in their reins on the winding and rugged mountain paths, and the neighing of horses echoes in the valleys; there are also hikers who take firm steps and trek through the mountains and wilderness, regardless of the soreness and fatigue of their feet, just because their hearts are filled with endless longing and concern for their families.

……

Although it was a bit lonely on the mountain, it was New Year's Day after all, and everyone took it seriously.

As the dawn broke, there was some movement in the cave.

Cheng Yuntao stood up first, walked to the side of the cave, and gently fiddled with the pile of charcoal fire that had not yet burned out in the corner of the cave. She added some dry firewood, and the sparks began to crackle and flicker, and warmth gradually filled the cave.

Her younger siblings were awakened by the sound of her getting up. They rubbed their eyes sleepily, dressed neatly, and came to her side. Cheng Yuntao squeezed out the excess water and wiped their little faces clean with a warm handkerchief.

The weather is good today. The snow outside the cave is gradually melting, and there is a rustling sound when the snow falls on the branches. The sky is clear and the white clouds are floating. The coldness has dissipated a lot.

Cheng Yuntao tilted her head back and looked at the sunny weather outside the cave, which made her feel more motivated.

Today is New Year's Eve. In order to prepare and process the ingredients for the New Year's Eve family dinner in the evening, we have to spend the whole day.

For this New Year's Eve dinner, Cheng Yuntao planned to prepare three cold dishes, six hot dishes, a soup and two desserts. If she wasn't worried about making too much and not being able to finish it, she could have prepared something even more sumptuous.

The three cold dishes are five-spice smoked fish, fermented duck tongue, and pork belly with pine nuts.

The five-spice smoked fish is made from fresh fish, which is marinated, fried, and then smoked with five-spice seasoning. The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich aroma. The fermented duck tongues are braised first and then soaked, and have a fresh and tender taste with a strong fermented aroma. The pine nut pork tripe is made by stuffing pork and other fillings into the pork tripe, adding pine nuts and other ingredients, and then slicing it after cooking. The meat is firm, and the fragrance of pine nuts is perfectly blended with the aroma of meat.

The six hot dishes are Eight Treasure Duck, Dongpo Pork, Shrimp with Lotus Root, Lion's Head with Crab Roe, Braised Carp, and Assorted Vegetables.

Eight Treasure Duck is made by deboning a whole duck and stuffing it with eight treasures such as glutinous rice, lotus seeds, ham, and mushrooms, then steaming it for several hours. The duck meat is tender and the stuffing is soft, sweet and sticky. Dongpo Pork is made with carefully selected pork belly, blanched to remove the fishy smell, and then simmered over low heat with soy sauce, wine, rock sugar and other seasonings. It is bright red in color, fatty but not greasy, and melts in the mouth. For Lotus Shrimp, the shrimp are first washed and coated with starch, then stir-fried with egg white. The finished dish has tender shrimp, soft lotus root, and a snow-white color.

Crab meat lion's head is made by hand-chopping fat and lean pork into minced meat, adding crab meat, green onion, ginger and other seasonings, making large meatballs, and simmering them over low heat. The meatballs are soft when eaten, and the delicious crab meat is fully integrated into them.

Braised carp is mainly for good luck. Carp symbolizes "abundance every year". After frying the carp until both sides are golden brown, add soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and other ingredients to braise it. The fish meat is tender and the taste is mellow.

The final dish, a vegetarian medley, is a refreshing and delicious way to relieve the greasy feeling after a heavy meal of fish and meat. It features a variety of fresh vegetables, such as mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, dried bean curd sheets, and celery, stir-fried, boiled, and blended.

There is only one soup, which is bamboo fungus and pigeon egg soup. The bamboo fungus is soaked and cooked together with pigeon eggs, and seasoned with ham slices, chicken broth and other seasonings. The soup is delicious, the bamboo fungus is crispy and tender, and the pigeon eggs are smooth.

This pigeon was picked up at the entrance of the cave some time ago. At that time, Cheng Yuntao was sweeping the snow in front of the cave, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a strange color trembling slightly in the snow pile not far away.

Out of curiosity, I hurriedly walked towards that place, taking one step forward and one step back. When I got closer, I could see that it was a white dove lying in the snow.

Its feathers were soaked by the snow, its body was trembling, its bright eyes were filled with fatigue and fear, and its wings drooped weakly, as if it was injured.

It was freezing cold, so she felt pity for the pigeons and moved them back to the cave, where she built a nest. Unexpectedly, after a while, they laid a lot of eggs.

Unfertilized pigeon eggs cannot hatch into baby pigeons, so Cheng Yuntao simply took the whole nest and made bamboo fungus and pigeon egg soup with them.

As for the after-meal snacks, Cheng Yuntao prepared jujube and yam cakes and red bean paste Buddha's hand cakes.

Date paste yam cake is made by steaming yam and pressing it into paste, which is then mixed with date paste to make pastry. It has a delicate taste, is sweet but not greasy, and has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach.

The red bean paste Buddha's hand pastry is made by carefully rolling out the dough and pastry, then wrapping it. It is baked until it turns golden in color and looks like a Buddha's hand. The sweet and rich red bean paste and the elegant wheat aroma of the pastry are intertwined, making it sweet but not greasy.

In addition, Cheng Yuntao also planned to cook some dumplings and glutinous rice balls, not a large quantity, so that everyone could have some as a token of their appreciation.

She was busy all day processing various ingredients, while her grandmother Zhou Xiufang was responsible for sitting in front of the stove to control the heat, and her younger brothers and sisters helped run errands and did some small things within their ability.

The family helped each other and were busy until the evening, and the New Year's Eve family dinner was finally ready.

Everyone sat together, wearing new clothes that had been made not long ago, with joy on their faces. After looking at each other, they let Cheng Yuntao speak first.

"Farewell, fireworks every year, morning and evening, peace every year."

"Everyone! Happy New Year!"

There was no wine brewing at home, so after Cheng Yuntao finished her toast, she had no choice but to pick up her soup bowl and take a big gulp.

The delicious taste instantly spread in her mouth. Cheng Yuntao squinted her eyes in satisfaction. The taste was worthy of her long stewing over firewood.

Cheng Jingzhu and Cheng Yueli stood up at the same time, looked at each other, and said with a smile.

"I wish it could stay like this forever, with new things happening every year."

Cheng Yuntao opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked doubtfully, "Xiaozhu, Xiaoli, when did you all understand all this?"

"We asked Sister Shen for advice last time! We still remember it now." The two children puffed out their chests at the same time, looking very proud.

"I hope everyone is safe and happy in the new year. Come and get your lucky money."

At Zhou Xiufang's call, the children all gathered around, and each of them had a small red paper bag stuffed into their hands, with a copper coin hidden inside.

"It's not much money, it's mainly for the sake of a good fortune."

The children naturally understood their grandmother's intentions, so how could they think it was not enough?

"Thank you, grandma! I wish you good health and all the best!" The three of them spoke in unison, their voices loud and clear, making Zhou Xiufang laugh.

There is nothing happier than the family happily gathering together. The New Year is better than the old year, and the coming year will definitely be better.