Starting a new chapter in life

He Zhijun was both amused and exasperated: "Sister Liu, please stop teasing me. This year, I'm planning to invite Battalion Commander Gao to my house for the New Year. In previous years, he had a few of us bachelors to keep him company, but this year those two are going home for blind dates, and I'm getting married again. I can't bear to leave him alone in the dormitory, so I'm preparing extra food."

Sister Liu chuckled: "Just kidding. Jingyan must be restless at home. She's been idle for three months now. Knowing her personality, she must be bored out of her mind. Go back and tell her that she can come to the cafeteria to chat with us after the New Year if she's free. She should be back at work in April, so let her know in advance."

He Zhijun quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much, Sister Liu. She must be bored at home. She even knitted me a set of sweaters and pants. Although it was her first time knitting, just practicing, I think it's very nice. It fits perfectly, and I can wear it when spring comes."

Sister Liu laughed heartily: "She can knit sweaters? I'll have to see her knit then."

As the two chatted, Chef Lin took out the braised sheep's head and handed it to He Zhijun: "Tell Jingyan that she can cut off a piece and eat it while it's hot. When it's cooled down, she can stir-fry it with cabbage and add some chili peppers to make it even better. If she's too lazy, she can steam it. Although the texture will be a bit different, the taste will definitely be fine."

He Zhijun quickly thanked her, took the sheep's head, and went home. When he got home, he told Jing Yan how Chef Lin had instructed him to eat it. Jing Yan smiled and said, "Chef Lin knows that my cooking skills are not very good. He was afraid that I would not know how to eat it and would waste it. While the mutton is still hot, let's make some braised noodles today and eat it with the mutton head meat, okay?"

Chef Lin's braised meat is really good, with a rich soy sauce flavor. Although the sheep's head has a lot of bones, it is indeed easier to absorb the flavor than other parts. Two sheep's heads were eaten up by one-sixth in one meal. "Jingyan, why don't we pack some up and send it to the neighbors next door? They saved some mutton for you before, so it's a way of returning the favor."

Jingyan shook her head: "I won't send this." Seeing his puzzled look, she smiled and explained: "If I had the skill to braise this meat, sending some over wouldn't be a problem, but Chef Lin helped make it. If we arouse people's cravings and they ask us to buy it for them, what do you think we should do? I don't think Chef Lin would be willing to take on this job. We don't need to make trouble for ourselves, don't you think?"

He Zhijun nodded: "Okay."

Jingyan added, "I won't take advantage of their extra pound of meat for nothing. We invited them to our house for dinner during the Chinese New Year. We'll have barbecue and hot pot then, which will be enough to repay their kindness."

Before they knew it, the year was drawing to a close. When He Zhijun came home for the holidays, he brought Battalion Commander Gao back with him. When they entered the house, Jingyan was stewing pork ribs in the kitchen. There weren't many vegetables in the Northeast winter, so Jingyan had been busy since the afternoon. In the pot, there was pork rib stew with potato chunks. The blanched wood ear mushrooms were mixed with seasonings. Wood ear mushrooms don't absorb flavor easily, so mixing them in advance would make them more flavorful when they were eaten. The rice was already steamed, and they were just waiting for them to come back.

Hearing the door open, Jingyan came out to greet them. Seeing Battalion Commander Gao, she smiled and said, "You're back! The food will be ready soon. Please wash your hands first, and then we'll eat."

Battalion Commander Gao smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law. This is a small gift." He then handed over a rather large bag.

"It's good that you came, why did you bring things with you?" Jing Yan was a little embarrassed to accept them.

"It's already great that you can come here for the New Year. You can't come empty-handed. Even if you're going home, you should still buy things." Battalion Commander Gao smiled gently and handed the bag forward again.

Jing Yan glanced at He Zhijun, and seeing him nod slightly, she took the bag apologetically. "Okay, I'll take it. Don't be shy, treat it like your own home."

She estimated that the food in the pot was almost ready, put the bag she was carrying on the dressing table, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen. He Zhijun smiled, picked up the thermos, added some hot water to the basin on the washstand, and said to Battalion Commander Gao, "Battalion Commander, come and wash your hands first. It looks like the food will be ready to eat soon. I'm starving. Are you hungry?"

“In the army, it’s fine for you to call me Battalion Commander. Once you’re out here, you can just call me Brother Gao. It’s too distant to keep calling me Battalion Commander.”

“Okay, Brother Gao.” He Zhijun readily agreed.

Jingyan went to the kitchen, opened the pot lid, and used chopsticks to test the bones. Hmm, the bones were stewed to perfection. She took the wok off the stove, used the stove hook to place the iron rings on the stove layer by layer, and then put the dishes into a basin. She also filled two and a half bowls with rice and brought the food to the dining table in the living room.

He Zhijun saw the pot of pork ribs stewed with potatoes and turned to Battalion Commander Gao: "Brother Gao, would you like a drink?"

Battalion Commander Gao hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about we have a couple of drinks?"

He Zhijun hurriedly went to the cabinet to get some wine, a bottle of Beidahuang wine and two small glasses. During the meal, Battalion Commander Gao highly praised Jing Yan's cooking skills. Although she knew in her heart that there was a lot of exaggeration in the praise, she was still in a good mood, so she finished eating quickly and gave the table to the two big men.

After downing half a bottle of liquor, the two were slightly tipsy and put the liquor away. After eating their fill, they went to rest. Jingyan opened the bag that Battalion Commander Gao had brought. Wow, there was quite a lot of stuff: two cans of malted milk powder, a pound of White Rabbit milk candy, a packet of milk powder, two bottles of canned yellow peaches, and two cans of luncheon meat.

Jing Yan looked at He Zhijun in surprise: "Isn't this gift a bit too much? Luncheon meat and malted milk powder are not easy to buy."

He Zhijun was also a little surprised. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's keep it. If we don't, he might not have a good time during the New Year at our house. We'll just cook some more delicious food for him during this time."

Jingyan obediently packed up her things. "Tomorrow, let's fry some pork and radish meatballs as snacks. I'm not good at making them, but you're home, so you can make them. Also, bring back some lamb and slice it thinly while it's still slightly frozen. Slice a lot of it for hot pot."

"Good~"

When Jingyan got up in the early morning, Battalion Commander Gao and He Zhijun were already up. The stove was burning brightly. Breakfast consisted of scallion pancakes and white rice porridge, which was already oily. Leftover cold black fungus salad from yesterday was served as a side dish. It was a very satisfying meal. "What time did you get up? Why is breakfast so lavish?"

“We’re used to it. We do morning exercises much earlier in the army. Should we prepare food for the New Year?” Battalion Commander Gao asked.

Jingyan knew that being polite to him at this moment would only make him more uncomfortable. Since he had asked her for help, she didn't stand on ceremony: "We need to steam buns, make dumplings, and fry meatballs for the New Year. If possible, we can also fry some fried dough twists. Shall we make these for the next couple of days?"

"Hey, these are all oil-intensive foods. Do you have enough oil at home? I have about five pounds of oil coupons saved up here. I don't know if that will be enough." Battalion Commander Gao said, reaching into his pocket.

He Zhijun quickly stopped him: "Jingyan knew an older sister from the 13th Company before, and bought a lot of soybean oil from her. It's enough for our family."

Upon hearing this, Battalion Commander Gao frowned: "Sister-in-law, be careful when you buy things from the villagers in the future. Don't get caught by the Revolutionary Committee. Safety first."

“I know that there’s a big market here at the beginning of each month, the kind that doesn’t require tickets. It’s where people from the surrounding villages come to sell their local produce, and people from the city who don’t have enough tickets can also improve their meals. It’s a win-win situation. I met that lady at the market. The Party Secretary of Jiang City is very decisive. As long as you don’t go to the black market, it’s relatively safe,” Jing Yan explained.

"There's a big market like this here? We grown men really don't know anything about the local customs and people's lives. As long as we're safe, that's all that matters. If you need anything later, don't hesitate to ask us to help. Just treat us like your own brothers." Battalion Commander Gao had always liked He Zhijun, which was why he had promoted him and placed him by his side. Now that he saw that Jing Yan wasn't a troublesome person, his attitude became even more amiable.

The three of them were busy all day, and the empty dumpling jar was filled again. This time it was filled with pork and cabbage dumplings. They also fried a small bowl each of meatballs and fried dough sticks as snacks. They didn't need too many. He Zhijun also made his own spiced melon seeds. Although the taste was a bit bland, it had a fragrance after all, which was a new flavor in this era.

Looking at the main room where the quilts on the kang (heated brick bed) were folded up, leaving only the kang mat, and the spiced melon seeds spread all over the kang in a drying state, Jingyan's lips twitched slightly: "Zhijun, if the melon seeds aren't completely dry tonight, we won't sleep?"

He Zhijun said nonchalantly, "Put them away tonight, and they'll be dry after another day of drying tomorrow. Then we can eat them. Don't you like sunflower seeds? Roasted sunflower seeds are easy to cause internal heat, and the taste is monotonous. These have flavor and are fragrant."

Jingyan… she replied weakly, “Actually, it’s okay not to eat sunflower seeds.” But thinking about it, it was actually quite nice that the man was willing to spoil her and make her snacks, so she decided to support him and didn’t say anything more.

In the following days, they made a variety of snacks and desserts, such as hawthorn candied hawthorn, honey peanuts, and braised pork ribs, which amazed Jingyan. She really didn't expect these two men to be so skillful. With their skills, they would never go hungry even after they retired from the army. Compared to herself, well, let's not even talk about it.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, He Zhijun took out a stack of red paper, cut it into couplets, and found a brush and ink. Battalion Commander Gao took the brush, focused his energy, and began to write the Spring Festival couplets. Only then did Jing Yan realize that Battalion Commander Gao had quite good calligraphy skills.

"Winter goes and spring comes, the Spring Festival arrives, the country is prosperous and the people are at peace, and happiness fills the house; joyfully celebrating the New Year, the whole family is happy and everything is prosperous." Horizontal scroll: Welcoming the New Year.

"The spring breeze brings life to all things, and the bright sunshine fills the sky. Families reunite in boundless joy, and spring brings prosperity and growth." Horizontal scroll: Reunion and Joy.

They made paste from flour and pasted two Spring Festival couplets on the courtyard gate and the house door respectively, while pasting the character "福" (fortune) on the door inside the house.

Everything was ready. He Zhijun asked Jing Yan to go next door and ask if there was time to get together for a meal on the second day of the Lunar New Year. When Jing Yan went next door, she saw that Chen Xinyue's family had also put up Spring Festival couplets. She could tell that they were handwritten by herself, and the characters were very elegant, unlike her own sharp and unyielding style. Indeed, there is a difference between civil and military officials.

Chen Xinyue and her family of three were all at home. Jing Yan invited them to lunch, and they readily agreed. They arranged to have lunch together on the second day of the Lunar New Year before saying goodbye and leaving.

On New Year's Eve, dinner was eaten quite early, starting before 5 p.m. A braised carp stood out prominently in the middle of the table. There were six dishes: braised pork ribs, stewed pork with vegetables, cold black fungus salad, chicken stew with mushrooms, and fried meatballs. After dinner, Jingyan prepared to make dumplings. It is said that dumplings for New Year's Eve should be made fresh. Since she had time and was bored anyway, she made pork and radish filling and slowly wrapped them.

He Zhijun and Battalion Commander Gao were playing chess in the living room. Battalion Commander Gao had brought the chess set with him, which was a good way to pass the time. Seeing the two of them looking bored, Jing Yan missed the TV. If there was a TV, she could watch programs and dramas, and the time would pass by so quickly.

On New Year's Eve, around midnight, He Zhijun and Battalion Commander Gao, two grown men, were setting off firecrackers in the backyard. Jingyan didn't dare to set off any, afraid of getting hit, so she stayed inside cooking dumplings. She set off two 100-shot firecrackers and then went back inside. The water hadn't boiled yet. Jingyan looked up at them and smiled, saying, "Next year, buy more firecrackers. Maybe a 500-shot one."

He Zhijun's eyes lit up: "Really? Then I'll buy some next year. The ones you bought are all small firecrackers, they're not enough to enjoy."

Jingyan said helplessly, "I didn't manage to get the big firecrackers. When I went there, there were only 100-shot ones left. I bought ten firecrackers in total. Three on the first day of the month and two on the fifteenth. In addition to the ones you two just set off, there are still three firecrackers left at home. If you haven't set off enough, go set them off again. By the time I finish cooking the dumplings, you should be able to finish setting them off by then."

He Zhijun grinned from ear to ear: "Okay, let's go play." After saying that, he went inside, grabbed some firecrackers, and rushed to the backyard.

Jingyan watched their cheerful backs and shook her head: "Men, they all like this kind of thing."

She thought of her two nephews, Ronggang and Rongqiang, who also loved setting off firecrackers back then. They would even hide some small firecrackers that they had taken off the firecrackers and set them off one by one whenever they had nothing to do, just to hear the bang. The two of them were happy, but she and her third sister were extremely worried, afraid that if they didn't let go in time, their fingers would be blown off.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Jingyan noticed the water was boiling. She put the dumplings in the pot and heard crackling sounds from the backyard, followed by the sound of firecrackers coming from near and far. Looking out at the dark sky, Jingyan couldn't help but sigh: 1976 has arrived.

After the three of them finished eating dumplings, their New Year's Eve vigil was considered over. Jingyan couldn't take it anymore and said to the two who were still slowly drinking, "You guys eat slowly. I can't stay up any longer. I'm going to sleep first. Don't stay up too late either."

The two nodded in agreement, and she went inside, soon falling into a deep sleep.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, when Jingyan got up, He Zhijun was still fast asleep, occasionally snoring. She quietly got dressed and went to the living room. The dining table had already been cleared away. When she got to the kitchen, she saw two empty liquor bottles by the door. It seemed that the two bottles of liquor in the house had been finished overnight. Wouldn't it be a pity if there was no liquor when they had barbecue on the second day of the Lunar New Year?

I opened the cupboard and found a white plastic bucket inside, weighing ten jin (5 kg). This was bulk liquor, which I bought from a nearby brewery.