Starting a new chapter in life

“He’s no one to talk to, but we do owe him a favor this time. Next time we come, we’ll bring him something to repay the favor,” Jinghuan said.

"What's your impression of him, Fourth Sister? If he wanted to date you, would you agree? Marrying him would mean becoming a city person and not having to do farm work anymore."

“What are you talking about? Didn’t we say that when my older brothers came back for the New Year, Uncle Peng’s family would come to discuss the marriage? I don’t think being a city person is good. I have no education and no connections. Even if I marry a city person, I’ll just be doing housework at home. Life in the city is so hard. You have to buy grain, oil, rice, flour, vegetables, and fruits. Although we live in the village, at least we can be self-sufficient in vegetables all year round, which saves us a lot of expenses.”

"Fourth Sister is the most insightful." Jingyan felt relieved. Hearing her fourth sister's words, she suddenly realized that in the life she dreamed of, the Peng family hadn't mentioned marriage to her fourth sister, and she had no recollection of what happened to the Peng family's young man afterward.

After the two sisters returned home and prepared all the New Year's goods, Jingyan began a life of eating and sleeping. It wasn't until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month that the two sisters finally started making fried food. They took out a lot of cabbage, carrots, green radishes, and red radishes from the cellar.

The two sisters both love to eat raw red radishes, also known as "heart-shaped radishes." They have a crisp texture, are not too spicy, and have a distinct sweetness, making them suitable as a fruit. They also shred green radishes and carrots, salt them to draw out the moisture, add seasonings and flour, and use them to make fried meatballs. The result is a crispy exterior and tender interior, with a fragrant aroma after being deep-fried—truly a luxurious snack.

The pork belly and cabbage were mixed into the filling, and then used to make dumplings. The plump little dumplings were neatly arranged on a bamboo steamer. Once the steamer was full, it was taken to a large vat under the window outside for quick freezing. In less than three hours, they were frozen solid. The frozen dumplings were then poured into a medium-sized vat specifically for storing dumplings, and the lid was put on. As long as they don't thaw, they can be fried, boiled, or steamed. The plump dumplings still had the ridges from the steamer underneath, which added a sense of ritual.

The beans that were cooked the day before were ground while still warm, and sugar was added and mixed to make bean paste. A large piece of the paste was stuffed into a dough made of yellow glutinous rice flour, and the sticky rice buns were made. They were then thrown outside to freeze and transferred to another jar.

After a busy day, the staple foods and snacks for the Chinese New Year period are almost ready.

"Fourth Sister, did you pickle any sauerkraut this year?" Jingyan's cooking skills weren't great, and the pickled sauerkraut always spoiled, so Jinghuan was the one who prepared the pickling and fermentation for making soybean paste at home. She usually did nothing, but she only remembered to ask this time because she wanted to eat some.

Jinghuan replied gently, "Yes, yes, it's in the vat behind the kitchen door. It's too hot in the kitchen when we're burning firewood, so it's cooler near the door, which is suitable for storing sauerkraut. Didn't you see the vat behind the door when you went in and out?"

Jingyan was a little embarrassed: "I didn't notice. Usually, we have to watch the threshold when we go in and out. Who watches what's behind the door? Well, we have sauerkraut at home. Let's stew pork with sauerkraut tomorrow. We'll also make a whole tray of pure mutton dumplings. My eldest brother and second brother should be back soon. Let's eat something good."

"Okay, I'll bring the meat in to thaw it first. Is there anything else I need to prepare?" Jing Huan was very easy to talk to.

"How about stewing some mutton? Let's make broth from the mutton bones, and add a radish to remove excess oil before serving, along with some chopped green onions. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water." As he spoke, his mouth was watering.

“Okay, we haven’t really cooked a proper mutton meal since you came back from your holiday. Tomorrow, my eldest and second eldest brothers’ families will be coming over. In previous years, we didn’t have anything good, so we all just ate whatever we could find. This year, we have some good stuff, so we must make sure to replenish our energy.” Jinghuan took out a pencil stub that was only half a palm’s length long, tore off a page from the calendar that had already been turned over, and wrote down the dishes we were going to make for tomorrow on the back.

Early on the 29th, after getting up and having breakfast, the lamb bones were put into the pot to make soup. Before 10 o'clock, the eldest brother's family and the second brother's family returned one after the other, carrying rice and flour into the door.

"Fourth sister, little sister, we're back. Our company distributed rice and flour this year, and we kept some at home. We brought you twenty jin." The eldest brother, Zhang Jingtian, said as he entered the kitchen, putting the grain bag in his hand into the kitchen cabinet.

The two sisters were making dumplings on the kang (a heated brick bed) when they heard the noise. They quickly got off the kang, slipped on their shoes, and opened the door. Just then, their sister-in-law led her two sons in.

"Brother and sister-in-law, you've arrived. It must be cold outside. Come in and warm yourself by the fire. Nephews, come in too, sit on the kang (heated brick bed), it'll be warm." Jinghuan stepped forward and took his sister-in-law's hand.

"Oh, my eldest brother and sister-in-law are back earlier than us. I thought we would be the first to arrive." The cheerful voice of the second sister-in-law came from the doorway. The second brother's family also entered. The eldest son, who is three years old, was being held by the second brother, while the youngest son, who had just turned one year old, was being held by the second sister-in-law.

Jingyan went straight over and took the child from her second sister-in-law: "It's really like we're on the same page. They say we're in sync, and look, this is exactly what they mean by this scene."

Second Sister-in-law let go of the child and let Jingyan take him away. Second Brother also put down his eldest son. Second Sister-in-law turned around and helped Second Brother unload the bamboo basket he was carrying: "Sister, our company's benefits are good this year. In addition to grain and oil, there are also fruits and ribbonfish. We brought half of it over. You two sisters can cook it and eat it during the winter to replenish your body."

The second brother took the items out of the basket one by one, and the second sister-in-law helped put the frozen items outside and the items stored in the cupboard. The two sisters didn't have to lift a finger; they arranged everything perfectly.

“You brought all this back. How can you not bring enough gifts when you visit your mother-in-law’s house for the New Year?” Jinghuan looked at the things with some concern.

“Hey, what’s the big deal? My parents are also employees, and they’ll definitely get more bonuses at the end of the year than we do. They’ll be very happy if the two of us go back for the New Year. I’m even planning to bring some back from home. You sisters don’t need to worry about that. My parents won’t mistreat your brother when he comes to my house.” Second Sister-in-law spoke frankly and straightforwardly.

The second brother, Zhang Jingzhao, also reassured them: "Don't worry, my father-in-law and mother-in-law are so good to me. It's been half a year since we last saw them, and my two younger sisters are getting prettier and prettier."

After tidying up their things, the group went inside and were taken aback when they saw the fillings on the bedside table, the dough on the cutting board, and the partially wrapped dumplings.

"Are you planning to eat up all the meat you've stored up all winter in these two days?" the sister-in-law asked in surprise. Although the harvest is much better than before, when it comes to making meat dumplings, they usually have a little meat and a lot of vegetables. They're lucky if they can even get the flavor. Few families are willing to make pure meat dumplings.

Jingyan laughed and said, "How could that be? This year the canteen has a quota of lamb, and many officers and soldiers in the army have gone home to visit their families. The canteen has a surplus, so I bought back a lot of lamb and lamb bones. That's why we dare to eat meat and egg dumplings. By the way, when you go back later, your family should take a piece of lamb and a few lamb bones back to make soup."

"No need, no need. Buy some meat for yourselves. We don't lack meat normally." The eldest brother quickly refused, and the second brother nodded in agreement. The two brothers set up the large round table that was standing against the wall on the ground next to the kang (a heated brick bed). The two sisters-in-law fetched water, poured some hot water from the thermos to make warm water, washed their hands in the basin, dried them, and then sat on the stools to help make dumplings together.

Seeing that she had help, Jingyan immediately washed her hands, which were covered in flour, and rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find peanuts, melon seeds, and candies. She put them on a plate for her nephews to eat.

"Look, Jingyan is still the same as ever, she's incredibly quick to avoid these kinds of delicate tasks," the second brother teased his younger sister.

"Alright, you talk too much. What chores at home haven't you finished?" the older brother asked.

"The water tank in the kitchen isn't full, can you fill it up, brother?" Jingyan assigned the task without any hesitation.

The eldest brother didn't say anything, but quickly took the kettle to the yard to prepare to thaw the pump well and pump water. After several kettles of hot water were poured in, water was finally slowly pumped out. Usually, only Jingyan could do this job, as Jinghuan was not strong enough. This time, with the two older brothers back, the water tank could finally be filled.

Despite it being a cold winter day, the two older brothers took turns pumping water, working up a sweat from the effort. "The city is installing tap water pipes now. They say once it's done, every household won't need to pump wells anymore. They can just turn on the tap and the water will come out. In winter, as long as they insulate the pipes, there won't be any water shortages. I wonder when it will be our village's turn," the eldest brother said, his voice filled with longing.

"The news just started circulating in the city. It will take at least five or six years for it to get to the county and then to the village. We've got a long wait," the second brother said calmly. Nobody was interested in things that couldn't be settled in a short time.

"Getting water pipes installed in the village can take a long time. The government installs these things for you for free. As long as it involves money, not many families in the village are willing to do it. Our well-operating is a bit tiring, but it doesn't cost any money," Jingyan reminded her. In her dream, her hometown village still didn't have water pipes installed for seven or eight years.

Everyone was just talking about it and no one took it to heart. By noon, the plump, pure meat dumplings were put into the pot, cooked, and then taken out. Garlic sauce was made, and some soy sauce was added to make a dipping sauce. A plate of the fried radish balls from yesterday was also served, and everyone was given a big bowl of radish and mutton soup. It was a satisfying and warming meal.

After finishing their meal, the sisters-in-law and the fourth sister cleaned the ribbonfish that the second brother had brought, cut it into sections, and used some oil that had been used to fry meatballs to fry the fish sections. Before long, the aroma of caramelized fish filled the air. The three children, except for the one who had just turned one year old and could only eat complementary foods, stood in a row around the pot, looking on with longing eyes.

"What are you two doing here? There's nothing you can do to help. Go away and don't make things worse," the sister-in-law said to her two sons.

“We still have some ribbonfish at home. Mom will fry them for you when we get home. These are for your aunt. Go inside and play with your little brother for a while,” the second sister-in-law said to her eldest son.

"Let's scoop some out and eat it when it's done frying. I haven't eaten much fish this year," Jingyan said, peeking out from the kitchen doorway and waving to her three nephews.

The three children ran towards her, and she led them back into the house, whispering, "Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. Here with your aunt, you can eat whatever you want. Wait, your aunt will go grind some food for you." She patted the children's heads and went into the kitchen.

Jinghuan smiled and winked at her: "Wait a little longer, this first batch isn't done yet. It'll taste better when it's crispy and crunchy. Don't rush, go to that plate and wait here."

Jing Yan happily went to the cupboard, took a plate, and obediently stood by the pot to wait.

The two sisters-in-law exchanged a glance and shook their heads helplessly: "Jingyan, don't spoil the child like this. Looking at you like this, who knows how spoiled you will be when you have children in the future? Children are all greedy. If you give them whatever they want, what kind of family can afford to raise them?" The eldest sister-in-law was really worried about her.

Upon hearing this, Jingyan's eyes glazed over for a moment. Yes, in her dream, her daughter was indeed raised like a precious jewel. But the family had no money, and no matter how much she cherished her, she still neglected the child. When the child was only five or six years old, she already felt sorry for her. When the child was fifteen or sixteen, she repeatedly advised her to get a divorce. Whether she found someone else or remained single, at least the feeling would be different.

But she was too concerned about her reputation back then and didn't go through with the divorce. The child hated her father. I don't know what kind of life she would have after getting married. The year she passed away, the child had just graduated from university and hadn't found a job yet.

But she believed that her child would not be mistreated and would rather hurt others than hurt herself. This attitude towards life was probably influenced by the life she had chosen. This time, she thought she would follow her daughter's wishes and live for herself for once.

She was distracted for only a moment, and when she came back to her senses, the first batch of fried fish pieces was ready. The golden-brown skin looked appetizing. She quickly handed the plate forward, and her fourth sister smiled and picked up the fish pieces one by one and put them on the plate: "Take them inside to eat, don't let them get in the way in the kitchen."

Jingyan carried the plate into the house, placed it on the kang table, and looked at the three children: "Does it smell good?"

The three children nodded in unison.

"Want to eat?"

Nod again.

"Go wash your hands if you want to eat!" This shout almost startled the children, who quickly and obediently went to wash their hands, sat back at the table, and happily gnawed on the fish pieces. Even the fish bones were soft; as long as they weren't swallowed whole, they could be chewed into tiny pieces without leaving a single crumb.

After the fried fish was ready, the older brother and sister-in-law each tasted a piece before leaving: "We need to catch the bus to the county while it's still early. Happy New Year, sisters." The older brothers wished them a Happy New Year and gave each of them a red envelope.

The two sisters happily accepted the money, and in return, they gave each of their four nephews a small red envelope containing only 50 cents, with the main purpose of creating a festive atmosphere.

The older brother and sister-in-law, carrying the New Year's gifts prepared by the two sisters—a can of food, five or six pounds of mutton, and a few large sheep bones for each family—left through the snow. Only after seeing them leave the village did the two sisters turn back home and bolt the gate.

The next day, the village was filled with the occasional sound of firecrackers, marking the arrival of the 74th anniversary.