PFC Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Zhao Da'e stayed at her aunt's house for a while. When she left, her aunt, Cheng Jinxi, gave her a lot of food and supplies.
Ten or so pounds of wheat flour, half a bag of potatoes, a few large radishes, a few cabbages, two pounds of vermicelli, two pounds of pork, a bundle of scallions, seven or eight pounds of rice, and some thin walnuts were carried by Uncle Zhou Yuren to take Zhao Da'e home.
Zhao Da'e secretly took out twenty yuan and told his cousin that he would give it to his aunt after he left before going home.
Everyone's having a tough time, so we can't keep going to our relatives' houses to steal food and drinks; Zhao Da'e would feel a bit embarrassed.
Of course, Zhao Da'e often goes to steal...
Twenty yuan is enough to cover the cost of these things. It's a small gift with a big meaning, especially since it's food, which money can't replace.
Aunt Cheng Jinxi has always made Zhao Da'e feel that he owes her too much.
Back home, Zhao Da'e started heating oil in a wok... but there was no oil. So Zhao Da'e took out the fat from the two pounds of pork, rendered some pork fat, then washed the cabbage, chopped some scallions, made some diced pork, and then added some oil and stirred.
Cheng Jinxiang was coaxing Xiao Juanzi when she saw Zhao Dage fiddling around and asked, "What are you doing, Dage? It's not a holiday, why are you kneading dough and making fillings to make dumplings?"
Zhao Da'e nodded: "Mmm, let's have some dumplings."
Cheng Jinxiang scolded, "You don't know how to manage a household. You eat dumplings on every special occasion."
Zhao Da'e chuckled: "Can't we celebrate Mom's discharge from the hospital with some dumplings? Besides, we can eat whenever we want. Eating dumplings isn't illegal."
“You went to your aunt’s house, right? She has three children, and your uncle especially loves kids. Every time you went, he would bring you things, which made me feel embarrassed. Another day, see if you have any good things at home and return some to your aunt. You can’t always take advantage of your aunt’s family.” Cheng Jinxiang also knew that everyone’s life was not easy. For farming families, they could only eat dumplings during the New Year.
There's an old saying, "Which family doesn't eat dumplings during Chinese New Year?" This refers to farming families who, after a year of poverty, can only afford dumplings for those two days of the New Year. At this time, while they might not go hungry, eating well is still very difficult. Families with many children often have even worse meals.
Cheng Jinxiang's eldest sister's family lives off the land. They don't own much land, but it's near the mountains, and the wild game and medicinal herbs from there are valuable and can be sold for money to buy better things. Life is relatively easier now, and the children have all grown up. Zhou Tianfu now collects scraps, which earns him some pocket money each day.
Looking at their own family, they have nothing and can only sit and eat their savings away.
Zhao Da'e quickly finished wrapping the dumplings and put them in the pot to boil.
After cooking the dumplings, we put them on the table and prepared to eat them.
Cheng Jinxiang stopped Zhao Dage: "Go get a bowl of dumplings and take it to your grandparents."
"No way." Zhao Da'e shook his head like a rattle-drum. "My grandma never invites me when she eats dumplings; she only gives them to my eldest uncle's son and my third uncle's younger brother. I'm a girl, and they don't invite me. Why should I invite them when I'm eating dumplings? I'm not going..."
Cheng Jinxiang said, "At least you're my grandparents."
"Mom, are you going to eat or not? If you're not going to eat, I'll eat it myself." Zhao Da'e frowned unhappily.
Cheng Jinxiang sighed: "Then call him Dad too."
"Mom, come on. If you want Dad to eat dumplings, he can immediately take them to my grandparents and they won't eat them. Asking him is like giving them to my grandparents, and no one will even say anything good about it." Zhao Da'e said, somewhat displeased.