Chapter 93: New Year’s Eve, Fermented Rice Dumplings

Just then, footsteps sounded behind Lu Zhanlin. He turned around and saw Chu Yue just walking into the room. His deep black eyes flickered slightly as he looked at her in confusion, a trace of accusation hidden in his gaze.

Lu Zhanlin’s internal monologue: My wife doesn’t want to sleep with me anymore. I’m panicking! Urgently waiting online for a response!

On the nearby bed, Lu Yuanbao had already burrowed under the warm, cozy quilt, leaving only a round little head exposed and a pair of shiny black eyes staring directly at Chu Yue.

Lu Yuanbao’s silent protest: You’re the one who told me to sleep here! I’m not leaving! No way!

The two—father and son—both had their eyes fixed on Chu Yue, with similarly handsome faces and nearly identical expressions. It felt like a silent contest between them, waiting for Chu Yue to pass judgment on whose side to take.

Chu Yue had just overheard their conversation earlier, so she naturally opened her mouth and said,
“I put something in Yuanbao’s bed earlier. It’s not suitable for sleeping right now, so I let him sleep with us tonight. Is that okay?”

When she said the last three words, she lifted her gaze slightly. Her eyes shimmered faintly, and her tone carried a gentle lilt that seemed to drift straight into Lu Zhanlin’s chest.

Lu Zhanlin felt a tingling in his heart—how could he possibly say no?

In a low voice, he replied, “Whatever you say.”

Seeing she had gotten her way, Chu Yue smiled sweetly.

That night unfolded just like the first night Lu Zhanlin had returned: Lu Yuanbao slept on the inside, Lu Zhanlin on the outside, and Chu Yue in the middle between the two of them.

But after they’d fallen asleep, Chu Yue subconsciously leaned closer to Lu Zhanlin.

Unaware and without intention, it was as if her body moved on instinct—after all, the temptation was simply too strong.

Lu Yuanbao, in a sleepy daze, still found himself wondering: What exactly did she put in my bed? Why don’t I know about it? Could it be… something to eat?

It’s not like we’re hatching chicks… why would you put food under the covers?

Regardless of what it was, he was delighted—because it gave him a chance to sleep next to Chu Yue!

———

As for what Chu Yue had hidden in Yuanbao’s bed—it really was something edible. Whether it counted as food, however, was a matter of personal taste.

That afternoon, Chu Yue and Lu Yuanbao had gone into his small room one after the other. The single bed’s quilt was puffed up, clearly hiding something quite large.

Chu Yue lifted the thick blanket and revealed something large and round—shaped like a ball.

It was wrapped in layers: first a fleece blanket, then a military coat, and under that…

A classic case of “layers within layers.”

Behind her, Lu Yuanbao stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to peek. Once the final layer was removed, he saw a basin tucked inside.

He frowned, his small face puzzled. Why put a basin under the quilt? Can a big basin give birth to little basins or something?

Chu Yue carefully lifted the basin out. It was covered with a wooden lid. As she opened it, a sour-sweet aroma wafted into the air.

It was a strange smell—but also somehow fragrant.

What was even stranger was what was inside the basin. It looked a bit like rice—but also like spoiled rice—wet and soaking in liquid.

Lu Yuanbao had never seen anything like it. He blinked and curiously asked,
“What’s this?”

“It’s fermented rice,” Chu Yue explained. “Some places call it jiu niang.”
She leaned closer, inhaled deeply, and smiled softly at the sweet aroma of alcohol.

She had started making this fermented rice four days ago.

To make it, you use glutinous rice—mixed with regular rice in a 1:1 ratio—and steam it until fully cooked.

Once the rice was done, she fluffed it slightly to release some heat. When it had cooled to a warm temperature, she packed it tightly into the basin, then dug a small bowl-sized hole right in the center.

Then, a layer of fermented sweet rice wine starter was sprinkled on top, and the lid was closed—that completed the process.

If it were summer, you’d just need to leave it in a warm place at the right temperature, and after fermenting for a day, the rice would turn into jiuzao (fermented rice), with a little pool of liquid forming in the center—that would be the rice wine.

But now it was winter. The temperature was too low, and on the mountain it was nearly freezing—definitely not ideal for fermentation. So, it had to be well insulated, and the fermentation time needed to be longer too.

Chu Yue hid the basin in Lu Yuanbao’s bed for three full days and nights, never opening it once, worried the fermentation might fail.

But now it was obvious—the fermentation had been a complete success. (Image reference)

After listening to Chu Yue’s explanation, Lu Yuanbao silently recited in his head: “jiuzao, jiuniang.”

Chu Yue was a true Southerner. Back in her hometown, unlike Northerners who eat dumplings for the New Year, her family always ate tangyuan (sweet rice balls) on New Year’s Eve.

And what accompanied the tangyuan was jiuniang—fermented sweet rice, commonly known as rice wine soup.

Chu Yue picked up the basin and let Lu Yuanbao lean in to sniff it.

“Yuanbao, take a sniff. Does it smell good?”

Lu Yuanbao took a deep breath. Strangely, after smelling it for a while, he no longer found the fermented scent unpleasant. In fact, he even swallowed a bit of saliva without realizing it.

He nodded.

“It smells good!”

“Glad you like it. Let’s get back to making our reunion dinner—tonight’s all about the family being together.”

And so, the two of them returned to the kitchen.

Making tangyuan was much simpler than making dumplings. No need to knead dough or chop filling—just add water to glutinous rice flour until it reached a slightly damp but non-sticky consistency, and it would naturally come together into dough.

The dough was a snowy white. She pinched off a small piece from the big lump.

The small piece was first rolled into a ball, then pressed flat, with a tiny dip made in the center using her finger. She added the pre-prepared sesame filling, wrapped it up, and rolled it into a ball again.

Lu Yuanbao watched Chu Yue make a few, and quickly picked it up himself. After washing his little hands, he eagerly helped out, doing quite a good job.

Seeing that he had gotten the hang of it, Chu Yue left all the tangyuan-making to him while she went off to prepare spring pancakes.

New Year’s Eve was the most important day of the year for Chinese people. Even if it meant a bit of extra trouble and exhaustion, you had to eat and drink well—nothing could be left out.

While preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, Chu Yue looked outside several times. The time Lu Zhanlin had said he’d return had already passed—so where was he?

On such a big day, could something have gone wrong?

Before Lu Zhanlin showed up, Chen Fengying arrived first instead.

Chen Fengying carried a plate piled high with dumplings—fresh out of the pot and still steaming.

“Sister Chu, still busy with the New Year’s dinner? These are dumplings I just made myself—pork and cabbage filling. They’re definitely delicious. Still hot—want to try one?”

Chu Yue had previously tried Chen Fengying’s meat buns, with their thin skin and juicy filling—they were absolutely delicious.

Chen Fengying really had a gift for making dough-based foods.

Without using chopsticks, Chu Yue directly picked up a hot dumpling and popped it into her mouth. With the first bite, the flavorful juice exploded inside.

It was so good.

“Delicious! Sister Chen, your dumplings are seriously good! You could open a stall and sell these!”