Preparation

Fang Zhiyuan took Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang to see the newly hatched chicks. It was not known whether it was because of the cold weather, but only fifteen chicks hatched from a nest of twenty-two eggs. The newly born chicks were yellow and fluffy, and looked very cute. Xiao Zhuang asked to touch them, but Da Zhuang refused without hesitation, as the chicks were so small that they could be killed by accident.

Da Zhuang was a little older, and his family also had chicks. To him, chicks were not as attractive as the unhatched eggs. These lucky eggs were delicious. Whenever chicks were hatched at home, his grandmother would cook them for him and dip them in salt and pepper. They were so delicious that you could swallow them.

Thinking of this, his stomach, which had just been full, did not react, but his mouth was about to drool. He pulled Fang Zhiyuan’s hand and said, “Brother Fang, are those lucky eggs here? They are delicious whether they are roasted or boiled.”

Looking at Da Zhuang’s foodie look, Fang Zhiyuan smiled and took out five lucky eggs from the small basket. Da Zhuang looked at him and said to Fang Zhiyuan anxiously, “Brother Fang, let’s boil them. We can eat them with salt later.”

Xiao Zhuang had also eaten them before, and followed Da Zhuang and shouted, “Eat, they are delicious. Brother Fang, let’s boil eggs and eat them, boil eggs and eat them!” His little hands also clapped in excitement.

 Fang Zhiyuan teased him deliberately, saying, “No, let Brother Fang touch your stomach to see if it’s full. If it’s full, you can’t eat. Brother Fang and your brother Da Zhuang will eat it together.” Then he pretended to touch Xiao Zhuang’s stomach.

Xiao Zhuang felt that his stomach was full. If Fang Zhiyuan touched it, there would be no delicious food. He quickly avoided Fang Zhiyuan’s outstretched hand. Fang Zhiyuan pretended to be angry and said, “Xiao Zhuang’s stomach must be full. You can’t eat more. In this way, Da Zhuang and I will eat Xiao Zhuang’s.”

Xiao Zhuang was anxious. After thinking about it, he walked in front of Fang Zhiyuan and said to Fang Zhiyuan with his big eyes, “Brother Fang, Xiao Zhuang’s stomach can still hold some food. If you don’t believe me, touch it!” As soon as he finished speaking, he took a breath and held his stomach.

 Fang Zhiyuan was afraid that Xiao Zhuang would feel uncomfortable, so he quickly coaxed him and said, “Okay, Xiao Zhuang, you can still eat. Brother Fang will pick a big one for you later. Come on, open your mouth, don’t hold your breath, it will be uncomfortable.”

Xiao Zhuang stopped holding his breath and followed Fang Zhiyuan to the stove.

Da Zhuang was already waiting under the stove. Fang Zhiyuan saw that there was still some heat in the stove. He used a shovel to put five eggs in the place where they were still red and had flames, and then covered them with straw ash. He pat the ash off his body, wait for an incense stick of time, and the eggs will be baked.

Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang stared at the eggs without blinking, waiting to eat them. Fang Zhiyuan brought a small stool to each of them and asked them to wait slowly. He went to the main hall to find some honey and made some honey water for them to moisten their throats and promote digestion.

On the other side, Fang Zeng and Lin Zheng talked about Fang Zhiyuan’s birthday. Since he met Lin Shuang, Lin Zheng did not buy glutinous rice. He planned to go to the town again tomorrow, help buy glutinous rice and some things for the New Year. Now that the New Year is not far away, he will also buy some things while going to town.

Fang Zeng was worried about the banquet on Fang Zhiyuan’s birthday. Although Lin Xin’s family and Lin Zheng’s family can make glutinous rice cakes, who will make the dishes for the banquet. When he went to the town to buy things, Manager Chen knew that he was going to celebrate his nephew’s birthday and specially asked him to come over for a drink. In this way, he had to make the banquet look better.

 Lin Zheng listened to Fang Zeng’s words, thought about it, and said to Fang Zeng: “Brother Fang, my younger brother-in-law married to Liu Village. There is an auntie there who cooks very well, and the chefs in the town are just so-so. Otherwise, we can ask him to cook.”

Fang Zeng asked hurriedly: “Whose family is she from? I have been to Liu Village, but I have never heard of such a person. Besides, we have no relation with the auntie, so it is not appropriate to invite him like this.” He has a senior brother in Liu Village, who learned hunting skills from his father and has also been to Liu Village.

 Lin Zheng explained to Fang Zeng: “Brother Fang, this Auntie Liu is a miserable person. He lost his husband when he was young and had to take care of a boy. At that time, in order to support the boy, he opened a small stall on the way to sell noodles with the cooking skills passed down from his ancestors.”

Seeing that Fang Zeng did not feel disgusted, Lin Zheng said what he knew and said: “Then, when his boy grew up, he was a filial son. He couldn’t bear to see his mother working hard from dawn to dusk, so he closed the stall. Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. A few years ago, his son had an accident again. His son’s husband left a five-year-old boy to Auntie Liu and took the family’s money to remarry. Auntie Liu relied on the few acres of land in the family and her cooking skills to support herself and her grandson. I heard from my family’s younger brother that Auntie Liu’s cooking skills were better than anyone else in the surrounding area.”

Lin Zheng felt a little sorry for Auntie Liu, so he mentioned it. Fang Zeng felt very sympathetic after hearing this. He knew that although Lin Zheng was soft-hearted, he was very steady in his work. It seemed that Auntie Liu was indeed capable. It would cost money, so it didn’t matter who was hired.

Fang Zeng said to Lin Zheng: “In that case, please tell Xiao Zhuang’s mother and his brother to see if Auntie Liu can come that day. I’ll give him fifty coins for a table, and I’ll pick him up and drop him off with a mule cart.”

Lin Zheng nodded and agreed. He promised to do it for Fang Zeng.

Fang Zhiyuan took Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang out of the pot. Some of the burnt eggs were very hot, but they gave off a barbecue aroma. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang were drooling, and they didn’t care about the heat, and reached out to take the eggs.

Fang Zhiyuan was afraid that they would get burned, so he asked them to put their hands into their sleeves and use their sleeves to peel the eggs. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang were obedient and looked at the food. They did whatever Fang Zhiyuan said. Fang Zhiyuan sighed, it’s not easy to take care of children.

Fang Zhiyuan told them to eat slowly and not to burn themselves, and took the remaining three to his uncle. Fang Zeng had already discussed things with Lin Zheng, and was chatting with him. Seeing Fang Zhiyuan coming over with a small basket, he asked, “Huzi, what are you carrying?”

Fang Zhiyuan said to his uncle, “Uncle, these are unhatched eggs. I took five and roasted one for each of us. You and Uncle Zheng, eat one each and taste it.” Then he handed the small basket over.

Lin Zheng laughed and said to Fang Zeng: “We haven’t eaten it since Da Zhuang was born. This time, thanks to Brother Fang, I can also satisfy my child’s craving.” As he said that, he took the warm egg and knocked it.

 Fang Zeng was happy to see his nephew eating an egg and thinking about himself. He did not break his nephew’s kindness. He took the egg and said to Fang Zhiyuan: “Huzi, your uncle Lin Xin and I have agreed that in the future, if you have nothing to do, you can go to his house to learn to read from him. Although he is not a serious scholar, he can recognize all the characters.”

Lin Zheng also said from behind: “Yes, Huzi, my brother used to study in Zhao’s private school. He can recognize all the characters. You can learn from him. Although he can’t speak fluently, write articles or poems, it is enough for daily use.”

Fang Zhiyuan smiled and said: “Uncle, I will learn from Da Zhuang first. If Da Zhuang doesn’t know, I can learn from Uncle Lin Xin.” Lin Xin is the head of the village. He must have a lot of things to do. He accepted Fang Zeng’s request because he couldn’t refuse it, but Fang Zhiyuan didn’t want to owe a favor for no reason.

 Anyone who can teach him to read here is half his master, and his uncle will have to be courteous to Lin Xin in the future. He obviously knows the characters here, but he just lacks a reason and doesn’t need to spend so much effort and favors. Learning from Da Zhuang is another matter.

After eating eggs, Lin Zheng took Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang home.

The next day, Lin Zheng went to the town early in the morning. Lin Zheng’s family and Lin Xin’s fulang found the molds for making glutinous rice cakes, washed them and dried them. Lin Cheng’s fulang brought them to Fang Zeng’s house and prepared to start making them today when the glutinous rice came back.

Fang Zeng was not idle either. He had to ship back the little black pig he ordered. Fang Zhiyuan’s birthday was in a few days, so he killed the pig to avoid being busy at that time. It was cold today, so there was no worry that the pork would not be able to be stored.

When Lin Zheng came back at noon, Lin Zheng’s fulang quickly put the glutinous rice on the mill to grind it into powder. Lin Xin’s fulang and Lin Cheng’s fulang prepared a basin of hot water. As soon as the glutinous rice flour was ready, they started to mix the glutinous rice flour. Fang Zhiyuan, Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang followed them to the kitchen to join in the fun, stretching their heads and making noises.

The fire in the kitchen was warm, and Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang ran away and took off their cotton-padded jackets because of the heat. When Lin Cheng’s fulang saw them, he followed them and shouted at them to put on their clothes. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang knew that his mother was easy to talk to, so they hid and laughed, but refused to put on their clothes.

When Lin Xin’s fulang saw them, his eyes sank, his face became fierce, and he glanced at the two of them. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang were as obedient as cats, and put on their clothes by themselves. Seeing Fang Zhiyuan laughing so hard, he looked at Da Zhuang’s mother with admiration.

The mold for making glutinous rice cakes is very interesting, and there are two shapes. One is in the shape of a turtle, and the other is in the shape of a round cake. Fang Zhiyuan looked curious and touched it with his hand. Seeing this, Lin Cheng’s fulang smiled and said, “Huzi, this is your tenth birthday. Let me tell you what this baba means.”

Fang Zhiyuan could actually guess roughly, but he still showed his curiosity and looked at Lin Cheng’s fulang eagerly. Lin Cheng’s fulang looked at Fang Zhiyuan’s curious look, and thought of Fang Sheng looking at him in the same ignorant way. His heart softened, and his eyes blurred a little.

He raised his head and explained to Fang Zhiyuan, “As the saying goes, a thousand-year-old turtle is a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise, and the tortoise is the longest-lived. The shape of the tortoise is to hope that the person celebrating the birthday can live as long as the tortoise. The round cake symbolizes reunion, and people want to live a happy life. Similarly, giving these two to the villagers also means sharing the birthday star’s blessings with everyone.”

Fang Zhiyuan listened carefully, and then looked at the mold that seemed a little childish. His heart was very touched.

 Fang Zeng dragged the black pig back home with a mule cart, and Lin Zheng was beside him to help lift the pig down. The black pig was tied up tightly, and Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang hurried out to watch the fun after hearing the noise. Fang Zhiyuan was brought out by them. Looking at the black-skinned pig on the ground, he was happy: it seems that this pig also has a race.

Fang Zeng himself is a hunter, and slaughtering animals is his job, so he saved a share of the money for slaughtering pigs. Lin Xin’s family boiled water, and Lin Zheng and Fang Zeng added hot water to the big wooden basin. Then, the two tied the black pig to the ladder, and Lin Zheng’s fulang drove the two little ones into the house and didn’t let them watch.

Fang Zhiyuan was allowed to watch because he was the eldest child. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang looked eagerly and saw Fang Zhiyuan’s back from the house. The little boy’s eyes were full of resentment, which made Lin Cheng laugh so hard that his stomach hurt. He shouted that his two grandsons were live treasures, but he would never let them go out and be scared.

 Fang Zeng slaughtered the pig neatly with a knife. Lin Zheng helped carry the ladder to the big basin and began to brush the hair. Lin Xin’s family froze the pig’s blood with salt and brought it into the house. Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang were allowed to come out and take a look. As soon as they came out, they ran to Fang Zeng and Lin Zheng and asked for the pig’s bladder to play with.

When Lin Zheng’s fulang saw it, they hurriedly asked them not to disturb Fang Zeng and his friends from brushing the hair. Fang Zeng smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter. Come on, take it and play with it. We’ll have a good pork meal later.” Then he took out the pig’s bladder from the pig’s stomach, washed it with water and threw it to Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang.

Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang took the pig’s bladder and played with it, while Fang Zhiyuan watched his uncle cut the black pig into several large pieces neatly. He put the pig’s hind legs in the backpack and prepared to go to the town in the afternoon to give the pork to Shopkeeper Chen and Third Chen.

 He cut three strips of pork weighing ten kilograms each and gave one strip to each of Lin Cheng’s three families. Lin Cheng’s fulang declined at first, but happily accepted it.