Chapter 117

Since the oil was already heated, Su Xiaoxiao decided to fry the piece of pork belly that she had bought from the black market that day, which she had previously marinated with salt and five-spice powder. She intended to make braised pork with it, frying it until the skin turned crispy and golden. After frying the pork belly, she also fried some taro. She sliced a portion of the pork belly and arranged it with the taro slices in a small sand pot, drizzling them with fermented bean curd sauce before slowly simmering them on a charcoal stove.

She kept the braised pork for dinner, and there wasn’t much oil left. Su Xiaoxiao decided to take things further and sliced some potatoes and sweet potatoes, coated them with a mixture of egg, flour, and seasoning, and directly deep-fried them in the oil.

Not only that, Su Xiaoxiao even utilized the pumpkin flowers blooming out of season on the wall. She had the kids pick them, wash them thoroughly, and similarly coat them with the flour mixture before frying them in the oil.

This cooking method opened up a whole new world for the kids. They were all incredibly tempted and reluctant to leave as they gathered around the pot.

Xiao Fantuan swallowed his saliva and asked. “Mom, didn’t we use these pumpkin flowers to make soup before? Can they also be eaten by frying them?

“Of course, frying is a versatile cooking method. Any food that can be cooked and eaten can also be fried and enjoyed. It’s very delicious.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were also drooling, and Xiao Bao said, “Auntie, this pumpkin flower looks so beautiful.”

Su Xiaoxiao lifted the first few cooked pumpkin flowers from the oil, allowing the excess oil to drip off. “Once they’ve drained, I’ll let you taste them.”

If they turned out soggy, they would need to be refried, but the kids were eager, so she allowed them to taste one first.

…………

On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year, every household in Qingfeng Town sizzled with the sounds of various foods frying in hot oil. While Li Yufeng always said that everything tasted better deep-fried, Han Cheng felt that the smell emanating from his own home was more fragrant than that of others. He could easily recognize the distinct flavor emanating from his kitchen with a single whiff.

Han Cheng walked into the courtyard; the radio was playing softly. The twins sat comfortably in their exclusive seats, basking in the sun. Xiao Doubao obediently stayed by their side and played with them. He leaned in to pinch Xiao Roubao’s chubby cheeks, handing him a small toy. Xiao Roubao threw it away casually, and Xiao Doubao went to pick it up and clean up the dust on it before handing it to him: “Xiao Roubao, you can’t throw things around, okay?”

Xiao Roubao couldn’t understand his older brother’s words. As soon as his brother handed the toy to him, Xiao Roubao glanced at it and found that it was the same toy as before. Unimpressed with the toy, he threw it away again.

The clever Xiao Doubao tirelessly went to pick up the toy. After picking it up a few times, he felt that his younger brother might have misunderstood that it was a game. So he found a rope to tie the little puppet to Xiao Roubao’s chair. Now, Xiao Roubao was stuck; he couldn’t pull it off and couldn’t throw it away, so he could only struggle in his seat.

With narrowed eyes resembling crescent moons, Xiao Doubao patted his brother’s head. “You can’t throw it away, right? Will you stop throwing things around next time?”

After finishing the playful antics with his little brother, Xiao Doubao went to his younger sister. “Sister is the best, just as good as brother, um~~~”

He looked like a busy little bee, he chattered away with his sister nonstop, not even knowing that Han Cheng was behind him.

Han Cheng lifted Xiao Doubao and rubbed his forehead against his own. “You are the best at playing with your brother and sister.”

Xiao Doubao hugged his father’s neck and rubbed against it. “Mom said the kitchen with the hot oil is very dangerous, so Xiao Doubao won’t go in, and neither will my little brother and sister~~~”

Xiao Doubao was raised by Su Xiaoxiao. He listens to Su Xiaoxiao’s words very well, he is well-behaved and gentle, and he seems to be of the same type as his sister.

Han Cheng put him down, teased the twins, and said, “Dad will go to the kitchen and see what delicious things he can bring out for Xiao Doubao.”

Xiao Doubao shook his head and said, “No need, Mom will always save some delicious food for Xiao Doubao to eat~~~”

Han Cheng smiled and touched his head. “Okay, Dad knows.”

One had to admit that this child was indeed both clever and obedient.

………….

In the kitchen, the three older brothers were eating pumpkin flowers. The sweet and fragrant pumpkin flowers coated with crispy golden batter were so delicious that the three kids didn’t know how to describe their taste.

Xiao Fantuan quickly recommended to his father, “Dad, Mom’s fried pumpkin flowers are super delicious. You should try one quickly.”

After finishing speaking, he quickly took another one and sent it to Xiao Doubao.

Su Xiaoxiao had just let the kids add firewood and was deep-frying on high heat. After a few seconds, she scooped it up to drain the oil, and as she placed it on the plate, the sound was crisp and clear.

The other sweet potatoes, taro, and potatoes were all fried thoroughly, drained of oil, and piled up on a large plate, creating a sumptuous mixed platter.

It can be said that this is the most luxurious meal that Su Xiaoxiao has ever had since she time-traveled, although it happened only once a year and there were rarely such opportunities. Sometimes, it’s okay to indulge a bit.

Su Xiaoxiao picked up a pumpkin flower and offered it to Han Cheng, who opened his mouth and tasted it. After tasting it, he nodded in approval and said: “It’s delicious.”

Su Xiaoxiao instructed, “Head to the storage room and help me fetch some chrysanthemums and honeysuckle flowers to prepare herbal tea for the kids. Also, didn’t you buy snow pears this year? Take a couple of those as well. While you’re there, grab a handful of the chestnuts we purchased in the city the other day.”

Consuming excessive heat-inducing foods during Chinese New Year festivities may lead to an irritated throat or inflammation, causing discomfort.

Su Xiaoxiao also instructed the cubs, “Alright, please assist me in bringing out the millet porridge, and then we can have lunch. The congee is quite hot, so take just half a bowl and walk slowly.”

The cubs responded. “Got it, Mom/Auntie!”

Su Xiaoxiao had Han Cheng peel the lotus seeds, wash the chrysanthemums and honeysuckle, soak them for a while, then wash the pear clean, cut it into cubes with the skin still on, and wait for Han Cheng to peel the lotus seeds and scatter them directly in. Finally, they added a small piece of rock sugar and boiled it together.

This kind of clear and cooling “herbal tea,” which clears heat, was most suitable for the children.

“Can you have a vacation tomorrow?” Su Xiaoxiao asked Han Cheng.

Han Cheng nodded. “We’ll have a day off tomorrow, but from the first day of the New Year to the third day, I have to be on duty. I’ll only get a day off on the fourth day.”

Han Cheng took a long annual leave last year, so it’s understandable for him to be on duty here this year.

The big brothers have already moved the twins into the house, and Su Xiaoxiao cut up a plate of cold tomatoes and put them in. When Xiao Roubao saw the tomatoes, he kept pulling Su Xiaoxiao to ask for some.

The tomatoes were very red and sweet, full of moisture, so Xiao Roubao didn’t choke on them.

Su Xiaoxiao helped him put on a small bib and little sleeves, took a piece and gave it to him to hold, pinched his chubby face, and said, “Little foodie, just like your brother Fantuan.”

This is something that Xiao Roubao has never eaten before. Seeing the bright red tomato made him think it must be delicious. Without hesitation, he stuffed it into his mouth. Despite being small, he could eat well; he directly sucked the soft and slippery tomato heart in the middle, making a sound while eating, finding it delicious.

Xiao Fantuan was stuffing a piece of fried sweet potato cake into his mouth and looked at Xiao Roubao, who was eating tomatoes.

He was very certain and said, “Mom, everything you make is delicious. I feel like when Xiao Roubao grows as big as me, he might eat even more than me.”

Su Xiaoxiao looked into Xiao Roubao’s squinted eyes, enjoying the food. Well, actually, she felt the same way too.

Han Cheng put some vegetables in Su Xiaoxiao’s bowl and said, “He didn’t eat much, I can still afford to raise him.”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

One can’t help but admit that eating fried food can truly bring pleasure. Just the crispy sound and the tender texture inside evoke a huge appetite. This meal didn’t even have a single piece of meat, yet the whole family felt as satisfied as if they had a feast of meat, albeit feeling a bit heaty and oily.

The chrysanthemum and pear soup had also been simmered to perfection. Su Xiaoxiao filled a thermos for Han Cheng to take to work, making it the kids’ afternoon tea. The pears and water chestnuts were enjoyable, sweet, and moist. The kids really liked them, especially Xiao Doubao.

Seeing his older brothers enjoying the drink, Xiao Roubao started clamoring to have a sip too, making noises of “eh eh eh.” Su Xiaoxiao said to Xiao Doubao, “Xiao Doubao, give your little brother a sip, but not too much, just a couple of sips to moisten his throat.”

“Okay, Mommy~~~” Xiao Doubao was more than happy to share his food with his little brother. He brought over his small bowl close to Xiao Roubao and let him gulp down a few sips. Xiao Doubao was even happier than when he ate it himself.
Once all the fried food had cooled down, Su Xiaoxiao found clean jars or sealed bags to store them. This was when the purpose of the jars from the milk powder and coffee creamer became apparent: one jar for sugar rings, two jars for fried dough twists, one for egg powder, one for fried peanuts, one for fried soybeans, and also the fried glutinous rice balls from Xiao Yu’s home and the pan-fried dumplings from Dun Dun’s home—these comprised all the homemade festive snacks.

Fried soybeans and peanuts were perfect for making porridge on lazy mornings. Fantuan and Zhuzi sometimes liked to take a handful to school, eating a few bites when hungry, so Su Xiaoxiao often fried some and kept them handy for the kids to grab whenever they wanted.

The highlight dish for the evening was the braised pork with taro. This dish completely changed Han Cheng, Fantuan, and Xiao Doubao’s perceptions of pork belly and taro. How could it be this delicious!

Da Bao and Xiao Bao had eaten this dish at some banquets held by wealthy families in Su Village a few times—not many occasions, perhaps only once or twice in their lives—but they certainly didn’t remember it being as delicious as what their aunt made.

The soft and tender taro was washed with boiling water to remove the surface oil and added to the rice paste of the twins. Not only did Xiao Roubao chase after it, but also Xiao Tangyuan took many more bites.

In the blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year’s Eve, and it was time for the annual tradition of pasting spring couplets.

In previous years, Han Cheng was the one who wrote the Spring Festival couplets. This year was a bit different—Su Xiaoxiao allowed the kids to use their creativity. They could decide what to write and where to put it by themselves, with Han Cheng and Su Xiaoxiao only assisting with special decorations. This arrangement got the kids extremely excited.

Han Cheng and Su Xiaoxiao went into the storage room to get red paper.

Han Cheng said, “Let me write the couplets for the front door.” He didn’t want passersby to stop at their doorstep and stare at their doorstep.

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Let the kids write it.”

Su Xiaoxiao leaned close to his ear and said, “If they get laughed at for their bad handwriting this year, they will work hard all year to practice calligraphy, and everyone who passes by our door next year will surely praise them. Do you believe it?”

Su Xiaoxiao, with her charming eyes and graceful demeanor, made Han Cheng unable to resist kissing her and said, “I believe it, I’ll listen to you.”

Su Xiaoxiao stood on tiptoe to respond to Han Cheng’s kiss, and they didn’t let go until they were breathless. They rubbed foreheads and smiled at each other. “Han Cheng, this is our second spring festival together. Time flies so fast. It feels like in the blink of an eye, Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan are already over six months old.”

Han Cheng held Su Xiaoxiao’s face and kissed her lips once more. “Indeed, time flies so swiftly, and now it’s the spring festival.  By the time we celebrate our 20th spring festival together, the children will probably be married and have children of their own.”

Su Xiaoxiao hugged him and rubbed against his chest. “Han Cheng, where do you think we’ll be during the twentieth spring festival? ”

Han Cheng blurted out, “In the capital.”

Su Xiaoxiao looked up at him and said, “Why are you so certain?”

Han Cheng gently nudged his wife’s head with his chin, gazing into the distance outside the window. “Didn’t you want to go to the capital for school? I think it’s not far off.”

Su Xiaoxiao rubbed Han Cheng’s chest again and said, “I don’t think it’s far either.”

Fantuan’s voice echoed from outside the door: “Mom, Dad, why’s it taking forever to get the red paper? We’re ready to start writing!”

The couple looked at each other and smiled again. “We’ll be right there!

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Fried pumpkin Flower