allonlinenovel Chapter 200 Chinese New Year (7)
Chapter 200 Chinese New Year (7)
"Yes! I thought you got up to go to the bathroom, but you didn't come back for a long time, so I got up to check on you."
Yuan Wenjie affectionately pushed her onto the bed and covered her with a blanket.
The next morning, Su Jinru was awakened by the sound of children laughing and playing outside her window.
Yuan Wenjie is no longer by my side.
She climbed to the window, lifted the curtains, and looked outside.
The snow has stopped, and everything outside is covered in a thick blanket of white snow on the ground, trees, and eaves.
Yuan Wenjie and his two children are playing in the snow.
The air was filled with the cheerful laughter of the two children and Yuan Wenjie.
Su Jinru got up and changed into a thick cotton-padded coat and leather shoes lined with fleece.
After washing up and going out, the two children, under Yuan Wenjie's direction, had already built a snowman that was 1.4 meters tall.
Their hands were red from the cold, but they didn't care at all; they were all smiling happily.
Upon seeing Su Jinru, Yuan Wenjie smiled and said, "You're up. Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
"You've already built a snowman, and I'm still sleeping."
Yuan Wenjie said to the two children, "Mom, get up! Let's go have breakfast! Let's have the most authentic local breakfast here."
The two children also changed into their down jackets and went out together to have breakfast.
From the guesthouse to the street outside, a path had already been cleared with shovels.
This time, Su Jinru truly witnessed what it means to "sweep only the snow from your own doorstep."
Indeed, each household shoveled snow in front of their own door, clearing a path from their doorstep to the street, while the snow on the street was shoveled by a team led by a designated person.
On a nearby street, someone was actually selling breakfast at a stall.
Just like the roadside stalls of later generations, there were also a few tables for customers to eat at.
The table was simply placed in the snow.
After all, it's a big city with high demand from its residents, so the policies are more flexible. In smaller places, individuals are not allowed to set up stalls to sell things.
From ancient times to the present, street stalls have indeed been convenient for everyone, and there were already several people eating at the stall.
Yuan Wenjie said, "This is a local specialty breakfast. We'll each have a bowl of soy milk and a fried dough ring."
Making soy milk is quite troublesome. In Daben Village, no one makes tofu, so no one makes soy milk to drink.
So this was Anxin and Anran's first time drinking soy milk.
At this time, business people are particularly kind, and the soy milk is especially thick and has a rich, mellow flavor.
Douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) is best enjoyed with fried dough sticks.
However, the fried dough sticks here are not long and solid like those in the south. Instead, they are made into various ring shapes, such as long rings, round rings, small rings, and there is also a kind called "jiaoquan".
Yuan Wenjie ordered a bowl of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and a jiaoquan (fried dough stick), which is a round shape, for everyone.
Someone was selling sesame cakes at the stall next door, so Yuan Wenjie went and bought four sugar-coated sesame cakes.
These are all local breakfast specialties.
Anxin and Anran were eating it for the first time, and they seemed to like it.
Hot soy milk is eaten with freshly made fried dough rings and sugar-coated fried dough cakes. One is thick and the other is crispy and fragrant. Eating them together is very refreshing. After eating them, you feel warm and comfortable all over.
After they finished eating, they continued walking.
It turns out that this street is dedicated to selling breakfast; there are two stalls selling douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and four or five stalls selling sesame seed cakes.
Yuan Wenjie bought four more sesame seed cakes. The cakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, fragrant and chewy.
They also bought four horseshoe-shaped sesame cakes and four spiral sesame cakes. Since they were full and couldn't eat anymore, they wrapped them in oil paper and took them home to eat.
After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, they took a stroll. In some places, the snow hadn't been cleared, making the roads difficult to walk on.
Yuan Wenjie was also worried that Su Jinru would catch a cold, so he suggested that they go back to the guesthouse.
Back at the guesthouse, Su Jinru really didn't want to move. She had originally planned to go to the Luo family's house today, but she was feeling quite tired.
Yuan Wenjie said, "If you don't want to go, then we won't go. I'll call my mom and say that it's inconvenient to go because of the snow, and we can go over tonight!"
Su Jinru said, "Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. As a daughter-in-law, I should help my mother-in-law prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
"No need, you're pregnant! Besides, we've come all this way back, so you should rest. We can go to the New Year's Eve dinner tonight."
"Isn't this... bad?"
"What's good or bad about it? If you become my wife, I'll handle the social obligations on my side, and you'll handle the social obligations on your side. We'll each do our part. I don't need you to save face for me. Just do what makes you happy, and I'll earn my own respect."
Su Jinru felt relieved.
"Okay, you said it yourself. The thing I want to do most right now is sleep. I'll sleep here, and you can go shopping, eat delicious food, play in the snow, have a snowball fight, whatever you want."
"Okay, you go to sleep. I'll take the two kids out to play. We'll come and wake you up when it's lunchtime."
Su Jinru didn't sleep well last night and is especially tired today. She really just wants to sleep in a warm room and doesn't want to go out into the cold wind.
So she slept until noon, by which time Yuan Wenjie and the others had already returned from lunch at the state-run restaurant.
Yuan Wenjie had come back once and saw that she was sleeping soundly, so he didn't disturb her. They went to the state-run restaurant for a meal, and they packed Su Jinru's food to bring back for her.
Before bringing it back, the kitchen was asked to heat it up, so the food was still hot when Su Jinru woke up to eat it.
They brought back rice, and dishes including Mapo Tofu and stir-fried liver.
Both of these are local specialties.
Mapo tofu has a delicate texture and unique flavor, making it very appetizing. The stir-fried liver is tender and juicy with a rich sauce, making it a perfect accompaniment to rice.
Su Jinru ate to her heart's content.
As expected of a city near the capital, these delicacies are all authentic and have a very genuine flavor.
Most importantly, Yuan Wenjie was able to understand her thoughts and physical reactions, and knew what she wanted to eat most at that moment.
The two children's enthusiasm for the snow waned a bit, and after playing all morning, they were tired and wanted to rest.
Yuan Wenjie asked Su Jinru if she had slept enough and if she wanted to go out for a walk.
He added that the snow on the streets has been cleared, and since it's Lunar New Year's Eve, the streets are very lively.
"You've been playing with the two kids all morning, aren't you tired?"
"I'm a former soldier, and I get tired after just a short walk on the street. What kind of soldier am I?"
"Come on! I'll take you to see a place."
"Where?"
"You'll know when it arrives."
Su Jinru knew that Yuan Wenjie would never disappoint her. If he said he would take her to see a place, then that place was probably worth seeing.
Su Jinru put on a scarf, covering her head and face completely, and then went out with Yuan Wenjie.
Because of the snow, driving was not safe, so they had to walk. Since they had nothing else to do and weren't in a hurry, they treated it as a stroll.