20demayo Chapter 440
Chapter 440
With tears in his eyes and under the urging gazes of his mother and Si Nian, Chen Haoran took a bite. With this one bite, he froze.Why didn't it taste smelly at all?
The aroma of the chili oil and the rich broth that burst from the fried egg with a single bite completely stunned him.
This thing actually tasted incredibly delicious.
The rice noodles were smooth and chewy. The sour bamboo shoots smelled terrible, but tasted sour, crisp, and refreshing!
Every single topping inside was delicious.
However, he wasn't very good at handling spicy food. Si Nian had only added a little bit, but it was still spicy enough to make him gasp for air.
Despite the heat, he kept stuffing his mouth. On such a cold day, the food made him sweat profusely.
The children had originally wanted to come in and laugh at him, but they didn't expect to see him slurping the noodles in huge mouthfuls, completely unaffected by the smell.
The kids were stunned.
Admiration shone in their eyes.
Even now, they still weren't quite used to the smell of the sour bamboo shoots.
After finishing his bowl, Chen Haoran still didn't feel satisfied. He shamelessly went to Si Nian and asked if she could pack some sour bamboo shoots for him to take home.
Seeing that she had finally successfully recommended it to someone, Si Nian was happy and packed a generous amount for him.
She told him to come to her whenever he wanted more in the future.
Chen Haoran happily went home hugging half a bucket of sour bamboo shoots.
When the twelfth lunar month arrived, every household began slaughtering pigs, sheep, and chickens.
It snowed early in Jing City. The night before had been perfectly fine, but when they woke up the next day, heavy snow was falling like goose feathers outside.
As soon as they got up, they could see smoke rising from the chimneys of every house and hear the sounds of children playing.
It was the New Year, and the children of the neighbors had all returned for the holidays. Quite a few people had moved in recently as well. Although the rumors of ghosts and monsters here had only just been dispelled, the location was excellent and close to everything.
Moreover, because of the previous rumors, renting a house here was very cheap.
So, many people had moved over.
Si Nian was just thinking about taking the kids out to buy some down jackets because of the heavy snow when someone knocked on the front door.
Sister Si Nian, is your man at home? the person outside shouted while knocking.
Mom, I'll go open the door. Second Child, wearing only a sweater, ran out with thumping steps.
Afraid he would be cold, Si Nian wanted to tell him to put on a coat, but it was too late.
It was still snowing outside. The heavy snow had covered the doorway in a thick layer. A lot of snow had also accumulated on Da Huang's little doghouse and the nearby trees, making it look very beautiful.
Da Huang had half of its body hidden in the doghouse with its head sticking out. Fortunately, its fur grew quickly and was almost fully grown back. Tibetan Mastiffs naturally had very thick fur, so there was no need to worry about it getting cold.
Xiao Han, where are your parents? Are they home? the aunt outside asked.
Si Nian quickly responded, Aunt Wang, we're home. Do you need something from us?
Oh, thank goodness you're home. My family is slaughtering a pig today, but we don't have enough hands. I wanted to ask your man to help. They had passed by here before and encountered Zhou Yueshen a few times.
Although he was a southerner, he was tall and sturdy, and anyone could tell at a glance that he must be very strong.
Her family had raised a pig all year round, weighing about five hundred catties. Originally, they planned to drag it to the slaughterhouse and bring it back, but who knew that they would wake up today to heavy snow and blocked roads.
The car couldn't be driven out.
They had no choice but to slaughter it today.
After all, they had calculated an auspicious date for slaughtering the pig, and today was a good day for it.
Unfortunately, they didn't have enough people to help here.
She had run to several houses in a row and only found two helpers.
Passing by Si Nian's house, she remembered her man, so she hurriedly came to ask.
Hearing this, Si Nian raised an eyebrow. Slaughtering a pig?
When is it? My Lao Zhou isn't home, she said helplessly.
Tomorrow would work, or this afternoon. Zhou Yueshen usually came back early in the afternoons now.
That's a problem then. We had someone calculate the time for slaughtering the pig, and it has to be at ten o'clock. That's the best time.
Si Nian's mouth twitched.
Even slaughtering a pig required calculating an auspicious time. The older generation was indeed particular.
She said apologetically, Lao Zhou's company hasn't started the holidays yet, so he's still at work.
The other party immediately felt it was a pity. That's fine then. You should bring the kids to my house for the pig-slaughtering feast. It'll be lively today.
Si Nian felt a bit awkward. Although they would greet each other when they met, and the neighbors had visited her house before, they weren't really that familiar with each other.
Then she heard the other party say, All the neighbors are going. Don't be polite, everyone can get to know each other.
Hearing this, Si Nian found it hard to refuse.
She nodded and said, Alright, I'll change my clothes and head over later to help out.
Nowadays, slaughtering a pig was a major event, and many neighbors and relatives would go to help.
Since they had invited her, refusing would be quite disrespectful.
Actually, Si Nian quite liked this kind of lively atmosphere.
Beside her, Second Child was so excited he was beside himself. Mom, Mom, can I go too? I can help!
Yes, yes, we're all going. Hurry up and put on your coat, we can't have you catching a cold.
Si Nian patted his little head. This child really loved a bustling crowd. Even though his father used to slaughter pigs every day, he was still overjoyed to encounter such an event.
She smiled helplessly and went back into the house to find some thick clothes to wear. Just as she was saying she should call Zhou Yueshen to ask about his situation, the man strode in from outside, covered in snow.
Zhou Yueshen brushed the snow off his body. Seeing her and the children dressed to go out, he asked, Are you heading out?
Si Nian nodded, a bit surprised. Why are you back so early? I was just about to call you. Aunt Wang's family is slaughtering a pig today, and she just came over to see if you could help.
Zhou Yueshen explained, It suddenly started snowing heavily today, and the roads are blocked. Goods can't be sent out or brought in, so we got the day off.
That's perfect, let's go over together. You haven't slaughtered a pig in a long time, are you out of practice?
Zhou Yueshen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. No.
The snow was heavy outside, so Zhou Yueshen put a hat and scarf on her.
While extending her foot for the man to put on her snow boots, Si Nian said, I didn't expect it to snow so soon. Later, when the Wang family is done, let's take the kids to buy down jackets, otherwise it'll be too cold.
Zhou Yueshen finished putting on her shoes and nodded slightly, saying alright.
The children also put on their hats, earmuffs, and scarves.
The whole family was bundled up like little dumplings.
Especially Yaoyao. Perhaps because she had been eating so well, the little girl had plumped up quite a bit. Her little face was round and incredibly cute.
Right now, with fluffy earmuffs on her ears, a hat on her head, and a matching red scarf, her little face looked perfectly round and radiant, brimming with festive joy.