By three or four o’clock in the afternoon, the sound of firecrackers crackling could be heard in Taoyuan Village.
This was to tell everyone that it was the new year!
Soon after, the sound of firecrackers continued to ring out.
The men killed the chickens and ducks. As for the pork, the entire village had killed three pigs, each weighing more than 200 catties. Three of them would weigh 600 to 700 catties. Every household would buy at least a few catties, and that would be enough.
The villagers could buy these things from outside, but they were not as good as those raised in the village.
“Tianhao, do you want to kill the chickens?” Xiao Lingyu was shocked when she heard that Gong Tianhao wanted to follow his father and brothers-in-law. She asked, “Have you killed chickens or ducks before?”
Gong Tianhao shook his head and said, “No!”
“No, then forget it!” Xiao Lingyu stopped him.
Gong Tianhao had never killed chickens and ducks before, so accidents might happen. Xiao Lingyu shivered just thinking about the blood.
“But Yu ‘Er, I really want to help.” Gong Tianhao felt a little embarrassed when he saw that the men in the courtyard were all busy. He was the only one who was idle.
There were many people at home, and they had to prepare a lot of livestock, or there wouldn’t be enough to eat.
Xiao Lingyu immediately noticed Gong Tianhao’s eager gaze and said after thinking for a while, “How about this, Tianhao? You definitely don’t know how to kill chickens and ducks. With your inexperience, you might end up in a sorry state. You can help pluck the feathers though. Our ducks are very well-raised. Their feathers are especially difficult to pluck and require a lot of patience.”
Gong Tianhao smiled and replied, “Yes, I’ll do that.”
Xiao Lingyu looked at it and asked hesitantly, “Tianhao, aren’t you a germaphobe? These chickens and ducks are very dirty and have a smell. Can you stand it?”
Gong Tianhao’s expression froze, and he said, “I… I’ll try!”
Xiao Lingyu suggested, “Why don’t you do something else?”
Gong Tianhao said speechlessly, “But there’s nothing else to do.”
It was the New Year. Everything was done. Now, everyone was busy with food.
Xiao Lingyu also frowned. It seemed that there was nothing else to do.
At this moment, mother Xiao came out with a basin of stuffing and said with a smile, “Tianhao, I heard that you people in the capital celebrate the new year by eating dumplings. Today, I also made some dumplings for you. I have made some chive fillings. What other fillings do you like?”
Before Gong Tianhao could respond, Xiao Lingyu’s eyes lit up, and she immediately walked over. She asked with a smile, “Mom, will we make dumplings this year?”
Mother Xiao glanced at her and said snappily, “Haven’t you married into the Gong Family already? You should know that the people in the north eat dumplings during the new year.” Mother Xiao’s in-laws loved dumplings. Plus, it was their culture.
Xiao Lingyu stuck out her tongue and said with a smile, “I forgot about it for a moment. Mom, you’re very thoughtful. Thank you, Mom!”
At this time, Gong Tianhao walked over and said, “Mom, you don’t have to specially make dumplings. Grandpa and I will just eat whatever you cook.”
Mother Xiao immediately disapproved and said, “No, we can’t do that. Hao ‘Er, do you have any dumpling fillings you like?Don’t be embarrassed. I’m your mother now. Just tell me what you want to eat.”
Gong Tianhao’s eyes lit up, and said, “Mom, I would love mushroom, lamb, and beef dumplings.”
Mother Xiao smiled and replied, “Okay, I’ll prepare it for you now!” Then, she immediately instructed Xiao Lingyu, “Hurry up and roll out the dumplings! Your third aunt is already kneading the dough, and it’s almost done.”
Xiao Lingyu was stunned. “Ah, Mom, didn’t you buy the ready dumpling dough?”
Mother Xiao said, “How is frozen dough tasty? We have to roll out the dough ourselves.”
Then, she instructed Gong Tianhao, “Tianhao, you’ve been busy all day. You must be tired. Just rest for a while.”
Xiao Lingyu, “…” How can the treatment be so different? Am I not her biological daughter?
Gong Tianhao took the bowl from Mother Xiao and said with a smile, “Mom, I’m not tired. I’ll go with Yu ‘Er to make dumplings.”
Mother Xiao said with a smile, “That’s fine too. You guys go ahead.”
Then, Gong Tianhao and Xiao Lingyu carried the bowl and took a rolling pin to the living room.
The smell of chickens and ducks in the yard was very strong, so the dumplings were made in the living room.
When they arrived in the living room, they saw that third aunt Xiao had already kneaded a large dough. She was cutting small pieces and was about to roll out the dough.
Xiao Lingyu walked over. She asked, “Third aunt, how many dumplings are we making?”
Third Aunt Xiao smiled and said, “We got around 20 catties of dough. We need to make about 1,000 to 2,000 dumplings.”
Xiao Lingyu’s hand that was holding the rolling pin paused. She said in surprise, “Can we finish them all?”
“Why can’t we?” Third aunt Xiao said, “There are so many people in our family. In fact, I wonder if this is enough. Besides, even if we can’t finish them all, we can still eat them as breakfast.”
Xiao Lingyu said in astonishment, “But third aunt, there are so many dumplings. Can we finish making them on time?”
Third aunt Xiao said, “In a while, your grandmother, uncle, and aunt will come over with Yun ‘Er. Also, we’ll drag anyone who is free to help out!”
Xiao Lingyu could only nod and say, “Okay, the more, the merrier.”
Not long after third aunt Xiao said that, grandmother Xiao and eldest aunt Xiao came over from the kitchen.
Xiao Lingyu knew how to roll out the dough. When she wanted to eat dumplings when she was young, she made them herself.
Therefore, as she spoke, she had already rolled out a few pieces of the dough.
Gong Tianhao looked at her from the side and said eagerly, “Yu ‘Er, let me help.”
Xiao Lingyu looked at him suspiciously, “Do you know how to do it?”
“No.” Gong Tianhao said honestly, “But I can learn it. It looks pretty simple.”
“Pretty simple?” Xiao Lingyu smiled and said, “Alright, you do it!”
She handed the rolling pin to Gong Tianhao and said, “Come, I’ll teach you! Put this dough here and press it gently to flatten it…”
Back then, when she was starting to learn how to cook, it took her a long time to learn how to roll the dough well.
This thing was not something that could be learned in an instant. It required dexterity, flexibility, and so on.
Xiao Lingyu thought that Gong Tianhao would also encounter her problems but in the end…
“Hao ‘Er, didn’t you say you haven’t done this before?” Eldest Aunt Xiao was surprised when she saw that Gong Tianhao had only learned a few moves before he rolled out a thin and medium-sized dumpling skin. “You’re really good!”
She thought that Gong Tianhao would not know how to do such things. After all, his brain and hands were used to make money.
The others also said curiously, “Tianhao, you are really good at this. Have you made dumplings before?”
Gong Tianhao shook his head and said, “No. I’ve never done such things before. This is my first time learning it.” As he said that, his hands did not stop moving.
“Are you lying to me?” Xiao Lingyu did not quite believe it. “You did it so well!”
Fourth Aunt Xiao smiled and said, “You child, Tianhao is doing a good job. Why are you questioning him all of a sudden?”
Xiao Lingyu immediately shook her head and said, “I’m not questioning him. I just find it hard to believe.”
Fourth aunt Xiao said, “We all know that Tianhao is a genius. Making dumpling skin should be easy for him.”
“…” Xiao Lingyu nodded. ‘Fine. He is a genius.’
Gong Tianhao, who had received fourth aunt Xiao’s praise, said with a smile, “I have never rolled dough or wrapped dumplings before, but we northerners love dumplings. When I was young, I would go into the kitchen during the New Year and watch the masters roll out the dough and make dumplings. Maybe I’ve picked up some tricks from watching them.” When Gong Tianhao said this, he deliberately looked at Xiao Lingyu’s serious expression. Then, he picked up some flour and wiped it on Xiao Lingyu’s face.
All of a sudden, her clean face became white with the flour.
Xiao Lingyu was stunned for a moment. Then, she stomped her feet and shouted, “Gong Tianhao!” Then, she grabbed some of the flour and threw it at his face. At the same time, she warned, “Don’t you dare hide!”
“Haha…”
