The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 373 Brother Yingzi
There was no snow on the road long ago, and the sidewalks were cleared, only the residual snow on the corners and corners shone dazzlingly under the sunlight.

Lao Tan walked forward, and the road full of the flavor of the year reminded him of his mother.

When I think of my mother, my mother's face appears in front of my eyes.

When I was young, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month was full of warmth and anticipation.

At that time, my family was poor, but warm; I didn’t have new clothes to wear during the Chinese New Year, but I was looking forward to it; I was thinking about eating at thirty, there was no shabby humbleness, just simple greed——
The rich celebrate the New Year, and the poor also celebrate the New Year.

Although there was very little meat in the pot in the outer room, the scent wafted through the crack of the door and filled the whole main room. The young man swallowed saliva and smacked his mouth full of fragrance——
My mother steamed the steamed buns in another pot, and let the dough rise overnight. When the pot was opened, the steamed buns bloomed——
Stewed sauerkraut with meat and vermicelli.

Take a bite of fragrant sauerkraut and a blossoming steamed bun, the taste——

He and Fifth Sister pasted paper on the wall. The paper was summer homework and winter homework, as well as pictorials picked up.Fifth Sister brushed the paste on the paper, and it was pasted, and the paste was reversed, and it was just right to peel it off, and paste it on again——
Want to set off whips in the yard like other children, but don’t dare to do so because of the one hundred small whips hanging on the beams—then you have to wait at night——
Until now, I have not developed the habit of spending a lot of money to buy firecrackers during the New Year, thinking that it is "blind in the year".

Although poor at that time, but the year has a taste.It's good now, but it's gone.

Lao Tan was thinking, walking, muttering in his heart.

He remembered that during the Spring Festival when he was 15 years old, there were only his mother, fifth sister and him at home.At noon, after eating the New Year's dinner, my mother leaned on the kang to doze off. She had nothing to do, so she took a book to read.Fifth Sister wiped the dining table clean, took out the textbooks, and studied as usual until lighting the lamps.

The Spring Festival Gala started, and there was no TV at home, so the neighbors came over to watch the Spring Festival Gala.I went with Fifth Sister, and only watched it for a while. Although I wanted to continue watching, but after all, it was someone else, so I had to watch it for a while.

When I got home, my mother had wrapped the dumplings and was listening to the radio.

The radio also played the Spring Festival Gala, but I couldn’t see anyone——
Fifth Sister put the dining table on the kang again and continued to study.

He burned incense for the incense cage, and after burning the incense, he went outside to carry firewood into the house, and then folded paper money with his mother——
Mother said: "When you are late, all the gods will go down to the world, and the gold ingots are fully prepared, and your father will come back—"

He said, "Okay, burn more and cook more dumplings."

At twelve o'clock, the sound of firecrackers outside was loud.

Mother and Fifth Sister cook dumplings, and he first burns incense on the incense stick, then burns paper in the yard, and kowtows to various gods, ancestors and father.After finishing these and returning to the house, the dumplings are also cooked.

His mother was sitting at the table, and Fifth Sister was standing on the ground. He knelt down and kowtowed respectfully to his mother.

"Mom, I wish you a happy new year, happy new year!"

Satisfied and relieved, the mother said, "Happy Chinese New Year. Well, let's eat dumplings on the kang."

She went to the kang with the fifth sister, and the three mothers ate dumplings and celebrated the New Year together.

Year, a year full of happiness, full of bitterness, and full of memories——

When he was approaching Yingzi's house, Lao Tan suddenly thought that it was not a problem for him to go empty-handed. It was the first time to go, and he would be [-] tomorrow. Yingzi still has a daughter, so there must be a meeting gift.

He groped on both sides of the road, and many stores were closed, except for a few small supermarkets and those selling tobacco and alcohol.He didn't know what to buy, but fortunately there was a bank in front of him, so he had an idea—let's pay for something cheaper.

So I went to the bank's ATM to withdraw 2000 yuan.

When I arrived at Yingzi's house, the landlord of Yingzi's rented house happened to be there. The landlord was a woman in her fifties with a kind face, and she came to deliver quick-frozen dumplings to Yingzi's house.

After the landlord left, Lao Tan said: "This landlord is very nice."

"Well, it's good, she takes good care of me." Yingzi said.

Yingzi's daughter made tea and brought it. Old Tan sized up the little girl, who was not timid and said, "Drink tea."

Old Tan smiled.

Yingzi said to her daughter, "Ruoxi, go to the back room and bring some cigarettes for you."

Old Tan hurriedly said no, he took it with him.After speaking, he took out the cigarette, and Ruoxi also went back to the house to bring the cigarette.

"Looks like you, up to you." Lao Tan looked at Yingzi's daughter Ruoxi and said to Yingzi.

"Well, follow me." Yingzi nodded, full of warmth.

Lao Tan then asked: "Are you almost ready for the New Year?"

Yingzi said: "Well, there is nothing to prepare. You have prepared everything. I bought two kinds of vegetables at the morning market this morning."

"It's a good year now, and there's not much excitement." Old Tan said.

"That's right, the New Year is better." Yingzi followed the words, and then asked: "Is your sister-in-law on vacation?"

"Well—she hasn't been to work for the past two days, and she sprained her ankle on the snowy day, so she's at home." Old Tan said.

"Oh, is it serious?" Yingzi asked worriedly.

"It's not serious, just a sprained ankle, it'll be fine in two days." Lao Tan tried his best to show that nothing happened—he regretted that Lin Yan sprained his ankle, fearing that Yingzi would feel serious and went to visit him.

So he changed the subject and asked, "Have you told Wang Haijuan that I will do it in the New Year?"

"Yes, she agrees." Yingzi then asked, "When will I go to work?"

"Let's celebrate the fifth day, and go to the sixth day. Do you know the office building of Aqiao? Go there."

"I know that."

Yingzi wants to keep Lao Tan for dinner, but Lao Tan can't say no, he has to go home and cook for his wife and children.When he left, he left 2000 yuan to the child, but Yingzi didn't want to die, and the daughter rushed to put the money into Lao Tan's pocket.

After tearing for a long time, Lao Tan was a little angry.

Seeing that Lao Tan was angry, Yingzi stopped insisting and asked her daughter to accept the money.

Lao Tan said to Yingzi: "Call if you have anything to do. I'm your brother, don't be polite to me." Then he said to Yingzi's daughter: "Ruoxi, if you have time, go and play with everyone. Jiaheng, your brother and you are the same age. He's older than you, and you two know each other."

Ruoxi agreed: "Well, I will go when I have time."

Lao Tan came out of Yingzi's house, and Yingzi sent him off wearing a mask.

The two followed each other out of the community, Lao Tan stopped and asked Yingzi to go back, Yingzi said "hmm" and looked at Lao Tan, mist rose in her big beautiful eyes.

"Go back, the child is still at home." Old Tan said.

"Brother——" Yingzi called out, and then tears fell, making Old Tan feel very uncomfortable.

If it was more than twenty years ago when he was young, he would go up and help her wipe away the tears, but not now, he is already an adult, and he can only comfort his heartache with his eyes because of the eyes of others and his own hypocrisy.

Lao Tan walked back, Yingzi stood there watching.

Once upon a time, this figure always appeared in dreams, and gradually became a memory.I thought that I would never see each other again in this life, but fate brought the two of them back together, as if in a dream.

He's still the same, like a big brother.As long as he is by my side, my heart will be at ease, and I will regain the feeling I had more than [-] years ago.

He always said that he was a little girl who couldn't grow up, touched his head with his hands, and smiled warmly.

More than [-] years have passed, that little girl came back back then, and her brother is still——
She watched Lao Tan gradually go away, and disappeared at the corner of the street——
There were tears in my eyes.

(End of this chapter)