Chapter 82: Pile Higher, Higher
When it was getting dark, Lou Zhenhua's car finally stopped at the gate of Lou Mansion.
The nanny, Aunt Wu, also began to follow He Daqing's instructions and brought the dishes that had been prepared long ago to the table one by one.
Looking at the table full of sumptuous dinner, Lou Zhenhua was in a good mood.
"Xiao Rou, He Daqing's cooking skills are quite good. I see that there are not only Shandong dishes, but also your Tan family dishes, which is rare!"
"Well, Master He's craftsmanship is indeed good."
Tan Lingrou nodded. At this moment, she had prepared herself mentally and said calmly,
"Master He is knowledgeable about food. At noon, he made a mutton soup with angelica and astragalus for Xiao'e and me. After drinking it, I felt much more energetic!"
"is it?"
When Lou Zhenhua heard this, he couldn't help but nodded slightly.
"It's rare to hear you praise someone like that. If that's the case, after the New Year, I'll invite him to come to our house more often to cook. Although the servants have been dismissed, it's easier to go from frugality to luxury than from luxury to frugality. Especially when it comes to meals, I can't let you suffer the consequences all the time!"
What Lou Zhenhua said was true.
Dismissing the servants did not have much impact on Lou Zhenhua. After all, he was busy with official duties and often went out for social events, so his food was not affected.
On the contrary, Tan Lingrou and her daughter Lou Xiao'e's diet was greatly affected because they could not hire a very good chef or for other problems.
When Tan Lingrou heard that He Daqing could still come, she suddenly felt happy for some reason.
But he smiled and nodded.
"If Master He can come more often, your daughter will be blessed, right, Xiao'e!"
"Uh-huh."
Lou Xiao'e has already started eating with a smile on her face.
"Uncle He's cooking skills are much better than the previous chefs. I love it!"
And here in Nanluoguxiang.
After He Daqing came back on his bike, he called his son He Yuzhu and started piling firewood in the yard.
In this era, there are not many entertainment programs, not even the Spring Festival Gala.
However, many families in the north will place firewood or some flammable materials in the yard on New Year’s Eve, and light them after midnight.
The stronger the flames of these firewoods, the better the luck will be in the new year, so it is also called prosperous fire.
This year He Daqing married Qin Huairu, and He Yuzhu also became a formal chef, so the fire-burning ceremony naturally had to be held well.
He Yuzhu and He Yushui, brother and sister, wandered outside for the whole afternoon and picked up a lot of branches.
He Daqing even put some coal under the branches so that the fire would burn more vigorously.
At the same time, on both sides of the central courtyard, Jia Jia in the west room and Yi Zhonghai in the east room were also building huge fires.
Because Tao Huilan was pregnant this year, Yi Zhonghai was very happy. He let Tao Huilan sit on the bed and wait patiently for all the big and small matters during the New Year, while he took care of all the housework.
Not only did he clean the glass of the house until it was crystal clear, he also replaced the window grilles with new ones.
Look, when he was building a blazing fire, Yi Zhonghai had a smile on his face.
Yes, for all those years, I didn’t have a happy New Year because I didn’t have children.
This year is different. In a few months, Yi Zhonghai will have a child. Everything seems to be going well. People are in high spirits when good things happen. Naturally, they will be happy and celebrate.
Pile up more firewood, hoping that the family will prosper in the new year!
Yi Zhonghai said to himself in his heart.
And on the other side is the old Jia family.
Xu Youliang and Jia Dongxu were also stacking firewood at the door, while Jia Zhang was going in and out preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
Although she didn't buy much food because she didn't talk about it, it was New Year's Eve dinner after all, so she had to make several dishes even if it was just cabbage.
Jia Zhang, who had just walked out of the cellar, suddenly glanced at Yi Zhonghai opposite and He Daqing's family next door, and a hint of anger flashed in her triangular eyes.
"Old Xu, Dongxu, what can we do with this little firewood? We have grown bigger this year, so we need as much firewood as possible!"
Jia Zhang said to her husband and son.
"That's right, I'll go find some more firewood!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Youliang nodded in agreement.
Yes, this year is my first year of marriage, which means I have started a family. This fire must burn more vigorously. Who knows, maybe I can give birth to a big fat boy next year!
After all, the prosperity of the population is the real key to success or failure!
Thinking of this, Xu Youliang happily went outside to collect firewood.
Soon, as Xu Youliang and Jia Dongxu took turns to pile up firewood, the blazing fire in front of the Jia family's door was half a meter higher than those in He Daqing's and Yi Zhonghai's homes.
Seeing this scene, a smug smile finally appeared on Jia Zhang's face.
The sky fell completely dark, and the sound of firecrackers began to rang out one after another from every household.
The common people, who have worked hard for a year, rarely get together. The whole family sits together and starts to enjoy the delicious food that they rarely have access to on weekdays.
The courtyard was extremely lively, which really annoyed He Daqing.
There's no way. Sometimes hearing too clearly is not a good thing.
"Come on, let's drink a toast. I wish our He family good health and happiness in the new year!"
He Daqing picked up the wine glass, too lazy to listen to the gossip outside, and continued to chat and laugh with his wife and children.
At this time, on their table, there were chickens, ducks, and even a plate of fresh and delicious steamed fish. In the entire courtyard, the He family's dishes were the best!
"Cheers, cheers!"
He Yuzhu and He Yushui happily raised their wine glasses and joined in the fun.
However, He Yushui was at the age of playing, and after eating a little, he pulled He Yuzhu and played with firecrackers in the yard.
There are fewer entertainment activities these days, and playing with firecrackers is probably the most fun entertainment game during the Chinese New Year.
The brother and sister were setting off firecrackers with a crackling sound, which made many children in the yard envious.
Time passed by minute by minute, and soon it was ten minutes past midnight.
In each household, the elders brought their children and grandchildren to the yard and started a good fire.
Even the old ladies knelt down in front of the blazing fire, burning incense and clasping their hands together, praying for the protection of their families.
"I hope the children of my Yan family grow up healthily, and I hope Old Yan can catch more fish!"
"God bless me, I hope my family can climb up a level and get a pay raise!"
"God and earth, please bless my Damao so that everything goes well and he can find a wife soon!"
In the middle courtyard, all three families came out, stood in front of their respective fires, and performed their own rituals.
He Daqing's side was fine. He Daqing just brought his wife and children to stand in front of the roaring fire, warming themselves by the fire and chatting.
On Yi Zhonghai's side, Tao Huilan was standing there, and Yi Zhonghai was kneeling on the ground extremely devoutly, praying that his wife would give him a son.
The most pious one must be Jia Zhang from the west room.