MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 130

“A-mu, Father!”

 

“A-mu!”

 

As soon as they entered the courtyard gate, several children who had been happily playing instantly ran over. They swarmed around Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing, chattering away nonstop. Even Little Hetao suddenly became more talkative.

 

“Uncle, A-mo.”

 

“A-mo, Uncle.”

 

Tuanzi, Gao’er, and Xuesong and Guo’er’s son, Yuanbao, also crowded around, staring intently at the several bamboo baskets.

 

Qiao Suiman came back from the village entrance carrying several baskets of things and was sweating a lot. He placed the things in the main hall. As it was cold outside, he closed the main hall doors to prevent the children from catching a cold.

 

Miao Lianhua and Tang Guo’er also came in and said, “You bought so much!”

 

The children have sharp eyes and spotted the toys right away. Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing first gave each of them a paper pinwheel and a mohele. The nine linked rings and tangrams were still in the bamboo baskets, to be brought out for play after the novelty of these had worn off.

 

The children were immediately delighted after receiving their toys. Xiao Ou’er grabbed hold of Qiao Suiman’s and Lu Dongqing’s trouser legs with both hands, lifted his little face, and said, “A-mu, Father, this is so nice.”

 

Little Hetao also stood to the side, blew on his pinwheel, and made it spin immediately. His eyes lit up as he looked at Qiao Suiman like he was showing off a treasure. “It’s spinning!”

 

Qiao Suiman squatted down, wrapped an arm around each of them, and said with a smile, “If you like them, play with them properly. A-mu will buy more for you later.”

 

Tangyuan was a bit more composed than the others, but he couldn’t resist the toys either and started playing on his own.

 

While playing, he even said, “Father, A-mu, are you going back to town?”

 

A father knows his son best. Qiao Suiman immediately knew what he was thinking and said with slight exasperation, “No, we’re not going. Isn’t this enough to play with?”

 

Tangyuan’s little scheme was exposed. He chuckled twice, ran over, and burrowed himself over Qiao Suiman’s back, cooing sweetly, “A-mu and Father are the best.”

 

Lu Dongqing smiled and asked Miao Lianhua, “These past few days, they haven’t been causing trouble, have they?”

 

“No, they’ve been so happy, playing from morning till night every day. All the noise around the west side of the village comes from them.”

 

Miao Lianhua glanced curiously at the bamboo baskets. “What did you bring back?”

 

Tang Guo’er was also curious. Lu Xuesong heard the commotion and came out from the backyard, saying with a smile, “Da-ge, Xiao Man-ge, you’re back.”

 

These were things brought back for everyone to eat anyway. Qiao Suiman first opened the bamboo basket filled with seafood. The prawns inside were already limp, but the crabs were still lively. If the seafood shop owner hadn’t tied them up, Qiao Suiman would’ve been afraid of getting pinched.

 

There were also some large oysters and squid that had already been processed, white and slippery. They would be very tender once cooked. Tang Guo’er, who had never seen these things before, reached out and touched them, saying with a smile, “So soft.”

 

Qiao Suiman continued digging further down. There was also a pack of large raw oysters. These were things they had never seen before. Several had been added to their seafood porridge that day, making it incredibly delicious, so they bought a pack to bring back. Later, they spotted them again at a barbecue shop, grilled with garlic paste, and they were quite fragrant.

 

“These are squid, and these are raw oysters. They’re especially delicious cooked in porridge and also tasty when grilled,” Qiao Suiman said with a beaming smile.

 

Lu Dongqing, meanwhile, opened another bamboo basket and took out twenty blocks of base broth, explaining them thoroughly. Not only Tang Guo’er, but even Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong swallowed their saliva, wishing they could cook it immediately.

 

There was also a pile of other dried goods. Tangyuan had been watching from the side ever since they started talking about the seafood, swallowing his saliva who knows how many times. Tuanzi widened his eyes, looked up at Qiao Suiman, and said, “A-mo, there are so many I don’t recognize.”

 

Qiao Suiman patted his head and said with a smile, “Now you know.”

 

“Father, when are we eating?” Xiao Ou’er asked from the side.

 

Lu Dongqing picked up his little ge’r, pinched his little cheek, and said with a laugh, “Today, we’ll use some to cook porridge. On New Year’s Eve, we’ll make the hot pot and have a big feast.”

 

Xiao Ou’er wrapped his arms around Lu Dongqing’s neck. “Okay, okay!”

 

Over on the other side, Tangyuan and Tuanzi were already calculating how many days until New Year’s Eve.

 

“Five more days!”

 

The two little fellows said in unison.

 

“So clever!” Tang Guo’er praised.

 

Yuanbao was riding on Lu Xuesong’s shoulders, his few small teeth all showing as he laughed, stretching out his hands and gesturing, “F-five, five days.”

 

Tang Guo’er laughed so much his eyes disappeared, “Yuanbao is clever too.”

 

New Year preparations were busy. Before Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing had left home, they had basically completed all the necessary chores. There was nothing important to do in the next few days. Every day was spent playing with the children and visiting different homes in the village. Soon, it was New Year’s Eve.

 

Over the past few years, several families have earned quite a bit of money and life has become much easier. With so many children, the annual New Year’s meal is always the liveliest gathering. This year, even Lu Xiang’s family came to the west side of the village to eat. With ten children altogether, the roof nearly came off the house.

 

Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu put the youngest to sleep in the room. Tuanzi, being the big brother, would go into the room from time to time to take a look at his younger brother, and then go out to play with Yangyang.

 

Yangyang was almost ten years old now and has grown into a young lady. Her temperament was gentle, very much like Meng Yan’s. And with her learning, she already bore the air of a little talented girl. Tuanzi very much enjoyed playing with her.

 

The children were playing happily in the main hall. Tang Guo’er and Lu Xuesong watched them, while everyone else was busy in the kitchen.

 

Tang Guo’er went to Physician Liu the day before yesterday to have his pulse read. He is pregnant again and currently in an unstable condition, so Miao Lianhua didn’t let him move around much. Watching the children in the main hall was enough.

 

This year is a happy occasion. With over twenty people, big and small combined, the dishes prepared were much more numerous than in previous years.

 

Qiao Suiman brought the base broth to a boil in an iron pot while Lu Dongqing sliced meat nearby. Qin Yu, Miao Lianhua, and Chen Fanhuan stir-fried and stewed meat without pause. Meng Yan was sorting vegetables to the side. Lu Xiang, Lu Huaqing, and Qiao Ruifeng set up a stove to grill meat. Though chatting and laughing, their hands never stopped working.

 

This year, the family had slaughtered a New Year pig and a goat. They sold some, but still had plenty of meat and bones left. The tender parts were sliced into thin slices. The meat alone filled ten whole plates. Added to that were various vegetarian dishes like bamboo shoots, radishes, and cabbage, making it an extremely sumptuous meal.

 

The meat skewers sizzled on the charcoal fire. The spicy aroma mixed with the fragrance of oil made one hungrier the more they smelled it. After the hot pot broth was ready, Qiao Suiman directly carried the pot to the table.

 

The table was made by Lu Dongqing in the past few days, with a hole dug in the middle to place the pot. The stove underneath was surrounded by yellow clay, so there was no fear of burning anyone. Although not as exquisite as the ones they saw in the shops, it was sufficient for their use.

 

“Xiao Man, come give me a hand,” Qin Yu called out with a smile.

 

The large trotter in the pot in front of him was already cooked until glossy and tender. Qiao Suiman stepped forward to steady the iron pot. Qin Yu, holding long chopsticks in both hands, gritted his teeth and lifted the entire trotter, including the hock, into a wooden basin next to the pot. The pot wobbled, but luckily Qiao Suiman was holding it, otherwise the rich broth inside might have splashed out.

 

The most challenging dish was completed. Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Qiao Suiman quickly covered the wooden bowl with its lid to prevent the heat from escaping.

 

The kitchen at home was very large now, and fortunately, it was large enough to accommodate so many people working busily inside.

 

The aroma of various dishes filled the air. Tangyuan and Tuanzi ran into the kitchen, taking deep breaths. Tangyuan even ran to Miao Lianhua’s side and said, “Grandmother, it smells so good. Tangyuan wants to eat.”

 

Lu Dongqing heard this from a short distance away and chuckled. This little rascal, knowing that he and Qiao Suiman wouldn’t indulge him, went to find Miao Lianhua instead. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when he heard Qiao Suiman’s voice: “Wait a bit longer, Tangyuan. We’ll all eat together in a little while.”

 

Tangyuan’s attempt to get food had failed. Tuanzi thought for a moment, moved closer, and said, “Tangyuan, wait a little longer. The teacher says that when eating, we must wait until all the adults have picked up their chopsticks before we can eat. Let’s just smell it for now.”

 

“Alright then.” Little Lu Yuanfeng was very easy to persuade. He and Tuanzi went to the hot pot and sniffed hard a few times before reluctantly returning to the main hall.

 

Qiao Suiman watched their retreating figures and smiled down. Those two greedy-cat brothers.

 

Chen Fanhuan laughed heartily, “Children are all fond of eating. Ever since Xiao’er started attending school with Yuanfeng, his appetite has improved a lot. He’s always saying he needs to eat as much as Yuanfeng to grow tall.”

 

Meng Yan smiled and nodded, “You’re absolutely right. Yuanfeng and Tuanzi eat with such relish. Just watching them makes me able to eat a few more mouthfuls of rice.”

 

Qiao Ruifeng placed the grilled eggplants on a large wooden plate and patted the charcoal dust off his hands. “Tuanzi says their teacher dislikes wasting food the most. Every time he eats at the private academy, he finishes his food cleanly and even receives praise. Since then, he doesn’t even pick out the leeks he usually didn’t like to eat.”

 

Qin Yu wore a happy expression. Tuanzi has been attending the private school for two years. Not only had he learned to recognize and write characters, but he had also learned many principles. Every day after school, he would come home and tell them about it. He had also met other ge’rs and girls from different villages and the town, and was extremely happy.

 

With so many children, daily conversations inevitably revolved around them. Several were already sent to school, and the amusing incidents every day were endless.

 

Chen Fanhuan remembered something and couldn’t stop laughing: “Xiao’er and Yuanfeng have met so many other young boys at the private academy. Last time, they brought them home for a meal, and it wore me and his mother out.”

 

Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of Tangyuan’s little boss demeanor at the private academy. “Exactly. On the day the private academy closed for the vacation, he brought eight or nine children to the shop and treated each to a tube of milk tea. Fulang He even specially set up a table for them. They talked and laughed until the afternoon. The parents of those children came to pick them up one after another, and the customers in the shop thought we had started a child-minding service.”

 

A large grass carp went into the pot. Qin Yu pulled out a firewood stick, frying it while laughing heartily, “The bond between classmates is most precious. For the children to be able to study together and also play happily is better than anything.”

 

“Yes indeed.”

 

Amid the chatting and laughing, the New Year’s Eve dinner was nearly ready.

 

The newly made table was very large. A circle of meat and vegetable dishes were placed around the hot pot. Along the outer edge lay the stewed meat, trotters, pork ribs, fresh fish, and stir-fried dishes, plus a large wooden plate holding many barbecue skewers. Only then did they call Tang Guo’er, Lu Xuesong, and the children to eat.

 

The stove counter was mostly tidied up and the knives were put away in the cupboard. They didn’t move the dining table to the main hall. With the kitchen door closed and a small gap left in the window, they directly set up a fire basin in the kitchen to eat, making it very warm.

 

Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu’s youngest daughter was only nine months old and bundled up snugly. The family has goat milk at home, so after boiling a bowl and feeding her, she was placed in a cradle to the side, and only then did Qin Yu sit down.

 

The third child, a bit older than Hetao and Ou’er, could also eat by himself and didn’t need much attention.

 

Because there were many children, today they prepared a chicken and pork belly hot pot base. The whole family sat around the table. Yangyang looked at the hot pot in surprise, put a slice of tenderloin in herself, and asked curiously, “Xiao-mo, how long does this need to cook?”

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved into smiles, “In a little while, when it’s ready, Xiao-mo will tell you.”

 

Lu Xiang stroked his beard and chuckled happily, “I heard students talk about this thing before. Now it seems it really is interesting.”

 

“Eating it with many people is very lively, indeed quite good,” Lu Huaqing said.

 

Tangyuan, Tuanzi, Lu Xiao, and the other slightly older ones just buried their heads in eating, occasionally whispering a few words to each other. The adults let them play as they wished.

 

The younger ones needed food in their bowls, otherwise they couldn’t reach. Tang Guo’er smiled and put meat into the bowls of Yuanbao and Ou’er, who were near him. Their soft, gentle “Thank you, Xiao-mo” made his heart melt.

 

Lu Xuesong added a few slices of meat to his bowl and said in a low voice with a smile, “Eat more.”

 

Tang Guo’er was very pleased, his eyes curving as he said, “I know.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Translator [LUNE]: I apologize for not providing updates over the past few days. My computer broke down just as I needed to translate the final five chapters. I will work on them promptly and update as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

---

If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵