0p0 Chapter 26 Brown Sugar and Fireworks
Chapter 26 Brown Sugar and Fireworks
Even after enjoying Aunt Xia Chan's exquisite cuisine in the space, she still held a deep fondness for her father's dish.
The others who had eaten the turtle were filled with confidence in the turtle that Granny Chun had brought them. If it weren't for the New Year, they would have all wanted to finalize the pond deal that very day.
"Come, come, don't just eat vegetables, try the peach blossom wine Aunt Chun'e gave us." These days spent together allowed Yufei's family to become familiar with Chun'e and learn her name.
Li Aiguo and Liu Meili both called her Aunt Chun'e.
This wine—yes, it's the peach blossom wine that Yufei brewed in the space. A week ago, when Aunt Xia Chan was teaching her how to make sweet rice balls, Yufei suddenly remembered the peach blossom wine she had buried under the peach tree.
She took a bottle, opened it, and tasted it with her three masters; surprisingly, it was a success.
This peach blossom wine immediately became a favorite of the three masters.
After much effort, Yufei managed to snatch five bottles from the mouths of these three people who loved peach blossom wine dearly, and then had Granny Chun deliver them to her family.
The price was a promise that she would brew more for them when the peach blossoms were in full bloom later.
Yufei's dad poured a cup for the other three, but Yufei was too young, so she could only drink Jianlibao (a popular Chinese soft drink). T^T
With each sip, the mellow aroma carried the unique sweetness of rice wine, making the drinkers feel as if they were in a peach blossom grove, experiencing the breath of spring.
The wine didn't burn the throat or upset the head at all. The group ate their meal and drank their wine at a leisurely pace, and before they knew it, they had finished half of a 20-jin jar of peach blossom wine.
The peach blossom wine, which seemed to have no alcohol content, had a strong aftereffect. The group's faces flushed, their eyes glazed, and their heads began to spin.
After dinner, everyone except Yufei lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
They didn't wake up until after 6 p.m. They quickly showered and changed, and Yufei's mother and grandmother efficiently washed the clothes. The family then sat down in front of their newly bought television to wait for the Spring Festival Gala to begin.
This is the first time Hongxing Village has watched the Spring Festival Gala. In the past, Hongxing Village was so poor that it didn't even have a black and white television. Now, every household watches color TV.
The Spring Festival Gala began, and they ate while watching the performances.
They also got to eat the candy that Yufei's family gave them. The children were the first to notice that this candy was different from others. They picked out all the candies that were packaged the same way, and squinted their eyes as they smelled the candy.
By the time his family realized how delicious the candy was, their child had already eaten almost all of it.
So a group of adults looked at their children and smiled through gritted teeth, reminding them that on New Year's Eve, they couldn't swear or hit anyone.
What could they do? They could only cry in their hearts. That heartless little brat, he didn't even know to leave a few extra pieces for his own mother (father). He'd never tasted such delicious candy in all his life!
I wonder whose candy it was. I really want to know where they bought it; I want some too.
This basically reflects the sentiments of all the adults in Hongxing Village who received the candy. Yufei's family also inadvertently promoted Fang Gang's work.
Of course, for Fang Gang, this was icing on the cake, a sweet burden. Ever since Yufei started supplying goods, he had given the first batch to his eldest sister.
Unexpectedly, this brown sugar had a remarkable effect. His older sister's long-term menstrual cramps were cured after consuming it, and not only that, she successfully conceived her husband's child the following month.
This brown sugar caused a sensation in Fang Gang's circle of friends; Fang Gang's older sister, Fang Xin, and her friends basically bought up all of Fang Gang's brown sugar.
And that wasn't enough, because they said that brown sugar was incredibly versatile; adding milk and brown sugar to black tea made their perfect afternoon tea.
After the New Year, when the people from Hongxing Village who tasted this sweet treat find Fang Gang, Fang Gang will definitely be furious, for no other reason than... the stock is running low.
"This candy is so delicious! This agricultural research institute is amazing; their agricultural products are delicious, their aquatic products are delicious, and I never expected the candy they gave us to be so good too."
Liu Meili, holding the candy given to them by Granny Chun, sighed with emotion.
Yufei's grandmother, Gao Huifang, tapped Yufei's mother on the head with chopsticks, telling her to stop discussing such things.
Yufei's mother rubbed her head and complained to Yufei's grandmother.
"Mom~ I was just expressing my feelings, I wasn't really trying to gossip. I'm a grown woman, why are you hitting me on the head with chopsticks? I'm a mother myself, don't I have any dignity?"
Liu Meili rubbed the spot where her mother had hit her and said aggrievedly.
"Hmph! You'll always be a child in Mom's eyes."
Grandma Yufei said haughtily, implying, "You're not happy about me beating you up?"
Yufei covered her mouth with her little hand and giggled.
Liu Meili said she would pretend not to watch if she could refrain from laughing!
Grandpa Yufei and her father looked like they were seriously watching the Spring Festival; it would have been better if they hadn't had smiles on their faces and kept sneaking peeks at each other.
Ms. Liu Meili, realizing she couldn't win the argument, chose to give up.
"Laugh if you want, don't hold it in," she said, then took a bite of candy as if to reassure herself. Mmm, so sweet! It made her feel better.
"Hahahaha~" Everyone was amused by Liu Meili's reactions.
Later, everyone was drawn to the 94 Spring Festival Gala. This was the first time Hongxing Village had ever seen one, and it was truly wonderful. The sound of people laughing out loud at the skits was so vivid, something that would be hard to imagine in later generations.
"10, 9, 8, 7..."
The countdown to the gala is underway.
"Old man, aren't the fireworks ready yet?!"
Yufei's family turned the TV volume up really high.
They went outside before setting off the fireworks, waiting for the final countdown.
Before New Year's Eve, Yufei's dad saw that Yufei had bought a lot of fireworks. Then he thought, since they had money now, they might as well make the New Year more festive. So the next day, he bought half a three-wheeled vehicle's worth of fireworks and waited for that moment.
"Alright, alright~ This old woman is just too impatient," Grandpa Yufei said.
With several loud "bangs!", countless sky flowers bloomed in the air.
After lighting the fireworks, Yufei's dad returned to Yufei's mom's side. Yufei's mom gazed at the sky filled with fireworks, her eyes brimming with the joy of a little girl.
Liu Meili had never seen such dazzling and magnificent fireworks before. Being a romantic by nature, she was completely captivated by the sea of flowers.
Yufei's father was drawn to Yufei's mother's appearance and naturally put his hand on Liu Meili's shoulder, pulling her into his arms.
Yufei is a loyal fan of the two of them as a couple, covering her mouth with a maternal smile.
Grandpa and Grandma Yufei, having lived through so many years, were quite restrained, holding hands as they watched the fireworks fill the sky, their faces beaming with smiles.
The fireworks at Yufei's house ignited the enthusiasm of Hongxing Village. After Yufei's fireworks went off, other fireworks followed, starting from other houses.
The children, who had been watching TV, ran from house to house, calling out to their friends and creating a lively scene.
People from neighboring villages came out when they heard the commotion and saw fireworks filling the sky.
"This must be from Hongxing Village, right?"
"Absolutely! Their village has really prospered this year!"
"I wonder if it will be our turn."