Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 471 470 Sled Drunken Dates
After finishing the meal, Feng Zhi heaved a sigh of relief, patted her stomach, and said contentedly, "It feels so good to be full."

"Drink some soup and walk around the house so that you don't get too much food." Zhang Guifang took Fengzhi's bowl, filled it with a bowl of dumpling soup, and instructed.

Overeating can indeed damage the stomach, but who can care about that right now?
People who have truly experienced hunger know what it feels like. Once they have food, they want to stuff it all into their stomachs, even if it means dying of overeating.

Zhang Guifang served everyone a bowl of dumpling soup.

The soup is a translucent milky white color because the flour on the outside of the dumpling skin has dissolved into it.

China has always had a saying that the original soup is the original food. Tang Zhitong couldn't tell exactly when this saying originated, but there are many people who believe in this saying.

Tang Zhitong at least had some knowledge and knew that food is digested by the gastric acid in the stomach. If he drank a bowl of soup after a meal, the gastric acid would be diluted, which would help digestion?
Tang Zhitong felt that this statement was more like advising people to cherish food. After all, there was still some grain in the soup.

Although he didn't quite agree with it, Tang Zhitong didn't stop him. He had to drink it just to cherish food.

With the dumplings at the bottom, the fighting power was obviously reduced. The whole pot of dumpling soup could not be finished, but Zhang Guifang did not pour it out. She planned to add some water to continue cooking dumplings tomorrow, and then continue drinking the soup...

Tang Zhitong didn't persuade him. It was cold now and the food wouldn't go bad if left overnight.

In the current environment, being frugal with food is not a bad thing. Not only do people do it now, but they will continue this habit.

Tang Zhitong remembered that when he was a child, his mother would always add just the right amount of water when cooking noodles. Each person would have a bowl of noodles and half a bowl of soup, and after eating, the pot would be clean without any leftovers.

Even as I get older, I still keep this habit.

Tang Zhitong once asked his mother about this, and her mother's answer was simply that she was afraid of hunger when she was a child, so this habit was engraved in her bones.

After finishing his meal and drinking his soup, Tang Zhitong lit a cigarette and sat comfortably by the stove to rest, not even intending to help with the dishes.

"Mom, I put these things in the bathroom. It's cold there and can keep them there." When Tang Zhitong returned to the room to rest, he picked up the remaining fish and stuffing, put them in a basin, and covered it with a lid.

"Okay, but you have to cover it well to prevent mice from destroying it." Zhang Guifang had no objection to this. She understood that the low temperature in the bathroom could better preserve food.

"Don't worry, it won't attract rats." With the help of Xiao Wang, Tang Zhitong put the basin into the bathroom.

When he came out to lock the door, Tang Zhitong directly pulled the mouse into the space through the air, leaving no chance for the mouse to harm it.

Rats are really hated by people. They will bite anything they catch, even things that are inedible. People just use it as a pastime to grind their teeth.

Although the city organized activities to eliminate the four pests last year and this year, rats are so damn fertile!
Although Tang Zhitong would occasionally use external plug-ins to clean up when he was at home, it could not prevent the mice that passed by when he was not at home, nor the mice that came out to cause trouble when he was sleeping.

After returning to the room and putting some firewood into the stove, Tang Zhitong lay comfortably on the bed, not wanting to move at all. Classmate Xiao Wang was in a similar state.

"Hey, do you think there won't be any kids eating for free when we go there tomorrow?" Tang Zhitong suddenly thought of a question. Tonight, classmate Xiao Wang didn't ask him where he got the Spanish mackerel from. Maybe when he goes to Chunshu Hutong tomorrow, the family there won't ask either, but it's hard to control the mouths of the neighboring children!

"No one would be blind at this moment. Last Sunday, after that meal, I heard from Jingying that many children were scolded when they returned home. Also, the neighbors have more or less reciprocated the gifts recently, and Jingying didn't cook much." Classmate Xiao Wang turned his face to the side, rested his head on his arm, blinked and looked at his man, and said.

"Well, then I feel relieved." After hearing what Xiao Wang said, Tang Zhitong finally put his mind at ease.

Student Xiao Wang understood what Tang Zhitong meant, which was that he was afraid that others would pay attention to the origin of the mackerel.

Not to mention the cold weather right now, even in the hot summer, as long as some external restaurants need them, sea fish will still be delivered, but ordinary people cannot touch them, let alone enjoy them.

Student Wang didn't want others to know that his family had eaten mackerel. The other neighbors would definitely not think about Tang Zhitong, but would only think about what happened to Ye Zhijuan. The impact still needs to be paid attention to.

The young couple chatted for a few words and then got into bed, kissed, hugged, and touched each other, then fell asleep without doing any exercise.

People who are full will have this feeling, that the food will come out if they move a little. In the current environment, vomiting it out is a waste, and it is shameful to waste.

After a good sleep, it was November 11th, Sunday.

Tang Zhitong threw the basin back into the bathroom early in the morning, then pretended to take out the fish from it, sliced ​​the fish meat neatly, and made a soup with the fish head and fish bones.

The family ate a steamed bun with fish soup. It was a bit fishy, ​​but very fragrant.

On the way to Chunshu Hutong, Tang Zhitong chatted with Xiao Wang: "In the coastal area of ​​Jiaodong, a new son-in-law must bring a freshly caught Spanish mackerel, and the longer the better. The longer the fish, the more capable the new son-in-law is, and the more face the father-in-law has in the eyes of the neighbors. If someone like me brings half a Spanish mackerel, and it's so small, I probably won't be able to get in."

"Tsk, what? You still want to find a wife from Jiaodong?" Classmate Xiao Wang raised his eyebrows, sat in the back seat, and pinched Tang Zhitong's lower back.

"Of course not. In my heart, no one can compare to you." Tang Zhitong held the handlebars and did not dare to shake even if he was twisted. It snowed yesterday and there was a thin layer of ice on the road today. If he fell, he would fall twice.

"Hmph, that's more like it. You said this fish is small, how big can the big one be?" Classmate Xiao Wang was fed a sip of love potion, and sat in the back feeling very happy, with the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I heard it's more than a person's height and nearly 200 kilograms. A whole family can eat it for several days." Tang Zhitong has seen such a big mackerel. There are many of them lying in the space. If he has the skills to tame animals, he can tie them up with a rope, put a skateboard behind them, and throw them into the sea. The scene must be like Nezha.

"Then the fishermen on the coast shouldn't be short of food, right?" Xiao Wang had no idea how big a fish was, but he had an idea of ​​its weight. He was talking about the fishermen in his mind, but actually he was thinking about his own family. If he had such a fish, plus a fixed amount, he would have no problem eating enough for a month.

"Who knows?" Tang Zhitong didn't want to think about the worst.

The forestry workers on my uncle's side have been driven up the mountain to pick pine cones, and the workload for fishermen on the coast will probably increase as well. Moreover, Niu Jizeng said last year that there are not enough fishing boats over there.

There will definitely be a contradiction between supply and demand here. Maybe we will give more food to the fishermen in exchange for fish.

Since the snow was not heavy this time, there was a thin layer of ice on the road, so snowball fights were impossible. However, this was not a problem for the playful kids.

When the two of them arrived at Chunshu Hutong, a group of brats were playing sledding on the street. It was called a sled, but it was actually a small frame made of several pieces of wood nailed together, which was just big enough to hold a child.

The children with sleds held a wooden stick in each hand and paddled forward.

There is also a rope tied in front, you pull me to the other end of the alley, and I pull you back from the other end of the alley.

But there are few people on the sled, so more children choose to form groups of three. The one being pulled squats in the middle, while the children on both sides hold the hands of their friends in the middle, and they run forward together, and then take turns to experience the thrill of skating in the middle.

"Brother-in-law! Sister!" Wang Jingmin pulled the rope even harder when he saw Tang Zhitong and Wang Jingwen. After pulling his friends to the dormitory door, he threw down the rope and stood in front of the two of them.

The child on the sled did not leave, but came down, picked up the rope, followed Wang Jingmin and called him "sister" and "brother-in-law", and then stood aside waiting to pull Wang Jingmin.

Wang Jingwen got off the back of the bicycle and nodded to the kid next to her. She looked at her brother's red face and sweaty forehead. She touched his ear, which was cold. "Aren't you tired or the weather cold? Look at your cold ears."

"Not tired, not cold!" Wang Jingmin panted, looked at the two of them first, and couldn't tell from the outside what delicious food they brought.

"Then play, we'll go home later." Wang Jingwen did not criticize her brother this time. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Jingmin's sweat and gave him instructions.

"Okay!" Wang Jingmin turned around and swiftly got on the sled, shouting to his friends, "Go!"

"Hey, these little brats are so energetic." Tang Zhitong watched his brother-in-law being pulled away. He had also played with sledding when he was a child. It was one of the rare winter pleasures of his childhood.

"He'll be well behaved after two days of hunger. Let's go upstairs." Classmate Xiao Wang stamped his feet and urged.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong pushed his bicycle inside and looked up at the message room. Grandpa Gao didn't show up, so he didn't say hello.

When the two arrived at the third floor, in addition to Ye Zhijuan and Wang Jingying, there was also a neighbor present.

"Hello, Aunt Liu." Wang Jingwen knew her and greeted her neighbor first after entering the house. Tang Zhitong then called out Aunt Liu.

"Look, speak of the devil and he appears. Jingwen has been beautiful since she was young, and the son-in-law makes people feel at ease at first sight. They are a talented man and a beautiful woman, and they are a perfect match for Jingwen." Aunt Liu responded as she stood up and chatted with Ye Zhijuan when she saw the young couple.

Tang Zhitong smiled apologetically. If this happened decades later, he would at least praise himself for being handsome, suave, and elegant. However, nowadays, most people would think that anything involving "suave" is inappropriate and cannot be considered a compliment.

Of course, he can say things like “to count the heroes of today”, but there are still many people who don’t understand, just like his personality and great achievements.

Ye Zhijuan chatted with Aunt Liu, while Tang Zhitong and classmate Xiao Wang went into the kitchen, took the fish out of the bag, peeled off the newspaper stuck to the surface, picked out the bones, and prepared to make stuffing.

Wang Jingying was young and didn't want to listen to the neighbors' socializing, so she followed them into the kitchen.

When Xiao Wang saw his sister come in, he put his index finger to his mouth as a signal for his sister to be quiet, and then opened his mouth to talk to his sister about some study matters, making some noise in the kitchen.

It was only three or five minutes before Aunt Liu left. After seeing her off, Ye Zhijuan also came to the kitchen and asked, "Why are you hiding here so mysteriously?"

"Mom, I'm planning to make some stuffing and make dumplings." Tang Zhitong showed Ye Zhijuan the fish on the chopping board.

"Is this a Spanish mackerel? It's quite big and thoughtful. It's still early, so let's cook it later. Aunt Liu, bring some drunken dates over, let's try it together." Ye Zhijuan praised and nodded to Tang Zhitong. Like Xiao Wang, she didn't even ask where it came from.

"Sister, let's go. I've been thinking about it for a long time. Aunt Liu is here and I feel embarrassed to eat." When Wang Jingying heard this, she immediately took her sister's hand and walked out happily.

Tang Zhitong washed his hands and was the last one to walk out of the kitchen.

The drunken dates were placed in a rice bowl. They were obviously packed by Aunt Liu from home. There were about twenty dates in a bowl, and they gave off a strong aroma of wine.

"Thanks to you, we haven't cooked for a week since we treated the children to dumplings last time. We had to rely on the neighbors to send us food." Ye Zhijuan grabbed a handful of drunken dates and handed them to Tang Zhitong first.

"Mom, the cabbage is here, the noodles are here, and the people who worked hard are Jingwen and Jingying. I just made the stuffing, but I can't take the credit for it." Tang Zhitong took the drunken dates, pinched out one, and gave the rest to classmate Xiao Wang.

"Don't be so modest. You brought the lard, right? As soon as I got home from work, Jingmin told me how delicious the dumplings with lard were. He also made me a bowl of soup that you taught me how to make. It was delicious." Ye Zhijuan smiled brightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyebrows looked like fishtails. She looked very kind.

"I can't let myself suffer a loss." Tang Zhitong didn't want to say anything polite to his own people. He spoke the truth and was also testing Ye Zhijuan's attitude.

"You can't let yourself suffer, but you can't make mistakes either. You have a long life ahead of you." Ye Zhijuan grabbed another handful of drunken dates and stuffed them into Tang Zhitong's mouth, with some earnestness in her words.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything against my conscience. I just don't want others to know what I found. It's absolutely reasonable, legal and compliant." Tang Zhitong took the dates and kept only one. He stuffed the rest to Jingying and said to Jingying: "Eat this, save the rest in the bowl for our mother and Jingmin."

"You guys eat, Jingmin just needs to try a little. There's wine in it, so you can't let him eat too much." Ye Zhijuan gave way.

"Yeah, yeah." Tang Zhitong nodded.

Drunken dates are also called wine dates. They are originally pickled with wine. The main ingredients are jujubes and strong liquor, with the ratio of about 10:1.

Every year at the beginning of August in the lunar calendar, when jujubes are ripe, many families will make some, which is a special supply in the northern region.

There are certain requirements for the selection of materials for making drunken dates. It is best to use bright red, plump dates. The shriveled ones will not do. It is also best to pick them by hand from the tree. If you use a bamboo pole to knock them, someone has to spread a sheet or quilt under the tree to catch them. Any dates with a bump on them cannot be used.

Wash the selected dates, put them into the bottle, then pour in strong liquor, and finally seal it.

It can be eaten in about ten days, but if it is not opened, it can be kept until the next spring. It is one of the rare delicacies of children's childhood.

(End of this chapter)