Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 610 Chapter 609 Eight Dishes

Most people will sympathize with the weak and will often lend a helping hand when they encounter them.

That's why some people took advantage of the public's sympathy and became professional beggars around the millennium.

As long as you put aside your pride, money will flow into your pocket.

At first they squatted on the ground to beg, and later they disguised themselves as disabled people to beg. You could always see three or five beggars on the street.

Especially in front of the university gate, it has become a gathering place for beggars.

Later, the competitive pressure of begging became greater and greater. Beggars changed from waiting for food to be given to others to begging by following others, specifically targeting those with young and youthful looks, which made people very annoyed.

Later, a careful classmate pointed out that he saw a beggar eating meat and drinking, so everyone gradually stopped giving alms.

The media of that era subsequently exposed the financial situation of these professional beggars. Many of them came from the same village. Every household had built a small house. They could earn over 10,000 yuan a month by begging, which was much higher than that of wage earners. At that time, for wage earners, earning 2,000 yuan a month was a very good job.

Professional beggars were devastated after this incident, but some people still couldn't stand it and would come up with unconventional ways of doing things. They would write on paper signs, making up stories as miserable as possible, like the parents or children were critically ill, anyway, there was no healthy person in the family and the family would die if they didn't give them some money.

There are also girls who make up their life stories. Usually they are college students whose money was stolen. They kneel down hoping to be given two dollars for a meal. But when someone actually buys them a meal, they become unhappy instead.

As for the alcoholic father, the sick mother, the younger siblings who are in school, and the broken girl, those are high-end situations and generally will not appear on the streets.

How the Gu family deals with Sun's mother is their family affair and Tang Zhitong has no right to interfere. But when Gu Yong asked him to help him find a nanny, Tang Zhitong was really in a dilemma.

"Brother Yong, I'm not trying to shirk my responsibility. Brother Yang's matter just happened to happen. I just happened to know Zhang Ye and understand her character. I really don't have a suitable candidate for you.

I grew up in a hutong, and there are quite a few unemployed sisters-in-law and aunts there, but firstly, they are far away from you; secondly, these ordinary people may not be well-informed, and the food they cook may not suit your taste; thirdly, I cannot guarantee that they are clean.

My third brother and I have been friends since we were little. You can ask him, people in the alleys can quarrel over chicken feathers, and there are many people who are greedy for small gains. "

In order to be more persuasive, Tang Zhitong brought in Ma Kejian.

"Anzi didn't treat you as an outsider. He told the truth." Ma Kejian testified on the side.

"Oh, this is what happened." Gu Yong scratched his head.

"If you have difficulties, go to the organization. Even if your rank is not high enough, your uncles and aunts at home should be high enough, right? I heard that many families solve it this way." Ma Kejian can meet people that others cannot usually meet, and he is also more informed.

"My dad doesn't want to cause trouble for the organization. Forget it, let my mom handle it later." Gu Yong waved his hand and put his worries behind him. He valued Liu Yue, and his mother valued Liu Yue even more.

"Anzi, the matter is almost done. I have received the thank-you letter. Thank you!" Ma Kejian found the opportunity and thanked Tang Zhitong seriously.

"Well, what's there to thank me for? You earned it all with your own ability. I should also thank Third Brother. If you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have had the chance to show off, right?" Tang Zhitong felt close to his childhood friend from the bottom of his heart. He was afraid that he would be stubborn and would not repay him, so he refused cleanly.

"No, what's the matter? You two are so confused." This made Gu Yong curious.

"It's just about a piece of jam..." Tang Zhitong didn't let Mark Jian speak, and he exaggerated the story, mainly to downplay his own role and emphasize the importance of Mark Jian.

After hearing this, Gu Yong and Wu Haiyang couldn't help but have their own thoughts.

Gu Yong was the first to witness Tang Zhitong's outrageous operations, and he and Cai Feng benefited from it.

Wu Haiyang thought more about it. He could see that Tang Zhitong was deliberately helping Ma Kejian. It was not a big deal, but it could reveal a person's character. He liked Tang Zhitong's character very much.

Lunch was simple, as Mark Jian brought two dishes, one was mustard dumplings he made himself, and the other was braised winter melon.

"This mustard dumplings are great. You can tell they are authentic just by smelling them." Tang Zhitong's eyes lit up when he saw the mustard dumplings.

Mustard dumplings are a must-have dish for the New Year’s Eve dinner in old Beijing. The ingredients are very simple: Chinese cabbage and mustard.

But for well-known reasons, Tang Zhitong has not seen any raw materials for making mustard on the market this year.

"There's some at home. Come with me later and I'll bring some back to you." Ma Kejian said without hesitation.

"That's not necessary. If Third Brother has mustard, just give me some. I'll go back and make some myself." A lunch box of mustard dumplings is at least enough for Ma Kejian and Wang Yan as a main course, but mustard is different. A small handful can make a pot of mustard dumplings.

"That's fine. I still have some unused horseradish at home. Go get it later."

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong agreed happily.

There are two types of mustard: yellow mustard and green mustard. Tang Zhitong did not ask Ma Kejian where he got the horseradish. It was good to have some. You can't be picky, and it's best not to ask.

The mustard dumplings are ready-made and are a cold dish in themselves. They can be eaten right after they are served.

Shao Er Dong is a dish stir-fried with winter mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Many people in the old city like it very much.

Please refer to the screenshots for the specific steps, I won’t waste words.

There is also a dish called Shao San Dong, which has one more ingredient, winter melon. The cooking methods are similar, so you can cook it as you like.

The Erdong is ready. Just heat it up in the pan and serve it.

"Anzi, stop cooking. I've ordered some food from the cafeteria today and it will be delivered soon." Although Gu Yong said that he would wait for Tang Zhitong to cook today, Wu Haiyang refused to let him.

"Let's stew some eucalyptus. I'm kind of craving for fish." Lu Lixian noticed Liu Yue's eyes and looked at the mackerel several times. Then she asked Wu Haiyang to pass the mackerel back to Tang Zhitong.

"Okay! Please come in, sister-in-law." Tang Zhitong responded happily.

"I ate one fish during the Chinese New Year, but I still didn't feel full. Now that I'm pregnant, I don't know why, but I'm particularly greedy and always want to eat something unusual." Liu Yue is not stupid. Lu Lixian said she wanted to eat fish, but she didn't even look at the fish twice.

"Pregnancy can cause hormone levels to be different from usual, which is normal, so don't worry. You're not vomiting now, are you?" Children sleep a lot, and the conversations of several people did not affect Han Guang's sleep. Lu Lixian put the child on the bed and said to Liu Yue.

"No, I won't vomit. At this critical moment, even if I want to vomit, I have to hold it back. It would be a waste of food if I vomit." Liu Yue has been pregnant for nearly five months and her belly is obviously showing. She replied while holding her belly.

"It's good that you don't vomit. Being able to eat is a blessing. Your stomach must be blessed." Lu Lixian walked out of the bedroom and said while greeting the two Xiao Wangs.

Although the current situation is difficult, Wang Yan and Ma Kejian also plan to have children, which is mainly due to Ma Kejian's job. It is said that "a three-year drought will not starve a cook to death", but it depends on where the cook is from. Because foreign guests often ask to thank the cook in person, the chefs there are more caring for them.

The chef is also the face of the country, and he cannot be dish-faced, so some leftovers that are not eaten cleanly on the table become welfare...

While Tang Zhitong was cooking, Gu Yong took the two boxes of luncheon meat he had brought and asked for an extra dish.

After getting married, Liu Yue taught Gu Yong a lot. In addition, Liu Yue did eat fish at home two days ago, and ate the entire family's quota.

Gu Yong could naturally sense Lu Lixian's obvious care for him, so he asked Tang Zhitong to add the luncheon meat he brought to the dishes.

"Brother Yang, how about adding one more?" Tang Zhitong didn't dare to be alone and turned to look at Wu Haiyang.

How could Gu Yong have been so cunning before? This person who went to his house to order food at the beginning, but Tang Zhitong did not refuse his face.

There is no reason to take back a gift that comes to the door. Spanish mackerel cannot be kept. Tang Zhitong can argue with Wu Haiyang for a long time, but luncheon meat is a very high-quality storage food. It usually has a six-year shelf life printed on it. In fact, the real shelf life is much more than six years. Six years is the upper limit stipulated by law!
If you want to eat this, you have to ask the host’s opinion.

"Okay, then let's have a prosperous new year. I'll go downstairs and get some cabbage." Wu Haiyang nodded happily and turned to go downstairs.

Tang Zhitong asked Ma Kejian to show off his cooking skills, but Ma Kejian shook his head like a rattle: "No, you're tired of cooking every day. I made those two, and these two are yours."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

After saying that, he smiled at Tang Zhitong and went straight to the living room to hang out with a bunch of women.

Tang Zhitong thought to himself, cooking was originally just my hobby, but in recent days the time I’ve spent cooking has almost become as long as my working hours.

Luncheon meat is a good ingredient for making maoxuewang, but that dish not only consumes a lot of oil, but also has insufficient side ingredients, so we have to settle for stewing cabbage.

As the dishes were served, the canteen delivery man arrived. There were four dishes in total: braised pork with potatoes, cabbage with tofu, stir-fried onions, and stir-fried shredded radish. The portions were not small, but the braised pork looked like a pre-prepared dish from a can.

"Brother Yang, thank you for your spending." Tang Zhitong said as he looked at the four dishes.

"Our conditions are limited. If you hadn't brought the dishes, all the things I ordered would be shabby." Wu Haiyang held two bottles of wine in each hand, two bottles of Maozi and two bottles of Fenzi.

Fenzi suits the tastes of Gu Yong and Ma Kejian, while Maozi is obviously prepared for Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, stop being polite. Eat quickly. The baby should wake up soon." Lu Lixian came from the pregnant woman's room. Seeing Liu Yue's eyes, she interrupted their politeness.

As soon as she put down her chopsticks, Lu Lixian ate a piece of mackerel, and kept picking up more mackerel for Liu Yue to eat. Liu Yue accepted all the food and ate happily.

Student Xiao Wang glanced at Tang Zhitong, Tang Zhitong nodded slightly, and Student Xiao Wang smiled.

As for the Spanish mackerel, we still have quite a few at home, so we’ll just give two to Gu Yong.

There are eight dishes, which is a very sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner even for ordinary people in previous years.

But they can't be compared with those dignitaries in the old city. Their New Year's Eve dinner emphasizes "four fours to the bottom", four cold dishes, four hot dishes, four meat dishes, and four soups, to get a good start.

The four cold dishes are: mustard dumplings, fried crispy snacks, pork skin jelly, and colorful peanuts;

The four hot dishes are: braised carp, sea cucumber with scallions, stir-fried shrimps, and stewed squid;
The four main meat dishes are: rice noodle meat, four-happiness meatballs, braised pork elbow, and twice-cooked pork;

The four soups are: stewed three fresh vegetables, dried shredded vegetables in milk soup, whole corn stew, and eight-treasure hot pot.

As for the eight dishes today, the powerful and wealthy would not look down on them. The only duplicate one is the mustard dumplings, which can be considered as a treat for the common people.

The popularity of this dish in Beijing can be seen from the repeated use of mustard dumplings.

After taking a bite, the unique spicy taste of mustard first pierces the nasal cavity, then hits the eyeballs, and finally hits the top of the head.

Gu Yong was obviously not from Beijing and might not be familiar with this dish. When he took a mouthful of mustard, tears and nose streamed.

Gu Yong obviously wanted to vomit it, but as Liu Yue said, he couldn't afford to waste food in this year, so he gritted his teeth and swallowed it all in one gulp.

"Come on, wipe it quickly." Seeing Gu Yong's look, Wu Haiyang hurriedly got up and took the toilet paper prepared for his son, tore off a piece, handed it to Gu Yong first, and then distributed it to everyone one by one.

Gu Yong turned around, wiped his tears and nose, and sneezed several times. He turned around as if his soul had left his body and returned to his body: "My goodness, this weird smell is too strong."

"Hey, this is just the beginning. If there is more mustard, it can clear up even the most stuffy nose." Tang Zhitong said happily.

Mustard is the real nemesis of rhinitis. Although it cannot cure it forever, it can cure it for a while. The only thing is that the process is a bit uncomfortable.

"You're using this thing to fool your foreign friends? Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself?" Gu Yong calmed down and asked Ma Kejian.

"I'm not giving it to them. I made it for myself. People in Beijing love it. Eucalyptus, don't you think so?" Ma Kejian tried to hold back his laughter when he saw Gu Yong making a fool of himself.

"Yes, yes, yes, most people in old Sijiu City like to eat it. My mother even complained that she didn't buy mustard this year and couldn't make mustard dumplings." Tang Zhitong testified.

"I don't understand why people in this old city have such strong tastes. And that soy milk, I've tasted it before, it almost made me vomit bile." Gu Yong had a psychological trauma about mustard dumplings. He threw away the piece of paper and wiped the chopsticks with a new one, for fear that there would be mustard on the noodles.

"If you can't understand it, just respect it. I can't drink soybean milk, let alone you. It's like rag water that has been covered for ten days or half a month.

Come, try other dishes. I'll bring this one further away." Tang Zhitong took this opportunity to swap the mustard dumplings in front of Gu Yong with the roasted Erdong.

There are many dishes and good wine. The women sit on one side and the men sit on the other.

Men talked about everything under the sun, while women mostly talked about children.

It would have been better if Wu Hanguang didn't cry at this critical moment.

Perhaps knowing that it was time for dinner, Wu Hanguang, who was lying on the bed, let out a loud cry, as if to remind Lu Lixian that he was hungry.

When Lu Lixian heard the baby's noise, she of course went to feed him. Wu Haiyang was not idle either, and he stood up and said, "Well, this kid must have pooped. You guys eat first, I'll go clean up."

(End of this chapter)