Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

After taking care of the livestock in the yard, Wang An, along with Wang Yi and Gou Shengzi, pasted couplets and horizontal scrolls on each door and window frame, while Shen Wei and Zhao Cuiyun began to help Liu Guilan prepare lunch.

In Northeast China, the lunch on Lunar New Year's Eve is the most sumptuous meal of the year.

On this day, parents will bring out all the best food in the house, as well as things they usually wouldn't eat, without any hesitation.

They can absolutely eat and consume as much as they want.

The reason for doing this was that life was very hard in those days, and it was common to go one or two months without meat.

So whether it's children or adults in the family, everyone looks forward to having a good meal on Chinese New Year.

Of course, this is also a vision for a better life next year, because many people believe that if they can't even have a good meal during the New Year, then life next year will definitely still be very miserable.

Only by eating well on the last day of the year can this wonderful life continue into next year.

Although this claim has neither logic nor scientific basis, the vast majority of ordinary people believe it without question.

As the saying goes, "You should always have dreams, what if they come true?"

Although Wang Anjia's life was already very good, who wouldn't want this wonderful life to continue, or even improve to a higher level?
So, Liu Guilan, Shen Wei, and Zhao Cuiyun, along with Wang An who had finished putting up the Spring Festival couplets, worked busily all morning to prepare a large table of dishes.

The first main dish must be braised bear paw.

Liu Guilan said that eating this braised bear paw symbolizes that the coming year will be prosperous and thriving.

In fact, bear paws have been one of the eight rare and precious ingredients since ancient times, and in later generations, they have become a legendary delicacy.

It's probably only people of very high status or millionaires who can afford to eat this once in a while.

It must be said, however, that this bear paw was delivered by my uncle-in-law, Feng Chengmin, just two days ago.

Of course, Feng Chengmin brought not only bear paws, but also a whole roe deer, four grouse, two pheasants, six rabbits, and more than a dozen wild animals.

The reason why Feng Chengmin sent so many wild animals to Wang An's family was that Wang An not only made Feng Chengmin and his two brothers sell their bear bile for a high price, but also made Feng Chengmin a lot of money by dealing in bear bile.

That's right, it was big money. The three Feng brothers sold the six bear gallbladders for more than 5,000 yuan more, and Feng Chengmin himself made a profit of more than 13,000 yuan by reselling the bear gallbladders.

With so much money, let alone in this era, even in later generations, who among ordinary people would dare to say that they don't care about more than 1 yuan?

Of course, Wang An didn't let Feng Chengmin go back empty-handed. He gave Feng Chengmin some of all kinds of vegetables from the greenhouse, such as cucumbers, peppers, rapeseed, persimmons, cilantro, etc. It was just a matter of reciprocity.

The first main dish is braised bear paw, so the second main dish must be braised hazel mushrooms with pheasant.

Liu Guilan said that if you eat the grouse meat, your life will surely be prosperous.

There's a reason why braised mushrooms with pheasant is considered the second main dish.

The main reason is that the words "flying dragon" have a very auspicious meaning, after all, we are all descendants of the dragon.

In later generations in Northeast China, the most famous dish would undoubtedly be chicken stew with mushrooms. If you were to talk about famous dishes from Northeast China, chicken stew with mushrooms would be the first thing that comes to mind.

However, it's important to know that there's a story behind the dish "Chicken Stew with Mushrooms".

Because "chicken stew with mushrooms" evolved from "wild pheasant stew with hazel mushrooms", which in turn evolved from "flying dragon stew with hazel mushrooms".

There was no other way. Just like the ban on killing bears and eating bear paws, the hazel grouse, also known as the hazel grouse, was later protected. So, people replaced the hazel grouse with unprotected wild pheasants. Later still, even the wild pheasants in the mountains became protected animals, or at least classified as "three-protected animals" (animals with special protection, land, and resources). So, with no other choice, people in Northeast China had to replace the wild pheasants with domesticated free-range chickens.

As for why "hazel mushroom" was changed to "mushroom", the reason is very simple: wild hazel mushrooms became increasingly difficult to collect, and their price skyrocketed, making them incredibly expensive!

Although there weren't many interpretations at that time, the meaning behind the name "flying dragon" and the delicious taste of the dragon itself have always been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Therefore, braised hazel mushrooms with pheasant is definitely a worthy second main dish.

The third main dish was steamed mandarin fish.

Liu Guilan said that after eating steamed mandarin fish, her family's life will improve year after year, with abundance for many years to come.

As the head of the "Three Flowers, Five Luos, and Eighteen Sons" and also known as the "aristocrat among freshwater fish", the mandarin fish definitely deserves to be called the third main dish.

The fourth main dish was grilled roe deer leg.

Liu Guilan said that after Wang Yi and his two daughters, Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli, ate roasted roe deer legs, they would get full marks on every exam from now on.

This dish was made by Wang An. The method of preparation is to score the roe deer leg, marinate it with salt, soybean paste, cumin, sesame seeds and other seasonings, brush it with heavy oil, and then bake it in an oven until cooked.

The fifth main dish was braised pork trotters.

In Northeast China, there is a tradition of eating pig's trotters on Chinese New Year, but only the front trotters are eaten.

According to Liu Guilan, only by eating pig's forelegs can one keep moving forward in life and not backward.

The sixth main dish was mutton soup with chive blossoms.

Liu Guilan said that after eating boiled mutton, her life will improve steadily next year.

Although it was a homophone, it must be said that Liu Guilan's explanation was quite reasonable.

The seventh main dish was Four Happiness Meatballs.

The meatballs are round, symbolizing that the family will always be together, harmonious and happy.

The eighth main dish was deep-fried fennel, which is a type of small-scaled fish and also symbolizes abundance year after year.

The ninth main dish was sweet and sour pork ribs.

Liu Guilan said that the sweet and sour pork ribs symbolize that her future life will be all sweet.

The tenth main dish is braised lamb spine in soy sauce.

When Wang An asked Liu Guilan with a smile what the story behind the braised lamb spine was, Liu Guilan probably couldn't come up with anything. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said that there was no special meaning, as long as it tasted good.

After Liu Guilan finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Every year during the Spring Festival, Comrade Liu Guilan would come up with a whole bunch of auspicious meanings and lucky sayings, and the whole family had long since made it a habit.

If Liu Guilan hadn't said something, the family would have felt something was missing. (End of Chapter)