Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1092 Reunion Dinner

Xiao Wei said, "I'm already getting started. I plan to start with breeding and planting. This can't be rushed."

Chen Hui said, "We plan to build twenty breeding and planting sites in the province, and Xiaowei's hometown county will be the first one."

Secretary Quan said, "Write a report after the New Year and have Xiao Tao give it to me." Xiao Tao nodded in agreement.

Secretary Quan walked to the back of the restaurant and said, "They're not very big. You must make sure they take good care of themselves. It's not easy for you to be out here." He reached out and shook hands with a group of girls, saying they had worked hard. The girls blushed with excitement and shook their heads, saying it wasn't hard at all, that they were eating and sleeping well.

Secretary Quan then toured the factory, checked out the workers' living conditions, and casually asked a few girls some questions. Xiao Tao took photos along the way.

After walking around and returning to the restaurant, they were already serving food; there were eleven tables.

The girls who stayed on duty didn't have any extra work; they got the same treatment as everyone else during the Spring Festival, which pleased Secretary Quan.

Old Chen said, "You're worrying unnecessarily. I can't say anything else about these three kids, but they're reliable and kind-hearted. Their canteen is probably not much worse than your provincial government's canteen. They're very generous."

Xiao Wei said, "We're all from the same village, all from the same county. People trust us with their children, so we can't let them talk behind our backs."

Chen Hui said, "After the new factory next door is built, all the dormitories will have to be converted into four-person rooms. There's no other way because this place is too small."

Everyone sat down, and the children stopped running around and stood by the table with shining eyes.

Old Chen personally opened a bottle of champagne and said to Secretary Quan and his wife, "Try this wine. If you like it, I'll have them prepare some for you. This wine doesn't make you drunk, and it's said to be good for your cardiovascular health and also helps with sleep."

Secretary Quan took the bottle and examined it: "French? It must be quite expensive."

Old Chen took the wine and poured it for everyone, saying, "They have their own winery in France, and they produce their own wine. I heard they're also going to start selling beer next year."

Secretary Quan picked up his glass, took a sip, and said, "It's really good, good grapes, good wine. When the beer comes out, have Xiao Tao bring it to me to try. If it's good, we can buy some."

Old Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Brother, I didn't mean to sell anything." Everyone laughed.

Secretary Quan smiled and shook his head, looked around, and raised his voice, saying, "It is an honor to be able to attend such a lively banquet and family dinner on New Year's Eve. We Chinese value prosperity and family reunion. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year."

The restaurant erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Little Beibei slipped off Wang Guifang's arms and went to Xiaohong's place, but changed her mind halfway there. She ran to Xiaowei's side and tugged at him, saying, "Daddy, where's the firecracker? Grandma said we have to set it off for dinner, where's the firecracker? Send it to heaven, what, what grandpa."

Xiao Wei picked her up and placed her on his lap, saying, "Kitchen God, are we sending her to heaven?"

The little girl nodded.

Secretary Quan asked Old Chen, "What's this?"

Old Chen shook his head: "No, Xiao Wei will only be twenty-one this year, and Xiao Hong hasn't graduated yet. This is their goddaughter whom they recognized in the county, the one in the police uniform, Xiao Wang."

A woman was supporting her elderly mother and child alone; there was no man in the house, and the elderly woman was in poor health. The young couple, being kind-hearted, helped her out when they encountered the situation.

Xiao Wei asked his mother at the other table, "Mom, didn't you arrange for anyone to set off firecrackers?"

Xiao Wei's mother slapped her forehead: "I forgot while I was busy. Hurry up, you kids go and set off the firecrackers. They're in the box by the door."

Beibei tugged at Xiaowei: "Dad, who is the Kitchen God?"

Xiao Wei said, "They're gods. They see what we eat and drink every day, and then go up to heaven to report."

Beibei looked around: "Where is he?"

Xiao Wei said, "We can't see him, but he can see us."

Beibei thought for a moment: "Then, Daddy, will he allow me to eat candy?"

Xiao Wei said, "He doesn't care what we eat, and he doesn't ask you for anything. He just watches and sees whether the family is good or bad. If they are good, he gives them more good food, and if they are bad, he doesn't give them any good food."

Beibei nodded her little head: "I am a good person, my mom and dad are good people, and my grandma, grandpa, and grandma are all good people."

Xiao Wei said, "Yeah, we're all good people, so look, there's so much good food."

Firecrackers went off outside, crackling and popping, and a bunch of brats came running back, yelling.

Beibei was startled and hesitated for a moment before saying, "They've been sent away, they're gone."

Xiaowei's mother said, "Everyone, start eating. The firecrackers have been set off. It's a family reunion dinner, so don't be shy. Help yourselves to whatever you want to drink."

Wang Guifang wanted to go over and pick up Beibei, but Xiaohong stopped her and said, "Don't worry about her, just eat yours."

Secretary Quan picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle, dipped it in minced garlic, and nodded as he ate: "Delicious. Home-cooked meals are always the most satisfying. Did you get this pork from your hometown?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, they are raised on our pig farm and are mainly used for our own restaurant."

Secretary Quan asked, "This meat tastes delicious, what kind of animal feeds it?"

Xiao Wei said, "Just grains and distiller's grains, that's all. In the summer, we might add some leafy greens."

Old Chen said, "This method can't be promoted because the breeding costs are too high."

Xiao Wei said, "We are already trying to promote it. We have a feed mill and require farmers to use our feed. We provide the feed and then deduct the cost of the feed when we buy back the livestock at the end of the year."

Secretary Quan asked, "Are you in charge of collecting all the live pigs?"

Xiao Wei said, "We'll take as many as you want. The cost of raising pigs using our method is too high, so it might not work if we just sell them directly to the market. We'll buy them, process them, and sell them in our own supermarkets. Since it's just to add another product category, we're fine as long as we don't lose money on the pork itself."

Everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks and began to eat and drink, and the room immediately became lively.

In Liaodong at that time, people's New Year's meals still mainly consisted of meat, such as chicken, fish, beef, and pork, stewed chicken, braised fish, stewed beef, and beef strips.

There are many ways to prepare pork. Generally, pork hock is prepared in two ways: with sauce or as a sliced ​​pork hock, one hot and one cold. Other parts such as pig's head, ribs, pork belly, tenderloin, stomach, heart, intestines, and trotters can all be served as dishes on their own. Liver can also be prepared in both hot and cold ways.

The factory would distribute seafood such as prawns, razor clams, and ribbonfish to the workers' families.

Lamb is usually not served as a standalone dish because of its gamey smell; it's mostly used as filling for dumplings. Celery filling and sauerkraut filling are essential.

Fresh vegetables are no longer scarce, but they are too expensive. People can only afford to eat a little bit to try something new. Many families still can't afford them.

After a few rounds of drinks, the dumplings were cooked and served. Several young girls from the factory ran to help carry the dumplings, but actually they just wanted to get closer to the main table for a glimpse. Then they ran off blushing, leaving several plates of dumplings in front of Secretary Quan and his wife. Secretary Quan laughed heartily.

Both of them were quite old; Secretary Quan was sixty-two, and his wife was fifty-nine, three years younger than him—both were elderly. After trying some dishes, mainly vegetables, and a few dumplings, the elderly couple put down their chopsticks one after the other.

After taking off his glasses and wiping them, Secretary Quan took the cigarette Old Chen offered and lit it. He said with a smile, "This is the meal I've had the most of all this year, and it's also the happiest."

Usually, my husband and I take care of things, but most of the time she's home alone while I eat out at fancy restaurants. I can't eat anymore, and I don't like it anymore either.

(End of this chapter)