Xiang Jin's mother went back, and Xiang Jin and the others were about to start making dumplings. Aunt Liao took the initiative to take on the responsibility of rolling out the dough. Rolling out the dough is a technical job, but also a manual job, especially when
He had to roll out a large piece of dough all at once. Xiang Jin felt that he didn't have that ability, so he was willing to do it.
Grandma Mo went to bring out the big pot of stuffing, and Aunt Liao said, "Not to mention, Jin Yatou is really good at mixing stuffing. Although there is raw shrimp meat in it, there is not a bit of it.
You can’t even smell the fishy smell, but it’s full of freshness and fragrance.”
Grandma Mo nodded with a smile on her face, "Well, yes! Look at the stuffing, it's pork, shrimp, green onion, dried bamboo shoots and carrot dices. It's just right.
nice.
What kind of stuffing did we use to make dumplings? Isn’t it always the stuffing of vegetable dumplings and minced pork, or how about adding some dried tofu and mixed with chopped green onion and ginger?”
Aunt Liao said yes, and Xiang Jin said, "That's because the materials are different, so the filling method is different. But if you still want to eat other flavors of dumplings, I have several kinds of fillings here.
I’ll tell you how to make the ingredients when the time comes!”
Grandma Mo and Aunt Liao both smiled and said yes!
In a short time, Aunt Liao rolled out a large piece of dough, and then Grandma Mo found a mold and started printing it, and then Xiang Jin and the others started wrapping it.
In the process of wrapping, Aunt Liao said, "Oh, why does this skin give me a shiny and translucent feeling? Auntie, do you think it is?"
Grandma Mo picked it up and looked at it carefully, "It's true, and why do I feel that the skin is quite firm and strong?"
Xiang Jin explained to them with a smile, "This is called crystal dumpling, and the stuffing we have today contains shrimp pellets, so this dumpling is called crystal shrimp dumpling. It will look better when it is cooked and steamed.
And the taste will be better and fresher. I will describe the details to you, and you will know when the time comes."
Aunt Liao said, "Girl Jin, you know how to make everything. You see, your dumplings are also beautifully made. The patterns are thin and dense. They are so delicate. They are like gold ingots. My aunt is reluctant to eat them."
Grandma Mo put down a wrapped dumpling, then picked up a dumpling wrapper and put a chopstick's worth of stuffing inside, laughing and chuckling at the same time.
Xiang Jin pinched the dumplings in his hand and said, "How can anyone know how to do everything? I'm not very good at rolling out dough. I usually roll out the dough into uneven thickness, with one side high and the other low.
Auntie, how can you roll this out? Every place is as even as if measured with a ruler. Auntie, can you help us roll out our dough tomorrow?"
"Okay, what else is there to say," Aunt Liao agreed without thinking.
Everyone continued to make dumplings while chatting and laughing. When they were halfway done, Grandpa Zeng came in and asked Grandma Mo to answer the phone, saying that the call was from their grandson Zeng Haoze.
When Grandma Mo heard that the call was from her eldest grandson, she was so happy that she quickly put down her work and went to answer the phone.
Aunt Liao then told Xiang Jin, "Your grandpa Zeng's grandson, Hao Ze, is also very capable. He is a little more than five years older than Yan Chen. He has been skipping grades in school since he was a child. At the age of thirteen,
I was admitted to the National Defense University when I was..."
"So awesome?" Xiang Jin was surprised.
Aunt Liao nodded, "Isn't that right? Later, after graduating from college, it is said that he took the postgraduate examination and became an officer when he graduates."
"Oh my god, is this a child prodigy?" Moreover, this child has great goals and plans for his life and future. Xiang Jin was surprised.
In her previous life, she also saw such a child prodigy on the news. It was said that he started studying at the age of six, completed elementary school in two years, entered junior high school, completed the three-year course of junior high school in two years, and also mastered all high school subjects.
Knowledge, at the age of ten, with an achievement of 510
He was admitted to a key university and became the youngest college student in the country at that time. Then when he was thirteen years old, he became the youngest master's student in the country. When he was sixteen, he became the youngest doctoral student.
Admission to mathematics majors in aviation colleges.
She didn't expect that she would meet such a genius again in her life, and he was actually a fellow villager with her. However, Xiang Jin felt that Yan Chen's cousin should have studied at the National Defense University of Technology instead of the National Defense University. There was still a big difference between the two.
Differentiated.
The National Defense University is not an ordinary university, and it is not something anyone can get in if they want. They do not recruit fresh college entrance examination students, and they do not require undergraduate degrees.
They only recruit graduate students and doctoral students from the army. It is said that the lowest military rank is a lieutenant colonel. This school is a national school specially trained for the army's middle and senior generals, and it specializes in training the kind of combatants.
A place for commanding talent.
So the people who enter this place are generally not too young, at least around thirty years old. First of all, you have to fight in the army. It takes more than one or two years to get to the level of lieutenant colonel.
If you can achieve results, you probably won't be able to do it unless you have at least ten years of hard work.
And at this age, your military literacy in all aspects, your maturity and stability in thinking about problems, and your ability to broaden your horizons have risen to an extraordinary level. This has nothing to do with whether you are a genius or a child prodigy.
It doesn't matter much, this is a process that takes place over time. But Yan Chen's cousin is very young, he seems to be only a few years older than him. It is unlikely that someone as young as him can enter there.
He was the only one who was admitted to the National University of Defense Technology from the beginning, and he also filled in the non-command major at the National University of Defense Technology in the early application. Only in this way can he study for an undergraduate degree after being admitted, and then have the opportunity to apply for a master's degree in this school after graduating from the undergraduate degree.
Once you pass the exam, you can become a graduate student with military status in the school. Once you have military status, you will naturally become an officer when you graduate.
Thinking of this, Xiang Jin couldn't help but sigh, "So the reason why Yan Chen is so smart and good at reading is because his family has the gene for high IQ?"
Aunt Liao said, "Isn't that right? Your uncle Minghan was very good at studying before. He also skipped a grade in elementary school, junior high school, high school, and graduated from college early, so he became an adult at a young age.
scientists.
Hao Ze's mother is also a scientist. Both of them are high-level intellectuals, so their son Hao Ze is also extremely smart. Not only does he have good academic performance at a young age, but he is also very independent.
I don’t know Yan Chen’s father, but Yan Chen’s mother, your Aunt Mingzhu, was a very smart girl since she was a child. Do you think she made Yan Chen so smart?”
Then Xiang Jin was puzzled, "Hey, aunt, Grandpa Zeng's family has such a powerful grandson. I rarely hear anyone say it. The one I hear the most is Xiang Yan from the old Xiang family.
Why is she so good at reading?"
Aunt Liao said, "One is Hao Ze, who has lived outside the province with his parents since he was a child. His household registration is also that of a city dweller. He doesn't come back very often, and when he comes back, he lives directly in the town, so
People in Wan Tou didn't have a deep impression of him. They thought he was just from another province and not from here, so naturally they couldn't pay more attention to or understand him.
The second one is your Grandpa Zeng and Grandma Mo. They are relatively low-key and introverted people. They are not allowed to talk to people who are not close friends. In addition, it was several years ago when Haoze's kid was admitted to college.
It's something that happened, and they are not allowed to talk about it."
Xiang Jin nodded, "I understand!"
Ten kilograms later, Grandma Mo came back with a smile on her face, and then Aunt Liao asked, "How is your Haoze doing in the army?"
Grandma Mo said, "Okay, it's good. They said they had dumplings at night, and they just watched the cultural troupe perform for their troops. After the performance, we called and asked about the health of his and me."
The situation is that he will come back to see us when he has a holiday next year. He also said that their army had a day off a few days ago. He went out to buy some things for me and his grandfather and mailed them back. It is estimated that they will not be collected until after the new year.
It’s here, let’s check it carefully when the time comes.”
Aunt Liao said, "Oh, your Haoze is so filial!"
Grandma Mo smiled and nodded, "Well, both of our children are relatively filial and sensible. Both he and Chen Chen are good to both of us."
Grandma Mo had just washed her hands and was about to continue wrapping bags when Grandpa Zeng asked her to answer the phone again. It took her half an hour to come back, and then Aunt Liao asked her who was calling.
Grandma Mo said that the call was from her son and her daughter-in-law, and her son's call came right after the daughter-in-law's call was hung up, so she talked a little long this time.
Aunt Liao asked, "Aren't the two of them together during the Chinese New Year?"
Grandma Mo said, "No, they all have jobs. Not long ago, Minghan and two colleagues from their unit went to other provinces with people from the cooperative unit to spend the New Year there.
Xiao Xiao had an academic topic being discussed at the end of the year, and after the meeting, she said she would buy a ticket to come back, but her dad and I considered that when we come back at the end of the year, there will be crowds of people everywhere, and those who are driving the train
It's very inconvenient, especially at the end of the year when there are more thieves and cheaters at that station.
Moreover, she won’t be able to stay for a few days before she has to go back to work. The trouble of running back and forth, plus the fact that both of us are fine in our hometown, in good health, and everything is fine, so I told her not to worry about it.
, and don’t come back.
Her place was a little closer to her parents' place, so I asked her to go back to her parents' place to have a look. It was a rare occasion for the old couple to see their daughter all year round, and they also had strange thoughts and thoughts.
Yes, they didn’t go back last year and came back to us. How do you think you can say they’ll come back to us in two years?”
Aunt Liao nodded, "This is the same. The palms and backs of my hands are full of flesh, and my parents on both sides are worried about me."
Grandma Mo nodded, "She said she would come back to see us around the Qingming Festival after celebrating the New Year. I said it doesn't matter, she won't be crowded when she comes back then."
Aunt Liao nodded again.
Just when Aunt Liao was rolling out the last big piece of dough, Yan Chen called. After Grandma Mo went to answer the call, Grandma Mo came back and asked Xiang Jin to answer the phone, saying that Yan Chen wanted to say a few words to her.
.
Xiang Jin picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"Xiang Jin, happy New Year!"
Xiang Jin was startled for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth curled up, "Happy New Year, Yan Chen!"
"Did you have New Year's Eve dinner together today?" Yan Chen asked after him.
Xiang Jin responded on the other end of the phone, "Ah, Grandma Mo and Grandpa Zeng invited us to your house for dinner."
"You did it?"
"It's not all my doing, they did it too!"
"What delicious food have you made?"
"A lot, a big table," Xiang Jin followed and recited what dishes he had cooked.
Yan Chen listened patiently and then said, "Everything sounds delicious."
Xiang Jin asked him, "What about you? You also made a lot of delicious food, right?"
"Well, there is also a big table, but it's not as delicious as yours."
"No way?" Xiang Jin didn't believe it. He heard that their Aunt Jiang was quite good at cooking.
Yan Chen said, "Aunt Jiang is really good at cooking, but today's meal was cooked by Uncle Tao."
"Why, Aunt Jiang isn't here?"
Yan Chen said, "Aunt Jiang's old man is sick and hospitalized. She is taking care of him in the hospital."
"Oh, is that so? Is that serious?"
"A little bit. Yesterday I was riding my bicycle to buy vegetables at the vegetable market, and then I fell and broke my leg."
"Wouldn't it mean that your Aunt Jiang won't be able to come to your house to cook for a long time?"
"Maybe it will take at least half a month."
Xiang Jin comforted him, "It's okay. When you come back, I'll cook what you like."
"Okay!" Yan Chen agreed, then asked, "Is the Chinese New Year very lively in my hometown?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's not bad. Anyway, when I got up early in the morning, someone put on the tape recorder and everyone in the bay could hear it.
Then every household is cooking delicious food, and the fragrance fills the bay. By 12 o'clock, the sound of firecrackers everywhere will not stop. Where is your place, is it lively? "
Yan Chen said casually, "We only start setting off firecrackers in the evening, and someone is setting off fireworks right now."
"Is your family busy during the New Year? Are there many people gathered around to watch the New Year? And then they also set off fireworks?" Xiang Jin asked.
Yan Chen said, "We don't set off fireworks at home. Our home is in the military compound. There aren't many people in our home. It's just me, Uncle Tao, and two guards."
"Ah? It's just the four of you? Where's your grandpa? And where's your dad? Didn't you say before that your aunt would also celebrate the New Year with you?" Xiang Jin was surprised.
Yan Chen seems to be used to it, "My grandfather is in the army to visit the officers and soldiers, and there are very few opportunities to celebrate the New Year at home. Basically, he does not celebrate the New Year at home every year. At noon, I go to my dad's place to have a meal with him, and in the afternoon
Then I came back, and my aunt will of course spend the New Year at their house."
For some reason, Xiang Jin felt slightly uncomfortable when he heard this. Speaking of Yan Chen's family, the conditions are very good, but he lives a lonely life. No wonder his temperament is so indifferent and distant.
"Have you made dumplings yet?" Xiang Jin asked again.
Xiang Jin could tell that Yan Chen was smiling when he spoke there, "Uncle Tao and the others are taking care of it."
"Then you won't help?"
Yan Chen said, "When I went upstairs, they were still mixing stuffing and rolling out dough."
Xiang Jin said, "We are almost done making them. Let me tell you, we are making crystal shrimp dumplings. Have you ever made them before?"
"No! Is it delicious?"
"I think it's okay. I'll make some for you when you get back. But you won't have shrimp dumplings to eat when you come back, but I can make crystal dumplings for you then."
“So the main ingredient in shrimp dumplings is shrimp?”
"Well, shrimp dumplings naturally have to be filled with shrimp, and it's best to have live shrimp. If the shrimp is dead, the filling will lose its taste.
Aunt Xiaoping's son went fishing in Miyun Reservoir with his uncles two days ago, and then brought back a lot of shrimps and fish in the no-man's land there.
Then Aunt Xiaoping brought some to our family and Grandpa Zeng. Then we kept the fish, peeled out the shrimps and chopped them into fillings. We made dumplings in the evening.
."
"Okay, then you can also make me some crystal shrimp dumplings and I'll bring you the shrimps!"
"Ah? Are you bringing shrimp? It's so far away? If the shrimp doesn't have enough oxygen, it will die easily." Xiang Jin was surprised. In this era, there are still machines that can add oxygen to the water.
After inspecting the car, he said, "Don't worry, I will give you live shrimp when the time comes."
"Okay then!" Xiang Jin agreed, then looked at the time and said, "Then I'll die if it's okay?"
"good!"
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
"Help me also say to Uncle Tao - Happy New Year!"
"good!"
Xiang Jin hung up the phone and went back. Grandma Mo and Aunt Liao were almost done with the package. Grandma Mo asked, "What did you talk about with Yan Chen?"
Aunt Liao just looked at her and said to Xiang Jin, "It's nothing. I just learned about the New Year celebrations in their provincial capital, and then said that we were making dumplings and they were making dumplings too."
Grandma Mo and Aunt Liao both had smiles on their faces. Then Xiang Jin looked at the dumplings in the two big dustpans, "How many can this dustpan hold?"
Grandma Mo said, "There are about one hundred, twenty or thirty dustpans in one dustpan."
Xiang Jin asked, "Isn't there a total of more than two hundred dumplings here?"
Grandma Mo nodded, "Yes!"
Then Xiang Jin did a quick calculation. Her mother brought a total of four kilograms and five taels of the two kinds of flour today, and the dough she brought back was about one and a half kilograms.
One pound of flour plus water can make up less than 700 grams of dough, which is close to one and a half pounds. From her touch, the weight of a piece of dough is about eight or nine grams.
In other words, one pound of flour can make 70 to 80 dumplings.
She will know how much noodles to make when making dumplings tomorrow.
Then I heard Grandma Mo say, "Girl Jin, you can bring some dumplings back later."
Xiang Jin refused, "No, you and Aunt Liao can keep it for yourselves. I originally packed it for you."
How could they finish eating when Grandma Mo said so much?
Xiang Jin said, "Grandma Mo, you have a refrigerator at home. Wait for it to freeze hard outside, then put it into a clean bag and put it in the refrigerator to freeze. When you want to eat it, take some out and cook or
Just steam it.
Aunt Liao, you too, you can have a meal tomorrow, and then the day after tomorrow, Sister Xiang Min and the others will come back, right? Then you can also cook for them. Aunt, you don’t have a refrigerator at home yet, so I will give you less.
A little, take a hundred."
"Oh, that's a lot, that's a lot, how could you ask for so much?" Aunt Liao waved her hand.
Xiang Jin and Grandma Mo didn't say much, so Grandma Mo persuaded her to accept it, "Girl Jin, you can't refuse their wishes. Besides, if you want to say more, we have more than you."
Aunt Liao looked at Grandma Mo, and then at Xiang Jin. Seeing that they both looked sincere, she finally had to accept it.
"Okay, then I'll bring a hundred back later!"
Then count the dumplings and distribute them to them.
After two or three minutes, Xiang Jin counted a hundred dumplings and asked Aunt Liao to take them back. She then told them that she was going back.
It was getting late, and it was inconvenient for Grandma Mo and the others to keep the two sisters for a long time, so they found a flashlight for them.
Xiang Jin took it, followed Grandma Mo and took out the half rabbit and handed it to her, saying that he would eat that one tomorrow. Xiang Jin did not refuse and accepted it.
Then Xiang Jin asked Aunt Liao, "Auntie, why don't you come with us by the way? We have a flashlight and we can send you back first. This will save you the inconvenience of carrying the dustpan back later."
Aunt Liao nodded, "Okay, then I'll go with you!"
When Xiang Jin's sisters got home, her mother had finished wrapping the dumplings and was boiling water to wash up.
Xiang Jin put the half piece of rabbit meat away and asked her, "Mom, how many dumplings did our family make?"
Her mother said, "There are seventy-six buns in total, and there is still a little stuffing left, so I used the ordinary flour to make the buns."
Xiang Jin nodded, and then discussed with her mother, "Let's go to grandma's house early the day after tomorrow, and then come back early in the afternoon."
Her mother said, "Aren't you going to stay at your grandma's house for two days?"
Xiang Jin shook his head and said, "It's better not to live there any longer. The vegetables in my grandpa's greenhouse are still growing there. I'm not worried about you being alone at home. Besides, my uncle and aunt will definitely bring my cousins with them in their third year of junior high school."
When I go back to my parents’ house, I won’t have much fun there. It’s not good to stay there while my grandparents and they have to work all day long, treating us like guests!”
Her mother thought about it, so she nodded, "None of your business!"
The sound of firecrackers kept going on all night, either from one house or another, from far away or close by. This made Xiang Jin doze off all night and she couldn't sleep comfortably, so she got out of bed early in the morning.
Got up.
In the morning, Xiang Jin and the others cooked the dumplings directly. Looking at the crystal clear dumplings, Xiang Lan could not help but sigh with wide eyes, "Wow, sister, these dumplings are so beautiful. I have never made them before."
I have seen dumplings like this, the skin is shiny and smooth, and the fillings inside can be seen."
Xiang Jin's mother also loved the dumplings.
Xiang Jin raised his chopsticks and said, "Try it!"
Without saying a word, Xiang Lan picked up a dumpling and took a bite. Then she was stunned, her eyes widened. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she nodded vigorously, "Yeah, yeah, it's delicious."
"It's delicious. The filling inside is so fragrant. Sister, I have never eaten such delicious dumplings." After saying that, she just started eating.
Xiang Jin frowned, "No one will compete with you, so pay attention to your appearance!"
Xiang Lan quickly slowed down.
Yang Juyun said, "These dumplings are really delicious, huh? I just feel like my mouth is full of freshness."
Xiang Jin looked proud, "Is it delicious? But this kind of shrimp is not easy to get, otherwise we can make it often and eat it."
Her mother said, "Okay, okay, I've tasted this and that's enough."
Xiang Jin curled his lips and just tasted it. It was so satisfying!
Just after breakfast, I heard someone shouting loudly in the bay, saying they were going to watch a show on the street. Some people were talking about going to the 11th Brigade to play on the swings. Others were shouting about going hiking and visiting temples. Some men
They shouted to those who wanted to play cards and mahjong, three of them were short of one, come on!
After a while, the people from Wantou came out one after another. They all wore new clothes and new shoes and chatted with each other. The women met together to go to the theater, play on the swings, and climb mountains to worship Bodhisattva.
The men smoked cigarettes and arranged to play cards and mahjong together.
Two aunts saw Xiang Jin standing outside their yard from a distance and shouted to her, "Xiang Jin, let's go, call your mother and let's go to Lianhua Mountain together."
Lianhua Mountain is a well-known Buddhist temple in Xiang Jin and his family. It is located at the junction of the Seventh Brigade and Longquan Township next door. The walking distance from Xiang Jin and his family to there is about forty minutes. It is said that the temple is very efficacious, and there are several people around it.
People from all villages and towns like to go there to burn incense and worship Buddha, and many people from Xiangjin and others in Wantou also go there.
Xiang Jin said, "Auntie, you go ahead, we are not going today, we will go another day." One of them had an appointment to have dinner at their house today, and the other was that there were a lot of people going there today, and it was very crowded.
inconvenient.
After sending away a few aunts, Xiang Jin turned around and went back to prepare lunch with her mother.
Because of the few seabass that Aunt Xiaoping got yesterday, Xiang Jin didn't plan to eat their fish, so she asked her mother to kill the fish, and then removed the head and a few centimeters below it.
After coming down, she would make a minced pepper fish head later, and the rest of the body would be made into cured fish like the fish at Aunt Liao's house, and two of the seabass would be directly caught to make steamed seabass.
Her mother agreed and went to do it, while she planned other dishes to be made today.
Around nine o'clock, Grandma Mo and Aunt Liao made an appointment to come to their house, and then they both gave her and Xiang Jin a New Year's red envelope, which made Xiang Jin very embarrassed.
Xiang Lan was very happy to receive the red envelope, her eyes narrowed with smiles, and after thanking them, she hurried back to the house and hid it.
After Xiang Jin poured each of them a glass of water, he went to the small house next to him and dragged a rusty iron pot out, lit a fire for them and let them sit there and roast it.
Grandma Mo and the others asked if she could help with anything, and Aunt Liao also started to roll up her sleeves. Xiang Jin said, "No, no, we are not in a hurry today. Mom and I can handle it. You guys sit and bake."
"Your fire," she then ordered Xiang Lan to take out all the snacks, including the oranges that Fatty Ai Can and his family gave them yesterday.
"If you feel that these oranges are cold when you eat them, you can put them next to the fire and roast them for a while, so that they won't feel cold in your stomach after you eat them."
Grandma Mo and the others nodded, and then Grandpa Zeng said, "Girl Jin, your crystal shrimp dumplings are really good, both in terms of taste and appearance," and gave her a thumbs up.
Aunt Liao also followed, "Yes, yes, I have never seen such beautiful dumplings in my life. They were crystal clear. At that time, Auntie didn't dare to take a bite, thinking that what she scooped in the bowl was a bowl of jade lumps.
Woolen cloth."
Xiang Jin chuckled and said, "Auntie, you are too exaggerated, but I am very happy that you like it."
Aunt Liao said, "I like it, I like it, I really like it."
Then Grandma Mo said, "Oh, by the way, girl Jin, didn't you say you would also make dumplings today? Just tell me and your Aunt Liao what fillings you want to make, and we will prepare them for you!"
Xiang Jin thought for a moment and stopped being polite to them. "It's really there," so she asked Xiang Lan to take out the chives and green onions in the kitchen, as well as a bunch of young lotus roots that her mother bought on the street today.