Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Thirty
The process of making fried meatballs involves mixing well-balanced minced pork with tofu, boiled shredded white radish, and flour. Once it’s well-seasoned, you wet your hands with clear water, shape the mixture into round balls, and fry them in oil until they are golden brown and float on the oil’s surface.
Gu Xiaoqing, always aiming for culinary perfection, added seven or eight eggs to the meatball mixture, squeezing in the juices from scallions and ginger, then mixed it all together.
The resulting meatballs were fragrant, crispy, soft, and held together perfectly. The taste was simply delightful.
Gu Xiaojie kept circling the stove several times, and with each round his hands accumulated a few more meatballs, his mouth also visibly full.
It seemed that lunch for today might not be necessary.
This year, Li Xuemei wanted to give the kids a hearty celebration, intending to be lavish. That’s why the meatballs were prepared in abundance, taking until two or three o’clock in the afternoon to finish frying them all.
Next came the fried tofu.
The tofu was made in the morning, sliced and steamed in the pot by Gu Xiaoqing. It had cooled completely by now.
It was just right to be fried in oil until golden brown, with both sides crispy, before taking it out from the pot.
The day was not enough to finish all tasks, cooking the meat would have to wait until the next day.
The next day continued to be busy.
After much hustle and bustle, it was finally done.
In this rural area, the custom for New Year’s Eve dinner is for the whole family to gather at the home of the husband’s parents.
The "parents" here refer to the husband’s parents, meaning at the in-laws’ home.
The same applies to the first day of the new year, when every son, along with his wife and kids, returns home for a family reunion meal.
On the night of New Year’s Eve, Li Xuemei didn’t prepare meat stuffing to make dumplings. She just packed a bowl of meatballs, a bowl of braised meat, a bowl of tofu, and a bowl of fried fish pieces in a basket. These four dishes were brought along, although generally, there’s no need to bring any since the new year’s gifts had already been sent.
However, Li Xuemei, having prepared herself mentally, just from Mrs. Gu’s stingy and miserly expression that day, feared that her kids might not have much to eat, and she didn’t want to make them suffer.
So she took it upon herself to bring the four dishes.
The bowls were large, filled to the brim and even slightly overflowing.
Thinking, with this, Mrs. Gu surely couldn’t let the kids go hungry.
In fact, Gu Xiaoqing was also afraid of not getting enough to eat at the New Year’s Eve dinner, so she had already discussed with her mother and prepared a hot pot at home.
The copper hot pot was too expensive, so Li Xuemei wasn’t that extravagant yet; the family bought an earthenware hot pot instead. It was hollow in the middle to allow for charcoal burning, while the outer pot usually had a layer of cabbage at the bottom, followed by softened vermicelli, with various ingredients layered on top.
The meatballs formed a full layer, a family favorite.
After that, there was the white tofu, just like what they usually ate. On top of that was a layer of fried tofu, sliced into thin slices and placed on top of the white tofu.
On the layer of fried tofu was a layer of thinly sliced braised meat. This braised meat was made from well-balanced pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.
The layers of fat and lean meat made it quite appetizing, not to mention it was cooked with various seasonings until you could just pierce through the skin with chopsticks, indicating it was perfectly cooked.
After that, the meat was taken out to cool, and a layer of honey was evenly applied to the skin before being left to cool again. Then it was fried in oil until the skin turned reddish-brown, forming wrinkles while all the fat was rendered out, making it golden and delicious.
The braised meat slices were then placed on top of the hot pot, covering it tightly so nobody could see the real ingredients beneath, and then a pre-mixed sauce was poured over it.
This sauce was made by mixing scallion, ginger, and garlic with the broth from cooking the meat, along with various seasoning, stirring it with big ladles and pouring over the top.
Whenever they wanted to eat, they just had to light the charcoal inside, and soon a steaming, fragrant festival delicacy was ready.
But this was something they hadn’t dared to think about in previous years.
Hot pots were considered luxurious, often owned by families with ancestral heritage or households that were financially well-off.
Ordinary families wouldn’t usually go for this.
Gu Xiaoqing had prepared this in advance, just in case they couldn’t fill up tonight. It was something to turn to after they got home and needed a bedtime snack.
At least during the holiday, they should not go hungry at home.
This wisdom was gained from past experiences.
Li Xuemei was satisfied too.
If not for the custom of spending New Year’s Eve at the in-laws’,
Li Xuemei wouldn’t have wanted to go either.
It would have been more comfortable to simply make a few dishes, cook two plates of dumplings, and use a pot at home, relaxing with the family over a comfortable meal.
Going there, who knows what kind of sideways glances one might have to endure.
Li Xuemei didn’t have high hopes for that side of the family.
Carrying the basket, she set off with three kids and Gu Ruhai, locking the door as they left.
Dusk was approaching.
The couplets had long been put up.
They were prepared in advance by Gu Ruhai.
This year, having been in business, Gu Ruhai’s perspective had broadened. These couplets, which he bought early in Zhenshan, symbolized favorable weather and abundant wealth for the family, a first in the village.
Others usually had couplets expressing wishes for a good harvest, favorable weather, and safety at home; theirs was unique like this.
The family set out, only reaching Mr. Gu’s door as night fell.
The couplets on the door had already been pasted, and the courtyard was bustling since Gu Ruhe’s two kids had also returned home.
Every New Year’s Eve, Gu Ruhe’s whole family returned for the holiday, leaving on the morning of the second day to visit Xiao Xue’s maternal home.
Once Gu Ruhai and his family arrived, they first went into the house to greet Mr. Gu.
In previous years, Li Xuemei and Gu Ruhai were the earliest to arrive, as the New Year’s Eve dinner was prepared by the three sisters-in-law; however, Xiao Xue had always been the one who served like royalty, never lifting a finger from the bed.
Only Li Xuemei and Jiang Xiulan were busy with the preparations.
Jiang Xiulan, since she was pretty sharp, often arrived only after dark, by which time Li Xuemei had mostly finished arranging the dishes.
The chickens and ducks were cleaned and ready for stewing.
It was only then that Jiang Xiulan would feign coming to help in the kitchen, in name helping two people, but in actuality, it was always Li Xuemei who was at a disadvantage.
This year, Li Xuemei intentionally arrived after dark, not wanting to be fooled, realizing that no one was that naive.
Upon entering the house, she was met with Mrs. Gu’s sullen face, looking at Gu Ruhai, Li Xuemei, and the kids. Although Mrs. Gu didn’t outright scold them, she still greeted them with a sarcastic comment: "Oh, you’re finally here. Seems like you waited until the food was cooked before coming."