After lunch, unexpectedly, Wang Yunlin went home half a day early.
This is probably due to the fact that the cloth shoe factory where she works is a large collective and the management is not so strict, not to mention that the majority of the employees are old women. Everyone is thinking about home, and they get together during lunch, but the factory director can't suppress it and can't get along.
To save face, I took my vacation early.
So naturally, when the old lady was happy, she went directly to the kindergarten to "liberate" her grandson in advance, and then returned home happily with her child.
Needless to say, the family will become lively once this little one is added to the family. What’s more, the child’s grandma has issued a special instruction for the Chinese New Year, “Whatever!”
This means that the three hundred and sixty days of "standing as you stand and sitting as you sit" have been completely released, and Hong Jun can now roll around in his dirty old cotton clothes.
Hong Yanzheng and Xu Manli haven't come back yet, and without their parents present, you can imagine the situation. Hong Jun was so happy that he turned into a little lunatic, jumping up and down, as if he was performing "Sanchakou".
It didn't take long before he got tired of it. As the saying goes, "Girls love flowers, boys love firecrackers." So he pestered Hong Yanwu and asked his third uncle to set off firecrackers with him.
Seeing that the snow was thick outside, Hong Yanwu gave him a better suggestion.
"Are you stupid? You don't even know how to play. With such good snow, can't we build a snowman? What kind of cannons should we set off..."
After hearing this, Hong Jun was so happy that he jumped up and down. Then he happily accepted the suggestion and followed Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan to play in the white courtyard.
Not long after, Ling'er, the little granddaughter of the Ding family, was also picked up by Old Ding. Seeing that they had rolled the snowball as big as possible, she joined in enthusiastically for this rare fun.
As for the families in the east courtyard, they were also busy. The adults started preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner. Bian Jiangong and Su Jin went to the street to watch a movie, while Su Xiu and Hong Yanru, who were afraid of the cold, were cutting window grilles together in the house.
To say that the two girls are really ingenious, they can create patterns such as "magpies climbing plum blossoms", "two dragons playing with pearls", "peacocks in full bloom", "goddess scattering flowers" and various flowers, plants, insects, fish and birds.
It wouldn't happen without them
Just like that, two hours later, when Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan took their two children to build two snowmen, one big and one small. The two girls also cut out the window grilles and plastered them all over the Hong family and Su family.
glass windows. The rest are enough for the Bian family and the Ding family.
Coincidentally, at this moment, not only Wang Yunlin's dumpling fillings had just been mixed, but Hong Yanwu's eldest brother and sister-in-law also got off work early and came in at the same time.
For this, Wang Yunlin was instantly happy and indescribably happy. Because this also meant that all the Hong family members were gathered together, and they could start the most important activity of New Year's Eve early, making "five-night dumplings".
Don't forget that making dumplings during the New Year is a common custom among northerners. Everyone knows that "dumplings" and "Jiao" are homophonic, and "Zi" means "Zi Shi". Eating dumplings takes the allusion of "Geng Sui Jiao Zi". But it is actually
However, few people have a better understanding of the evolution and details of this traditional food, especially the dumplings that are a custom in Beijing.
For example, the word "和" in noodles and the word "dumpling" in dumplings also mean getting together, so dumplings also symbolize reunion and joy. For another example, because dumplings resemble ingots, they also have the auspicious meaning of "bringing wealth and treasure".
meaning.
And when making dumplings, you have to pinch them along the edges with your hands, making sure to wrap them tightly so that the fillings cannot be exposed. This will not only prevent the "wealth" in the dumplings from being exposed, but also the "luck" from running away. Folks say this
There is an additional lesson called "Pinch the villain's mouth", which is designed to avoid slander and prevent villains from being slandered.
In addition, in the old capital, due to the influence of the bannermen, the official name of "boiled dumplings" was always called "boiled dumplings", and it was gradually changed to "dumplings" after the Republic of China. And comparing the old times with today, there is one biggest difference.
, that is, no matter whether you are poor or rich in the capital, the dumplings on New Year's Eve must be made with vegetarian fillings, without any trace of meat or fish.
This is not for anything else, but because at that time dumplings were used to worship gods and ancestors, and were called "god-pleasing dumplings". At the same time, this also meant praying for "a pure and peaceful year" and to reflect the need for self-discipline in the new year.
and purify the soul.
It is particularly worth noting that there is a difference between the traditional concepts of "meat" and "fishy". "Xingy" only refers to big fish and meat, while "meat" refers to pungent plants with the prefix "grass", so the dumpling fillings
Onions and garlic cannot be added either.
Having said this, we also know that you can actually eat meat-filled dumplings on New Year’s Eve. This custom has a history far less long than the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In the end, it became a trend and became a popular practice due to the shortage of materials in the disaster years and the mandatory "breaking out and welcoming the new".
Exercise should be the main reason.
However, when it comes to traditional vegetarian dumpling fillings, they are actually no cheaper than meat fillings and are quite troublesome to make. Because even though they are vegetarian, they still incorporate the Beijing people’s concept of “never getting tired of fine food and never getting tired of fine food”. If
What wealthy families pay attention to is even more delicious than minced meat.
For example, carrots should be grated into shreds with a colander, then blanched in boiling water, dried and then chopped into pieces. Chinese cabbage should be chopped with a knife, add a little salt to remove the moisture, then wrap it in a drawer cloth and squeeze out the moisture.
Other dried foods such as mushrooms, yellow flowers, fungus, and vermicelli should naturally be cooked first and then chopped finely. You can also add some finely chopped winter bamboo shoots, gluten, and dried white tofu.
In addition, the mixed vegetarian stuffing must also be added with crushed "Pai Cha" and "饹馇 boxes" (鹹馇 boxes) (a famous snack in Beijing, with mung bean noodles as the main raw material, filled with vegetarian vegetables, and shaped into a square shape)
Such as boxes, crispy and delicious.) Or cut into fried dough cakes and fried dough sticks, in order to have a harmonious effect and make the vegetarian stuffing taste soft and moist, rather than crumbly.
When these main ingredients are prepared, you can use sesame seeds to roll into sesame salt, add soy sauce and vegetable oil, and stir into a vegetarian dumpling filling that is salty, delicious, and moderately greasy.
Under circumstances like this year, the Hong family has plenty of meat and supplies. Wang Yunlin considered that the New Year's Eve dinner would be too greasy with all the big fish and meat, so eating vegetarian dumplings, which were refreshing and anti-greasy, was the best way to change it. So she chose
In order to restore the tradition, I mixed a pot of exquisite vegetarian stuffing according to Lao Ling'er.
Of course, when the stuffing was served on the table, it inevitably aroused some confusion and criticism. Hong Yanzheng and Hong Yanwen both complained a little, saying, "Mom, why is there no meat in the stuffing? Is this too vegetarian?"
"
Only Hong Yanwu could appreciate the excitement. He praised it and praised the vegetarian stuffing for being well mixed, saying that it was in line with the principles of scientific diet and would definitely taste better than meat stuffing.
Wang Yunlin was so happy that she praised the third child for being knowledgeable and understanding of her mother's heart, and then she told everyone her intentions. However, this inevitably made Hong Yanzheng and Hong Yanwen a little bit picky about their younger brother.
Son, I have been slandering you as a "sycophant".
Under Wang Yunlin's urging, the entire Hong family quickly washed their hands, stood or sat around the Eight Immortals table and started kneading noodles, rolling out dough, and starting to open bags.
In fact, there are only two differences in the specific procedures for making dumplings during the Chinese New Year. One requires that the dough cannot be made with a knife and must be grasped by hand. The other is a "specific program". When making dumplings, the whole family has to press coins on their heads.
Wrap it with jujube and stuff it into stuffing.
This is a tradition in the capital. When eating dumplings, whoever bites the money means good fortune for the year. Whoever bites the dates means good luck. This content is both festive and entertaining. Even if you want to
This, I am also willing to eat a few more dumplings.
Not to mention, after spending decades together with his family during the Spring Festival, Hong Yanwu now fully understands why his mother must gather the family together to make dumplings every year.
Because this step is so important. It not only reflects the unity and harmony of the family and the concerted efforts, but also a process of communication between everyone. Even if the knots have grown bigger in a year, in this warm and harmonious atmosphere, more than half of them have been resolved.
.
As for children, they are not boring either. Although they can often only help adults knead out a few substandard dumpling skins, and they cannot sit still and will easily get bored after a long time. But don’t forget, the dough can rise.
to the role of toys.
For example, Hong Yanwu and Hong Yanru were just like their mothers used to coax them. They taught Hong Jun and Ling'er how to use flour dough to knead small animals, and then when they were ready to knead the drums, they helped them bake them on the stove ring.
Therefore, the two children have been playing with great interest, and no one is making a fuss. When the dumplings are almost finished, they also have all kinds of little rabbits, little hedgehogs, little ducks, snails, turtles...