Spring scenery in the fields

Chapter 393 Eating hot pot

"Another year has passed. Time flies."

"Yes." Ji Wenhe agreed, "Life is too short, we should enjoy it when we can."

If there was an elixir of life, she would definitely choose to take it, and then travel around the country and try all the delicacies from all over the world.

Arriving at the river, Zhao Sanniang looked at the fields and said, "A few days ago, your uncle Ping and I discussed that our family was planning to buy a piece of land."

"Okay, two acres of land is a bit too little. Uncle Ping was fine before, but now that we have you and the children, we can add two more plots of land and sell them for more money."

"He said the same thing as you did, but we don't have much money, so we can't afford the good ones. We can only buy the ones at the foot of the mountain."

"At the foot of the mountain to the south, the two plots next to ours belong to the village head. The plot to the south is right next to the foot of the mountain. Why don't you talk to Uncle Ping and buy our plot to the north. It's better than the plot to the south."

The three plots of land at the foot of the mountain all belong to Shen Zhong's family, and they bought the middle one.

"Talk to your uncle Ping about it then. If you don't have enough money, you still have to buy the land to the south and wait until spring."

Ji Wenhe turned around and looked towards the village: "Aunt Zhao, has anyone in the nearby villages bought fireworks to set off?"

"It seems not. I have never seen anyone setting off fireworks since I was a child. Those things are very expensive and only the rich families in town can afford them."

"It feels a little quieter without fireworks or firecrackers during the New Year."

Zhao Sanniang looked at her and asked, "Has anyone in your village bought fireworks to set off before?"

"We bought some once in our village, and the fireworks were really beautiful."

In her previous life, every family set off fireworks during the Chinese New Year, but she stayed in the house and was too lazy to go out to watch. Now she can’t watch even if she wants to.

"It's gone after a few shots. I wouldn't spend money on it. It's not worth it. I'd rather spend money on more meat."

"Aunt Zhao is right. It's not easy to make money. Let's go. The wind at the entrance of the village is quite strong."

Zhao Sanniang nodded.

The two of them wandered around the wasteland in the west, and only went back when Shen Ping called her.

After noon, it started to snow lightly.

Several people were sitting and talking in the main room.

Ji Wenhe went into the house and put on his hat and wrapped his scarf around himself. It was windy outside and he would easily catch a cold if he didn't dress warmly.

Unable to enter the house, Zhu Danian said, "There are many girls of marriageable age in Zhaojia Village, but their families are poor."

She took over the conversation: "It's okay to be poor. Our family was also poor before. The main thing is that the girl is a good person and her parents are not too difficult to deal with."

"The girl's parents are nice too, but I don't know if they can find her. I often go to the village to sell goods, so I guess they have seen her before."

Shen Wenshan shook his head: "I don't know who is who, so I don't take it to heart."

They are busy selling goods and don't bother to remember who the girl belongs to, let alone stare at other girls.

If he really asked himself, he had no impression of the girls in Zhaojia Village at all.

Shen Rongshan said from the side: "Master, please help me find out and give them a look."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on this matter. My parents are not easy to talk to, and they're always fussy about it, so they won't let you go to see their daughter, to avoid endless trouble in the future."

"Being close has its advantages, and being far has its advantages. When the farming season is approaching, you should all go over to help. If you don't help, people will say something bad about you."

Zhu Danian was afraid that if he introduced them to someone else, there would be conflicts between the two families, and he would feel bad about it.

Ji Wenhe saw his worry and said, "Uncle Danian, don't worry about it. Just take care of yourself. Let's go find Lin Yue Niang. There are some things you can't ask."

"Lin Yue Niang has been a matchmaker for so many years. She knows all the villages within a hundred miles. She also knows what kind of family each family wants to find."

"You should take good care of yourself and wait for their wedding. I think you will be able to drink in April or May. We will not stop you then and let you enjoy the wine to your heart's content."

Zhu Danian laughed cheerfully: "Okay, I'll wait for your wedding."

The two people opposite lowered their heads in embarrassment.

Shen Rongshan handed him the peeled peanuts and said, "Master, do you know anyone who has a dog? I want to bring one back."

"Why do you want to keep a dog? You are planning to go into the mountains too. You can take Dahei and Erhei with you."

"No, I keep it at home to look after the house."

"Don't go get one from someone else. Leave one of these two dogs here. If you want both, then both of them can stay here."

The two black dogs barked.

Shen Rongshan touched the head of one of them and said, "You keep it as a doorkeeper. I'll raise another one."

Zhu Danian glanced at him and said, "Leave Erhei here. I only need one. When they are hungry, they will go to the mountains to catch rabbits. If you raise another one, it may not be as good as them."

"I think we should keep Erhei here." Ji Wenhe said, "They can find their way by themselves. They can go there when they want to and come back here when they want to. Besides, they are good hunters. Unfortunately, both of them are male."

"How about this? Ask the dog owners if Dahei can breed with their dogs. If they give birth, we'll have one. Uncle Da Nian, do you think it's okay?"

He nodded: "Sure, I'll go ask them when the weather gets warmer."

Shen Yuanshan ate peanuts and asked, "Brother, have you finished eating the fried dried fish?"

"I put it in the box." Shen Rongshan turned around, took the box off the shelf, and opened the lid. "There's another plate, Master, try the non-spicy one."

I made two flavors, one non-spicy and one spicy.

Ji Wenhe walked over and picked up a piece of dried fish with chili powder added: "When the weather gets warmer, go to the river to catch small fish, and then come back to fry some dried fish. It will taste good, right?"

"Yes, it tastes good with spicy flavor. Wenhe, can we take this to town to sell it?" Zhu Danian asked.

"It's not easy to sell. It's not difficult, and it's fried in oil. If it's too cheap, I don't want to sell it. If it's too expensive, people won't buy it."

Make it at home and eat it as a snack.

He walked to Shen Rongshan and put his hand on his shoulder: "Brother Shen, I will go with you then. Catch more small fish and dry them. I think they are tastier than big fish."

"It's a bit far. We have to take a donkey cart. We can go there when the weather is warmer."

"Okay."

Ji Wenhe planned to go to the town to buy some spices, but the taste would still be much worse if he only added chili powder.

Shen Wenshan put the peeled walnut kernels on a plate and pushed it in front of Zhu Danian: "Sister-in-law, brother, I want to eat hot pot."

"I think so too." Shen Yuanshan agreed.

"Eating hotpot on New Year's Eve?"

The two looked up in confusion.

“Can’t we eat hot pot on New Year’s Eve?”

Ji Wenhe replied: "Not impossible."

After thinking for a while, he turned around and asked Zhu Danian: "Uncle Danian, can we have hot pot tonight?"

"Sure, I'm not picky, I'll eat anything. I can also eat hot pot and warm myself by the fire, I think it's good."

Shen Rongshan looked up at her and asked, "Eating in the main hall?"