Be a master through ancient times
Chapter 19 Happy Birthday
The aunt from the village came here before dawn.Her husband's family name is Chen, so everyone calls her Aunt Chen.
Chu Guang heard the voice, came out and opened the door.Shen Xiuniang also put on her clothes and walked out of the room.Although the food is handed over to others, as the masters, they should also help out a little by the side, so as not to make others unable to start.
Chu's mother was light-hearted, she got up to help when she heard the voice, but was pushed back by Chu Guang and Shen Xiuniang, how could the birthday star do it herself?
This side was persuading, and Chu Ci also got up over there.He said: "Mother, you can go in and rest, and my sister-in-law will also go in, as long as my elder brother and I are here."
The family gave in to each other, and in the end Chu Ci and Chu Guang won and were able to stay and help.
"Chu Xiucai, why did you also come to the kitchen? In such a filthy place, don't you scholars pay attention to 'a gentleman stays away from the kitchen'?"
There is also a scholar in Aunt Chen's family, who is her husband.He was an old boy with no hope of going to school, but every day he held a book and read "Zi Yue" at home, and when he was asked to do something, he would say "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen", which made his family stunned.
Chu Ci looked down on such scholars.Raised by parents when I was young, raised by my wife when I was middle-aged, and raised by my children and grandchildren when I was old, I never did a few meaningful things in my life.
On the contrary, he has more affection for a strong woman like Aunt Chen.
"Aunt Chen, you are wrong. That sentence does not mean that a gentleman cannot come to the kitchen. It means that the reason why the saint does not enter the kitchen is out of compassion and cannot bear to look directly at those animals. Just be killed."
Both Aunt Chen and Chu Guang seemed to have suddenly realized. Aunt Chen said, "I'll just say, how can a saint be so unreasonable? It turns out that it's because of his kindness. Fortunately, you told me today, that old man in my family is always so unreasonable. Use this to block me, saying that I am disgraceful, I am pooh."
After hearing this, Chu Ci couldn't help laughing. It seems that Aunt Chen has a bright personality in addition to her quick hands and feet.
Going any further would inevitably cause other family conflicts, so Chu Ci changed the subject and talked about the ingredients for longevity noodles this morning.
"Chu Xiucai, I see that your family is well prepared. In the morning, cook noodles with shredded chicken, and add an egg to each bowl. It has a good meaning." the topic just now.
"Okay, auntie, how about marinating the pig's head again, and cutting it out a bit?"
"..."
Among the guests, the first to arrive was Chu Ci's little aunt.
The original owner didn't have a deep impression of this little aunt, because she married off when he was one or two years old.Married women are not allowed to go back to their natal home often, and the original owner concentrates on studying, so he spends New Year's greetings every year to meet each other.
The last time the original owner encountered a major incident, his little aunt also came over from her in-law's house, and even spent two taels of silver to treat the original owner's illness. After comforting Chu's mother, she went back. I heard that her in-law's family is not easy to get along with.
"Aunt, uncle, my nephew is being polite." Chu Ci made a bow first, and greeted them.
"A Ci, are you in good health? Why don't you study in the room and stand outside in the cold?" Aunt Chu looked like a very gentle woman.
Chu Ci sometimes laments that the Chu family has good genes. From top to bottom, there are gentle and docile people in the family, and no one is withdrawn and weird, even this little aunt is the same.
Before Chu Ci could finish his emotion, a male voice sounded beside him.
"Well, I finally improved a bit this time. In the past, I just hid in the house and refused to come out, and I didn't know how to say hello to relatives and elders when I saw them. You must know that people like us have the widest range of people, and everyone we know is of status. The top person may be able to lead you a little while."
Chu Ci chuckled, labeling this person as "pretentious" in his heart.The status he spoke of was that he was a concierge in the town's yamen.
He often calls himself a townsman, and it is normal to look down on relatives and neighbors.A few years ago, the original owner was admitted as a scholar, and this talent let go of his airs a little, but he became fond of teaching the original owner the way of life as an elder, which made the original owner very distressed.
"Master, don't say that—"
"Women and Taoists, don't talk too much." Uncle Chu glanced over, and Aunt Chu stopped talking.She sighed and went into the kitchen to help.
"Let's continue. After what happened last time, you must have no hope of studying. How about I find a job for you in the town? Be a bookkeeper, and at least you can get a few taels of silver a year..."
Chu Ci was sitting by the side, his left ear went in and his right ear went out, this kind of person doesn't need to waste words with him, because as soon as you make a slight improvement, he will immediately change his attitude.This kind of person has the strongest ability to adapt to the wind and the rudder. He is a little worldly sophisticated, but fortunately, he has no bad intentions.His little aunt couldn't get back the two taels of silver last time without his permission.
After a while, Shen Xiuniang's parents also came.Seeing that Chu Ci received them, they were quite flattered. Although the two families were relatives by marriage, they were not very familiar with Chu Xiucai.
Chu Ci didn't say much, and invited them into the dining room, and his sister-in-law would come out to greet them.
Chu Ci served tea and snacks to the three of them, and waited for Aunt Chen's chicken shredded noodles to be cooked before asking them to eat first.
After all, Chu's mother couldn't bear it any longer, and brought Chu Xiaoyuan out of the room.She changed into new clothes today, and her back straightened up a little, making her look younger than before.
Uncle Chu called his sister-in-law and stopped talking, just holding a teacup and pretending to be superior to others.Chu's mother knew about him, so she didn't care about him, she only talked to Shen's father and Shen's mother.
"Chicken noodles are ready!" Aunt Chen yelled, and Chu Guang had already brought a bowl over on a tray.
On the tray was a bowl of thin white noodles, sprinkled with chopped green onion, with bright yellow chicken shreds in the middle, and two eggs laid in it. These noodles were for Chu's mother.Longevity noodles like this are just one piece from beginning to end.
"Mother, after eating this longevity noodles, I wish you a long life and good health in all seasons." Chu Guang put down the noodles and said auspicious words.
"Okay, okay!" Mother Chu said yes repeatedly. She held the noodles and the chopsticks with callused hands, picked up the noodles tremblingly, and put them into her mouth.
This longevity noodle is a long stick, and the eater has to suck it into his mouth before he can chew it. If it breaks in the middle, it is unlucky, so it looks like a big bowl of noodles, but there are not many of them.
Mother Chu sucked the noodles into her mouth carefully, and she was relieved when she ate all the noodles.
At this time, the noodles of the rest of the people were also brought out in big basins, and they were not so particular about it. They just took the bowls to pick up as much as they wanted, and no one would say anything.
There is also a plate of poached eggs, a plate of stewed pork head meat and a plate of pickled vegetables. It tastes very good to serve noodles with these things.
Chu Ci didn't stand at the table to eat like the others.He picked up a bowl of noodles, put some vegetables into the bowl, and then sat aside, eating slowly.
After eating a bowl of noodles, Chu Ci sighed in his heart, this Aunt Chen's cooking skills are really good, and if there are any happy events in his family in the future, he still has to ask Aunt Chen to cook.
The sun had already risen to the sky, and the warm sunlight shone into the small courtyard, covering the surroundings with a layer of golden veil.Everyone moved their stools and sat outside to bask in the sun. It was nice to be warm and not as cold as it was inside.
A few people came from the small courtyard, Chu Ci saw that it was his two uncles and aunts, and they were holding two or three children in their hands, presumably they should be grandchildren.
He hurriedly stepped forward to entertain and called out uncle and aunt.Under the gesture of the adults, the children also called out "little uncle".
"Uncle and aunt came from afar, come in and have dinner quickly, my mother should be waiting for you in the dining room at this moment."
A few people followed Chu Ci and walked in. When they saw Chu's mother, they naturally exchanged greetings, and they couldn't help wiping away tears when they talked about love.Chu resigned to the kitchen and asked Aunt Chen to cook another pot of noodles. The hot noodles came out, which naturally blocked everyone's conversation.
After that, no one came, Chu Ci was very strange, didn't he still have an aunt?But seeing that everyone didn't mention it, he didn't want to ask. He just waited for the guests to leave at night and asked his mother why.
At noon, two tables were set up in the courtyard of the Chu family, on which were placed six types of cold dishes, namely melon seeds, peanuts, dried sweet potatoes, braised pork head meat, cabbage mixed with vinegar and tofu mixed with preserved eggs, implying the smoothness of six and six.
Several children surrounded the table and looked at it greedily, but no one took it, because Chu Ci gave Chu Xiaoyuan a pack of caramel, and asked him to share it with his younger siblings.They still have sugar in their mouths, so naturally they won't steal it.
"Come in, birthday wishes." The adults called, and the children rushed in.The small dining room was crowded with people, and Mother Chu was sitting on top, waiting for their birthday wishes.
The first ones were of course Chu Guang and Xiu Niang. They held a suit of clothes and a pair of shoes and socks, they knelt down and said, "My dear mother, son Chu Guang, and daughter-in-law Chu Shen Xiu Niang wish you a happy birthday." , may you live a long life and be happy and healthy." After finishing speaking, he bowed down and kowtowed.
Chu's mother repeatedly applauded and told them to get up quickly. She accepted the birthday gift and sealed the wedding money for the two of them.Brother Chu and the two retreated, and it was Chu Ci's turn.
Chu Ci lifted his clothes, knelt down slowly, holding the jewelry box bought yesterday in his hand, and said in his mouth: "Lovely mother, my son Chu Ci wishes you birthday wishes. May you have today every year, every year today, blessings Like the long flowing water in the East China Sea, the longevity is not as old as the Nanshan Mountain.”
"Okay, okay, get up quickly." Mother Chu's eyes narrowed with a smile, she took the box from Chu Ci's hand, and sealed the money for him as well.When she saw the contents of the box clearly, she couldn't help but let out a cry.
Others were curious, so Mother Chu showed the box to everyone.Inside lay a hairpin, dangling silver, which looked majestic and dignified.
"Mother, uncle is interested in you, you can plug in now." Shen Xiuniang said, Chuci had given her two breaths yesterday, and they were not afraid of others saying that they were not polite, so what did the family compare with each other?Even they themselves will have to rely on Chuci in the future.
"This..." Mother Chu was in a dilemma. Can she really wear this thing on her head?It's so expensive, I'm afraid it will shorten my life.What she treasured in her cloth bag was nothing more than a silver ring. She had never had such a beautiful thing in her life!
"Sister-in-law, you can put it on, we Guang'er and Ci'er are both filial, and you will have countless blessings to enjoy in the future!" Aunt Chu persuaded.
The others followed suit, but Chu's mother half pushed and half agreed, and let Shen Xiuniang insert it on her head.This thing is really suitable for the elderly, and everyone felt that since Mother Chu inserted this hairpin, her waist became straighter.
Afterwards, Chu Xiaoyuan paid birthday wishes, and what he gave to Chu's mother was a hundred birthday characters written by himself.Although the words are not good, but filial piety is commendable, Chu's mother seemed very happy, she hugged him and kissed him twice, calling out her heart and soul.
After celebrating the birthday, everyone went out to have a lively meal.Chu Ci also fetched some wine from the village, warmed it up and poured it for everyone to drink.Although rice wine is not top-notch, drinkers will inevitably feel a little tipsy.
When the cold dishes are almost eaten, the hot dishes are also served.There are ten hot dishes in total, each table has half a braised chicken, a whole fish, half a hoof, a pot of old duck soup, a bowl of Sixi meatballs, a plate of pork and cabbage, and four other vegetarian dishes.
When the banquet came to an end, Aunt Chen gave each table a plate of longevity peaches, small and exquisite peach-shaped dim sum with a touch of red on the tip.Inside is bean paste stuffing, crushed into pieces, it tastes sweet and delicious, with a lingering aftertaste.
The smell of wine mixed with the smell of meat wafted out, and everyone who smelled it took a deep breath and kept the smell in their stomachs.Some children were curious and lay on the courtyard door to look in, but the Chu family didn't rush, instead they took one of the extra birthday peaches, coaxing the group of children into smiling like flowers.
It has to be said that the Chu family still has a long face, and even Uncle Chu, who has always been picky, is full of praise.
After the bustling day, Shen Xiuniang paid Aunt Chen who came to help the cook sixty Wen, and gave her some of the extra dishes.
Aunt Chen beamed with joy, and said to Shen Xiuniang: "From the Chu family, if there is any happy event in your family, remember to call me Aunt Chen."
Chu Guang heard the voice, came out and opened the door.Shen Xiuniang also put on her clothes and walked out of the room.Although the food is handed over to others, as the masters, they should also help out a little by the side, so as not to make others unable to start.
Chu's mother was light-hearted, she got up to help when she heard the voice, but was pushed back by Chu Guang and Shen Xiuniang, how could the birthday star do it herself?
This side was persuading, and Chu Ci also got up over there.He said: "Mother, you can go in and rest, and my sister-in-law will also go in, as long as my elder brother and I are here."
The family gave in to each other, and in the end Chu Ci and Chu Guang won and were able to stay and help.
"Chu Xiucai, why did you also come to the kitchen? In such a filthy place, don't you scholars pay attention to 'a gentleman stays away from the kitchen'?"
There is also a scholar in Aunt Chen's family, who is her husband.He was an old boy with no hope of going to school, but every day he held a book and read "Zi Yue" at home, and when he was asked to do something, he would say "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen", which made his family stunned.
Chu Ci looked down on such scholars.Raised by parents when I was young, raised by my wife when I was middle-aged, and raised by my children and grandchildren when I was old, I never did a few meaningful things in my life.
On the contrary, he has more affection for a strong woman like Aunt Chen.
"Aunt Chen, you are wrong. That sentence does not mean that a gentleman cannot come to the kitchen. It means that the reason why the saint does not enter the kitchen is out of compassion and cannot bear to look directly at those animals. Just be killed."
Both Aunt Chen and Chu Guang seemed to have suddenly realized. Aunt Chen said, "I'll just say, how can a saint be so unreasonable? It turns out that it's because of his kindness. Fortunately, you told me today, that old man in my family is always so unreasonable. Use this to block me, saying that I am disgraceful, I am pooh."
After hearing this, Chu Ci couldn't help laughing. It seems that Aunt Chen has a bright personality in addition to her quick hands and feet.
Going any further would inevitably cause other family conflicts, so Chu Ci changed the subject and talked about the ingredients for longevity noodles this morning.
"Chu Xiucai, I see that your family is well prepared. In the morning, cook noodles with shredded chicken, and add an egg to each bowl. It has a good meaning." the topic just now.
"Okay, auntie, how about marinating the pig's head again, and cutting it out a bit?"
"..."
Among the guests, the first to arrive was Chu Ci's little aunt.
The original owner didn't have a deep impression of this little aunt, because she married off when he was one or two years old.Married women are not allowed to go back to their natal home often, and the original owner concentrates on studying, so he spends New Year's greetings every year to meet each other.
The last time the original owner encountered a major incident, his little aunt also came over from her in-law's house, and even spent two taels of silver to treat the original owner's illness. After comforting Chu's mother, she went back. I heard that her in-law's family is not easy to get along with.
"Aunt, uncle, my nephew is being polite." Chu Ci made a bow first, and greeted them.
"A Ci, are you in good health? Why don't you study in the room and stand outside in the cold?" Aunt Chu looked like a very gentle woman.
Chu Ci sometimes laments that the Chu family has good genes. From top to bottom, there are gentle and docile people in the family, and no one is withdrawn and weird, even this little aunt is the same.
Before Chu Ci could finish his emotion, a male voice sounded beside him.
"Well, I finally improved a bit this time. In the past, I just hid in the house and refused to come out, and I didn't know how to say hello to relatives and elders when I saw them. You must know that people like us have the widest range of people, and everyone we know is of status. The top person may be able to lead you a little while."
Chu Ci chuckled, labeling this person as "pretentious" in his heart.The status he spoke of was that he was a concierge in the town's yamen.
He often calls himself a townsman, and it is normal to look down on relatives and neighbors.A few years ago, the original owner was admitted as a scholar, and this talent let go of his airs a little, but he became fond of teaching the original owner the way of life as an elder, which made the original owner very distressed.
"Master, don't say that—"
"Women and Taoists, don't talk too much." Uncle Chu glanced over, and Aunt Chu stopped talking.She sighed and went into the kitchen to help.
"Let's continue. After what happened last time, you must have no hope of studying. How about I find a job for you in the town? Be a bookkeeper, and at least you can get a few taels of silver a year..."
Chu Ci was sitting by the side, his left ear went in and his right ear went out, this kind of person doesn't need to waste words with him, because as soon as you make a slight improvement, he will immediately change his attitude.This kind of person has the strongest ability to adapt to the wind and the rudder. He is a little worldly sophisticated, but fortunately, he has no bad intentions.His little aunt couldn't get back the two taels of silver last time without his permission.
After a while, Shen Xiuniang's parents also came.Seeing that Chu Ci received them, they were quite flattered. Although the two families were relatives by marriage, they were not very familiar with Chu Xiucai.
Chu Ci didn't say much, and invited them into the dining room, and his sister-in-law would come out to greet them.
Chu Ci served tea and snacks to the three of them, and waited for Aunt Chen's chicken shredded noodles to be cooked before asking them to eat first.
After all, Chu's mother couldn't bear it any longer, and brought Chu Xiaoyuan out of the room.She changed into new clothes today, and her back straightened up a little, making her look younger than before.
Uncle Chu called his sister-in-law and stopped talking, just holding a teacup and pretending to be superior to others.Chu's mother knew about him, so she didn't care about him, she only talked to Shen's father and Shen's mother.
"Chicken noodles are ready!" Aunt Chen yelled, and Chu Guang had already brought a bowl over on a tray.
On the tray was a bowl of thin white noodles, sprinkled with chopped green onion, with bright yellow chicken shreds in the middle, and two eggs laid in it. These noodles were for Chu's mother.Longevity noodles like this are just one piece from beginning to end.
"Mother, after eating this longevity noodles, I wish you a long life and good health in all seasons." Chu Guang put down the noodles and said auspicious words.
"Okay, okay!" Mother Chu said yes repeatedly. She held the noodles and the chopsticks with callused hands, picked up the noodles tremblingly, and put them into her mouth.
This longevity noodle is a long stick, and the eater has to suck it into his mouth before he can chew it. If it breaks in the middle, it is unlucky, so it looks like a big bowl of noodles, but there are not many of them.
Mother Chu sucked the noodles into her mouth carefully, and she was relieved when she ate all the noodles.
At this time, the noodles of the rest of the people were also brought out in big basins, and they were not so particular about it. They just took the bowls to pick up as much as they wanted, and no one would say anything.
There is also a plate of poached eggs, a plate of stewed pork head meat and a plate of pickled vegetables. It tastes very good to serve noodles with these things.
Chu Ci didn't stand at the table to eat like the others.He picked up a bowl of noodles, put some vegetables into the bowl, and then sat aside, eating slowly.
After eating a bowl of noodles, Chu Ci sighed in his heart, this Aunt Chen's cooking skills are really good, and if there are any happy events in his family in the future, he still has to ask Aunt Chen to cook.
The sun had already risen to the sky, and the warm sunlight shone into the small courtyard, covering the surroundings with a layer of golden veil.Everyone moved their stools and sat outside to bask in the sun. It was nice to be warm and not as cold as it was inside.
A few people came from the small courtyard, Chu Ci saw that it was his two uncles and aunts, and they were holding two or three children in their hands, presumably they should be grandchildren.
He hurriedly stepped forward to entertain and called out uncle and aunt.Under the gesture of the adults, the children also called out "little uncle".
"Uncle and aunt came from afar, come in and have dinner quickly, my mother should be waiting for you in the dining room at this moment."
A few people followed Chu Ci and walked in. When they saw Chu's mother, they naturally exchanged greetings, and they couldn't help wiping away tears when they talked about love.Chu resigned to the kitchen and asked Aunt Chen to cook another pot of noodles. The hot noodles came out, which naturally blocked everyone's conversation.
After that, no one came, Chu Ci was very strange, didn't he still have an aunt?But seeing that everyone didn't mention it, he didn't want to ask. He just waited for the guests to leave at night and asked his mother why.
At noon, two tables were set up in the courtyard of the Chu family, on which were placed six types of cold dishes, namely melon seeds, peanuts, dried sweet potatoes, braised pork head meat, cabbage mixed with vinegar and tofu mixed with preserved eggs, implying the smoothness of six and six.
Several children surrounded the table and looked at it greedily, but no one took it, because Chu Ci gave Chu Xiaoyuan a pack of caramel, and asked him to share it with his younger siblings.They still have sugar in their mouths, so naturally they won't steal it.
"Come in, birthday wishes." The adults called, and the children rushed in.The small dining room was crowded with people, and Mother Chu was sitting on top, waiting for their birthday wishes.
The first ones were of course Chu Guang and Xiu Niang. They held a suit of clothes and a pair of shoes and socks, they knelt down and said, "My dear mother, son Chu Guang, and daughter-in-law Chu Shen Xiu Niang wish you a happy birthday." , may you live a long life and be happy and healthy." After finishing speaking, he bowed down and kowtowed.
Chu's mother repeatedly applauded and told them to get up quickly. She accepted the birthday gift and sealed the wedding money for the two of them.Brother Chu and the two retreated, and it was Chu Ci's turn.
Chu Ci lifted his clothes, knelt down slowly, holding the jewelry box bought yesterday in his hand, and said in his mouth: "Lovely mother, my son Chu Ci wishes you birthday wishes. May you have today every year, every year today, blessings Like the long flowing water in the East China Sea, the longevity is not as old as the Nanshan Mountain.”
"Okay, okay, get up quickly." Mother Chu's eyes narrowed with a smile, she took the box from Chu Ci's hand, and sealed the money for him as well.When she saw the contents of the box clearly, she couldn't help but let out a cry.
Others were curious, so Mother Chu showed the box to everyone.Inside lay a hairpin, dangling silver, which looked majestic and dignified.
"Mother, uncle is interested in you, you can plug in now." Shen Xiuniang said, Chuci had given her two breaths yesterday, and they were not afraid of others saying that they were not polite, so what did the family compare with each other?Even they themselves will have to rely on Chuci in the future.
"This..." Mother Chu was in a dilemma. Can she really wear this thing on her head?It's so expensive, I'm afraid it will shorten my life.What she treasured in her cloth bag was nothing more than a silver ring. She had never had such a beautiful thing in her life!
"Sister-in-law, you can put it on, we Guang'er and Ci'er are both filial, and you will have countless blessings to enjoy in the future!" Aunt Chu persuaded.
The others followed suit, but Chu's mother half pushed and half agreed, and let Shen Xiuniang insert it on her head.This thing is really suitable for the elderly, and everyone felt that since Mother Chu inserted this hairpin, her waist became straighter.
Afterwards, Chu Xiaoyuan paid birthday wishes, and what he gave to Chu's mother was a hundred birthday characters written by himself.Although the words are not good, but filial piety is commendable, Chu's mother seemed very happy, she hugged him and kissed him twice, calling out her heart and soul.
After celebrating the birthday, everyone went out to have a lively meal.Chu Ci also fetched some wine from the village, warmed it up and poured it for everyone to drink.Although rice wine is not top-notch, drinkers will inevitably feel a little tipsy.
When the cold dishes are almost eaten, the hot dishes are also served.There are ten hot dishes in total, each table has half a braised chicken, a whole fish, half a hoof, a pot of old duck soup, a bowl of Sixi meatballs, a plate of pork and cabbage, and four other vegetarian dishes.
When the banquet came to an end, Aunt Chen gave each table a plate of longevity peaches, small and exquisite peach-shaped dim sum with a touch of red on the tip.Inside is bean paste stuffing, crushed into pieces, it tastes sweet and delicious, with a lingering aftertaste.
The smell of wine mixed with the smell of meat wafted out, and everyone who smelled it took a deep breath and kept the smell in their stomachs.Some children were curious and lay on the courtyard door to look in, but the Chu family didn't rush, instead they took one of the extra birthday peaches, coaxing the group of children into smiling like flowers.
It has to be said that the Chu family still has a long face, and even Uncle Chu, who has always been picky, is full of praise.
After the bustling day, Shen Xiuniang paid Aunt Chen who came to help the cook sixty Wen, and gave her some of the extra dishes.
Aunt Chen beamed with joy, and said to Shen Xiuniang: "From the Chu family, if there is any happy event in your family, remember to call me Aunt Chen."
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.