Xu Yueyun froze for a moment, then began to laugh.
Even the usually stern Su Bingcheng couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth turn up.
Su Jue and Deng Jing exchanged a knowing look, noticing the laughter in each other's eyes.
Deng Jing was taken aback for a second and immediately looked away.
Jiang Chengzhou's face flushed bright red.
Linlin picked up a meat skewer and offered it to her brother. Brother, it's delicious!
Jiang Chengzhou's throat tightened. He reached out and gently pushed her hand back. Brother already ate. You have it.
He felt a pang of guilt.
When he was sneaking food outside earlier, he hadn't thought about his little sister at all.
Linlin didn't mind. Hearing that her brother had already eaten, she obediently lowered her head and continued eating the meat in her bowl.
Seeing Linlin eating by herself, Su Yao actively told Deng Jing that she wanted to feed herself too.
Deng Jing naturally agreed.
And so, after the meal, the house had two little gluttons with their faces smeared with seasoning.
Su Jue took the two of them to wash their faces.
However, he hadn't had much experience taking care of kids.
His movements were rather clumsy.
Jiang Chengzhou, who had followed them, couldn't stand watching anymore. He stepped forward to help wipe the two little girls' faces clean.
Su Jue watched and learned earnestly.
He couldn't help but rest his gaze on Jiang Chengzhou.
Xiao Lang had truly raised him well.
If his eldest sister could see what Chengzhou looked like now, she would surely be able to rest in peace.
The New Year's Eve dinner.
The main events were instant-boiled mutton and three-fresh dumplings.
A copper pot was already set up on the round table in the middle of the living room.
The brass body of the pot was polished to a shine, and charcoal burned inside the chimney rising through the center.
The soup base in the pot had been simmered by Lin Zhilan early in the morning.
Made with chicken skeletons, pork marrow bones, and dried scallops, the broth looked light and clear, but its umami flavor was rich and mellow.
Only a few slices of ginger and red dates were added, just so it wouldn't overpower the natural flavor of the mutton.
The dipping sauce was a classic Beijing recipe.
Sesame paste was thinned out with sesame oil, with water added bit by bit and stirred until perfectly smooth.
Then came the chive flower sauce, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro. For those who could handle the heat, a spoonful of freshly fried chili oil was drizzled on top.
With that, the sauce was ready.
Su Lang had his parents sit in the seats of honor, while the two younger families sat on either side.
The broth in the pot began to bubble, and the aroma rose with the steam, filling the entire room.
Usually, Su Lang's family wasn't around.
Su Ding's family and Deng Jing would also bring their children back to celebrate the New Year.
But Su Bingcheng had to admit, this was the most comfortable New Year he had ever experienced.
Su Ding's two boys were far too rowdy, especially Su Lei, who would deliberately bully Su Pei and Su Yao.
Su Bingcheng used to spend the whole day mediating disputes between the kids, never getting a moment's rest.
And Su Lei couldn't take any criticism.
The moment he was scolded, he would burst into tears.
It gave everyone a headache.
Because Xu Yueyun was in poor health, Su Bingcheng endured it every time.
Since Xiao Yu was around, Fan Biyun would always act like a hands-off boss whenever she came back, doing absolutely nothing and just opening her mouth to order people around.
Su Ding was also like a stone statue, only moving when pushed.
Although he was superficially nicer to Xiao Yu, he wasn't really any different from Fan Biyun.
When Su Jue wasn't around, Deng Jing was also furious that her two daughters were constantly bullied by her brother-in-law's kids, so she would leave shortly after arriving every time.
The house never felt like a proper New Year celebration.
This year, the eldest son's family wasn't here.
Su Jue and Su Lang had both returned.
Plus, the youngest daughter-in-law and the little granddaughter spoke and acted in such a delightful way.
Su Bingcheng watched his wife, noting the smile she had worn these past few days and how her health was steadily improving.
Whatever small lingering pity he felt for his eldest son was completely tossed to the back of his mind.
According to old customs, firecrackers had to be set off before eating the New Year's Eve dinner.
The group discussed it and chose Jiang Chengzhou to be the one to light the firecrackers.
The strings of firecrackers, bought well in advance, were tied to a tree in the courtyard.
The others crowded around the doorway to watch.
Holding a burning incense stick, Jiang Chengzhou carefully approached the tree and lit the fuse.
He threw away the incense and started walking back. Su Jue, quick on his feet, pulled the boy behind him.
Jiang Chengzhou glanced at him.
Ultimately, since they weren't that close yet, he walked over to Lin Zhilan's side.
The fuse burned down, and the firecrackers exploded with a series of sharp cracks and pops.
Linlin hugged her father's neck, too scared to look.
Lin Zhilan covered Chengzhou's ears, her eyes full of smiles.
Another year had passed, and she hoped for peace and safety in all the years to come.
After the firecrackers were finished, the family returned to the dining table.
Su Lang made the first move, picking up a slice of mutton with his chopsticks and dipping it into the pot.
The paper-thin slice of meat tumbled in the boiling broth for just a few seconds before it was cooked through.
He first served a piece to Su Bingcheng and Xu Yueyun.
Then he placed pieces into his wife's and Linlin's bowls.
Linlin took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. Mommy, this is so delicious!
If it's good, eat some more.
Since her second brother and sister-in-law didn't need looking after, Lin Zhilan helped serve meat to Chengzhou.
Chengzhou had been eagerly waiting.
He placed the mutton roll into his bowl and coated it in the sesame sauce.
The moment it entered his mouth, the mutton was so tender it barely needed chewing.
The savory flavor exploded on his tongue. The richness of the sesame paste wrapped perfectly with the salty umami of the chive flowers, and paired with the kick of the chili oil, it was simply heavenly.
Chengzhou felt that his aunt could surprise his taste buds every single time.
The three-fresh dumplings were also fantastic.
Deng Jing was very skilled at making dough.
The dumpling wrappers were chewy and held together perfectly. Wrapped around the filling Lin Zhilan had mixed, one bite delivered a mouthful of hearty, savory goodness.
Deng Jing knew how to make wheat-based foods, and she loved eating them too.
While everyone else was eating the hotpot, she was the first to try the dumplings.
Just one bite, and her eyes lit up.
Zhilan, how did you mix this filling? Why is it so delicious?
Lin Zhilan smiled. I'll copy the recipe down for you later, and then I'll mail you some dried shrimp and dried abalone.
No, no need, those things are too expensive, Deng Jing hurriedly declined.
She felt a bit regretful for asking that question just now.
It made it seem like she was begging her sister-in-law for things.
Su Jue chimed in, Sister-in-law, I'll give you the money later. Please do us a favor and buy some from the fishermen for us.
The couple both knew that although Lin Zhilan lived on an island, she still had to spend money to buy these things.
They couldn't just take them for free.
Yes, exactly, that works too, Deng Jing quickly added.
Lin Zhilan chuckled. Let's not be so calculating about it. When there are local specialties here in the capital, just remember to mail some to me, Second Sister-in-law.
Even though they say even blood brothers should keep clear accounts, being too meticulous about it can actually hurt people's feelings.
As long as there was a mutual exchange and they kept each other in their thoughts, that was enough.
Deng Jing immediately started thinking about what she could give in return.
The capital only had a few true local specialties.
Most of them were food items. If they were mailed all the way to the island, they would either get mashed or spoil.
They weren't very presentable gifts.
But then Deng Jing remembered that her uncle had brought back some red sausage from Harbin a few days ago.
That was both delicious and respectable. She would ask someone to bring a bit more back later and mail it to the island. It would serve as a proper token of courtesy.
Xu Yueyun pursed her lips in a subtle gesture to Su Bingcheng.
This was a good example of how brothers and sisters-in-law should get along.
If everyone just wanted to take advantage, who would be willing to keep taking the loss?
The children, of course, didn't care about any of that.
They all ate with their heads down, completely focused.
Besides the mutton, the frozen tofu was the kids' absolute favorite.
Frozen a day in advance, it was full of dense little holes when sliced open. Once dropped into the broth, it soaked up all the juices, delivering a mouthful of savory soup with every bite.
Su Pei loved the frozen tofu the most and ate several pieces in a row.
Su Bingcheng laughed. Peipei is just like your dad. Your dad also loved eating frozen tofu the most when he was little.
