Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 49
Song Shi’an’s belly was already very swollen, and it wasn’t very visible when wearing thick clothes. If he took off his thin layers, there was a big round belly in the middle, making Xu Zhongyue a little worried.
When they went to Yuezhou City to see the new store location, Xu Zhongyue took Song Shi’an to see the old doctor again.
The old doctor reassured them, saying that Song Shi’an’s body and bones were very healthy, the baby he was carrying was also very strong, and his pulse sounded very energetic. But the old doctor also told Song Shi’an that since the fetal image was stable, he should move appropriately so that it would be easier to give birth.
A few days ago, Aunt Liu asked Liu Yu to come over with a message. The two families were not big, so it would be better to have the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner together. The three women, one big and two small, couldn’t finish the half a fan of pork, which saved Song Shi’an from all the hard work.
Early in the morning on the thirtieth day, Xu Zhongyue helped Song Shi’an get up, assisted him in washing his face and rinsing his mouth, and then, while the fire in the charcoal basin was still there, he dressed him in layers of clothes and trousers, added a thick cloak, and wrapped a rabbit fur scarf around his neck. Slowly, they walked together towards Zaozi Lane.
Lao Liu followed the two of them with his tail wagging. He rushed forward in excitement, plunged into the snowdrift, and ran back barking twice.
After Song Shi’an became pregnant, Lao Liu, who was still a half-grown dog, liked to pounce on him and act coquettishly, but he was reluctant to scold Lao Liu.
In the end, Xu Zhongyue was the one who made a fool of himself, picking up the back of the dog’s neck to teach him. After watching it pull Song Shi’an’s leg once and he slapped it twice, the dog finally learned its lesson.
As soon as the two of them reached the intersection, Liu Yu had already come out to pick them up: “It snowed heavily last night. It was really cold. My cousin, brother-in-law, hurry in and sit down. It’s warm inside.”
The Liu family’s ancestral house in Zaozi Lane was decorated, and the two old trees have come alive in spring and summer. Aunt Liu packed two baskets of jujubes and persimmons and sent them to Shuimo Fang Alley, and the rest were made into dried persimmons.
Xu Zhongyue and Song Shi’an both took off their shoes to warm themselves by the fire. Liu Lu brought a large plate of red persimmons for them to eat. The little girl hadn’t seen Song Shi’an for a while.
She was surprised and said in a sweet voice: “Wow, cousin, your belly is so big. Is the baby in there?”
Song Shi’an smiled and nodded, and asked, “Do you want a hug?”
Song Shi’an liked this little cousin with squishy cheeks the most. Her chubby cheeks were so cute that he first came up with the idea of having a child because of the two cousins.
With a bright and gentle smile on his brows and eyes, he stretched out his hand to the little girl. Liu Lu carefully pressed it against him, opened her hands, hugged his belly, and spoke softly to his belly.
“Baby, when will you come out?”
“Baby, I am your sister.”
“Baby, you call me sister, I will give you delicious food and play with you every day!”
Aunt Liu came into the house holding a sewing basket, seeing Liu Lu hugging Song Shi’an and refusing to let go, she hurriedly scolded: “Your cousin is heavy with, don’t get him tired, get up quickly!”
Song Shi’an touched Liu Lu’s bun and said with a smile: “It’s okay, Aunt.”
Liu Yu saw that her mother could not persuade Liu Lu, so she reached out and grabbed the little girl’s ear and said, “Let’s go have a snowball fight! If you don’t go, you can’t beat your sister, it’s not fun…”
Xu Zhongyue’s thin lips were slightly curved, and he said, “Brother-in-law will take you to have a snowball fight and build a snowman.”
It would be great if their baby could be cute and adorable little girl with features similar to Song Shi’an’s.
The man was not afraid of the cold, so as soon as he and the two little girls started to move, their faces were flushed, and heat was rising from their foreheads. Lao Liu also joined the fight with his tail waving.
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Aunt Liu and Song Shi’an watched through the window as the three of them were having fun and enjoying themselves, especially when Xu Zhongyue pretended to be knocked to the ground by a snowball in order to make the two little girls happy.
They couldn’t stop laughing.
After laughing for a while, Aunt Liu took out a red rope with a white jade safety buckle tied in the middle of the safety knot. The jade was not big, just a small one, but it was as white and smooth as goose fat.
She tied the knot on Song Shi’an’s hand and said with mixed feelings: “An Ge’er, so many things happened to our two families this year. Fortunately, we were safe and sound. Without the help of you and your husband, our family would have been hit by bumps one after another, and I really don’t know what kind of fall it would be.”
Song Shi’an pressed Aunt Liu’s hand and said, “Aunt, we will all be safe and happy from now on.”
Xu Zhongyue pushed the snow in the yard together, creating a snowman under the tree covered with snow-covered branches. It was as fat as Maitreya Buddha, with his hands clasped together. Liu Lu also took a carrot and inserted it in the middle, making it look livelier.
There was also a dog piled up at the snowman’s feet. Lao Liu looked at it and started barking.
Aunt Liu raised her voice and said: “Come in quickly, it’s already noon, let’s eat!”
Liu Yu and Liu Lu ran very fast, Liu Lu’s cat paws touched Aunt Liu’s body to eat the hidden candy, Xu Zhongyue stood at the door, patting the snow on his body and head.
Song Shi’an had already walked over, “Is it cold? I see you are having fun outside, like a silly boy.”
The wife smiled sweetly. The room was warm, and he had already taken off his cloak and clothes. The scarf and the festive and auspicious red clothes made the skin on the cheeks and neck even more white and delicate.
Xu Zhongyue couldn’t hold it back for a moment, quietly glanced at Aunt Liu and her daughters, lowered his head, and kissed Song Shi’an.
The touch had always been great, like licking a piece of soft tofu.
Song Shi’an was afraid that his two cousins would see him, so he glanced at Xu Zhongyue angrily. His ears turned red with embarrassment, but his heart felt very sweet.
For the sake of their unborn baby, they haven’t been intimating for a while.
Seeing Aunt Liu and her daughter lifted the curtain and went in, leaving them alone outside, Xu Zhongyue laughed and said, “It’s not an exaggeration for a husband and wife to do this occasionally! I’m not cold, so if you don’t believe me, you can touch me?”
Song Shi’an didn’t care about the man’s playful eyes. He touched the back of his neck and touched his back. It was indeed hot. Then he took Xu Zhongyue’s wrist and tied the other safety buckle on it.
“Aunt Liu gave it to you to keep you safe.”
Xu Zhongyue asked, “What about you? Do you have it?”
Song Shi’an raised his wrist, and the fur sleeves fell slightly, revealing a white wrist with a tied red rope and a white jade buckle. It looked beautiful.
The two then went in hand in hand, and Aunt Liu brought out eight-treasure rice. It had lotus seeds, amber walnut kernels, red dates, longans, lilies, green and red silk, and several pieces of fine brown sugar, creating a sweet and glutinous dish, perfect for women and children.
Xu Zhongyue, not fond of sweets, was served a large bowl of pure glutinous rice, sprinkled only with black and white sesame seeds.
Although Aunt Liu’s cooking wasn’t as exquisite as Song Shi’an’s, the ingredients were honest and generous, and the condiments were just right, making the meal thoroughly enjoyable.
After finishing the meal, Aunt Liu brought out a plum blossom box filled with treats like peanut candy, candied plums, rock-candied walnuts, spiced peanuts, fried melon seeds, sun-dried melon seeds, dried longan, and more. They all enjoyed these delights around the fire, and Lao Liu was treated to a big meaty bone cooked in plain water.
Aunt Liu knew Song Shi’an adored the dog, and the couple often fed it meat. When the dog came to celebrate the New Year at her house, she made sure to treat him well.
For the meal, she didn’t allow Song Shi’an to help, so only Liu Yu joined her. Before long, the enticing aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen. Even Lao Liu, the dog, who had just finished his meaty bone, got so excited that he wanted to run outside.
Song Shi’an called out, and the dog obediently returned, lying down at Song Shi’an’s feet again.
While Aunt Liu was busy, Xu Zhongyue, Song Shi’an, and Liu Lu pasted couplets on the courtyard gate and the main entrance. The horizontal couplets were high, and if Song Shi’an had to put them up, he’d need a ladder. But Xu Zhongyue simply stood on tiptoe, patted his feet upwards, and firmly attached them, no adjustments needed.
New door and peach charms were also hung. Xu Zhongyue remarked, “I still think our door is better.”
It was natural. His house had been decorated the day before. To celebrate the birth of their child, Xu Zhongyue had bought numerous New Year pictures featuring chubby kids holding carps, which were now posted everywhere.
At the sight of the fat boy, a smile couldn’t be helped. Song Shi’an found it hard to believe that this tall man, who now smiled like a fool, was the same cold butcher he met initially.
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Winter evenings come early, and people get hungry quickly. When Aunt Liu called, Xu Zhongyue went over to help serve the food.
Hot braised chicken, sweet and spicy braised duck, a bowl full of mutton stewed with carrots, steamed pork with rice noodles, a whole carp symbolizing more than a year, and vegetarian dishes like home-style stewed tofu, sour vinegar and fragrant dried bean curd, stir-fried celery, and a large plate of meat-filled chicken comb dumplings adorned the table.
Before the meal, everyone in the family raised their wine glasses, excluding Song Shi’an, even Liu Lu was allowed a small glass. Song Shi’an had a large glass of warm, sweet goat’s milk with milk skin.
After exchanging auspicious words, they joyfully opened their arms and started eating.
While they were still eating, the crackling of firecrackers continued outside. Liu Yu and Liu Lu were both unable to sit still, as if there were needles pricking the cushions of their chairs.
Aunt Liu couldn’t decipher what they were thinking, so she just nodded, and the two girls slipped out of their chairs, one on the left and the other on the right, pestering Xu Zhongyue: “Brother, brother-in-law, take us to set off the firecrackers!”
Aunt Liu said this year they both bought a lot of firecrackers and set off more to drive away ghosts and evil, and wish for success in the coming year.
Xu Zhongyue took a bamboo pole, tied the big red firecracker first, and lit the lead under the expectant and joyful eyes of the two little girls.
After a while, the whole firecrackers crackled and exploded. Xu Zhongyue turned around with a smile and saw Song Shi’an shrinking slightly – firecrackers had been banned in the city for many years in his previous life, and he was no longer used to such a loud sound.
Xu Zhongyue hurriedly went over to put his wife in his arms and covered his red ears with both hands.
After the firecrackers were blown up, Xu Zhongyue taught the two little girls how to play with cannons and fireworks. Liu Yu was so brave; she took one and a cannon flew into the sky with a whoosh. Liu Lu held up the stick in fear and the fireworks were bright in her eyes.
He didn’t know who bought good fireworks. Huge purple chrysanthemums and bright red peonies bloomed in the air, illuminating the faces of Xu Zhongyue and Song Shi’an. Song Shi’an leaned into Xu Zhongyue’s warm arms and whispered: “Every year, the morning will comes.”