Chapter 231
Mingli spent the night in Xiangyang Village. The next day, he first went home to drop off the things he had bought, then returned to the town. Luotong was now living in the Yu family's old house in town. After delivering the New Year goods to his wife and sharing a meal with her, Mingli went to the black market contact point to find Shitou to pick up the ingredients for making hotpot base.
Shitou complained to him, "What kind of random stuff did you buy? I had to go to several places to gather it all for you."
"Brother Shitou, this is for my sister to make hotpot base. Aren't you afraid I'll go back and tell on you for saying that?"
Shitou immediately backed down. If it was for Mingli, it might be a hassle, but for Sister Nan, it had to be perfect. "I remember when Regimental Commander Lin came, he didn't ask for beef tallow either. Wait here, I'll get the remaining beef plate fat for you too. Take it all back for Sister Nan."
Before leaving, Mingli invited Shitou, "Things are mostly settled now. If you have time in the next couple of days, let's get together at my sister's place. The hotpot base she makes is incredibly delicious for cooking vegetables and meat."
Shitou replied, "Don't worry, we'll definitely come over before the New Year!"
Shitou had never eaten hotpot and didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just a new way of eating that Nansheng had learned in Rongcheng. Mingli bought the ingredients and went back, specifically learning from his sister how to make the hotpot base, helping by tending the fire and watching the heat.
Lin Han was also busy with other matters. This time, Nansheng had her brother buy some sesame seeds and asked him to grind them with a stone mill to make sesame paste. Her dipping sauce for hotpot was quite varied; she liked a bit of everything—sesame paste, sesame oil, chili oil, fermented tofu brine—and adding some chopped scallions, cilantro, and crushed peanuts was her favorite combination.
Mingli didn't go home until after having dinner at his sister's place. Nansheng had made braised duck for him, and as he left, he didn't forget to say he'd be back in a couple of days.
Nansheng asked her brother to bring their parents and Luotong along next time. Since she was back with great difficulty, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her family.
"Not just them, sis. Brother Yi and Brother Shitou are coming too. You'd better prepare plenty of food."
After breakfast the next day, Nansheng asked Lin Han to deliver a few blocks of the finished hotpot base to the old house. The base, made with beef tallow, solidified quickly in the cold weather. They had cut it into small blocks, making it convenient to give as gifts.
Lin Han delivered some to both his parents and Eldest Brother Lin's family. The only difference was that he also brought a piece of meat for his parents. After telling them how to eat it, he returned home, not staying long at the old house.
Nansheng felt he had returned almost as soon as he left. "That was fast?"
Lin Han looked puzzled. Fast? It felt like a long time to him. Anyway, his parents weren't particularly welcoming, whereas Eldest Brother Lin's family was much happier to receive the hotpot base.
Nansheng asked, "Do you think Third Brother Lin will come asking for some, since you gave it to those two families?"
Lin Han shook his head. "He wouldn't dare!"
However, given Third Brother Lin's habit of visiting the old house at least twice a day, he felt his younger brother would definitely get to eat the hotpot. His parents couldn't possibly chase their youngest son away during a meal. The youngest son and the eldest grandson—they were the old folks' heartstrings!
Nansheng sighed, "Time really flies when you're at home. Unconsciously, there are only five days left until New Year. Once we return to Rongcheng, we'll both go back to our busy, hectic lives."
"No matter how busy, I'll go to the county town every week to bring you home, unless I'm on a mission!" Lin Han assured her.
Nansheng knew that Lin Han's mission frequency had decreased considerably, but after his promotion to regimental commander, the pressure was greater, and he spent most of his time busy at the military district.
"You're not a young lad anymore. Take better care of yourself when I'm not home. Don't think I don't know you skip meals when you're busy. What, trying to follow Lao Sun's example?"
The Lao Sun Nansheng mentioned was also a regimental commander in the military district. He pushed himself too hard, insisting on daily training even after his promotion, demanding more and more from himself, until he collapsed during training right in the district.
After examination, the military doctor bluntly said the wear and tear on his leg bones was too severe. He was told to either transfer to a logistics role or leave the military. Nansheng had naturally heard about this from her husband.
Lin Han verbally agreed repeatedly. Although he felt his body was in great shape, no worse than a young man's, he would definitely take his wife's words to heart!
In the days leading up to New Year, delicious smells wafted from every household in the village. Nansheng didn't plan to make things like fried New Year cakes, as they couldn't eat much, but she couldn't stop everyone from sending food over.
Although Lin Guozheng and his wife weren't very close to their second son, they were willing to send things over. Eldest Brother Lin's family was even more so; no matter what delicious food they made, they had to send some.
Neighbors and the village head also dropped by from time to time, bringing a bowl of this, a plate of that. The whole family was visibly gaining weight.
Xiao Yi and Shitou came to deliver New Year goods on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. Seeing the pile of things they brought gave Nansheng a headache.
"Go take a look in the west room. Is there even any space left?"
Xiao Yi and Shitou had no intention of taking the things back. Instead, they suggested to Nansheng, "Sister Nan, Mingli's wedding is right after New Year. If you can't finish it, just save it for his banquet!"
Mingli arrived with Luotong right after them. Zhong Yanyan and her husband, the old couple, didn't want to come, complaining it was too cold, but in reality, they were afraid frequent visits would make people laugh.
Nansheng had Mingli take some beef tallow hotpot base back for them. It was enough for the old couple to just get a taste of it.
"Brother-in-law, come out quick and help carry this stuff. It's all bought by my father-in-law."
He estimated that even the Yu family's New Year purchases weren't this lavish.
The items were a bit too many and heavy. He certainly didn't dare call his sister out to carry them, so he called for his brother-in-law. Instead, his shout brought Shitou out.
"Can't even carry this little bit? And you have the nerve to get married?"
Sizhe and Siqi also ran out to see the commotion. The two children greeted their uncle and aunt, then picked up what they could carry and headed inside.
Mingli complained as he entered the house, "There's too much, it's hard to carry. I wanted to bring less, but got an earful from my father-in-law!"
Hearing Mingli repeatedly say "father-in-law" made Luotong blush with embarrassment. She wanted to slip into the kitchen to help as soon as she entered, but found Nansheng and Lin Han intimately mixing some kind of sauce together, which made her even more shy.
Nansheng said with a smile, "Luotong's here! Come into the east room to warm up. We can eat as soon as I finish mixing this sauce."
"So early, Sister Nan? It's not even ten o'clock yet!" Even as she said this, the aroma wafting from the pot made her unconsciously swallow. It smelled so good!
"I didn't eat much this morning, I've been hungry for a while. We can chat while we eat!"
Hearing this, Luotong could only go into the room. The table was already set, with bowls, chopsticks, and everything laid out, just waiting for Nansheng and her husband to bring the so-called hotpot to the table.
Xiao Yi also greeted Luotong, then turned back to continue talking with Mingli. "I'm really curious about how this hotpot tastes. It smells amazing, but an ordinary person really couldn't afford to eat like this."
Mingli raised an eyebrow. Was his sister an ordinary person?
"Just wait and see. In a moment, you won't even have time to talk!"
Xiao Yi and Shitou exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves that this guy really knew how to boast. Ever since they started running the black market, they'd never had a shortage of meat. How could they possibly be that desperate for it...