Chapter 8 Trouble
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, we eat the leftovers from the New Year's Eve dinner; this is called "picking blessings," and it is considered auspicious.
After eating three meat dumplings, a small piece of pig's trotter, and a little bit of tender white fish while her mom watched, Zhao Meimei was full and wanted to dash outside to play.
Liu Xiue quickly stopped her: "Meimei! This moment, you're coming with me to open the shop. You need to help me pull out the screws."
When Liu Xiue's grocery store closes at night, an iron plate needs to be fixed around the glass cabinet outside. A screw is used to fasten it from the inside. Without entering the store and removing the screw, the iron plate can't be unattached.
Zhao Meimei pulled out the wire from inside while her mother tugged on the iron plate from outside. Once the grocery store opened, Zhao Meimei followed her mom to light the small stove.
Liu Xiue took out the oranges she brought from home and placed them on the stove to roast. Seeing something to eat, Zhao Meimei wasn't in a rush to leave. She sat next to her mother, helping to turn the oranges with a small spoon.
Zhao Meimei coughed; she had mild rhinitis since she was little. Her mother took her to the hospital for a prescription, and back home, she dripped medicine into her nose. The bitter liquid trickled down her throat into her mouth, and Zhao Meimei found it disgusting, refusing to use the medicine.
Liu Xiue, having nothing else to do, heard Aunt Zhao talk about using roasted oranges as a home remedy for cough when she delivered old clothes to her. Trying it out and finding it effective, she continued giving them to Zhao Meimei.
Fresh oranges were roasted on the stove's iron wall until they became soft. Peeled and eaten while hot, they tasted sweet with a hint of bitterness, actually quite delicious.
Zhao Meimei loved these, and whenever Liu Xiue roasted oranges, she'd eagerly watch from the side. When anxious, she'd help turn them with a little spoon.
Zhao Meimei ate two hot oranges, burped, and satisfactorily bid her mom farewell, intending to play with Da Bao and the others.