Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 354: New Year's Dinner

Song Chunlin looked at the grapes for a long time. The more he looked, the more he felt that they looked like they were produced in his own vineyard, because the variety looked to be a modern variety, not an ancient grape variety at all.

Seeing that Song Chunlin was staring at the grapes, the boss thought that he liked eating grapes, so he began to explain to Song Chunlin in an endless stream, saying how precious this grape variety was and how good it tasted.

"Does this young master know Xingchengfang in the capital?"

Then the shopkeeper began to introduce the cakes of Xingchengfang in endless words.

"The most delicious, famous and expensive thing in Xingchengfang is the fruit cake. That small piece of cake can be sold for several taels of silver. It's not a cake, it's gold. Do you know why this cake can be sold at such a high price?"

Song Chunlin kept complaining in his heart, but on the surface he pretended to be ignorant and continued to shake his head at the boss. Song Chunsheng had already turned his back to him, and judging from his constantly shaking shoulders, it seemed that he was having a hard time holding back his laughter.

Fortunately, the boss's attention was not on Song Chunsheng, otherwise he would definitely think that this guy had some problems.

"The fruits used on Xingchengfang's cakes are the ones on my stall, watermelons and grapes."

This boss is not honest. He only said that the fruits used in Xingchengfang are the ones from his stall, but he did not clearly state whether the fruits are from his stall. People who are not aware of the situation will have a preconceived idea that the fruits used in Xingchengfang are from his stall. If others buy the fruits back and find them not good, he can still make excuses that he never said the fruits used in Xingchengfang are from his stall. Although he is not honest, what he said is indeed correct. The fruits are indeed the same variety, but the freshness is really far apart.

The fruits in Xingchengfang are replenished by Song Chunlin every half a month when he goes to the store. All the fruits used are produced in the space, with the best quality and freshness. Song Chunlin then sells them to the steward according to the market price, and the two of them reconcile the accounts every quarter.

Dabao is in charge of the output in the space, and Song Chunlin is only responsible for pulling. Every day before the reconciliation, he has to force Dabao to rush to work.

The two brothers who were used to eating fruits from other places were not interested in the fruits on the boss' stall, but there were also some people who wanted to try something new, so they bought some to bring back for their children and the elderly to taste during the New Year.

However, the high prices discouraged many people. After Song Chunlin and his friends walked around the market, they found that the boss didn't sell many fruits on his stall. There were people asking about the prices all the time, but the moment they heard the prices, they turned around and left, and some even cursed: "Swindler."

Song Chunlin and Song Chunsheng went home and told their family about this. Both Grandpa Song and Grandma Song couldn't help but marvel at it.

"There are so many smart people these days. How did they come up with the idea of saving the fruit for sale in the winter?"

"That's right. In previous years, the only fruits we could eat in winter were pinellia, persimmons, and pears. If we wanted to eat oranges, they had to be shipped from the south. Oranges are so sour, and we only eat them for the sake of freshness in winter."

Song Qin brought over a plate of large strawberries with a smile: "Back then, the child's father said he would grow strawberries and sell them in the capital. Now, the strawberries have been grown, but have you seen him sell them in any year? The few strawberries he grew are not even enough for the children at home to eat."

As the Song family has been adding members in the past two years, the strawberry field in Song Dazhuang has become larger every year, but the family still does not have enough strawberries to eat. In addition to those for the children, some are sent to the Marquis' Mansion. There are not many left, so there is no need to sell them. After giving them to a few familiar families, they are gone.

Song Dazhuang felt a little hot on his face when he heard his wife's scolding. He smiled awkwardly, "That's right. There are many children at home. In addition, there is a lot of work to do in the fields. How can I have time to tend to the strawberry fields every day?"

After saying this, he felt a little emotional. When they first ate strawberries while fleeing famine, everyone thought that this thing would be able to be sold at a good price, and they were looking forward to making a big splash in the capital. Who knew that after arriving in the capital, they would have endless things to do, and the family would gradually no longer be short of money, so naturally they had no intention of continuing to grow strawberries and sell them.

Grandpa Song asked about the New Year's goods the two brothers had bought. Song Chunsheng had just unloaded the things on the carriage. In addition to some melon seeds, walnuts and dates bought at the market, there were also various nuts and roasted goods taken out from Song Chunlin's space. It was not the time for meat yet. The Song family did not make any cured meat this year, because they had never eaten up the ones in previous years. All of them were piled up in Song Chunlin's space. Song Dazhuang thought that since they couldn't finish it anyway, he might as well not make it and use up the stock first.

After buying the New Year's goods, Song Chunsheng took Song Chunlin to the capital to deliver New Year gifts to the Marquis' Mansion. At this time, Gu Fengyun didn't know that Song Chunlin was going to the border after the New Year, and Song Chunlin didn't say anything. He just said that he wanted to take a photo of the child, and Gu Fengyun agreed.

It was not the first time that Su Fuqing saw the strange black square in Song Chunlin's hand. He knew that a human portrait would be reflected in the black square, so he cooperated by holding the child and waiting to be photographed.

Song Chunlin borrowed the study here, printed out the photos and gave them to the couple, and soon the two got together to look at the photos.

After buying New Year's goods and giving out New Year gifts, Song Chunlin also prepared his luggage, which contained a homemade New Year's Eve dinner and the latest photos and videos of Gu Fengyun's family of three. He even found an open space to take out the motorcycle in his space, checked it, and after confirming that there was no problem, he filled it with gas, in an effort to save more time on the road.

These days, Song Chunlin would pester Song Qinshi every day, asking her to help make some buns and dumplings. After cooking, he would put them in the space. Song Qinshi just thought that the child was greedy and wanted to eat, so she cooked for her son in different ways, and also cooked for the whole family.

On New Year's Eve, Gu Fengyun received the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall made by the Song family early on. This has almost become a must-have item every year. In addition to the Song family's New Year's dishes, there are also the palace's New Year's dishes. This year, the Gu family made an exception and got three New Year's dishes, which made many people envious and jealous.

Gu Fengyun looked at the three New Year's dishes and then at the empty chair on the other side. Everyone else thought that these three dishes were the emperor's favor to the Gu family, but only he understood that the emperor was apologizing. After all, if he had not sent Gu Fengyue to the border, there would be one less person at their New Year's Eve dinner table.

"Eat it and try what this year's New Year's dishes taste like."

Gu Fengyun was the first to pick up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The dish was still a little warm, but the taste was not very good. It is true that the dish must have been delicious when it was just out of the pot, but it took such a long time to be served. Even if it was not cold, the taste would have become strange due to being covered for a long time.

The dishes bestowed by the emperor had to be eaten, and the Gu family had no choice but to taste a few bites. The plates that had been eaten were removed, cleaned and carefully preserved. They were not qualified to use the utensils bestowed by the royal family privately, and they had no other use except to put them aside.

Many people were surprised that the Gu family won three dishes this year, but they did not expect that the Song family would also win a dish this year.

"For our house?" Song Chunlin pointed to his own house and asked the eunuch who delivered the food several times in disbelief. Finally, after the eunuch's repeated confirmation, he believed that the emperor actually had the urge to send food to him, and that it was delivered in a huge wooden barrel.

A group of eunuchs helped to lift the wooden barrel down. After opening the lid of the barrel, a clay pot was revealed inside. It looked like it was a pot for stewing soup or something. There seemed to be a charcoal fire underneath keeping it warm. It had not cooled down after being transported here, and the clay pot was still hot to the touch.

"This dish was the first one given by His Majesty. He instructed us to send it to you, Young Master Song, as soon as possible. This sea cucumber stewed with mutton is the most nourishing dish in winter. Please enjoy it carefully, Young Master Song." What the eunuch did not say was that this dish had never been on the emperor's table. The emperor just asked if there were any dishes cooked in a clay pot, and the imperial chefs in the palace presented this dish. Unexpectedly, the emperor did not want to eat it himself, but asked them to send it to the Song family as soon as possible.

So, this dish from the Song family was the first reward from the emperor, but it was the last one to be delivered because of the far distance. The eunuchs and eunuchs who delivered the dishes complained about the long journey on the way. Other people's jobs only required them to walk around the capital, but theirs not only had to go out of the city, but also had to keep on traveling. While on the road, they could not let the charcoal fire in the barrel go out, lest the dishes get cold. It was a very difficult job.

On the way back, the eunuch smiled and asked the eunuchs to look at the purses in their hands. At first, no one took it seriously, thinking that the things inside were just a few dimes. But when they were asked to open the purses and pour out the contents, they were blinded by the golden ingots in their hands.

"Oh my God, is this gold?"

"Don't tell me this is fake. The Song family is just a bunch of peasants. How can they really give us gold?"

The eunuch smiled meaningfully: "You guys, don't underestimate the peasants. If they were really just peasants, would His Majesty be the first to give them food?"

Those who can survive in the palace are not stupid. After a little thought, they understood what the eunuch meant. They immediately began to reflect on whether they had revealed anything inappropriate just now. They breathed a sigh of relief when they found that they had not.

"Don't underestimate the Song family. It was them who presented sweet potatoes to His Majesty. Later, they presented new rice seeds and improved corn. They turned things that were once only playthings into food that can fill the stomach. Looking at the new foods that have appeared in the capital over the years, which one is not made by the Song family? Just because they don't take credit for it doesn't mean that they don't have any credit. You all should open your eyes and stop mistaking fish eyes for pearls."

"Got it, thank you for your guidance, sir."

After seeing off this group of people, the Song family looked at this dish with some worry. They had finished their New Year's Eve dinner a long time ago, and it was almost midnight. If they ate sea cucumber stewed with mutton, they were afraid they would not be able to sleep tonight. However, they heard that this rewarded dish must be eaten, so everyone could only drink a small sip of the soup as a token of their respect. After everyone went to bed, Song Chunlin put the soup and the pot into the space.

No New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and going back to parents' home on the second day. What a coincidence, the daughter-in-law of the Song family does not need to go back to her parents' home, and neither does the daughter-in-law of the Gu family, because his mother is in the mansion and he does not need to go back at all.

Zhou Ning has not had any contact with the Zhou family in the past few years. He even stopped sending New Year's goods. Ever since the eldest and his wife of the Zhou family passed away one after another, the people in the village gradually stopped associating with their family. They all felt that the Zhou family was unlucky. Even some of the Zhou family's clansmen would only visit them occasionally because of the two old people's old age, and there would be no more visits.

Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou looked at the deserted house. The eldest grandson was sitting quietly by the side holding his little nephew, and no one from the second son's family came over. The two old people couldn't understand why their family had fallen into such a situation.

Although Zhou Ning did not go back to his mother's home, he also went to Aunt Wang's home to give gifts. Aunt Wang did go back to her mother's home. She went in the morning and came back at noon. She happened to be at home when Zhou Ning came, so she told him a few words about the recent situation of Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but they are your grandparents after all. Even though you don't have any contact with them now, if they pass away one day, you still have to go back and kowtow to them. It can be regarded as the last act of filial piety for your father."

Aunt Wang sighed and said, "You said your grandparents were strong all their lives, but why do they have to repay their children in their old age? I don't know if there is something wrong with your family's feng shui. Your father and your uncle's family all passed away early, and now only your third uncle is left. When I went back this time, I saw that he seemed like a different person. He was so thin that only a layer of flesh was left. It was creepy to look at him. Don't bring your children over there in the future, or you won't scare Dun Dun."

Zhou Ning: "I heard that my great uncle and his family were sick. Why hasn't Third Uncle recovered yet?"

Aunt Wang spat, "How can it be so easy to get well? I see, that's retribution for them. If they hadn't wanted to harm you, how could they have been thrown into prison? They deserve it. It's retribution. Of course, they won't get well until they have paid off their karma."

But Zhou Ning didn't think so. He just didn't know how to treat a disease, so he didn't bring up the topic again.

During dinner in the evening, Song Chunlin finally mentioned that he was going to the border. As soon as he said this, except for the three youngest ones who were still eating with relish, everyone else at the table stopped eating at the same time.

Song Dazhuang stared at Song Chunlin with eyes wide open: "Rebellious son, it's only the second day of the Chinese New Year and you want to run away again. You have to wait until the fifteenth day, otherwise forget it."

Song Chunlin immediately retorted: "No, it's too late. I have to leave on the ninth day at the latest."

"The ninth is too early, and the fourteenth can't be any earlier."

Song Chunlin tried to argue: "I went there just to accompany Gu Fengyue to celebrate the Lantern Festival. I left on the 14th. Dad, do you think I will fly over?"