In the past, as long as winter came, even in the capital of the Ming Dynasty and the important place of the capital, on the streets during the day, except for those who were forced by life and had to go out to make a living, and the slightly wealthier families, everyone would hide at home and guard the stove.
But people today seem to have the ability to not be afraid of the cold winter. Although the weather during the day is approaching subzero, it still cannot stop people's enthusiasm for the Spring Festival.
Wangfujing, Guijie, Sanlitun, Zhang Jingchu's understanding of the capital put Zhang Chu to shame. She seemed to know which place was the liveliest, where there was the most food and entertainment.
After coming to this era, Zhang Chu rarely had free time to experience the capital of the Ming Dynasty again. It was indeed different from before. In other words, except for the Forbidden City, there were few things that made him feel familiar. place.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, as soon as she returned home, Zhang Jingchu started to work on the New Year's Eve dinner.
Zhang Chu originally wanted to say simple is fine, but he really didn't have high expectations for Zhang Jingchu's cooking skills.
But Zhang Jingchu said that the important thing about New Year’s Eve dinner is not the food, but the sense of ritual.
That's what she said, and that's what she did.
The roasted chicken is ready-made, which means good luck; the fish is braised, which means more than enough every year; the fried sausage with leeks, means longevity; the beef stir-fried with green onions, means great power; the fried meatballs, means reunion, and the cold yuba means longevity. Full of blessings.
It was the first time that Zhang Chu understood so much, and he suddenly looked forward to the next New Year's Eve dinner.
"what time is it?"
It was freezing outside, and Zhang Jingchu was busy working in the kitchen.
"six thirty."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingchu speeded up again.
"You can't have New Year's Eve dinner too late..."
"Whoever eats early will have good fortune in the coming year?"
Throughout the day, no matter what happened, Zhang Jingchu could associate it with wealth, and Zhang Chu gradually learned it.
"That's right!"
The sound of firecrackers came from outside again. It was sparse and insignificant at first, but soon it became a continuous sound, and the sound also came from far to near.
"The people who set off the cannons are all preparing for New Year's Eve dinner!"
Zhang Jingchu poured the chopped beef into the pot, making a sizzling sound.
"Shall we shoot off the cannon?"
Zhang Chu is like a student at this moment, asking Zhang Jingchu no matter what he does.
There are so many rules during the New Year, and he didn't know how many taboos he broke on this day.
"Let it go!"
After receiving permission, Zhang Chu went to Zhang Jingchu's house to move the firecrackers out, and followed her example in the morning, spreading the firecrackers and spreading them in the middle of the yard.
Crackling!
Zhang Jingchu also walked out, looking at the flashing firelight in the yard, she couldn't help but smile.
This is already her third Spring Festival since coming to the capital.
Every time she celebrated the Spring Festival in the past, she would cook a bowl of noodles alone, add a poached egg, and eat dried meat from her parents.
This year, I have Zhang Chu as my... neighbor, and I finally feel a little like celebrating the New Year.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and returned to the kitchen.
The last dish was served, and their New Year's Eve dinner was about to begin.
The time has come to eight o'clock, and when I turn on the TV, it happens to be the time when the Spring Festival Gala is broadcast.
"drink wine?"
Zhang Chu held the wine bottle and looked at Zhang Jingchu.
This time Zhang Jingchu did not refuse and picked up the wine glass to greet him.
"It's Chinese New Year, drink some!"
This bottle of wine is Zhang Chu's only gain from shopping today.
Moutai!
Not because it's the best, but because it's the most expensive.
Zhang Chu's favorite thing in the past was the liquor secretly brewed by one of his subordinates. After drinking it in one gulp, it felt as if his throat and stomach were on fire.
Every time he takes money to kill, he has to drink a pot, so that when he kills, he doesn't have to listen to the target's wailing clearly, which can be regarded as self-deception.
"Don't you say something?"
When Zhang Jing first saw Zhang Chu picking up the wine glass and about to drink, she quickly stopped him.
Well?
"Is this also a rule?"
Zhang Jingchu smiled when she heard this, and suddenly felt that Zhang Chu seemed to come from another world. Otherwise, he didn't seem to understand anything.
"What a sense of ceremony!"
Zhang Chu was startled and then smiled: "Then I wish you... good luck and good health!"
This sentence was what my subordinates used to say when they wished Zhang Chu a happy New Year every Spring Festival.
Zhang Jingchu heard it and felt it was new, so she also followed the instructions: "Fu Lin Ankang!"
After only taking a slight sip, I felt a spicy taste fill my entire mouth. I quickly picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef and put it into my mouth.
Salty!
Zhang Jingchu naturally knows how good her cooking skills are. In the past, she rarely cooked at home. At most, she cooked noodles and occasionally fried vegetables.
I started learning how to cook after becoming neighbors with Zhang Chu.
Even though I work hard, I really don’t have any talent.
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Zhang Chu add a chopstick of fish, and his eyes followed the piece of fish meat into Zhang Chu's mouth.
"How about it?"
A little bitter and a little fishy.
"Good!"
In the past, when I went out on business, I would sometimes be in a hurry and miss Sutou, so I could only sleep in the wilderness. I would catch a fish and roast it directly on the fire. What a feeling...
Even those who have never tasted it can guess that it is definitely not delicious.
Zhang Jingchu also picked up a chopstick, put it in her mouth and frowned.
"I think I broke the fish's gall!"
Zhang Chu smiled and said: "The sense of ritual is the most important!"
These words of comfort made Zhang Jingchu laugh.
Zhang Chu then changed the topic, pointed at the TV and asked: "Why is there still Hongyi?"
On the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, several foreigners were talking about cross talk.
Hongyi?
This title sounds fresh.
Zhang Jingchu raised her head and glanced: "What's new here? Didn't we meet many foreigners in Wangfujing today?"
In the Ming Dynasty, there were many foreigners. These people traveled across the ocean to come to the Ming Dynasty for the purpose of preaching. One of them, Tang Ruowang, was recommended as an official in the court and served as the Qintian Supervisor, responsible for compiling the calendar.
Zhang Chu was reading history books these days, and Tang Ruowang's name was mentioned in them. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he defected to the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. In the end, he was almost executed by Lingchi because of his strange remarks.
Just before the execution, there was an earthquake in the capital, and the Manchu Emperor saved the foreigner's life by granting a general amnesty.
The king's father died in the country, and as a minister, he could not keep his integrity and be loyal. He was also unfaithful and unjust.
That's too far.
Zhang Chu and Zhang Jingchu were eating New Year's Eve dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala. Zhang Jingchu only drank one glass of the bottle of Moutai, and the rest went into Zhang Chu's stomach.
Sure enough, everything is expensive.
Bang!
There was a sudden noise. Before Zhang Chu could react, Zhang Jingchu had already rushed to the door and looked up at the sky.
"Zhang Chu, come on, let's set off the fireworks!"
It was approaching midnight, and the fireworks show in the capital had also begun. Every household took out the fireworks they had prepared early and displayed them one after another.
For a moment, the dark night sky seemed to be lit up.
"Where's ours? Let's release it too!"
Zhang Jingchu urged.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chu quickly moved the fireworks out, lit the fuse, and with a sound, the fireworks took off and exploded at the highest point, brilliant and dazzling.
At the same time, the cell phone left by Zhang Chu in the room suddenly rang and then hung up.
Tang Wei, who was far away in Hangzhou, put down the phone and couldn't calm down.
She didn't know what happened just now, but she suddenly wanted to call Zhang Chu, without even thinking about what to say.
The experience of that night is an unforgettable memory for any woman.
She gave her most precious thing to Zhang Chu without hesitation.
But after waking up, he didn't know how to face it, so he had no choice but to escape back to his hometown.
During this period, Tang Wei wanted to contact Zhang Chu several times, but when he did get in touch, how should he explain his departure without saying goodbye?
So, she hesitated until the New Year's Day. Just when she was having New Year's Eve dinner with her family, she couldn't control it anymore. She just found an excuse to go to the living room and dialed the number that had been engraved for a long time. The number in my heart.
But the prompt tone only rang once, and Tang Wei hung up in a hurry. She hoped that Zhang Chu would get through, but she was afraid that Zhang Chu would get through.
"Xiaowei, what are you doing? It's time to cook glutinous rice balls."
When she heard her mother calling her, Tang Wei stood up quickly, but she couldn't move. Looking at the quiet phone call, she was really looking forward to Zhang Chu calling back again.
But after waiting for a while, Mrs. Tang urged her for the third time, and Tang Wei could only shake his head helplessly and went to the kitchen.
"Who did you call just now?"
Tang Wei was stunned when he heard this, lowered his head and said: "No one, just...a friend, no one picked up."
"Is that the boy from Shanghai?"
Last year, Tang Wei came back from the capital and couldn't leave for a long time. Once, mother and daughter had a heart-to-heart talk, and Tang's mother found out that her daughter had gone to the capital and had a love affair that ended in nothing.
"No, I have never been in contact with him. He is a friend I met in Beijing."
It is said that there is no better daughter than a mother. The emotional fluctuations in a daughter's eyes cannot escape her mother's fiery eyes.
"Xiao Wei, do you like him?"
Tang Wei felt excited and quickly denied: "No, we haven't known each other for a long time. He helped me, but then he joined the set for filming and I never saw him again."
Tang Wei lied, she didn't want her mother to worry.
well……
Mrs. Tang secretly sighed. She could tell that her daughter didn't tell the truth, but she didn't ask any questions. Their family has always been very democratic. If Tang Wei didn't want to say it, then he could wait until she wanted to. .
"The water is boiling, let's serve the glutinous rice balls!"
The scene returned to the capital.
Zhang Jingchu was hurriedly throwing the dumplings into the boiling hot water one by one. These were the results of her busy work for several hours in the afternoon.
She is from Fujian and is used to eating glutinous rice balls during the Chinese New Year, but since she is celebrating the Chinese New Year in the capital, she should do as the local customs do.
Zhang Chu stood at the door and watched. His phone rang, and it was a text message from Fan Bingbing.
"Master, Happy New Year!"
