The snow was falling.
The roof ridges, the yard, and the trees are already covered with a layer of white.
The falling snow was flying around the lantern, and the red lantern swayed gently in the wind. The light it revealed seemed to give the snowy night a touch of warmth.
"Brother Azhen, this lantern is so beautiful." Xiao Fuyuan pointed at the lantern and said.
In two lifetimes combined, she had never seen such a beautiful lantern.
A Zhen looked at the lantern and tightened Xiao Fuyuan's hand.
At this time of year, the capital has already been snowing heavily.
As a child, when the first snow had just fallen sporadically, he would make a fuss about hanging red lanterns of various shapes on the four corners of the eaves, dressing up the entire temple as if it were the Lantern Festival.
The mother will order the palace servants to hang up red lanterns of various shapes.
At night, his father would come through the snow, pick him up and walk into his mother's palace after he had piled snow with the palace people.
It was warm in the palace. My mother would untie my father's fox fur with her own hands and hand him a glass of warm wine. My father would cover my mother's hand and say that the capital was not as cold as the border. Why did my mother's hands get colder when she arrived in the capital?
The candles in the room exploded again and again, and the whole house was filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms.
After dinner, my father and mother would stand on the porch and watch the lights and enjoy the snow, while he would run into the snow and throw snowballs.
Sometimes, my father would go out in person and make snowballs and stuff them in his neck.
He yelled, and the wet nurse beside him was very worried. She reminded her mother secretly that her father would make him catch a cold. Mother smiled and said that this is how their father-son relationship should be, and he is not that weak.
After my sister died in infancy, my father stopped coming to my mother's palace, and there were no more red lanterns hanging around my mother's palace.
My mother always remembered him and knew that he liked to hang up red lanterns when the snow fell, so she sent beautiful lanterns one after another from the capital.
My mother has been ill since my sister died in infancy. I wonder if my mother's illness will relapse in winter.
Xiao Fuyuan noticed that A Zhen's eyes were wet, held his hand tightly and said, "Brother A Zhen, are you worried about your mother?"
A Zhen nodded and said, "My mother always coughs in winter."
Xiao Fuyuan said seriously: "Your mother will be fine, she will be fine."
Soon, Xie Chuntao prepared dinner.
Bai Zhaomei also came back from outside.
Due to the large number of people, Xie Chuntao made two pots. One of the pots was borrowed from Village Chief Zhao, so Village Chief Zhao came uninvited with a pot of wine and Zhao Xiaogui.
Bai Banban thought about it and invited He Shun over again. He originally wanted to invite Xie Xiaolian, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find it. Even Bai Zhaomei went out to search twice but couldn't find it.
So the Bai family set up two tables of pots, one in the main room, and the white-boarded Heshun Zhao village chief Wu Xiaoying and the men in the Bai family who were drinking sat around the pot.
Putting it in Zhen's room, Old Mrs. Bai sat with the Bai family's female family members, Xiao Fuyuan, Azhen and other children.
Originally, Bai Zhaomei wanted to sit with his younger sister, but Mrs. Bai kicked her to the white wooden table, saying that he was already engaged and was no longer a child, so he could not mix with women in the future.
It's snowing outside and eating pots indoors.
Xiao Fuyuan thought, this is the hot pot of future generations.
Especially in winter, there is nothing happier than being able to eat hot pot around the fire in a warm room.
Mrs. Bai personally mixed the sauce, sesame sauce, chive flowers and fermented bean curd.
Mrs. Zhen blanched the meat and gave it to Ah Zhen first, and then to Xiao Fuyuan.
Xiao Fuyuan and A Zhen devoured the food.
"I just went to deliver meatballs to dad and the others, and I smelled the wine that A Zhen brought. It smelled really good. How about we try this wine from the capital?" After Eugene Gui finished speaking, he glanced at Old Mrs. Bai.
Not only did Eugene Gui smell the aroma of wine outside, but Mrs. Bai and others also smelled it.
There was nothing I could do, the aroma of the wine was so strong that it floated from the outside to the inside.
"Drink." Xiao Fuyuan said inarticulately while eating the meat.
"Okay, let's imitate these gentlemen and have a few drinks." Mrs. Bai got up herself and went outside to bring a jar.
The wine had already been warmed by Zhen, so it was still warm in her hand.
Xie Chuntao had already placed empty bowls in front of everyone.
"After all, it's wine from the capital. Even the jar is so beautiful." Xie Chuntao took the wine and praised it. Even the jar had exquisite patterns painted on it.
Don't throw it away after you finish drinking it. It's also good to put wild flowers in the house.
"Don't pour it for Xiao Yuanbao and Azhen Dalang Sanlang. Children are not allowed to drink," said Zhen.
Dalang Saburo's face was full of disappointment.
Xiao Fuyuan knocked Dalang on the head and said: "Children are not allowed to drink."
Dalang Sanlang nodded in unison.
Anyway, as long as aunt says something, everyone must do it.
Xie Chuntao poured wine in front of every adult at the table, except Tian Maimiao of course.
"This wine is like honey." Eugene Gui took a big sip and said to Qiuniang beside him.
The wine in this capital is good. It smells good and tastes even better when you drink it. It's not as spicy as the wine at home.
Xie Chuntao also took a sip and said, "This tastes really good, sweet and floral."
Xie Chuntao couldn't describe it.
Mrs. Bai and Mrs. Zhen also took a sip.
Zhen was about to shed tears, this wine couldn't be more familiar.
It was brewed at home by her grandfather when he returned from the army and became famous in the capital.
"Grandma asked someone to bring this." Azhen Zhangruo said unintentionally, "I don't drink, but grandma gave me two jars of wine."
Zhen's heart was full of mixed feelings.
This is the wine given to me by my aunt!
Over wine, ask her if she still remembers the past events of Zhen Mansion.
One winter, my aunt mischievously stole two jars of my grandfather's wine and roasted venison and drank wine in the garden. At that time, she was making snow in the garden.
The aunt took her to drink together. The aunt and nephew drank so hard that their faces turned red, and they fell asleep on the snowy porch.
When my grandfather found out, he severely reprimanded his aunt.
After being scolded, my aunt touched her head and blamed herself, saying, "What should I do if you become drunk after you drink with me at such a young age?" What should I do if I can’t get married?
Xiao Fuyuan put the mutton into the bowl in front of Zhen. Zhen's thoughts were brought back, and she lowered her head and drank the wine in the bowl in front of her.
"Why does this wine look so familiar to me when I drink it?" Mrs. Bai tasted it carefully.
Yes, when she went to Zhen's Mansion as a guest to attend the Zhen's Mansion's family banquet, she drank wine with this flavor.
She was with her mother-in-law, who thought the wine was like honey and water and would not make her drunk, so she drank several large bowls.
In the end, she passed out drunk in Zhen's mother's yard. Grandma Du, who was still a maid back then, helped her into the house to sleep.
"Is it really delicious?" Tian Maimiao was very greedy and steadied the wine in front of Xie Chuntao.
"It tastes really good." Xie Chuntao took another sip.
"Sister Mai Miao, I will give you two altars later." A Zhen said.
Tian Maimiao nodded.
Eugene Gui had finished a large bowl and poured another bowl.
Xie Chuntao's bowl was also empty, and he stretched it towards Eugene Gui.
"Although this wine, honey and water are the same, don't drink too much, or you will still get drunk." Mrs. Zhen reminded her daughter-in-law with a smile.
"It doesn't matter, we are at home anyway. If we get drunk, we might as well go back to the house and sleep." Xie Chuntao said.
Mrs. Zhen and Mrs. Bai saw that Xie Chuntao rarely showed his lively side, so they went with her.
"I'll have a good drink too." Mrs. Bai raised her bowl and took the lead to add to the fun.
"Daughter, don't be greedy for this wine, let's eat meat." Mrs. Zhen touched Xiao Yuanbao's head and said.
"I eat meat, brother Azhen also eats meat, and so does Dalang Sanlang." Xiao Fuyuan put the meat into the pot.
The pot was steaming, the meat was fragrant, accompanied by the sound of wind and snow outside the window.
A cozy winter evening in the countryside.
