My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 16: The Lunar New Year

Xu Dong pressed on, “Anyway, the truck has a freezer, so we don’t have to worry about the meat going bad. At worst, we’ll just make it little by little.” Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xu’s eyes lit up, and she seemed to have made up her mind. “There’s just too much pork. Making jerky is too much trouble. Let’s make salted pork instead—it’s easier to prepare.” Xu Dong immediately nodded in agreement. “Mom, whatever you say goes.” Curing salted pork requires large earthenware vats. Afraid his mother might change her mind, Xu Dong didn’t even stop for lunch—he just stepped on the gas and drove off. After asking around extensively, he finally managed to buy ten large water jars at the flower, bird, fish, and pet market. He paid high shipping fees and made several round trips before he could move all the jars into the Siheyuan. With the large water jars in place, the whole family set to work making salted pork. The ingredients for making salted pork were simple—just salt and Sichuan peppercorns. Xu Dong made a trip to the farmers’ market and bought up the vendor’s entire stock of sea salt and Sichuan peppercorns. Next came the task of cutting up the meat. Xu Dong had overestimated his abilities—using a power saw to cut through frozen meat was not only dangerous but also difficult to manage. In the end, with no other choice, he drove to a small meat processing shop and spent 5,000 yuan to have all the pork cut into the strips he needed. Back home, Xu’s mom gave him another earful: buying a water jar, paying someone to cut the meat, plus gas money for the car—with all that, how on earth was he going to make a penny? Angry as she was, she still had to make the salted pork—otherwise, the loss would be even greater. Mrs. Xu was an old hand at making salted pork; her family made it every year. The process was indeed simple: first, they stir-fried sea salt and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant to make the brine; Next, place the strips of meat into the marinade and use your hands to rub the marinade thoroughly into the surface of the meat; then place the strips of meat in a large water jar, arrange them neatly, cover with plastic wrap, and let them marinate for a week; Finally, remove the strips of meat, hang them in a well-ventilated area, and let them air-dry slowly. By the time they’d finished processing a whole truckload of meat, it was already the third day of the Lunar New Year. To be honest, Xu Dong felt a bit regretful—because of all this meat, the whole family hadn’t been able to enjoy a proper New Year’s celebration, and their New Year’s Eve dinner had consisted of just a few simple home-cooked dishes, with not a hint of the festive spirit. In reality, there was no shortage of meat in the basement storage room—the airtight packages of cured pork, dried meat, and ham were more than enough to last the whole family until they expired, and they wouldn’t even be able to finish it all. Xu Dong had simply developed a hoarding habit—he wanted to bring every good thing home—and, combined with his fear and anxiety about the future, that’s why he went to all this trouble. Fortunately, he reflected on his behavior in time and readjusted his mindset; in that sense, at least it wasn’t entirely without merit. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, in an effort to lighten the family mood—and as the last outing before the great catastrophe—Xu Dong drove the whole family on a sightseeing tour, covering nearly every corner of Yanjing. The Lunar New Year atmosphere in the capital was far better than in Luyang, with temple fairs of all sizes popping up everywhere, along with all kinds of specialty snacks that made one’s mouth water. The final stop. The family arrived at the Shijinglong Ski Resort. It had only been three days since the opening of the Winter Olympics, and the nation’s enthusiasm for skiing was at its peak. Xu Dong had gone to great lengths to secure three tickets, and the three of them—father and his two daughters—had a wonderful time. It was quite likely that this would be the last time the three of them would ever play in the snow. As for Mom Xu, Dad Xu, and Yang Lina, since they had to take care of the triplets—and weren’t interested in skiing to begin with—they decided to stay at the hotel and rest. After skiing, since driving at night wasn’t safe, the group spent the night at the hotel. Early the next morning, Xu Dong got behind the wheel and headed home. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay a few more days—it was because his older sister had called the night before to let him know she’d be arriving in Yanjing by noon. The scene shifts to a high-speed train traveling from Luyang to Yanjing, where Xu Ting is chatting with her husband, seated next to their two children and Xu Jingyi. The Winter Olympics were taking place in Yanjing, so the whole family figured they might as well take advantage of the festivities to go on a trip. “Hey, Ma, do you think my parents will be able to adjust to living in Yanjing?” Xu Ting’s husband’s surname is Ma; his name is Ma Jie. Their two children are named Ma Xu and Ma Lingling. Ma Jie silently grumbled to himself, “With money, anywhere is paradise; without it, everywhere is hell.” But he couldn’t say that out loud—otherwise, given Xu Ting’s fiery temper, he wouldn’t be getting any action for a month. “They should be able to adjust. I’ve heard that living in a Siheyuan is down-to-earth and good for the elderly’s health,” Ma Jie replied cautiously. Xu Ting thought for a moment, then sighed, “Winters in the north are just too cold. I don’t know what Dongzi is thinking—Shanghai and Yanjing aren’t any worse than Yanjing, and they’re closer to home.” “Maybe it’s for work!” “But my dad told me Xu Dong doesn’t even have a job right now. He just wanders around aimlessly all day and is never home,” Xu Ting said, shaking her head, a little worried that her younger brother might go astray now that he had money. “Didn’t they say he opened a convenience store? I heard he’s planning to open dozens more this year.” Xu Ting rolled her eyes and scoffed: “Don’t listen to Mom’s bragging. Dozens of stores? He barely managed to make a little money with just this one. According to Dad, if you want to open a convenience store chain, you might as well just go to bed—you can have anything you want in your dreams.” Ma Lingling couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and Xu Jingyi also covered her mouth and giggled: “Grandpa’s actually pretty hip—he even knows internet slang.” “Running a convenience store is pretty laid-back. It’s no wonder the old man spends all day watching short videos. Didn’t he film a short video for the store the other day? He even called me specifically to ask me to like and share it.” Xu Jingyi laughed even harder. “Haha, I liked that short video too. I actually thought my uncle had filmed it—‘Free-range chickens and ducks, meals that taste so good’—it had me in stitches.” Suddenly, it was as if everyone’s funny bone had been tickled, and one by one, they couldn’t stop laughing. Once they’d had their fill of laughter, Xu Ting rubbed her aching cheeks and continued to “spill the beans”: “Honestly, Grandpa’s convenience store doesn’t make much money at all. These days, Grandma’s actually the one bringing in the most income for the family.” “But Grandma’s supposed to be helping take care of the kids—how does she even have time to work?” Xu Jingyi asked curiously. “It’s not a regular job—she sells air-dried chicken and duck. She makes over 10,000 a month—that’s even more than your uncle’s salary!” “Just say it then—why drag me into this!” After all, in front of the kids, Ma Jie’s pride was taking a hit. “Hmph…” Xu Ting didn’t say anything else and quickly changed the subject: “I wonder if Da Bao and the other two have learned to walk yet?” “Well… they’re almost 16 months old now, so they should be walking by now.” Xu Ting shook her head. “Not necessarily. Triplets are generally weaker than normal babies to begin with. Da Bao and the others weighed less than three jin at birth, so their development is bound to be a bit delayed.” “With technology so advanced these days, there shouldn’t be any major problems.” “That’s good to hear.” As they chatted, they soon arrived in Yanjing. When the five of them walked out of the station exit, Xu Dong had already been waiting for a while. “Ma Lingling, Ma Xu—your uncle is over here.” After meeting the five of them, Xu Dong suggested they grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant before heading back, but Xu Ting insisted on going home to eat. According to their older sister, they’d brought snacks with them, so no one was very hungry.