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The New Year's Eve dinner started in the afternoon. Two large round tables were set up in the hall, with rotating tabletops on two levels, which belonged to Tang Xu.
The rotating tabletop was quite a novelty for everyone sitting around it.
Once the table began to rotate, Tang Yang, who was lively and playful, exclaimed, "Wow!"
Tang Xu placed a fish on the table, turned his face to look at him, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"This table, it’s spinning!" Tang Yang pointed to the rotating tabletop, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.
Tang Xu smiled and poked his cheek. "This is a specially made rotating table. The dishes on top just need a little turn to be within reach, so you don’t have to stand up. Isn’t it convenient?"
Upon hearing his explanation, everyone nodded and tried rotating the table. However, Tang Yang used too much force while turning it and almost sent the plates flying off the table.
He and the person sitting next to him, Wei Xi, quickly reached out to press the table down, both looking scared.
Wei Xi turned and glared at him. "Be gentler!"
Tang Yang grinned sheepishly, quickly nodding. "I know, I know! I was just curious!"
Tang Xu stopped paying attention to Tang Yang's constant spinning of the table and went to the kitchen to finish preparing the lamb meatball and shredded radish soup.
He filled two large porcelain bowls with it and nodded at Liu Yao. "Take it out, it’s time to eat."
In the main hall, Old Fu, Zhao Ming, and Liu Ge’er had initially said they wouldn’t sit at the table to eat together, but Tang Xu firmly seated each of them in a chair.
After a whole day of preparing two large tables of New Year’s Eve dishes, Tang Xu held up a glass of wine, standing with a smile as he addressed everyone. “It’s a new year again. I hope our family’s days get better and brighter, that our elders stay healthy, our younger ones succeed in their studies and careers, and our little ones grow up happy and carefree. Come, let’s all raise a glass and drink together!”
There was baijiu and wine, and Tang Xu had also specially made apple juice for the three little ones.
Everyone raised their glasses, their faces beaming with joy.
The three little ones held their small cups, took in the sweet scent of the apple juice, and gulped down a big sip.
The sweet and tangy taste had them drinking a few more sips in delight.
Noticing this, Tang Xu pointed at them. “Finish your meal before drinking more.”
Tang Li tilted her head to look at her three little nephews beside her and waved to Tang Xu with a smile. “Brother, don’t worry about them. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
Tang Xu was seated at the table with the elders, and though the two tables weren’t far apart, he was still at a bit of a distance from the three kids.
He nodded and reminded her, “Don’t let Xiao Bao eat too much. We’ll have dumplings later tonight, and he tends to get indigestion.”
Tang Li agreed readily.
As for the other two little ones, Tang Xu wasn’t worried about them getting indigestion; their digestion was unusually robust.
On the other side, Tang Erhu was sipping his sorghum wine with a look of utter enjoyment.
It had been days since he’d had a drink, and he had missed it dearly.
Seeing him like that, Wang Cuicui couldn’t help but say, “Eat some dishes along with it! Xu Ge’er has been busy all day.”
Tang Erhu chuckled, put down his wine glass, picked up his chopsticks, and helped himself to some food, murmuring, “Xu Ge’er is truly impressive; his homemade wine is just incredible. One sip, and I feel all warm inside.”
Wang Cuicui laughed. “The room’s already heated with the fire wall going. You’d feel warm even without the wine.”
Tang Erhu scoffed lightly, “You just don’t understand.”
Wang Cuicui picked up some food for Tang Erhu and urged him, “Eat something to line your stomach, or you’ll be tipsy after just a couple of glasses.”
Old Wen and Old Sun, meanwhile, weren’t drinking baijiu; instead, they held their glasses of wine, taking in its aroma with careful sips. After tasting it, they exchanged approving glances, clearly enjoying the flavor.
Old Wen turned to Tang Xu, his eyes crinkling with a smile as he asked, “Is this made from the wild grapes you used last year?”
Tang Xu nodded, holding his bowl of rice in one hand and his chopsticks in the other. He swallowed his mouthful of food before replying, “Actually, this one’s from the year before last. Last year’s batch isn’t ready yet—it’s still a bit sour and tart. Do you like it?”
Old Wen nodded. “It’s excellent.”
“I made quite a lot, and there are still some good barrels left. Drinking a little of this every day can be good for your health, so if you enjoy it, help yourself to a couple of glasses each day,” Tang Xu said as he set down his bowl, ladled some soup, and placed it in front of Old Wen. “It’s also good to drink lamb soup in winter.”
Old Wen raised a hand and patted Tang Xu approvingly. “Alright, alright.”
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, then served a bowl of soup to Old Sun and to his father as well, not forgetting to remind his father, “Good wine is nice, but you still need to eat. Otherwise, I’ll start rationing your wine again.”
Tang Erhu gave him a side-eye but didn’t argue further.
After a lively and hearty meal, it was time to stay up for the New Year vigil.
Since the hall didn’t have a kang for resting, the three elderly gentlemen returned to their rooms, saying they’d lie down for a bit and come back later for dumplings.
Those who had been drinking went off to rest, while the non-drinkers tidied up the dishes. Tang Xu then got to work kneading dough and preparing the filling to make dumplings.
“I’ll help roll out the dumpling wrappers, Brother,” Tang Li said as she came in, rolling up her sleeves. She froze for a moment when she saw the large basin of dough. “Why… why did you make so much?”
She knew her brother always cooked generously, but they had just finished a big meal of meat dishes. Even with dumplings later, there was no way they’d eat that much.
It was like he thought they all had his brother-in-law’s appetite.
Tang Xu glanced over and noticed her cheeks were flushed, likely from all the wine she’d had earlier, so he asked, “Why don’t you take a break? I can handle this slowly by myself.”
“I’m not tired at all! Why would I rest? But really, Brother, did you make all this dough to roll out? Who could eat so much after that big meal?” Tang Li had already washed her hands and shook off the water droplets.
Tang Xu kept kneading, giving the dough a firm turn. His chin felt a bit itchy, so he rubbed it against his shoulder.
“If we don’t finish, we can freeze it and eat it tomorrow morning. Leftover food the next day is a tradition—it represents having plenty year after year, you know?”
Tang Li grinned. “Got it, got it! I’ll go wash a coin then. We’ll see who’s lucky enough to find it in their dumpling.”
“I already washed one. You roll out the wrappers; I’ll do the stuffing,” Tang Xu said, moving aside so she could start.
They hadn’t been working long when Wang Cuicui came in. Seeing the siblings chatting and laughing, she called out, “Any room for me?”
They both turned and smiled at her. Tang Xu asked, “Auntie, weren’t you watching those three little rascals? What brings you here?”
“They went off to find Dongzi,” Wang Cuicui replied as she rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands, and pulled a rolling pin from the rack. She started rolling wrappers with Tang Li. “Xu Ge’er, you’re way too fast! Poor Ah Li can’t keep up with you.”
“No need to rush. We’ll just take our time,” Tang Xu said, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand, a frown creasing his brow. “Ah Li, can you take a look? Why does my chin itch so much?”
Tang Xu tilted his head up, and Tang Li did the same to get a better look. She gently pulled him closer to the oil lamp for more light. “Brother, your chin has all these little red spots. Stop rubbing it—I’ll go find Elder Wen and get some ointment. Looks like you’re having an allergic reaction to something.”
Tang Xu nodded and let out a sigh.
Just great—an allergy during the New Year celebration?
But then, he thought back. He hadn’t eaten anything unusual.
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