Chapter 172: “The Legendary Swordsman” Is On
Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia
Qin Guan took a taxi home. He pushed the door open carefully and saw that his parents were sleeping.
Wherever they were, they made themselves at home. Qin Guan took off his suit and fake collar, feeling slightly drunk. Sweet dreams!
Sweet dreams? Of course! Qin Guan's parents had been there for several days. They were really good at socializing, so they had quickly established a good relationship with the old people and idlers of the neighborhood mittees.
His mother had joined the munity Yangge group, and his father had made friends with Chinese chess fans.
Qin Guan felt ruthlessly abandoned by them. He had prepared a map and a tour, intending to take them to the Summer Palace and other famous sights, but his plan had met a premature end.
His parents had turned up their noses when they’d heard it. No one liked strolling around in the winter!
Still, they led a happy life before the Spring Festival. His mother had even brought a gong and a drum home for practice.
Clang, clang, clang...
"Qin Guan, ask your mother to stop!"
"No! She didn't stop you when you watched that fishing petition at home."
Both father and son were cowards, but their neighbours would stop her.
...…
Far from her hometown, Qin Guan's mother had failed to make her traditional Spring Festival cold dish, the aniseed smoked Spanish mackerel and salty sausage. She was still able to serve them a large basin of Y city specialties though, such as assorted stewed meat.
If the king of stewed dishes was the Buddha Skipping Wall, and the household stewed dishes representative was the Northeastern Chinese hotchpotch, one could say that Y city assorted stewed meat bined the merits of both.
It didn’t require as much work or as many delicate ingredients as the Buddha Skipping Wall, nor was it as bold or cheap as hotchpotch.
It was enjoying to watch Qin Guan’s mother cook. Both Qin Guan and his father would be satisfied with just assorted stewed meat as their New Year's Eve dinner.
Qin Guan’s mother used various ingredients for the dish, but not very expensive ones. Qin Guan helped her curiously, trying to learn from her.
After cutting the sea cucumbers, pork bellies, testicles, lunch meat, carrots, chicken breasts, quail eggs, shrimp, and scallops, she boiled everything in a tasty chicken soup.
Then she took out all the ingredients one by one and put them in a large celadon bowl in a flowery shape. Next, she added a little salt, ajinomoto and cooking wine to the soup and boiled it again to thicken the mixture of cornstarch and water. Finally, the soup was poured into the bowl. The dish was ready.
There were also traditional steamed yellow croakers, prawns, Fushan carbonado and Spanish mackerel dumplings made by Qin Guan's father. It was a simple, but abundant New Year's Eve dinner.
Joy was overflowing. Despite the strange environment, Qin Guan's parents were very happy. It was a pletely new experience for them. Squabs had to leave the nest after all. Before they left though, parents liked to acpany them for a while.
Qin Guan's family traditionally watched the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. They heard the sound of a few firecrackers outside. Not long after, firecrackers were forbidden in urban areas.
They didn't go to sleep until they heard the New Year bell.
Happy times flashed by. Several days after the Spring Festival, Qin Guan saw his parents off. His eyes were filled with tears as he watched the train speed away. Am I too sentimental?
After the winter holidays, the "The Legendary Swordsman
Reviews
All reviews (0)