armyinform Chapter 466: Years, Later
Chapter 466: Years, Later
Several old men greeted the Lu family, then walked aside with Grandpa, as if they had something to discuss.
Lu You let out a long sigh. Dealing with a group of elders who were strangers but seemed to be very familiar with each other was more tiring than a 1,000-meter physical test.
At this time, Shen Yuyin took Lu Jingshu over and handed a bundle of incense to Lu You.
"Go outside and light the incense."
"Can you not go?"
"What do you say?"
Under pressure from Shen Yuyin, Lu You had no choice but to accept it.
There are two oil lamps placed on the left and right corners of the altar.
Lu You walked to one of the lamps and placed the tip of the incense on the outer flame of the lamp.
Soon, an orange-yellow flame ignited at the top of the incense.
After waiting for the flame to burn for more than ten seconds, Lu You held the incense and waved it vigorously a few times.
The flame went out, wisps of white smoke rose, and the tip of the incense changed from yellow to black, with a little gray, which continued to expand over time.
After the incense-lighting work was completed, Lu You walked out of the main hall and first went to the incense burner on the left to light the incense sticks, three sticks at a time. After lighting half of them, he turned around and went to the incense burner on the right to do the same.
During this time, Lu You was very careful to avoid the incense burner that had been inserted by the previous person, but the incense burner was so small and had been inserted into a hedgehog shape, so Lu You's hand inevitably touched it.
The inconspicuous incense ash fell silently on the back of Lu You's hand, burning him so much that he gasped.
After lighting the incense and returning to the main hall, Lu You immediately said to Shen Yuyin: "Don't ask me to light incense in the future. I can't light it at all. It will burn me to death."
"If it's not hot, I'll do it myself. Why is it your turn?"
A question mark appeared above Lu You's head, "You are really the best mother in the world."
"Thanks for the compliment."
After grandpa came back from chatting, the adults also arranged the offerings and entered the next stage.
The twenty or so people from the Lu family lined up in order of seniority and began to pay their respects.
Lu You bowed three times, neither seriously nor perfunctorily, then stopped and stood up.
He used to be a staunch atheist who did not believe in gods and Buddhas. Now he is half convinced. Gods and Buddhas may exist, but it is not certain that they will care about the human world.
The most sincere member of the Lu family was grandma, who kept muttering to herself while she was paying homage.
"I hope God will bless my children with good health and a successful career, Dabao will be successful in school, and Xiaoshu and Xinxin will grow up quickly..."
Lu You heard the names of all the family members and also heard his grandmother's pious blessings.
Lu You covered his chest with his right hand, his heart beating as steadily as ever.
Is grandma feudal and superstitious?
Maybe she just placed her hopes on an illusory existence in order to find peace of mind.
Shen Yuyin noticed Lu You's movements and asked, "What's wrong with you? Does your chest hurt?"
Lu You put his hand down, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine."
"Don't hide it from me, is everything really okay?" Shen Yuyin was a little unconvinced.
"Do I need to hide it from you?"
"That's good."
After the worship, Grandpa told everyone to pack up and prepare to leave.
Lu Buyu opened the carton and pulled out a pack of firecrackers with a diameter of one meter. Lu You on the side took two steps back silently.
"Want to try it?" Lu Buyu said with a smile.
Lu You decisively waved his hand and refused, "No."
"Try it, it's fun!"
"No thanks. A gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall."
Lu Buyu sneered and asked, "What kind of gentleman are you?"
Lu You replied seriously: "Several doors."
Lu Buyu left with the firecrackers.
After watching him walk out of the temple gate, Lu You pulled over Lu Jingshu, who was playing happily with other children, and covered her ears with his hands.
As for Lu You himself, he wore noise-cancelling headphones and was not afraid at all.
Lu Jingshu raised her little head and was about to ask Lu You why he interrupted her play when the crackling sound of firecrackers rang beside her ears.
Then, a dishevelled figure flashed past the door.
Lu You sneered in his heart.
He even lied to me and said firecrackers were fun, and I almost believed him.
After the worship ceremony was over, the Lu family did not go home directly, but came to the village cultural square under the leadership of grandfather.
It is called a cultural square, but in fact it is just a cement basketball court commonly seen in rural areas.
There were more people in the square than in the ancestral temple. Most of them were old men and women with gray hair, and there were also children shouting and running around. It was as lively as a vegetable market.
Grandpa walked straight towards the gathering point for the old men and women. Lu You's heart skipped a beat and he had a bad premonition.
Oh no! I’m going to be questioned again!
What are you afraid of?
After the elders got acquainted with each other, the topic immediately shifted to the younger generations.
The most popular one is Lu Yanxin, because he is a new face, showing up for the first time. The next one is Lu You, a top student from Capital University, who is a talent that every old student wants to touch.
Finally it was Lu Jingshu's turn. It wasn't that she was unattractive, but her title of being the youngest was taken away by Lu Yanxin, so her popularity dropped.
After discussing the younger generation, the old man continued to reminisce about the past and talk about family matters, occasionally inserting a few words about past history and current politics.
The key point is that it would be fine if the old people just chatted, but grandpa insisted on asking Lu You to stay and listen.
It would be fine if you were just listening, but some of the people with slurred speech liked to pull Lu You into the topic.
The local dialect with a strong accent made Lu You feel like he was in ecstasy, but he was too embarrassed to ask them to repeat it, so he just mumbled and ahed to fool them.
The ordeal ended at three o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun was high in the sky, and everyone set off for home.
After arriving home, Lu You was exhausted and fell on the sofa with a tired face.
Lingxuzi came closer with eager eyes, wanting to get intimate with Lu You, but he pushed him away with disgust.
"Climb away, I don't have the energy to deal with you."
Lingxuzi walked away dejectedly, but soon he and Lu Jingshu were having fun in the backyard again.
Looking at the lively figures of the man and the dog, Lu You's eyes were filled with emotion.
“Children have so much energy!”
Shen Yuyin's voice came from behind him.
"I see you have plenty of energy, come and help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
Lu You covered his eyes, wanting to cry but unable to, "Can't you just let me take a break?"
"ten minutes."
"Mom, has anyone ever told you that you are suitable to be a supervisor in an electronics factory?"
"With my family background, I can only be a boss."
After lying in silence for ten minutes, Lu You got up and went to the kitchen.
Many women in the Lu family gathered together, but no one worked.
"What are you waiting for?" Lu You asked puzzledly.
"Waiting for the chef!" Shen Yuyin replied.
Lu You looked around and found that one person was missing, his grandmother was not there.
"The chef you are talking about, isn't that me?"
Shen Yuyin patted Lu You on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Do a good job, Mom is counting on you."
Lu You clenched his fists. He really wanted to swear, but unfortunately everyone present was his relatives, so he couldn't.
The New Year's Eve dinner is neither difficult nor easy. The dishes are basically fixed every year, with two or three dishes changing occasionally, and the cooking is relatively easy. The main difficulty is that there are many people in the Lu family, so the variety and quantity of dishes are also large.
Lu You walked to the workbench, scanning the ingredients on the table one by one, and the corresponding dishes appeared in his mind.
The soup is made from chicken soup cooked in the morning, and you can add some scallops, oysters and mushrooms and process it again before eating.
The chicken is for worshipping gods. It can be served after being chopped quickly, heated and boiled.
Braised pork with preserved vegetables is also used for worshiping gods. It has been fried in advance, sliced and topped with a layer of preserved vegetables, then thrown into a pot and steamed. When it comes out of the oven, it becomes braised pork with preserved vegetables.
The New Year’s Eve dinner for two of the three families was half completed, and the remaining fish was not difficult to prepare.
A stainless steel basin is filled with several killed groupers, which are cut into pieces, marinated for a while, and then steamed.
Except for the three major restaurants, the rest of the dishes need to be made from scratch.
Lu You pondered for a while and decided to start with Australian dragons.
To be honest, Lu You was very glad that the shrimps he bought were old shrimps, which were large and easy to handle. If he bought river shrimps or sea shrimps, the family would have to deal with at least hundreds of them, and it would probably be very stressful.
Lu You put on an apron, fished a Australian lobster out of the water and placed it on the chopping board.
The antennae and short legs on the abdomen of the Australian dragon are still moving, and it is obvious that it is in very good spirits.
Lu You found a knife, held Aolong's head with his left hand, and stabbed the knife with his right hand into the gap between Aolong's head and body, then moved half a circle along the edge of the body.
The Australian dragon struggled violently and then disappeared completely.
Lu You put down the knife with his right hand, grabbed Ao Long's body, rotated it a few times, and then pulled it hard.
Transparent blood splattered, the head and body of the Australian lobster were separated, and the crystal clear shrimp meat was very eye-catching.
The women watching exclaimed.
"Dabao's technique is still good!"
“It is a delight to the eyes and can be called art.”
"Your girlfriend will be blessed in the future!"
Lu You couldn't help it anymore, so he put down the shrimp heads and bodies and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, can you please stop just watching and lend a hand? Are you expecting me to take care of the New Year's Eve dinner by myself?"
The women dispersed and each looked for work to do.
Lu You missed the nannies at home more than ever, but there was nothing he could do. They were not slaves, they had their own families and had to go home for the New Year.
……
Lu You was very busy, but Tang Wan was still idle.
She sat at the desk, holding her face in her hands, staring at the screen of her mobile phone, and muttered softly, "It's been several hours, why hasn't my husband replied to my message yet? Could he have traveled through time again?"
Tang Wan was sitting on an ergonomic chair that could be turned in circles.
She put her legs together, pushed the edge of the table with her hands, and spun three or four times on the spot.
"Oh God! Give me something to do!"
Invisibly, it seemed as if some existence responded to Tang Wan.
Zhao Huijuan pushed open the door and said in a tone that did not allow for negotiation: "Come out and help."
Tang Wan really wanted to slap herself twice.
Isn't it good to be idle? If you must say something suicidal,
"Isn't Dad helping you? Do you still need me?"
"He does his thing, you do your thing, it doesn't matter."
Seeing that there was no hope of rejection, Tang Wan had no choice but to put on her slippers and follow Zhao Huijuan to the kitchen.
Tang Yixiong held a kitchen knife and chopped the chicken with a loud noise. Tang Jing stood in front of the sink, washing vegetables silently.
Everyone has something to do and everyone has a bright future.
"What should I do?" Tang Wan asked.
"Here." Zhao Huijuan pointed to a black plastic bag in a basin on the ground and said, "Your task is to clean the shrimps in the bag."
"What's the solution?"
“Cut off the shrimp heads and remove the shrimp threads.”
"I won't."
"I teach you."
Zhao Huijuan untied the plastic bag, and a bunch of fresh shrimps were lying in the water.
Tang Wan's face suddenly changed, and she said in horror: "Is he still alive?!"
"Cut off the shrimp head and remove the shrimp thread, and it will die."
"Mom, this joke is not funny."
"Who is kidding you?" Zhao Huijuan pointed to a row of hooks on the wall and said, "Go get a pair of scissors."
Tang Wan obediently took the scissors.
"Let me demonstrate it to you, watch carefully."
Zhao Huijuan picked up a shrimp at random, cut off the shrimp's mouth at a 45° angle from bottom to top, then squeezed out a ball of black internal organs, and then gently pulled it out, and a black shrimp thread was pulled out.
Tang Wan witnessed the entire process of a shrimp's birth and death.
"Do you understand?"
Tang Wan swallowed and asked, "Can I not do this job?"
"can."
Tang Wan was delighted and was about to exaggerate Zhao Huijuan's goodness.
"But don't eat the New Year's Eve dinner later."
Tang Wan suddenly lost her joy.
She turned her gaze towards Tang Jing, switching to a begging gesture, and said, "Brother, can you ..."
Tang Jing didn't even turn his head, and replied coldly: "I don't have a sister like you."
hateful!
Tang Wan really wanted to kick Tang Jing twice.
"I'll demonstrate it again. You must remember it."
"Oh."
Zhao Huijuan copied and pasted the previous action again and asked, "Do you understand it now?"
"I know." Tang Wan said listlessly.
"Then start."
Tang Wan took the scissors from Zhao Huijuan's hand, took a small stool, and then remembered that shrimps are seafood with a strong fishy smell, so she put on plastic gloves again.
Everything is ready and the work officially begins.
Tang Wan imitated Zhao Huijuan and picked up a shrimp, but her right hand holding the scissors was shaking slightly and she couldn't make the first cut.
I'm sorry, Xia Xia, I didn't mean to kill you.
But humans have different paths. If you don’t die, I will starve. If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth!
Tang Wan found the right position, closed her eyes, made up her mind, and closed the scissors, and the sharp shrimp head fell into the basin.
Even through a layer of plastic, Tang Wan could clearly feel that a little life was passing away in her hands.
Is this killing?
Unexpectedly... it's pretty good!
Tang Wan opened her eyes again, suppressed her nausea and squeezed out the shrimp's internal organs, then used this to pull out the shrimp thread.
All things are difficult at the beginning. Once the first step is taken, the rest is just a matter of time.
……
Half past six in the evening.
Night arrives.
Lu You poured the last spoonful of fried peanut oil on the vegetables, then let out a long sigh of relief.
After three hours of hard work, I finally got the New Year’s Eve dinner done.
If time could go back three years, he would never reveal the fact that he knew cooking.
Lu You took off her apron and walked out of the kitchen carrying the vegetables.
There are two tables in the restaurant, one for adults and one for children.
Lu You walked towards the children's table, placed the vegetables on the table, and then sat in the empty seat.
After working hard all day, Master Lu finally got to eat.
When all the Lu family members arrived, grandpa asked everyone to pick up their chopsticks.
The children at the children's table immediately threw away their reserve and acted like wild beasts, with the sound of chopsticks colliding with the plates making endless crisp sounds.
Lu You was not in a hurry to eat. He took a can of coconut milk from the side, opened the pull ring, and drank half of the bottle in one breath.
Lu Jingshu was sitting on Lu You's left. She wanted to eat the boiled chicken leg, but her arms were too short to reach it, so she could only pull Lu You's sleeve.
"Brother, I want to eat chicken legs."
Lu You picked up the chopsticks and put the chicken leg into Lu Jingshu's bowl.
"What else do you want to eat?"
"Pineapple."
Pineapple duck is one of the New Year’s Eve dinners made by Lu You. He had made it before in his villa in Yangcheng. Lu Jingshu showed through her actions that she liked it very much.
Lu You picked a piece of pineapple that was neither too big nor too small, just enough for Lu Jingshu to finish in one bite.
"Give."
"Thank you, brother."
Lu Jingshu lowered her head to the bowl and shoveled the pineapple into her mouth.
When you bite it down with your teeth, juice bursts out.
"Bah!" Lu Jingshu immediately spat the pineapple back into the bowl, "Brother, you are lying!"
"what happened?"
"This isn't a pineapple, it's a piece of ginger!"
"Sorry, my brother is presbyopic."
Looking at the ginger pieces in Lu Jingshu's bowl that looked exactly like the pineapple, Lu You was speechless.
Two twin brothers, they would be frightened even if their father came!
For the New Year’s Eve dinner, filling your stomach is secondary; chatting and increasing relationships are the key.
At the adults' table, people talk about career and politics; at the children's table, people talk about games and hobbies.
Lu You also plays games and can occasionally join in the conversation, but compared to junior high school, he spends much less time on games and doesn’t play them deeply enough, so what he says sounds a bit like a cloud player.
After several rounds of conversation, Lu You figured out some of the situation.
Girls of his generation mainly watch TV series and play mobile games, while boys play mobile games, PC games, and consoles, and have dabbled in all kinds of game types.
The New Year’s Eve dinner lasted more than an hour.
There were still some leftovers on the adults' table, but the children's table was so empty that there were only a few green onion leaves stuck on the plates.
During the finishing work after dinner, Shen Yuyin was not a devil after all, and let Lu You go.
Lu You came to the pavilion in the backyard, took out his cell phone and called Tang Wan.
The ring lasted less than two seconds before the other end picked up the call.
【Hello. 】
Familiar voice, familiar tone, Tang Wan's face appeared in Lu You's mind, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised.
"have you eaten?"
[Hey? Isn't this the eldest young master of the Lu family? You finally remembered me? I thought you forgot you had a girlfriend! ]
Lu You knew that Tang Wan was being mad because he hadn't contacted her for a long time, so he reported today's itinerary truthfully.
"I went to see the kids after breakfast in the morning, and then went to the temple to burn incense and worship the gods at 10 o'clock. After worshiping the gods, I went to the village to deal with the old men and women. I didn't get home until three in the afternoon. After I got home, I wanted to rest for a few minutes before sending you a message, but my mother dragged me to make New Year's Eve dinner. Until now, I have time to call you."
[Doesn't Fu Ge have a nanny? Does he need to cook for himself? ]
"The nanny also has a family and has to go home for the New Year."
[Hmph, you passed! ]
“Want to start the video?”
【Wait a minute, I'll go back to my room. 】
While waiting, Lu You took out his Bluetooth headset and put it on, then switched to a position with his back against the stone pillar.
[Okay, that's fine.]
The next second, a video call request popped up, Lu You clicked to accept, and then Tang Wan's pretty face appeared on the screen.
She changed her hairstyle today. Instead of letting her hair down naturally as usual, she tied it into a ponytail, which added a bit of youthfulness and beauty.
【Can you see me? 】
"I can see it, can you?"
[I can do that, but it's so dark over there, are you hunting in the jungle? ]
"I'm in the gazebo in the backyard, and the lights are off. I'll go turn them on."
As soon as he finished speaking, the light tube on top of the pavilion suddenly lit up.
[Are all the lights in your gazebo voice-controlled? ]
Lu You waved to Lu Chun who turned on the light for him in the house to express his gratitude, and explained: "That's not the case. My cousin turned on the light for me."
[By the way, will your family set off fireworks this year? ]
"It's guaranteed. How can the New Year feel good without fireworks? There are firecrackers, fairy sticks, whips, ice cream, Gatling guns, peacocks spreading their tails, and colorful lotus flowers. The whole room is full of them."
【so good! 】
Tang Wan held her chin with one hand, her expression full of envy.
[I want to set off fireworks too! I have forgotten when was the last time I set off fireworks, was it ten years ago? Or twenty years ago?]
"Were you twenty years old? Twenty years ago?" Lu You said with a smile.
Logan snorted again.
[Is it not okay for me to listen to the noise in my mother's stomach? ]
"It's okay, you don't have to be jealous. I'll leave you one of each firework. You can enjoy it as you like on the third day of the New Year."
[Oh my, you are the best, my husband. I love you so much, mua~]
"Blowing a kiss is too empty, let's do something practical."
[New Year's Day, don't shiver! ]
Having said that, after Lu You's constant persuasion, Tang Wan still gave in to his wishes, pulled down her collar, and revealed her snow-white skin to the camera.
Unfortunately, even with the equipment protecting me, I couldn’t see the tip of the peach.
[Okay, that's all for now. If you want more, just wait for me to come over and you can play it.]
Lu You felt regretful, but said nothing more.
"What dishes do you have for your New Year's Eve dinner this year?"
【Eh! 】
Tang Wan's interest suddenly soared.
【Speaking of New Year's Eve dinner, I have something to tell you. 】
"What's the matter? Tell me."
Tang Wan moved closer to the phone screen, her delicate face shrouded in the shadow of the desk.
[I broke my vow of not killing today.]
Lu You changed his sitting position with a faint smile on his face.
"Who did you kill?"
[I slaughtered the entire family of shrimp! ]
"Wow, that's scary."
Tang Wan pouted and moved her upper body back to its original position, with the light shining on her face again.
【You are just trying to fool me. 】
"No, I really think you are amazing."
Tang Wan turned her head away, looking annoyed.
If possible, Lu You really wanted to crawl over along the Internet cable and pinch Tang Wan's face.
That's so cute!
"How about waiting for you to come over and show me your skills?"
[If you ask me to show off, I will. Wouldn't that make me lose face? ]
"What do you want?"
[Call me "wife" twice. 】
"Woman, don't be shameless. I let you show off because I think highly of you."
[Hey, you're still pretending, do you really think I'm afraid of you? ]
...(End of chapter)