Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve.

Lin Shengli woke up early in the morning. He got up and first circulated his spiritual energy through his body as usual, feeling it flowing gently through his meridians, dispelling the last trace of sleepiness and bringing him a refreshed feeling.

After washing up, he went into the chilly outer kitchen, took out a little bit of flour that he had specially set aside yesterday from the cupboard, mixed it with water, lit a small fire in the stove, and slowly simmered it into a small bowl of thick flour paste.

Holding the bowl of still-warm paste, Lin Shengli walked to the courtyard gate.

He carefully unfolded the couplet that read, "Silver needles and herbs cure diseases and pains; barefoot and devoted to the people; pioneers of health." The red paper and black characters stood out vividly against the backdrop of the pristine snow and the dusty earthen walls.

First, apply paste, then align the upper couplet, lower couplet, and horizontal scroll one by one, stick them flat, and press them firmly.

Taking two steps back to examine it closely, the bright red couplets pasted on the simple wooden door of the courtyard seemed to instantly inject vibrant life and a strong festive atmosphere into this quiet courtyard.

He nodded in satisfaction, then took out two bottles of wine from his own space before carrying the remaining bowl of paste and walking towards the educated youth settlement.

The village was already awake, immersed in the busyness and joy unique to New Year's Eve.

Most households had brand-new couplets pasted on their door lintels. Although the content was mostly slogans full of the times, such as "Never forget the Communist Party after liberation, always think of Chairman Mao in our happiness" and "Grasp revolution and promote production, prepare for war and famine for the people," the bright red color still decorated the whole village with a festive atmosphere.

The air is filled with the rich aroma of stewed meat, the oily fragrance of fried noodles, and the sweet scent of steamed bean buns, mixed with the smoke from firewood and the crisp chill, creating a unique atmosphere for the "New Year".

The children, their faces washed clean, ran and laughed in the village. Occasionally, a few of the bolder ones would light a small firecracker that had been taken apart, and the crisp "pop" would elicit cheers and exaggerated reprimands from the adults.

Lin Shengli walked briskly through the sounds and smells of other people's lively New Year celebrations, but his mind was on the "New Year" created by the four strangers in the educated youth settlement.

Soon, he arrived at the educated youth settlement.

The gate to the youth settlement was still closed, but wisps of smoke were already rising from the chimney. He knocked on the door, and immediately heard Li Kuiyong's loud reply and hurried footsteps from inside.

"Here it comes! It's victory, isn't it?" The courtyard gate creaked open, and Li Kuiyong poked half his body out, his face flushed with excitement, holding a kitchen knife covered in scallions.

"We've been waiting for you! We're busy right now! The couplets haven't been put up yet!"

Lin Shengli smiled and raised the bowl of paste in his hand: "I've already prepared the paste, and I'm just waiting for you, the 'laborer,' to do it."

The two worked together seamlessly and quickly pasted their couplets on the slightly mottled wooden door of the educated youth settlement.

After finishing, Li Kuiyong stood with his hands on his hips, admiring the work for a while, then chuckled and said, "Now it's all done! Our educated youth settlement has had a 'good start'!"

Pushing open the kitchen door, a wave of heat, a mixture of food aromas, steam, and body temperature, hits you, creating a stark contrast to the coolness outside.

On an old octagonal table were several large basins containing pre-processed ingredients: soaked wood ear mushrooms and mushrooms, shredded pickled cabbage, diced frozen tofu, washed-white cabbage, and a small bowl of golden egg liquid.

Wei Jun was wearing an apron and stirring dumpling filling in a large basin.

Jiang Yuanchao assisted by carefully washing the dishes and arranging the plates and dishes to be used later.

"Victory is here!" Wei Jun shouted without looking up, his hands still stirring the meat filling. "Perfect timing! Come and see how my minced meat is turning out!"

Lin Shengli looked at the dumpling filling in the large earthenware basin and found that it was made of minced pork with a good balance of lean and fat, along with finely chopped scallions and cabbage.

Lin Shengli leaned over and smelled it, then picked up a little with the tip of his chopsticks and tasted it, nodding: "The saltiness is just right, it's quite fragrant, but there's a bit too little oil."

"Insightful!" Wei Jun laughed. "Last time we brought back some yellow-haired pheasants from the mountain, I specially saved some pork and lard, just in time for today. By the way, Kui Yong, don't just stand there, go and bring in some firewood, we need to burn plenty, the fire can't go out today!"

Lin Shengli then remembered that he hadn't finished eating the two little yellow-haired chickens. He had forgotten about it when he went to the training. But he had fried the two yellow-haired chickens in lard and then sealed them in oil.

However, seeing that the educated youth settlement had prepared quite a lot of ingredients today, he didn't mention it again.

Upon hearing Wei Jun's words, Li Kuiyong responded and quickly ran to the backyard to gather firewood.

Lin Shengli also took off his cotton-padded coat and rolled up his sleeves: "What should I do? Chop dumpling filling? Or knead dough?"

Jiang Yuanchao pushed up his glasses and pointed to the basin next to him, saying, "I've already kneaded the dough, but it needs to rest a bit longer. Shengli, if you're free, could you tear those mushrooms into smaller pieces for me? Wei Jun said he'll use them to stew chicken later."

"Okay." Lin Shengli took the small bowl of mushrooms and began to carefully tear them apart.

These mushrooms are hazel mushrooms from the mountains. After being dried and soaked, they emit a unique and rich mushroom aroma.

Each of the four people had their own duties, and the small educated youth settlement was filled with the sounds of pots and pans clattering, firewood crackling, and relaxed laughter among themselves. Busy yet orderly, it exuded the warmth of a simple yet sincere "home" that belonged to them.

The main tasks in the morning were preparing ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner and making dumplings.

According to Northeastern customs, dumplings are eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve, symbolizing the transition to the new year. However, preparations must be made well in advance.

Wei Jun, as the head chef, oversaw the entire operation.

He first cut the thick piece of roe deer fat into small pieces and put it in a pot to simmer slowly over low heat.

Soon, the aroma of caramelized oil filled the air, whetting one's appetite.

The rendered roe deer oil was clear and fragrant. He carefully scooped out most of it, intending to use it for mixing dumpling fillings and stir-frying vegetables.

The cracklings weren't wasted either; sprinkled with a little salt, they became a crispy snack that the four of them would fight over during breaks from work.

Next, he began to process the pheasant he had been raising for several days.

The pheasant had already been cleaned and was now chopped into evenly sized pieces.

Wei Jun heated the wok, added a spoonful of soybean oil, and then added scallions and ginger to sauté until fragrant. He then added the chicken pieces and stir-fried them over high heat until the chicken skin tightened and turned slightly yellow. He then added a little white wine to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, and finally added soy sauce for color.

The stir-fried chicken pieces were transferred to the largest iron pot, with plenty of boiling water added, along with soaked hazel mushrooms, a few slices of ginger, a section of scallion, and a small handful of dried red chili peppers. The pot was then covered and slowly simmered over the gradually rising firewood in the stove.

Soon, the rich aroma of chicken and mushrooms wafted out irresistibly, becoming the absolute protagonist of the educated youth settlement's scent that day.

In another, smaller pot, Wei Jun began preparing another main dish—braised rabbit meat.

While cold-served rabbit is delicious, the New Year emphasizes warmth and abundance, so Wei Jun decided to change the preparation method.

The blanched rabbit meat chunks are put back into the pot, stir-fried with scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns, then water, soy sauce, and a little sugar are added, and the pot is simmered over low heat. The deliciousness of the rabbit meat and the spiciness of the spices gradually blend together.

Meanwhile, Lin Shengli and Jiang Yuanchao had already begun preparing for the main event: making dumplings.

Lin Shengli was strong and was in charge of kneading the dough.

The risen dough was repeatedly kneaded and pressed in his hands, becoming smooth and elastic.

Jiang Yuanchao carefully stirred the seasoned minced meat again, added chopped wood ear mushrooms and squeezed-dry pickled cabbage, and finally poured in warm roe deer oil, stirring vigorously in one direction until the filling became oily, sticky, and fragrant.

Li Kuiyong was also busy, handling some odd jobs: peeling and chopping potatoes, slicing radishes, shredding cabbage, and cutting frozen tofu into thick slices.

His knife skills weren't great, but he was very hardworking, and the rhythmic thumping sound of him chopping vegetables was quite impressive.

"I'd say this meal is quite a feast even in the city, right?" Li Kuiyong exclaimed happily as he chopped radishes. "We have chicken, rabbit, and even roe deer dumplings. You couldn't get all that in the city without connections! We got this all by ourselves!"

Jiang Yuanchao carefully wrapped a dumpling and said, "More than that." The dumplings he wrapped were delicate in shape, with even pleats, and each one stood on the lid like a small ingot.

Wei Jun wiped his sweat, glanced at the dumplings piling up on the lid, then at the bubbling meat in the pot, and said with boundless pride, "That's right! Look who's cooking! We're in this vast land, so we have to make the most of it! Tonight, just the four of us, close the door, and treat ourselves to a good meal! We'll eat our fill!"

Time flew by as we chatted and laughed.

At noon, the four of them simply ate some noodles with pickled vegetables, saving all their anticipation and appetite for the New Year's Eve dinner.

In the afternoon, the main cooking was finished. The chicken and rabbit were simmering slowly over a low flame, and several trays of dumplings were wrapped and neatly arranged outside to freeze.

The four of them were finally able to catch their breath.

They boiled some hot water, washed their faces thoroughly, and changed into relatively clean and tidy clothes. Although they were still old clothes with patches, they were clean and looked energetic.

After working hard for most of the day, I'm now idle and don't know what to do.

The sounds of firecrackers and faint noises coming from the village outside only accentuated the tranquility of their little world.

A faint homesickness, a feeling that belongs to those far from home, quietly arises in the warm air.

"Sitting around like this is boring," Lin Shengli broke the silence, pulling a brand-new deck of cards from his pocket (actually, from his spatial storage). "Look at this!"

When Li Kuiyong saw the playing cards in his hand, he was overjoyed: "Wow, Shengli, you're well-prepared! Come on, let's play!"

As he spoke, he took the playing cards from Lin Shengli's hand, unfolded them, and shuffled them deftly.

Four people sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), playing cards around the kang table. The shouts and yells of the young people could be heard far away.

As dusk fell, the sound of firecrackers began to echo sporadically through the village. At first, it was just one or two tentative sounds, but then it gradually became more frequent, with crackling and popping sounds rising and falling. A faint smell of gunpowder filled the air, pushing the New Year's atmosphere to its climax.