Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 105 Big Meatballs

In mid-January 1961, Lou Xiao'e became pregnant again with Shen Zhixia's help. He Yuzhu returned from the hospital with a radiant smile.

Humming "Dingjun Mountain" while chopping vegetables:

This letter came at just the right time.

Heaven helped Huang Zhong succeed in his endeavors.

Standing at the camp gate to relay the camp signal.

Listen to the roots, young and old:

The drumbeats sounded, and the meal was prepared.

Two drumbeats, tighten battle robes.

Three drumbeats, sword drawn.

The four drums sounded, signaling the surrender of the troops.

Everyone who stepped forward received a reward.

Retreating will inevitably lead to being stabbed.

The generals and their master returned to camp.

The crabapple blossoms, singing "The Dragon and the Phoenix" while being stir-fried:

"The military officer is very unreasonable."

They shouldn't have harassed us, a perfectly good family.

Good families come to bad families.

The crabapple blossoms shouldn't have been inserted at an angle.

He was coy and charming, yet remarkably elegant.

The beauty of this crabapple blossom is truly captivating.

He even hummed while changing He Xiao's diaper. He Xiao babbled and reached out to grab his mouth, so he gently tapped his son's forehead with his finger and said with a smile, "Your mom is carrying another one in her tummy, so you'll be a big brother from now on."

Lou Xiao'e leaned against the headboard, smiling with pursed lips. Shen Zhixia brought in a bowl of red date and longan soup. He Yuzhu took the bowl and placed it on the bedside table, glancing back at her: "From now on, replace this soup with millet and brown sugar porridge. Longan promotes blood circulation, so eat less of it during the first three months."

Shen Zhixia nodded and made a mental note. Lou Xiao'e pulled her hand and made her sit down, and the two women sat side by side against the headboard.

Xiao'e gently patted Zhixia's hand: "When your belly gets bigger, you'll be in charge of taking He Xiao to bathe and all that."

Zhixia grasped her hand in return: "Don't worry, Sister Xiao'e."

February 14th is Lunar New Year's Eve. Ma Hua and Ma Qiang went back to their parents' house a few days ago. Before leaving, He Yuzhu packed a lot of things for them, including fish, meat and chicken.

The two apprentices kowtowed to their master and mistresses to wish them a Happy New Year, their eyes red and swollen. He Yuzhu waved them away, telling them to get lost and stop crying.

There was no one in the kitchen. Before coming in, he closed the door, closed his eyes, and with a thought, the leg and buttock meat separated cleanly from the bone, leaving no residue on the skeleton. The meat moved without wind, as if pressed into fine mince by an invisible hand in mid-air.

Minced ginger, minced scallions, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and starch were added one by one, while the minced meat swirled and stirred in mid-air, gradually becoming sticky. Then, an unseen hand began to squeeze out meatballs, and round meatballs formed out of thin air and landed on the tray beside them.

It was piled up in two layers. He Yuzhu didn't touch a single hair on it the entire time.

As evening fell, He Yuzhu carried a large tray of raw meatballs to the central courtyard. There, a large pot was bubbling away, cooking a mixed noodle porridge. Wang Caifeng was in charge of the ladle, Yang Ruihua was assisting, and Qin Huairu was squatting by the stove, taking turns adding firewood.

Xiao Wang stood to the side, holding a notebook and writing something down.

"Officer Wang, it's Chinese New Year, let's add some dishes for everyone. Two for each person, divided according to headcount." He Yuzhu said, then poured the meatballs into the pot.

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned. Jia Zhangshi was the first to react; she grabbed her bowl and pushed her way to the front, shouting, "Make way, make way! Ten meatballs for five people in my family!"

Yan Bugui took the spoon from Wang Caifeng and pushed the meatballs aside. The porridge in the pot was bubbling, the meatballs were slowly changing color, and the aroma of meat wafted out with the steam, filling the whole yard.

Everyone gathered in several circles, swallowing their saliva and anxiously waiting for the meatballs to cook.

He Yuzhu stood at a distance smoking, and when the meatballs floated to the surface, he turned and left. He was afraid that if he saw what happened next, he wouldn't be able to eat his New Year's Eve dinner.

Yan Bugui quickly scooped up the meatballs with a spoon, giving Yang Ruihua eight first. Then he distributed them to the rest of the courtyard, with each person taking two.

He took a bite out of his bangs and handed the other half to Wang Caifeng. Wang Caifeng took it and put it in her mouth. After chewing, she turned around and gave one to each of Guangtian and Guangfu.

Madam Jia Zhang squatted at the door with a bowl in her hand, swallowing two meatballs in one gulp. She then picked up two more, skewered them with chopsticks, and mumbled, "These meatballs are quite big. Xiao Dang and Huai Ru can each have one. Dong Xu and I will eat these two."

Xiao Wang silently kept count, two for each person, no more and no less.

Two large round tables were set up in the main room of the courtyard.

Old Li's family of three, Xu Damao and his wife, the five elderly women in the south wing and Gou Dan, plus He Yuzhu's family of four. The braised mutton was steaming in the casserole, the sweet and sour carp was fried until crispy, and the braised prawns were bright red and oily, each as big as a palm.

The aroma of the stir-fried cured pork with garlic shoots filled the entire courtyard, effectively masking the meaty smell emanating from the neighboring courtyard.

He Xiao sat in the bamboo cart, waving his little fists, while Yu Shui teased him by pinching his cheeks.

Xu Damao's wife, Li Hongmei, sat at the table, her belly already showing. More than five months pregnant, she wore a loose-fitting cotton-padded coat. She sipped the chicken soup He Yuzhu had specially prepared, and Lou Xiao'e placed a piece of braised mutton on her plate, saying, "Eat more meat during pregnancy, it'll help the baby grow well."

Li Hongmei smiled and accepted the soup, saying, "Thank you, Sister Lou." Xu Damao watched Hongmei drink the soup, muttering to himself, "I wonder if it's a son or a daughter."

Lou Xiao'e said with a smile, "It would be best to have a daughter. You and Brother He have a good relationship, so you can arrange a marriage between He Xiao and our two families. Then we'll be in-laws."

He Yuzhu was wiping the rice paste from He Xiao's mouth without looking up: "No. Da Mao has such a long face, if he has a daughter, she'll take after him. If she marries into my family, He Xiao will wake up every morning and see a horse-faced man lying next to her, and she'll think my He family owes the Xu family a debt."

Everyone at the table laughed. Old Li, holding his wine glass, laughed so hard he coughed, and Tian Xinghua patted him on the back twice.

Xu Damao stood up anxiously, pointing at Li Hongmei's face: "Look at Hongmei's face! Hongmei has a round face! A daughter might take after her mother. But no, she gave birth to a son, definitely a son."

Li Hongmei tugged at him from below, her face slightly flushed: "Sit down." Xu Damao sat down, still muttering, "If I have a son, he'll take after Hongmei, he'll definitely take after Hongmei."

Lou Xiao'e laughed and patted He Yuzhu's arm: "Stop teasing him."

He Yuzhu picked up his chopsticks and slowly took a piece of mutton: "You can also inspect the goods first. If the goods are not as described, you can return them on the spot."

Xu Damao's face turned red with anxiety: "There's no such thing as a return! Do you think this is a supply and marketing cooperative selling thermos flasks?" Everyone at the table laughed again, even the older women grinned. Gou Dan raised his head from his rice bowl, his cheeks bulging, and chuckled indistinctly.

Xu Damao sat down and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine, then suddenly looked up as if remembering something: "Brother Zhu, don't just talk about me, what about you and your wife? He Xiao is already over a year old, when will there be any news about the next one?"

Lou Xiao'e put down her chopsticks, glanced at He Yuzhu, and smiled without saying a word. He Yuzhu, holding his wine glass, said calmly, "I'm pregnant. I'll be three months along in a few days."

Xu Damao was stunned for a while, then poured three glasses of wine and insisted on drinking them all with He Yuzhu, making excuses for each one: "This glass is to congratulate Brother Zhu on the addition of another child!" He Yuzhu clinked glasses with him. "This glass is to thank Brother Zhu for taking care of me and Hongmei all these years!" He Yuzhu clinked glasses with him again.

"This toast is to wish He Xiao and my future son become brothers. If Hongmei has a daughter, then they'll be childhood sweethearts!" He Yuzhu put the cup on the table, glancing at him sideways. "I won't drink this one with you. If I do, your daughter will cling to my He Xiao."

Xu Damao, holding his cup, said with a bitter face, "Brother Zhu, what era are we living in? Why are you still talking about arranged marriages?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Let's see how things go when the child grows up. What if your daughter looks like Hongmei, with a round face and big eyes? Our He Xiao might just run off with her herself."

Xu Damao laughed when he heard this, raised his wine glass to Lou Xiao'e and said, "Sister-in-law, you're the one who speaks the most pleasing words!" He then downed his drink in one gulp.

As night deepened, the sound of firecrackers echoed through the alley. Gou Dan was asleep on the table, a grain of rice still clinging to his lips. An elderly woman picked him up and carried him back to his south-facing room.

He Xiao was asleep in the bamboo cart, her little fist still clutching a peanut candy.

He Yuzhu picked up his son and gently placed him on the small bed in the inner room, then pulled the small blanket over him and tucked him in.

Back in the main room, He Yuzhu brewed another pot of tea. Watching Xiao'e and Zhixia make dumplings, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Rainwater was rolling out dough, muttering to itself: "Didn't my brother say that staying up all night on New Year's Eve wasn't feudal superstition? Why is it starting again this year?"