Chapter 39 The first New Year’s Eve in Bianjing... (Second update!)

Zeng Gongliang was very happy with this gift and praised Zhang Heng greatly.

Later, when asked about the year-end results of the three brothers, Zhang Jun told the truth.

Zeng Gongliang nodded and said: "You were in the countryside before, so it's normal for your foundation to be not as strong as theirs. I heard from Xiaokuan that you all study very seriously, which is good. As long as you work hard to lay a good foundation, you will be able to catch up soon."

But Ju Zheng gave me a big surprise. I didn’t expect to be able to enter the top ten of Taixue for the first time, which shows that Ju Zheng not only has a solid foundation, but is also quite insightful in other aspects. This is a good thing..."

Zeng Gongliang encouraged the three brothers and beat the three brothers Zeng Xiaokuan. The family banquet was almost over, and Zhang Qu left quickly.

Before leaving, Zeng Gongliang said: "You can go shopping in Bianjing during the Chinese New Year these days. You probably haven't done much shopping yet, right?

There will probably be a lot of people visiting the house during the Chinese New Year. I can't entertain you even if you come. If you come, just have dinner at home and go out to play with Xiao Zong, Xiao Kuan and others.

Um...yes, on New Year's Eve, Ju Zheng and Wei Shi went to attend a poetry gathering."

Zhang Heng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

…

The New Year is approaching, and although the northwest is still tense, it has no impact on Bianjing City at all. The festive atmosphere is already full.

Every household tore off last year's Spring Festival couplets and left the door couplets empty, preparing to put up new Spring Festival couplets on New Year's Eve.

Big red lanterns were hung under the eaves, and ordinary people were also buying a lot of New Year's goods. After a year of hard work, they finally had an excuse to reward themselves.

Zhang Heng passed by the city wall where he had settled before, and there seemed to be more shanties.

Although it is poor here, it seems to have more of a New Year atmosphere.

Someone picked up some old lanterns that had been replaced by people in the city, cleaned them up, and hung them under the eaves of the shed, which also added some festive flavor.

Some also picked up some old Spring Festival couplets and pasted them carefully, but the Spring Festival couplets were probably damaged when they were torn off, and the color was seriously faded, making them look a little more desolate.

Zhang Heng sighed in his heart, ran to the bookstore and bought a large stack of red paper, went home and cut it, called his eldest and second brothers, and went straight to the city wall with pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

The three of them set up a table in the open space of the shed, rubbed out the ink, spread out the red paper and started writing.

When the nearby refugees saw it, they slowly gathered together. Someone recognized the three brothers and were a little surprised: "Aren't you the three brothers from Fujian?"

Zhang Heng smiled and said: "Yes, that's us. We are currently studying in Taixue, and we have been taking a break for the past few days, so we came here to write Spring Festival couplets for everyone to cheer up. Everyone can take whatever they like..."

Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this and rushed over to pick out the ones they liked. They were given baskets of free and nice words.

The three Zhang Heng brothers finished writing on the red paper they brought and then went home without stopping.

This was just a temporary move, and there was no intention to achieve any purpose. Zhang Heng just did it when he saw it.

What they didn't notice was that a middle-aged man passed by when he entered the city and stopped to look at them.

After returning home, under Zhang Jun's instructions, we began to clean up.

In previous years, the process was the same at this time. This had been the case since their three parents were alive. Later, when their parents passed away, Zhang Yu presided over it.

First, he took a long bamboo pole and tied it with a broom, and swept down all the cobwebs and dust on the beams. Zhang Shu still felt that it was not clean, so he went up the ladder and wiped it clean with a cloth.

The same goes for the walls, which must be cleaned. However, this house is old and the dirt on the walls is really difficult to clean. Zhang Heng suggested buying some wall paint and painting it.

After hearing this, Zhang Jun felt that it was a waste of money, but looking at the expectant eyes of his two younger brothers, he finally gritted his teeth and bought two barrels. Then the three brothers worked hard for a whole day before they finished painting, and the entire small building had a brand new look.

After that, all kinds of furniture were moved out and cleaned, including the quilts, dishes, chopsticks, etc. Only when everything is cleaned can we welcome a new year refreshingly.

The Spring Festival couplets and lanterns have been prepared. They were put up early in the morning on New Year's Eve and the lanterns were hung. The door couplets outside the yard were also indispensable.

But the most important thing that day was not these, but to worship my parents. Although I didn’t take the altar with me, I found someone to carve one and enshrine it in the hall.

However, Zhang Yu was a bit confused, mainly because of how to cook the chicken, duck, goose, fish and sheep to worship his parents.

Of course I used to worship in my hometown, but conditions were not good at that time. The most I could do was buy a piece of pork, catch a fish from the river, and the rest was just vegetables and rice.

As for high-end ingredients such as chicken, duck, goose and sheep, he has never cooked them at all!

Zhang Shu said that it would be better to boil them all in water, but Zhang Jin disagreed. After all, they would also eat these things after worshiping their parents.

Seeing that his elder brother was in trouble, Zhang Heng volunteered, "I'll do it."

Zhang Jun was surprised and said: "You will do it?"

Zhang Heng nodded and confirmed: "Yes, I will do it. I will make salt-baked chicken, braised duck, braised goose and roasted whole lamb. These can be stored and won't spoil so quickly. We can eat them slowly. "

"Ah?" Zhang Jun looked confused. He didn't understand any of these methods. "Is it really possible?"

Zhang Heng smiled and said: "It's really good!"

If Zhang Shu had said this, Zhang Jun would definitely not believe it, but since it was what Zhang Heng said, Zhang Jun believed it. If it doesn't work, it just tastes bad, so what does it matter?

So Zhang Heng began to command his two brothers to thaw all the chickens, ducks, geese, and sheep, and killed the fish. He checked the various spices sent by shopkeeper Zhou, and if there were any missing ones, he asked Zhang Shu to buy them quickly.

After buying the spices, Zhang Heng boiled a large pot of water, put all the spices and seasonings into the water and boiled the water. This was to make brine. He could make brine for duck and goose, but he was afraid of the odor, so he brine it separately.

Braised food needs to be braised slowly. On this day, the whole courtyard is filled with fragrance, the sound of firecrackers is heard outside, children are running and laughing happily, smoke is rising from everywhere, and the atmosphere of the Spring Festival is permeating every corner.

The faces of the three Zhang brothers were all filled with joy.

At night, the snow in the yard was swept away and a bonfire was set up. Zhang Heng asked Zhang Shu to help set up the frame, which was used to roast the whole sheep.

A whole sheep weighing about thirty kilograms was trapped on a bamboo pole and put on the rack. Zhang Shu shook the pole and baked it. Zhang Heng watched the heat at any time and applied the sauce. The mutton soon oozed oil and dripped on it. There was a sizzling sound in the bonfire, and the firelight reflected the faces of the three brothers...

Chickens, ducks, geese, fish and sheep were placed in front of the altar. Zhang Yan took two of them, burned incense, toasted wine, and whispered for a long time to the altar. After an hour, he placed the chickens, ducks, and geese. The fish and sheep retreated, and the three brothers began to prepare their New Year's Eve dinner.

The braised goose, braised duck, and salt-baked chicken are all easy to handle. Just cut them into pieces and heat them with oil. Just cut off some of the mutton and grill them over high heat. A large table of dishes will be prepared in no time.

Zhang Xuan held a small jar of rice wine and said to his two brothers: "Wine is not a good thing. Today is the Chinese New Year. You can drink a little, but you can't drink more in the future."

Zhang Shu was so happy that he scratched his head and ears.

There was a stove burning in the house, and wine was poured out and placed on it to heat. The whole room was filled with the smell of wine and meat. Although he hadn't drank yet, Zhang Heng was already drunk...

The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu...
Chapter completed!