Tang Fan can no longer remember how long it took for him to have a complete New Year.

Since his parents died early and his sister married far away, he has paid much attention to this life. He is an official alone in the capital and is even more deserted every year. He has become accustomed to staying alone in the house and watching the leisurely book of burning fire to keep warm.

But habits are habits. In fact, when A Dong happily arranged to paste Spring Festival couplets and make fruits, the long-lost memory that was hidden deep in his memory was revealed again.

Although Adong is young, he is a girl's house after all. He is skillful in dressing up and is very careful in what he thinks of. She is the only one who is doing it inside and outside. Big men like Tang Fan and Suizhou would not have thought that in addition to pasting Spring Festival couplets, they would also have to hang a few red lanterns under the corridor to increase their joy.

As the end of the year approaches, there are fewer and fewer things in Shuntian Prefecture, and the Beizhen Fushi is getting busier and busier. Suizhou goes out early and returns late every day, but Tang Fan can still go home early to help.

But he was not the material for doing housework at all. He couldn't even find it by wiping a rag. A Dong pushed him out in disgust: "Brother, don't make trouble, go write couplets, and don't forget to cut some red characters and write a few lucky characters, and paste one in each room."

Tang Fan smiled and said, "I have written it long ago, I have posted it all. My sister is not as long-lasting as you!"

He simply leaned on the pillar and watched Adong busy himself inside and out, and felt warm: "I'll go and boil some water for you? Or help me wipe the pillar? You can't wipe it with such a high column, so why don't you have to do it?"

As Dong was cleaning the chair, and Yin Yan rolled his eyes with disgust: "As long as you don't wait until you finish cleaning and don't know where to throw the rag, I'll be grateful!"

Tang Fan was happy and not angry: "Didn't you find me later? By the way, Adong, why do I feel that you have become much more diligent and are not so active in eating? Do you want to save me food?"

A Dong stuck out his tongue: "No, it was Brother Sui who said to me that day."

Tang Fan was surprised: "What did you say, why didn't I know?"

A Dong smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that it's very hard for you to do a job in the yamen. I told me not to be tempted by playing around and ignore you."

Tang Fan didn't expect that Suizhou still remembered this incident. It was obviously because he fell ill when he sat on the backyard threshold that day and blew the cold wind, so he told A Dong privately.

However, he also knew that Adong was not really playful and forgot to cook for him, but that he was busy going home and falling asleep during that period. Often, Adong cooked food, but he ate outside and didn't have to eat when he came back, and it turned out to be wasted. A few times, Adong didn't know whether he needed to go home for dinner that day, so he didn't cook it. Now that he had passed that irregular life, everything returned to normal.

Hearing Adong say this, he feels a little guilty and feels that Xiao Adong has taken the blame: "I will ask you Brother Sui to go somewhere else."

"No need!" A Dong still looked smiling, "I know that Brother Sui treats me as his sister, and if he is an irrelevant person, he is too lazy to even say it! Although I am young, I know who treats me well. Like before, Mrs. Li, Sister Achun and others, I care about all of them!"

Tang Fan joked: "Who is not good to you?"

A Dong shook his head and said, "Forget it! I was sold to the Li family as a slave in the past, and those who sold me were not good to me, but now I have forgotten what they look like. Brother, have you said that you should remember your kindness and not revenge so that you can be happy every day!"

Tang Fan laughed: "Yes! Oh, I am so pleased that I am the eldest brother. You remember everything I say. Seeing that you are heartless, I thought you were thinking about eating every day!"

A Dong rolled his eyes again: "Eating is the most important thing, and the others are the second most important, and this is what you taught."

Tang Fan rolled his eyes when he was choked: "When did I teach you something like this? Isn't that a waste of money?"

Adong smiled and said, "Yes, you are!"

Tang Fanhu had a face: "Okay, it's getting more and more unruly!"

The two of them are used to fighting each other on weekdays, and Adong is not afraid of him at all. He made a face when he heard this and continued to wipe the chair.

But in this busy and bustle, the New Year has arrived unknowingly.

The New Year is now counted from the first day of the first lunar month, and the officials' holidays also start from this day to the fifth day of the first lunar month, a total of five days.

Someone is going to ask, Oh my God, is it such a short vacation all year round?

No, no, starting from the eleventh day of the first lunar month, there is also a ten-day Lantern Festival holiday, which is the biggest holiday of the year.

However, if there is a national natural disaster, the Lantern Festival holiday will also be cancelled. The emperor's excuse is very high-sounding: the people below are displaced, so why are everyone still in the mood to celebrate the festival? At this time, not only the officials' holidays will be cancelled, but also the Lantern Market that should have in the capital during the Lantern Festival will also be cancelled.

Fortunately, this year was finally spent peacefully. Although there were some disasters, it gradually subsided and did not continue until the New Year. Naturally, everyone's holidays did not need to be cancelled.

The biggest thing at the moment is the north. I heard that just when Wang Zhi and his friends left the capital, they really caught up with a group of Tatars plundering the Datong area. The official army rushed to the front line to fight, but I don’t know what the battle is now.

Although the holiday is only on the first day of the New Year, the yamen has basically been sealed since the day before New Year's Eve. Although the day on New Year's Eve still has to go to work as usual, the yamen is almost half empty. Those who can take leave have asked for leave and left. The remaining ones who cannot take leave are also wandering around the yamen and doing nothing. Before the time has arrived, they close the door and go to the yamen early.

Before the sky was dark, there were few pedestrians on the road, which were so depressed that they were many times more depressed than usual. Everyone rushed back to have the New Year’s Eve dinner. However, this silence was not like the usual lonely and deserted after night. Every household had a rich smell of food, and sometimes there were laughter and laughter from children. It sounded much more lively than usual. Even far away, there were already scattered firecrackers.

Before we knew it, another spring came.

The people work hard and busy for a year, just to reunite their families and sit down peacefully for the New Year’s Eve dinner. If there are two more plates of fish on the table, it will be the biggest reward for the year.

In this small three-entry house in the north of the city, there is an extra Dong this year, and Tang Fan no longer needs to celebrate the New Year alone.

Although Suizhou moved out, he had his parents' high school, so he naturally had to go back for a reunion dinner during the New Year. He also invited Tang Fan and the others to go over and have a meal, but Tang Fan politely declined, saying that he and Adong had not been together for the New Year. This year was the first year, and the brother and sister should have a good time.

Since he said that, Suizhou naturally did not force it. He went to the Sui family for a reunion dinner by himself, while Tang Fan and A Dong were left with each other.

Tang Fan first recognized A Dong as a girl, but out of A Dong's plea. At that time, Tang Fan couldn't bear to watch A Dong go around other families, and a little girl went to be a slave and a servant, so he destroyed her contract to restore her freedom. He recognized her as a girl, so that the little girl could have a support in the future.

Of course, if A Dong is not in a good personality or cannot get along with him, Tang Fan will at most return the contract to her, or help her find a family to settle down, and will never bring her with her. After all, this is still the fate of the two.

However, since there was an extra Dong, Tang Fan really didn't have to do anything. Even the New Year's Eve dinner, because he helped cut a dish, he cut it into pieces. He was kicked out of the kitchen by the little girl and laughed at him as "born wealthy". Lord Tang had to stand awkwardly and help serve the dishes and bowls. In front of the admiral of the West Factory, Tang, who could talk freely and not lose the bad news, was now being led by a little girl, but he was still warm and happy.

When the sky was completely dark, the Eight Immortals table was already full of dishes.

Tang Fan and the others had only two people, and Suizhou was not coming back to eat, so the dishes were limited, but four dishes, one porridge and one snack.

But because the Tang brothers and sisters are both foodies, under the judging of Lord Tang, Adong's cooking skills have also improved greatly and began to learn to play various tricks in cooking. Therefore, these four dishes, one soup, two meats and two vegetables are much more particular than ordinary people.

One of the meat dishes is a pearl ball made of chicken breast. You can dip it in sesame paste and it is the most sweet and delicious.

There is also the roasted lamb legs that made Lord Tang greedy for a long time last time. A Dong learned how to cook in Suizhou and even made it very well. She said that the heat was not as good as that made in Suizhou, but Tang Fan had never eaten it made in Suizhou anyway, and she praised it all the time.

There are also two vegetarian dishes.

One dish is vegetarian goose. Use bean curd skin to wrap the boiled yam, glutinous rice, winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc., put a whole piece into a pot and fry it. When it is cooked, take it out and cut it into pieces, and put it on the plate to make patterns.

The task of putting the stacking is very simple. A Dong was too busy to get out of his way, so he handed it over to Tang Fan. Others honestly folded it in three sections, and it was fine to put it neatly. As a result, Lord Tang insisted on making a unique idea and wanted to put the word "Nian". As a result, the craftsmanship was not good, and the arrangement was messy. A Dong was very scolded. This dish also became the most messy dish in the New Year's Eve dinner.

There is another dish that is fried gluten, but it is not like ordinary people who cook it all. Instead, it is added with chicken soup and fried, and then winter bamboo shoots and mushrooms. When these three aromas penetrate into the gluten, this dish will be a great success.

The staple food is chicken soup porridge made from chicken soup and ham low heat. After buying a whole chicken, the chicken breast was first raised by Adong to make pearl dumplings. The rest was put into the soup. It took two hours to boil it. Although there was only tommy inside and no chicken, the essence was actually all in the chicken soup. The white soft and glutinous porridge was slightly scented with the aroma of chicken soup, and you could also see sporadic ham minced meat, which was fresh and sweet in the mouth and left a fragrance on the cheeks.

There are also fruit and snacks after the meal, which are candied oranges made in advance by Adong.

The example between the two people is extremely abundant.

Tang Fan looked at the table of delicacies and sighed: "I haven't had a complete New Year's Eve dinner in many years!"

Adong said curiously: "How many years have you been?"

Tang Fan thought for a while and said, "It will take at least seven or eight years. My parents died at the age of thirteen. I became a scholar at the age of 14. My elder sister married far away at the age of 15. I left home and traveled. During this period, I took the imperial examination, passed the Jinshi, and became an official in the capital. It's been seven or eight years. I still remember when I went back to see my sister, my nephew was talking bumps and bumps. It's time to start studying now. I don't know if I still remember me!"

Adong said excitedly: "Then can I be my aunt?"

Tang Fan laughed: "Yes, my sister gave birth to a child after marrying three years. She is five years old this year. I think she is three years younger than you, but she is just a generation lower than you. When he grows up, he will definitely be unwilling to accept it!"

A Dong was happy for a while, and then said a little worriedly: "But I have a bad background. If I ask him to call me aunt, will it insult him?"

Tang Fan patted her head: "You are young and know what insults mean? Don't use words randomly! Now that you have the surname Tang, that is our Tang family. When you have time to go back to Jiangnan to worship your ancestors, I will add your name to the genealogy. Whether a person is noble or not depends on his background, but on his nature. The founding emperor of this dynasty was a monk who was not as tall as you, and he did not see him inferior to him for this. Now he is not kneeling down from the world and admired by all people? Even though you are a woman, don't learn the bad habits of self-harm and pity."

Adong nodded as if he was ignorant and asked again: "Brother, you teach me how to read and read, but I'm stupid and can't learn it. Will it embarrass our Tang family? Is the eldest sister very good at studying?"

Tang Fanqin smiled: "Yes, your elder sister was also a talented woman when she was in the boudoir. But I asked you to study not to make you able to recite poems and paintings like your elder sister, but to make you understand the principles of being a human being. This does not require much knowledge. When you can understand those legendary scripts, you will become a master."

It is really different for Lord Tang to teach girls. Others use books from sages as textbooks. Even if they are not good, they must be like the Four Women's Books. He is better. He used legendary stories as references, and he is not afraid of girls learning bad things.

But I heard Tang Fan say, "The principles of teaching people to eliminate evil and do good are similar everywhere. There are those in the books of sages, but not in the books. I will pick two fun and interesting books for you. When you can read them through and explain them, I will no longer have to stare at you."

Adong asked happily: "Okay, then if I still have time, can I learn kung fu from Brother Sui?"

Tang Fan was surprised: "You want to learn kung fu?"

A Dong nodded: "I have been stronger than others since I was a child. Brother Sui also said that I have good roots and bones and are suitable for learning kung fu. He also said that I am easy to shape at my age, and it will be too late in two years. When I learn kung fu, I will go up trees and pick locust leaves to do cold bathing, brother, don't snatch me anymore!"

Others say that those who have learned kung fu and have lofty ambitions must say that they will repay the imperial family, take the exam to get the top martial arts scholar, and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy in the future. Even if A Dong is a woman, it is good to say that she is good at physical fitness. As a result, foodies are foodies, and they are inseparable from their nature.

But Tang Fan was still very happy when he heard this, and actually said, "Okay, then we will have two kinds of fruit trees in the yard, and we will leave them all to you when we harvest them!"

A Dong was drooling: "Why would you plant some pear trees and jujube trees and you could make a lot of snacks? I can make glutinous rice stewed pears and jujube cakes, and Aunt Zhang next door taught me!"

Tang Fan smiled and said, "Okay, okay!"

The two of them were very excited, but they were not a family, so they didn't enter the family.

The brother and sister talked and laughed. After dinner, they cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, and they were about to enter the custom of storing the New Year.

Ordinary families sleep early at night, but there are exceptions. On New Year’s Eve, the whole family must stay until midnight. This is a custom passed down since ancient times and has not changed until now.

However, the night is long and children can set off fireworks, so adults have to come up with many tricks to polish their time.

Now there are only two Tang Fan and A Dong at home, and they are all very good. Tang Fan doesn't want to spend it by saying that they were going to spend it, so they sought some games to play.

For example, if you play chess or something, don’t say that Adong is too young and knows nothing. Even if you first look at the path, the two have a huge gap in strength, and it’s not fun to play. So Tang Fan found a vase and some bamboo sticks. The two played the pot and bet who scored more. Five times counted one round, and two chances of winning in three games. The loser had to stand at the door and learn to bark three times.

Tang Fan was still childish and started playing with A Dong with great enthusiasm.

As a result, after playing for a round, I found something was wrong and asked quickly: "Why are you so accurate? You are talented?"

A Dong was confused: "What is the talented strange cake? I didn't eat that!"

Tang Fan: "...Haha, I think your daily reading tasks can be heavier. The meaning is, is your accurate head of throwing a pot so good?"

Adong said: "No, it was after I pestered Brother Sui to teach me Kung Fu. He gave me a small bow and asked me to shoot at the leaves every day. He said that when he could shoot the leaves, he would barely pass the exam."

Tang Fan: "Then have you shot the leaves?"

A Dong said embarrassedly: "I shot it, but it's only one or two times in ten times, and I'm still confused."

Tang Fan: "...I think it's a mistake since I proposed to compete with you for throwing a pot."

Adong blinked: "Brother, do you want to betray the debt?"

Tang Fan said ineffectively: "It's not a bad debt, but can we discuss it? The bet will be invalid?"
To be continued...