Celebrating Mid-Autumn

T/N: Chapter (2/8) sponsored by Madam Daim! Thank you for sponsoring!

Du Xiao Li stayed in the room for a while, before a coming out. And after she came out, Leng Yi entered the house.

“Girl, what kind of great feast are you planning on preparing for us today? You can finally tell me now, right?” Leng Shi and the others were currently washing the vegetables they’d bought yesterday. They didn’t expect that one day, they would end up washing vegetables.

“Telling you is also fine, tonight we’re eating hotpot.” Du Xiao Li said.

“hotpot, what dish is that?” Leng San asked.

“The dish we’re going to eat tonight.” Du Xiao Li said.

Eh, wasn’t this just the same as not saying?!

Just then, the sound of the horse carriage suddenly came through, and a moment later, Leng Er and Du Xiu Heng arrived back together. Turns out, early in the morning, Han Ming Yi had sent Leng Er to the county seat to go pick up Du Xiu Heng. No wonder when Du Xiao Li came, she didn’t see him.

“Big brother!” Seeing Du Xiu Heng, Du Xiao Li was very happy and waved at him.

“Little sister.” Du Xiu Heng saw Du Xiao Li and quickly came to her side, saying: “Why did you come bother grandpa Niu again?”

“Haha, it’s us that’s gluttonous and wanted to let Li girl make something good for us.” Niu Jing replied with a hearty laugh.

“Today, we’re celebrating the holiday at grandpa Niu’s house.” Du Xiao Li said, “Don’t just stand around, come help wash the vegetables.”

“Alright.” Du Xiu Heng had his backpack placed inside the house, came to Du Xiao Li’s side, and began helping her.

By the time the vegetables were all washed and cut, it was already noon. Everyone casually made a bit of something to eat, then watched Du Xiao Li prepare the base ingredients for the hotpot while they waited.

As for the other side’s clear soup, Du Xiao Li used broth boiled from bones to make it, in addition to the mushrooms picked in the mountains to add flavor. Even if it wasn’t as alluring as the red soup, it was still enough to let Leng Er and the others drool.

Afterwards, Du Xiao Li had the garlic minced, the green onions chopped, and also had the soy sauce and whatnot prepared and placed on the chopping board.

“Done!” Du Xiao Li patted her own little hands and said.

“It’s done just like this?” Leng Er leaned forward to ask.

“En, later, just have everyone gathered, and then we can begin eating.” Du Xiao Li said.

A moment later, the ones that went to buy wine returned. Du Xiao Li then had someone add heated charcoals below the two pots, and afterwards, carried out. Then, she had the vegetables all carried out too.

“Everyone can come and eat now.” Du Xiao Li loudly shouted.

Hearing her voice, Han Ming Yi came out from inside. And after he sat down, the others all finally sat down too.

Leng Yi and crew, all seven of them, sat together at one table, while Han Ming Yi, Ji Liu Feng, Niu Jing, Du Xiao Li, Du Xiu Heng, and Luo Qi sat together at another table. Du Xiao Li first took her bowl to the place where the condiments were placed and made herself a sauce bowl. The others also imitated in succession, carrying their bowl to go make a sauce.

Du Xiao Li placed the sauce she just made in front of Han Ming Yi and said, “Big brother Yi, too spicy things aren’t good for your body, so just eat the pot with the clear soup. Also not too much hot pepper, ginger, and garlic were placed in this (sauce).”

After she finished explaining, Du Xiao Li finally went go to mix for herself a bowl of spicy dipping sauce.

“Okay, you can start putting the things in now.” After the charcoal below begin kicking it up, Du Xiao Li said to the other table. Afterwards, she let them have the already cooked chicken feet and such placed in first.

“These meat slices are cut really thin, and can be eaten by just dipping it in like this.” Du Xiao Li had the near transparent meat slice placed into the boiling soup for a little while, then placed it into Du Xiu Heng’s bowl, saying: “Big brother, try it.”

Du Xiu Heng had the meat slice Du Xiao Li prepared for him placed into his mouth. Facing Du Xiao Li’s expectant gaze, he reached out and stroked her head, saying: “Really delicious! Little sister, you’re really incredible!”

“Wah, never thought that meat cooked like this would be this delicious!” Leng Er’s surprised voice came through.

“Haha, indeed not bad.” Niu Jing said.

The north during the winters also had a way of eating like this, but it wasn’t as delicious as this. Especially this ‘mandarin duck’ pot’s design, truly too exquisite! Furthermore, there was also an abundant of different types of vegetables, unlike the north where they only ate mutton, beef, and whatnot. Mainly it’s also because during the winters, the north doesn’t have any produce.

(T/N: Pretty sure the north they’re referring to is Mongolia, since that’s where hotpot originated.)

“En, when I go back, I also want to let someone make one of these at home. Later on, when it snows in the winter, I can just stay at home, eat hotpot, drink some wine and watch the snow. Wow, not bad just thinking about it.” Ji Liu Feng already thought to the future.

“Haha.” Hearing his words, everyone all happily laughed.

Everyone ate from sunset to dusk. Towards the end, they had no choice but to light up lanterns at every table. Combined with tonight’s full moon, the tables were rather bright.

“Erm, so full.” Ji Liu Feng patted his own stomach and said.

“Eating this full, can you still eat mooncakes?” Du Xiao Li had the box containing the mooncakes brought over, and seeing Ji Liu Feng’s round and bulging stomach, she said with a laugh.

“How do you have mooncakes?” Ji Liu Feng glanced at the mooncakes and asked.

In the past, when they were in the capital, someone else would always have the mooncakes prepared, so this bunch of men, not a single one thought to prepare mooncakes.

Du Xiao Li gave a plate of mooncakes to Leng Er, and had the one in her hand placed onto the cleaned table, saying: “The county magistrate’s madam gave me this yesterday. I figured since everyone is this full, you all shouldn’t be able to eat too much of this, so I had those mooncakes cut into cubes. During this mid-autumn festival, always need to eat some seasonal mooncakes, right?”

“Haha, that’s right.” Ji Liu Feng said, picking a toothpick cut from bamboo to poke a piece to put into his mouth. Looking to Du Xiao Li who was dividing the mooncakes for everyone, he said, “Feels like this girl is actually the owner here. That’s right, girl, what’s that song you sang this morning?”

“Ah that one, that’s the ‘Little Farmer Girl’.” Du Xiao Li replied.

“Celebrating the holiday here this year, there aren’t any shows. How about you sing a song for us?” Ji Liu Feng said as he bit into the mooncake.

During the mid-autumn festival every year, if the emperor doesn’t organize for everyone to celebrate together, then every family and household will all think of a way to celebrate. Whether it’d be inviting an acting troupe, or something else, it would always be bustling with noise and excitement.

“That’s right, your singing is quite good, sing another one for us.” Niu Jing also spoke.

“Okay!” Du Xiao Li searched in her head for a bit. There seems to just be those few for mid-autumn, plus ones with modern slang won’t be easy to explain. Thus, she chose a rather old song and began singing.

(T/N: Yay I get to butcher more song lyrics again; also this song is super old, from 80s I think, but if you want to hear it—–click here)

The fifteenth’s moon; shines on my hometown, shines on the border station; the tranquil night; you’re also longing, I am also longing; I guard by the infant’s cradle; you patrol the motherland’s frontier lines; I plow the farmland in our hometown; you stand guard at the borders; ah in the harvest fruit, there is your sweet and also my sweet; the military accomplishments have my half and also your half; the fifteenth’s moon; shines on my hometown, shines on the border station; the tranquil night; you’re also longing, I am also longing; I’m filial to my parents, bearing the burden willingly; you devote yourself to the motherland, not hesitating to shed blood and sweat; I shoulder the heavy responsibility of the whole family; you defend the country’s safety; ah the motherland’s prosperity has you contributions and also my contributions; thousands of families reuniting is my wish and also your wish; also your wish.

As Du Xiao Li sang, she felt it was not bad, quite fitting with the times. But she soon discovered that the mood in the courtyard had slightly changed. Even Ji Liu Feng and Leng Er didn’t speak either.

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