Chapter 21: The New Year

There are three days of annual holiday nationwide for the Korean New Year. Koreans are particular about having to go home to visit their relatives before 30 nights. The hotels that are usually full of friends also hang up signs that say "Closed for Consecutive Holidays", and some also hang signs that say "Initial X Opening".

Because Hyori was still in a hurry last night and couldn't go to Jeju Island in advance, I brought the prepared New Year's gifts early in the morning on the 6th, drove to the airport to make a plane to my grandmother's house in Jeju Island for the New Year, and left the car at the airport.

When I got off the plane and came out, I saw my cousin who was already waiting, "Be cautious here~!"

"Cousin. Shen Xing also waved his hand in response.

The two brothers met and hugged each other, and the cousin and Hyo-ri greeted each other. "Brother and sister, let's go home and talk slowly, the old man is waiting. He helped to carry the salute and walked in front, and the two followed behind.

Sitting in the car, we talked about the recent situation at home and asked my grandmother about her physical condition. Although I would call my grandmother from time to time, the old people would say that she was fine and that she didn't have anything to do. The elderly are like this, and they don't want to tell their children and grandchildren if they are afraid of trouble.

Just chatted all the way and soon arrived at the uncle's house in the medium-sized villa of Yayueyi, parked the car in the yard, and as soon as I got out of the car, I saw Duofu circling in a circle in the glass door. Duofu is a nine-year-old golden retriever, adopted when it was more than a year old, and was adopted by Li Shenxing to his grandmother after going to college in South Korea.

"Duofu is such a good boy, I miss my brother. He opened the door and hugged Dofu who pounced on him, touched its head and said.

Hyori touched Duofu's head, "Do you remember your sister?"

"Wang~Wang~" Duofu responded, happily wagging his tail as fast as a fan.

When my cousin-in-law heard Duofu's cry, she came out to take a look, "Hey, it's our Shenxing and Xiaoli who have returned." ”

Li Shenxing and Xiaoli hurriedly greeted their cousin-in-law, "Cousin-in-law has a blessed New Year, are you all at home?"

"Happy New Year, everyone is at home, watching TV in the room, come in. My cousin said hurriedly.

Entering the door, parents, aunts, and nephews all gathered around the living room to watch TV and chat.

Li Shenxing and Xiaoli hurriedly said hello to their elders, and then went to say goodbye to their grandmother first.

Bringing a gift for my grandmother, I followed my mother, aunt and cousin to my grandmother's room, and my mother knocked on the door before getting permission to enter the room, "Mother, let's see who's coming." ”

"Grandma, Hyori and I are back. Li Shenxing shouted to his grandmother with a grin.

Grandma, who was sitting and watching TV, saw her grandson coming back, and hurriedly called him over with both hands, "Hey Yigu, let grandma take a look, my good grandson, grandma hasn't seen me for a long time." "Touching his face for a while.

"Grandma, Xiaoli and I will kowtow to you first. Li Shenxing pulled Xiaoli to salute his grandmother.

Grandma smiled happily and said, "Good boy, both are good children." ”

After the salute, Li Shenxing said: "Grandma, this is a gift selected by Xiaoli for you, you can try to see if it is suitable." ”

"Grandma, I'll help you put it on and try it on. "Hyo-ri first took out the clothes to help her grandmother put them on, and then brought a hat, gloves, and a scarf.

"Grandma, if you wear such a dress and go out with my doll mother, others must think that the two of you are sisters!" Li Shenxing praised with a mouthful of praise.

"Hey, my good grandson is sweet-mouthed, just listen to my grandson, just wear it that day and go out with your mother to see if it's two sisters. Grandma's words made us all laugh.

After chatting with my grandmother for a while, Li Shenxing and Xiaoli went out, and there were no gifts for everyone!

After giving gifts to the elders with Hyo-ri, the women talked about beauty, the parents were short, the men were talking about the price of meat this year, national events, and the children were the happiest playing with new toys.

After lunch, the elders and children went for a lunch break. My cousin and I drove to the farmer's market. At lunchtime, with my grandmother's permission, he could show his hand and add two dishes to dinner.

Korean Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is a traditional meal, and all of it is made by the daughter-in-law, and the whole family eats "five-grain rice", that is, rice made from cloud beans, soybeans, adzuki beans, black beans and rice. In addition, we also have to make cakes and wrap Korean-style steamed buns. In addition to grilled meat, the main course is served with more than a dozen kinds of wild vegetables or kimchi.

When I went to the market, my cousin led the way, first to buy two medium crucian carp, a hen, and then shallots, green onions, garlic, dried mushrooms, cinnamon, star anise, and other seasonings that were not available at home.

When I got home, my mother and aunt got up and started to prepare dinner, and my cousin and sister-in-law and Xiaoli also went to help. Li Shenxing carried his materials, occupied a corner of the kitchen, and began to prepare.

Wash and soak the dried mushrooms first, and rinse the crucian carp, chicken and other ingredients first. Fish and chickens are slaughtered by vendors when they are bought.

Chop the chicken into small pieces and drain, shred the shallots, slice the ginger, slice the garlic, and cut the green onions into sections.

Chicken stewed with mushrooms or auspicious wishes. After the oil is heated in a pot, add ginger slices, garlic slices, and dried chili peppers to stir-fry until fragrant. Pour the chicken pieces into the pot and stir-fry until the chicken moisture is dry, add star anise and cinnamon, add a spoonful of dark soy sauce and a spoonful of cooking wine, after the chicken is stir-fried and colored, pour in the mushrooms that have been pinch dry and continue to stir-fry for a while, add a large bowl of water, add a little salt, then cover the lid and simmer over low heat, wait until the soup is thickened and add the green onion section and fry it twice. Li Shenxing divided the chicken stew and mushrooms into two portions and put them on a plate.

Fry the two crucian carp over low heat until golden brown, then divide them into two plates and sprinkle with shredded green onions. Add ginger slices and green onions to the remaining oil for frying the fish, add a bowl of water, add light soy sauce, cooking wine, a spoonful of pepper, a little salt, a little sugar, pour in a little vinegar after the soup is boiled, and then pour in the cornstarch mixed with water, pour the collected sauce on the fish, and the fish will be ready every year.

After setting all the dishes on the table, you can ask your grandmother to come out for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

After everyone sat down, Li Shenxing sandwiched a piece of fish meat to his grandmother, "Grandma, there is fish to taste every year." ”

Put the fish in his mouth and chew it, "Hmm~ sweet and sour, the fish is fragrant and tender, the fish is delicious and the name is festive." ”

"Grandma, you eat a piece of chicken and see, this is called auspiciousness. "I sandwiched another piece of chicken for my grandmother.

"The chicken is soft and tender, incorporating the fragrance of shiitake mushrooms, with a hint of spicy, very good to eat, very delicious, good grandson's craftsmanship is good, everyone move chopsticks, try the dishes made by Shen Xing." Grandma beckoned.

Everyone chatted while eating, and the atmosphere was very harmonious, unlike some families who talk about rules and are not allowed to talk about life during meals. The meal took more than an hour to finish. The women put away the dishes and chopsticks and prepared the fruit after the meal, and the men sat on the sofa to eat and chat.

My grandmother was old, and she went to bed early before ten o'clock. The two children were also driven to bed by his mother, and the rest did not go to bed until after midnight.

In South Korea, the most important activity during the Spring Festival is to worship ancestors. So Lee Shin Xing and Xiao Li also got up early, changed into hanbok, and prepared to sacrifice their ancestors. Koreans believe that this is the only day when deceased ancestors come back to taste the sacrificial food. After the mother and aunt have laid out the offerings, they can worship. The arrangement of the table is very particular, there are fish east meat west, head east tail west, red east and white west, jujube, chestnut pear persimmon, raw east and cooked west, left rice and right soup rules. The children and grandchildren poured wine and bowed to their ancestors to express their gratitude and pray for their blessings for peace and health throughout the year.

After sacrificing the ancestors, the younger generations will kowtow to the elders to pay New Year's greetings, and the elders will give the younger generations New Year's greetings money. The order of New Year's greetings should be "grandparents - parents - uncles and aunts - uncles and aunts - brothers", and the greetings between the same generation are "New Year's blessings", and Li Shenxing and Xiaoli also gave the two little nephews New Year's money.

After the sacrifice is over, you can eat the first meal - rice cake slice soup. Eating a bowl on the morning of the first day of the new year means welcoming the light of the sun and the purity of all things, which means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and reuniting beautifully.

Rice cake soup is not difficult to make. Put a piece of beef in the pot, pour in water over beef, boil over high heat until boiling, turn to medium heat and cook for about 30 minutes, add green onions, shallots, and continue to cook for about 30 minutes.

Cut the white rice cake diagonally into slices, cut the green onion into foam, and set aside. Beat the eggs into a bowl and stir, fry them into egg skins, cut them into diamond shapes and put them on a plate.

After the broth is cooked, take out the beef and green onion segments, turn it to high heat, put in the white rice cake slices, cook for about 3 minutes, after the rice cake is cooked and float up, add clear sauce and salt to taste, put the green onion foam and cook for a while, you can turn off the heat and put it in the bowl. On top of the rice cake soup, put the torn beef strips, cut egg skin, and shredded chili peppers, and serve it to the table.

After breakfast, everyone got together to play flower cards. It is said that 90% of adults in South Korea play this card.

Everyone sat in a circle, Li Shenxing accompanied his grandmother to come up with ideas, and his grandmother played two laps under Li Shenxing's prompt, and after winning some money, he didn't play, and his energy was not as good as that of young people.

Li Shenxing smiled and pulled his grandmother to prevent her from leaving, and stretched out his hand in front of her with his palm upward, "Grandma~ hehe!"

Smack~ patted it on his hand, "I'm afraid that grandma will forget~ to you." "Pull out a few and give them to him.

"Thank you, Grandma. After receiving the money, he happily hugged his grandmother and kissed her on the face. It's not that there is a lack of money, it's just that I get close to my grandmother in this way and make her old people happy.