Rural New Year's Eve dinners always carried a distinct, wonderful flavor, not only because the whole extended family gathered together, but also because every step was done from scratch—even the cold appetizers and braised dishes. Therefore, the air was often thick with mouth-watering aromas the very night before, allowing the younger children to leverage their parents' indulgence and get the first taste of delicacies yet to be sliced with geometric precision, leaving them full of eager anticipation even by the next day.
Although An Yang's family had moved to the city many years ago and their New Year's Eve dinner lacked the bustling scene of three or four generations under one roof, they still maintained the rural tradition when it came to preparing the meal—
Doing everything themselves.
An Yang always felt that the cold appetizers and braised dishes on the eve of the holiday tasted much better than those on the day itself, especially the piping-hot sausage and cured meat fresh from the pot, and the freshly braised chicken and duck untouched by the knife's blade. Whenever New Year's Eve approached in his childhood, he would fail to resist the temptation of the aroma and hover around the kitchen, and every single time he managed to score plenty of good eats. Well, the same held true now that he was grown up.
Inside the kitchen, Xie Yunqing and Ji Weiwei were boiling braised dishes in a large wok. The aroma of the master broth was far more enticing than anything served at the table. Xiao Qian was right next to them, slicing the cooked sausage and cured meat with speed and precision. At the same time, the three of them worked and chatted away, mostly reminiscing about the amusing antics of An Yang and An You from their childhood.