The atmosphere on the first day of the new year in the Su family was so lively, foretelling a prosperous new year for them.
After the family members summarized their respective incomes for the year, it was time for Grandpa Su and Grandma Su, the elders, to make their grand appearance.
Grandpa Su said, "Old woman, you say it?"
"You say it, you manage our accounts."
Grandma Su held a melon seed, peeled it, and placed the kernel in a small bowl beside her.
Grandpa Su cleared his throat and began his summary.
The three Su brothers, who had initially thought their parents' income was not high, were stunned after hearing Grandpa Su's words.
What?
Did they mishear, or were their parents truly that capable of earning money?
"Dad, Mom, did you two really earn this much?" the second son, Su Lao Er, wailed.
Grandma Su glared at her foolish son and said, "What, if I lied to you, would you give me money?"
Su Lao Er: "..."
The three brothers exchanged glances. They were only slightly better off than Chen Xiuyuan!
The three Su brothers looked at each other, the younger ones were formidable, and the older ones were even more so?
This contrast between the old and the young made them feel so incompetent.
Grandma Su and Grandpa Su had already tallied their income for the past few months before returning.
In the first half of the year, the elders had earned a considerable amount of money in the county town.
But all that money had been invested when they opened Yiming Pavilion in the capital.
This time, they only started counting from when they opened the restaurant in the capital.
In just a few months, the restaurant's net income had exceeded eighteen thousand yuan.
This was something they wouldn't have dared to imagine even six months prior.
"Dad, Mom, can't you take it easy? If you're like this, it makes us sons feel ashamed!" Su Lao Er complained.
"What, you're useless, and you don't allow your father and me to work harder?" Grandma Su glared at her son.
Suffering another blow, Su Lao Er decided to stop talking.
They couldn't have this conversation today!
Fine, if their parents worked hard and their children were capable, they would just be couch potatoes!
Su Xiaotian noticed that the older generation's mood was not very good, so she smiled and comforted them, "Uncle Da, Uncle Er, keep up the good work. In a while, there will be a time for you to get rich."
Commerce and business had already begun in the city, and the countryside was slightly behind.
But Su Xiaotian remembered that the household responsibility system would be implemented soon.
Even if their area was a bit slower, it would only be a matter of one or two years.
At that time, if they let Uncle Da and the others contract the pig or chicken farms, they would definitely be able to make money.
She just didn't know if the competition would be fierce then. If too many people vied for it, they would have to rethink their plans.
Hearing their little niece's words, the two men's faces lit up with joy.
"Look at what our Xiaotian said, we'll just wait to get rich!"
Su Xiaotian, however, solemnly shook her head and said, "To get rich, you can't just wait, you have to work hard!"
Su Xiaotian also thought that there were some things she should inform the village captain uncle about early.
In the coming years, anyone who was bold and willing to work would not fare badly.
The people in the village had to seize the opportunity and not miss it, so they could get rich first.
As for the source of the information, Su Xiaotian was not worried.
The Su family, after all, was now living in the capital, so hearing a piece of news was not a big deal!
After eating dumplings and talking for so long, Grandma Su felt it was about time.
"Let's go to sleep. Look at Xiao Yuan, he doesn't even want to open his eyes."
And indeed, after showing off his income, young Chen Xiuyuan could no longer hold on. Clutching a stack of money, he lay in his mother's arms, half-asleep.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, as soon as it was dawn, the Su family was up.
According to local custom, on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, they ate Changmian (long noodles).
This symbolized a long and prosperous life.
Changmian was actually a type of hand-pulled noodle, a very local delicacy.
The preparation of Changmian, which required fine white flour, eggs, and minced meat, was considered a luxury food in this era.
Families with better conditions could eat it a few times during the New Year.
Those with poorer conditions could only have it on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Since it was hand-pulled noodles, the key was its chewiness, which required high skill from the maker.
From kneading the dough, the maker had to precisely control every step to produce truly high-quality noodles.
The temperature of the environment during kneading in the four seasons would affect the texture of the noodles.
Grandma Su was undoubtedly the most skilled maker of Changmian in the ten-mile radius.
She never made mistakes in how much water or alkali to add.
Even the force used to knead the dough and the time spent kneading were perfectly controlled.
Furthermore, she could make timely adjustments based on the different seasons.
In short, Grandma Su always achieved perfection.
Placing a large basin of white flour, Grandma Su began to knead the dough with warm water.
Soon, a large, soft, smooth, and non-sticky ball of dough appeared in the large porcelain basin.
Grandma Su let this ball of dough rest, and then began to knead the second basin of dough.
"If this were in the past, we wouldn't dare to use so much white flour."
The Su family had many members, and eating a meal required a lot of white flour. In the years when conditions were poor, they only dared to make a small amount, with each person getting a bowl, just for the sake of it.
But in the past two years, life had visibly improved.
"Indeed, Mother, our family's life nowadays is like a celebration every day," Liang Xiu said, very satisfied with their current life.
Grandma Su kneaded three basins of dough in a row before stopping.
She pinched it; the first batch of dough had already rested.
"Mother, let Third Brother help knead the dough!" Liang Xiu suggested.
"Alright, he has strength, let him do it." Grandma Su didn't think it was wrong for her son to help knead the dough.
The dough for rolling noodles required three rests and three kneads before proceeding to the rolling stage.
The resting time would be adjusted according to the spring and summer seasons, and the person kneading the dough needed not only strength but also technique.
Over the years, the three Su brothers had been trained by their mother to be good at this.
People who were accustomed to manual labor could knead the dough with enough strength.
Su Lao San was indeed skillful. Under Grandma Su's guidance, he soon finished kneading all the dough.
Then came the most crucial step, rolling the dough, which was purely a technical skill that the Su brothers did not possess.
Some people's noodles were uneven in thickness;
Others rolled out noodles that were neither round nor square, looking unappealing;
Some even tore the dough.
Grandma Su, however, could roll out perfectly square sheets of dough.
The three daughters-in-law of the Su family, following their mother-in-law, could now also roll out excellent noodles.
The three daughters-in-law and Su Manxiu rolled the dough, while Grandma Su was solely responsible for cutting the noodles.
The noodles cut by Grandma Su were uniformly thin, with distinct lines, slightly thinner than incense sticks.
"Mother, you've been in the capital for so long, your skills haven't dulled at all."
Su Manxiu said this as she watched Grandma Su pick up handfuls of cut noodles.
In the ten-mile radius, Grandma Su had the best skills in rolling and cutting noodles.
She had thought that after going to the capital, Grandma Su's skills would decline since she wasn't rolling noodles, but she never expected them to remain so good.
"Some things are etched in our bones!" Grandma Su said with a beaming smile.
"Mother, didn't we knead more dough this year?" Qi Liangying suddenly felt that the amount of dough seemed a bit off.
"Oh dear, look at me, how could I forget such an important matter!" Grandma Su put down her knife and slapped her thigh, saying.
"What is it, Mother!?"