Chapter 68 pt 1 (1/2)

The whole village was shrouded in white, as if wearing a silver suit. A thick layer of snow fell on the roofs of the trees, and long ice skewers formed under the eaves.

At this time, most villagers do not go out, and most of them are surrounded by a kang in winter at home. After working for a whole year, they can finally spend a few days free in the winter. Many people will prepare some snacks such as fried beans and melon seeds, sitting on the kang surrounded by quilts, and it is almost impossible for the gods to change them.

At this time, Xue TingRang was the same. He was wearing a thin jacket and sitting on the kang with a quilt on his legs, which was placed under the kang table. There are several small dishes on the table of the Kang, which contain fried melon seeds, fried fennel beans, fried peanuts, etc. There is also a small bamboo basket for the shells of the seeds.

There was a teapot placed on a small stove on the table. It was boiled by Xue TingRang himself. It contained sour plums, oranges, and frozen pears. It looked weird, but it tasted delicious. It is sour and sweet, warming the stomach and helping with digestion.

Recently, Xue TingRang has gained a lot of weight, and his cheeks have bulged up to the extent visible to the naked eye. He was born fair and handsome, but now he looked a bit fleshy, and he was developing some baby fat on his face.

What he hates most now is Zhao’er squeezing his face. Because Zhao’er always has this itch, every time she sees him, she wants to come up and squeeze his cheeks, just like she did to Heizi when Heizi was young. But now Heizi does not have this kind of treatment. Zhao’er thinks that Heizi has grown up, and its fur is not as soft as before.

Heizi was sitting next to Zhao’er at this moment, watching the roasted sweet potatoes in the brazier intently.

For the country folks to keep warm, except for the kang, there is the brazier. Some people who are particular about it even make a clay pot or something, while others use bricks to find a place and build one. When the winter is over, they move the bricks away and there is no delay in their other tasks.

Zhao’er likes to do this.

At this time, the square table in the middle of the room was moved away and replaced with a large brazier measuring half a meter square. Around the brazier was a stool made with bricks, and a layer of cotton cushions were put on top, making it very comfortable to sit on.

The sweet potatoes in the brazier were already cooked, and a special sweetness filled the air.

Xue TingRang’s eyes looked over from time to time, and Heizi was even more impatient, so he wanted to catch one with his claws directly. Before the Heizi fully reached out his paw, he was slapped back by Zhao’er.

“Look how anxious you are. Are you not afraid to singe your fur?”

Heizi stuck out his tongue and spit out two breaths. The dog’s face was shameless and seemed to be saying it’s okay if it is singed as long as I get to eat first.

“Wait a little longer. It’s not fully cooked yet.” This sentence was for the dog and the person. For the job of roasting sweet potatoes, Zhao’er knows the heat just by smelling it with her eyes closed.

She turned over the sweet potatoes with fire tongs. The sweet potatoes cannot be put directly on the charcoal fire, because they would just become burnt. Instead, place them on the edge of the brick pot and cook it slowly. It won’t be mushy and will still be fragrant. This is why Zhao’er likes to use a brick brazier. It can roast a sweet potato or be used for hot pot, which is very convenient.

After a while, the sweetness became even stronger, and Zhaoer picked up a few sweet potatoes from the brazier.

One was thrown on the ground, and the others were placed in a bamboo basket on the side and carried to the kang.

“Come and taste it.”

“Are you cold? Come sit.”

Two voices sounded at the same time. Zhao’er smiled and said: “How can I be cold in front of the brazier.”

“ It’s still not as warm as the kang.”

Zhao’er couldn’t refute him, so she could only go to the opposite side of him and tuck her legs into the bedding under the kang table. As soon as she entered, her feet were invaded by two domineering legs. Xue TingRang put her feet under his legs and tucked the quilts around them.