Chapter 25 of 100

Chapter 25

12 min read2,937 words

### Chapter 25: Celebrating the New Year

In the car, they chatted about the recent family news and inquired about Grandma's health. Although they occasionally called Grandma, she always said she was fine and that there was nothing wrong with her health. Elderly people are often like that; they don't want to trouble their grandchildren with their problems and are reluctant to tell them.

Chatting along the way, they soon arrived at Uncle's medium-sized villa in Yayeui. Parking the car in the yard, they saw Dofu circling around inside the glass door as soon as they got out. Dofu, a nine-year-old golden retriever, was adopted when he was a little over a year old. Li Shenxing adopted him for Grandma when he went to university in South Korea. Dofu usually accompanied Grandma when she went out for a walk.

"Dofu, you're such a good boy, do you miss your brother?" Li Shenxing opened the door, hugged the pouncing Dofu, and patted his head.

Hyori patted Dofu's head, "Dofu, do you remember your sister?"

"Woof~ Woof~" Dofu responded, wagging his tail as fast as a fan.

Hearing Dofu's barking, Auntie came out to see, "Oh, it's Shenxing and Hyori back."

Li Shenxing and Hyori hurriedly greeted Auntie, "Auntie, Happy New Year. Is everyone at home?"

"Happy New Year, everyone is at home, watching TV in the room. Come in quickly," Auntie said.

Entering the house, they saw their parents, uncle, aunt, and nephew all gathered in the living room, watching TV and chatting.

Li Shenxing and Hyori quickly greeted the elders and then went to pay respects to Grandma.

Carrying the gifts for Grandma, they followed their mother, aunt, and Auntie to Grandma's room. Mother knocked on the door first and entered only after getting permission, "Mom, look who's here."

"Grandma, Hyori and I are back," Li Shenxing said with a smile.

Sitting and watching TV, Grandma saw her grandson return and quickly extended her hands to call him over, "Oh, come let Grandma see you, my good grandson, I haven't seen you in a long time." She touched his face and looked at him fondly.

"Grandma, Hyori and I will bow to you first," Li Shenxing pulled Hyori to bow to Grandma.

Grandma smiled happily, "Good children, both of you are good children."

After bowing, Li Shenxing said, "Grandma, this is a gift Hyori picked out for you. Try it on and see if it fits."

"Grandma, I'll help you try it on." Hyori took out the clothes and helped Grandma put them on, then added a hat, gloves, and a scarf.

"Grandma, if you wear this and go out with my mom, others will definitely think you two are sisters!" Li Shenxing praised.

"Ah, my good grandson is so sweet. I'll listen to my grandson. One day, I'll wear this and go out with your mom to see if we look like sisters." Grandma's words made everyone laugh.

After chatting with Grandma for a while, Li Shenxing and Hyori went out, as they still had gifts to give everyone!

After giving gifts to the elders with Hyori, the women chatted about beauty and family matters, while the men discussed the price of meat this year and national affairs. The children were the happiest, playing with their new toys.

After lunch, the elders and children went for a nap. Cousin and Auntie, along with us, drove to the market. At lunchtime, they had obtained Grandma's permission for him to show off his cooking skills and add a couple of dishes for dinner.

The New Year's Eve dinner in South Korea has many traditions. Dinner is always traditional cuisine, and all the dishes are prepared by the wives. The family eats "five-grain rice," which is a mix of mung beans, soybeans, red beans, black beans, and rice. Additionally, they make rice cakes and Korean steamed buns. The main dish, besides grilled meat, includes a variety of mountain vegetables or kimchi.

At the market, Auntie led the way, first buying two medium-sized carp and a hen, followed by scallions, green onions, garlic, dried mushrooms, and spices like cinnamon and star anise that were not available at home.

Back home, Mother and Auntie also got up to start preparing dinner. Auntie and Hyori went to help. Li Shenxing, carrying his ingredients, took a corner of the kitchen and began preparing.

First, he washed and soaked the dried mushrooms, then rinsed the carp, hen, and the required ingredients. The fish and hen were cleaned by the vendor when they were bought.

He chopped the hen into small pieces and drained the water, sliced the scallions, cut the ginger into slices, and the garlic and green onions into segments.

The dish, called "Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms" or "Good Fortune and Auspiciousness," was prepared by heating oil in a pot, adding ginger slices, garlic slices, and dried chili peppers to stir-fry until fragrant. The chicken pieces were then added and stir-fried until the moisture was reduced. He added star anise and cinnamon, a spoonful of soy sauce, and a spoonful of cooking wine. After the chicken was stir-fried to a golden color, he added the drained mushrooms and continued to stir-fry. He then added a large bowl of water, a little salt, and simmered with the lid on until the broth thickened. Finally, he added the green onion segments and stir-fried for a bit more. Li Shenxing divided the dish into two plates.

He then slowly pan-fried the two carp until golden brown, cut them into pieces, and arranged them on two plates, garnished with scallion slices. He used the remaining oil to stir-fry ginger slices and green onion segments, added a bowl of water, soy sauce, cooking wine, a spoonful of pepper, a little salt, and a bit of sugar. Once the broth boiled, he added a little vinegar and then the cornstarch mixture, pouring the thickened sauce over the fish. The dish "Year of Plenty" was complete.

After arranging the dishes on the table, they could call Grandma and the others to come out for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Once everyone was seated, Li Shenxing served a piece of fish to Grandma, "Grandma, try this 'Year of Plenty.'"

Grandma put the fish in her mouth and chewed, "Mm~ Sour and sweet, the fish is tender and delicious, and the name is auspicious."

"Grandma, try this piece of chicken, it's called 'Good Fortune and Auspiciousness,'" he served her a piece of chicken.

"The chicken is soft and tender, infused with the fragrance of mushrooms and a hint of spiciness. It's very tasty and goes well with rice. My good grandson's cooking is excellent. Everyone, start eating and try the dishes Shenxing made," Grandma said.

Everyone chatted and ate, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere, unlike some families where strict rules are followed and talking during meals is not allowed. The meal lasted over an hour. The women cleared the table and prepared fruit for after the meal, while the men sat on the sofa to digest and chat.

Grandma, being elderly, went to bed early, before ten o'clock. The two children were also sent to bed by their mother, leaving the rest to stay up past midnight.

In South Korea, the most important activity during the New Year is the ancestral memorial service. So, Li Shenxing and Hyori got up early, changed into hanbok, and prepared for the memorial service. South Koreans believe that the deceased ancestors return only on this day to taste the memorial food. After Mother and Auntie arranged the offerings, they could begin the memorial service. The arrangement of the offerings is very particular, with rules such as fish on the east, meat on the west, head on the east, tail on the west, red on the east, white on the west, jujubes, chestnuts, pears, and persimmons, raw on the east, cooked on the west, rice on the left, and soup on the right. The descendants pour wine and bow to the ancestors, expressing their gratitude and praying for the ancestors' blessings for health and safety throughout the year.

After the memorial service, the younger generation bows to the elders, and the elders give them New Year's money. The order of bowing is "grandparents—parents—uncles and aunts—cousins." When meeting peers, they greet each other with "Happy New Year." Li Shenxing and Hyori also gave New Year's money to the two young nephews.

After the memorial service, they can eat the first meal of the day—rice cake soup. Eating a bowl of rice cake soup on New Year's morning symbolizes welcoming the light of the sun and the purity of all things, as well as bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, and a happy reunion.

Rice cake soup is not difficult to make. Place a piece of beef in a pot, add water to cover the beef, and boil over high heat. After boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, then add green onion segments and green onion heads, and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.

Slice the white rice cakes diagonally, chop the green onions, and place them in a bowl. Beat the eggs in a bowl, stir, and fry into an egg sheet, then cut into diamond shapes and place on a plate.

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