When he woke up again, it was because the rooster's crowing in the yard had disturbed his sleep.
Bai Ye could still remember some of the contents of his dream. He was surprised to realize that deep down, he was quite an ambitious person. In his dream, after getting rich, he stood on the roof of the house and lectured the whole village, even the village chief wasn't spared.
Shaking his head, Bai Ye got up to wash his face and brush his teeth.
The bed was very warm, but as soon as he got out of it, he felt the cold immediately. He quickly put on his clothes, and when he reached between the two layers of blankets, he grabbed a pair of cotton pants, not sure if his father or mother had placed them there.
The cotton pants weren't very thick, but in this area, if you didn't wear cotton pants, you really couldn't stand the cold. Some people who are particularly afraid of the cold even wear leather pants.
Actually, it had gotten warmer in recent years, much warmer than when he was a child.
But for some reason, the countryside here always feels colder than the city.
When Bai Ye got up, his parents had already woken up too. His father had finished washing up and was now in the yard wiping his car.
Bai Ye wiped a spot on the glass covered with frost and looked outside. His father hadn't mentioned it yesterday, but it seemed like he actually quite liked this car.
"Bai Ye, hurry up and wash up," Jiang Lan called out, while also shouting into the east room, "An An, get up! Aren't you going with your brother to Li Village?"
"I'm up!" Bai An An's voice came back.
Bai Ye could tell from the voice that his sister was still probably lying in bed.
"Mom, what's for breakfast?" he asked.
"They're slaughtering pigs in Li Village, so we'll have to wait a while. For breakfast, I'll fry some big fritters!" Jiang Lan replied.
"Great!" Bai Ye immediately cheered up. "An An, get up! Mom's making big fritters!"
The dough was probably from yesterday and had been rested overnight, so it was very soft. Jiang Lan brushed some oil on the board, grabbed a small piece of dough, and simply flattened it before cutting it into small strips. She brushed some more oil on top and let it sit for a moment.
She inserted a small spring onion into the oil to check the temperature, then pinched the dough into long strips and dropped them into the hot oil.
The white dough embraced the golden oil, and within a few seconds, it started bubbling up and swelling, taking on a golden hue from the oil.
She gently turned the fritters, frying both sides before quickly removing them and placing them aside to cool.
Bai Ye and Bai An An both eagerly picked out the soft, crispy bits inside.
"Too many beans," Bai Laodad grumbled.
Bai Ye grabbed a big fritter and, although it had cooled slightly, it was still crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. He took several bites and sighed, "No one makes big fritters like Mom."
"Brother, doesn't the restaurant you worked at have big fritters?" Bai An An asked.
"I worked at a restaurant, mainly for lunch and dinner. Breakfast places are usually separate," Bai Ye explained as he slurped some porridge. "Some restaurants make them well, others not so much. The one across from our restaurant has a really strong smell. I won't eat there again."
Bai An An wrinkled her nose. "That sounds really bad."
"Nowadays, a lot of food has strange stuff added in. Always check it first before eating. If something seems off, don't eat it. Remember that?" Bai Ye warned his sister.
"Yeah, I know," she replied.
Bai Ye ate another big fritter, spread some fermented tofu on it, and took a big bite, closing his eyes in pleasure. "So good!"
"You're like your son, doing whatever you want!" Jiang Lan said.
Bai Laodad chuckled softly. "Can't my son be like me?"
"Dad, there's a market in Nan Zhuang today. Should we go take a look?" Bai An An quickly asked, seeing her father in a good mood.
"You didn't take me last time!" she added.
"Sure, let's go," Bai Laodad decided after a moment.
Big fritters are called "youtiao" or "youtiao gui" in other places, but they are pretty much the same everywhere.
In their hometown, the market wasn't open every day, so most of the time, they made them at home.
Jiang Lan moved with such skill that it looked effortless, and Bai Ye couldn't help but stare at her in amazement.
"It's not like you're going anywhere. Hurry up and wash up!" Jiang Lan said, seeing Bai Ye standing beside her with a mouthful of food, lost in thought.
"Oh, right. I forgot," Bai Ye said, quickly pulling back the curtain and stepping outside.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Laodad acted as if he was just passing by, casually placing something behind his back. "You're up."
"Yeah, I'm up, Dad," Bai Ye chuckled but didn't say anything more.
By the time they both entered, Bai An An had also gotten up, and Jiang Lan was urging her daughter to wash up while serving the porridge on the table.
The big fritters had already been fried, and Jiang Lan also brought out a bowl of fried egg sauce and a plate of fermented tofu.
These were Bai Laodad and Bai Ye's favorite side dishes, perfect for spreading on the fritters.
Once they all sat down, Bai An An rushed in from outside, still complaining, "It's so cold, so cold."
Bai Ye smiled. Of course it was cold—he had just jumped out of bed and rushed to wash up.
He took a sip of the porridge. It was made with coarse cornmeal and had red beans that were soft and mushy, which was exactly how they liked it.
Knowing that her children loved it, Jiang Lan had put in extra red beans, and the porridge looked festive.
After finishing the meal, Bai An An eagerly cleared the dishes while Bai Ye went outside to warm up the car. The weather was freezing, and the car was frozen solid.
Soon, Bai An An came out dressed in her down jacket.
Bai Ye glanced at her, thinking that this jacket had been with her for years. He had planned to buy new clothes for his parents and sister for the New Year, but...
The backseat of Bai Ye's car had already been taken apart, so Jiang Lan brought up two small stools for them to sit on. Bai An An ran to the back to join them.
Bai Laodad opened the big door, let Bai Ye reverse the car out, and then locked it behind him.
Their village wasn't wealthy, but when Bai Ye drove the car out, the neighbors all gathered around. Although you couldn't tell how much money someone had made, owning a car, even a second-hand one, was impressive, and people envied it.
"Just a second-hand car. What's the big deal? Dad, when I graduate from university and make money, I'll buy you a small sedan!" someone suddenly interjected from the side.