Chapter 215: Father

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, the township government officially went on holiday; Su Xinghui bid farewell to his colleagues, loaded yesterday's festival gifts into Xu Xiaoguang's car trunk, and set off.

At the Shuiwusuo Sect gate, Xu Xiaoguang stopped to pick up Xue Qin and Lei Ming; both had some festival gifts too, but not as much as Su Xinghui had received.

Xue Qin asked, "Su Xinghui, how did you get so many festival gifts?"

Su Xinghui said, "Is that a lot? I don't think it's much."

Xue Qin said, "Not much? Even combined, my share and Lei's can't match yours."

Lei Ming laughed heartily, "Don't compare me—you two are lightyears ahead. Our police station is a poor unit."

Su Xinghui said, "Your benefits will improve in the future."

They drove to the county town; Xu Xiaoguang first dropped Lei Ming off at home, then Xue Qin at hers—Su Xinghui helped carry her items upstairs—and finally delivered Su Xinghui home, helping him carry the fruit and dried fruits up too.

Su Xinghui invited him to eat at his place, but Xu Xiaoguang shook his head with a smile, "No thanks—I'll go home. Haven't bathed in days; need to get back and wash up."

Su Xinghui said, "Alright, go ahead—thanks a lot!"

The twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month was Su Wenjun's birthday; every year the whole family celebrated it for him, and this year was no different—Su Wenjun and Guo Suhua were both home, and Su Xingyun's family had returned too.

When everyone arrived, the house burst into noise; Guo Suhua had heard from her son on the phone that he'd be bringing back festival gifts, but seeing them in person still startled her: "How did you get so much?"

Su Xinghui said, "This year the township's finances were decent, so they gave out a bit more."

Guo Suhua said, "Gaoshan brought a lot too last few days—we got some fish and meat from your dad's unit. With all this, how will you even finish it all for the New Year?"

Earlier, Yu Gaoshan had come by with some fine fish, a few wild chickens, and bamboo rats—all cleaned and stored in the fridge.

Su Wenjun and Guo Suhua's units had also distributed benefits, not as much as Su Xinghui's, but together they matched his amount.

With so much fish and meat, they truly couldn't finish it all; Su Xinghui smiled, "No problem—later, let your sister take one fish and a slab of meat back. All three fish I got are over fifteen jin weight—perfect for fish balls."

Guo Suhua nodded and smiled, "Good—this kind of fish is ideal for fish balls. Xingyun, Mingcheng, remember to take some when you leave."

Tan Mingcheng said, "Starhui, wasn't your place a poor township? But even combined, my share and your sister's doesn't reach half yours!"

Su Xinghui chuckled, "Just this year's been better."

Tan Mingcheng sighed, "You've really come into your own."

In the county, festival benefits were a direct reflection of a unit's status—no matter the unit, something had to be given out for the New Year; this was a leftover from the planned economy era. In another twenty years, they'd probably just hand out cash or shopping cards.

Su Xinghui's benefits this year ranked among the upper-mid tier across all county units—only inferior to power, tobacco, banking, and the county government. Xingyun's school and Mingcheng's Health Bureau were not considered high-benefit units.

Su Xingyun said, "Yeah, my husband and I each got two fish—each only five or six jin weight, and they were grass carp. Our unit is so stingy."

Su Xinghui said, "Then take more back—take some of what Gaoshan brought too. At least get to taste something new."

Su Xingyun beamed and nodded, "Alright, this year we'll have a fat New Year."

Guo Suhua told Su Xinghui, "You cook today's dishes then—I can't kill such big fish, and I don't know how to cook wild chickens or bamboo rats."

Su Xinghui agreed and took the three fish to the kitchen; such large fish were beyond the capability of women like Guo Suhua and Su Xingyun, or even a bookish man like Tan Mingcheng.

The fish had been caught yesterday; the cold weather kept them fresh. Su Xinghui swiftly cleaned and gutted all three; Tan Mingcheng tried to help but couldn't find a way to pitch in.

He asked curiously, "Starhui, how come you're so quick at filleting fish?"

Su Xinghui said, "Practiced in the township."

He hung the largest fish to drain its blood and told Tan Mingcheng, "Brother-in-law, once this one's fully cleaned, take it with you when you leave."

Tan Mingcheng nodded and agreed.

Su Xinghui placed another fish on the cutting board, covered its head with a fresh Mao Jin, pressed it down with his left hand, and with his right hand sliced off both fillets, removed the skin and large bones, then chopped the meat into small pieces, separating the white flesh from the red.

Tan Mingcheng, who couldn't cook, asked curiously, "What are you planning to do?"

Su Xinghui said, "The white flesh is for fish balls—looks nice. The red flesh gets mixed with pork for fried meatballs."

Tan Mingcheng finally understood and nodded, "Starhui, you're a college grad, yet I feel like you can do everything. Compared to you, I'm so ashamed."

Su Xinghui thought: If you were reborn too, you'd know all this too—but of course he couldn't say that. He told Tan Mingcheng, "Everyone has their strengths. These things aren't hard to learn—if you try, you'll master them."

As he talked to Tan Mingcheng, Su Xinghui kept working—boiled a pot of fish balls, fried a batch of raw meatballs, and even fried the fish bones after removing the meat—a delicacy in itself.

Next, Su Xinghui stir-fried several dishes and made a steaming hot pot with the fish balls, completing a lavish birthday feast for Su Wenjun.

At noon, the family happily ate together to celebrate Su Wenjun's birthday; they tasted wild chickens and bamboo rats from Ye Zhugou for the first time and found them delicious. When they learned Su Xinghui had advised Ye Zhugou village on breeding them, they all nodded and agreed these goods would sell well.

During the meal, Guo Suhua asked how many days off Su Xinghui had; he said he returned to work on the seventh day of the first lunar month. She said that was good—he'd rarely come home since starting work, and this year he could finally rest longer during the New Year.

When the meal was nearly over, Su Xinghui went to the kitchen and made Su Wenjun a bowl of longevity noodles, topped with a poached egg, drizzled with sesame oil, and sprinkled with scallions—fragrant and inviting. Su Wenjun happily ate every last bite.

After the meal, Su Xingyun's family left; Guo Suhua made plans with them: on New Year's Eve, the Su family would eat their reunion dinner first, starting at eleven in the morning. After finishing here, they'd return to the Tan household for their own reunion dinner.