When it comes to Dad's peppercorn candy, I have to start with that mother's phone call.
That day my mother had a temporary trip out of the door, she went out soon, she called back, I answered, my mother said: "Are you Ah Wei?" ”
"I am!"
"Tell you, I came out and remembered that there was a pot of tomato beef soup on the stove, almost cooked, but I forgot to put salt..."
"It's okay, I'll put it away!"
"Ah, no, no, where do you know how much to put!"
I was not convinced: "I will, you forgot that once you roasted beef, didn't you ask me to put soy sauce?" How much salt to put in? ”
"Ah! No, no, never. Did the eldest sister come back? ”
"Only Dad is home."
"Then call your dad to the phone."
"Mom, do you think Dad knows more about how much salt to put in than I do?"
"No bullshit!"
I had to shout the foodie— my dad — out of my nap.
My dad was happy to answer the phone. His mother sent him to do something, and he was always very energetic. Putting down the phone, he immediately put on his glasses and ran to the kitchen.
I was doing my homework at the dinner table, only to hear my father lift the lid and cover the lid, going back and forth several times, and then he was tasting the soup again. Presumably, the work of putting salt is done very carefully--put a little bit, taste it, just right.
If she only needs 1/10 of a spoonful, she scoops up a spoonful in the salt pot and sweeps the salt spoon, which is naturally 1/10 of the salt sprinkled into the pot.
At this time my father came out of the kitchen, and his expression seemed a little serious, probably a sacred relationship of work.
But after a while, I saw him take a pen, ink and paper to the kitchen again, and I didn't know what to do--I couldn't always go to the kitchen to write articles and wait for the beef soup to be cooked. By the way, maybe he was going to write a note and stick it on the lid of the pot – "This soup has been salted"! Because Dad often scolded Mom for not going through the brain, probably afraid that Mom would put salt again when she got home.
Image source: Panorama Vision
Mom came back before dinner. When the bowl of golden tomato beef soup was served, my dad patted his thigh, smiled so much that he was sorry, and he said, "Today was really bad..."
"How?" Everyone was shocked.
"I took the sugar as salt, put some to taste, not salty enough, put some to taste, not salty enough, and then tasted the sweetness, I knew I was wrong!" 」
"Alas! What a drink! Mom's face immediately changed color.
"But you can try it, and it tastes good." Later, I continued to put salt, although it was a little sweeter, but the tomato was originally sour, put sugar, and then put salt, wouldn't it be neutralized? ”
My eldest brother, who is a physique and is now a reserve officer, has a sullen face—don't blame him, he is the only son, and he is a brother who only comes home once a week to fight tooth sacrifices. He said, "You can't tell the difference between salt and sugar?" ”
Mom quickly said, "Your dad is nearsighted." ”
The soup is not the most difficult to drink, but everyone drank the soup that day in a very special way, smacking their mouths after taking a sip, and deeply tasting the combined taste of sour, sweet and salty.
My dad finally came to a conclusion and he said to my mom, "Next time you won't be mistaken." I've labeled and labeled each on the sugar jar and the salt jar. ”
Mom snorted disdainfully from her nose: "Two jars, used for 10 years, when did I cook you sweet beef soup to drink?" ”
The next day, Mom tore off the labels on both jars.
What a pity! My dad used to say that his words were Zheng Banqiao body, how to tear it off? And, wouldn't that live up to Dad's kindness to Mom? So I said, "Mom, why tear it up?" There is always better than nothing. ”
Mom said: "The jar is one high and one short, one salt and one sugar, I have never missed it." Now it is written on it, so that every time I want to see it, I am confused and react in a staggered way, do you understand? ”
Yesterday, my mother was in the kitchen, and there were some peppercorns in the pot. The phone rang, and I answered it and immediately called out to my mother: "Mom, your phone." Mom came out of the kitchen and asked me, "Who's calling?" ”
I couldn't help but smile and said, "Long distance." ”
Mom was so happy to hear that it was a long distance, slapped my little ass, and asked, "Which one?" ”
By the way, my mother's long-distance calls are very many, Pan Long-distance, Zhang Long-distance, Wang Long-distance, Yan Long-distance... No, I should say Aunt Pan, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Wang, and Aunt Yan. This time it was Aunt Pan.
Mom sat down to listen to the phone, the second sister came over, she gently patted her mother's shoulder and said, "Say two words less, your dried roast peppercorns are still on fire, I won't help you get it!" ”
Since the second sister was admitted to a girls' middle school (in fact, it was only night school), she was so old-fashioned, and she treated her mother as a child, how can she pat and beat!
But don't blame the second sister, Mom's long-distance phone call – to learn a big brother's adjective – is truly terrible ( horrible ) ! Often the words are almost finished, and it is time to say "goodbye", and Aunt Pan will add: "I seem to have something to say to you." So my mother reluctantly shook the earpiece and said, "Then you should think about it again!" ”
Therefore, the second sister came to warn her mother for the second time: "The peppercorns are so hot that they can dance in the pot!" ”
At this time, my father suddenly appeared, and he walked from the study to the kitchen without a word, of course, to take over the dry roasted peppercorns - because my mother made the pepper salt, also for my father! After the peppercorns have been roasted, crushed, added with fine salt, put in a jar, taken out at any time, can be used to dip peanut rice or fried gizzard liver to eat. It was Dad's favorite condiment.
When Mom saw Dad go to the kitchen, she was more relieved to say that she was long-distance. My second sister and I made a grimace, and the second sister said, "Mom, rest assured to take a long distance, your ideal husband will fry peppercorns for you!" ”
Mom's phone call was finished, and Dad's pepper salt was ready. A glass bottle full of food for half a year, it's awesome!
At the dinner table, there was immediately one more small dish - fried peanut rice. Dad called me, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Don't forget to sprinkle some pepper salt on top of the fried peanut rice. ”
"Got it!"
The plate of peanuts was in front of Dad because it was his beloved side dish. Dad picked up the first peanut rice and ate it, and he chewed it and smacked his mouth. I put the second grain in my mouth, sipped my mouth, and let out a "meh" sound. When the third grain was put in his mouth, his chopsticks pointed straight at me: "What did you put in the fried peanut rice?" ”
"Pepper salt!"
"You put in the sugar." Dad said affirmatively.
"I didn't put the sugar, you must have put it, Dad."
Dad was stunned, and the table was full of people.
"Isn't that low jar salt?" Dad asked.
"Salt?" Mom said.
"Alas!" The eldest sister sighed.
Dad laughed and laughed so kindly!
The second sister said, "Ideal husband! ”
After eating, I'm going to do my homework, and today I'm going to write an essay, and I can't think of anything to write. The second sister said, "That's not easy!" I'll give you a title, just write "Daddy's Pepper Candy"! ”
Author: Lin Haiyin, Source: Reader, No. 2, 2017.