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After finishing, he took the juice bottle and left the room, leaving Peter standing there in a daze. Xu Li, who had come from Moscow, immediately started preparing the meal. The women in the village were busy in the cafeteria, while the men, except for those tending to the cattle and sheep, had driven to Bratsk to buy a large quantity of vegetables and fruits, along with the spices that Xu Li specifically requested.
Trucks loaded with vegetables arrived at the ranch, while the fruits were wrapped in foam boxes and kept warm with old blankets; otherwise, they would have frozen in this weather if left in the cafeteria for a few hours. Valery, along with his three sons, retrieved a huge iron pot from Xu Li's storage shed, cleaned it thoroughly, and took it to the ranch.
As soon as a pot of hot water was boiled, it was quickly taken away by the women, who continued to boil more water. The cafeteria was bustling with activity. Xu Li, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and wearing a coat labeled "Lotus Flavor MSG," was busy in front of a bubbling iron pot.
Dozens of toddlers, around two to five years old, eagerly sucked on their fingers and followed Xu Li around, waiting to taste the first batch of braised dishes. The complex aroma created by dozens of spices was something they could only smell once a year.
Since the second expansion of the ranch nearly eleven years ago on New Year's Eve, Xu Li had organized a reunion dinner for the entire village. That year, nearly one hundred and fifty people attended; it was the most lively gathering since the village's establishment.
At that time, Xu Li used these very iron pots to cook all the beloved braised dishes. The little ones who once surrounded Xu Li back then were now off at school; those living nearby were in Bratsk, while others had gone as far as Irkutsk!
"Is Grandpa ready yet?" asked Andreev's granddaughter eagerly. Xu Li smiled and squatted down to her level, gently tapping her and the other children on their noses. "It'll take a little longer. Why don't you go find Aunt Urzina? Ask her for some fireworks to play with and come back later?"
"Okay!" The little girl replied with a long drawl before all the kids scampered off. The toddlers wobbled away like little penguins, grinning widely as they chanted about playing with fireworks.
Watching them leave the kitchen, Xu Li picked up the intercom from the rack by the door. "Valery, keep an eye on the kids. Let the older ones handle the fireworks; give some candy to the younger ones to keep them entertained."
"Got it."
Just after Valery finished lighting up some fireworks, he called over a few twenty-somethings from Xiao Nianqing to watch over the kids before heading to check on the cattle shed. This year's calves were numerous and needed careful attention.
When he finished his round at the cattle shed and stepped out, he noticed several Caucasian dogs were messing around with his son and Peter's boy. He hurried over to scold them and drove them back into their kennel before locking it up. Checking his watch, he realized it was almost five in the evening; it was time to prepare food for these big guys.
As he carried a large bucket of hot offal soup to feed the dogs, he suddenly noticed that their feeding bowls were missing.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
One Caucasian dog that resembled Da Hei barked furiously at some young people in the distance who were still setting off firecrackers, its fierce gaze seeming ready to devour them whole!
Bang!
Clap!
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The little kids clapped their hands excitedly without caring about their red fingers from the cold, joyfully bouncing around: "One more! Uncle Larry, one more!"
Just as Xiao Nianqing grinned and bent over to continue setting off firecrackers, Valery kicked him playfully into the snow.
I have written a few chapters today, and I am already exhausted.
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