Lu Yuanbao didn't expect that the day after the 28th would be New Year's Eve. He... had money! And a lot of it!

"No, I can't ask for money."

After the initial shock, Lu Yuanbao shook his head vigorously.

He knew clearly that the things sold were made by Chu Yue with her time and effort, and he was just helping out a little. He could not get half of the money, let alone charge any money.

But Chu Yue said, "Yuanbao, if you work hard, you will get something in return. This money is what you deserve. You can use this money to buy whatever you want to eat or buy in the future."

"Me?"

"Yes, it's you. The money is yours, so you have the right to spend it however you want." Chu Yue said carefully, word by word.

Chu Yue did not teach her children like other parents that money is hard-earned and should be saved and not spent on things indiscriminately.

Instead, she took Lu Yuanbao to buy things as she pleased and let him eat whatever he wanted, because Lu Yuanbao was different from other children. He was sensible enough, restrained enough, and tense enough.

Chu Yue hopes that Lu Yuanbao can relax more, act more like a child, and regain his carefree life.

Finally, she found an iron can and used it as Lu Yuanbao's piggy bank, put his money in it, and hid it in his small room, a place that only Lu Yuanbao knew about.

As for sleeping at night, of course the mother and son would still sleep together, since Lu Zhanlin still hadn't come back.

…

A few days later, I was already 28.

There is no 30th in the lunar calendar this year, so the day after the 28th is New Year's Eve.

In order to celebrate the New Year in a lively manner, Chu Yue had been busy for several days. On the 28th, it was unexpectedly a sunny day, so she took out the quilt and pillow to dry them in the sun.

Such a nice sunshine is something Chu Yue could not even dream of when she was working overtime like crazy.

After being exposed to the sun, the quilt will become particularly fluffy and soft. When you sleep at night, you can smell the scent of the sun and feel warm at night.

Chu Yue was drying the quilt, and Lu Yuanbao was moving the pillow.

Chu Yue was sweeping the floor inside and outside, and Lu Yuanbao was mopping behind her.

Working together, one big and one small, it's not tiring at all.

During this period, every household in the compound was preparing for the New Year. Although it was winter, there was a sense of joy in the air. The sisters-in-law all had smiles on their faces when they met each other, and one could often smell the fragrance coming from each kitchen.

Chen Fengying is not only good at making steamed buns, but also knows how to make dumplings, flower rolls, and dough figurines. She made a lot of good things and gave them to Chu Yue.

Carrie Lam sent over a few cabbages, as well as some dried radishes and bean sticks that she had made earlier. Although the items were not worth much, the thought behind them was there.

After lunch, Chu Yue took Lu Yuanbao out for a walk. It seemed that they were going to find Xia Xiaolan, but in fact they were asking Xia Xiaolan about Wang Chunling's news.

Chu Yue had a conflict with Li Jinhua over the pheasant incident. If she went to Wang Chunling's house again, there would probably be another dispute, which would put Wang Chunling in the middle and make things difficult.

However, she delivered the child herself and named him herself, so Chu Yue was still worried about Wang Chunling and her daughter, so she could only look for Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan was a young girl who didn't understand the ways of the world. When she saw Chu Yue, she treated her as if she had seen a close friend. She took Chu Yue's hand and started talking to her.

"Comrade Chu, you don't know. My life has been so much better since I lost Mrs. Li's two chickens. No more chickens stealing my vegetables, and no more chickens pooping in the yard. I finally don't have to sweep up chicken poop. It's really great... and... there are no more chickens crowing early in the morning... I'm not afraid of you laughing when I tell you this, I slept until eight in the morning and didn't get up at all. I almost forgot what it feels like to sleep in."

Speaking of this, Xia Xiaolan blushed slightly and smiled embarrassedly.

Chu Yue was also amused by her words. After listening to her for a long time, she mentioned Wang Chunling and glanced at the yard of Xia Xiaolan's next door.

Xia Xiaolan finally realized, "Sister Chunling, she's much better. Comrade Chu, I did as you said and steamed an egg every day and sent it to Sister Chunling secretly. Sister Chunling also told me that she and her child slept better after the roosters stopped crowing. Granny Li has been out every day these days, probably preparing for the New Year, so she doesn't have time to bother Sister Chunling. Don't worry, I'll visit her in the morning and in the afternoon. If Sister Chunling has any trouble, I'll ask you for help right away."

"What about the child?"

"Nuan Yang has become more beautiful. Such a small child grows up so fast. Every time I visit her, I feel that she has grown up. In the past few days, she has become much whiter. Now she is white and tender, just like an egg."

Chu Yue heard this and nodded with relief.

She probably knew that when a baby is just born, there is too much residual jaundice in the body, so it looks yellow, but as long as it is metabolized for a few days, the jaundice will subside and turn into normal skin color.

Wang Chunling has a good foundation, and the baby looks like her, fair and tender.

"Xiaolan, this is for you." Chu Yue made the trip worthwhile and gave some of the fried popcorn she had bought earlier to Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan was surprised and asked, "Why did you give me this? I don't have any children at home."

Although she said so, when Xia Xiaolan received the fried popcorn, she couldn't hide her smile, just like a child, and whispered, "I really like to eat this, it's fragrant and crispy, and very delicious."

Xia Xiaolan did not let Chu Yue go back empty-handed. She picked the crispy and tender green vegetables that she had carefully grown and gave them to Chu Yue.

After walking around the yard and returning home, several hours had passed and clouds gradually appeared in the sky.

In winter, if it gets dark, it will get dark very quickly.

Seeing that the sun had gone out, Chu Yue collected the quilts from the yard, trying to keep the remaining scent of sunshine in the quilts.

The quilt was a large double quilt. The weight was not a big deal for Chu Yue, but it was a bit large, slightly blocking her vision when she moved the quilt.

Chu Yue stood on tiptoe, picked up the quilt with both hands, took it off the clothesline first, then took a few steps back and turned towards the house.

Just as she stepped back, her heel hit a raised stone on the ground and her steps stumbled instantly.

He was holding the quilt in his arms, so he couldn't see clearly.

Chu Yue's body center of gravity was unstable and she seemed to be about to fall to the ground.

Lu Yuanbao anxiously grabbed the quilt in Chu Yue's arms, trying to use it to hold up Chu Yue's tilted body, but he was too small and had little strength, so he couldn't pull it at all.

At the critical moment.

There was suddenly a force behind Chu Yue's waist, which steadily caught her and the quilt in her arms.

Along with that, there was also the warm body temperature that touched my back.

She fell into a spacious, strong chest.

Chu Yue raised her head and looked behind her with her bright eyes, and met a pair of dark ink-colored eyes.

Lu Zhanlin stared at her and said gently, "I'll get it."