Chapter 144 Cold Clothes Festival

After returning home, Song Chunxue fed the poultry and livestock. Since it was still early, she lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and rested for a while.

There are still two brats left at home, and I don't know how much longer the fourth one can hold on.

But she knew it wouldn't be long.

She took out the bracelet from the box, looked at it, and planned to sell it in a few days.

Life is short, so seize the day.

With the money from the sale, she can eat and drink well, and even visit her sisters.

After resting for a while, she opened the books that Sanwa had taught her. She still remembered them all, but fearing that she would forget them in a few days, she wrote them on the ground several times.

Then, following Master Zhang's instructions, she meditated and regulated her breathing.

The longer you meditate, the more obvious the effect.

The moment I opened my eyes, it was so bright.

Everything looked as if it had been washed, very clear, even the tiny cracks on the old mud walls were clearly visible.

Master Zhang, oh no, my senior brother, is indeed her benefactor.

In a few days it will be the Cold Clothes Festival on the first day of the tenth lunar month, when we send winter clothes to the deceased.

In the past, Song Chunxue was reluctant to spend a few copper coins to buy white paper to cut clothes and burn as paper money.

But now, she wants to buy more and cook more.

It's not just because the people below will freeze, but also because burning paper money for the deceased will ensure that the ancestors will run errands for them and bring them wealth.

This month is a long month with 30 days, and Song Chunxue plans to go to the market on the first day of the new month.

The market days in Taiping Township are the 1st, 4th, and 7th. Tomorrow is only the 27th, which is too early.

Five days later, on the first day of the tenth month.

Song Chunxue got up early to add hay to the donkey, planning to hitch up the donkey cart and go to the market.

Although the donkey had a hard time, she didn't like going to the market with others, especially since she would get angry if she encountered some foul-mouthed people.

While drinking the soup, she asked the fourth son, "Are you coming?"

"I'm not going. It's no fun on the street," the fourth son said sleepily. "If Mother happens to run into any, could you buy me a few new storybooks? I'll write down a few titles, and you can ask around for me."

“Okay,” Song Chunxue looked at Sanwa, “Is there anything else you need to buy? Do you have pens, ink, and paper?”

"I have everything," Sanwa said with a smile. "Mom, just buy me a few candies."

"Okay, buy more. There should still be candied hawthorns left. I'll buy you two more skewers." Song Chunxue couldn't help but sigh, "Now that the eldest has moved away, I feel much more at ease going out of the yard every day."

The fourth brother laughed, "Mom scared me that day. She tried to hold back several times but still couldn't help but curse. Hahaha, the third brother and I were holding back our laughter so hard."

Song Chunxue glanced at him and said, "When you get married and have a wife just like the boss, I'll still beat you up."

"Then why don't you talk about Sanwa? Sanwa will get married too. I think Mom treats Sanwa the same way she used to treat the eldest. Be careful, he might drive you crazy too."

Song Chunxue took a sip of soup and looked at the smiling Sanwa.

"That's true, don't follow the eldest brother's example in the future."

"Mother, I don't know how. Didn't you choose Xia Mulan for me? She seems to have a good temper."

Song Chunxue laughed, "That's true. As long as you don't provoke her, she has a good temper. You're the one who should control your temper and not bully her."

"..." The fourth brother looked at the third child, wondering why his mother started to side with outsiders when it came to Xia Mulan.

"No, Mother, you're being unfair. Shouldn't you find me a wife now?"

Song Chunxue was taken aback. "Who are you looking for?"

The fourth brother's wife lives in another city; where can she find one for him?

"Didn't Mother help me find someone?" The fourth son complained, his lips pouting so high they could tether a donkey. "I'm only a year younger than the third son, why didn't you help me find someone? You're biased."

Song Chunxue explained helplessly, "I didn't mean to not look for someone for you, but you probably don't like the girls on the estate. You definitely won't want to stay home herding sheep next year. Your wife can go out and find someone herself. If you find someone you like, come back and tell me, and I'll go with you to propose."

"That's more like it." The fourth brother glanced at the third brother. "If someone like Xia Mulan ends up like Xia Ying, I won't even look at her."

Sanwa laughed and said, "I didn't ask you to take a liking to me."

"Oh, oh, oh, you're already protecting me. Why don't you two get married sooner and have a wife, kids, and a warm bed like your older brother? Why bother studying and working from dawn till dusk?"

Sanwa stopped smiling and whispered, "But I still want to study."

Song Chunxue understood Sanwa's thoughts.

"Don't worry about the fourth son. If you want to study, then study. It's a bit early to get married now. Once you have a child, you're no longer a child. You can still study after you get married. Anyway, the work in the fields will be easier with me and your wife by then."

"But don't worry, I definitely won't mistreat your wife. She can help with the farm work a little in the future, since we don't have as much land as before."

Besides, she's already rich, why would she work herself to death?

She knew better than anyone else about the drought years to come. There would never be another year like when she was a child, when people starved to the point of cannibalism. Only a small number of people who had stored up little food would still go hungry.

After eating and drinking her fill, she hitched up a donkey cart and headed to the market for the chickens and pigs.

There are a lot of people at the market today, all of them are there to buy winter clothes and paper money for their ancestors.

Halfway there, some people hitched a ride on the donkey cart, and each person was given a coin, since it was cold and they were wearing many layers of clothing and the road was difficult to travel.

When we arrived at the market, the sun had not yet risen high. The market was located high in the mountains, and it was so cold that we tucked our hands into our sleeves.

Song Chunxue went to several shops with a wide variety of paper and bought three colors of paper. Now that she had money, the people underground also benefited from it.

She wanted to burn some clothes of different colors for them.

She didn't know much about the people who had passed away, except for her child's father, her parents-in-law, and an uncle. She bought ten sheets of paper, one of which could be used to cut out a set of clothes.

She would also use glue to stick shoes.

The rubbings of paper money in the family were passed down from the child's grandfather, and they were already cracked, so Song Chunxue bought another rubbing.

There's still some blank paper left at home; I can make some paper money when I get back.

Emerging from the crowded paper shop, the sun shone brightly on the entire street. Song Chunxue looked at the bustling street, everyone carrying paper in their hands, and for some reason, felt a warm glow in her heart.

She bought a few more chicks, lined them with some paper and rags, and put them in the newly bought bamboo basket.

The bamboo baskets were transported from elsewhere. Although they were expensive, they were lighter and more durable than those woven from willow or wood strips.

It can be washed and used again when we get home; it's better than having chicks poop on the car.

She bought some sugar and malt, cotton and cloth, and hurried home.

In the afternoon, instead of going to the fields to do anything else, she took her scissors and glue, sat at the table, and focused on cutting winter clothes.

She had cut hair before, so even after many years, it didn't feel unfamiliar to her.

An hour and a half later, she had cut up more than a dozen sets of clothes. Gluing shoes was time-consuming; she glued five pairs.

When the third child returned, she was gluing the last pair.

"Mom, you really went all out this year, even buying colored paper. It must have been expensive!"

"It's not expensive, just a dozen or so coins. Since you're back, if you're not going to write an article, help me make paper money, and I'll cut some copper coins."

Sanwa responded, dissolved the red ink, and used cotton to apply it to the new stamp.

He chuckled and said, "This stamp is for a hundred-tael silver note. If I make a lot more, my father can be a rich man in the afterlife."

Song Chunxue was amused. "Yes, we've brought in wealth and prosperity. Your father and the others should also share in the joy. May they stay warm and well-fed this year."

"Mother, do you think my father will really receive the winter clothes and money?" Sanwa asked earnestly as he made paper money. "Why have I never dreamed of my father? Will he come back to see us?"