Chapter Eleven

The more sumptuous the New Year's Eve dinner, the more prosperous the family will be in the coming year.

Even someone as stingy as Zhou Wushi, who was usually extremely frugal with others, dared not be careless about the New Year's Eve dinner.

The cupboard, which is usually locked, was opened, and a small half-bag of polished rice, which was stored specifically for today, was taken out.

In Mujia Village, the New Year's Eve dinner features a whole stewed chicken, without cutting it into pieces, and the chicken's cavity is stuffed with spices to remove any fishy smell and enhance the flavor.

The whole chicken was cooked for more than half an hour until it was tender and the aroma made people swallow their saliva.

The aroma of the steamed white rice wafted from the pot, far surpassing that of brown rice. Just smelling it made two large bowls probably not enough.

It took Zhou Lin some time to find Zhou Qiang. By the time he arrived home, it was past noon. Apart from Zhou Laosan and the pregnant Mu Qing and her husband, everyone in the family was busy in the kitchen preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Along the way, Zhou Lin, a rough and uneducated man who had a deep respect for scholars, assumed that his fourth brother was busy with the affairs of scholars and didn't say anything.

He secretly memorized the address of Zhou Qiang's home, so that he wouldn't be as lost as he was today when he looked for him next time.

Zhou Qiang didn't think there was anything wrong with Zhou Lin braving the cold wind to pick him up in town on New Year's Eve.

The two brothers looked at each other in silence, and the journey back was equally quiet.

"My little one, you still know how to come home? Have you forgotten what you promised your mother before you left?"

Zhou Wu was worried all day, but when she saw Zhou Qiang with her own eyes, the weight on her heart finally lifted.

Thinking about the fear and anxiety she had endured that day, she couldn't help but scold him, though her tone showed no sign of anger.

Zhou Qiang has been favored by Zhou Wushi over the years, partly because he is the youngest son, but also largely because of his sweet talk.

“Mother, I was studying with my classmates yesterday and I lost track of time. I rushed home as soon as I got up this morning because I was afraid you would be angry with me. Please forgive me this time, since it is the New Year and I am still studying hard.”

Zhou Wu was not angry to begin with, but after hearing the story, she felt only heartache.

"My youngest son, you've really worked hard. Are you hungry? I cooked some meat yesterday, just waiting for you to come back and eat. It's just warmed up. Jin-ge, pick out a few ribs for your fourth brother to have a little something to eat first."

Mu Jin responded and picked out six stems.

"Thank you, brother." Zhou Qiang was most polite to the beauty and cared most about his image in her eyes.

"Where's your older brother? He went out early this morning looking for you, and he didn't even eat much breakfast."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiang hurriedly said, "Brother, you saw me off at my door and then rushed off to return the oxcart. It's my fault today. I'm sorry to have troubled you to pick me up in this cold weather. I'll save the ribs and wait for you to come back so we can eat together."

He didn't feel guilty at all in front of Zhou Lin, but now he's spouting nice things without batting an eye.

Zhou Wushi immediately became unhappy, "As the older brother, it is his duty to take care of his younger brother. You eat first, don't go hungry. There will be food when he comes back."

Zhou Qiang glanced at Mu Jin. Because of his hangover, he hadn't eaten breakfast and his stomach was rumbling loudly.

Afraid of offending Mu Jin, and feeling utterly hungry, he couldn't resist the aroma of meat.

"Brother, how about we pick a few from the plate and put them in the pot, leaving some for you?"

Just as Zhou Wu was about to speak, Mu Jin interjected, "Alright, since you have this intention, your elder brother's suffering in the cold was not in vain."

Zhou Wushi swallowed back the words she was about to say. Zhou Qiang was starving. As soon as Mu Jin finished speaking, she helped him pick out four skewers and took the rest, taking a big bite.

"Look how hungry you are. These few pieces are not enough. There's more in the pot. Our son can get more later."

Zhou Wushi snatched the ribs back from Mu Jin's hand and placed them in front of Zhou Qiang. In her mind, it would be a waste to give the meat to Zhou Lin.

Zhou Qiang didn't care about anything else. He could still tolerate the smell and talk to Mu Jin before, but now that he was eating meat, he couldn't care about anything else.

Musheng's house is located near the foot of the mountain in the village, and is some distance from Zhou's house.

When Zhou Lin returned, Zhou Qiang was rubbing his stomach and burped. There were a few cleanly gnawed meat bones on his plate.

"The eldest is back. Are you hungry? There are some flatbreads left in the pot from lunchtime. Have some to tide you over."

Before Mu Jin could speak, Zhou Wushi spoke.

Mu Jin didn't say anything, but took out the pancakes and also scooped out three spare ribs.

"There are only a few ribs left, and your dad and the others haven't eaten yet."

Zhou Wu was adept at manipulating Zhou Lin. She pretended to peek into the pot twice and sighed.

As expected, Zhou Lin pushed the plate away and said, "Ah Jin, just leave it for Dad and the others. I'll just have a bowl of meat broth and eat it with the meat."

Over the years, Zhou Lin had become accustomed to hardship. The exemplary behavior of the eldest brother in leaving the best things for his younger brother and parents had long been ingrained in his heart. He didn't think much of it; being able to eat meat soup was already a blessing.

Mu Jin said reproachfully, "This was specially saved for you by our fourth brother, because he cares about you. I'll put one back with me, but you have to eat two, otherwise it would be against our fourth brother's good intentions."

Zhou Qiang ate only half a full meal, and now he's starting to think about how to maintain his image in front of Mu Jin.

Anyway, he got all the food he was supposed to eat, and there was still chicken stewing at home. He had smelled it long ago, so he didn't care whether Zhou Lin ate it or not.

"Big brother, you eat. I won't eat the ribs tonight. Just leave my portion for Mom and Dad. Thank you for your hard work today, big brother. I'm very grateful."

Zhou Lin felt a surge of warmth in his heart. This honest man wasn't good with words, and this was the first time his fourth brother had ever given him meat. He couldn't be more touched.

Zhou Wu choked on her words, "You, as the eldest brother, actually ate it when I told you to."

Mu Jin smiled gently, "Mother, we're all family. How can we pretend like outsiders? Fourth Brother must genuinely care for his eldest brother."

Zhou Qiang nodded in agreement, "Brother, hurry up and eat, there's still some time before dinner."

Zhou Wushi has been used to pretending to be a kind mother in front of Zhou Lin for years, and she is not yet capable of snatching the plate.

"Since your fourth brother said so, then you should eat it. You must remember how good your fourth brother is."

Mu Jin sighed inwardly, how could she be so biased towards sons who all came from her womb?

Anyone who didn't know better would think Zhou Lin was picked up from the street.

There's a saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Even among family members, those who are biased will always bully the most filial and honest one.

The debt of life is greater than heaven. Before, Zhou Wu would coax Zhou Lin to make sacrifices, but some people don't even pretend. They are obviously biased.

Zhou Si was cooking and watching a big show. Over the years, Zhou Qiang and he had only been able to eat meat soup when they were young, and it was considered good if they could even get some meat scraps.

My eldest brother is truly blessed to have married a husband who always protects him.

After Zhou Lin finished a hot and fragrant lunch, his body, which had been stiff from the cold, warmed up.

With a broom in hand, I swept the snow that had accumulated in the yard yesterday clean, and put the farm tools back in the woodshed.

There was a scholar in the family. Although his handwriting wasn't very good, Zhou Wushi couldn't tell. The family didn't need to go out to buy couplets, and they felt superior to others.

Ever since Zhou Qiang learned to write, he has been the one writing the couplets in his home.

"Little one, the red paper is all cut out. Take a rest for a while and then go write on it. Once you're done, have your brother and the others put it up."

Zhou Qiang perked up; this was always his time to show off.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone who comes to pay their respects will praise him. If he had a tail, he would be wagging his tail in the air.

With the addition of hibiscus to his home this year, he has been writing with even greater fervor, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

After the ink dried, Mu Jin learned a few characters from Mu Nianjun. Looking at the crooked characters on the paper, which were not even half as good as Mu Nianjun's writing, she felt it would be embarrassing to stick them on.

Both Zhou Wushi and Zhou Qiang were very satisfied, saying, "My son's handwriting is even better than last year."

Zhou Lin couldn't understand it either, but he was genuinely proud to have a younger brother who was studying.

After cooking the paste, Mu Jin carried the bowl and followed Zhou Lin out to paste the couplets.

Looking at Zhou Lin's delighted expression, Mu Jin was speechless. "You think these characters are beautiful?"

Zhou Lin nodded, "It looks great, even better than last year. Every year when the villagers come, they praise Fourth Brother."

Hibiscus: "..."

He really suffered because he was literate; he found fault with everything he saw.

After we separate from the family, we will never put up such ugly couplets at home.

After pasting the paper on several doors, Mu Jin picked up the remaining red paper, cut out a few "Fu" characters, and pasted them on the windows.

"Brother, you're so skillful! This 'Fu' character is so plump and looks so auspicious."

Mu Jin chuckled and together with Zhou Si, they covered all the windows in the house with stickers.

The extra hibiscus saplings were hung on the dry branches of the fruit trees in the yard.

The addition of red to the courtyard instantly created a lively atmosphere.

Zhou Lin went out and found a straight, thick wooden stick, which he placed at the front door to prevent his wealth from leaking out.

As everyone bustled about, night fell, and the sound of firecrackers filled the air, sweeping away the daytime silence and bringing a lively atmosphere to the village.

Mu Jin lit the oil lamp, served the food, and the family sat around the table. Zhou Wu Shi even warmed some wine for Zhou Lao San.

Mu Qing and Zhou Ming smelled the aroma of the food and didn't come out of the house until evening.

The chicken legs used for stewing the chicken naturally belonged to Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan, the elderly couple.

Mu Jin served them meals not for nothing; when dividing the meat, she tore off a few extra pieces for Zhou Lin and gave Zhou Si a little more as well.

Each person gets one spare rib, and there are about ten left, so naturally, Zhou Laosan gets to eat them first.

In previous years, when stewing meat, the ribs would be almost all eaten up, so there wouldn't be so much left. Zhou Lin and the others were only able to enjoy this much because Zhou Qiang wasn't around on the 29th of the lunar year.

There was plenty of meat, and Zhou Laosan didn't mind if Zhou Lin and the others had a bite. Zhou Wushi didn't dare let Mu Jin distribute the food anymore, for fear that all the meat would end up in Zhou Lin's bowl.

The family enjoyed a fairly harmonious New Year's Eve dinner, and the stewed cabbage, pork, and vermicelli was completely devoured.

The fine rice is so fragrant that you could easily eat two bowls of it on its own.

Staying up until dawn, firecrackers went off one after another. Zhou Lin lit the firecrackers in his house, and with a loud bang, the dumplings were put into the pot.

It's springtime again.