Chapter 65

Chinese New Year is a time of warm and busy celebrations.

Killing chickens, stewing meat, visiting graves, and having New Year's Eve dinner.

Grandma Sun couldn't argue with Chen Qing, and they spent the New Year at Chen Qing's house that night. Chen Qing was very happy and worked even harder while cooking.

In the morning, they went to pay respects at the graves together. Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan first paid respects to their grandmother, and then together with Aunt Sun, they paid respects to Uncle Meng and Meng Tao.

After returning home, Chen Qing and Aunt Sun cooked in the kitchen, while Zhou Yuan dug up a pile of yellow soil and played in the yard.

"Is this yellow mud?" Chen Qing asked, looking at Zhou Yuan's hands covered in mud, with some still on his face.

“Yes, I’ll make a small stove.” Yellow clay is the most suitable material for making things. Zhou Yuan wanted to make a small oven like the one in Yunxi Town. He had previously asked Li Xin to help him make an iron mesh.

“Back in Yunxi Town, Manager Tian had a stove like this. You could roast potatoes and sweet potatoes on it, and you could also roast meat.” Zhou Yuan looked at the wheels that were beginning to take shape. “Just burn some charcoal underneath.”

Grandma Sun simply let Chen Qing help Zhou Yuan with the cooking while she went to the kitchen to cook. Chen Qing was skillful and much more meticulous than Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan had a few bricks left over from repairing the house, which were piled up in the cowshed. Chen Qing helped him mix the yellow mud while he went to wash the bricks.

By the afternoon, the simple little stove was set up. Zhou Yuan went to the kitchen and shoveled out some charcoal. He put an iron mesh on top of the stove and placed some chestnuts on it, which were also given to him by Zhang Xu's family.

On a whim, Zhou Yuan asked Chen Qing to slice some pork belly into thin slices. He grilled them on his small stove, and they sizzled and released a fragrant aroma. He then sprinkled some seasonings he had brought back from Yunxi Town. Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan almost ate their fill right there.

Grandma Sun told them to save some room for the rest of their meal, otherwise she thought Chen Qing and the other man could have stayed there and eaten half a pig.

"Shall we bake some more and send it to Li Xin and the others?" Chen Qing wiped his mouth, thinking that Li Xin might like it.

"OK."

So Chen Qing cut some more meat, eagerly waiting for Zhou Yuan to grill it, then coated it with seasonings, arranged the slices one by one, and put it into a bowl.

When the food was delivered to the Li family, they were also preparing for their New Year's Eve dinner. Zhang Yin was cooking, Li Xin was helping out, and Qi Shuning was tending the fire. It was a harmonious and joyful occasion.

Zhou Yuan and his group didn't bother them much, but simply agreed to go to the temple fair early the next morning.

Back home, Aunt Sun had already prepared a table full of dishes: clear stewed pig's trotter soup, braised meatballs, a dish of cured pork and sausage, a dish of braised pork ribs with potatoes, and three bowls of fine rice—it was quite a feast.

This year has gone by so fast. Last year, they weren't even openly dating during the Spring Festival, but this year they're already family.

Zhou Yuan bought some wine; a day like this is perfect for a little drink. It was the same osmanthus wine as last year.

Chen Qing didn't hold back today and drank to his heart's content, but he couldn't hold his liquor and soon got dizzy. Aunt Sun and Zhou Yuan cleaned up the table together, and Aunt Sun reminded Zhou Yuan not to forget the time, that firecrackers should be set off at midnight.

Zhou Yuan agreed and took Grandma Sun home before returning home himself. Chen Qing was lying by the bedside, trying to sober up.

He was drunk, his face was flushed, and his eyes were watery. When he saw Zhou Yuan come back, he reached out to him and asked him to hug him.

Chen Qing usually doesn't drink alcohol. The last time he drank a little was at his wedding. After drinking, he said he wanted to go home. Today, after drinking, he didn't say he wanted to go home. Instead, he reached out like a child and wanted to be hugged.

Zhou Yuan picked him up like a baby, and Chen Qing hugged his neck, saying, "Zhou Yuan..."

Zhou Yuan looked at him: "What's wrong?"

"I like you," Chen Qing said.

Chen Qing is usually a very reserved person. He has almost never said anything about liking Zhou Yuan, but Zhou Yuan never doubts Chen Qing's feelings.

His emotions are evident in every aspect: his affectionate eyes, his meticulous care, and so much more. Zhou Yuan, being in his shoes, knows him better than anyone else.

On such a day of reunion, with so much love to be expressed, Zhou Yuan almost roughly took off Chen Qing's clothes.

The drunken Chen Qing gave Zhou Yuan an even bigger surprise. Usually, he was too shy and wouldn't say what Zhou Yuan wanted him to say or do what he wanted him to do. But today, he was almost always willing to grant Zhou Yuan's requests, which made Zhou Yuan feel a chill run down his spine.

Fortunately, he didn't forget Aunt Sun's instructions. He got up at midnight to set off firecrackers, and then came back to hug Chen Qing and fall asleep again.

Chen Qing was drunk and didn't remember anything. When he woke up the next day, there was nothing unusual, except that his lower back was a little sore.

Zhou Yuan boiled a few eggs for breakfast and waited at home for Li Xin and the others to arrive. They planned to go to the temple to burn incense today. Especially since Zhou Yuan started going out more often this year, and influenced by his injury last time, Chen Qing also wanted to believe in gods and Buddhas.

Li Xin arrived late, after Chen Qing and the others had finished getting ready. Chen Qing noticed that Li Xin's walking posture was a little awkward, while Qi Shuning couldn't hide her smile.

Chen Qing was genuinely happy for Li Xin, so when he was tidying up the oxcart, he put a mat on it. Knowing that Li Xin cared about her image, Chen Qing also put one on for himself.

Qi Shuning kept grinning like an idiot the whole way, which Zhou Yuan found unbearable to watch. Li Xin, enraged, kicked him in the butt.

At Huaiyuan Temple again, Qi Shuning will not worship Manjushri this time; he will instead worship the Old Man Under the Moon.

After returning from Huaiyuan Temple, they made another appointment to go to the county town to see the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Chen Qing missed it last year, so he was determined to go this year.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan went to Aunt Sun's house for dinner. Unexpectedly, Aunt Wang came to visit again, this time for Meng Zhong, the former village chief's birthday.

Chen Qing never expected them to be so shameless. Last year, they schemed against Zhou Yuan, and his husband Zhang Ran even caused trouble for Chen Qing. This year, they still dared to come to his door, shamelessly wanting to accept gifts.

Grandma Sun maintained her facade: "I have something to do on the fifth day, so I won't be going." She used to look down on them, a widow and her child, but now she's eagerly coming to them.

Zhou Yuan's face darkened, and Aunt Wang trembled with fear. But there was nothing she could do; her family was struggling too much and could only hope for the villagers' filial piety. But they seemed to have forgotten that times had changed. Without the village chief's position, who would want to bow and scrape to them?

As she walked along the road, she glanced back at Zhou Yuan standing there, and for a moment she regretted it. She should have known better than to provoke him. Now she had lost her position as village chief, her family had split up, her eldest and second sons no longer wanted to associate with Meng Zhong, and that slut Zhang Ran had run away. Her family was now infamous in the village.

Aunt Wang went back to her parents' home to confront Wang Shan, because all of this stemmed from him. However, she discovered that Wang Shan had already married a hunter from their village. According to her sister-in-law, Wang Shan had married the hunter without giving any dowry to his family.

It is said that the hunter had a dark face and a burly build. He lived in the mountains year-round and seemed to like Wang Shan very much. He would take Wang Shan with him when he went hunting in the mountains. Even Wang Shan's sister-in-law from her own family did not dare to go to their house to look for them, let alone her.

She had a lot of grievances to share but couldn't express them. She had visited many families in the village today. Some, like Aunt Sun, politely declined, but most were met with sarcasm and all sorts of comments. Some even brought up incest. Aunt Wang felt a burning pain on her face.

When Aunt Wang returned home, she looked at the broken windows and felt hopeless about the rest of her life. Meng Zhong was still lying in the house. Hearing her return, he cursed her for not coming back earlier to cook.

The youngest son, Meng Bing, sat at the door of his house, his eyes glazed over, muttering Zhang Ran's name.

Aunt Wang sat on the ground, muttering "What a sin, what a sin."

On the other side, Zhou Yuan looked at Chen Qing: "I remember you can fight, why don't you beat her up and send her away?"

Chen Qing kicked him: "How old is she? What if she gets seriously injured?"

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the family went to Li Xin's house for dinner. Because of Zhang Yin's illness, they hadn't been very happy about the completion of their new house. After that meal, they hadn't been there again. So on the fifth day, they planned to go to Li Xin's house for a gathering, as a belated housewarming party.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, they went to town to buy some things; they couldn't go empty-handed.

When they arrived, Niu Niu was writing on a sandy patch in the yard, Li the blacksmith was talking to Li Xin about blacksmithing, Qi Shuning was tending the fire in the kitchen, and Zhang Yin was preparing food.

When Li Xin saw Chen Qing arrive, he stopped listening to Li the blacksmith's rambling and ran up to them, saying, "I want a small stove like yours too. It's so delicious to roast meat with it."

Unable to dissuade Li Xin, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan went to dig up some yellow soil and made a stove with Chen Qing in the yard. Niu Niu stopped writing and started playing with the yellow clay. At first, they thought Niu Niu was just playing around, but when they saw Niu Niu after Chen Qing finished making the stove, they were surprised to find that Niu Niu had actually shaped it into a porcelain vase.

Li Xin looked at it and exclaimed, "This bottle, is it the one from my maternal grandfather's display cabinet?"

Niu Niu nodded: "Brother, do I look good?"

"It looks very similar, it's really well done."

Niu Niu touched his nose with his muddy hands and smiled happily. Li the blacksmith looked at Niu Niu, lost in thought.

As expected, Li Xin used the newly made small stove to roast meat. He had planned to do this for a while, so he bought pork shoulder when he went out. He also bought a piece of mutton that Li the blacksmith had somehow gotten for him, which was cut up and placed on the iron grid.

Not only was there meat, but also vegetables; Li Xin wished she could grill all the vegetables.

Zhou Yuan laughed at him: "You invite people over for dinner, but the guests have to bring their own pots and pans, right?"

Li Xin didn't care about him; he only cared about his own happiness.

However, eating like this was a novel experience, and Niu Niu was extremely excited. He kept eating even though he was grimacing from the heat.

Finally, everyone finished eating all the food that Li Xin had prepared. He then brewed tea for everyone. Qi Shuning still had to go back to the academy to study after the New Year. He had already missed a year, and he was determined to participate in the autumn examination this September.

"Where is the autumn imperial examination held?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"There are two examination centers for the autumn imperial examination, one in Yuancang Prefecture and one in Linbei Prefecture," Qi Shuning replied. "We are under the jurisdiction of the Southern Provincial Administration Commission, so we will take the exam in Yuancang Prefecture."

“We have to go early, otherwise accommodation will be a problem,” Zhou Yuan said.

"I know." Qi Shuning nodded. "I will go there a month in advance."

"What about you? Are you going to be away from home for a long time this year too?" Li Xin asked him.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Chen Qing: "I plan to take Aqing back to his hometown. After all, his parents-in-law are still buried there. Now that we've settled here, we should bring our relatives over."

Li Xin nodded, and said somewhat angrily, "It would be best to teach Aqing's relatives a lesson. What kind of people are they, bullying such a young boy?"

Chen Qing tugged at Li Xin's arm: "I'm fine, everything's alright now."

Zhou Yuan said, "The good things now can't cover up the hardships I suffered in the past. If I go back and visit, I can let go of everything."

He patted Chen Qing's head: "We'll go back when the weather gets warmer."

Chen Qing nodded: "Then do we still need to go back to your home?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head: "I have already settled all the matters in my family." When he decided to move, he took a knife and went to his uncle's family. He made them return all the money that they had withheld from sending to his grandmother over the years.

His second uncle scolded him for being unfilial, saying he would be struck by lightning and have no descendants. Zhou Yuan didn't care at all; only those who had done all sorts of bad things would have no descendants.

Chen Qing grasped Zhou Yuan's hand: "But I want to go and see. Although we rebuilt a tomb for my grandmother, I still want to reinforce the grave I hastily dug before."

"Alright, it's on the way anyway, so it won't hurt to go."

Zhou Yuan looked at Chen Qing, thinking that no matter where he went, as long as Chen Qing was by his side, that would be enough.