Chapter 67: Drunk Geng Yunye went to the back mountain before dawn...

Geng Yunye went to the back mountain to pick pine branches before dawn, and brought back several bundles of firewood to fill the woodshed.

Cheng Xin was washing rice in the kitchen. The glutinous rice in the pottery basin was translucent white. She added a spoonful of honey to the water and looked up at him with a smile on her face: "Put more sugar in the rice cake this year."

Geng Yunye said flatteringly: "You are the chef, we will follow your instructions."

He squatted in front of the earthen stove to light a fire. Cheng Xin sifted the glutinous rice flour ground by the stone mill twice before pouring it into the warm water: "Sifting it twice makes it fine enough. My brother said that the rice cakes I made last year were grainy and not as delicious as those sold on the street."

Geng Yunye added firewood to the stove. "I like what you cook. It tastes better than what you sell in the store."

Cheng Xin picked up a dough, rolled it into a round skin in her palm, and filled it with brown sugar and sesame filling. "You have such high expectations of me, so I have to be more meticulous. Don't use too much fire, steaming rice cakes requires low heat and slow baking."

The dumplings in the bamboo basket are arranged in a large circle, enough to last the entire New Year.

Geng Yunye got up and went to get the cured meat from under the eaves. There were sausages, pickled duck, and marinated pork hanging in a row.

Cheng Xin wiped the surface of the cured meat with a bamboo leaf: "Soak it for two hours to remove the saltiness. Are the bamboo shoots done?"

"I've been soaking it for a long time." Geng Yunye squatted beside the well, soaking his hands in cold water to wash the bamboo shoots. "The water is cold, don't touch it."

Cheng Xin began to put radish slices in the steaming bowl, then placed the chopped preserved meat on top and sprinkled a handful of wolfberries on top: "Red and white go together, it looks really festive."

Geng Yunye took the bowl and put it into the steamer, leaning close to her ear and saying, "White with a hint of rosy pink, just like you."

Cheng Xin stretched out her hand to twist his waist, but he smiled and dodged. She turned around to deal with the shad. She cut three oblique cuts on the fish, smeared lard on it, stuffed the fish belly with ham and mushrooms, and finally poured a spoonful of aged Huadiao wine: "On the day of the wedding, I dug out the Huadiao wine that my father had buried and brought it with me. He is very good at making wine."

Geng Yunye laughed: "I didn't realize you were still a little drunkard."

Cheng Xin raised her eyebrows: "Of course not, I'm a heavy drinker."

Steam was coming out of the steamer on the earthen stove. Cheng Xin opened the bamboo lid and a sweet fragrance mixed with the fresh scent of pine branches wafted out.

Geng Yunye reached out to gather her hair, and brushed her hot forehead with his fingertips: "Take a break, I'll keep an eye on it."

Cheng Xin wiped the sweat off her face with her sleeves: "First fry the pork with preserved vegetables and cook the pork belly. Be careful of the oil splashing."

Geng Yunye put the meat into the frying pan. The golden oil splashed up. He quickly covered it with the lid and smiled at her, "I have thick skin. I won't get burned."

Cheng Xin couldn't keep idle after taking a break, so she went to prepare some cold jellyfish and drizzled it with sesame oil and minced garlic.

She looked up at him and asked, "Can we finish all the dishes we prepared?"

Geng Yunye came back from setting the dishes in the main hall with his apron string loose: "This year is the first New Year we spend together, so it has to be grand. Besides, isn't the New Year just about eating leftovers over and over again?" He pulled at his apron as he spoke, causing Cheng Xin to smile.

Cheng Xin helped him tie his apron back on and tied a strong bow at the back. Usually, even the poorest families would try their best to prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, so she was a little overly surprised.

The fried meatballs were taken out of the pot, and four plump meatballs rolled around in the porcelain bowl.

Geng Yunye put his arms around her waist from behind and rubbed his chin against the top of her head: "It smells so good that I want to take a bite first."

Cheng Xin tapped the back of his hand with chopsticks and said angrily, "Why rush to offer sacrifices to the ancestors first?"

There were four sets of bowls and chopsticks on the eight-immortal table in the main hall. Cheng Xin placed steamed rice cakes, glutinous rice balls and steamed shad on the table. She moved the shad to the middle, with the head facing the door and the tail facing the window.

Geng Yunye lit three incense sticks, and the smoke rose. He held her hand and said, "Mom and Dad, the wife I married is very clever and skillful. She not only keeps the house clean and tidy, but also prepares a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for you two elders."

Cheng Xin sprinkled the rice cakes on the doorstep and said softly, "Mom and Dad, Yun Ye said you like sweet things. Try my steamed rice cakes. I specially put candied osmanthus in them."

After offering sacrifices to the ancestors and pasting Spring Festival couplets, Cheng Xin returned to the kitchen and added soup to the meatball pot to simmer: "These four meatballs represent happiness, wealth, longevity and joy."

"And our family will be reunited." He held her empty hand, and his rough palm rubbed against her fingertips. Cheng Xin smiled, but did not pull her hand back, letting him hold it until the soup in the pot thickened.

The braised bamboo shoots and ham and winter melon soup are served at the same time.

Cheng Xin opened the lid of the pot. The winter melon was translucent and the ham slices were floating on the soup. "You come and taste the saltiness."

Geng Yunye tasted it himself, nodded, and scooped another spoonful with a spoon, blew it cool, and handed it to her mouth, watching her open her mouth to taste it intently: "Is it delicious?"

Cheng Xin nodded, the salty taste of the soup melting on her tongue. She looked up and saw glutinous rice flour on his face, so she reached out to wipe it off for him.

After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, Geng Yunye boiled two pots of hot water and the two took turns taking a bath.

In the evening, Geng Jiankang came over carrying two bamboo stools, followed by Geng Aiguo, who was holding a bag of roasted melon seeds in his arms: "Uncle and aunt, the Spring Festival Gala is about to start, right?"

Cheng Xin hurriedly put out the porcelain plates and brought out the fried peanuts from the cupboard: "The TV is tuned up, you can find a place to sit."

Aunt Wang followed closely behind, carrying a covered porcelain bowl. She placed it on the table and opened it to reveal steaming sugar-roasted chestnuts: "These are wild chestnuts picked from the mountains near my mother's home. Try them while they're hot, fresh out of the pot." She blinked at Cheng Xin, a smile hidden in the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Geng Yunye moved the TV to the center, and the snow screen crackled a few times before Li Guyi's "New Year Greetings Song" popped up. Geng Aiguo got close to the screen with his nose almost touching the glass.

Chen Peisi's skit made everyone laugh. Geng Mancang braved the cold wind and pushed the door open, revealing his blue Zhongshan suit from under his open cotton jacket: "It's convenient to have a TV. My family is also saving money to buy one."

He stamped his feet, took the hot tea handed to him by Cheng Xin and sat down: "While everyone is talking about something, I will go to the commune for a meeting this afternoon. The higher-ups said that the commune will be changed into a town, and the production brigade will be changed into a village."

Geng Guohua peeled some fried peanuts and put them into his mouth: "I've been messing around all day. Changing the name is no big deal. We even have to hold a special meeting."

Aunt Zhao continued, "We only know how to farm, so it doesn't matter whether it's Gengjiawan Brigade or Gengjia Village."

The melody of "Young Friends" sounded on TV, and Li Guyi's voice was clear and melodious. Geng Mancang hummed along, tapping his feet on the ground to the rhythm: "Let's hold a general meeting of members to vote on the name change. Let's see whether to call it Gengjia Village or give it another name."

The Spring Festival Gala ended and everyone went home. The sounds of footsteps and goodbyes gradually faded away.

Geng Yunye came to the yard with a string of firecrackers, and Cheng Xin stood at the doorstep, with her hands tucked into her sleeves to keep warm. Firecrackers exploded, sparks splashed on the ground, Cheng Xin covered her ears, and looked at Geng Yunye in the fire with sparkling eyes.

When she returned to the house, Cheng Xin's cheeks were red from the cold.

Geng Yunye opened the curtain of the chest of drawers and took out a bottle of wine wrapped in red silk: "Would you like to drink something? It can drive away the cold."

Cheng Xin's eyes lit up: "Okay, let's have a drink!"

After a sip of wine, Cheng Xin started talking. She leaned on Geng Yunye's shoulder and slid down his arm, but Geng Yunye grabbed her waist in time.

"What about your good drinking habits?" Geng Yunye looked at the half-empty glass of wine in front of her with a smile on his face, and gently poked her burning cheek with his fingertips, "You're already lost after only drinking half a glass?"

Just as he was about to help the man up, Cheng Xin suddenly grabbed his neck, her wet eyes wide open: "Don't leave! Keep drinking!"

"You really can't drink anymore." Geng Yunye held her back and moved her to the bed, but Cheng Xin was like a naughty kitten, wrapping her legs around his waist and refusing to let go.

She tilted her head, her face full of dissatisfaction: "I'm not drunk! If you don't believe me, test me on the multiplication formula!"

During the stalemate, Geng Yunye simply held the person and sat him on his lap.

Cheng Xin calmed down, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the buttons on his cotton-padded jacket, her eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes: "Yun Ye, do you think people have a previous life?"

When she looked up, her eyes were pitiful.

Geng Yunye kissed the tip of her nose: "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

He quietly tightened his hands around her waist, and Cheng Xin tilted her head and moved closer. The scent of osmanthus mixed with the aroma of wine in her hair hit her face.

"I keep dreaming about things from my past life." Cheng Xin spoke vaguely, biting his lower lip lightly and then letting go.

Geng Yunye rubbed her affectionately: "Were you a piglet or a kitten in your previous life?"

Cheng Xin glared at him angrily: "Can't I just be a human being?"

She said in a child-like tone, "I was so awesome in my past life!"

Geng Yunye stroked her waist and asked calmly, "How powerful is it?"

"I dreamed that I wore leather shoes to work, rode in a car every day, talked to a tin cube, and could earn a hundred yuan a day!" She gestured excitedly, almost knocking over the wine glass on the table, "I remember now, the tin cube is called a mobile phone!"

Geng Yunye raised his eyebrows and rubbed her neck gently with his fingertips: "A cell phone sounds more exotic than a TV. What did you do in your previous life?"

Cheng Xin was so excited that she wanted to stand up, but her legs were so weak that she almost fell off his lap: "I am a white-collar worker in an office! I tutor students in English and work in front of a computer every day. A computer is a kind of light-emitting board."

He reached out and scratched her nose, with questions surging in his mind, "Do you have any skills to teach me?"

Cheng Xin tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I can speak English! And I can use a cell phone to make calls!"

"Call?" Geng Yunye frowned slightly. Cheng Xin had never mentioned these weird things to him before. What she said now sounded very convincing and didn't sound like fabrication.

"Yes!" Cheng Xin leaned close to his ear and said mysteriously, "No need to run to the brigade headquarters to borrow a phone, you can contact people anytime and anywhere in the house!" She described it with her hands and feet, "It's much more convenient than what we have now!"

Geng Yunye looked at her serious expression and felt more and more uneasy, but he still smiled and replied, "That's amazing." He paused and asked tentatively, "Do you remember anything else from your previous life?"

Cheng Xin blinked her eyes, "Well, I can't remember a lot! Dreams are intermittent, and I haven't had a dream for a long time." She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled, "But I remember that I was looking for someone."

Geng Yunye's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously tightened his arms: "Who are you looking for?"

"I won't tell you!" Cheng Xin raised her head, stuck out her tongue at him, and leaned in his arms again, "Now that I've found it, I don't want to think about my past life anymore." Her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and her voice gradually became unclear, "Being with you in this life is enough..."

Cheng Xin's breathing gradually became even and she fell asleep in his arms.

Geng Yunye gently put her on the bed and tucked the quilt in for her, but his eyes were fixed on her sleeping face.

The sound of New Year's firecrackers rang out from time to time, but his heart could not calm down. Was Cheng Xin's inexplicable words just drunken nonsense, or was there some secret hidden that he didn't know?

He sat on the bed, stretched out his hand to smooth her hair, looked at her face which was still smiling foolishly in her sleep, couldn't help but kiss her again, and whispered: "No matter what, I will protect you for the rest of my life."