Chapter 444 The Spring Festival Couplets I Wrote

On New Year's Eve, every household in Taohua Village hung red lanterns and put up Spring Festival couplets.

"Left, left..."

"Okay, okay, this is the position, don't move!" After Gu Yuhe gave his uncle instructions, he quickly picked up the thick rice soup on the ground and handed it over.

The uncle looked distressed. This rice soup is a good thing. In previous years, we couldn’t even eat it, but this year we used it to paste Spring Festival couplets!

What a waste, kids!

Unfortunately, his opinion doesn't matter in his family.

Besides, according to the rules in the southwest, you can’t scold or hit children during the Chinese New Year!

Forget it, just pretend you didn't see it. What else can I do?

Gu Yuhe was very proud to see the Spring Festival couplets he wrote pasted all over the house.

Hehe, let’s see if the second brother still says that he is useless.

He didn't go out to play, but stayed at the gate, and when he saw someone passing by, he would pull them over and say, "Uncle Thirteen, look at the Spring Festival couplets, I wrote them!"

"Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang, am I good at writing these Spring Festival couplets?"

"Third Grandpa, let me read it to you!"

Unfortunately, his desire to share was not satisfied.

Uncle Thirteen took a look and said, "It's pretty good, but not as good as my boy's. People from the next village come to him to buy it."

Aunt Zhang: "The artistic conception is good, but the calligraphy is not so good. Is Yuchuan home? Come and help me write a couple of Spring Festival couplets? My boy has only been in school for half a year, so his handwriting is not very good!"

Third Grandpa: "Chun what? I can't hear it."

Gu Yuhe is angry!

"Yuhe, let's go cut some bamboo and make some firecrackers!"

Today is New Year's Day, and even Sun Hai, who loves learning, put down his books and ran around the village.

"Hey, here I come! Wait for me!"

What is anger? Why should I be angry during Chinese New Year?

That doesn't exist. How can showing off Spring Festival couplets be as fun as playing with good friends?

After a few more hours, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

Everyone had a smile on their face, even the elderly who usually didn't like to talk were sitting at the door chatting with their neighbors.

The Gu family's yard was even more lively, with children wearing newly made cotton-padded jackets and laughing crisply.

But amidst this bustle, there is a subtle sense of depression.

Everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed not to mention Gu Yushan, who was still fighting on the Yanshan front. As if this would help them ignore the fact that someone was missing from the family.

Only my aunt-in-law had red eyes and would stare blankly towards the village entrance from time to time.

But she knew in her heart that today was a happy occasion and she couldn't say anything to dampen the mood. She forced herself to dress her grandson in a festive manner. Wearing a red cotton-padded jacket and tiger-head shoes, she carried the child around the village, chatting with the neighbors and trying not to laugh when she spoke, so as not to let anyone see her worry.

"Where has the daughter-in-law of the old family gone to take a break again?" Grandma stood in the yard with her hands on her hips, shouting loudly, with a hint of deliberate "dissatisfaction" in her tone.

Zhao Xing'er heard the noise and rushed out of the kitchen, her hands still covered in flour. "Grandma, my mother took the child out for some fresh air. If you have anything to say, tell me and I'll do it!"

"What could be wrong? I just wanted to see where she's hiding!" Grandma deliberately frowned and spoke harshly, "Every year at this time, she's not home. I don't know what attracts her so much!"

After hearing this, Zhao Xing'er just smiled and didn't respond.

How could grandma not know her mother-in-law’s temper?

My mother-in-law went out to relax because she was afraid that staying in the house would bring back memories of Yushan.

Grandma noticed that the atmosphere at home was a little depressed, so she used this method to cheer everyone up.

"Have you cleaned the fish?" Grandma turned and shouted towards the kitchen, her tone somewhat helpless. "Look, I haven't been watching for a while, and the eldest son's wife ran away, and now I haven't even finished cleaning a fish! This family really can't do without anyone but me!"

Mrs. Li rushed out of the kitchen, holding a piece of freshly washed ginger. "I'll wash it right away! I was so busy chopping vegetables that I forgot about the fish. I'll get it right away!"

In the past two years, the Gu family has been getting more and more prosperous, and the New Year's meals have also become more abundant.

In previous years, it was considered good to have one meat dish on the table, but this year the table was filled with all kinds of meat.

The table is filled with tender braised pork, golden and crispy fried fish, fragrant chicken soup, shiny braised duck, and sliced ​​and steamed bacon that has been baked in advance. The food is steaming hot and the aroma can be smelled from far away.

Gu Yuhe stood in front of the table with his bowl and chopsticks, his eyes fixed on the food. For a moment he didn't know which one to eat first.

Finally, he simply closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Call the soldiers and generals, whoever I call will be eaten first!"

He tapped the table lightly with his chopsticks a few times, and when he opened his eyes, his chopsticks were resting on the fried fish.

It was a long grass carp, wrapped in a thin layer of flour, fried in a hot oil pan until golden and crispy, placed on a long porcelain plate, sprinkled with coriander and green onions, and poured with a spoonful of boiled red oil.

The red oil, green vegetables, and golden fish all look very appetizing.

Gu Yuhe chuckled, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. While chewing, he said, "This is it! It smells so good!"

His carefree, carefree demeanor made everyone in the Gu family laugh. The originally depressed atmosphere was suddenly diluted.

Zhang Yangzai also imitated Gu Yuhe, closed his eyes and "selected the soldiers and generals", and finally chose a piece of braised pork.

The little nephew watched everyone eating happily, he grabbed things with his hands frantically and his mouth was watering!

Unfortunately, he couldn't eat these and could only drink some rice porridge.

The two half-grown children kept playing around the table, saying "I wish grandpa and grandma good health" and "I wish uncle and uncle make more money in the coming year." The auspicious words one after another made the whole family laugh, and the atmosphere of the New Year's Eve dinner became more and more lively.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, it’s time for the part that the children are most looking forward to.

Give out New Year’s money.

Even when the Gu family was poor in previous years, they never abandoned this custom.

No matter how difficult the situation was, grandma would always prepare a penny for each child. When she handed it to the child wrapped in red paper, she would repeatedly remind them: "Take it, put it under your pillow when you sleep at night, and you will be safe and prosperous in the coming year!"

But this year is different. We have all experienced so much this year.

Floods, droughts, and plagues have all been a blessing from God for us to be able to survive safely until now.

Grandma was particularly moved and decided to give more New Year's money this year.

"One hundred coins each this year! Take them all and keep them safe! Don't waste them!"

"I'm rich! I'm rich!" Gu Yuhe took the money, his eyes lit up, and he put the money in his arms with a smile on his face.

He had not forgotten the experience of having his New Year's money "confiscated" last year. This time, after receiving the money, he didn't say a word to anyone and turned around and ran to his bedroom.

He slammed the door shut and hid the money before anyone could "steal" it!

In fact, he had his own plans in mind.

This year's 100-cent New Year's money is his "start-up capital"!

After the New Year, he wanted to open a small stall in the village, sell some little gadgets that children liked, and then wait for money to make more money, hahahaha.

His dream of becoming the richest man will start with these hundred coins!

The children received their New Year’s money and stayed up all night with their family members.

Looking at the moon in the sky, the aunt couldn't help but said, "I don't know what happened to Yushan."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Gu Jiayue spoke first. "Maybe he has already become a general?"

This sentence made everyone laugh.

"Just Yushan? He's already quite good enough to be the one holding the general's horse!"

"How can you, as a mother, look down on your own son? Our Yushan also has priorities, okay? First, he can eat! Second, he can eat! Finally..."

Everyone said together, "Eat it!"

Hahaha.

A burst of laughter surprised the cold mist in the air. It was almost midnight before everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

When Gu Jiayue returned to her room, she found another thing on the desk.

In the past few days, various objects would appear on her desk for unknown reasons.

Sometimes it is an unsigned letter, sometimes it is an exquisite hairpin, and more often it is some novel little toys, such as a running wooden car or a playable ocarina.

On the desk today is a bulging red envelope.

Gu Jiayue frowned, feeling a little helpless.

She originally wanted to throw the red envelope directly into the box beside her as before, but then she thought, today is New Year's Eve, if she didn't even open the red envelope, it would seem too disrespectful.

He reached out and picked up the red envelope and gently opened it.

There were no copper coins in it, only a dozen neatly stacked silver notes, each with a face value of ten thousand taels!

Gu Jiayue was stunned for a moment.

This Prince is indeed worthy of being called a "big boss". Every move he makes is so different.

In fact, earlier today, Gu Jiayue had told Ye Ren, who was hiding in the dark, that he didn't need to stay with her tonight and that she wasn't going anywhere. She wanted Ye Ren to go with Hu Zi to have some fun.

He had wanted to invite Hu Zi, Hua Chao and Aunt Cai to come and celebrate the New Year together, but they felt it was inconvenient to celebrate the New Year at Gu's house, so they and Kang Zi spent the New Year at Aunt Cai's house.

Seeing that Gu Jiayue was definitely not planning to return to Kyoto, Madam Cai also started to give in. She built a small courtyard in Taohua Village and lived with Hua Chao.

Hua Chao also recognized Cai Ma as her godmother and took care of her for Kangzi on weekdays.

Gu Jiayue took out all the things she had received from the box and placed them on the table.

There was a huge pile of letters, jewelry, and toys.

There was no news from Jiang Luli before, why did he suddenly start sending things every day?

What does it mean?

Did he feel guilty for not fulfilling his promise to her? Did he wake up in the middle of the night and slap himself twice to spread his brains out?

Jiang Luli had promised her that he would be a teacher in Taohua Village for two years, but all in all, he had only been a teacher for a few months.

After that, he was busy dealing with natural disasters and man-made disasters. Later, Jiang Luli was transferred to the border to lead troops to fight, and this matter was never mentioned again.

There was no one else available in the court, so His Majesty naturally had to use him, and it was not his fault. Gu Jiayue felt that she was still very reasonable.

In fact, Gu Jiayue is not slow. Having grown up in the era of information explosion in her previous life, it is impossible for her not to understand all these twists and turns. It’s just that she didn’t think about it in terms of "liking".

Who dares to think about it?

He is the dignified Prince of Dagan, of noble status. There are few people in the entire Dagan Dynasty who have higher status than him. How could he possibly fall in love with such a little country teacher?

If someone told her "Jiang Luli likes you", she would just think that the other person was teasing him.

Gu Jiayue found a clean wooden box, put these things in one by one, and put them away carefully.

After doing all this, she lay on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

At this time of day in the past, she would have fallen asleep long ago, but tonight she was still thinking about something.

Others have sent me so many things, shouldn’t I reply?

How about writing him a letter?

But then I thought, Jiang Luli is still fighting at the border, and the letter may not be received even if I send it, so it would be useless to write it.

But think about it again, they have given me so many things, but I haven't shown any appreciation at all. Doesn't that make me seem too heartless?

Gu Jiayue tossed and turned in bed, the more she thought about it, the harder it was to fall asleep.

Finally, I sat up and found a book from the bookshelf to read.

But I stared at the pages for a long time without reading a single word.

She angrily threw the book on the table, with a slight pout on her lips.

At this moment, she showed a little temper that girls of her age should have.

Gu Jiayue never liked to dwell on things. Since she had been thinking about this matter all the time, she might as well just do it.

She found some clean letter paper, ground some ink, chose a pen that suited her, dipped it in ink, but didn't write for a long time.

What to write?

She thought about it and realized that she was once Jiang Luli's "colleague", so she must tell him about the situation in the school, such as the children's learning progress and preparations for the Tongsheng exam.

As the prince of Dagan, Jiang Luli should also know what happened in Dagan in the past six months, such as how Taohua Village responded to natural disasters, how the coal mine was discovered, and the operation of the workshop.

No, I can’t write about the coal mine. It will disrupt Zheng Qinghe’s plan to get rich first.

Cross it out!

Forget it, let’s rewrite it.

I wrote about the children in the school, the changes in the village, and the situation in the county. Before I knew it, several sheets of letter paper were filled up.

She put down her pen and read it through, feeling that everything that needed to be said had been said, in every detail!

There shouldn't be anything missing, so he folded the letter, put it in the envelope, and sealed it carefully.

After doing all this, Gu Jiayue's inner entanglement finally dissipated. After lying on the bed for a while, she fell into a deep sleep.