Chapter 44

Shu Wanxiu was extremely careful and gently cleaned the winter bamboo shoots. When slicing them, she tried her best to keep them evenly thick.

Boil the salted fish once, rinse it, shred it, and then put it back into a pot with a small amount of water to cook, while adding a little bit of spicy seasoning.

The winter bamboo shoots are added only after the essence of the salted fish has been extracted during cooking. After simmering for a while, add a little salt, stir-fry briefly, and it's ready to serve.

Shu Wanxiu deliberately did not add dried perilla leaves.

Because they were afraid that the unique aroma of perilla would mask the freshness of the bamboo shoots.

The two vegetarian dishes were nothing special: boiled radish chunks and boiled cabbage. But the staple food was surprisingly cooked rice.

However, this meal was not just for the two of them.

The table, which had barely been used since the weather turned cold, had been sitting in the main room. Today, Shu Wanxiu wiped it clean from top to bottom, not even missing the table legs or seams.

After all the dishes were prepared, she carried them one by one to the table, and piled four bowls of white rice high on top.

Shu Wanxiu's expression was unusually solemn. Shu Shouyi, being observant, followed her in and out closely, but gradually fell silent.

According to local custom, a sacrificial ceremony is held on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

Children may not remember this, but Shu Wanxiu has never forgotten it.

After all the offerings were laid out, she didn't rush to take out the yellow paper and other items. Instead, she squatted down and looked Shu Shouyi straight in the eye.

Meeting his innocent and clueless gaze, Shu Wanxiu reached out and stroked his head.

"Shouyi, today is New Year's Eve."

"Auntie... I have some things to do. How about we have dinner a little later today?"

Shu Shouyi nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Shu Wanxiu forced a smile, took his hand and led him out, "Go to the bedroom and wait for a while, your aunt will call you for dinner when she's done with her work?"

He was extremely obedient and rarely contradicted what Shu Wanxiu said.

She personally escorted him to his bedroom, then returned to the main hall.

Although the family didn't have much money, Shu Wanxiu didn't skimp on the matter of ancestor worship.

The last time she went to the market in the neighboring village with Aunt Chen, she bought a bunch of incense sticks and a thick stack of yellow paper.

Previously, they were all stored on top of the woodpile in the main room, where they would not get damp and were at a height that Shu Shouyi could not see.

At this moment, they were all taken down from the top of the woodpile.

Holding incense and candles, he knelt before the offering table. The person who was supposed to preside over the ceremony was moved to tears before he could even speak.

Losing a loved one doesn't cause constant grief, but remembering them at specific times or places can be a devastating blow to those still alive.

He lost four dear relatives within a year and had no choice but to bury them in different places.

Only Shu Wanxiu herself knew the sorrow she endured.

She lay on the ground weeping for a long time, then bit her wrist to forcefully suppress her emotions.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law."

"Today is New Year's Eve. Wanxiu has prepared some dishes. Please have a taste."

Her eyes were still filled with tears, but she tried her best to hold back from speaking, and began to ramble on about what had happened after she settled down.

"The village we are in now is called Wupai Village."

“The villagers have been very kind to us. When we first moved into this house, there was nothing inside. But not long after we moved in, the villagers helped us renovate the house.”

As if her family were sitting right across from her, she looked up and said, “Look, the roof is covered entirely with this year’s new straw.”

She reached out and touched the tabletop. "This table was a gift from the villagers. It's just as sturdy as our old dining table, isn't it?"

Fearing she might lose control of her emotions again, Shu Wanxiu deliberately adopted a more relaxed tone.

"You think that's all?"

After asking a question to the void, she burst into laughter through her tears.

"That's not all! So all the furniture was donated by the villagers."

“When we first came here, we only had two broken bowls. Look at this house now, we have blankets, stools, pots and pans, and everything we need. No one has bullied us at all. On the contrary, they treat us like family.”

"But the ones who are the best to us are Aunt Chen... and Brother Xun."

In public, Shu Wanxiu never mentioned how much Xun Yi had helped her and Shu Shouyi.

But when she faced her closest relatives, she recounted in detail all the help Xun Yi had given them.

The conclusion is: "Brother Xun is so good that I can never repay him."

She lowered her eyes, recalling the moment when she told him she wanted to treat him as her second parent, only to be rejected.

“Father, Mother, your daughter is unfilial. Because the day I said I would regard him as my second parents, it was not just empty talk.”

"Although Brother Xun refused, I am not at ease."

Do you understand?

That feeling of owing people a lot of favors, even though they say you don't have to pay them back, but you still feel guilty.

"If you have spirits in heaven, please bless Brother Xun as you have blessed your daughter and Shouyi."

...

Having been separated from her family for so long, Shu Wanxiu had so much to say.

After chatting about everyday things, the topic of the fields inevitably came up.

"The village chief said that we will be allocated land around the time of next year's wheat harvest, and once we have the land, we can grow our own grain."

Although I've never grown crops at home, you don't need to worry about me not knowing how, because I'm sure I can learn.

Look, the radishes and cabbages on the table today are ones I grew myself. How do they taste? Pretty good, right?

I know that farming requires fertilization, so I started composting manure around the winter solstice, just like the villagers.

I dug a huge pit to make lots of compost. Only with enough fertilizer will our crops grow well next year, and we'll have a full granary.

This year's famine is entirely due to drought, which has resulted in a complete crop failure.

A granary full of grain... what a vision that is!

Shu Wanxiu couldn't control herself and burst into tears again.

...

Shu Shouyi waited in his bedroom for a very long time, until it was dark, before Shu Wanxiu, with a hoarse voice, called him out for dinner.

The food had gone cold, so Shu Wanxiu reheated it.

Perhaps she was tired from digging bamboo shoots in the afternoon, and after venting her frustrations, Shu Wanxiu had a decent appetite.

"Eat more." She picked up a piece of bamboo shoot with her chopsticks and put it in her own bowl, but gave Shushu Shouyi a piece of salted fish with few bones and lots of meat.

"Yes! Auntie, you should eat too!"

Shu Shouyi was engrossed in his meal, but after Shu Wanxiu put the fish in his bowl, he picked out a piece of fish from the plate and gave it back to Shu Wanxiu.

Shu Wanxiu smiled and said, "Let's all eat more."

The dim, lackluster sky perfectly concealed the guilt in Shu Wanxiu's eyes.

Shu Shouyi should participate in today's sacrificial ceremony, both morally and logically.

But she stopped her.

She still vividly remembered Shu Shouyi's episodes, and dared not mention his deceased parents in front of him, lest she suffer another episode of hysteria due to grief.

I only hope that my brother and sister-in-law in the afterlife will not be unable to rest in peace because of this.

At the end of the meal, not a single bamboo shoot was left, and only a few pieces of salted fish remained, symbolizing "abundance year after year".

Staying up late on New Year's Eve is a custom. Shu Shouyi was young, so Shu Wanxiu gave him two coins as New Year's money and coaxed him to go to bed in his bedroom. She herself sat by the fire and stayed up until midnight.

The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. At the beginning of the new year, it was time to visit other people's homes to offer New Year's greetings.

Shu Wanxiu went to bed at midnight and got up at dawn. She and Shu Shouyi got ready and went down the mountain to visit each household in the village to wish them a Happy New Year.

Even families who have a past holiday will manage a smile and a greeting if they bump into each other on this day.

The atmosphere was cheerful and festive. Everyone greeted each other with auspicious words. After going around, Shu Shouyi had collected a lot of peanuts and pumpkin seeds.

Despite the bustling day, the Xun family residence remained deserted and empty.

Shu Wanxiu put aside her disappointment and, together with Shu Shouyi, set off to visit her uncle's house for the New Year, carrying a bag of peanuts they had bought at the market.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, according to custom, married daughters return to their parents' home to visit relatives.

No guests visited the Shu family that day, and they did not go out.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Uncle San led his entire family to visit Shu Wanxiu. Throughout the entire Lunar New Year, Shu Wanxiu only hosted guests on this one day, and it was the most lively day of the entire month.

From the fourth and fifth days of the Lunar New Year until the fourteenth day, Shu Wanxiu stayed home with Shu Shouyi to hibernate.

Despite living in seclusion, one can still feel that the festive atmosphere at the foot of the mountain fades as the Lantern Festival approaches.

Once the Lantern Festival is over, the festive atmosphere of the New Year completely dissipates.

Soon, the Awakening of Insects and the Spring Equinox will arrive one after another, and the mid-spring season will begin.

The villagers began to think about this year's farming, and at the same time, Village Chief Pang finally divided up Shu Wanxiu's land.

"After discussion among the villagers, it has been decided to allocate two mu of land to you."

"A mu of prime farmland by the stream, fertile, easy to irrigate, and close to your home."

“The location is a bit far away and not as fertile, so it's considered a medium-sized plot of land. If you have time, I can take you to see it and familiarize yourself with the land.”

What else is more important than figuring out her own land? Shu Wanxiu stood up almost immediately and followed Pang Zhishan to the fields.

As Pang Zhishan said, the first mu of land to be allocated to them was indeed next to the stream at the foot of their mountain, making irrigation convenient.

But it's not exactly at the foot of the mountain where their home is located.

Because standing on the edge of that field, directly opposite Xun Yi's house.

Another acre of land, which was a little further away, was surrounded by the fields of other people in the village. To irrigate their land, they had to go through other people's fields.

Shu Wanxiu had no objections. She was already very satisfied with getting one acre of good land, not to mention that the other acre was not bad either.

The wheat planted last year has already sprouted ears, but it has not yet matured.

Once the wheat is harvested at the end of April, the fields will be plowed and rice planted immediately.

During this period, the refugees had to find a way to obtain rice seeds for planting.

Good rice seeds are expensive, but if you want a good harvest, you have no choice but to buy good rice seeds.

After the weather warmed up, Shu Wanxiu started fishing for small fish and shrimp in the stream again, making dried fish and shrimp to sell in the county town.

Relying solely on dried fish and shrimp is somewhat monotonous, so this year she's doing the same as last year, pairing it with some high-quality vegetables from her own garden to sell.

After a winter, some of the leftover radishes in the field are still plump and white, while others have become hollow.

She keeps the older ones for herself, and takes the younger ones to start a business as soon as possible.

Going to the county town was no easy task, and she didn't want to leave any extra weight to burden herself, so she cleaned every vegetable thoroughly. She removed the yellow and old leaves from vegetables like cabbage and water spinach, and washed the radishes to remove the dirt.

Later, as he sold vegetables door-to-door more often, he actually accumulated some repeat customers because the quality of his vegetables was good each time.

February, March, and April are the months with very few types of vegetables available.

After realizing that there weren't many vegetables left to sell, Shu Wanxiu turned over the empty vegetable patch again.

They scattered many seeds of radish and cabbage.

It's impossible to expect them to grow; they will stop growing once the weather gets a little warmer.

However, Shu Wanxiu's plan was to grow and sell tender radish and cabbage seedlings.