Chapter 40 Chinese New Year

"Don't worry, besides New Year's goods, there are many other ways to make money. But I can only teach you when spring comes and there are more things to sell in town. Until then, let's all enjoy the New Year," Song Yushu said, trying to comfort him when he saw the somber atmosphere.

"Okay!" The children in the orphanage stopped looking downcast after hearing Song Yushu's words.

The last batch of New Year's goods was sold out two days later. After saying goodbye to the children at the orphanage, Song Yushu quickly drove his oxcart back to Weijia Village.

They live near the south, and although it hasn't snowed much, the weather is damp and cold. No matter how many layers you wear, the cold air still seeps in. Not to mention, at night, Song Yushu always wakes up in the middle of the night with her hands and feet freezing cold.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhou Chengzhu's body is like a little furnace, so I could hold her and keep her warm, I really wouldn't have been able to fall asleep.

"You're back. How did the sales go?" When Wei's mother saw them return, she came over to help unload the goods.

"These are for the family to keep for the New Year. My eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law can take them back to their parents' home," Song Yushu handed the goods in the cart to them and hurriedly went to warm herself by the fire. It took her a while to feel that her hands and feet were not so stiff.

"You're so thoughtful of your two sisters-in-law. What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take the New Year's goods back," Mother Wei said, seeing that she was doing this so that her two brothers wouldn't go to their in-laws' house empty-handed this year. She was pleased and quickly told her two daughters-in-law to go and move their New Year's goods.

"Why are you so afraid of the cold? Could it be that you didn't take good care of yourself during your postpartum period and your body is still weak?" Mother Wei touched Song Yushu's hand and found that it was still too cold, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"It's nothing," Song Yushu said, knowing the problems she had developed since transmigrating, but she didn't refute Wei's mother's words.

"I'll make you a bowl of ginger tea, otherwise it won't be good if you get a fever tonight," said Mother Wei as she went into the kitchen.

Song Yushu was deeply moved. She had been in this world for almost a year, and the person who had treated her the best was Wei's mother. She had never experienced such family affection in her previous life.

"I've used the money I earned from selling New Year's goods to buy fabric, and everyone will get a share," Song Yushu said as he unpacked the New Year's goods that had been brought in, revealing fabrics of different colors.

Sister-in-law Wei and Sister-in-law Wei were already very happy because she had prepared New Year's goods for them to go back to their parents' home. They didn't expect to be given a share of cloth, and they couldn't help but marvel at Song Yushu's generosity.

"The color is so nice, it must be expensive, right?" Sister-in-law Wei touched the fabric she had been allocated and didn't want to let go of it.

"It's nothing, just making clothes for my nephews so everyone can be happy," Song Yushu said. She still has some savings, which she plans to use for opening a shop later, so she didn't touch them, only using the income from selling snacks.

The entire Wei family was delighted by the gifts Song Yushu brought back this time. Wei's mother even took a piece of cured meat and stir-fried it for them to enjoy.

It was a real hardship for the nearby neighbors, who had to sniff it over and over again.

"Why is the Wei family eating meat at this time of year? Are they not even celebrating the New Year?"

"I heard that Wei Fang went to town to sell New Year's goods, she must have gotten some grain."

"It's also because we don't have the business acumen to make money, but our village is already doing quite well; at least we won't starve to death. The neighboring villages are having a much harder time than us..."

They weren't surprised that the Wei family had meat to eat. After all, the village head had occasionally led the villagers into the mountains, and on a few occasions they had even hunted wild boars. However, when the wild boar meat was distributed, everyone saved it for the New Year, and no one was willing to eat it.

After Song Yushu returned, she stayed obediently in the room and didn't go anywhere. It was too cold. If it weren't for Wei's mother's permission, she could have stayed in bed all day wrapped in a quilt.

Zhou Chengyu was much more self-disciplined than her. He would get up at dawn to practice calligraphy. Song Yushu felt her hands hurt just watching him. Although she didn't like Zhou Chengyu being idle, she wasn't the type to force her child. She was worried that Zhou Chengyu would get cold, so she advised him not to get up so early, but Zhou Chengyu refused.

If things continue like this, she might even have a son who becomes a scholar. Song Yushu thought that wouldn't be bad either, as having this title would reduce the trouble in doing business in the future, so he stopped paying attention to Zhou Chengyu.

Song Yushu was in charge of cooking the New Year's Eve dinner. Wei's father found fish from somewhere, so Song Yushu made two meat dishes: braised fish and bamboo shoots stir-fried with cured pork. The vegetarian dish was stir-fried cabbage. Finally, he made a large plate of pumpkin pancakes, which made the children's mouths water.

These dishes were already quite a feast for the Wei family. Even if they hid their grain, they wouldn't dare to eat as much as they wanted, since everyone in the village was so thin and pale from hunger. If they were still the same as before, it would be too conspicuous.

However, the Spring Festival is different. It is a rare opportunity for the whole family to get together, and after experiencing bandits and drought, we naturally want to eat better.

The family ate their fill, too lazy to even speak. All the dishes were devoured, and even the sauce was mixed with rice and eaten clean by Brother Wei and Brother Wei's second brother.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Wei Laoda and Wei Laoer both took their wives back to their parents' homes, while Song Yushu simply went to her maternal grandparents' home with Wei's mother and the others.

Since the original owner got married, she had never been to her maternal grandparents' house again, so Song Yushu only vaguely remembered that her maternal grandparents' house seemed to be located in the mountains, and knew nothing else.

It was only after her mother explained the situation to her on the way that she understood what was going on there.

Song Yushu's maternal grandparents were hunters who lived in the mountains year-round. The family was small, consisting of only Song Yushu's grandparents and one maternal uncle. The two children of the maternal uncle, Song Yushu's cousins, are now married.

My maternal grandfather's family name was Yang. Because my father, Wei, had given us advance notice, we had stored up grain and were not greatly affected by the drought. Moreover, since we lived in the mountains, we were not affected by bandits.

By the time Song Yushu and Wei's mother had climbed halfway up the mountain, it was already dark. She hadn't expected the Yang family to live in such a remote place, and the mountain path was difficult to traverse. Fortunately, Zhou Chengyu and Zhou Chengzhu, the brother and sister, had persevered; otherwise, she would have had no way to bring them up.

“That’s your maternal grandparents’ house. Let’s go there,” said Wei’s mother, who hadn’t climbed a mountain in a long time and was quite exhausted from the trip.

The houses in the distance now seem to be waiting for them, their lights faintly visible.

Upon approaching, Song Yushu saw a tall man who bore a resemblance to Wei Laoda waiting for them at the courtyard gate.

“That’s your eldest uncle, call him quickly!” Mother Wei quickly recognized her eldest brother.

“Uncle, I’ve brought the child to see you!” Song Yushu wasn’t afraid when she saw the scar on Uncle Yang’s face. Instead, the image of the original owner riding on Uncle Yang’s shoulders when she was a child came to mind.

Moreover, after meeting Uncle Yang, she realized that Brother Wei and Brother Wei Er's large size was inherited from their maternal grandparents, which explained why they were such skilled pig butchers.

"Your sister and brother-in-law are here! Let them in quickly!" Before Uncle Yang could speak, the two elderly people in the house couldn't wait any longer.