The New Year's Day is coming soon.

Gu Mingjing also had a rare three-day holiday. Although he couldn't go back to Beijing, at least he could rest at home for two days during the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, the family compound was quite lively. Although it was not decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, the atmosphere of the New Year was still very strong.

From early in the morning, every household is filled with the aroma of steamed buns, braised meat, and fried food. Even the most frugal families will not skimp on New Year's Day, buying some meat and steaming a pot of white flour buns for the whole family to enjoy.

The living conditions of the families living in the staff compound are much better than those of most families of this era. Even though they all have their own burdens, they don’t have to spend the New Year in misery.

Wu Xiufang next door also got up early in the morning to steam buns and fry meatballs. Tiedan, wearing a new set of clothes inherited from his brother, held buns and candies in his hands, and made snowmen and played snowball fights with his friends, laughing and having a brighter smile than ever before.

The other children also had the same bright smiles on their faces, and their eyes were full of the joy of celebrating the New Year.

Jianshu and Gu Mingjing woke up early in the morning and began to clean the house, tidying up inside and outside, putting up couplets and window decorations. There was a festive atmosphere in front of and behind the door.

After the house was almost cleaned up, Jianshu went into the kitchen and started to get busy. The dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner had to be prepared early so that there would not be a rush in the afternoon. The fillings and flour for the dumplings also had to be prepared.

Gu Mingjing also entered the kitchen to help her. Jian Shu glanced at the few remaining bottles of soy sauce at home and bluntly instructed, "We're running low on soy sauce. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and get some. Also, check out what vegetables are on sale today. If there's any meat, buy some. There's no such thing as too much. We can save it for later."

"As for other fish, tofu, and other things, if you have any, buy some too. Besides cabbage, radishes, and potatoes, if you have any other fresh vegetables, buy some too. The money and notes are in the cabinet, you can take them yourself."

Gu Mingjing had just entered the kitchen and hadn't even had time to put on an apron when he was ordered out to run errands. "Okay, is there anything else you need? Would you like to bring back some candy or cakes?"

"No need, we have all these at home. As for the others, you can buy whatever you like. Anything we don't have at home will do." Jianshu took a large piece of pork and put it in a basin to thaw, saying without looking back.

"Okay, I'll go first." Gu Mingjing took the soy sauce bottle, went to the bedroom cabinet to get some money, put on his coat and hat, and hurried out.

He has to go and come back quickly to help his wife.

After I went out, I met a lot of acquaintances on the road. They were all busy at home, so I greeted them and didn't chat much, then went to do my business.

Gu Mingjing walked all the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought some soy sauce first, and then went to the next door to buy vegetables. The supplies for the New Year were much more abundant than usual. There were a lot of people crowded in front of the meat stall at this time, so he hurriedly squeezed in.

Today is different from usual. Most of the people who come to buy groceries are men. The housewives are busy in the kitchen, so they are the only ones who have some free time. So, they are ordered to run errands.

"Hi, Captain Gu, you are here to buy vegetables too!" Someone who knew Gu Mingjing greeted him with a smile on his face when he saw him.

Gu Mingjing also responded with a smile, "Yes, we are out of soy sauce at home, so my wife asked me to come out and take care of it. It's a good time to buy some vegetables and have a good New Year."

"Haha, the same, the same!" After confirming with each other's eyes, they were all people who were ordered around by their wives.

There were people waiting at home, so the two of them didn't chat much and just waited in line to buy meat.

During the Chinese New Year, everyone is generous. You give one pound of meat, he gives two pounds of meat. Soon, the meat on the stall becomes less and less, and the good meat has been picked up by the people who came first.

By the time it was Gu Mingjing's turn, the only items left on the stall were lean pork and spare ribs, which people didn't like very much. He didn't mind at all and directly ordered two pounds of lean pork, two spare ribs, and a plate of pig liver, spending all the money he had.

His wife is different from others. She likes to eat lean meat and chomp on spareribs. She will definitely like it when I buy it back. The pig liver is perfect for making soup, and drinking it hot will warm you up.

After buying the meat, Gu Mingjing visited the remaining stalls again and bought a large piece of tofu, a fish, and two cabbages.

Then he went to get some wine, bought some peanuts and melon seeds, and went home carrying a bunch of things.

The two of them had a simple meal at noon. The main meal would be in the evening, so they just had a snack to fill their stomach so that they could save their stomach for the big meal in the evening.

After dinner, they boiled water to wash their hair and bathe, wash their clothes and change their sheets. They needed a fresh start to the new year. They had to eat New Year's Eve dinner and make dumplings to stay up all night, so they definitely wouldn't have time then. It was just right to wash up early.

At this time, you will know the importance of the bathroom. Once the fireplace is lit at home, the house will instantly become much warmer. The bathroom is not big, and once the doors and windows are closed, the room is filled with steam and it is not cold at all. You don’t have to worry about catching a cold after taking a shower.

After taking a shower, Gu Mingjing took on the task of washing clothes. Since winter came, he was afraid that Jianshu would get cold, so he never let Jianshu wash clothes. He washed all the clothes.

This made Jianshu feel both touched and helpless. Actually, there was a washing machine in the space, which would have made it more convenient for her to wash. However, she couldn't reveal this, so she could only let him do what he wanted. Fortunately, she took fewer showers in the winter, and most of the time she only washed a few pieces of underwear, which was not much.

Not long after the two of them finished packing, Han Jingshan and Sun Kaixuan came with a bunch of things.

Sun Kaixuan was another comrade-in-arms of Gu Mingjing who hadn't married or gone home. He was also in Gu Mingjing's regiment, and they were good friends, often interacting with each other. His family lived far away, and it was inconvenient for him to go back, so he stayed.

He was a bit shy, and as soon as he entered the door, he greeted Jianshu embarrassedly, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you today." After that, he handed over the things in his hand.

"What are you talking about? How can you disturb my sister-in-law by coming to her house? And take all these things back. We have everything we need at home. We just come here for a meal. Why do you bring so many things? It's too polite." Jian Shu warmly invited the two to sit down, and ordered Gu Mingjing to pour tea for them.

Seeing the two of them carrying a lot of things, he showed an unhappy expression and directly refused. So many things were really too expensive.

The money from shopping is enough to buy a few meals in restaurants, so she didn't have the nerve to ask for it.