Chapter 318 Doesn’t my third brother love you?
Gu Huai not only washed the clothes, but also hung them up before entering the main room.
Tian Ying said sarcastically, "Youngest, you really dote on your wife. I've never seen Dad or your eldest, second, or third brothers wash clothes."
Gu Huai didn't understand what was said. He sat down next to Yu Hui, warmed his hands by the fire and said, "If I don't love my own wife, who will? Doesn't my third brother love you?"
“…” Tian Ying choked.
Everyone in the village said that the men of the Gu family were caring. Compared with other men in the village, Gu Hai loved his wife very much. He would rather not make clothes for himself and save the cloth coupons to make an extra set of clothes for her.
If she said that Gu Hai didn't love her, wouldn't Gu Hai be heartbroken and hurt their relationship if he knew about it?
Tian Ying originally wanted to stir up trouble, but unexpectedly, she was stumped by Gu Huai's casual question.
"It hurts, of course it hurts. I'm going to wash clothes." After saying that, Tian Ying hurriedly got up and went outside to wash clothes.
Yu Hui looked at Gu Huai and smiled. Gu Huai didn't know what she was laughing at, so he looked at her inquiringly.
Yu Hui looked away, thinking that the idiot answered like that on purpose because he knew that Third Sister-in-law was trying to instigate her in a sarcastic way. She didn't expect that he didn't know that.
After taking a bath, the Gu family put up the couplets they bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Before four o'clock, the Gu family started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
Kill chickens, kill fish, stew pig's feet, cook bacon, and cook sausages.
As the chef, Yu Hui controls the kitchen, and the other women in the family are responsible for helping out.
Many hands make light work. With so many people helping in the kitchen, things will naturally get done faster.
The Gu family has two stoves, a large three-hole stove and a small two-hole stove. The small stove also has a bellows.
Blanch the pig's feet, stir-fry them, add water, and stew the kidney beans that have been soaked overnight on a small stove.
After the big rooster is fried, add the dried mushrooms picked from the mountain, add water and stew it on the small stove.
There are two stove holes behind the big stove, one for cooking rice and the other for cooking bacon and sausages. Tender round radishes are also added to the pot for cooking bacon and sausages.
In addition to chicken, duck, fish and meat, fried crispy pork is also indispensable during the Chinese New Year.
The lean meat is coated with sweet potato starch and fried in oil, making crackling sounds in the pan.
The children stayed in the kitchen while the adults fried the food and they ate it.
The aroma of various meats wafts over the entire village, conveying the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
After frying the crispy pork and stewing the food, which was almost done, Yu Hui started to cook.
Braised carp, spicy and sour chicken offal, stir-fried peas with bacon, mapo tofu, and stir-fried Chinese cabbage.
Dishes that are colorful, fragrant and delicious are placed on the reunion table. There are ten dishes in total, filling the table, which also symbolizes reunion and perfection.
Both adults and children were very happy. It had been many years since they had eaten so many dishes during the Chinese New Year.
One table couldn't accommodate everyone, so the adults had one table and the children had another. At the children's table, Gu Qiuyu was the biggest and most powerful kid.
Gu Pingshan took out the wine and said, "It's a rare occasion for us to be together today, let's drink together as a family."
Zhao Changying said, "There aren't even that many wine glasses."
Gu Jiang said cheerfully: "It's okay, just pour it into the bowl. Anyway, we eat the vegetables first and then the rice."
With so many delicious dishes, maybe they won’t even need to eat.
Gu Pingshan poured some wine into everyone's bowl, but didn't pour any for the children. Children shouldn't drink alcohol because it would damage their brains.
Goudan from the village was teased by the adults. He drank a glass of wine and fell down after that. Everyone thought he was drunk, but he turned out to be stupid when he woke up the next day.
The hospital in the county town couldn't cure him. They said it was nerve damage and he would be like this for the rest of his life.
"Come, let's all raise our glasses and wish your family good health and all the best in the new year." Gu Pingshan said with a smile, raising his glass.
Everyone raised their bowls or cups, and the children raised their soup bowls high.
"Good health and all the best."
"I wish my mother-in-law, father, and mother a happy new year and may everything go well."
"I wish my grandparents, father-in-law, and mother-in-law a happy new year and good luck."
Adults and children alike were all talking about auspicious words.
After drinking, everyone picked up their chopsticks and kept praising the delicious food.
When Tian Ying heard everyone praising Yu Hui so much, she felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything to spoil the fun. After all, it was the New Year, so people should be happy and harmonious.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Gu Hongmei, Gu Qiuyu and Gu Qiuye went to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes, leaving the chef Yu Hui to rest.
There was no TV or radio at home, and the only entertainment for staying up all night was the firecrackers that Gu Qiuyu snatched from the supply and marketing cooperative.
The adults were chatting in the house, and the children, who couldn't sit still, were playing firecrackers in the yard.
Every time the firecrackers explode, the children's laughter can be heard.
Zhao Changying looked at her grandchildren having fun outside the yard, patted her thigh and said contentedly, "Life is so good now."
Yu Hui smiled and said, "It will be even better in the future."
Zhao Changying nodded. "You are all becoming more and more promising. You will definitely be even better in the future."
The children felt sleepy after playing until nine o'clock, so the adults put them to bed.
As soon as twelve o'clock arrived, the sound of firecrackers rang out in the village.
Several brothers of the Gu family also went to the door and set off firecrackers.
The children were sleeping soundly, and the loud firecrackers didn't wake them up.
The next day, New Year's Day, according to tradition, the Gu family ate brown sugar dumplings.
The so-called brown sugar glutinous rice dumplings are made from glutinous rice dough, wrapped in brown sugar and cooked in a pot.
The glutinous rice balls are quite big, about the size of an egg.
Most men eat eight dumplings and an egg, while women basically eat six. Children eat less, some eat four, and some can only eat two.
The skin of the glutinous rice balls is soft and sticky, and the hot brown sugar will overflow when you bite into it. If you are not careful, your mouth and tongue will be burned by the brown sugar and blisters will form.
Glutinous rice is difficult to digest, so Yu Hui only fed Beibei two bites of rice balls and an egg.
After eating the rice dumplings that symbolize reunion, the Gu family brought a bowl of meat, a pot of wine, a few strings of firecrackers, a handful of incense, and a few bundles of fire paper, and went up the mountain to worship their ancestors.
There is no local saying that only men can worship their ancestors and women cannot.
Except for the old lady with difficulty walking, and Zhao Changying and Zheng Rong who had to prepare lunch at home in advance, everyone else went.
The main ancestor worshippers were Gu Pingshan’s father, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and two great-grandparents.
Starting from the oldest to the youngest, the Gu family first came to the grave of the oldest elder.
The meat bowl was placed in front of the tombstone, and a glass of wine was poured on it. Two incense sticks were placed in front of each of the two adjacent graves.
"Grandpa, we're here to see you again. Today, we have our new daughter-in-law, Xiaohui, and our new grandchildren, Gudong, Gunan, Guxi, and Gubei. Please recognize them and bless them with good health, academic progress, and peace and safety."
Gu Pingshan was muttering to himself as he cleared the weeds from the grave with his hands.
Gu Huai and the others tore open a bundle of burning paper one by one and piled them in front of the grave.
The fire paper was lit, and the Gu family stood in front of the grave, bowed and kowtowed, closing their eyes to pray for the ancestors' blessings and the family's health and safety.
After the fire paper burned out, the children stood away. Gu Huai lit the firecrackers with a lighter and threw them out.
After a burst of crackling firecrackers ended, he picked up the meat and walked towards the graves of the other two ancestors to pay homage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
