On New Year's Day, the snow finally stopped. The long-awaited sun finally appeared in the sky. The icicles under the eaves dripped with water, making a clattering sound as the snow began to melt.
Tian An picked a piece of bacon from the butcher rack, then went to the warehouse and got a pound of white sugar, a pound of brown sugar, five pounds of rice, two pounds of flour, and some candies and snacks given by families during the New Year. Then, he, Zhao Yiming, Xiaokang, and Xiaoqi went to Tian Mingcai's house to pay New Year's greetings.
Tian Mingcai was different from Li Dazhu in that he was related by blood to the original owner's father, Tian Mingwu. As long as he didn't cause trouble for himself, Tian An was willing to give him the face he deserved.
Moreover, since separating from the Li family, their family has been doing quite well over the past year. Without Old Lady Wang's disturbances, the two families have gotten along quite well. It can only be said that Old Lady Wang was a bad apple that spoiled the whole barrel.
As the four of them walked into the yard, the people inside heard the noise and came out to greet them.
Mrs. Du was stunned for a moment when she saw them, but then she reacted and smiled, inviting them into the house. "An An, please come in and sit down."
He called out into the house again, "Boss, An An and Xiao Kang are coming over here."
When Tian Mingcai heard what Mrs. Du said, he was also stunned. As soon as he stood up, Mrs. Du brought a few people into the house.
After entering the house, Zhao Yiming handed the things they brought to Tian Mingcai.
Tian Mingcai was a bit flattered for a moment, and took the gift in a daze. Du Shi pulled him, and he finally reacted and refused, saying, "You are all children. You are here, why are you bringing things?"
Tian An also handed the two bags of candy he was holding to Mrs. Du, "It's New Year's Eve, and we're here to visit. Don't your uncle and aunt welcome us?"
Mrs. Du hurriedly said, "Your uncle and I are so happy that you can come!"
The four children nearby also sensibly brought stools for the four of them to sit on.
Xiaokang and Xiaoqi passed the cakes and candies in their hands to Zhuangzhuang and Kaikai, "These cakes and candies are delicious. Sister specially saved them for you."
Mrs. Du put away the things that Tian An and the others had brought, unpacked the cakes and candies, added the peanuts and melon seeds that her family had prepared for the New Year, served them on a ceramic plate, and invited the others and the children to eat, then went to the kitchen to busy themselves.
Xiaokang and Xiaoqi often play with Zhuangzhuang and Kaikai. They each took a piece of cake and went out to have fun.
Zhao Yiming and Tian Mingcai didn't talk much, only exchanging a few words occasionally.
Fortunately, Tian An and Tian Caihe had a good chat. The two sisters were very happy to see Tian An, just like seeing their idol.
"Sister An An, thank you for letting me go to the workshop to make hair flowers. Now I can earn five cents for my family every day!" Tian Caihe said happily.
Tian An remembered that she had said she wanted to share the burden of the family, so he asked her to go to Ji Shi. Now it seems that she is qualified. "Really? That's great! It's over a hundred wen a month!"
The little girl was shy after being praised. She blushed and said, "When I grow up, I can do more. I will try to earn ten cents a day in the future."
Tian Caiping, who was standing by, carefully tugged at Tian An's sleeve. "Sister An'an, can I also go to your workshop to make hair ornaments? You've already taught me needlework, and I want to help out at home. I'll definitely do it well and won't waste any fabric."
Looking at Tian Caiping, who was only eight years old and had to worry about the family's livelihood, Tian An couldn't help but think of himself in his previous life.
After a while, he nodded and said, "After the New Year, when the workshop opens, go find Ji! If she says yes, then you can go."
"Thank you, Sister An An. I can definitely do it." Tian Caiping said confidently.
Tian An thought for a moment and said, "Don't just work to make money. Take some time to let Zhuangzhuang and Kaikai teach you how to read. The more you learn, the more paths you can take in the future."
"We understand, Sister An An." The two sisters obeyed Tian An's words.
A few of them chatted while eating melon seeds and peanuts. It was almost noon when Xiaokang and his friends came back, and Mrs. Du had already prepared lunch.
She killed a chicken, fried the bacon that Tian An and the others had brought, and made some spareribs with braised pork and vinegar, a plate of tofu, a plate of poached eggs, and cabbage soup. It was obvious that she put a lot of effort into it.
After dinner, Tian An and his three companions were about to leave. Before leaving, Du gave Tian An a purse.
"An An, here are 240 coins. It's New Year's money for the four of you. It's exactly 60 coins per person. It's for good luck."
Tian An was holding the purse in her hand, a little dazed. This was the first time in her two lives that she had received New Year's money! She had never expected that it was given by Tian Mingcai and Du Shi.
Thinking that their family was not well off, and that these two hundred and forty coins were almost a month's wages for Mrs. Du, he was about to return it when he heard Mrs. Du say:
"This is a little gift from your second uncle and me, please don't refuse."
Never mind, I'll supply them somewhere else later.
After quietly putting away the purse, Tian Ancai smiled and thanked Du and Tian Mingcai: "Thank you, second uncle and second aunt."
Xiaokang and Xiaoqi followed suit and thanked them. Zhao Yiming also gave them courtesy and called them "Second Uncle and Second Aunt."
After returning home, Tian An took out the purse given by Mrs. Du and gave sixty coins to each of Xiaokang and the others.
When it was Zhao Yiming's turn, he said without even looking at it, "Just keep mine for me."
Tian An glanced at him and said, "Okay then!" and put his sixty cents back into his pocket.
Seeing this, Xiaokang also handed his to Tian An, "Sister, I'll keep mine for you too."
Tian An didn't answer. "Xiaokang, are you sure? Why don't you use it to buy some candied haws or something? This is your New Year's money. I don't care how you spend it."
Thinking of the red, sweet and sour candied haws, Xiaokang hesitated for a moment, but still insisted on giving his money to Tian An for safekeeping.
"Then come to me when you need money." After saying that, he put Xiaokang's sixty cents back into his purse.
Just as he looked up, Xiaoqi also handed him his share, "Sister An An, I don't know how to keep money yet, can you help me keep it?"
Tian An looked at him and said with a smile: "Xiao Qi, are you asking me to keep yours because Xiao Kang and Brother Yi Ming have both kept them for me, or do you simply want me to keep them for you?"
Xiaoqi didn't quite understand.
Tian An had to change his words, "What I mean is that if you keep the money with you, you can use it whenever you want. But if you keep it with me, you have to come to me for it when you want to use it. If I'm not around, you won't be able to get the money."
Xiaoqi thought for a moment and said, "I eat well and wear good clothes at home, and I don't need money. My sister gives me money, but I don't know where to put it, and I'm always worried that it will be lost. It's better for my sister to keep it for me."
"Okay then! Just like Xiaokang, come to me when you need money." Tian An took his money and put it back in his pocket.
Tian An was also amused when he saw the copper coins going around in circles and returning to his pocket.
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