Chapter 131: Do you want to pick a fight?
Entering the west room, Li Caiyun saw her small basket of snacks placed on the edge of the kang.
The snacks were originally neatly arranged in the small basket, but now the basket is in a mess.
Li Caiyun discovered that the apple candies were missing, and what upset her most was that the apples were scattered in the small basket.
She pursed her lips, picked up the scattered pieces of fruit in the small basket, wrapped them up again with kraft paper, tied a hemp rope to tidy up the messy snacks, and picked up the small floral cloth beside her to cover the small basket.
After finishing this task, Li Caiyun picked up the feather duster and swept the kang. Then she combed her hair and applied cold cream on her face.
Li Caiyun came out of the west room with a frown on her face and started a fire. She had just sat on the small stool when Zhang Guifang was washing the rag: "Caiyun, what's wrong with you?"
Li Caiyun swallowed the words back. Zhang Guifang had just had a quarrel with Li Fengzhi. If she knew that the mother and daughter were eating and taking things, she would definitely be even more unhappy.
Li Caiyun thought of this and forced a smile: "Mom, I'm fine."
Zhang Guifang stared at her daughter's face and muttered, "Nothing, why are you frowning?"
Li Caiyun didn't respond. Her eyes fell on the stove door. Her mood could only be described as depressed.
Normally, even if the Li family has guests, they are usually received in the east room, so basically no one goes to the west room.
So Li Caiyun covered the small basket of snacks with a piece of floral cloth and placed it at the end of the kang in the west room. This way she could easily find whatever she wanted to eat without having to rummage through drawers and cabinets.
However, Tang Yulian was a very outgoing person. When she saw a small basket at the end of the kang, she lifted up the floral cloth.
What can Li Caiyun say?
After all, they are sisters, and as the elder sister, she cannot be too stingy.
Li Caiyun just said, "Take whatever you want to eat." Tang Yulian didn't hesitate to pick up a piece of candy and put it in her mouth, then picked up an apple.
Tang Yulian praised the food she was eating for being delicious. Li Caiyun knew that her family was not well off, so when she saw that there were not many candies, she went downstairs, opened the box and took out some more.
The moment she opened the cabinet, Tang Yulian saw that it was filled with delicious food.
At this moment, Li Caiyun had no idea what disaster her compassion would bring to her family. She comforted herself with a few words and picked up the firewood and put it into the stove.
Zhang Guifang poured out the water used to wash the rag, and Li Caiyun pulled the blower a few times.
With a creaking sound——
The door of the outer room was opened and Zhou Yong entered the room carrying water.
After pouring two buckets of water into the water tank, Zhou Yong put the shoulder pole and buckets back in place.
After a while, Li Baotian came into the house sighing, and Zhang Guifang became angry when she saw his expression.
However, Zhang Guifang didn't say anything. After all, she had scolded Li Baotian before. If she continued to be unreasonable, no one would have a good New Year's Eve.
For the sake of the overall situation, Zhang Guifang chose to be tolerant. After breakfast, the mother and daughter became busy. Li Baotian and Zhou Yong were also not idle. The father-in-law and son-in-law did some work within their capabilities.
In one morning, the mother and daughter made six kinds of dumplings, and the stewed meat, spareribs, chicken and fish were all thawed in the basin...
We had dumplings cooked by the Li family for lunch and the main meal was scheduled for the evening.
In the afternoon, Zhou Yong and Li Baotian made six lanterns with soy sauce stalks, preparing to hang four under the eaves and two on the gate for a festive and auspicious look.
In the evening, after lighting the candles in the lanterns, Li Caiyun and Zhou Yong came to the gate. She looked at the lanterns under the eaves of her house and said with a smile: "It's really beautiful."
Zhou Yong lit the lanterns hanging on the left and right of the gate, instantly making the Li family's home a beautiful landscape at night.
Many children came over to watch, and the neighbors who saw this scene poked their heads out to take a look.
Zhou Yong looked at Li Caiyun, who was smiling: "Let's go back to the house to eat!"
Li Caiyun responded and went into the house while talking to Zhou Yong.
This year, the Li family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was very sumptuous. Zhang Guifang prepared six dishes for the four people in the family.
Braised spare ribs, chicken stewed with mushrooms, pork belly with mashed garlic, braised pork, sweet and sour fish, and finally a cold dish to relieve the greasiness. The staple food is fried dumplings stuffed with sauerkraut.
Li Baotian looked at the food on the table. To be honest, although his appetite was satisfied, his heart was bleeding.
However, these foods were New Year's goods that Zhou Yong bought for the Chinese New Year. It would be awkward not to cook them after buying them.
Zhang Guifang felt the same as Li Baotian. After all, the couple had been frugal all their lives. Even during the Chinese New Year and other festivals, the Li family rarely spent money extravagantly.
Zhou Yong poured wine for Li Baotian and looked at his mother-in-law: "Mom, today is the Little New Year, how about you drink some too?"
Zhang Guifang can drink a little, but she doesn't drink easily.
During the Chinese New Year, although Zhou Yong knew that his mother-in-law was in a bad mood, as a son-in-law, he had to give way to his mother-in-law when it came to pouring wine.
If it were any other time, Zhang Guifang would definitely refuse, but she was in a bad mood today, so she agreed immediately.
As soon as she said this, Li Baotian's eyelids twitched, and he thought secretly: I must talk less tonight, so that she won't find fault with me and quarrel with me.
The couple had their own thoughts, and Zhou Yong poured half a bowl of wine for his mother-in-law.
Li Caiyun looked at everyone and bit her lip: "I want to drink some too."
Zhou Yong paused with his hand holding the wine bottle and looked at his young wife. Li Caiyun lowered her head guiltily.
Women in this era don't have to pay too much attention to themselves even when they are pregnant. They just work when they are supposed to work, eat when they are supposed to eat, and drink when they are supposed to drink. There are no taboos in this way.
Li Baotian smiled and replied: "Have a drink, today is the Little New Year."
Li Caiyun looked up suddenly when she heard this, and Zhou Yong smiled: "You can drink, but drink less."
Zhou Yong knew very well the consequences of Li Caiyun drinking too much, which would definitely kill him.
He poured a sip of wine for his young wife, which made Li Caiyun depressed.
The four of them raised their wine bowls, and Zhou Yong said with a smile: "Happy New Year, Mom and Dad."
Li Baotian and Zhang Guifang each responded, while Zhou Yong and Li Caiyun clinked their glasses separately: "Happy New Year."
Li Caiyun smiled sweetly and everyone drank a glass of wine together.
Eight candles were lit in the east room tonight, illuminating the room.
After three rounds of drinks, the drunk Li Baotian started talking. At first they just talked about this and that, but gradually Li Baotian led the topic to Li Fengzhi.
Li Baotian took a big sip of wine, put down the wine bowl and muttered to himself: "When I went there today, the eldest sister and Yulian had gone home, the eldest brother gave the eldest sister 30 yuan, and the fourth and fifth brothers also gave money..."
As he spoke, Zhang Guifang's face gradually became somewhat ugly.
Li Caiyun frowned slightly and looked at her mother's face. She was sitting at the corner of the table and interrupted her father while picking up some food for him.
"Dad, try these ribs. My mom made them delicious."
Li Baotian smiled with melancholy, staring at the ribs in the bowl: "We have a lot of fish and meat, but we don't know that many families can't get enough to eat."
Zhang Guifang couldn't help but reply: "Why are you saying these spoiling things during the New Year? If you have nothing to say, just shut up."
Li Baotian got angry and put his chopsticks hard on the table, glaring: "What? I can't even say a word at home?"
Zhang Guifang narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth: "Li Baotian, what do you want? I've tolerated you for a whole night, do you want to pick a fight?"
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