The villagers all agreed.
"Great, Auntie, such a fat pig must smell especially delicious."
"I think we can fry up a lot of lard!"
"His intestines and offal are probably quite bloated too."
The crowd thronged around the mule cart, which led two large, fat pigs, and made their way into the village.
Without the Li family having to make any arrangements, the villagers, young and old, who had nothing else to do, all gathered around.
The Li family didn't have a pigsty, so the men brought mud bricks from their home and quickly built one in the northwest corner of the vegetable garden. They even covered it with an tarpaulin shed to keep the fat pigs warm.
In the front yard, the dying sow finally met her end, her hair was shaved off, her body gutted, and she was cut into small pieces.
The whole village has only about a hundred people, and half a pig is enough to feed them.
The old lady then divided the remaining half into two portions, giving each family a piece of meat, mostly fat and less lean.
The women in each household were overjoyed, not for anything else, but for that three-finger-wide piece of fat, which would surely ooze oil when cooked!
Li Lao Er drove the family carriage to pick up Madam Cui, Mr. Wen, and Liu Zhiheng. He also went to the Marquis's residence to tell the Marquis, who had gone to the city the day before, to come home for a feast of pork stew.
Only then did Old Lady Li realize that her sons had actually bought a horse-drawn carriage for the family.
She didn't blame her; she had originally planned to do the same.
I can't let my granddaughter be wrapped in a blanket again next time we go out, but my sons took care of it in advance, saving her the trouble...
Liu Zhiheng went to the new village in Xianhe Town, so Li Lao Er only brought back Madam Cui and Mr. Wen.
The Marquis's carriage followed behind, and not only had the Marquis returned, but he had also brought his head steward, who loved to join in the fun.
The sight of three large, fat, alive pigs made everyone envious.
The other end, already in the pot, was so delicious that everyone's mouths were greasy from eating it.
Jiayin, holding a bowl, sat in Madam Cui's lap and ate two meatballs. The Marquis then fed her two pieces of ribs, and finally she drank a large bowl of bone broth, until her stomach was completely full.
Perhaps afraid of her grandmother's nagging, she went to sleep with Madam Cui that night, which made the old lady both amused and exasperated, but Madam Cui was overjoyed.
The lively days always pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, the twelfth lunar month comes to an end, and the most important day of the year, the Lunar New Year, is coming.
Whether you're rich or poor, you should celebrate the New Year properly; it's a tradition for all people.
It's not just a reward for a year of hard work, but also a way to boost morale and motivation for the busy new year ahead.
At Suijintan, the hot spring valley is closed on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month and reopens on the sixth day of the first lunar month.
The seven or eight days in between are the rest period for the entire village.
The children at the school were on holiday, and even the family in Luo'an returned home.
Li Ge'er runs around outside with his older and younger brothers every day.
Jiaren and Jiahuan followed Jiayi and Liu Yang to swim in the hot springs and catch pheasants and rabbits in the mountains to completely relax.
The dividend distribution meeting, which the whole village had been eagerly anticipating, was held under the chairmanship of the village chief and Li Lao Er.
The profit-sharing standard had been planned long ago. First, wages were paid, and then the dividends were distributed according to each company's shareholding. That would have been the end of the process.
Needless to say, the largest shareholder, Lord Hou, received the most, followed by the Li family.
But none of them were jealous or envious, because they had taken just as much as they had.
It was Uncle Zhao and the other old men who jointly bought a share back then, and now they've each received over a hundred taels!
Some families with many members received over five hundred taels of silver in wages and dividends, and they were so happy that they felt like they were walking on cotton.
On the Li family's side, Old Mrs. Li didn't fuss. She distributed what was due to her children and grandchildren, and put the rest into the public account. Seeing the numbers in the account book, she walked with a brisk pace.
Meanwhile, all four branches of the Li family were flush with cash and equally happy.
On New Year's Eve, Li Zhensheng bought his mother a pair of gold bracelets, his second son bought her a gold hairpin, his third son embroidered a brocade jacket and skirt for her, and his fourth son and his wife prepared shoes with gold beads and a pair of gold earrings for her.
Needless to say, the brothers had planned it beforehand and worked together to dress their mother up in a dazzling golden light.
On this particular day, Fu Niu loved to stick close to her jewel-encrusted grandmother, which made everyone laugh.
Unfortunately, Madam Cui insisted on returning to her own estate for the New Year, Mr. Wen was also in the city, and the Marquis was going to the palace to attend a banquet.
With Uncle Zhao and his fellow elders, along with the village elder and his wife, the Li family's New Year's Eve banquet was still extremely lively.
As a result, Madam Cui returned early on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Mr. Wen was also sitting in the carriage. Mr. Wen even said that he would stay at the Li family's house for a few days and then return to the city after attending court on the sixth day.
Everyone guessed that there was probably some discord in his family.
Otherwise, why would someone stay away from their parents and relatives during the Spring Festival instead of spending time with them? But no one asked or said anything; they simply arranged for Mr. Wen to stay in a side room with Li Lao Er, Jia Ren, and Jia Yi.
Jiaren seized the opportunity to ask Jiaren about all the questions he had about his studies.
On the second day of the month, Madam Cui went to the Liu family. On her way back, she met the Marquis and they returned together. As a result, the Li family courtyard became even more lively, with two tables set up for every meal.
On the afternoon of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Zhensheng took his sons into the city to shop and bought a lot of things. Everyone in the family, young and old, received a gift.
The old lady and her daughters-in-law were the fabric for clothes; Jiaren and Lige were the Four Treasures of the Study and several new travelogues; Jiayi and Liuyang were the daggers; and Jiaan, Jiaxi, and Maoge were all kinds of snacks and desserts.
Jiayin, the money-grubber, was grinning from ear to ear as he held a string of silver peanuts.
Grandma Li tore open the fabric and discussed with her daughters-in-law how to cut it properly.
"This piece of stone is blue. Sew two long gowns for the eldest and second eldest sons. It's warmer in Xindu than in the north. Spring will probably arrive after the first month of the lunar calendar. They'll be ready to wear them then."
"Make one of these royal blue ones for Jiaren and Lige'er, and embroider some cloud or bamboo patterns on them. They're studying at the academy, so they can't dress too casually and get looked down upon by their classmates."
"Oh my, this satin is so nice. How about we sew a dress for our Fu Niu and embroider a pale yellow forsythia flower on it?"
Every woman, regardless of age, loves new clothes and jewelry.
The old lady and her two daughters-in-law were discussing it enthusiastically, while Jiayin rolled around in the fabric, laughing heartily.
The old lady, afraid of tearing the satin, grabbed the chubby girl and handed her to her eldest son. "Keep an eye on this girl; she's a real troublemaker."
Jiayin hugged her uncle's neck, twisting and turning like a silkworm, and pretended to cry, "Waaah, Grandma doesn't love Fu Niu anymore, Fu Niu is so sad."
Li Zhensheng laughed at his little niece's antics and quickly took out a piece of silver from his purse.
Sure enough, Jiayin immediately beamed with joy and happily went to the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) to open the chest and hide the silver.
She didn't grow taller during the New Year, but she gained even more weight.
Right now, with its little head buried in the box and its body still sticking out, it was stuck and couldn't get out. So it kicked its chubby little legs and cried out in a muffled voice, "Help! Help!"
Li Laosi, who was closest, picked up his daughter and carried her out. The chubby baby had her hair all sticky and her little face was flushed red, which made the whole family burst into laughter.
Jiayin was so embarrassed that she pinched her chubby arms and legs, feeling extremely depressed.
Although she was only two years and five months old, she is already four years old according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning.
Unfortunately, it's still not enough. When will she grow up? At least make her taller than the cabinet!
Leaving aside Jiayin's dilemma, Li Zhensheng, laughing along with his family, was filled with guilt and reluctance.
But he still managed to speak up while his mother was getting the scissors, saying, "Mother, I need to go to Quanzhou. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
The scissors in the old lady's hand fell to the ground with a thud!
Someone came at midnight tonight! This book is still being serialized, and every positive review from you all means a lot to me! If you enjoy it, please give me a thumbs up, vote, and write a review (give it five stars or click "like"). Every request for updates, comment, and vote is a huge encouragement to me!
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