Chapter 144 - Epilogue 1: Setting Off Fireworks
When we finished our New Year's Eve dinner, the sun had just set, and the sky was still bright.
Lin Duo'er couldn't wait to set off fireworks, and kept complaining about how slowly it was getting dark today.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's boil water first, wash our hair and take a bath, and change into new clothes. After we're done with all that, we can probably go release the animals."
The younger sisters were very happy to hear that they would be getting new clothes.
Since they started earning money, they often eat pork, mutton, and chicken. Lin Chuntao also often buys them snacks and candies. They are happy when they see delicious food, but they are not particularly excited anymore.
But the new clothes were different. This year, Lin Chuntao made two sets of new clothes for them for the New Year, and Pei's mother made two more sets, so they had four sets of new clothes and four pairs of new shoes. Moreover, the two sets that Pei's mother gave them were made of printed brocade, and the fabric looked very shiny and the colors were very bright and beautiful. Not to mention Lin Duo'er, even Lin Chunxing couldn't take her eyes off them. The shoes were the same; the patterns on the shoes were embroidered so lifelike. Ten pairs of shoes—I don't know when Pei's mother started arranging to make them.
After Lin Chuntao told them to go wash their hair and take a shower, the three sisters started chattering and discussing which outfit to wear.
I want to wear all of them, but I can't wear all four of them at once, can I?
Seeing their conflicted expressions, Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Go and see which outfit you like best and wear that one. You don't have to worry about not having enough clothes to wear. Wear one today, and change into one for each day of the first, second, and third year of the new year. That's just enough. Go and wash up."
Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, they ran off with smiles on their faces.
Only Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying remained, resting in the courtyard.
Lin Chuntao looked at Pei Ying and asked, "Should we go and wish our parents a Happy New Year on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"
Pei Ying thought back to the day the pig was slaughtered. The old man and woman must have really wanted to call him back for the New Year, but perhaps they were afraid he would disagree, or perhaps they were afraid of affecting his mood, so they didn't say anything in the end.
Qin Suyun and Lin Chuntao's relationship remained as good as ever, though it seemed different from before.
His impression of Pei Jing had also changed somewhat.
"You want to go visit Qin Suyun?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I have that idea, but if you don't want to go, I can ask her out. We don't necessarily have to go to my house."
Pei Ying said, "Go if you want. Just pay your respects for the New Year, have a meal, and then leave."
Lin Chuntao nodded, then smiled and said, "Then we'll go to my uncle's house on the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, have lunch, go to the county town, and come back in the evening."
"Mm," Pei Ying responded. Seeing that it was getting dark, she said, "Shall I bring you some bathwater?"
Lin Chuntao: "Wait a minute, let me wash my hair first before taking a shower."
It was too much trouble to go inside to wash her hair and get water, so Lin Chuntao washed her hair in the yard first before going back inside to take a bath.
Pei Ying fetched water for Lin Chuntao before going about her own business.
By the time everyone had finished washing and changing their clothes, it was already dark.
As it got dark, Lin Duo'er jumped up and down excitedly: "Sister, should we set off the fireworks outside or in the yard?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Let's go outside. There are too many things in the yard, and the area outside is more spacious."
"Then I'll go get the fireworks."
As she spoke, she jogged into the house to get the fireworks. Pei Ying also went back into the house to get a tinderbox, while Lin Chuntao went to open the courtyard gate.
As soon as the gate opened, a large group of children stood outside, all facing her. Lin Chuntao was stunned.
"Erdan, what are you doing...?"
The little boy, whose name was called by Lin Chuntao, smiled and asked, "Sister Chuntao, did your family buy fireworks?"
Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this, "You want to watch fireworks?"
Erdan nodded. "We just heard firecrackers."
Lin Chuntao looked at them. It was rare for the children in the village to see fireworks. It didn't matter whether one person watched or two people watched. Looking at these children, there should be some who hadn't come yet. Since the fireworks had already been set off, Lin Chuntao said, "Go to the village and call out if there are any other children who want to watch the fireworks."
Erdan's eyes widened when he heard Lin Chuntao's words. "Sister Chuntao, you really bought fireworks! I'll go call them right now."
After saying that, he didn't forget to call on a few of his friends to help him.
Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe brought out the fireworks. Seeing many of their friends from the village at the entrance, Lin Chuntao said, "They're here to see the fireworks too. Let's wait a bit. Erdan went to call the other kids who didn't come."
Although Lin Duo'er was anxious, she also felt inexplicably proud looking at so many people at the door.
Before long, a lot of children came running up, including Lin Qingqing and Lin Jiaye. Lin Chunxing called them over to stand together.
When Meng Yun heard someone calling her to come over to Lin Chuntao's house to watch the fireworks, she happily led Meng Yue and Lin Jialang out.
No one in the village had seen fireworks yet. Lin Miaomiao, Lin Jiacai, and Lin Jialiang also heard the shouts, but they didn't get along with Lin Chuntao and the others, so the two brothers kept an eye on Lin Miaomiao's expression.
Lin Miaomiao was a little annoyed. It was just a broken firework, gone in a flash, but the Lin family was really eager to see it.
"Why are you looking at me? Those fireworks are going up in the sky; you can see them as long as you look up!"
The two brothers didn't understand what their sister meant, so they raised their eyebrows and looked at Niu Hongxi, who said, "Come on, I'll take you for a walk."
As he spoke, Niu Hongxi got up, took a few steps, then turned back to look at Lin Miaomiao, who was carrying a broom, and called out, "Come back and sweep later, take this opportunity to digest your food."
Niu Hongxi called out, and Lin Miaomiao put down her broom. The four of them locked the door and headed towards the village entrance.
Because of Erdan's shout, not only children but also some adults came to join in the fun. People on the road came one after another, including Lin Miaomiao and her friends.
Lin Chuntao noticed that the children had almost all arrived, and it was getting dark.
Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to light the fireworks. The fireworks soared into the dark night sky and burst into bloom, like countless colorful meteor showers falling.
Everyone looked up at the sky and exclaimed in surprise.
Many people heard the sound while they were still on the road, and when they looked in the direction of the sound, they saw one spectacular fireworks display after another.
Lin Jiacai and Lin Jialiang also sighed repeatedly, while Lin Miaomiao stared blankly at the night sky. Lin Chuntao and the others had earned money to build a new house and even set off fireworks and firecrackers for the New Year. Lin Jialang and the others had also made money by burning and selling charcoal. She was right next door and heard Fan Liniang rendering lard and slaughtering chickens and geese. They had also eaten meat and bought some grain, but the money still came from selling trees. They had agreed to buy seeds, but now not only had they not bought any seeds, they were also running out of money. Niu Hongxi wanted to sell two more trees.
She thought about it and decided that after the New Year, she would first try to buy the seeds and plant them. After the spring planting, she would send Niu Hongxi to the county town to find work.
Lin Chuntao and the others bought a lot of fireworks, and they set off the flower tube fireworks for quite a while. They originally wanted to make Duo'er and the others happy. In addition to the flower tube fireworks, they also bought ground rats that spin on the ground.
Flying mice are beautiful, but these ground mice are what children love most; they want more even after watching them all!
"Sister Chuntao, will it be shown again tomorrow?"
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "We'll finish watching it this year, but it won't be released until next year's Lunar New Year!"
Children are simple-minded; they enjoyed the show tonight and weren't disappointed. They're already looking forward to next year's Lunar New Year.
After the fireworks were set off, Lin Chunxing called Lin Qingqing and the others to come over to her house to play. Lin Chuntao brought out some melon seeds and walnuts for them to eat, and the group sat in the yard eating and chatting.
The conversation ended when Lin Jiaye's mother came to find them.
After Lin Qingqing and the others left, Lin Chuntao and the others tidied up and went back to their rooms.
This was their first New Year together after getting married. The days were a bit busy, but also quite comfortable. Their simple life was free of worries.
The two lay face to face, and Lin Chuntao could tell what Pei Ying was thinking just by looking into his eyes.
She tilted her head back and gave him a light kiss on the lips. Just as she was about to pull away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms.
The room was filled with heavy breathing. Pei Ying leaned against the wall and opened the drawer of the bedside table. She took something out of the porcelain bottle and put it on.
He had just finished his work and was about to continue when Lin Chuntao felt a surge of heat. She quickly grabbed Pei Ying and whispered, "Wait, I think I've started my period."
Pei Ying paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go light the lamp."
As he spoke, he quickly lit the oil lamp and brought it over. Lin Chuntao got up and saw that there was already a stain on the bed sheet. She frowned. This was a really good day to be chosen; it was the New Year, and she could rest at home.
Pei Ying was a little flustered. He calmed himself down before asking, "Did you prepare any menstrual pads?"
Lin Chuntao hadn't prepared any menstrual belts; she had planned to exchange some from the system when her period started.
Now that Pei Ying was here, she couldn't just conjure something up out of thin air, so she could only say, "Get ready. Go next door and get a sheet to change this one, and then get a basin of water. We need to wash it now, otherwise it won't come off tomorrow."
Pei Ying heard her quickly put on her clothes and left the bedroom to get the sheets from next door to change. But after going out, he remembered that he had left the sheets in this room when he collected them last time. He turned back to the door and saw Lin Chuntao conjure up a stack of menstrual belts out of thin air.
Lin Chuntao was also afraid that Pei Ying would suddenly return, so she kept glancing at the door. She had just taken out her menstrual belt when she looked up and saw Pei Ying standing at the door. The two stared at each other and froze on the spot.
Lin Chuntao noticed Pei Ying's somewhat shocked expression, but her face didn't change much.
How is she supposed to explain this?
Pei Ying broke the silence first, "I put the bed sheets in our closet last time. I'll go get a basin of water first."
"Mm." Lin Chuntao nodded, watching Pei Ying turn and leave. She quickly put on the menstrual belt. It looked no different from the ones she had sewn herself, but it was waterproof and leak-proof, which would be much more convenient.
Pei Ying knew that Lin Chuntao was different from others, but seeing something appear out of thin air was still quite shocking and unbelievable. However, after living together for so long, Lin Chuntao was a human being; she could feel pain, cry, and get tired. She was not a mountain spirit.
When he returned with the water, Lin Chuntao had already tidied up.
Lin Chuntao looked up at Pei Ying, whose expression had returned to normal.
Lin Chuntao took out clean sheets from the wardrobe, and Pei Ying changed the sheets off the bed and put them in a basin.
Pei Ying first made the bed sheets, then turned to Lin Chuntao and said, "You go to sleep first, I'll go wash and hang them to dry."
Lin Chuntao: "Let's wash it tomorrow."
Pei Ying: "Don't wash anything on the first day of the Lunar New Year. You rest first, I'll be back in a bit."
Lin Chuntao lay down on the bed, and Pei Ying returned after a while, but she brought a bowl of ginger tea with her.
"How are you? Is your stomach upset?"
Lin Chuntao said, "My stomach is fine, but my back aches. My back has been aching all day, and I thought it was from being tired."
Pei Ying walked to the bedside and placed the bowl on the bedside table.
"This was prescribed by Dr. He. He said that if you have your period and your stomach is uncomfortable, you can drink some of this. I cooked a bowl of it."
Lin Chuntao nodded and prepared to get up, but Pei Ying said, "Wait a while before drinking, it's still a bit hot."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said to Pei Ying, "Bring the oil lamp over here, so we don't have to get up and put it out later."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ying went to fetch the oil lamp, took off his clothes, and sat down on it. He leaned against the headboard without lying down.
Thinking that Pei Ying had seen her conjure something out of thin air, she felt she should at least offer some explanation, even if Pei Ying didn't ask. But how should she explain it? It was so perplexing.
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly, hesitated for a long time, and then asked Pei Ying, "Did I scare you just now?"
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