Chapter 106 - Moving to a New Home (Two People Combined)
The next day, Pei Ying went to the county town first, and Lin Chuntao and the others went to the county town together just before dawn.
Lin Chuntao had originally planned to tell Aunt Guizhi and the others that she wanted to rest for a day and have Lin Chunhe come to the county town with her, but Lin Chunhe said directly that it wasn't necessary, that she needed to look after the house, and that Lin Chuntao should take Lin Duo'er with her.
When they arrived at the market, Lin Chunxing helped Lin Chunxing set up her stall. While Lin Chunxing opened her stall, Lin Chuntao took Lin Duo'er to get straw mats and cushions.
Straw mats are relatively easy to buy; they're available in shops, and many people weave them at home and bring them to the market to sell. However, the ones woven at the market are on the smaller side, only a little over a meter wide, while the ones in the shops are wider. Lin Chuntao went to the shop and bought five straw mats, and then went to the cloth shop and bought cotton pads. The five mats cost her more than a string of cash.
I also inquired about the status of the quilts I ordered earlier. The quilts and pillows have been made, but the covers for the remaining three quilts haven't been sewn yet.
Zhang Qingqing left, and the familiar-looking girl was also gone. A woman in her thirties came to the shop, and judging from her speech and actions, she seemed to be the new manager of the shop.
The person in charge told Lin Chuntao, "Madam, come pick it up on the morning of the sixth day of the month, and it will all be ready by then."
Lin Chuntao nodded. Seeing that she was buying things in a good mood, the manager said, "Madam, we have new fabric in our shop. It's very good for making winter clothes. Would you like to take a look?"
Winter clothes need to be made, but Lin Chuntao plans to do it after the move, but she wants to buy at least two for Lin Cunzheng and Sun Shi.
Do you have ready-made winter clothes?
The manager said, "The new models for this year haven't been made yet, but we have last year's models on the second floor. Would you like to go up and take a look, madam?"
Lin Chuntao responded and followed the manager upstairs. As they walked, the manager said, "Although it's an older model made last year, we've kept it very well. It hasn't gotten dusty at all and it's still brand new."
Lin Chuntao asked, "Do you have styles suitable for elderly people?"
The steward hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, yes, madam, how old is the old man?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I'd guess he's in his fifties or sixties."
"Yes, I'll get it for you."
As the manager spoke, he went to the cabinet and took out two packages, which were filled with neatly folded winter clothes with thin cotton padding. The manager said, "Although winters here are not very cold, the elderly get up early, and the morning frost can be quite chilly. So we made this batch of winter clothes last year, and these are the ones that are left over."
Lin Chuntao examined the stitching details; it was sewn very tightly and was very well made.
The long-sleeved outer jacket has a central button closure for men and two buttons inside on the left and right sides for women, with the outer side buttoned as well. It's a fairly standard style.
"How much is one of these?" Lin Chuntao asked.
The manager said, "The women's version is 360 coins, and the men's version is 340 coins."
Lin Chuntao also took a look at the men's version. The workmanship was fine, but the style was an old one. This year, all the shops were going to release new styles, and their shop certainly wouldn't sell this one all year round. Lin Chuntao smiled and bargained, "Make it cheaper, I'll take one of the men's and one of the women's versions."
"Madam is a regular customer of our shop. Here's the deal: two items for six hundred and eighty coins."
Hearing her words, Lin Chuntao smiled, pondered for a moment, and said directly, "Two items, four hundred coins."
The woman was taken aback by the price Lin Chuntao offered and looked at her in disbelief. After a long while, she said, "Madam, four hundred coins won't do. Look, this fabric is cotton. We even use fine cotton for the lining, and we've added cotton inside."
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "I found it, but this piece probably only contains half a pound of cotton, just a thin layer. If you make this fabric in bulk, you can make use of all the fabric, and the cost will definitely not exceed one hundred coins. Even two hundred coins a piece would still be very profitable for the shop. We are about to make a new style, so sell me two of the old styles."
Listening to Lin Chuntao's eloquent explanation, the woman smiled helplessly. Lin Chuntao pressed her advantage, saying, "Good sister, just sell me two pieces. I'll be back in a few days to make new winter clothes for my sisters, and I'll come to you again then."
"Add a few more, you can take both of them."
Lin Chuntao said, "This price is very reasonable."
Seeing Lin Chuntao's determination, the steward sighed and said, "Alright then, next time you come to make winter clothes, just come to me."
After buying straw mats and clothes, Lin Chuntao went to buy some red beans and bitter greens, and then went to a dried goods store to buy some dried bamboo shoots, dried ferns, dried green beans, etc. She also saw dried daylilies, but the shopkeeper said that they were called golden needle vegetables. Lin Chuntao bought several kilograms of each, as she would need them for the banquet.
The two sisters bought a whole cartload of things and brought them back. These were all things they would need for their new house. Lin Chuntao had only locked the main gate of the new house, leaving all the doors and windows of the rooms inside open, so she simply brought all these things to the old house.
Since the decision had been made to hold a banquet and wait for Pei Ying to return, Lin Chuntao informed every household in the village that the banquet would be held on the evening of the eighth day of the tenth lunar month. After informing the village, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying went to her uncle's house. Lin Chuntao also had two aunts, but they were married quite far away, and it would take more than an hour to get there each way, so the round trip would take up most of the day.
But it was impossible not to inform them on such a day, so the eldest uncle asked Lin Chuntao, "You've been very busy lately, haven't you?"
Lin Chuntao said, "It's alright, we just need to prepare the things to move in."
The eldest uncle said, "I'll go and inform your second and third aunts. You two go about your business. If anything comes up, just talk to your eldest aunt."
Lin Chuntao thanked them profusely, as did her uncles in the village. She knew Xu Tianzhu and the others, so she went to inform them herself, and the other uncles helped to do the same.
Lin Chuntao declined when her aunt offered to cook for her that day. She said, "I've already arranged for someone to cook. Aunt, you can just bring your younger siblings over for dinner."
"Have you invited everyone?"
Lin Chuntao nodded: "I've invited them all. I'll be the head chef. I'll prepare the main dishes a day in advance, and the vegetables will be ready quickly too."
The eldest aunt thought about the several stoves in her new house, and how they would all be lit so she wouldn't have to worry about anything. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take them over there as soon as possible."
In the past few days, Lin Chuntao and her friends asked people to buy them things. On the morning of the sixth day of the new year, Lin Chuntao went to the county town early to get her quilt.
Upon learning that she was going to get the blanket, Pei Ying said, "I'll go with you."
When Lin Chuntao arrived at the fabric shop, she learned that Pei Ying had also ordered a set beforehand, and it even had bright red sheets and duvet covers, which looked extremely festive.
After inspecting the goods and paying for them, everything was packed up, loaded onto the mule cart, and the two of them led the cart away.
After leaving the shop, Lin Chuntao said, "When did you place the order? You didn't even tell me."
Pei Ying said, "I should have prepared these things for the wedding. Come to think of it, your wedding dress hasn't even been made yet."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I won't make the bright red clothes. You can make me a winter coat in a few days."
Pei Ying nodded slightly, "Then come back in a few days to choose the fabric you like."
These bed sheets hadn't been washed yet. Taking advantage of the good weather, Lin Chuntao drove the mule cart back first. Aunt Guizhi and the others helped her carry them into the house. Lin Chuntao called out to Lin Duo'er, took a large wooden basin, and took all the bed sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases to wash and dry.
The two sisters spent the whole morning washing up. Lin Chuntao had reserved a spot in the new house where they could hang the sheets and blankets directly on bamboo poles. The space was spacious, there was nothing to block the sunlight, and the sun was shining brightly.
Fearing they would be blown to the ground by the wind, Lin Chuntao made several clips out of bamboo and clipped them all together.
Lin Chuntao was exhausted and her back ached, but Lin Duo'er seemed tireless. She looked at the brand-new bed sheets and duvet cover and ran back and forth, extremely excited.
Seeing that she still had a lot of energy, Lin Chuntao called her to come and carry the wooden basin, and she came bouncing over.
When Hu and the others saw the things Lin Chuntao brought back, their eyes widened in amazement; they had never seen so many quilts even at their wedding.
They had also visited Lin Chuntao's new house. It had such a big yard and so many rooms. Lin Chunhe and the others had mentioned that each of the sisters would have their own room.
They were thinking, "Wouldn't that mean we'd have to make a lot of quilts? Making quilts isn't cheap."
Unexpectedly, Lin Chuntao and the others had already started working on it. Now the house is built and the quilts are ready and back.
Looking at Lin Chuntao, Hu felt a pang of envy. This girl, not even twenty years old, had already built a new house and was living such a good life. The fifth branch of the family was really something, managing to kick out a golden nugget.
With everything ready, tomorrow is the seventh day of the lunar new year. Lin Chuntao plans to move some things into the new house first, making the bed, setting up the table and chairs, and moving in all the firewood and other utensils that she needs. She plans to move everything that can be moved in in advance, and then on the eighth day, she will bring in some grains, oil, and meat, light a fire, cook a meal, and that will mark the official move-in.
Although Sun and Lin Cunzheng both knew that they were moving on the eighth day of the month, Lin Chuntao did not formally thank them.
After dinner, Lin Chuntao took the two clothes she had bought and, together with Pei Ying, Chunxing, and Chunhe, went to visit the village head's house.
The sun had just set, and the sky was still bright. The whole Lin family was sitting in the courtyard chatting.
Upon seeing Lin Chuntao and the others arrive, Madam Sun hurriedly invited them to sit down.
Lin Chuntao went straight to Sun Shi. Pei Ying was called to Lin Changzong's side. Lin Changzong was making a hoe handle, made from a very straight tree trunk. Pei Ying was curious and picked it up to look at it.
He wasn't very good at farming, so he just watched along.
After sitting down and chatting for a while, Lin Chuntao said to Sun Shi and Lin Cunzheng, "Grandma, Grandpa, I see that the weather is getting colder soon. I went to the county town a few days ago and bought two winter clothes. Please try them on and see if they fit. If they don't fit, I'll take them back and exchange them."
As she spoke, Lin Chuntao took out two garments from the package, handing the women's garment to Sun Shi and the men's garment to Lin Cunzheng.
Looking at the new clothes in her arms, Madam Sun found that the brownish-yellow color was neither too dark nor too bright, and it was just right for her age. She picked it up and found that it was a double-layered thick garment with soft cotton inside.
"Oh dear, Chuntao, why did you buy this for us?" Sun exclaimed, saying to Lin Chuntao, "You just built a house and spent so much money, why waste this money?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Building the house has indeed spent almost all the money, but this is something I set aside a long time ago. Thank you and Grandpa for lending us the old house to live in."
Lin Cun was looking at the clothes on his legs. The cotton cloth looked much softer than the linen cloth, and it also looked thicker. He never expected that Lin Chuntao would buy clothes for them.
Sun said, "Your great-grandfather and I gave you the old house to live in not because we wanted your thanks. Although we are a little distant, we are still very close relatives. There's no need to be so polite. Your great-grandfather and I are happy to see you living a good life."
Lin Chuntao said, "It's not that I'm being polite, I just wanted to show my respect to you. Try it on and see if it fits."
Holding the garment, Mrs. Sun was actually quite excited. At her age, she had never made a winter coat with cotton padding inside.
Chen Dongniang noticed the old lady's joy and felt a little embarrassed. She looked at Lin Chuntao, whose eyes were full of sincerity, and said, "Mother, you and Father should give Chuntao's good intentions a try."
Sun looked at Lin Chuntao, who said, "Yes, let's give it a try."
Meeting Lin Chuntao's gaze, Madam Sun didn't hesitate too much, "Then I'll give it a try?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and the old lady unbuttoned her clothes. Chen Dongniang also turned around, took Lin Cunzheng's clothes, unbuttoned them, and handed them over.
They both tried them on, and they fit perfectly.
Chen Dongniang was surprised. "Chuntao, are your eyes a ruler? They fit so well! I can't even buy clothes that fit your grandmother and the others properly."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I also bought it based on my guess. I even told the shopkeeper that if it wasn't suitable, I could take it back and exchange it."
Chen Dongniang said, "It's perfect, just right!"
Lin Chuntao also looked at it and it was indeed just right. In winter, you would need to wear clothes underneath anyway, so this was perfect.
Sun and the others helped Lin Chuntao with their work, and Lin Chuntao paid them wages. Although they were paid for their work, they couldn't find such easy jobs in the county town. It was also close to home, so they could go home for meals anytime, and they didn't have to travel far in the morning or evening. Before long, the money in their piggy bank started to overflow.
Regarding this matter, Mrs. Sun felt that Lin Chuntao was already thanking them.
She never expected that she would buy clothes for her and the old man; she was filled with gratitude and joy.
Sun felt embarrassed, but after being persuaded by Lin Chuntao, Chen Dongniang, and Hu, she happily accepted the gift.
After the old lady accepted the clothes, Lin Chuntao and the others sat and chatted for a while before going home.
The next day, Lin Chuntao and the others had to move some things to the new house early, so Sun called Chen Dongniang and Lin Changzong to help.
After the straw mats and other items were moved over, Lin Changzong and the others helped move the grain bins over as well.
With more people, things can be moved faster.
After a busy morning, a lot of things have been moved over and put away in their proper places.
By the afternoon, all the sheets and duvet covers that had been washed the day before were dry. Lin Chuntao put duvet covers on all the quilts and made up all the beds.
She laid out her younger sister's bed first before she went to lay out her own.
After the beds were made, everything was brand new, clean and soft. Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe didn't want to leave their rooms and wanted to lie down and sleep, but since it was broad daylight and they hadn't showered yet, they could only stand by the bed and admire it.
Lin Chunxing was in a similar state of mind, but while theirs was done, Lin Chuntao's wasn't.
"Sis, shall I go with you to the shop?"
Before Lin Chuntao could speak, Pei Ying said, "No need, your sister and I can handle it. You two take a break."
Lin Chunxing smiled and nodded, then didn't follow.
Lin Chuntao made a lotus root pink one, but Pei Ying made a red one. After entering the house and laying out the straw mat and cushion, Pei Ying said, "Let's lay out the red one."
The two stood in the bedroom, the window half-open. It wasn't a completely enclosed space, but there was an inexplicable emotional turmoil between them. Lin Chuntao thought of what she had said before, and when she heard Pei Ying suggest laying out red, she had a strong feeling that the two of them were about to have their wedding night.
"Um."
Lin Chuntao responded and went to get the red set.
After the quilt was laid out, the bright red quilt cover was very vibrant and festive. Pei Ying looked around the room and said to Lin Chuntao, "I bought two red candles, we'll light them tomorrow night."
Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, glancing at Pei Ying with a complex expression.
"what ever."
Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this, went out of the house, and locked the door.
On the eighth day of the lunar new year, Pei Ying and Lin Chunxing both took a break.
Even though they don't need to get up early for anything, they all seem to be getting up very early without prior arrangement.
In Yizhou, the most important thing when moving into a new house is to bring in a pot of charcoal to light the stove, and then the family can cook a meal, such as glutinous rice balls or sweet egg soup.
Following her own habits, Lin Chuntao prepared grains, a piece of meat, a jar of oil, a bamboo basket of eggs, and seasonings.
She prepared and divided everything last night after returning from Lin Village's Zheng family's house, and planned what everyone would take the next day.
As dawn broke, Lin Chunxing and the others came out of the next room. The rustling noises from the sisters woke Lin Chuntao.
Lin Chuntao had just gotten up when Pei Ying woke up.
He stretched and then sat up.
The sisters couldn't wait to move. The fire in the old house hadn't been reignited, and they planned to go straight to the new house to cook breakfast after Lin Chuntao got up.
Just as the three sisters were thinking about it, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying came out.
Lin Duo'er looked over happily: "Sister, brother-in-law, you're up."
Lin Chuntao nodded.
"I was thinking that since we had nothing to do today, you guys could sleep in a bit longer. But since you're all up, let's go over and cook breakfast."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe's eyes lit up, and they echoed, "Great! Great!"
Without a brazier, Lin Chuntao lit two pieces of firewood and took them with her. Lin Chunxing carried the meat, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er carried the grains, and Pei Ying drove the piglet and carried the chicken coop. They headed towards their new home.
It was still early, dew had formed, and the air smelled of fresh grass.
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath, glanced back at the small courtyard behind her, looked at the person beside her, lowered her eyes, smiled, and strode forward.
The courtyard gate was locked, so Lin Chuntao opened both gates on either side.
Upon entering the courtyard, she went straight to the kitchen and immediately lit the fire. Pei Ying herded the piglets into the pigpen, set up the chicken coop, and went with Lin Chuntao to the backyard to fetch water.
Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying were not there, so Lin Chunhe and the others wandered around the kitchen and yard several times. She was usually calm and composed, but at this moment she couldn't hide her happiness.
"Second sister! Are we staying here tonight?"
Lin Chunxing nodded, "Yes, we'll stay here. And we can take a bath in our own room now. My older sister bought each of us a bathtub."
"So who will boil water to wash first tonight?" Lin Duo'er asked.
Lin Chunhe laughed and said, "We have many stoves in our house, so we can boil water all at once and there's no need to wait."
Lin Duo'er said, "I'm going to bed early tonight. I'll go to sleep as soon as it gets dark. Have you guys tried it? The mattress is so soft, and the blanket is so plush. It's such a big blanket, I could roll around in it!"
The three sisters chatted away, their smiles beaming from ear to ear.
Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying returned with water. Lin Chuntao cooked a pot of sweet egg soup. After each of them ate two, Lin Chuntao led them to light several stoves. They hadn't done anything yet, so they started by boiling a pot of water. There were also many dried vegetables to soak later.
The villagers had just gotten up, still half asleep, when they turned their heads and saw several wisps of smoke rising from Lin Chuntao's new house.
"Oh my, the Chuntao sisters are up so early? Going to start a fire already?"
The exclamation drew the attention of the neighbors, and someone asked, "Are you going over for the feast tonight? What are you bringing?"
"Let's bring some eggs and dried vegetables; we don't have anything else at home to bring."
"That's true. I'll bring Chun Tao a few pumpkins later. The pumpkins at my house are very sweet this year."
Tonight's dishes are too much for Lin Chuntao to handle, as there are too many people eating. Yesterday, she asked Pei Ying to bring five sets of pork offal: pig heart, liver, stomach, intestines, and lungs. Lin Chuntao washed them all and braised them together, estimating that it would fill a large pot.
The pig that was slaughtered last time had two legs and half a rib left. Since it had already been marinated, Lin Chuntao planned to wash it and cook it directly. She would then make some spicy dipping sauce, which should taste quite good.
Pei Ying first washed and chopped the meat and started cooking it, which would take a long time.
Lin Chuntao soaked various dried vegetables and some red beans, which would help cut through the greasiness when cooking the pickled vegetables later.
Aunt Guizhi and Grandma were invited to cook together. When they saw smoke coming from Lin Chuntao's chimney, they quickly ate breakfast and rushed over.
Lin Changzong and his group also came together.
There are still many soy sauce vats over at the old house, so we asked Lin Changzong and the others to help carry them.
Lin Chuntao gave all the vegetables she wanted to pick to Sun and the others, and then followed Lin Changzong and the others to carry the soy sauce vats.
Grandma and the others took the vegetables directly to the well, picking and washing them as they went. By the time Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying had moved all of Lao Wu's things over, Grandma and the others had already finished preparing all the vegetables needed for the day, and had almost finished washing the pig intestines as well.
Lin Chuntao put the sauce jar in place and started braising the pork offal, filling a large pot to the brine.
When Deng went to help add firewood, she saw the big pot of meat that Lin Chuntao was cooking, plus this pot of pork offal. Tonight's feast looked very appealing.
Lin Chuntao said, "I also bought a few chickens, which Pei Ying will kill in a little while; I'll also cook a pot of pig's blood to make cold dishes, and then stir-fry a pig's liver. That'll be all the meat dishes for tonight."
Upon hearing this, Sun and the others said, "Chuntao, five meat dishes are already a very good feast."
"With your culinary skills, those who come to the banquet tonight are in for a treat," Madam Hu said with a smile.
Lin Chuntao laughed at Hu's words and said, "If I make a lot but don't make it too refined, I'll be happy as long as everyone thinks it's not bad to eat."
Mrs. Deng said, "Chuntao, with your cooking skills, there's no way anyone could find it unpalatable."
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