Chapter 13 Big House
Mrs. Wu from the third house was quite happy. She smiled broadly at the third son, Xia Youxi:
"Oh my, you didn't see it! Second sister-in-law's face was blue, white, purple, and green. It's enough to open a big dyeing factory!"
The third brother stared at his wife Wu's radiant face and laughed:
"My second brother's face isn't looking good either. I thought no one could see that! It's strange. My second brother and his wife are the most narrow-minded in our family, but they still think they are generous!"
"That's right. Our second brother and his wife actually like to compete with our eldest brother and his wife, but they don't dare to confront them directly. Every day, they just want to show off in front of the other brothers, especially the two of us! I won't indulge their bad habits!"
"I know, you don't have to spoil them. You should quarrel and scold them when necessary, but just don't get yourself mad!"
As Xia Youxi spoke, he reached out and pulled his wife over, hugging her into his arms:
"Lanhua and Chrysanthemum have grown up. Madam, please give me a son!"
…
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the big market in Beiguan Town only lasts until the evening and closes before the sun sets.
It will be closed until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year and will reopen on the sixth day.
The old man and the old lady of the Xia family, along with several grandchildren, went to the town with several other families in the village to attend the last big market of the year.
This time, the old couple brought several children with them.
There were Silang and Meihua from the second room, Lanhua from the third room, Lihua and Daohua from the fourth room, and Liulang and Zaohua from the fifth room. Lihua was brought along to work, because she was the oldest and most agile.
The reason I brought Daohua along was because she had forgotten a lot of things since she was injured, and she had become unusually quiet.
The old couple often saw her in a daze for unknown reasons, and always felt that the child was somewhat pitiful.
So I wanted to take her to the market to stroll around, take a walk, see the excitement and relax.
Lanhua, the third daughter, is well-behaved, sweet-spoken, and pretty. The old couple has always liked her.
As for Liulang and Zaohua, firstly they were young, and secondly they were the only two children in the five rooms. They begged the old couple to go with them, and the old couple naturally didn't want to refuse and took them all with them.
A large group of people entered Beiguan Town, and the doorman collected two cents as an entrance fee - the children were exempt from payment, but the old couple could not be exempted.
Daohua felt that the market in Beiguan Town was quite prosperous. Although it was not as prosperous as that in modern society, it did have some things that were relatively rare to her.
For example, juggling and monkey shows. She had only seen jugglers on TV and on the Internet before. As for monkey shows, she had only seen them once or twice when she was a few years old.
Later, it gradually disappeared.
Looking at the little monkey, which did a dozen somersaults in the air, performed a set of stick techniques, and then held up a hat with the reverse side facing upwards and nodded to the crowd for money, Xia Daohua smiled with the corners of her mouth raised and her big eyes narrowed. Her heart was melted by the cuteness of it.
What surprised Xia Daohua the most was that the little monkey was not tied with a rope or wearing a collar. After collecting the money, it climbed onto its owner's shoulder obediently, which aroused cheers from the onlookers.
This time, the old couple bought back a lot of sugar-coated melons, persimmons, frozen pears, and red dumplings. They also bought an almanac and a large string of red firecrackers.
Each of the children who went with them was given a big meat bun.
A big meat bun costs three cents each. The skin is made of mixed flour and is a little thick, but the filling is very affordable - it is pure meatball filling, with only a little bit of chopped green onion for seasoning, which is salty and delicious.
The children ate until their mouths were full of oil. After finishing one, they still felt a little reluctant to eat more. Until they returned home from the market, Liu Lang and Zaohua could not forget the big meat bun.
Back in the village, every household was busy preparing for the New Year. The aroma of blood sausage, bacon, and fried dough sticks filled the air, and the atmosphere of the New Year became even more intense.
Although the Xia family had split up, they still had to spend the New Year together. Even the eldest family, who had been living in the town, came back with a lot of stuff.
Xia Daohua finally met Xia Dalang, the "scholarly child" as described by his second aunt Sun, and his "fat wife".
To be fair, Xia Dalang's wife is not actually fat, she just has a round face and her figure seems fuller than that of ordinary women because of her pregnancy.
Especially the bulging belly. Looking at it, she must be seven or eight months pregnant.
However, my uncle Xia Youcai and my aunt Liu are both fatter than people of the same age.
My great uncle Xia Youcai was the shopkeeper of a restaurant in the town. It was said that he was highly regarded by his boss because he was literate, tactful, lively and capable.
My uncle was wearing a royal blue silk gown, his hair was tied tightly in a bun, and he wore a royal blue silk square flat scarf. He had a plump figure, fair skin, and a smile in the corners of his eyebrows and eyes. He looked very happy. No wonder he could be the shopkeeper of a restaurant.
My aunt-in-law, Mrs. Liu, was wearing a half-new cotton-silk dress with a black background and a floral pattern with the word "Fu" on it. She also had a gilded copper hairpin on her head. She was plump all over, and looked as wealthy as the wife of a wealthy landlady.
Her body was not only fat but also wide. No matter which sister-in-law she stood with, her size could accommodate her. If she stood with Sun, even if the two Suns were tied together, they would still not be as wide as Liu alone!
Xia Youcai stood at the front, with Xia Dalang beside him. Liu followed closely behind, supporting her pregnant daughter-in-law who had difficulty moving. Jinhua and Yinhua followed closely behind Liu.
If you look closely, you will see that the clothes the whole family wears are more than one level higher than those worn by the villagers.
Well, it seems that this cannot be said.
In the village, everyone in the family of Mr. Feng, a landlord, wore silk and satin and gold and silver jewelry, including Mr. Feng's concubines, who were all dressed sleekly, wearing gold and silver head ornaments, with high false buns and all kinds of pearl and jade jewelry.
The Xia family has a large population and many strong laborers. The old man is literate and the old lady is shrewd. As long as they don't compare themselves with wealthy families like Mr. Feng, their life is not bad.
The Xia family's winter clothes are relatively thick and warm, but the fabrics are all coarse cotton and coarse ramie, and they are all patched.
However, the people in the first house were all dressed in fancy clothes. The outer clothes on each of them were more valuable than the cotton-padded jackets on the Xia family. Although they looked half-new, they were not patched.
Even the cotton silk that Mrs. Liu was wearing was more expensive than the blue coarse cloth that Mrs. Zhou was wearing.
Xia Youcai's family hired a horse carriage to take them to the village. The carriage was loaded with many things. It was said that these valuables were the annual gifts from the eldest wife and her husband to the old man and old lady Zhou of the Xia family.
Please collect it and recommend it to the female channel! Love you, (づ￣ 3￣)づ!
(End of this chapter)
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