beginning of winter
beginning of winter,
Collection of all things.
Taishi Zheng woke up early and sat by the bright window, her head propped up and gazing outward in a daze. When the slightly chilly morning breeze bit her neck, Zheng couldn't help but wince. Just then, Aunt Wu passed by the window, carrying a pot basket. She grabbed some dried meat she had prepared from the sun and waved it in front of Zheng.
Tai Shi Zheng's eyes turned unconsciously.
Then, Zheng obediently stretched her hand out the window, and Aunt Wu gently placed the dried meat in her hand and said, "Madam, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"
Zheng chewed some dried meat and glanced at the people outside. She replied, "Aunt Wu, I was thinking about what the old people say: if it's sunny on the beginning of winter, it'll be cold all winter; if it's cloudy on the beginning of winter, it'll be warm all winter. Look, it's so sunny today. Doesn't it look like this winter will be very cold?"
Aunt Wu smiled at this. "Well, even if these old sayings are said smoothly, they can't overcome the unpredictable weather. Madam, please don't worry so much. No matter how cold the weather, I will make sure the charcoal fire in the house is kept burning brightly for you and Erlangjun."
"Aunt Wu is so nice, and your dried meat is so good too—" Zheng smiled and praised the old woman outside the window.
Aunt Wu was delighted to hear this and stuffed a few handfuls of dried meat into Zheng's hands. "If you like it, eat more. There's plenty of dried meat."
But just as she turned around and was about to take a step forward, she turned back and asked, "Hey? I heard from Erlangjun that you guys were going to Sanlangjun's place to have some wine around the fire today. Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Zheng sighed after hearing this. "This stubborn donkey in our house, probably because I offended him last night, ran to the study before dawn today and hasn't come out yet. I don't dare to call him, for fear that he's still mad at me. It would be bad if I offended him."
Aunt Wu saw that the young couple were really close now and they were not having any quarrels.
She smiled and said, "How could Erlangjun be angry with you? Why don't you ask me to go and call Erlangjun for you?"
Taishi Zheng was about to say no when the door to the west room opened. Cui Zhijun, dressed in a plain robe, walked towards them, looking refreshed. Aunt Wu was puzzled by his appearance. Was this the "stubborn donkey" my wife had mentioned?
But I didn't see anything unusual...
Cui Zhijun came to the window, but Taishi Zheng didn't dare to look up at him. Cui Zhijun spoke first, "It's getting late, let's go."
Such an ordinary tone surprised Taishi Zheng.
Aunt Wu dared to interject, "Sir, why are you in the study so early today? What's the matter?"
She was like a substitute for Taishi Zheng, and Zheng couldn't help but look up.
Cui Zhijun replied, "Nothing much. I just suddenly remembered this morning that I had some overdue work a few days ago, so I quickly sorted it out before I forgot. What's wrong?"
Well, the couple must have misunderstood, right?
Aunt Wu got the answer and turned her gaze to Taishi Zheng, who smiled sheepishly, realizing she had been overthinking things. Unexpectedly, the usually outspoken Taishi Zheng had a moment of silence in front of Cui Zhijun.
"Nothing. Aren't you two going to Ginkgo Pavilion? Go ahead, don't miss the time." Aunt Wu said and turned away.
Cui Zhijun watched her leave, confused, "What's wrong with her?"
Tai Shi Zheng grabbed the dried meat and walked out of the house, pretending nothing had happened and said, "What happened to Aunt Wu? Nothing. Okay, let's go."
Although Cui Zhijun was a little surprised by the two people's behavior, he did not ask any more questions and followed Taishi Zheng out of the courtyard. On the way, Taishi Zheng invited Cui Zhijun to try the dried meat made by Aunt Wu, but Cui Zhijun just shook his head and said he didn't want to eat it.
The two of them had no more words to say.
Ginkgo Pavilion wasn't far from Yinzhu Yatang, just around Yinjian Residence. As the couple walked side by side outside Yinjian Residence, they happened to see Cang Yi and Cui Zhijian, who was on his day off, walking out of the courtyard hand in hand. Cui Zhijun was the first to notice and greeted them respectfully, "Brother, sister-in-law."
Zheng raised her eyes and saw the two of them being so intimate. She almost dropped the dried meat in her mouth.
She said to Cui Zhijun in a daze: "Brother...sister-in-law..."
Cang Yi was a little nervous when she saw the newcomer. Her heart was beating fast, and she tried to loosen Cui Zhijian's hand. But Cui Zhijian pulled her too tight, leaving her with no strength to break free.
Cang Yi had no choice but to stand shyly behind Cui Zhijian and nodded timidly.
What's going on? Who is this person? Has my brother been possessed? Tai Shi Zheng stared at everything in disbelief, then looked up at the western sky to confirm that the sun wasn't setting in the west. Only then did he look back down at the ground.
At this time, Cui Zhijian spoke, "Erlang, Erlang's wife. Are you going to Ginkgo Pavilion?"
Cui Zhijun replied: "Yes."
Cui Zhijian invited the young couple to go together. Cui Zhijun and Zheng looked at each other and did not refuse, and the four of them set off together.
Cang Yi and Cui Zhijian walked quietly in front, while Tai Shizheng kept looking forward with a shocked expression. But halfway through, she turned back and said to Cui Zhijun, "Cui Erlang, look at how loving their eldest brother and sister-in-law are. I want to hold their hands too."
Cang Yi, who was in front, shrank his head again when he heard this.
Cui Zhijun glanced at Taishi Zheng's palm, which was shiny and even smelled of meat, and refused, "Eat your jerky and leave."
After saying this, Cui Zhiyun walked away.
Zheng looked at her own palm, made a sound, and followed him.
-
A group of people arrived at the Ginkgo Pavilion, but from a distance they could hear a commotion in the courtyard. It was Song Mingyue and Cui Zhichou's voices. Song Mingyue spoke first, "Cui Laosan, you idiot! I told you to light some charcoal, but you couldn't even light it, and it's been a while since everyone arrived. Are you planning to ask everyone to gather around the stove and not make wine?"
Cui Zhichou must have been very dissatisfied when he heard this, and it was inevitable that he would retort and quarrel, "Come on, come on, come on. Song Laoliu, let me see what you can do——"
"Okay, Cui Laosan, if I light it, you're done!" Song Mingyue showed no sign of weakness and walked forward with the tongs.
As a result, the people standing outside the courtyard did not dare to go in easily.
But after a while, there was no movement in the yard, only the sound of two people coughing violently. Cui Zhijian turned around and said to the young couple, "Forget it, let's go in. Otherwise, they will cause any more trouble later."
Cui Zhijun and Taishi Zheng nodded without much objection.
They walked in together, Cui Zhijian still holding Cang Yi's hand. Zheng followed behind, her eyes narrowed to slits. Cui Zhijun saw her dazed look and couldn't help but ask, "Did the smoke choke you?"
Zheng shook her head upon hearing this and said to herself, "Strange, very strange."
Cui Zhijun didn't quite understand, so he ignored it.
When they arrived at the corridor, they saw Song Mingyue and Cui Zhichou looking up, and their two faces, which were blackened by smoke, were revealed in front of everyone. Tai Shi Zheng was indeed the first one who couldn't help laughing. Seeing this, Cui Zhijun covered her mouth in embarrassment.
Cui Zhichou looked at Song Mingyue's face and laughed, "Song Laoliu, we both know each other——"
"Bah, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be like this. Of course, Cui Laosan, you're not much better!"
Song Mingyue was so angry that she dropped the fire tongs. Cang Yi suppressed his laughter and quickly tried to persuade the two of them, "Okay, Mingyue, you two should stop being angry. Go inside and wash up. Leave this to us."
Seeing this, Song Mingyue replied, "Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law." She walked into the house without looking back. Cui Zhichou followed and tried to go in, but was turned away again.
He stood in the corridor and smiled awkwardly.
Cang Yi was finally able to let go of Cui Zhijian's hand and come to the fire. Cui Zhijian stood by and asked, "Do you need any help?"
Cang Yi shook his head. Seeing her skillful and efficient work, she quickly lit the charcoal fire that had been troubling Sanlang and his wife. Zheng couldn't help but applaud in the courtyard, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! How come you can do everything? You're truly omnipotent!"
Cui Zhichou also echoed, "Sister-in-law is indeed the sister-in-law."
Cang Yi felt embarrassed by the praise and quickly waved his hand humbly, "No, no, it's just some ordinary rough work, not as hard as you say."
After washing her face, Song Mingyue came out of the house, stuffed Cui Zhichou into the house, and rushed back in, "Go wash your face quickly, don't embarrass yourself here."
"Oh, okay." Cui Zhichou smiled, turned around and slipped into the house.
Tai Shi Zheng shifted her gaze, thinking that Sanlang and his wife were quite interesting, as they were just throwing tantrums.
Soon they were able to put aside their past grudges.
Song Mingyue went to the side, picked up the wine pot and placed it on the stove, and greeted everyone, "Brothers and sisters-in-law, don't stand anymore, sit down and warm yourself up."
After hearing this, several people glanced at each other and sat down on the cushions placed under the corridor.
Cui Zhichou later returned from the house and brought a few blankets for the female family members to protect them from the cold. Waiting for Zheng to take the blanket, she smiled and thanked him, then covered herself and Cui Zhijun together, "Come on, as a wife, I will reluctantly cover myself with you."
"I'm not cold." Cui Zhijun gave in a little.
Taishi Zheng said, "No, you are cold."
Cui Zhijun shook his head, not quite understanding, but did not refuse any further.
Looking at the other people around the fire, they all had their own unique ways of interacting. Cui Zhichou tried to get under Song Mingyue's blanket, but was kicked out. Cui Laosan was not willing to give up, and after trying several more times, he finally sat alone outside the blanket.
Over at Cang Yi, Cui Zhijian, with his size, looked incredibly cold-resistant. He knelt on a mat, his whole body imposing, making Cang Yi, huddled under a blanket beside him, look even smaller. Cang Yi, observing the atmosphere, said to him, "Da Lang, don't sit like that. You're acting so reserved..."
Cui Zhijian turned his head with a fierce look on his face, but only responded with "Oh." Then he relaxed his body and sat cross-legged.
Song Mingyue casually grabbed a handful of peanuts and dates from the bamboo basket and spread them on the stove. The fallen crumbs exploded in the fire, and the beauty of winter was fully displayed in the flames. She warmed her cold hands and joked, "I see that big brother is in a good mood. This time he is not here to cook wine around the stove, but to participate in the alliance."
The atmosphere relaxed and everyone smiled.
It was almost noon, and since drinking on an empty stomach wasn't a good idea, Song Mingyue turned to Cui Zhichou and asked, "Have you prepared the dumpling filling and dough I asked you to prepare? We can't let this go again, or else the little gathering we planned for today will be ruined. Who among my brothers and sisters-in-law will dare to come later?"
Zheng was now lazily leaning against Cui Zhijun's shoulder, her warm head steaming against him. Cui Zhijun stood upright, and he was too embarrassed to push her away in front of so many people. He had no choice but to let her lean against him.
But where does this guy get so much firepower...
Zheng looked at Song Mingyue and thought, isn't it good to talk in such a friendly way? One is stupid and the other is unhappy.
This couple is a perfect match.
Cui Zhichou responded, "It's ready, it's ready. The kitchen prepared it all. I just mentioned it, how could I forget? That would be foolish!"
Song Mingyue chuckled and said, "What do you think?"
Cang Yi heard this and asked in confusion, "Dumpling filling and dough? Sanlang, Mingyue, what are you doing?"
Song Mingyue then turned around and replied, "Today is the beginning of winter, so of course we should eat dumplings."
"Eat dumplings? Shouldn't they be made in the kitchen and sent over? Are you going to let us make them ourselves? Well, let me be clear, I only know how to eat them. I've tried making them before, but I put ten dumplings in the pot, and what came out was a pot of meat soup noodles with the filling leaking out... Please don't let me waste food."
After saying this, Zheng grinned very embarrassedly.
Cui Zhijun held his forehead in his hands and remained silent, while everyone burst into laughter. Cang Yi took over the conversation, "Then I'll pack it. I can make these things."
Song Mingyue shook her head and glanced at every man present. "No, no, no, none of us women should get involved today, and the eldest sister-in-law is not allowed to help. The elders are not here today, so let the men do the dumplings. We have to do the work and can't indulge their bad habits. It's getting late, Cui Laosan and the brothers should get busy. I don't have any extravagant expectations. As long as we can eat before the sun sets, that's enough—"
After saying this, Song Mingyue leaned lazily against the door, no longer looking at the surprised faces in the corridor.
Zheng jumped off Cui Zhijun and looked at him questioningly, "Cui Erlang, you must be just like me, all you know how to do is eat, right?"
Cui Zhijun looked back and said, "It's not like you."
Taishi Zheng's features twisted into a knot, fearing she wouldn't be able to eat lunch today. But then she realized she couldn't let him down; she still had to rely on Cui Zhijun for dumplings, so she immediately changed her tune. "Yes, Erlang is smarter than me. Then, Erlang, you should work hard and don't let me go hungry. I want to eat dumplings, thank you."
After saying that, Zheng moved to Song Mingyue's side and leaned against the door panel.
And what about Cang Yi? She was destined to be toilsome and worried. Seeing her worried expression, it seemed as if she wished she could handle all the work by herself. Cui Zhijian didn't wait for her to say anything. He stood up and walked towards the noodle table in the courtyard with an expressionless face.
But Cui Zhichou was optimistic. He seemed willing to participate. "Let's go, let's go, second brother, let's go too—"
Cui Zhijun stood up without saying a word.
Thus, the three men of the Cui family's eldest branch stood before the rolling pin table for the first time in their lives. They exchanged glances, and Cui Lao Da gave a look, and Cui Lao San, understanding, handed the rolling pin sacredly to him.
Then, Boss Cui started rolling the noodles with one hand, but in an instant, the flying flour had not yet settled, and the rolling pin suddenly snapped and broke into two pieces on the unrolled dough.
Cui Zhijun looked at the two of them in surprise. They were too unreliable.
It seems that if I want Taishi Zheng to eat dumplings, I still have to rely on myself...
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