The group quickly walked forward, and many people along the way noticed the Lu family and their curious gazes fell on Su Miaoyan.
But since they weren't particularly close to the Lu family, they just exchanged greetings and went about their own business without asking any further questions.
The New Year is just a few days away. Even the most frugal families who are usually very careful with their money will take an oxcart to the city to buy New Year's goods.
Some elderly people in the village can write couplets, and many people bring gifts to exchange for couplets.
Judging from the weather, it should snow soon.
Every household is filled with joy and happiness as they welcome the New Year.
With Lu Jianyue's enthusiastic introduction, Su Miaoyan learned that the tallest mud-brick house standing not far away was the house where the Lu family lived.
The mud-brick houses next to it weren't much shorter than the Lu family's.
But Su Miaoyan didn't say much.
Because she knew that this house also had its own rules.
The height of your neighbor's house should be the same as the height of your own house when you build a new one.
It implies that one should not be inferior to others or be considered inferior.
The mud-brick house looks small, but it's actually quite bright inside.
The front hall was a large pool used for washing vegetables and splashing water, and the smooth stones next to it were covered with moss.
Behind that is the ancestral hall. Behind the ancestral hall, there is a table with candles, incense, and a portrait on it.
On the far left of the pool, there is a small passageway that connects five houses and several rooms, including a kitchen and a woodshed.
The kitchen features a built-in stove, and a large table is located not far from the stove, making it convenient to eat immediately after cooking.
The woodshed contained firewood and coal, and above the bird's nest, a lot of cured meat hung.
The firewood in the middle was burning, crackling and popping, occasionally sending up sparks.
Several children gathered around the bird's nest to warm themselves by the fire, placing their hands above the flames, their breath visible in the cold air.
Two little girls and two little boys were sitting there.
The older-looking girl is called Lu Zhaodi, and the younger one is called Lu Laidi.
This belongs to Lu Jianhua and Shao Qinsheng, the eldest son and daughter-in-law.
The other two little boys are named Lu Junmin and Lu Tiantian.
The older one is Lu Weiguo and Wang Shuli's son.
The younger one is Lu Baojia and Li Yuerou's son.
Lu Junmin's nickname is Mingming.
Lu Tiantian's nickname is Tiantian.
Four children were gathered around the fire, muttering to themselves, talking about something.
"Sister Zhaodi, why do you have such a name? It doesn't sound nice at all."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Lu Zhaodi's eyes: "Mother said that only if we have this name can she give birth to a younger brother for us."
"Is having a younger brother that important?" Lu Tiantian didn't understand.
"I don't know either. Anyway, my mother said that we have to have a younger brother, otherwise people will look down on us."
Lu Laidi also disliked her own name.
The teacher said that it doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl, because both men and women can succeed. Nothing in this world is difficult if you are willing to try.
Lu Junmin then picked up the tongs, clumsily picked up a piece of wood, and threw it into the pile of firewood.
"I wonder if my fourth uncle and aunt have come back yet. Every time my fourth uncle comes back, he gives us lots of candy. My aunt also gives us any extra candy she has. I really want some!"
Lu Zhaodi muttered, "Me too. The last time I ate it was during the Chinese New Year."
Next door, Lu Jianhua and Shao Qin were having a fight.
Seeing that the other person was about to take out the white flour and white rice that they were reluctant to eat from the rice jar, Shao Qin immediately got up from the bedside: "Lu Jianhua, what do you mean? Now that your fourth sister-in-law is back, you're willing to take out white rice and white flour? If you didn't know better, you'd think she was your wife!"
Lu Jianhua's face darkened: "Shao Qin, now is not the time to be silly. It's not easy for your fourth brother and sister-in-law to come back, so we, as the eldest brother and sister-in-law, should bring out something to entertain them."
"Moreover, my fourth brother usually sends a lot of money home. This money is all for the government and for our parents. Our parents are kind to us and help us out a little. We should be grateful."
Shao Qin didn't take it seriously: "He's your brother, not some cousin or distant relative. With your relationship, what's wrong with him helping you out a little?"
"Isn't this normal? Besides, they're his parents, but aren't they our parents too? He's their son, but you're not? Isn't it normal for parents to help our family?"
Lu Jianhua sighed: "But that's money my fourth brother sent back to support our parents. He's sent us things quite often before."
"So what? He's the only successful one in the family. Why not help him out?"
Lu Jianhua knew he couldn't reason with the other party, so he simply kept quiet.
The door creaked open.
Xu Hongmei hurriedly pushed open the door, and Lu Jianyue reminded her to be careful of the threshold.
Xu Hongmei felt a little embarrassed, as her family's circumstances were such that they had never built a new house.
At the beginning of the year, Lu Ting mentioned that they should repair the house. They didn't want their fourth son to waste money on it, since the mud-brick house wasn't uninhabitable.
Su Miaoyan, on the other hand, found it extremely novel.
Xu Hongmei knew that Su Miaoyan was pregnant, and hurriedly said, "Little Su, go and warm yourself by the fire. It's warm there. I see your face is all red from the cold."
"Okay, sure."
Lu Ting handed over the New Year's goods and some snacks he had brought: "Mom, this is for Junmin and Tiantian Zhaodi, and also what you brought. Take it to them."
Xu Hongmei waved her hand: "That won't do... You should take it and divide it yourselves, so your sister-in-law won't misunderstand."
Lu Ting had met his sister-in-law before and knew her personality, so he didn't dwell on it too much and took the bag back.
"Okay, Mom, let's go inside first."
Lu Weiguo and Lu Baojia were watching from the side when they suddenly remembered that the children were still in the kitchen, so they rushed over to check on them.
"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, please come and sit down. I'll get you some hot water."
"Okay, then I'll trouble you."
Bian Qihua and Wenrou didn't refuse; the weather was a bit cold.
The children, who were grumbling about not having any candy, heard the commotion and rushed out to greet them.
Upon seeing Lu Weiguo and Lu Baojia, Lu Junmin awkwardly called out, "Father!"
Lu Tiantian also called out, "Dad!"
Lu Ting walked out from behind, and the two children's expressions lit up with joy.
"Fourth Uncle?!"
Lu Ting held White Rabbit milk candy and some fruit candy in his hand. Just by looking at their expressions, he knew what they were thinking.
He took out White Rabbit milk candy and some fruit candy and handed them over.
Lu Junmin and Lu Tiantian exchanged a glance, both seeing happiness and excitement in each other's eyes.
The two glanced at Lu Weiguo and Lu Baojia's expressions, and seeing that they weren't angry, they immediately accepted it.
"Thank you, Fourth Uncle!"
Lu Ting gave a faint "hmm".
The two children felt that their fourth uncle seemed to have become much gentler than before.
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