In the evening, Mao brought a plate of fried meatballs and some sticky rice dumplings that Mrs. Du had steamed, and she and her children rushed to Bai's house.
As for Xiangye, she was no longer a servant in the Gu Mansion and had no direct family relationship with him, so Mao didn't want her to get involved here again.
It was a good opportunity for her to stay with Old Lady Du, as there was plenty of leftovers from lunch, so the two of them heated up some and ate some together. When they came back, they would eat dumplings together at night while staying up to celebrate the New Year.
This was Wen Xi's family's first visit to the Bai family's home. The courtyard was large, and although the house was made of adobe, it was brand new, and the roof was tiled, not thatched like the one at Old Lady Du's house.
Five or six rooms are neatly arranged in a concave shape. It seems that this house is worth buying.
Xiu Li almost took on the job of a maid again. When she saw Mao coming, she welcomed them into the house as if they were at home.
Almost everyone had arrived, except Dong Qing, who had reportedly gone with a wealthy businessman from the north.
The main room was not very big, so the adults sat in the main room and the children sat at a table in the bedroom.
The dishes served were all quite acceptable. No one brought out steamed bread or black steamed buns to make up the numbers.
The Second Aunt was a bit too ostentatious, and she raised her well-maintained orchid finger again and said:
"I don't have the cooking skills of my sisters, so I didn't cook anything. I just made some porridge. Sisters, please don't be disgusted!"
Well, this is definitely going to cause trouble. They are showing off white porridge as bird's nest.
Although rice is indeed as precious as bird's nest in northern Xinjiang, is it really a good idea to slap Mrs. Gu in the face like this?
Everyone naturally laughed and walked away without rushing to respond.
Wen Xi ignored them and when he saw the people at the main table started to eat with their chopsticks, he immediately picked up the porridge in front of him and started to gulp it down.
Although Second Aunt is a bit annoying, her porridge is lovely! Wow... I miss the taste of rice so much!
Seeing Wen Xi eating like she had never seen rice before, Gu Nan said with disdain:
"Mud legs and incomplete hands!"
Wen Xi was not angry at all, and whispered:
"Second Young Master Gu?"
Gu Nan didn't react at first, but it took him a while to realize that this damn girl was making fun of him and treating him like a young master?
Suddenly he got angry and slammed the table and said:
"You damn girl..."
When Mrs. Bai heard the noise, she gave Gu Nan a warning look, and only then did he calm down and ignore others angrily.
Mrs. Bai felt embarrassed enough today because of Second Concubine's troubles. She hadn't expected her son to not only not give her face, but also add to her troubles. Her previous desire to win over everyone had faded.
After having an awkward and tasteless New Year's Eve dinner, everyone wanted to go home quickly and end this meaningless reunion dinner.
Bai Shi was devastated. If anything could comfort her wounded heart, it would probably be Gu Shengjian and Wen Xi! From the beginning to the end, it was a very delicious meal. But what use were two little brats? Oh...
They happily went back to their homes. Only after they'd walked a good distance did Mao let out a long sigh. He couldn't help but laugh at himself. After so many years together, after such a sudden change, it was so hard to get along anymore.
After the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was time for people to relax and visit relatives! Unexpectedly, a continuous snowstorm hit again. The temperature also dropped again and again.
Thick cotton-padded clothes and quilts were no longer enough for Wen Xi, as the room felt like an icy cave. Even getting into bed at night required a long mental preparation.
Due to limited resources, I couldn't make a kang (a traditional Chinese kang) myself, nor could I find a stove. I also didn't have the money to buy a brazier. So I could only make a small clay stove.
It was snowing outside and there was no way to ask for help. The Mao family members couldn't help either. So Wen Xi had to do it herself. Have you ever seen a pig run before eating pork?
Wouldn’t it be enough to just make a mini version of the clay stove in the kitchen?
I got a few bricks from the corner of the wall to make a frame, and then I took great pains to dig out a small basket of yellow clay.
I haven't played in the mud for many years. If the mud wasn't too cold, I would still like this job.
The old saying is true! Ideals are full of hope, but reality is very skinny.
The small clay stove died, mainly because the clay was not obedient in his hands.
Wen Xi modified a bird's nest stove. Its appearance wasn't very impressive, but after baking it for a day, it was actually usable.
There is a pot of hot water warming on the clay stove at any time, so you can drink it directly when you are thirsty without having to run to the kitchen in the cold.
Although the clay stove didn't dissipate heat well, it was still a warming device and could provide a source of heat. It was fine for roasting hands and feet.
Wen Xi would roast the stones in the fire when she had nothing to do, and when they were no longer hot, she would put them in the coarse cloth bags that Mao had made, and stuff one in each person's quilt.
Because it was too cold, the quilts were not folded these days and everyone spent the days sitting in bed.
With this stone, the heat can last almost half a day, which makes Gu Shengmo very happy.
Mao watched Wen Xi's daily struggles, and she eventually came up with something. She couldn't help but wonder if being too well-behaved made people stupid. Otherwise, why would her daughter, despite all her hard work, become smarter?
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