Mrs. Wu from the third house was quite happy, and smiled broadly at the third son, Xia Youxi:
"Oh my, you didn't see it! Second sister-in-law's face, sometimes blue, sometimes white, sometimes purple, sometimes green, is enough to open a big dyeing factory!"
The third brother stared at his wife Wu's radiant face and laughed:
"Second brother's face isn't looking good either, and I thought no one could miss it! It's strange, but second brother and his wife are the most narrow-minded in our family, and yet they still think they're so generous!"
"That's right. Our second brother and his wife actually like to compete with our eldest brother and his wife, but when it comes to confronting them directly, they don't dare. Every day, they just want to show off in front of the other brothers, especially us two! I won't tolerate their bad habits!"
"I know, you don't have to spoil them. Just quarrel and scold them when necessary, but don't get yourself mad!"
As Xia Youxi spoke, he reached out and pulled his wife over, holding her in his arms:
"Lanhua and Juhua are both grown up. Madam, please give me a son!"
…
On the 28th day of the 12th lunar month, the big market in Beiguan Town only lasts until dusk and closes before sunset.
It will remain 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 taken with her to work, as she was the oldest and most agile.
The reason I brought Daohua with me 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 a little 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 Liu Lang and Zao Hua, 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, so they took them both along.
A large group of people entered Beiguan Town, and the doorman collected two cents of entrance fee without hesitation - the children did not have to pay, 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 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 online before, and monkey shows, 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 and performed a set of stick techniques, then held a hat upside down 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 the monkey.
What surprised Xia Daohua most was that the little monkey had no leash or collar. After collecting the money, it climbed neatly onto its owner's shoulders, drawing cheers from the onlookers.
This time, the old couple bought back a lot of sugar melons, persimmons, frozen pears, red flowers, an almanac and a big string of red firecrackers.
Each of the children who went with them received a big meat bun.
A big meat bun costs three cents. The dough is made of mixed flour and the skin is a little thick, but the filling is very affordable - it is actually 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, and after finishing one, they still felt a little reluctant to eat more. Even when they returned home from the market, Liu Lang and Zaohua could not forget the big meat bun.
When I returned to 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 gather together for a big day like the New Year. Even the eldest family, who had been living in town, came back with a lot of luggage.
Xia Daohua finally met Xia Dalang, the "scholarly seed" mentioned 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 looks fuller than that of an average woman because of her pregnancy.
Especially that bulging belly. Looking at that belly, she must be seven or eight months pregnant.
However, my uncle Xia Youcai and my aunt Liu are both fatter than their peers.
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 on 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". She also had a copper-gilt hairpin on her head. She was plump all over and looked as wealthy as a landlady from a wealthy family.
Her body was not only fat but also wide. No matter which sister-in-law she stood with, her size could fit 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 of the villagers.
Well, it seems that this cannot be said.
In the village, everyone in the household of Mr. Feng, a landlord, was dressed in silk and satin, adorned with gold and silver. Even Mr. Feng's concubines were sleekly dressed, wearing gold and silver headpieces, their hair piled high with false buns, and adorned with all sorts of pearls and jadeite.
The Xia family has a large population and many strong laborers. The old man is literate and the old lady is smart. 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 were relatively thick and warm, but the fabrics were all coarse cotton and coarse ramie, and they were all patched.
However, the people from the first house were all dressed in fine clothes. Each of their outer garments was worth more than the cotton-padded jackets worn by the Xia family. Although they looked half-new, they were not patched at all.
Even the cotton silk that Liu was wearing was more expensive than the blue coarse cloth that Zhou was wearing.
Xia Youcai's family hired a horse-drawn carriage to take them to the village. The carriage was loaded with large and small packages, carrying a lot of things. It was said that these belongings were New Year gifts from the eldest wife and her husband to the old man and old lady Zhou of the Xia family.
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