Chapter 99 Jinjiang first release Chapter 99 What is it that you don’t…
Doctor Mo suggested letting Yu Qinglong take a stroll, so Fang Shu took him for a stroll and delivered couplets to people.
After delivering the couplets, I delivered food. In the morning, I went to Aunt Liang's house to deliver some bean buns, and in the afternoon, I went to Uncle Wang's house to deliver some vegetable cakes. In a blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
Make dumplings, set off firecrackers, put up couplets, and put up window decorations.
The window paper-cuts were designed and carved by Yu Qinglong. He didn't know how to cut them, and he felt that the window paper-cuts he designed couldn't be cut at all, so he could only carve them.
He simply didn't need to make too many. He drew two. One was a monkey holding a peach to celebrate spring, because the New Year was the Year of the Monkey. This was the most common type of painting, with about twenty copies.
Another type is where there is a river next to the tree, and the carps in the river jump out, their bodies bending to form a heart shape with the branches sticking out from the shore.
This was even more obvious than the couplet Fang Shu wrote for his family, so Yu Qinglong only carved two and posted them on the windows on his and Fang Shu's sides.
Fang Shu liked these two the most, and he was so curious about them that he took a long time to post them.
In the city, you can enjoy a play or visit a garden, but in the countryside, New Year's celebrations are all about eating and chatting. But at home, everyone sees each other all the time, so what's the point of having fresh conversation? Yu Qinglong decided to come up with something fun.
He drew a flying chess game, using thicker, larger paper. He also asked Fang Shu to find a small wooden block and carve different numbers of dots on it, ranging from one to six, to make dice. Afterward, the six of them gathered together—Fangshan and his family were also celebrating New Year's with them. Zhuangzhuang had been out playing with his friends during the day, exhausted, and had already fallen asleep, so there were six of them.
They took turns rolling the dice, taking steps based on the number of rolls. There were a hundred squares in total, and whoever reached the last square first won. But there were so many traps between those hundred squares that you could easily fall back to square 69 after reaching the 99th.
Yu Qinglong drew many traps and rewards, so every throw could potentially bring about huge changes in the number of squares.
The family was particularly addicted to the game. After the New Year's Eve dinner, the table on the kang was filled with apples, peanuts, melon seeds, red dates, and longans. But they didn't even have time to eat. Fang Dingman rolled up his sleeves and slapped his thigh: "Ouch! How could we be so close! I'm already at the ninety-ninth square! Long Ge'er, your trap is too bad."
Fang Shu said, "Well done! Now it's my turn. Watch me cast a vote!"
Ding, six o'clock!
Fang Shu took the melon seed that represented him and walked forward six steps. Seeing that there was no risk, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Hurry, Mom, it's your turn."
Fang Wu rolled the dice and it came up two. She took the red date representing herself and took two steps. Suddenly, she was on the ladder to heaven and could even go eleven more steps!
"I'm going to run to the front this time!"
"I also think Mom has the best chance of winning this time." Yu Qinglong held up a peanut. When his parents were picking snacks to represent him, they gave him a peanut and told him to spend it. He used it. "Hey, this is five o'clock for me?"
"Hahahahaha, you're going back again!" Fang Dingman said, "This time Long Ge'er is going to lose."
Originally Yu Qinglong was in second place, but this time he became the last.
Fang Wu twisted Fang Dingman's arm and said, "What are you doing there? The game isn't over yet. If you lose, you'll have to fetch water and firewood tomorrow."
Fang Dingman said, "Who works on New Year's Day? Dashan and Shu'er have filled their water jars to the brim. They're enough for three days."
Fang Wu glared at him and said, "Who told you to be so mean? Don't you dare say my son's husband loses."
Fang Dingman rubbed the painful leg flesh: "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong. Come on, Dashan's wife, it's your turn."
Wu Nan rolled the dice and got a dot. But that dot was enough to allow her to roll the dice three more times. She rolled the dice three times, hitting the best digit every time, and finally reached the finish line.
Everyone: “…”
Fang Dingman said, "This, this is really a strong move."
Fang Shan was at a loss for words: "I only threw it five times in total."
He was currently second to last, having only moved nine squares since the opening. It seemed quite stable, but he hadn't made any significant progress, and he just watched others make big strides.
Yu Qinglong said: "So at home we have to listen to my sister-in-law, hahahaha, she has the best luck."
Wu Nan said, "That's right. At home, people listen to me, and outside, people listen to him. Are we still playing? This is really interesting. Brother Long, how come you have so much on your mind?"
Yu Qinglong said: "I just remembered Zhuangzhuang playing hopscotch with other kids and that's when I thought of this thing."
Of course, that wasn't the case. He'd often played with his grandparents as a child, so he was very familiar with the game. His family had several sets of flying chess, all with different themes and sizes. I wonder what happened to his grandparents.
Yu Qinglong was distracted for a short while.
Fang Dingman said: "One more!"
Yu Qinglong said, "Father, you guys go play first. I'm a little hungry. I'm going to bake some fruit pancakes."
Fang Shu said, "I'll go with Long Ge'er. Mother, sister-in-law, are you guys eating?"
Fang Wu said, "I can't eat anymore."
Wu Nan said, "Your brother and I can each eat half."
Fang Dingman said, "I can eat one!"
Fang Shu smiled and said, "Then let's grill a few more."
Yu Qinglong came up with this fruit-filled sesame pancake while preparing for the New Year's Eve feast. He used apples from his home, diced them, and added sugar to make applesauce. He then wrapped the mixture in fermented dough, rolled it into a thin pancake, and baked it in the oven. The resulting pancake is crispy and dry on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, and truly satisfying.
Fang Shu felt that this thing was even more delicious than sugar cakes, after all, it had a fruity aroma.
Yu Qinglong said, "Next time we come across hawthorn berries, we'll buy some and use them to make something for you. I'm sure that will taste good too."
Fang Shu's mouth watered at the thought of the sweet and sour taste. But the sesame seed cake wasn't done yet, so he pecked Yu Qinglong and said, "You have so many interesting ideas. That flying chess game just now is really fun for everyone."
"It's a pity I didn't think of this before the New Year, otherwise it would have sold well. Let's wait until after the New Year."
"I'm getting heavier after the New Year. Will it be too hard to do all this?"
"It's not hard. With more money, we can buy a house in the county town. If something happens, at least we have a place to go. Let's buy a slightly bigger one."
Having land in the countryside, and it's tax-free, is great in good years. But if a disaster strikes, with no place to evacuate, that's the biggest survival crisis for farmers. You always have to have a way out. And Huaitong County is a big one, and he quite likes it there.
Fang Shu asked, "Do you still plan to write storybooks after that year?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Let's not write it yet. No matter how I write it, I still need you to polish it to make it look good. This will waste too much of your time. You need to prepare for the exam and can't waste your time on this. But I can refine the story first, and we can work on it slowly later when we have time."
Fang Shu thought this was fine. Just as her husband had considered buying a house in the county as a way out, passing the imperial examination also provided a way out. If the business failed, he could always seek a government position. He still had to find a way to protect his family.
The young couple baked six pancakes, and when they came back inside, they saw the four people playing enthusiastically, so they joined in for a couple more rounds. When they had almost digested their food, they each went back to their rooms to sleep.
The next day is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone changes into new clothes and has a new look. In the countryside, the main activities are playing and eating.
Eat at that restaurant today, and this restaurant the day after tomorrow, the dining tables are set up in a mobile manner.
There were five restaurants in total, and even Li Zheng and Hu Bo set up a few tables to entertain everyone to have dinner together.
Hu Bo had endured many hardships, becoming more resolute and understanding. This made him a perfect complement to the more gentle Li Zheng. Sometimes, when Li Zheng hesitated to make decisions, Hu Bo would help him make them. As the two grew familiar, they became like brothers, able to look after each other.
Time flew by, and it was the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Every household was making fried Yuanxiao (Chinese dumplings). Yu Qinglong and Fang Wu had even created black sesame and pear paste fillings. Doctor Mo had taught him how to make the pear paste, and Yu Qinglong had seen it in his prescriptions. He had, however, reduced a few ingredients, so the flavor remained primarily pear.
Yuanxiao (Chinese dumplings) are deep-fried, and eating a few of them can cause internal heat. During Chinese New Year, after a heavy meal of fish and meat, having some filled with pear paste can help relieve internal heat and change the taste, so everyone loves it.
Seeing that many people liked to eat it, Fang Wu simply took advantage of her free time to make another batch and freeze them.
That day, Fang Dingman ate some fried dumplings and drank a bowl of millet porridge in the morning, then changed his clothes and carried a bag.
"Father, are you going out?" Yu Qinglong asked.
"Yes, we should go to the town and have a look. Every year at this time there is a big market for selling livestock. You and Qiu Ge'er are both going to have a baby this year, and your father has a cow at home, which is convenient for working, so they are thinking of buying one too. Let's think about going to the market together and have a look."
Yu Qinglong had never heard his father's family mention buying a cow, but it was indeed a good idea. He asked, "How much is a cow?"
Fang Dingman said, "A milking cow is worth twelve or thirteen taels, a calf-bearing cow seventeen or eighteen taels, and a good-quality working ox can be bought for around ten taels of silver."
That would be no problem to buy. Yu Qinglong asked again: "What kind should we buy?"
Fang Dingman was also in a dilemma. "My dear husband, what kind do you think we should buy? I only found out about this yesterday when your uncle Wu told me about it. But your mother and I have been thinking about it all night and still can't come up with a plan. You and Shu'er go to town so often, wouldn't it be more convenient to have a mule? How about buying another one?"
Fang Shu said, "No need, father. We don't go there often. Besides, Chang Jie is always going back and forth to town, so it's okay if we don't buy mules. We still have to buy cows."
Fang Dingman said, "But this is the situation now. It's hard to tell how long ago a dairy cow had calves. If it's been a while, the milk won't be very nutritious. Buying a calf-bearing cow is a bit more troublesome to raise, but it can guarantee that it can feed our baby well."
Fang Shu said, "Then buy the ones with calves. When the calf grows up, the calf won't have to be separated from its mother, otherwise it would be too pitiful. After all, the baby is small and can't eat too much. Later, when the calf grows up, it can be used to plow the land for Brother Fangshan's family."
Fang Dingman was stunned by these words. They gave away the ten taels of silver without hesitation. Although they were indeed as close as friends to his adopted son's family, he had not expected such generosity.
It seems that the children are really well off now, which is a happy thought.
Fang Dingman said, "All right! I'll do as you say. I'll go see the calf today."
Wu Sheng's father called out from outside, "Lao Fang, are you ready? Lao Yu and I are waiting for you at the door!"
Fang Dingman said, "Here I come! Do you want to bring some food?"
Wu Sheng's father said, "No need! Let's go to a restaurant in town today! I'll treat you!"
Fang Wu immediately came out of the kitchen: "Don't drink too much!"
Fang Dingman said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is done properly."
The three brothers left.
Yu Qinglong strolled around the yard for a while, then fetched two wooden dolls and placed them on the small pile of rocks in the corner. The ice, frozen from earlier, was still hard. He placed the dolls on top, making it look like they were playing catch, but in reality, he was preparing to move the rocks.
As soon as Fang Shu saw it, he remembered the encounter he had with Yu Qinglong at the South River in Shangxi Village.
It turned out that although her husband didn't say it, he kept all these precious past events in his heart.
"When did you do it?"
"A doll?" Yu Qinglong turned around. "Guess?"
"Did you start doing it in the county town?"
"Yeah. I bought some slightly better wood." Unfortunately, his craftsmanship wasn't very good, so he worked very slowly. "I originally wanted to make a porcelain doll, but I was afraid it would break easily if dropped, so I just made a wooden one. I can make two more in the summer to catch fish. And the one you chop wood for. But that one is definitely not easy to carve."
"My dear Long, what on earth is it that you can't do?"
"I won't?" Yu Qinglong tilted his head and looked at Fang Shu against the light, saying with a smile, "I will never leave you in this life."
Fang Shu: “…”
If he died young, it must be because he was killed by his husband's sweet love!
-----------------------
Author's words: Qinglong: Husband, why don't you speak? [Let me talk]
Fang Shu: Husband, please don’t call me, I’m going to faint from the sweetness [red heart][cat head]
Qinglong: Aunts, he needs some cold water today, hurry up and wake him up [evil smile][empty bowl][empty bowl][empty bowl]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
