On New Year's Eve, the misty rain still arrived quietly, and the bonfire under the eaves, where people stayed up to welcome the New Year, still burned brightly.
The cold wind blows, causing the drizzle to fall, which also foreshadows abundant spring rains next year.
As is customary, people cannot go to bed early on this night; they must stay up by the fire until midnight.
At the foot of the cliff, a family sat around the fire pit inside their house, chatting and eating dried sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds. Old Li was telling Xiaoman and Xu Dazhu about his glorious past.
Although he was sometimes left speechless by Xiaoman's questions, it did not affect his performance at all.
Li Laoshi is actually from Pingchuan County. He has never been married and has always lived a nomadic life. He is very satisfied with settling down in Xujia Village.
"Honestly, you can still make a living at the medical shed now. When the medical shed is closed down, you should rent a small plot of land to farm, find a wife, and live a good life," Grandpa Xiaoman advised.
Although Li Laoshi settled in Xujia Village, he had no land to cultivate and had to register to rent land with the government after the new year.
Li Laoshi chuckled dryly, but didn't reply.
When he was young, he didn't want to work in the fields. The carrying pole and rope were too heavy on his shoulders. It was much easier to pull herbs.
They grow up on the mountain and can earn money without needing to scoop up a scoop of manure.
Moreover, Sister Jiang taught me several kinds of medicine, which will be enough for our meals from now on.
Seeing that this person was still lazy, Master Xiaoman shook his head helplessly.
In the eyes of ordinary farmers, not farming or learning a trade is considered idleness, and not starting a family is even more outrageous!
Meanwhile, Chunfeng and Xu Dazhu were also discussing what the coming year would bring.
Jiang Zhi had originally thought that she could make money by harvesting dried bamboo shoots, but after the method of boiling and soaking oak seeds to remove bitterness was announced, the bitter bamboo shoots on the mountain were also deciphered.
The few winter bamboo shoots that had finally grown were broken off and boiled, which was much more refreshing than wild vegetables.
With her hopes of selling bamboo shoots dashed, Chunfeng is now focusing all her attention on wood ear mushrooms.
It must be said that the temperature inside the cellar converted from the charcoal kiln is suitable, and the wood ear mushrooms are growing well. In the future, our family will rely on this instead of burning charcoal to make money.
Nini nestled in her mother's arms, facing the bright red fire, playing with the rattan bracelet on her wrist, which her father had made for her.
Image from the internet: Chicken Blood Vine Bracelet
After harvesting the chicken blood vine, Jiang Zhi set aside a few of the best branches and taught Xu Dazhu how to make chicken blood vine bracelets.
Simply roast the chicken blood vine over a fire while bending it to set its shape, and then use a soft cloth to wipe away the surface dust.
Chicken blood vine is not valuable, not as valuable as gold hairpins or silver bracelets, but what women value most when receiving gifts is the sentiment behind them, and besides, chicken blood vine also has health benefits.
So now, during the Lunar New Year, Xiaoman has one on her hand, Chunfeng has one on her wrist, and even Nini has a thin bracelet in the most vibrant and eye-catching color.
At this moment, the firelight shone brightly, and the starlight on the vines also shone, finally converging in Nini's dark eyes, like tiny, shining stars.
Mom is back, Dad can move again, and I have such a beautiful bracelet! I'm so happy!
Living in the mountains, we are used to working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Without an hourglass, we can't tell the time and can only estimate it.
As soon as midnight arrived, Xiaoman would throw the tender bamboo sections she had prepared into the fire outside the house.
"Crack!" "Bang bang bang!"
The bamboo sections burst open, sending dust flying everywhere, but everyone who dodged was all smiles.
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the old year departs, and the warm spring breeze brings new life to the New Year's wine!
During the Lunar New Year, there must be firecrackers going off!
On the cliff, Jiang Zhi's family also lit a fire to keep vigil for the New Year. Qiao Yun held the sleeping Xiao Cai Xia and watched Er Rui roast sweet potatoes in the fire.
There were also little wild boars peeking out and waiting nearby.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, break them open. Everyone gets a piece of the fragrant flesh inside, while the remaining crispy, charred outer skin is the little wild boar's favorite.
The food was piping hot, and everyone was breathing out warm air. The little wild boar smacked its lips and grunted as it tried to snatch the food from Xu Errui's hand after finishing.
Jiang Zhi grabbed the pig bristles on Peiqi's back and pulled the pig over: "You just ate the vegetable porridge until your belly was round, and now you're stealing food."
Today is Chinese New Year, and while people enjoy a good meal, pigs are no exception.
Cut sweet potatoes into small pieces and cook until soft. Then add leafy greens, stir in cornmeal, and cook into a thick paste. Add salt, and it smells sweet and fragrant.
The little wild boar ate until its belly was round and full, so it couldn't even lie down and could only sit with its front legs propped up.
After grabbing a bunch of sweet potatoes and then popcorn, Errui heard bamboo burning down below the cliff and jumped up: "Mom, it's time to set off firecrackers!"
Jiang Zhi nodded: "Be careful not to scare the child!"
The brazier was taken outside, and several bamboo sections were stuffed into the fire. Soon, several loud "bang bang bang" sounds echoed through the mountains and forests.
Little Caixia was still startled awake when she was brought into the house, and started crying loudly, but was quickly soothed by her breast milk.
All three of them were only thinking about not scaring the child, forgetting that there was another furry kid among them.
The little wild boar had only been with Jiang Zhi for half a year and had never seen anything like this before. As soon as the explosion happened, it let out a howl, turned around, and ran towards Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi was startled when she saw the pig charging towards her. She remembered how the pork belly had slithered between her legs when it was frightened by the snake.
Back then, pork belly only weighed a few pounds, and the poor little pig could easily dodge it. But now it's a big pig weighing dozens of pounds, and my old arms and legs can't withstand its bump.
But it wasn't up to her whether she wanted to or not. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Jiang Zhi could only stand in a horse stance and try to wait for it to crawl through.
In the blink of an eye, the little wild boar still crashed headfirst into Jiang Zhi's legs, and just like that...
Jiang Zhi lost her footing and sat down hard, thus becoming a knight, and a counter-attack knight at that.
People say it's hard to get off a tiger, but now Jiang Zhi is also hard to get off a pig. She can only grab the long hair on the back of the little wild boar and shout to stop him, while laughing so hard she can't stand up straight.
The little wild boar carried her around the house, and Xu Errui turned around, saw it, and chased after it...
The little wild boar, though initially panicked, found it amusing and kept running. By the time it got tired, Jiang Zhi was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. She staggered down the stairs, too exhausted to even scold the pig.
Little Caixia had already stopped nursing and was watching her "pig-riding grandma" giggle and bite her fingers.
Xu Errui and Qiaoyun were both laughing and annoyed. What if they accidentally hurt their mother?
Staying up late on New Year's Eve felt like the whole year – it was a mix of joy and adventure!
After setting off firecrackers, everyone was supposed to rest, so Qiaoyun brought hot water for everyone to wash their feet.
The higher you roll up your trouser legs, the better, so that you can always catch a mealtime when you go out next year.
As the night passed and dawn broke, Jiang Zhi got up.
Traditionally, the first thing to do on the first day of the new year is to go to the spring and fetch a bucket of "golden and silver water" to take home.
With this bucket of "gold and silver water," you'll be able to make money and rise to higher positions in the new year!
Traditionally, it is forbidden to eat porridge or drink congee on the morning of the first day of the new year, otherwise things will not go smoothly and it will rain as soon as you go out.
Jiang Zhi was preparing to cook a bowl of pea shoot noodles for everyone when Chunfeng hurriedly ran up from the bottom of the cliff.
"Auntie, you don't need to cook breakfast. Today we're having sweet rice balls with glutinous rice filling and eggs!"
As is customary, this breakfast should indeed consist of glutinous rice balls, symbolizing family reunion, happiness, and fulfillment!
Jiang Zhi asked in surprise, "You really ground glutinous rice paste?"
Chunfeng touched the rattan bracelet on her wrist, her eyes smiling gently: "It's a rare reunion, so we have to eat some tangyuan to make it count! Even though there aren't many, let's all share and enjoy the festive atmosphere!"
"Well said, it's time for a family reunion meal!"
Jiang Zhi readily agreed.
It turned out that Li Laoshi's glutinous rice was delivered yesterday morning, and Chunfeng soaked the glutinous rice and regular rice in warm water while she had some free time.
At night, while staying up to welcome the New Year, the rice paste is ground into a paste using a stone mill, then put into a cotton bag and hung up to filter. Now, the filtered rice paste can be used to make glutinous rice balls.
The filling inside is also there; it's the brown sugar that we exchanged for before but couldn't bear to eat.
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