Chapter 56: New Year's Blessings
Cui Qingyi touched Wangcai's big head and said with a smile, "Wangcai, is our family prosperous in the New Year?"
Wangcai: "Woof, woof, woof!"
The dog's barking was crisp and loud, and Cui Qingyi was very satisfied.
"Today I'll reward Wangcai by giving him a few more dumplings."
"Woof woof woof~"
After waiting for the house to be decorated, Cui Qingyi started to knead the dough. Although there were only two people, Konjac still made two kinds of dumpling fillings using shrimp and pork as well as radish and cabbage.
Put the kneaded dumpling dough in a bowl and cover it with a lid. After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, the two of them sit in the warm kitchen and start making dumplings.
The main force in making dumplings is naturally Cui Qingyi. Even if the konjac rolling pin was swung away, it would not be able to keep up with Cui Qingyi's speed in making dumplings.
Often at this time, Konjac would fall into self-doubt. She was the one who usually cooked, so why was the girl so skilled in making dumplings?
Look, with just a pinch and squeeze of the fingers, a round dumpling is formed.
Konjac didn't believe it and tried to imitate Cui Qingyi's movements. However, her fingers, which were usually very flexible, seemed to have their own ideas at this time, and the dumplings she made were of strange shapes.
Looking at the ugly one standing out among a group of good-looking dumplings, Konjac quietly moved it to the corner, wondering whether he should destroy the body while the girl was not paying attention.
Cui Qingyi had already noticed her little trick, but she didn't point it out. She estimated that the dumplings could not be cooked intact at all.
When there were only a few dumpling wrappers left, Cui Qingyi took out the copper coins she had washed in advance and wrapped them in.
The New Year is all about eating and drinking. In addition to dumplings, the two of them also prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. No matter whether they could finish it or not, they would have to eat leftovers for many days to come.
There must be everything on the New Year's table.
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner early, the two of them retreated to the back room. The kang gave off pleasant heat, and various dried fruits and snacks were placed on the kang table.
Cui Qingyi and Konjac each occupied one side of the kang table, drinking tea and eating dried fruits to stay up all night.
Waiting for the sound of the drum at midnight, the past year will come to an end and a new year full of hope is coming.
After the New Year's Eve, hot dumplings were served on the table. Konjac took the first bite of the dumplings wrapped with copper coins.
Cui Qingyi: "It seems that we Konjac will have good luck next year."
Konjac bit the copper coin and giggled foolishly. She must keep this copper coin as a treasure.
Immediately afterwards, Cui Qingyi also got the copper coin, and even Wangcai spat out a shiny copper coin with a confused look on his face.
The family of three all received good luck from the New Year, and Cui Qingyi was very satisfied.
That night, Konjac dreamed of the small copper coin. She secretly swore in her dream that the first thing she would do when she woke up tomorrow would be to use red embroidery thread to weave the copper coin into a bracelet and wear it with her in the future.
So on the first day of the new year, when Cui Qingyi just opened her eyes from her sleep, she saw a red bracelet placed beside her pillow with a copper coin neatly strung inside.
It was the lucky coin she found in the dumplings she ate yesterday.
Cui Qingyi reached out and took it, looking into the yard through the square hole in the center of the copper coin. Wow~ It’s a sunny day on the first day of the new year.
.......
Li's family at the entrance of the alley
Sister Li got up early, quickly got herself ready, prepared breakfast for the whole family, waited for the family to eat, and then quickly cleaned up again.
This kind of thing happened day after day to Mrs. Li. She didn't think it was wrong, and no one in the family thought it was wrong either.
Li Miao quietly put a few firecrackers in his hands and prepared to go out to play with his friends.
She would help Sister Li with housework on weekdays, but because of a saying she once heard, people who are busy at the beginning of the year will have a harder time in the following year, so Sister Li did not allow her to enter the kitchen during the New Year.
So Li Miao decided to follow her heart and go out to play with friends of the same age, but this year Sister Li called her back in time.
"Xiao Miao, go change into the new skirt your mother made for you. We'll go to the Cui family to pay New Year's greetings later."
Li Miao felt a little conflicted when she heard this. She didn't really like wearing a ruqun and it was very inconvenient when she was running around on the street.
Moreover, she was laughed at by several younger sisters last time when she went to Cui's house to deliver Laba cake. Everyone said that she was short-sighted and wanted to get close to the Cui family just because they saw that they were rich.
In this era, a nine-year-old girl is between sensible and ignorant. Although Li Miao also likes the beautiful sister in the house, she still feels a little sad about being isolated by her good sisters.
Especially Daya, because she knew that she had gone to Cui's house, Daya had not spoken to her for many days, and would even deliberately avoid her when they met in the alley.
Li Miao and Daya are of similar age and have been playing together since childhood. They are each other's best friends, and Li Miao does not want to lose her good friend Daya.
Today she had wanted to take the opportunity of inviting everyone to play with firecrackers to have a good chat with Daya, but her mother actually said she wanted to take her to the Cui family to pay New Year's greetings.
"Mom, why don't you go by yourself? I want to go play with Daya and the others."
Sister Li wiped the water stains off her hands and waved Li Miao to come over to her.
"Xiao Miao, mother wants you to learn needlework from the beautiful sister of the Cui family, just like Qi Yuan from Madam Fan's family. Are you willing?"
Li Miao looked up in confusion, "Mom, can't I learn needlework from you and grandma? Why do I have to go to the Cui family to learn?" If she really went to the Cui family to learn needlework, Daya would definitely ignore her.
"Mom, didn't you say that grandma's shoes and clothes are beautiful? I'd better learn from grandma at home."
Sister-in-law Li rarely turned her face coldly towards Li Miao: "You don't even listen to your mother?"
Sister-in-law Li has spent a lot of energy on her eldest daughter, Li Miao. Since she gave birth to this child, she has been thinking about how to earn a good future for her daughter.
But she was just the poor daughter of a poor scholar, and the Li family was an ordinary family in Dong County. Even if she tried her best, she couldn't see what her daughter's future would be.
The hard work day after day almost made her forget about this matter, but at this time the Cui family appeared in Huaihua Lane, and with the arrival of Qi Yuan, Sister Li finally saw hope.
She knew that people in the alley were talking about her behind her back, saying that she was worthy of being the daughter of a scholar and was good at flattery, but Mrs. Li didn't care at all.
She approached the Cui family with a purpose, but she did not steal or rob. If she wanted to become their disciple, she would bring her daughter to their house in a dignified manner.
As long as her seedlings are doing well, those few gossips don't matter at all.
Seeing that her mother was really angry, Li Miao no longer dared to say that she wanted to go find Daya to play. She obediently changed into her newly made padded jacket and skirt, and followed her mother to Cui's house.
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