Chapter 62 New Year's Gift
Lu Dongping brought the food back. Wen Wan was sitting alone by the fire, poking at the fire with a stick in her hand.
Lu Dongping placed the dishes on the stove, then lit the kerosene lamp and pulled the table to the edge of the fire pit.
"Mom has scooped up some broth. You eat it first. I'll wash my hands and then bake some buns for you."
Wen Wan stood up: "I'll do it myself, you eat yours."
Lu Dongping scooped hot water from the pot into a basin and reached out to pull her: "Wash your hands!"
"Let go, I'll wash it myself!"
Lu Dongping held her hand and was unwilling to let go: "Be good, I'll wash it for you. After washing, let's eat. It's very cold today and it will be cold soon."
After washing her hands, Wen Wan took her lunch box, poured some soup from the large bowl he brought back, picked up some stewed radish cocoons and dried vegetables, and a piece of cured pork ribs.
As for the fried meat, she didn't even touch it.
Whether it is Old Wen at home or the people here, they all like to eat fatty meat, but she can't stand it and can't see any of it.
However, the bacon here is well smoked, using cypress branches. When the bacon is cooked and cut, it is golden and translucent.
When he was at home, Lao Wen always talked about the meat he had eaten before with nostalgia, saying that it was smoked with tree branches, and it was translucent and very fragrant.
She didn't understand at that time. Meat is delicious anyway, so what's the difference?
Now I understand that it is indeed different.
Today is the 30th. When I was at home, my aunt would go back home to celebrate the New Year on this day. Her mother Xu Ruyin couldn’t cook, so Lao Wen would personally go to the table and prepare a table full of dishes.
But now her mother is gone, and she is gone too.
Lao Wen may still cook a lot of dishes, but the chair where her mother sat may be occupied by another woman, and where she sits may be occupied by her stepbrother or someone in their family.
The whole family was reunited, but she was the only one outside, feeling redundant.
The spareribs stewed in the big pot were very fragrant, but they tasted bitter in her mouth.
She didn't know why she suddenly felt sad at this time. She just couldn't control herself and felt extremely sad.
Lu Dongping used a fire snip to dig the charcoal fire, and put the fried buns and sugar-coated dumplings on it to roast.
After putting it away, I saw Wen Wan lying on the table with her back to the fire, holding chopsticks, with her head down and not moving.
He moved the bench and sat down beside her, moving closer to her: "What's going on?"
Wen Wan sniffed.
Lu Dongping frowned and said, "What's going on?" Then he reached out to pull her.
Wen Wan was turned over by him, her eyes full of tears. The firelight illuminated her face and the tip of her nose, which was red. She looked so pitiful. Tears flowed down her cheeks like a small river.
Lu Dongping reached out to wipe her tears: "What's wrong? Did I scare you just now? Did I hurt you?"
Wen Wan shook her head. She just wanted to cry and suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
The more Lu Dongping wiped her tears, the more she cried.
My dear, please say something. Why are you crying again for no reason?
He reached out and pulled her in, wiping her tears. "Okay, stop crying. If I do something wrong, you can scold me or hit me, I won't fight back. It's the New Year, you should be happy. Your face is going to crack from all the tears, it hurts."
"Lu Dongping!" Wen Wan lay in his arms: "Will you stay like this forever? You will change too."
Lu Dongping didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He touched her eyes with his chin, wiping away her tears. "Of course I will change, year after year, from a child to an adult, then to an old man, and then buried in the earth, rotting in the mud. Who doesn't change? I'm not a monster."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"So which one are you talking about?"
Wen Wan was too embarrassed to ask, so she wiped away the tears on her face with her hand and sniffed: "I won't talk to you anymore, I'm going to eat."
Lu Dongping was very quick. He put one hand around her waist and reached out with the other to take away her lunch box. "It's just a little cat food. It's already cold. If you eat it, you'll have a stomachache at night."
As he spoke, he leaned over and reached out to flip the bun on the fire scissors. "If you have anything that makes you unhappy, you should say it out loud, okay? I'm not very smart, so I might not be able to guess what you're thinking, but as long as you tell me, I'll do my best to make you happy no matter what, okay?"
"I'll give you my life, and my body, too, okay?"
I think about it every day, even in my dreams.
Now that he had been hugged and kissed, he felt that he could close his eyes even if he died.
He is a rough and uncouth man, but he can meet such a delicate and soft girl and get along with her. It is worth his life.
The food was cold, and Lu Dongping didn't want to go over to get some food. He went into the house to mix some sugar in water and made some sugar dumplings for Wen Wan to eat.
Just like feeding a child, I broke the sugar into pieces, soaked them in boiling water, and then scooped them up with a spoon to feed her.
Wen Wan was embarrassed at first, her face red and she didn't want to open her mouth, but he coaxed her into feeding her one bite and she took the second.
Lu Dongping said, "I've asked someone to see if I can find a way to get you the milk powder you want. It's a remote area here, and we don't have many of the supplies available outside. I guess you'll have to wait a while."
Wen Wan waved her hands hurriedly: "No need to bother, I don't want it. It's hard to buy." It's quite expensive.
It would be fine if she could buy it herself, but if Lu Dongping asked someone to buy it for him, not only would he have to ask for a favor, but he wouldn't necessarily have to take the money after he spent it.
Lu Dongping didn't respond, so he asked her, "Are you full?"
Wen Wan nodded: "I'm full, you can eat too!"
"I'll go back after I eat. I'm going back to sleep. You should go over quickly."
"Wait for me, I'll go get something." Lu Dongping stood up and went out of the house with a kerosene lamp.
The kitchen suddenly became dark, with only the flickering flames in the fire pit.
Wenwan's heart was also beating irregularly.
The darkness made her feel a little lost.
Lu Dongping came back with a bag in his hand.
He put the kerosene lamp back on the table, sat down, and took out a big red scarf from his pocket.
"I bought it last time when I was in the county town. It feels soft and thick. I think it should be very warm."
"I've never bought these things before, and I don't know if you like this color. I just thought it would look great on you."
"It's New Year's Eve. If I don't give it away, another year will pass." As he said this, he put the scarf around Wen Wan's neck and took out a hairband for her: "I bought these two things this year. When it's New Year's Eve next year, we will definitely still be together. I will buy you something else. What others have, I will give you."
Wen Wan pinched the hair tie in her hand, touched the scarf draped in front of her, and murmured, "But I haven't prepared a gift for you yet." She had just finished knitting a pair of gloves for Lu Donglin. Lu Dongping's hands were too big to wear them.
Lu Dongping chuckled: "You already gave it! It's a very good and precious gift. Nothing can compare to it."
Without waiting for Wen Wan to react, he said again: "Well, if you feel bad, just give me another chance." After saying that, he suddenly leaned over and pecked her lightly on the lips.
Wen Wan belatedly covered her mouth and said, "Lu Dongping, why are you like this again?"
Lu Dongping saw that she had stopped crying, and his baby voice broke with anxiety when he spoke, and he smiled triumphantly.
He boiled some hot water, filled it up, sent the person back, and then went to Lu Minghai's house.
Wen Wan burned her feet and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
On New Year's Eve, for the first time, she wasn't at home, but she had someone to accompany her. In the dark kitchen, they hugged, kissed, and did something very bold. This was something she had never experienced in her life. She had never been so close to a gay man, never done anything so outrageous, and never accepted anything from him. But this time, she not only did it, but she also received two. This New Year without her family felt different. She had felt a little sad during the period, but now that sadness was gone. All she could think about was that kiss, and the warmth inside the quilt was boiling, warm as hell.
When she fell asleep, she was still wondering if she had forgotten something.
Lu Dongping didn't have to go to the commune on New Year's Day, so he disappeared in the morning.
Zhang Hongying was busy at the chopping board with Lu Chun'e at home. Even Lu Donglin was particularly honest and rarely ran out.
As soon as she reached the kitchen door, Zhang Hongying called out to her, "Wenwan, here you are! Come quickly over to warm yourself by the fire. We are making dumplings today with the meat you bought the day before yesterday."
Lu Chun also greeted her: "Sister Wenwan!"
Lu Donglin called her: "Sister, look, I built a nest for the rabbit." Wen Wan then remembered that she had always felt that something was missing yesterday but could not remember what it was, the rabbit!
Fortunately, I didn’t freeze to death!
Lu Donglin made a nest with pine needles in the corner between the stove and the fire pit. The gray fur ball was squatting inside, with several holes gnawed on two green leaves beside it.
In response, Wen Wan praised him generously: "You are really amazing." She thought that if Lu Donglin had not been careful, the little rabbit might have frozen to death if it left its original nest in such a cold weather.
Lu Donglin couldn't resist the praise, and his tail went up to the sky: "Of course."
Wen Wan took out the gloves she had knitted yesterday from her pocket and gave them to him: "You deserve praise. Keep up the good work. Happy New Year!"
Lu Donglin was stunned for a moment: "For me? Didn't you knit it for my sister first?"
Wen Wan said, "Since you've been very obedient and behaved well recently, I'll knit it for you first as a New Year's gift."
Lu Donglin looked at his black and cracked hands and was too embarrassed to take them. He quickly ran out to get a basin and scooped hot water from the cauldron. He soaked his hands again and again until they turned white. Then he took the gloves from Wen Wan's pocket on the stool, put them on his hands, and grinned at Wen Wan: "Sister, they are really warm."
Zhang Hongying turned her head and glanced at him: "It's good to know that it's warm. Don't be ignorant of the good. If it gets dirty, it won't be as warm as it is now after washing. Take good care of it."
"I know!" Lu Donglin looked at the gray gloves with black dots on his hands, his eyes shining, and he didn't move his eyes away while speaking.
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