Chapter 37
Before Chen Qing could speak, Qi Shuning slipped him a red envelope. Surrounded by a jeering crowd, Chen Qing felt like he could barely breathe; there were too many people and it was too noisy, and he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
It was Zhou Yuan again who grabbed his arm and led him out of the crowd. Before leaving, he said to Qi Shuning, "Hurry up and go inside. We've taken everyone away for you."
The surrounding area erupted in laughter, and everyone's attention was focused on Qi Shuning, so no one should have noticed that when Zhou Yuan pulled Chen Qing away by the arm, he secretly clasped his fingers together.
When Zhou Yuan pulled him, Chen Qing seemed to sense an unfriendly gaze coming from somewhere, but when he looked, he found nothing. He shook his head, thinking it was just his imagination.
As they walked out of the courtyard, Zhou Yuan smiled and handed him the red envelope he was wearing, as if coaxing a child: "Keep it."
Chen Qing wanted to return it to him, but he had already strode away, saying as he walked, "There must be something else going on inside. Come and see for yourself later."
Seeing that those blocking the door had been apprehended, Li Xin felt bored. However, Qi Shuning, who was standing at the door of his room, didn't rush in. Finally, amidst a chorus of urging, he opened Li Xin's door.
Li Xin was originally standing in the room, but Zhang Yin forced her to sit on the bed. The two looked at each other, their eyes clear and innocent.
After some rituals, it was time for Li Xin to leave. When older brothers and sisters go out, they should be carried out by their older brothers. However, Li Xin only had one younger brother. Fortunately, he also had his sworn brother Zhou Yuan, so when Li Xin went out, it was Zhou Yuan who carried him out.
After Li Xin was put on the bridal sedan chair and they arrived at Qi Shuning's temporary residence with music and fanfare, Zhang Yin and Li the blacksmith were already seated in the main seats, while on the other side was the memorial tablet of Qi Shuning's maternal grandmother.
The village chief, acting as the officiant, loudly announced the wedding.
Zhang Yin kept wiping away her tears with her handkerchief, occasionally letting out a soft cough.
After being led to the bridal chamber, Chen Qingcai found Sun Da Niang, whom he hadn't seen all day, and sat down beside her to eat the meal.
Zhou Yuan still couldn't relax; he still had to help Qi Shuning fend off drinks, so he wouldn't be able to go home too early.
So after finishing the meal, Chen Qing and Aunt Sun returned home. Only then did Chen Qing belatedly realize that he hadn't given Li Xin a gift yet.
When he told Aunt Sun, she said, "I gave her half a string of cash as a gift."
When Chen Qingcheng got married, Zhang Yin gave him just as much; that's how social interactions work.
Chen Qing frowned: "But I didn't give it to Li Xin."
Grandma Sun comforted him, "Li Xin is your good friend, he won't mind. Besides, you helped embroider his wedding clothes, so he won't be distant from you."
Chen Qing nodded and went to the kitchen to boil water. Grandma Sun had drunk two cups of wine today and was a little sleepy. She should wash up with hot water and then go to bed.
After Aunt Sun finished washing up, she went back to her room. Chen Qing finished tidying up the yard and heard noises coming from the other side of the village, so he knew that it wasn't over yet.
The winter night was still a bit cold. He patted his face, which was already a little cold, and prepared to wash up and go to bed.
He had just dampened the handkerchief when there was a knock on the door.
Chen Qing went over and opened the door, only to see Zhou Yuan standing there. Zhou Yuan didn't seem inclined to come in; he just stood there smiling at him.
"Aren't you coming in?" Chen Qing asked.
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "I drank a bit too much, I was afraid of scaring you."
Chen Qing wanted to say that he wouldn't be scared, but when he looked up and saw the flush on his face, he held back: "So, are you going back to rest?"
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Hold out your hand."
Chen Qingzhao did it.
Zhou Yuan placed a handful of candy in his palm, because he had been holding it tightly, and the surface of the oil paper was still warm.
“It was the candy left over there, and Niu Niu and I took it all.”
Holding the candy, Chen Qing felt a warm glow in his heart. He asked Zhou Yuan, "Shall I make you some hangover soup? We still have some kudzu root at home."
Zhou Yuan rubbed his forehead: "No need, I've already had a drink over there. You should go back and rest; it's cold outside."
Chen Qing stood there and watched him leave.
Zhou Yuan turned around and saw that he was still standing there, so he turned back and gently touched Chen Qing's cheek as Chen Qing's eyes widened. His voice was hoarse: "Go back quickly."
Chen Qing took off running, and Zhou Yuan, who stayed behind, helped him close the door before climbing over the wall to get out.
Chen Qing's heart was pounding. He lay in bed for a while before calming down, but after turning off the lights, the picture book he had seen at Li Xin's house last night popped into his mind again.
Ahhhhh.
Chen Qing pulled the blanket over his head and screamed silently.
The next day, surprisingly, there was no heavy fog. Chen Qing and Aunt Sun made an appointment to go to town to buy New Year's goods, as the New Year was just two days away.
They hadn't intended to trouble Zhou Yuan, but unfortunately, he had already hitched up his car and was waiting for them when they passed by his house.
So the two of them got on Zhou Yuan's oxcart. Along the way, they met some villagers, and Zhou Yuan gave them all a ride. The cart was very lively. Chen Qing was huddled on the side. As more people got on the oxcart, Chen Qing was squeezed to sit next to Zhou Yuan.
The people behind were all talking about Li Xin's wedding, and no one noticed that Zhou Yuan, who was sitting in front, touched Chen Qing's hand with his free hand.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the town is bustling with activity. There are many more vendors than usual, and the once empty streets are now packed with people.
Chen Qing felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the bustling crowd.
Zhou Yuan left the oxcart aside and went shopping with them.
In the past, when Chen Qing and Aunt Sun bought New Year's goods, they only bought a small amount, just the necessities. This time, however, they finally had the time to browse properly.
Sun bought a little bit of everything: various seasonings, dried fruits, and auspicious couplets. Seeing that she was interested, Chen Qing also made up his mind and accompanied her shopping for a long time. What Chen Qing did not expect was that Zhou Yuan was also following behind them the whole time.
While shopping, Aunt Sun didn't forget to ask Zhou Yuan if she could buy him something too. After she finished shopping, she asked him what his plans were for the New Year.
Zhou Yuan helped Grandma Sun and the others carry their baskets, saying as they walked, "I don't have any plans. I just want to bury my grandmother on the mountain. That seems to be all."
He brought his grandmother's memorial tablet with him, intending to dig a grave for her during the Lunar New Year and then erect a tombstone later.
"How are you going to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner?" Aunt Sun asked again.
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "Just make something haphazardly, I don't have any special skills."
Grandma Sun was heartbroken: "Come over for dinner on New Year's Eve. Everyone's celebrating the New Year at home anyway, so no one will notice."
Zhou Yuan glanced at Chen Qing, but Chen Qing simply lowered his head.
Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."
“What’s the trouble? We celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival the same way.” Grandma Sun patted his shoulder.
On the way back, some people still hitched a ride, but because everyone was carrying a lot of things, they all gave Zhou Yuan money for the ride, which Zhou Yuan accepted. Chen Qing also took out a few copper coins from his purse and placed them in Zhou Yuan's palm.
Zhou Yuan accepted the money, but instead of putting it in his sleeve like he would when accepting money from others, he carefully put it into his purse.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhou Yuan went to see the village chief, bringing some snacks, saying he wanted to find a place to build a grave for his grandmother.
This matter shouldn't have needed to be discussed with the village chief, since the back mountain is so large, but the grave is so small.
The village chief initially had some reservations about Zhou Yuan because of Chen Simengzhuzi's matter, but Zhou Yuan took this matter so seriously and brought a rather substantial gift, so the village chief smiled.
"It's alright, the mountain is so big, you can go wherever you want."
Zhou Yuan nodded and thanked the village chief.
On the morning of the 29th of the lunar year, Zhou Yuan went up the mountain alone, found a wide-open spot with a view of the Luo River, dug a pit, and buried all the clothes of his grandmother that he had brought from his hometown in the soil, leaving only one piece as a memento.
After doing everything, Zhou Yuan leaned against the grave mound and whispered in his hometown dialect, "I promised you I would bring you to a place with mountains and water, and I did it."
"How are you? I wonder where you've been reborn this time, but please don't suffer like this anymore."
“I’m doing well too. I’ll be starting a family soon. He’s a very nice and lovely person. I’ll bring him to meet you when we get married.”
“Grandmother, I miss you so much, I can hardly remember what you look like anymore.” Zhou Yuan pressed his eyes. “It’s been so many years, and you never once appeared in my dreams.”
“I dug this grave myself, it was a bit rushed, but I believe you won’t mind.”
Zhou Yuan stood up: "Grandmother, I'll come again tomorrow."
Lunar New Year's Eve.
Chen Qing and Aunt Sun got up very early. The chicken they had killed earlier had been cooked in the morning, and now it was being led to the grave with its head held high.
First, they went to pay respects to Father Meng. As usual, Chen Qing bought the incense, candles, and paper money, as he wanted to contribute to the family.
While Aunt Sun was speaking, Chen Qing stayed quietly to the side.
Upon arriving at Meng Tao's grave, Chen Qing lit incense and candles.
He dreamed of Meng Tao once later, but didn't tell Aunt Sun. Now that he's telling her, he wonders if it will make her a little happier.
“Mother, I dreamed about him again later.”
As Granny Sun burned paper money, she indeed turned her gaze to Chen Qing.
"The first time I dreamed of him, he said he didn't understand why I was wearing mourning clothes, even though I wasn't familiar with him."
Grandma Sun recalled that Chen Qing seemed to have called out Meng Tao's name in his dream. She laughed and said, "It sounded like something Taozi would say."
Chen Qing smiled, his eyes crinkling.
"The second time was when you had a fever. He was very worried and asked me how I could still sleep."
Even in heaven, he thinks of you.
With red eyes, Aunt Sun nodded again: "He is a filial son, and so are you."
After returning from the mountain, Aunt Sun started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, and Chen Qing took the paste she had made and began pasting up the "Fu" character and Spring Festival couplets.
In previous years, they would only buy a "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character, paste it up, and consider it a New Year celebration. This year, they bought three Spring Festival couplets, all of which Chen Qinglai was asked to paste up.
The door to the house wasn't high, and Chen Qing could stick it on his tiptoes. However, when sticking on the horizontal scroll, Chen Qing used a stool and was very careful.
"Aqing, be careful, don't fall," Aunt Sun called to him from the kitchen.
"knew."
After finishing the main room, there was still the kitchen. Aunt Sun helped him hold the stool, and he pasted the paper very quickly.
Finally, there's the main entrance.
Originally, they would simply paste two "Fu" characters on the door to signify the New Year, but today they want to paste a horizontal scroll at the highest point of the gatehouse.
The stool wasn't high enough either, and Chen Qing held the bowl of paste up weakly, feeling sullen. He wished he were a little taller.
Chen Qing lowered his head, wanting to tell Granny Sun that he couldn't put up the couplets on the gate, when someone took the bowl of paste from his hands.
"It won't stick?" Zhou Yuan asked.
Chen Qing looked up and glared at him, and could hear the teasing in his words, which were clearly implying that he was short.
"Let me do it." Zhou Yuan stood on the stool where Chen Qing had just stood, and gently brushed the paste onto it. "Horizontal scroll."
Chen Qing then came to his senses and handed him the horizontal scroll.
Zhou Yuan worked even more efficiently. He put up the stickers at the main entrance and then tidied up the other two that Chen Qing had just pasted crookedly.
Although they didn't know many characters, when buying couplets, they would let the vendors choose the ones with auspicious meanings. A sea of red would look very festive.
Zhou Yuan said, "I just came to borrow some paste. I'll go back and paste my own first." After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Qing.
Chen Qing lowered his head.
Grandma Sun said, "It's inconvenient for one person to stick them all on. Aqing, why don't you go and stick them on for him?"
Chen Qing then agreed, picked up the bowl of paste, and followed Zhou Yuan.
Grandma Sun then reminded Zhou Yuan to come over for dinner that evening, and Zhou Yuan agreed.
It was said that Chen Qing helped him put up the Spring Festival couplets, but in reality, Zhou Yuan did it all by himself, and the couplets were put up very perfunctorily and crookedly. Chen Qing sighed when he saw them.
After finishing pasting the paper in no time, Chen Qing took the bowl home and helped Aunt Sun cook. Zhou Yuan stood in the yard, watching the smoke rising from their house.
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