Chapter 38
On Lunar New Year's Eve, apart from going up the mountain to worship, most villagers stay home with their families to prepare for a reunion, and no one wanders around the village.
They discussed making this year's New Year's Eve dinner more elaborate than in previous years.
"Let's make some meatball soup, soak some of the mushrooms you dried earlier, steam some braised pork belly, slice a plate of cured pork, cook a stew, and make some cornbread." Aunt Sun counted on her fingers, saying that this should be enough for the three of us.
Chen Qing nodded. In previous years, on New Year's Eve, he and Aunt Sun would just stir-fry some meat, eat it, and not stay up all night. They would go back to their rooms to rest, and then come out at midnight to set off a string of firecrackers. That would mark the end of the New Year celebrations.
This year, they're celebrating the New Year with unusual seriousness; they spent the whole afternoon preparing.
As night fell, a table full of dishes was ready. Just as Aunt Sun was about to ask Chen Qing to call Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan arrived.
He was carrying two jars of wine and a bag of candied fruit.
The New Year's Eve dinner was set up in the main room, with a charcoal brazier placed under the table. Although there was no underfloor heating in the room, it was still warm and cozy.
On the shrine in the main room were the memorial tablets of Father Meng and Meng Tao, and Aunt Sun set out two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
Zhou Yuan poured wine for the three of them. Chen Qing waved his hand and said he had never drunk any. Grandma Sun thought that it was a happy time for the New Year, so she said that he should try some too.
Zhou Yuan also said, "This is not a strong liquor like Shaodaozi. I bought it from outside. The shopkeeper said it is osmanthus wine, which will not make you drunk. After drinking it, you will still have the sweet fragrance of osmanthus."
Hearing him say that, Chen Qing was also eager to try it out.
While eating, Zhou Yuan told them about his experiences in the capital. There was nothing special about the trip to the capital, but the trip to Xixin Prefecture was what really impressed him.
"Have you used the seasonings you brought back?" Zhou Yuan asked.
Chen Qing shook his head: "I don't know what they are, and I'm afraid to use them because I'm worried about wasting them."
Zhou Yuan said, "I heard from the people there that this thing is called chili pepper. It can produce a very pungent flavor when used in cooking. I've tried it, and it's very unique and delicious."
Chen Qing shook his head: "I dare not."
Aunt Sun then said, "Aqing, you must be brave enough to accept new things. Let's try it next time."
Chen Qing was a little embarrassed. He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. It was initially pungent and spicy, but the aftertaste was long-lasting, and it did indeed have a hint of osmanthus fragrance.
Unlike the last Mid-Autumn Festival when Chen Qing remained silent, this time during the meal, when Zhou Yuan mentioned interesting things, Chen Qing would ask him a couple of questions, and Zhou Yuan answered them patiently.
While Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing were talking, Grandma Sun didn't say much, but just looked at them with loving eyes.
The two jars of wine that Zhou Yuan brought had been finished. Grandma Sun was a little drunk. She looked at Chen Qing, who had also drunk quite a bit, but his eyes were clear at this moment, as if they were filled with water. Zhou Yuan, on the other hand, had a flushed face.
"Everyone, go home now, Aqing. Remember to set off some firecrackers at midnight so that next year will be prosperous." Aunt Sun stood up, cleared away all the leftovers on the table and put them in the kitchen. After boiling some water, she told Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan to soak their feet before going back to their room.
Chen Qing's eyes were bright. He propped his head up and looked at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan assumed he was just a good drinker, so he stood up and walked over to him.
He stroked Chen Qing's hair: "Are you going to stay up all night tonight?"
Chen Qing tilted his head to look at him, then said, "No."
Zhou Yuan laughed: "Then what do we need to do?"
Chen Qing thought for a moment: "Can we go see the stars?"
"good."
Zhou Yuan found him a thick coat, which he put on haphazardly before leading the group out the door.
"Where are you taking me?" Chen Qing followed behind him. Although he looked very clear-headed, he was actually extremely dizzy and almost fell into a ditch while walking along a side path.
Zhou Yuan simply threw the man onto his back and carried him away. Only then did he realize that the man was drunk, but he wasn't drunk at all.
“I wanted to walk through the fields last time so you wouldn’t see me,” Chen Qing said, hugging his neck.
Zhou Yuan laughed: "Luckily, the rats in the village aren't very big, otherwise our Aqing would have to walk through rat holes every time he goes out."
Chen Qing chuckled and said, "I just don't like places with too many people, I don't like strangers, and I don't like unfamiliar things."
Why?
Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "My father was never liked by my grandmother. All my uncles and aunts had sons, but my stepfather had me. In the past, we would always get together for the New Year, and my brothers would bully me."
Chen Qing, who had drunk too much, seemed to talk a lot, and he recounted almost his entire childhood: "But my father and stepfather were very good to me, but unfortunately my father passed away unexpectedly."
He then spoke of those darkest days: "I had to walk a very, very long way. Many people came to see me, but I was too short, and they all looked down on me."
Chen Qing laughed again as he spoke: "Luckily they didn't take a liking to me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come here and meet my mother."
Zhou Yuan listened quietly, but he didn't expect Chen Qing to say the next sentence: "I will not meet you again."
"You know what? When I first saw you, I thought you were Meng Tao."
Zhou Yuan felt a chill creeping down his neck and realized that Chen Qing was crying.
“At that time, Mother was grieving, and I was looking at you. I was such a bastard.” Chen Qing sniffed.
Zhou Yuan, however, understood everything.
She secretly watches him, yet tries to avoid him at all costs; she is torn between being attracted to him and feeling guilty.
The little one hid everything.
There were no stars in the sky today; it was a dark, gloomy expanse. Chen Qing told him many things that he would never have said when he was lucid: he missed his father and stepfather, he said his mother had suffered, he said Li Xin's marriage was not voluntary, and he said many, many things.
I wonder how he'll react when he wakes up tomorrow.
They couldn't see the stars, of course. Zhou Yuan carried him on his back and walked along the path between the two houses again and again. Finally, when he heard steady breathing in his ear, he carried him back home.
Just then, Aunt Sun finished dressing and came out. When she saw them return, she was startled: "Is Aqing asleep?"
Zhou Yuan nodded: "He's drunk."
Grandma Sun asked him to carry Chen Qing back. When Grandma Sun was changing his clothes, Zhou Yuan consciously stepped outside.
When Aunt Sun came out, Zhou Yuan said he had to take his leave. Before leaving, he helped Aunt Sun light the firecrackers, and soon the whole village was filled with the sound of firecrackers.
But Chen Qing slept very well inside the house.
Grandma Sun saw Zhou Yuan off at the door and patted him on the shoulder.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first day of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, one should not stay in bed. When Chen Qing woke up, he felt a splitting headache and he didn't even know how he had fallen asleep.
He vaguely remembers drinking some alcohol, but he can't remember anything after that.
"Aqing? Are you up? If you are, come out for dinner." Aunt Sun called to him from outside the door.
"I'm here." Chen Qing rubbed his temples, got dressed, and got up to wash.
Aunt Sun boiled three poached eggs this morning, and there was also a bowl of sweet soup in the bowl. She drank one bowl, and there were still two bowls left on the stove: "Take one bowl to Zhou Yuan later."
Chen Qing nodded.
Aunt Sun then asked, "I'm going to the temple with Aunt Liu today, are you coming?"
Chen Qing shook his head: "I'm not going." He wasn't interested in the temple fair, and his head was still hurting.
"Okay, I won't be back for lunch. You'll have to eat by yourself."
"Mmm." Chen Qing was still eating when she left the house.
After Chen Qing finished eating, he took a bowl of poached eggs to Zhou Yuan's house. Zhou Yuan had also gotten up and was feeding the cows on the side: "Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
Unlike usual, the village was deserted today. Chen Qing didn't go into his house; he just stood at the door and waited. When he saw someone coming from afar, Chen Qing instinctively wanted to run away. But when the person got closer, he realized it was Li Xin.
Chen Qing hadn't seen him since his wedding day, so he guessed he was here to visit him now. However, he didn't see Qi Shuning behind Li Xin.
Li Xin approached, a mischievous smile on her face: "You've been waiting so eagerly since early this morning."
Chen Qing pinched him, and Zhou Yuan also came out after feeding the cows. He saw Li Xin and greeted him, "What are you doing here?"
Li Xin retorted, "What business is it of yours what we do?"
Afterwards, Li Xin took Chen Qing's arm and went home with him. When they arrived at Chen Qing's house, he said, "Let's go to the temple fair?"
Chen Qing wanted to say he didn't want to go, but Li Xin kept pulling his arm and shaking it. Chen Qing had no choice but to agree.
He was changing his clothes while Li Xin sat on his bed waiting for him: "Did you make these clothes yourself? They look nice."
This dress was made from the same fabric that Chen Qing bought last time. He didn't want to use the same fabric entirely, so he mixed in some other things. It turned out quite nice, and this was the first time he had worn it since it was finished.
After he got dressed, Li Xin volunteered to comb his hair and noticed that his previously empty dressing case now contained several hair ribbons of different colors.
Li Xin smiled mischievously: "They were all gifts from my cheap brother, weren't they?"
Chen Qing was a little embarrassed: "I also made some myself."
"Yes, yes, you made them yourself. You made all those black and indigo ones yourself, I know." Li Xin tied his hair up with that moon-white hairband.
Dressed in bright colors and with her hair neatly tied up, Li Xin blinked and was surprised to realize that Chen Qing was also very handsome.
"Oh dear, I'm a little hesitant to take you out."
Chen Qing was still easily embarrassed. He patted Li Xin on the shoulder and said, "Then I won't go out."
"No, I was just kidding. What are you doing staying at home during the New Year?" Li Xin pulled him out of the house.
Chen Qing then remembered that Li Xin was already married. He asked in confusion, "Where's Qi Shuning? Why isn't he with you?"
Li Xin pursed her lips, seemingly reluctant to mention him: "He's reading a book, saying that the exams are in the spring and he needs to study hard."
Chen Qing suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."
That's not actually the case at all. Qi Shuning wanted to go with him, but he scolded her and told her that she only wanted to go out and play all day. He said she was not going to pass the imperial examinations.
So Qi Shuning could only stay at home and read books, while Li Xin went out to play without any burden.
Chen Qing then asked, "How is Aunt Yin?"
Li Xin's smile faded slightly: "It's pretty much the same as before. It's too cold to go out, and it's warm at home."
Chen Qing was still a little worried, but since Li Xin didn't bring it up again, he stopped asking.
When they passed Zhou Yuan's house, Zhou Yuan had already hitched up his car and was waiting for them.
“We didn’t say we wanted to ride in your cart,” Li Xin said, but still climbed onto the oxcart without any hesitation.
Zhou Yuan ignored him, just looked at Chen Qing, and said, "Very beautiful."
Chen Qing lowered his head, still shy.
Li Xin couldn't stand Zhou Yuan's attitude: "Hmph, even if he's good-looking, he's not yours."
Zhou Yuan glanced at him: "It will be soon."
Chen Qing kept his head down and pulled Li Xin, who still wanted to speak, back down: "Don't say anything."
Li Xin had no choice but to give up.
Zhou Yuan then drove the cart, while Li Xin and Chen Qing whispered among themselves. By the time Li Xin realized they had taken the wrong turn, the oxcart had already arrived at Li Xin's house, where Qi Shuning was happily closing the door.
Li Xin looked at Zhou Yuan in disbelief: "You!"
Zhou Yuan said casually, "Going to the temple fair with your brother and sister-in-law instead of your own husband is just ridiculous."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
