Chapter 365: Money for the New Year
Before dawn, Xia Juanjuan pushed away Lizhan, who was still unwilling to continue, and returned to the space.
After taking a nice bath in the hot spring, I returned to my room in the courtyard and took some time to catch up on my sleep.
However, I hadn't slept for a while when I heard the sound of firecrackers outside.
During the Spring Festival, whoever sets off firecrackers means that they are about to have dinner. Neighbors often compete with each other to see who will have dinner early, so the firecrackers are set off earlier and earlier.
Xia Juanjuan was woken up. She looked outside and saw that the sky was already dim. She was so depressed that she pressed her pillow against her ears.
She felt that she must have been crazy last night, which was why she ran out to provoke the unrestrained hungry wolf in the middle of the night. As a result, not only was her body aching, but she was also sleep deprived.
Just when I was in pain, Lin Yuru came and knocked on the door.
"Juan'er, get up quickly. It's the first day of the new year, you can't sleep in. The dumplings are ready, and your dad and Xiaowen and Xiaowu are going to set off firecrackers."
Xia Juanjuan sighed and had to get up.
Xia Shuangshan picked up the firecrackers with a branch, Xiaowen held it, and asked Xiaowu to light the fuse with fire.
Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu both put on new green military-style cotton jackets, which Xia Juanjuan had tailor-made for them when she was in Beijing a few years ago. Each of the six kids had a set of jackets that fit them perfectly.
From this look, Xiaowen and Xiaowu have become much more handsome and have indeed grown into grown-up boys.
As usual, Xia Juanjuan was afraid of firecrackers, so she covered her ears and hid far away.
Suddenly she remembered the first Spring Festival after she traveled through time. Lizhan was there for the first time and he even covered her ears with his hands.
I couldn't help feeling sweet in my heart, and I complained less about Li Zhan and his lack of sympathy for women last night.
After the firecrackers, it's time to eat dumplings.
This year, I made dumplings with lamb and onion filling and three fresh shrimp filling, and I put in some of both.
After eating the dumplings, Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru took out red envelopes and gave one to Xiaowen and Xiaowu respectively.
Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu said happily: "Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma!"
Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru looked at each other, then took out another one and gave it to Xia Juanjuan: "Juan'er, this is for you."
Xia Juanjuan was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cried: "How old am I? Why are you still giving me red envelopes? Even if you want to give them, I should give them to you."
As he said this, he actually took out two red envelopes, handed them to Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru, and said with a smile: "Look, I have prepared everything. In the end, you got there first, alas!"
Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru looked at each other in bewilderment: "Juan'er, how can this be possible? You can't give us..."
Xia Juanjuan said angrily, "You raised me up, so isn't it my duty to give you red envelopes during festivals? Dad, Mom, I know you saw that Grandpa and my dad gave me red envelopes yesterday, and I accepted them, so you also wanted to give me red envelopes, right? The situations are different, and you are just imagining things.
Grandpa and my dad haven't given me any money in many years, so they feel guilty and want to give it to me. If I don't accept it, they will feel even sadder. You have been poor and cried since you were young, and you have prepared New Year's money for me every year. How can it be the same? Hurry up and collect it, or I will be angry."
Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru were relieved by what Xia Juanjuan had said and were scolded by the lady, so they had to take back the red envelopes in embarrassment, and also put away the red envelopes that Xia Juanjuan had given them.
They were indeed upset because they saw Fu Weixin giving Xia Juanjuan a red envelope.
Although they are both parents, what they can give to Juan'er and what the Fu family can give is really a world of difference.
But they still followed Xia Juanjuan and Li Zhan too much, and they felt they had no face to do so.
After lunch, Beibei and the triplets were sent back by Fu Nanzheng.
Fu Nanzheng laughed and said, "These three little ungrateful ones didn't even want the candy my grandpa gave them. They kept crying and wanted to find their grandparents and mom. I didn't let them delay for even a moment, so I sent them back."
The triplets looked like they had been crying, their eyes were red, and when they saw Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru, they ran over, hugged their legs, and happily chirped, "Grandpa, Grandma!"
He is not even that affectionate towards his mother, Xia Juanjuan.
Fu Nanzheng sighed and said with a smile: "This is really the case of whoever raised him is the one he is close to. This shows the difference."
Xia Juanjuan laughed and said, "That's right. You little brats don't even want me, your own mother!"
After chatting for a while, Fu Nanzheng went back.
Xia Juanjuan opened the red envelopes given by Fu Weixin and Mr. Fu and saw that there was two hundred yuan in each envelope.
That's four hundred dollars.
Xia Juanjuan felt warm in her heart, knowing that her grandfather and father were afraid that she and Li Zhan would have to rent a house again, and there were so many people in the family, so they were afraid that she might not have enough money, so they gave her so much money.
The red envelopes given to the little ones were also ten yuan each.
In this era, it is definitely not a small number.
Xia Juanjuan did not take back the red envelopes from Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei. The triplets were afraid that they were ignorant and would be snatched or cheated by the older kids in the alley with such a large amount of money, so she changed them into single-yuan coins so that they could buy some candy or something at the state-owned supply and marketing cooperative.
The extra ones collected were not used and were given to them to be used when they grew bigger.
In the afternoon, Xia Juanjuan took the triplets to the nursing home to visit Grandma Luo.
She brought some dumplings with shrimp paste and three fresh vegetables in an aluminum lunch box. The canteen of the nursing home also provided dumplings, but Grandma Luo happily ate a few more.
The triplets hadn't seen each other for a long time, and were a little shy at first. Grandma Luo cut paper-cuts for them out of colored paper, and then folded an airplane and threw it to fly far away.
After a short while, the three little guys were subdued and gathered around Grandma Luo to learn how to fold airplanes and then started playing with them.
After sitting and talking for a while, Xia Juanjuan was about to come back, and Grandma Luo gave each of the triplets a red envelope.
Xia Juanjuan refused for a long time, but finally had no choice but to accept it.
Each one is five dollars.
Xia Juanjuan felt really bad about it, so she sent some apples, pears and other things the next day, and asked the staff at the nursing home to squeeze them into juice for Grandma Luo to drink.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, I went back to the Fu family again.
There was a small incident on this day. I don't know if it was because the situation was improving, but Xu Dayou and Fu Qingye bought some New Year's goods and ran to the Fu family to pay New Year's greetings with their daughter who was just born.
At that time, Xia Juanjuan had already brought the kids over.
The guard at the gate came over to ask if they were allowed in. Fu Weixin said sternly, "Let them go back. The Fu family doesn't have such relatives."
Having said that, Fu Weixin's expression never returned to its original happy look.
Xia Juanjuan also understood.
After all, Fu Qingye was raised by the Fu family. Now that things have turned out like this, Fu Weixin must be feeling upset.
Xu Dayou was turned away again, and he went back and slapped Fu Qingye twice, scolding her for being useless and eating dry meals at home every day.
Their daughter was probably frightened and started crying loudly.
Fu Qingye was so angry that he threw the doll onto the bed, then sat there wiping his tears, his eyes filled with hatred.
Just wait, she will get back all the revenge she suffered today!
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Xia Juanjuan, Xia Shuangshan and Lin Yuru took the children back to Qingshui Village.
Upon learning that she was coming back, County Mayor Lu specially hung a banner at the train station, went to meet her in person, and then, with drums and gongs, ordered the county's car to take her back to Qingshui Village.