Mother Cheng was particularly happy to see the family drinking tea, chatting and eating fruit in the yard, with their children and grandchildren laughing constantly.
Life has been getting better and better in the past two years. We bought some land and renovated the yard before the New Year. Now it is clean and spacious. I am in a good mood and look a lot younger. There has never been a more comfortable life than now.
Seeing that it was getting late, Mother Cheng stood up and said, "You guys sit down and chat. I'll go prepare lunch. You guys can have a nice drink."
Lin Cuicui also stood up and asked Feifei to look after her brother. Cheng Yang was chatting with Wang Yu and could not be relied upon.
Cheng Chen smiled and said to his sister-in-law, "Go ahead and do your work. I'll just watch over you."
"Okay, he shouldn't be hungry after being fed. Please take care of his diaper later to prevent him from peeing on the quilt." He didn't wear a diaper during the day.
Cheng Chen nodded, he knew all of these.
As usual, we stayed at my wife's house for two nights this year and then went back. The weather was good during the New Year holidays. In the afternoons, Wang Yuchengchen would occasionally carry Dabao for a walk in the fields. The scenery in the early spring in the south was not too bleak, and some flowers, plants and trees had already sprouted. Dabao, who was already three months old, still liked to go out.
After staying in the village for a few days, they decided to return to the city on December 12. On the Lantern Festival, Wang Yu left Dabao with his wet nurse and his mother, and he took Cheng Chen to see the lantern festival.
Cheng Chen didn't see the Lantern Festival last year, but she finally saw it this year. However, in Cheng Chen's heart, she still thinks that the lanterns in the yard last year were the most beautiful. None of the lanterns on the street were as beautiful as the one her husband bought for her.
This time, without Dabao to disturb them, the two of them walked hand in hand slowly through the bustling streets. The somewhat cold weather could not extinguish the two warm hearts. They only had each other in their eyes and hearts. They were already very satisfied just holding hands. Looking at the lanterns on the street and the full moon in the sky, they only hoped that this day would come every year.
The provincial school opened on the 16th. This year, the three of them will go to the old class. They and the students in the old class will take part in the provincial examination next year. Of course, this classroom will also welcome a group of new students.
In addition to explaining some basic subjects, the old teacher will also talk about the poetry topics of previous provincial examinations and the preferences of the chief examiners, and summarize the rules. The chief examiners are appointed by the court, and most of them are selected from Hanlin and Shilang.
This is just like the three-year college entrance examination and five-year simulation. You can always find some patterns. Although it is a bit tricky, it is very useful. Maybe you will encounter the same or similar test questions. Isn’t it just luck?
After school every day, Wang Yu would first visit Cheng Chen and Dabao, and then go to the study to study. Dabao is now over three months old and can roll over, so he needs someone to watch him all the time. Later, someone was asked to make a small bed with a fence and wheels underneath so that Dabao can sleep in it without worrying about rolling over and falling off. When the sun is out, the bed board can be removed so that he can play in the yard.
When making the bed, Wang Yu also thought of many modern toys, such as push-button walkers and building blocks. He drew them one by one and made them for his son when he was old enough to play with them.
In a few days, Xingxing, the baby of the eldest brother's family, will be one year old. Cheng Chen is preparing a one-year-old gift for Xingxing. He gave her a collar and anklets when she was three years old. The family had held a three-day-old celebration but not a full-moon celebration. The same is true for Dabao, so I just went back to see her last full-moon celebration and brought back two sets of clothes for the child. But this time, a one-year-old birthday celebration must be held and gifts need to be prepared.
After Wang Yu finished his shift, he accompanied Cheng Chen to choose a gift. The two of them looked around in the Jinyufang for a long time and finally chose a jade longevity lock engraved with the word "Fu". Xingxing's birthday was not a day for Mu Xiu, so Wang Yu asked for three days off. The teacher was still very confident in him, knowing that he was diligent and serious and had outstanding knowledge, so he approved it without saying much.
On February 9th, Wang Yu and Cheng Chen went back. This time they did not bring Dabao with them. He was only four months old, so there was no need for him to travel back and forth. They went out early today and got home at the end of the afternoon. Cheng's mother welcomed them in, treated them to tea and snacks, and let them rest.
Big Brother Cheng came back with Cheng Fei two days ago to prepare for the first birthday party. They are currently slaughtering chickens, ducks, fish and meat. The weather is not hot and they can keep them there to avoid the yard being covered in blood and looking ugly during tomorrow's banquet. The meat, vegetables, wine, and snacks they needed were bought from the town early this morning.
Xingxing was one year old and could just walk. The eldest brother had seen that Dabao’s crib had a fence and wheels, so he bought one for Xingxing. Now the sun was still shining but there was no wind in the yard, so Xingxing lay on the fence and stood up with his hands, looking outside curiously.
The little guy was surprisingly strong, and he didn't feel tired even after standing for a long time holding the fence. The little guy still didn't let Cheng Chen hold him. Cheng Chen tapped his forehead and said, "I'm your uncle. Come on, call me uncle."
Xingxing thought Cheng Chen was playing with him, and sat on the quilt with a giggle. Cheng Chen was so adorable that he kept teasing him.
Cheng's mother saw him and said, "He'll be playing well with you now. Before you came, the family was busy and didn't feed him in time. He was so irritable that it took a long time to calm him down. Your sister-in-law was so anxious that she wanted to slap him twice."
Several people laughed out loud when they heard this.
Most of the people who came on the second day were from the village. On Cheng's side, there was only Cheng's father's family, and he had no brothers or sisters. However, there were two uncles from Cheng's mother's side. It was the first time that Wang Yu saw them. Knowing that Wang Yu was the son-in-law of the Cheng family and a scholar, he was very polite to him, and his words were a bit flattering and ingratiating.
When Cheng's mother saw her two uncles, they went about their own business without even raising their eyelids. Wang Yu knew that something was wrong, but as a junior, he couldn't say anything. It was Xingxing's first birthday party, and when they spoke to Wang Yu, he was polite.
It was not until the evening that Cheng Chen told him the whole story. Cheng's mother's family was quite far away from here, two towns away. There were many children in the family, five in total. Cheng's mother was the third child, with two older sisters. The family conditions were not good, especially since Cheng's mother was a daughter.
When the third child was born, a daughter, the family was very unhappy. She had been poorer in food and clothing than her two younger brothers since she was a child. When she was ready to get married, they asked the matchmaker to find a man with a higher bride price.
At that time, Cheng's father was also a lonely man, raised by an old hunter in the mountains. After the old hunter left, he was left alone and it was difficult to find a wife. Fortunately, he was a hunter and his family had some money. Since someone was willing to arrange a marriage, he paid a betrothal gift of ten taels of silver and married Cheng's mother.
Although Cheng's mother was not valued at home, she was his biological parents after all, and he would bring things back during the holidays. But after Cheng's father was injured, Cheng's mother finally saw clearly what kind of people were in the family. At that time, she really had no money, so she went back to her parents' home to borrow money and was kicked out. She kept saying that a daughter who is married off is like spilled water, and she shouldn't come back if nothing happens.
It was her mother who felt sorry for her and secretly came out to give her a hundred coins. Cheng's mother also knew that her mother was not living well at home, but when she thought of the man lying at home waiting for help, she still made up her mind to accept it.
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