"Atong, are you at home?" Huang Juhua and Zhu Chunhua heard that Zhu Xingtong had returned, so they made an appointment to go together to see Zhu Xingtong.
Liang Yuan heard the voice and was about to say that Zhu Xingtong was sleeping when she came out of the room. So she changed the subject and asked her if she wanted to eat noodles.
Zhu Xingtong shook his head and looked at the lanterns in the hands of the two people opposite him. The lanterns were made of wine boxes with a small hole on each side and a small piece of candle placed inside. It was basically a lantern.
Zhu Chunhua saw it and asked if she had finished the lantern. Zhu Xingyi was confused, but quickly said, "I'll do it right away." Then he looked at Liang Yuan and said, "Mom, do you have any extra wine boxes at home?"
Liang Yuan didn't know either, but Huang Mei came out and said, "Yes, ask your uncle to make one for you and your partner." After that, she called Zhu Youjie to come out and make the lantern.
Seeing this, Zhu Xingtong asked Huang Juhua and Zhu Chunhua to wait for a moment while she ran into the house. After a while, she took out a few flowers.
"This is what my second aunt bought for me. Can you each pick one? By the way, why didn't Xiaofang come?"
Huang Juhua replied, "She was taken to the city by her grandmother to celebrate the New Year."
Zhu Chunhua's eyes widened. "Atong, these hair flowers are so beautiful. Can I have two?"
"no."
"Oh." Zhu Chunhua said and picked a pink one.
Huang Juhua glanced at Liang Yuan who was not far away. "A-Tong, this is not good, right? Does your mother know that you are going to give us hair flowers?"
"I know." Zhu Xingtong nodded.
"Thank you, I like this one." Huang Juhua said and picked a yellow one.
"We can take turns wearing them then." Zhu Chunhua said, looking at the hair ornament on her wrist.
Soon, Zhu Youjie finished making two lanterns. Zhu Xingtong, holding one, joined Huang Juhua, Zhu Chunhua, and Tongtong in the village lantern parade, circling the village. Some people were also playing with firecrackers, and the sound of "bang, bang, bang" could be heard from time to time, and the air was filled with joy.
When they came back, Zhu Xingtong and Tongtong each had a bag of peanuts given to them by their great-grandmother.
At dinner that evening, everyone ate their fill, and each received a large red envelope of ten cents from Huang Mei and Lao Zhu's hair. Afterward, the family gathered together to chat. It wasn't until New Year's Eve that the outside world gradually quieted down.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, every man, woman, and child in the village rose early, clasped their hands, and entered any open door to pay their respects. Men held cigarettes, women ate melon seeds, and children ate candy, all beaming with joy. The community also held community activities, including land boat racing and stilt walking, which lasted the entire day.
After the first day of the new year, they began visiting relatives. Zhu Youliang accompanied Old Zhu to his grandmother's house, while Liang Yuan stayed at home to help Huang Mei entertain Zhu Yourong and the others.
Zhu Yourong had become even fatter than she had been in the summer, and Liang Yuan only discovered she was pregnant after asking. Even Yang Guangzhong seemed to have gained weight, which surprised Liang Yuan. She hadn't had a good impression of Yang Guangzhong, but facts spoke louder than words.
Zhu Youyan was the only one who came from her family, without even bringing her children. When she saw Liang Yuan, she paid back the fifty yuan she had borrowed earlier. Huang Mei asked her why the children didn't come, and she said that she had a quarrel with her in-laws. Her mother-in-law didn't want her to pay back the money so quickly and hoped to wait a while. But she thought that Zhu Youliang and his wife were both studying and living off their savings. If they insisted on paying back the money, wouldn't that just lead to a quarrel? Zhu Youmao thought she was stupid, but she didn't say anything. The last time she went back from here, there was no one to hold her hand, so she was much more restrained this time.
Zhu Youliang followed Old Zhu to his grandmother's house. Seeing all his uncles and cousins, he was forced to drink a lot of wine. When he returned, his legs were weak. His eldest uncle was worried and borrowed an ox cart to send them back. Huang Mei saw that the old and the young were drunk, and she rarely did not scold them.
After some free time, Zhu Youliang planned to visit Teacher Sun. However, he was told that Teacher Sun had been taken back to the city by his son to celebrate the New Year, so he would have to wait until later.
Another unpleasant incident occurred after the Lunar New Year. Some of the parents of the dozen or so students Liang Yuan had previously supported came to ask if Liang Yuan would continue to donate, threatening to withhold their children's education. Huang Mei, present when they arrived, scolded them and sent them away. Afterward, Liang Yuan discussed the matter with Zhu Youliang and decided to donate another 100 yuan toward the children's tuition. While this incident saddened the couple, it also rekindled their desire to earn money.
I won't go into detail about this, but after consulting Mrs. Chen, Sanlaizi stopped harassing Li Xiaotao. Li Xiaotao also remarried under the arrangement of her family.
Li Xiaotao would say that this new bride was not even slightly better than Yu Yan. She felt completely helpless. Her mother-in-law controlled everything in the household, and not only could she not complain, but she was constantly scolded, making her miserable. She couldn't bear it, but she'd already divorced once, and if she left again, she feared her family would completely abandon her. But she couldn't accept this, so she decided to take advantage of her free time and come back to beg her mother. It wouldn't matter if she didn't divorce, or if she could live separately from her mother-in-law.
How could one say it was bad luck? On the way back, he ran into San Laizi. But after being frightened by the "Land God," San Laizi became much more obedient. When he ran into Li Xiaotao, he decided to pretend he didn't see her.
Maybe it was because the man she married later was too bad, but now Li Xiaotao thought Sanlaizi was pretty good. He wasn't as playful as before, and he actually looked like a decent person. Seeing that he ignored her, she couldn't help but touch her face. Could it be that she had become ugly now? Thinking of this, she subconsciously said, "Stop."
Sanlaizi turned around impatiently and panicked and said, "Is there something wrong? We don't have anything to talk about."
The more he acted like this, the more uncomfortable Li Xiaotao felt. She looked around, seeing no one around, and then whispered, "Why didn't you look for me later?"
"God of the Land, this woman brought this upon herself. It has nothing to do with me." After begging for mercy in his heart, Sanlaizi looked at Li Xiaotao with contempt and said, "What's the matter? Are you still thinking of me harassing you? Don't you know that I have turned over a new leaf now? Remember to stay away from me on the road in the future. Don't implicate me, okay?" After that, he left.
Li Xiaotao was so angry that she stood there for a long time after hearing this. After a while, she walked home unwillingly.
The person who was most happy about Sanlaizi's transformation into a good person was none other than Widow Liu. When she heard that Sanlaizi was talking to Li Xiaotao on the street, she immediately ran over, fearing that Li Xiaotao would draw out the evil in Sanlaizi again. But when she came over, she only saw Li Xiaotao. She immediately walked over and said, "Xiaotao, San'er has finally turned over a bit after a fall. Please feel sorry for your aunt and don't provoke him again."
When Li Xiaotao saw her, she somehow remembered what Sanlaizi had said before. She was overwhelmed with grief and the idea of divorce disappeared. She didn't know whether she felt sorry for her or for herself.
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