Chapter 45 Chapter 45 [VIP]
The two men naturally had big appetites and quickly cleared all the food on the table. After eating, they drank milk, roasted fire, and petted the dog, feeling very comfortable.
After Su Xing returned, the entire household underwent a dramatic transformation. Su Xing, a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder and mild mysophobia, couldn't stand Bai He's sloppy approach to hygiene and the haphazard placement of household items. On his first day, he arranged everything neatly and tidy. He then directed Bai He to clean up the accumulated dirt in every room of the house. This was a bit of a pain for Bai He. Unlike Su Xing, Bai He had been a lazy person since childhood, disliking tidying up and cleaning, always looking for ways to slack off. The Bai family spoiled him, and this habit persisted.
The two of them worked for two days to tidy up the house inside and out.
Life is truly different for two people. Even the two dogs at home have noticed the changes. With the addition of a permanent resident, their owner has become much more active. He even takes extra time to play games with them. While much of this time is spent interacting with another human, both dogs really enjoy it.
Business at Baihe's greenhouses was average. Frugality was ingrained in rural residents, who were reluctant to spend grain on fresh produce. They made do with pickled vegetables from the autumn or sun-dried vegetables they'd picked up at home, and only occasionally one or two people would buy a few handfuls to try.
But as the end of the year approached, Bai He's business was getting much better.
Amidst a series of disasters, the most important Spring Festival of Xia Kingdom arrived.
This was destined to be a special, heavy, and unforgettable Spring Festival for countless people. Without the lively sound of fireworks and firecrackers, without the festive red color, countless families lost members forever.
On New Year's Eve, the Bai family started busy early. The women were responsible for cooking and the men were responsible for cleaning.
That evening, the Bai and Ning families gathered around the table, enjoying a sumptuous dinner. Amidst the turmoil, the fact that their families were safe and free from the pain of separation was a blessing from their ancestors.
The New Year heralds new omens. As families in Sheshui Village bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, they abandoned their usual frugality and shared hidden supplies of food and snacks to ensure a healthy day for their families. Countless children wore smiles from morning till night.
The past few months have been incredibly difficult for the children. Before the disaster, they were the treasures of their families, having everything they wanted, but at least they had enough to eat and wear. But after the disaster, hard candies, which they would normally avoid eating even after their expiration date, have become a rare commodity.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, around eight o'clock, Grandpa Bai, Uncle Bai and others came to Bai He's house to pay New Year's greetings. The quiet house suddenly became lively after seven or eight people came in.
Bai Yu was observant and noticed the changes in Baihe's house as soon as he entered. There were red couplets and red window decorations posted on the walls, and various snacks and fruits were placed on the table in the living room. The atmosphere of the New Year was obvious.
You have to know that in previous years, Bai He came back to celebrate the New Year and just hung out. She had no interest in doing anything and would leave after staying for a few nights. It was her mother and grandmother who couldn't bear to see her and came to help with dusting and sweeping the house.
Driven by her female instinct, she looked at Su Xingye, who was bending over to listen to what Grandma Bai and Grandpa Bai were saying. He had a serious and gentle expression on his face. He was kept in the conversation by the two elders for several minutes. He didn't even understand some of the dialects, but he didn't seem impatient at all. It was obvious from his language, actions, and temperament that he was a well-educated boy from a well-off family, who was very different from them.
She had come into contact with people like this at work. Because they were favored by heaven, they were naturally proud and willful. Why should Su Xing give in to her family?
But the most important thing was that she had never seen Bai He be so intimate with anyone. Su Xing just glanced at the water on the table, and Bai He handed him a bottle of milk.
Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. No matter how much Grandpa and Grandma praised Dr. Su and Bai He's close relationship, Bai Yu always preferred the elders' self-glorification. As Bai He's older sister, she knew full well that, due to his illness and his biological mother's betrayal, he was deeply defensive. He resisted, even resented, the intimacy of outsiders. He had built an iron wall within himself, a barrier that no one could penetrate, and no one could harm him again.
Su Xing noticed Bai Yu's scrutiny immediately. He didn't shy away from it and even showed his tacit understanding and intimacy with Bai He.
Even though they haven't seen each other for many years, some habits and tacit understandings are still there. Sometimes they can understand each other's thoughts with just a glance.
For example, the neatly arranged snacks on the table became a bit messy due to people taking and putting them away. Su Xing just frowned, and the next second Bai He was tidying them up. Bai Yu's eyes nearly popped out of her eyes at this scene. This was her cousin who couldn't bear to pick up the broom even when the garbage at home was moldy.
Later, Bai He, the host, slumped on the sofa with nothing to do. It was Su Xingye, the guest, who had been entertaining them the entire time. He even had to ask Su Xingye where some of the household items were stored. Did the two of them switch places?
Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.
Bai Yu was absent-minded, and her boyfriend Ning Zelan was feeding her peeled pine nuts and pistachios.
Chen Zhen was very happy that her daughter and son-in-law had a good relationship, but... "Zelan! Don't let Yu eat too many snacks, or she won't be able to eat later."
"Hmm." In front of his girlfriend's elders, the 5'8" northern boy always behaved very well and obediently. The Bai family elders liked him more and more. Even Grandma Bai, who had always been worried about this relationship, couldn't help but smile when she saw the boy.
After helping Bai He warm up his home, Grandpa Bai and his group returned to their own home. Compared to Bai He, the unknown, Uncle Bai, the secretary of Sheshui Village, was destined to be busy today.
Sure enough, when they got home, there were already several people sitting in the living room.
Uncle Bai was being dragged into a conversation and couldn't get away. Chen Zhen and Bai Yu skillfully set up the table at home. Although this year was a bad year, they still placed melon seeds, peanuts, and candies on the living room table.
Many villagers bring their children with them when they visit for New Year's greetings. The polite ones just give a little of everything on the table. But some ungracious and ignorant children are eager to take the entire basin, filling their pockets to the brim. Seeing that there's still some left in the basin, they pour it directly into their clothes and hats. Adults watching this often give them a mild scolding.
Although Bai Yu felt a little uncomfortable, he knew it was the year's weather. Sheshui Village wasn't wealthy, but it wasn't poor either. Even the most ruthless people wouldn't do such a shameful thing on New Year's Day.
Later, Bai Yu learned his lesson and no longer put everything on the table for people to take. When guests came, he would just grab some and give it to them.
What puzzled the Bai family was that this year, there were more people than ever before. Even fellow villagers, who hadn't seen each other for a year and felt distant, came to pay New Year's greetings. Even if they were careful with their budget, they had already used up a lot of the Bai family's sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candies that day.
In the afternoon, when they had time to visit other people's homes, they discovered that most families in the village only gave a glass of water. Those who could offer a plate of peanuts or melon seeds were considered wealthy. No wonder this year was so lively.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Grandpa Bai's eldest sister, Bai Yulan, came to the Bai family to pay New Year's greetings. Grandpa Bai was very close to and respected this sister because she had raised him hand in hand when he was little. In those days of scarcity, her sister often walked miles to catch frogs and loaches, or to dig for insects in the soil, just to feed him.
Although Bai Yulan was the eldest daughter of the Bai family, she had never enjoyed any happiness. She was born in a bad year and her mother was severely malnourished. When she was born, she was as thin as a little mouse, and her mother had no milk.
Originally, she was about to abandon her, but her grandmother wouldn't let her. Risking starvation, she scraped together grain from her teeth to make soup, spoonful by spoonful, to keep her alive. As she grew older, the adults needed to work in the fields, and she, barely taller than the stove, began taking on all the household chores: washing clothes, cooking, cutting grass for the pigs, feeding the chickens, and taking care of her younger siblings. At only ten, she often carried buckets weighing over a hundred pounds back and forth between home and the pond, her thin, frail body bent like a bow.
Ever since she was old enough to understand, she has been like a spinning top that never stops. Even when she reached school age, Bai Yuelan dropped out of school after only one year because her father was ill and the family lacked labor.
Due to long periods of heavy labor and malnutrition, Bai Yuelan grew up to be only about 1.4 meters tall. Due to her poor family conditions and her own unattractive appearance, Bai Yulan did not marry until she was 24. She married a man from a neighboring village who was ten years her senior.
This man has an old mother who has been paralyzed in bed for many years. He spends money like water every month and his family is very poor. Therefore, he has been single until he was 34 years old.
Bai Yulan valued his filial piety, honesty, and hard work. She feared that if she continued to delay, she would end up marrying a widower, a second-rate man, or the like. She was also terrified of the gossip and rumors circulating in the village, so she married him. After marrying, Bai Yulan treated herself like a man, plowing the fields, carrying soil, chopping wood, and farming... doing everything.
The couple's impoverished family situation gradually improved with their efforts. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law's health deteriorated in her final years. Her husband, unwilling to watch his mother, who depended on him for everything, die, insisted on receiving treatment. However, the hospital proved to be a bottomless pit, and the couple's hard-earned savings were completely depleted. They also incurred debts, and ultimately passed away.
In order to pay off the debt, her husband went to a coastal city to work and earn money, leaving Bai Yulan alone at home to take care of the children and manage 15 acres of land and 5 acres of fruit trees.
Grandpa Bai felt sorry for his eldest sister's plight and always supported her. Grandma Bai, being the eldest sister herself, empathized with her and also took good care of her. Bai Yulan was no ungrateful person; she always repaid the favor. The two families had a very close relationship, as evidenced by the fact that Bai Yuelan, upon returning to her parents' home for the Lunar New Year, first visited her second brother's home to pay New Year's greetings.
"Happy New Year!" Bai Yulan bowed her hands and greeted as soon as she entered the door.
Grandpa Bai and Grandma Bai were a little frightened when they saw her figure, and quickly helped her to the sofa. "Sister, what are you doing here in such weather? Is our relationship still lacking in formality?"
"These few steps aren't a big deal. I'm in good health," Bai Yulan said with a smile. She's nearly eighty, thin, and covered in a thick cotton-padded jacket. She feels as if she's buried under a mountain of clothing, making it difficult for her to move. Her daughter-in-law walks beside her, carefully watching over her. After removing her scarf, it's clear she's still in good spirits.
On her other side stood her son, Yi Feng, a sturdy 5'9" (1.9 meters) tall. His arms were thicker than some people's thighs, and when he smiled, the flesh on his face would squeeze together, making him look fierce. Furthermore, his job as a butcher and meat seller had become a childhood nightmare for his children. But those who actually knew him knew he was a righteous and enthusiastic man. "My mom has been wanting to come to my uncle's place for a long time."
As he said this, he and his father placed the several large bags full of things in their hands on the table in the living room.
"Your aunt and I were planning to go to your house today. Why are you here? And you are such an ignorant son. You don't even consider whether your parents can handle such a bad environment."
The uncle scolded him harshly, making the big man touch his nose in embarrassment.
"Also, this is your uncle's house, not someone else's. It's too strange for you to bring so many things here."
Grandma Bai looked at the three full bags on the table and was very touched, but she couldn't change her nagging habit.
Bai Yuelan waved her hand nonchalantly, "It's nothing valuable. It's all potatoes and sweet potatoes grown in our garden. I also brought some pickled red fish and braised pork with preserved vegetables that I made. Don't your kids like to eat them?"
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