Holding the pungent-smelling clothes, Huang Xiaoqiang frowned and went straight up to the bed, taking off all the blankets and quilts and wrapping them together.
Seeing him about to leave, Huang Mancang called out to him, "What are you having for dinner tonight?"
Huang Xiaoqiang's eyes lit up, and he carefully counted all the delicious food laid out in the kitchen for Huang Mancang.
Huang Mancang's saliva was clearly visible at the corners of his mouth.
Wow, we've got some great snacks to go with our drinks tonight.
Before he could even express his admiration for the food, Huang Xiaoqiang had already waved and left.
Since being frightened by Huang Xiaofu last time, Huang Mancang no longer takes the initiative to ask them what they want or to arrange anything.
The things in the cowshed now are all things he 'picked up'. Even if there are problems in the future, he will rely on his own efforts and will not ask anyone else for help.
As for what's ingested, if you eat it one day and poop it the next, what evidence can you possibly find against it?
Huang Mancang patted his head and began to look forward to nightfall.
When Huang Xiaoqiang returned home, the men in the backyard were washing clothes, and the women in the front yard were cooking in the kitchen.
The front yard was tightly enveloped by the smell of cooking, and every now and then a faint whiff could drift into the backyard.
Wang Huijun kept swallowing, but reason prevailed. She asked worriedly, "Mom, won't the villagers find out?"
Li Jin'e's hands also paused.
"It's alright, this place is haunted, no one in the village dares to come here."
What!
Haunted?
Li Jin'e moved closer to Wang Huijun. "No way?"
Old Mrs. Wu glanced at her and said, "You've lived here for so long, have you ever seen a ghost?"
"No."
Grandma Wu glanced around and sighed, "The villagers are superstitious and dare not come. We've been staying here for so long and something bad has happened? No, nothing has."
Wang Huijun nodded, but still asked the question that had been on her mind, "If they see that we're staying here without any problems, will they come and check on us?"
Grandma Wu pursed her lips. Yes, she had almost forgotten about it.
"It's okay, just close the door when we eat."
"Besides, today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and every household is preparing delicious food."
After all that fuss, it was getting late. Old Mrs. Wu waved her hand and told everyone to set the table.
The lunch menu is also very important. We prepared four cold dishes, eight hot dishes, a pot of dumplings, and a pot of rice.
Fortunately, the table that the carpenter made was big enough to comfortably seat the whole family.
When Huang Xiaoguo and Huang Xiaomin saw the table full of delicious food, tears involuntarily streamed down their faces.
Grandma Wu glanced at them disdainfully, "What are you two doing?"
Huang Xiaoguo wiped it clean. "Mom, you have no idea that when we were in Changping, we went hungry for three days and nine meals a day with Dad. The rice porridge was so thin you could see your reflection in it."
"Now it's all good. We're with Mom again, we have enough to eat and wear. Life is even better than in Changping."
As she spoke, she looked at Old Lady Wu with tears in her eyes.
Before I could even look for a few seconds, a sudden headache struck. "Mom?"
Old Mrs. Wu turned his face away with a dark expression.
It's really an eyesore. She already has a son, yet she still acts all cute and affectionate towards her.
"Have a meal."
The only sound left on the table was the chopsticks hitting the bowls and plates.
Women do the cooking, men do the washing dishes.
After dinner, Grandma Wu directed her four sons to clean up the mess before taking a nap.
The dishes for dinner have already been prepared; all I need to do is cook them at night.
Lying on the cold bed, with only a charcoal brazier in the room, Old Mrs. Wu began to miss the warm kang (heated brick bed).
Winters in Shanyao Village are damp, cold, and chilly. The daytime temperatures are bearable, but the nighttime temperatures plummet, and even with several quilts, it's still unbearably cold.
I drifted off to sleep, and it was quiet outside. The whole courtyard fell silent instantly, and the only sound I could hear was soft breathing.
Thinking about the time, in the late afternoon, there was a commotion in the yard, which woke up Grandma Wu.
I opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall; it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.
She slept soundly, and when Old Mrs. Wu left the room, only a few women remained in the house.
Upon seeing Old Lady Wu, Li Jin'e explained, "My elder brother and the others went out with Xiaomin."
Grandma Wu nodded. She had been in the village for quite some time and knew many people her age. During the Spring Festival, she naturally couldn't stay idle at home.
The evening meal consisted of four cold dishes, eight hot dishes, and a soup, and finally, three large plates of dumplings were served.
Huang Xiaoqiang secretly asked his sister-in-law to set aside a portion for him, and hurriedly ran to deliver it to Huang Mancang before it was served.
Huang Mancang waited from day to night until his eyes were dry, but he still didn't see any sign of his family.
As the last rays of sunlight faded, a figure could be faintly seen walking towards them.
"son?"
"son!"
Although I don't know which one it is, calling him "son" is never wrong.
Huang Xiaoqiang had seen him with his neck straight up long ago, and when he heard the voice, he waved in response.
"They're here, they're here."
He walked around on the ground and noticed that the stones were stacked into a wooden board. As soon as Huang Xiaoqiang arrived, he told him to put the board on the board.
"Why is it taking so long? If you hadn't come soon, your dad would have starved to death."
Huang Xiaoqiang took a breath and said, "As soon as the food was ready at home, I packed it up and brought it over. I haven't eaten yet."
"Okay, okay, I was just saying. Look at you."
Huang Mancang patted Huang Xiaoqiang on the back of the head. "You're such a good boy. Go back and eat now. Remember to bring me food tomorrow too."
As soon as Huang Xiaoqiang left, I couldn't wait to open the cloth on the winnowing basket, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
On New Year's Eve, firecrackers are set off to send off the gods, people stay up all night, and then welcome the gods back.
Every household in Shanyao Village was brightly lit with candles, and the night air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.
After dinner, Grandma Wu and her sons and daughters-in-law changed into new clothes, sat by the charcoal brazier, cracked melon seeds and ate peanuts, the orange candlelight casting long shadows.
The Lunar New Year's Eve in Shanyao Village was lively and warm, but the Jia and Qiao families, far away in Changping City, were devastated.
Qiao Daya looked at Qiao Jianguo, whose face was blank, and sneered, "That bitch is making a scene, refusing to leave the house. I thought she liked you a lot, but it turns out she's nothing special."
"Stop talking!" Qiao Jianguo's face turned cold. "If it weren't for you, would I be in this situation now?"
"Ha, you have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't done such a shameless thing, would this have happened? Now you've even dragged my brother into this. I'm being lenient by not causing you any trouble. How dare you talk back to me like that?"
She glared at the wailing child in Qiao Zhenjun's arms, saying, "She even abandoned this son of a bitch. That bitch is truly heartless."
"What bastard? This is my daughter!"
Qiao Jianguo finally couldn't contain his anger and slapped Jia Hua across the face, yelling, "You slut! You're the slut! It's all your fault, all your fault!"
"If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have married you in the first place!"
Jia Hua's eyes widened, and after a moment of stunned silence, she pounced on Qiao Jianguo and they began to fight.
Qiao Zhenjun stared blankly at the door, holding his half-sister in his arms.
If he had known it would end like this, he wouldn't have married her.
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