Chapter 142: Lantern Festival will begin soon, Shen will do the laundry
Mayor Qiu Shi stood in the middle of the square, holding a torch in his hand.
There was a lot of noise all around, and the people behind him couldn't hear what the mayor said.
The mayor opened and closed his mouth, then walked towards the edge of the square with a torch in his hand. There was a circle of fireworks on the edge of the square.
At this time, several people walked out from the crowd. They took out the torches prepared in advance and lit them while standing in different positions from the mayor. After the mayor made a gesture, several people bent down at the same time to light the fireworks on the ground.
The people only saw the dazzling sparks from the ignited fuse, and with a hint of excitement in their hearts, the children standing in front also clapped their hands and shouted loudly: "Let's set off fireworks, let's set off fireworks!"
Everyone only heard a bang, and the fireworks shot straight up, accompanied by a deafening roar. Light beams shot straight into the sky, and then bloomed the brightest light in the darkness.
Red like fire, pink like clouds, gold like dazzling, purple like mysterious... fireworks of various colors are intertwined together to form a magnificent picture.
People on the ground were looking up at the sky, their faces filled with joy and anticipation.
The children cheered and the adults pointed to the sky, discussing which firework was the most beautiful.
Every time a firework blooms, the crowd will burst into exclamations, and some even begin to pray at the fleeting fireworks, silently praying in their hearts that everything will be safe and smooth, with good weather and good harvests in the new year.
The usually quiet town was now mostly illuminated by the gorgeous fireworks, and the whole town was filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.
Little Fubao also opened her big watery eyes, opened her little mouth in shock, tilted her little head back, and watched the beautiful fireworks explode in the sky. She hugged Wan Laoer's neck excitedly, and her two little legs kicked vigorously in Wan Laoer's arms, and she laughed like a silver bell from time to time.
Wan Laoer held his daughter tightly, fearing that the little one would fall.
A quarter of an hour later, all the fireworks were finally set off. The smell of sulfur filled the air. Before people could recover from the visual feast, they saw the mayor walk up to a large lantern and light a dozen wind lanterns inside the lantern with a fire stick. The huge lantern was slowly lit by the mayor himself.
The people's attention was drawn back to the lanterns.
The Lantern Festival officially began at this time. The mayor announced that everyone could go to various businesses to guess riddles and win lanterns. The people were very excited and crowds began to flow into the middle of the street.
The Wan family was also pushed into the street by the crowd.
Xiao Fubao wanted the rabbit lantern, so Wan Laoer quickly picked up his daughter, and Wan Ersao took Wan Wen to the shop where the lanterns were hung.
At this time, every shop door is hung with lanterns, and people are bustling around. Some are guessing riddles, some are watching the fun, and some are buying lanterns.
Although Mrs. Wan spent a lot of money today, she was very happy at this moment. She waved her hand and told Mr. Wan: "Today our family is sewing Lantern Festival and the shop is open again. This is something worth celebrating. You buy a lantern for each child to make everyone happy and also for a good omen."
When the children heard this, they jumped up excitedly and screamed with joy, which did not seem out of place in the already noisy street.
When everyone had finished shopping and it was time, they all headed back together.
Gather at the town entrance. Shen is already waiting there.
Shen Jinyuan hired two carriages for the Wan family, paid the fare, and asked Mrs. Wan to take good care of the Shen family.
Shen Jinyuan gave Old Lady Shen another fifty taels of silver and many supplements, all of which he bought after taking Mrs. Shen to the clinic in the afternoon.
Shen Jinyuan will be away for a long time this time. He still has some things to deal with. The other party may threaten Shen's life, so Shen Jinyuan must put Shen in a trustworthy and safe place. So far, no one knows that Shen is Shen Jinyuan's eldest sister. Shen is safe for now.
Old Mrs. Wan refused to accept the fifty taels of silver no matter what.
"Sir, you are busy with all kinds of things for us common people, and we cannot share your worries. Now we finally have an opportunity to take care of our eldest sister on your behalf. It is really a blessing for us. You are welcome, sir."
Shen Jinyuan insisted on giving it, and finally Mrs. Wan took the silver under Shen Jinyuan's order and took a carriage back to the village.
It was already midnight when we got back to Shizi Village. Everyone was exhausted and the child had already become dizzy from swaying in the carriage.
At this time, little Fubao had fallen asleep in Wan Ersao's arms. The wind outside was still very cold. Wan Ersao was afraid that little Fubao would be cold, so Wan Laoer took off his coat and wrapped him up before they got off the carriage.
After returning to the house, washing up briefly, heating up the kang, the family went to bed.
After the Lantern Festival, time flies by.
The first month of the year is over in the blink of an eye.
During this period, Shen's injuries had mostly healed, but the man from the Shen family next door was taken away and never came back.
The women in the Shen family died or ran away, leaving only Li in the family to live with a group of children. From then on, the Shen family became obedient.
Ever since the Wan family bought the shop, the eldest brother Wan and several of his brothers have been living in the town, busy with the renovation work. Sister-in-law Wan San also occasionally goes to the town to help and give advice on how to decorate the shop.
There are only a few women at home in the Wan family.
After the Chinese New Year, Wan Xingmo started to set up an empty room in the yard between the two houses to use as a school, teaching a few children a few words every day and occasionally teaching martial arts.
After a month of renovation, the shop in the town was finally completed.
But this month, Boss Wan and his colleagues have witnessed the huge amount of feces on the wasteland nearby. During this period, they have been picking up feces except for the renovation.
The northwest is windy and sandy, and the manure collected will be dried after being air-dried for a few days, and there is basically no smell. Boss Wan then uses baskets to transport all the manure back home, waiting to buy some land and cultivate it in a few days so that it can be used as fertilizer.
After breakfast that day, Wan Laosan said that the shop needed to be aired for a few days before it could be opened. The inside had just been painted and there was still a smell, so it was not suitable for business.
It was just the beginning of spring. Although the winds and sandstorms were the strongest and the weather was dry and cold in the border area in spring, Old Lady Wan asked Old Man Wan to find the village chief to buy land.
"Boss, go to the village chief's house and buy a few acres of wasteland. I feel like the wind has warmed up in the past few days, so it's almost time to start reclaiming the wasteland. Another thing is, ask the village chief if we can buy these two yards directly. If we open a shop and reclaim the wasteland, we won't have time to build a house. Everyone is busy with spring plowing, and no one will help us build a house. It's better to spend some money to buy these two yards, and then we can connect the yards and renovate them ourselves."
As Boss Wan listened, he nodded and said, "Okay, Mom, I'll go to the village chief's house and ask, and we'll go to open up the wasteland in a couple of days."
After the eldest brother Wan left, Mrs. Wan said to the second and third sisters-in-law, "Go to the town in a few days to see if there are any chickens hatching. Buy a few and feed them. In the future, my Fubao won't have to go to other houses to buy eggs. Besides, the fourth daughter-in-law is about to give birth, and eggs will be indispensable for nourishment. This pregnancy was not easy for the fourth daughter-in-law. She suffered a lot during the pregnancy. The child will definitely not be as strong as Quan, Wen and the others when he is born. He can only rely on breast milk. The fourth daughter-in-law must keep up with the nutrition."
"Although our family cannot compare with that wealthy family, we can still take out the money to nourish the fourth daughter-in-law. As long as we are alive, we can earn the money back. Having said that, I also want to tell you to keep quiet, especially the third daughter-in-law. When you open a shop in the town in the future, don't work too hard. You can't make enough money. You have to take care of your health while making money. Otherwise, all the money will go to the clinic. Do you think what mother said is right?"
The daughters-in-law were deeply moved by what Grandma Wan said. They were all exiled to the border and could not see any of their natal family members. Fortunately, Grandma Wan always treated them as her own daughters, never making a fuss and occasionally giving them advice, which made the daughters-in-law feel warm in their hearts and felt that they had endless energy to do anything.
Liu moved to Old Lady Wan's side and said with some emotion, "Mother, you are so kind to me. I listen to you and whatever you say is what I will do."
Mrs. Wan Er and Mrs. Wan San were straightforward and didn't know how to say nice things, but they nodded quickly.
The mothers discussed for a while what to buy and then dispersed.
Shen, who happened to be in a better condition in another yard and was able to do some simple work, was holding a basin with dirty clothes in it.
They were all from Boss Wan and his children. The other three rooms had women helping with the laundry, but Boss Wan's clothes were dirty every day. Although they were washed, they were never clean. Shen couldn't stand it, so she boiled some hot water today and brought over the clothes that Boss Wan had prepared to wash in the morning.
As soon as Boss Wan came back, he saw Shen washing clothes. She looked familiar. Boss Wan took a closer look at the clothes in Shen's hand. Wasn't it his own underwear? There were two holes on the buttocks. How did it end up in Shen's hand?
Boss Wan rushed into the yard like a gust of wind.
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