Chapter 543 The Early-Death Bystander in the Reborn Mother-in-Law Novel 11
After playing for a while, I saw it was almost time to go home. I went to the toilet before going to bed. It was freezing cold at night, but luckily there weren't many people around. I took care of it before my bottom got frozen. My mother was already packing things to take back to her hometown tomorrow.
"Yue'er, just take good care of your younger brother tomorrow and stay close to us."
"Yes, I know."
It's 5 a.m. on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Everyone was still asleep when Jiang Yue's family got up. Jiang's mother ate some rice noodles to tide her over, and then the family set off.
No one in the backyard is up yet. I slept in late last night, so I won't sleep in too much today. When I go out, I'll run into a few people dressed like the Jiang family. We'll exchange New Year's greetings, and I'll say that we should all go home too. Then we'll laugh and go our separate ways.
After walking for a while, Jiang Ze fell asleep again in Jiang Yue's arms. Jiang's father looked at her and asked if she was tired and if she wanted him to carry her.
"Is it okay? I can carry you. I'll call you when I can't carry you anymore."
"Yeah, don't push yourself. If you can't take it, just call your dad."
"Why don't you give it to me?"
"No need, brother, you're carrying the grain."
These days, it's best to bring food when you go back to your parents' home for a meal, as no household has any extra. Things got much better after we got on the bus. We left early and even managed to get seats. When we arrived at the bus terminal, the whole family got off and waited for my third uncle's family there.
There were no vehicles to go on the road after that, so they could only hope to find a tractor or oxcart to give them a ride. Oxcarts were usually available during the Chinese New Year.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, my third uncle's family arrived. The two families exchanged New Year's greetings. My third uncle and Jiang's father look somewhat alike; my third uncle is a younger version of Jiang's father. Anyone could tell at a glance that they are from the same family.
After they reunited, Auntie San carried Jiang Ze over. She told Jiang Yue to take care of Xiao Jun and Xiao Guo, since they were older and didn't need to be carried. She just needed to lead them and make sure they didn't wander off.
After walking for a while, they encountered an oxcart from the next village. They had come early in the morning to take people who had returned home for the New Year to the city. After getting on the cart, they offered the driver money, but he refused. Aunt Jiang and Third Aunt grabbed some peanuts, melon seeds, and candy and gave them to the driver. Nine people were riding in their cart, and they couldn't let him ride for free.
I got off the oxcart around 8:30 in the morning, and then I had to walk the rest of the way myself. After getting off the cart, I thanked the driver, tidied up my things, and made sure I hadn't left anything behind before continuing my journey. Luckily, it didn't snow during the Chinese New Year this year, otherwise the road would have been very difficult to travel.
After walking for about half an hour, the group arrived at the village entrance. There were already quite a few people at the entrance. On the road, Father Jiang and Uncle San led them over to greet them. Father Jiang took out a pack of Peony cigarettes and handed one to each person. He then lit some for the elders, offered them New Year's greetings, and chatted with them after they finished their cigarettes. That was considered the end of the greetings.
We encountered several groups of people along the way, and the basic process was the same: after getting away from the crowd, the two families headed towards Grandpa's house. They didn't stop when they met people along the way; they just greeted them and chatted for a bit.
When they arrived at Grandpa's house, her second uncle and eldest aunt were already there. They came out to greet them, and the children also swarmed out, chattering and greeting them. Jiang Yue couldn't hear who was saying it.
After entering the house, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang took out red envelopes and started distributing them. Jiang Yue did not receive a red envelope this year because their family rule is that only the younger children and those who are still in school can receive red envelopes, while others are exempt from receiving them, in order to avoid conflicts arising from whether or not to give them a red envelope.
However, Grandpa and Grandma still secretly gave it to Jiang Yue. No one could say anything about what the old couple wanted to do. After drinking brown sugar water to warm themselves up, the children went out to play with firecrackers. Jiang's mother and third aunt took out the food they had brought. Not only did Grandpa and Grandma get some, but Second Uncle and Eldest Aunt also got some. Because the Jiang family had a good relationship, they would usually send grain and vegetables to Jiang Yue's family. They would not forget them when there was meat to eat.
The family sat together, picking vegetables and chatting as they prepared lunch. The men, puffing on cigarettes, wandered around the house and yard to see if there was anything that needed repair, and talked about what happened last year and what they planned to do this year.
When it was time to cook, Jiang Yue was pulled out for a walk by her mother. While cooking, Jiang Yue heard a commotion outside the yard. At first, Jiang Yue didn't pay attention, but when she heard her grandmother crying, she realized something was wrong. Her second aunt, who was tending the fire for Jiang Yue, was also curious: "Xiao Yue, you keep cooking, I'll go see what's going on."
"Okay, Second Aunt, you go ahead. I'll be fine on my own." Although Jiang Yue was a little curious, the pot couldn't be left unattended. She would wait until the dish was finished before going out. Since she didn't hear any arguing or fighting, everything should be alright.
While cooking, Jiang Yue kept her attention outside. It was strange that they weren't coming inside. What were they doing at the door? Jiang Yue couldn't hear anything. After the last dish, hot and sour shredded potatoes, was cooked, Jiang Yue boiled water in the pot. This water was for cooking dumplings. Although she had eaten them yesterday, she still had to eat them today for this occasion.
After adding a few pieces of firewood, Jiang Yue prepared to go out. She was so curious about what to do, and no one had told her. When she stepped out of the house, she saw a group of people gathered around, doing something she couldn't understand.
Jiang Yue went over to take a look and found that it was her second aunt who had returned. Jiang Yue's second aunt had married a soldier many years ago and had not been home for many years after joining the army. But, well, it's good to be happy when someone comes back, but they can't stay at the door for too long. It's been almost ten minutes. Isn't she cold?
"Grandma, Second Aunt, come inside! Dinner is ready."
Jiang Yue shouted, and only then did the group react. After saying goodbye to the onlookers nearby, she hurriedly led her second aunt's family into the house. Jiang Yue looked at her second aunt's family. She had never met the two children before, but she still had some impression of her second aunt. She didn't have much of an impression of her second aunt's husband, as he came back even less often.
During the meal, my second aunt introduced my two cousins, one named Zhang Jianjun and the other Zhang Jiandang. They were very characteristic of this era. I originally planned to chat more during the meal, but because Jiang Yue's cooking was so delicious, everyone was so focused on eating that we only continued chatting after we had almost finished eating.
We had almost finished the dishes and it was time to cook the dumplings. Although there were many dishes and large portions today, there were still not enough for everyone. After the dumplings were cooked, we had to cook some noodles at the last minute to make sure we were full.
After dinner, they started chatting. Melon seeds, wildflower seeds, and candies were all laid out, and the children quickly started playing together. They took small firecrackers and went out to play with their friends from the village. The adults were all asking about the situation at Second Aunt's place, as they hadn't been able to talk about it in detail when there were many people around outside.
The conversation lasted until evening. Grandpa and Grandma's house was newly built, with two of the three main rooms having large kang beds, but there were still too many people to sleep in. So, the men, including Jiang's father and second uncle, went to the second uncle's house, while the women stayed with Grandpa and Grandma. Fortunately, people aren't fat these days, otherwise, there really wouldn't be enough room to sleep.
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