The next morning, Gu Shi opened his eyes very early.
He heard the sound of sweeping outside, so he propped himself up and looked out the window, only to find that it was Lin Aiguo sweeping.
It was barely dawn, and he couldn't sleep, so he simply got up.
Without disturbing Lin Qingyu, Gu Shi put on his clothes, went out into the yard, found a slightly smaller broom, and started sweeping the floor.
The snow on the ground had all melted, except for some remaining on the roof.
It was easy to sweep up, as it was almost all water and didn't make much noise, which was just enough to keep Lin Qingyu from sleeping.
Smoke began to rise from the chimneys of many houses, and everyone got up early to cook.
The last day of the lunar calendar; after today, it will be a new year.
Pear Blossom Village places great importance on these festivals, and even in the past, they were celebrated in a very grand manner.
There are sacrificial ceremonies on the west side of the village, but Gu Shi has never been there.
Lin Qingyu got up after only a short sleep; the sounds of firecrackers and children playing outside were quite loud.
"Can't sleep?"
Gu Shi was helping Lin Aiguo chop the ribs, which he had bought early that morning and were very fresh.
Lin Qingyu walked over and touched Gu Shilu's exposed arm; it wasn't cold at all.
"It was too noisy outside, but I slept quite well. You really aren't afraid of the cold at all! I'm so envious of you!"
Lin Qingyu's hands and feet get cold as soon as winter arrives, and it takes her a long time to warm up after getting into bed.
Gu Shi's hands were dirty, so he couldn't warm them for her: "Come inside, it's too cold outside, it's warmer inside."
Lin Qingyu put her hands into her sleeves. She was wearing a new cotton-padded coat that Li Xiuhua had prepared for her, which was both warm and beautiful.
"It's alright, I'll warm up after I start working. I'm going to check on my mother."
He then went into the kitchen and started steaming buns and dumplings with Li Xiuhua.
Today is the happiest day for the children in the village. They can eat delicious food and play with firecrackers. Everyone is extremely happy.
After Li Xiuhua finished her work, she ushered the people out.
"Go out and have some fun. We don't need you at home. You and Gu Shi go to the west side of the village. There's a sacrificial ceremony today, it'll be quite lively. Take Wei Dong and Xiao Bao with you!"
Pushing the person out, Lin Qingyu hadn't been there in a long time and wanted to go and take a look.
Zhao Xiaobao had already dragged Lin Weidong out to play, and they couldn't find him anywhere.
The two hadn't gone far when they ran into Feng Chao, who had also gone home for the Chinese New Year.
"Xiaoyu..."
He saw Lin Qingyu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but then he saw Gu Shi behind her and instantly froze.
Lin Qingyu didn't even glance at him and walked away.
Gu Shi didn't say anything and just followed her.
"How about we skip the sacrificial ceremony? There's nothing fun about it anyway."
Lin Qingyu was afraid that if she went there, she would encounter something annoying again, so she decided it was better not to go at all.
Gu Shi naturally listened to her in everything, and then the two walked to the riverbank.
The river didn't freeze over all winter; it was still flowing.
Do you remember catching two fish for me here?
Lin Qingyu walked to the riverbank, suddenly pointed to a spot, and turned to ask Gu Shi.
Gu Shi looked in the direction she pointed and immediately remembered.
That summer, Lin Qingyu was seen pulling up her trousers and catching fish in the river by herself.
"I remember that fish was huge! There are never any fish that big in this river!"
Gu Shi smiled and said to Lin Qingyu, "I was quite puzzled at the time. How come Lin Qingyu saw such a big fish as soon as she arrived at the river?"
Lin Qingyu smiled somewhat embarrassedly. At the time, she was only thinking about improving her meals and hadn't thought about it that much.
The two walked on until they reached the reed marshland.
It's just that no one knows who cut down the reeds, and now there's only a small, bare patch of land left.
"I remember I loved playing here when I was a child, especially when the reeds were growing lushly. I would spread some on the ground, lie down, and fall asleep."
Lin Qingyu was reminiscing about her childhood and didn't notice Gu Shi.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again, choosing to stay silently with Lin Qingyu.
As she was leaving, Lin Qingyu suddenly noticed something under a rock.
She suddenly squatted down and used her hands to pry the stone away.
A red ribbon was pulled out from inside.
It's the same one she used before.
My mind kept replaying the memory, and I remembered that I used to have two hair ties, and I even gave one of them to Wu Lili.
So it goes without saying whose it is.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Shi saw her pick something up from the ground and assumed it was something unusual.
“It’s an old thing that I gave to Wu, the educated youth.”
"Why are you picking this up? It's filthy. Here, you can hold it!"
Gu Shi took it from Lin Qingyu's hand, then took out a bag from his pocket and put it inside.
Why are you carrying a bag with you when you go out?!
Lin Qingyu patted the dirt off her hands, then squatted down and washed them by the river.
Gu Shi didn't speak, and Lin Qingyu, not hearing anything for a moment, wondered what had happened.
With her hands still wet, she turned to look at Gu Shi.
Why aren't you saying anything?
Gu Shi smiled but didn't say anything, instead using his own clothes to wipe Lin Qingyu's hands.
Then Lin Qingyu felt a cool sensation on her finger, and there was a ring on her ring finger that Gu Shi had wiped clean.
The gold carvings are a very simple and elegant design.
"Wow!"
Lin Qingyu was speechless for a moment, only looking at Gu Shi with surprise and delight.
"You, what are you doing..."
Gu Shi then put Lin Qingyu's hand into his bosom before saying something apologetically.
"I've been wanting to buy this for you, but I've never had time to pick it out."
Seeing Lin Qingyu's happy expression, Gu Shi said, "I was planning to give you a surprise, but I just couldn't resist."
Actually, the time and place weren't quite right, but Gu Shi was thinking about things from his childhood and wanted to distract himself.
Lin Qingyu hugged Gu Shi happily, "I like it very much, it's so beautiful!"
"Aren't wedding rings all the rage these days? Let's go pick one out sometime!"
Gu Shi naturally smiled and agreed.
When we got married, we weren't well-off, so we only took a picture of our marriage certificate, nothing else.
Gu Shi wants to make it up to Lin Qingyu, but he's always too busy.
Gu Shi thought to himself that he needed to spend more time with Lin Qingyu in the future. Looking at Lin Qingyu, who was so happy she was about to jump for joy, Gu Shi made a decision in his heart.
The sound of firecrackers in the distance reminded the two that it was time to go home for dinner.
The custom in Lihua Village is to set off firecrackers before eating the New Year's Eve dinner, and the earlier the dinner is eaten, the better.
So usually starting around three or four in the afternoon, people start setting off firecrackers one after another.
While it was still early, Lin Qingyu went to the supply and marketing cooperative again and bought a lot of New Year's goods to take back with her.
New Year, new look! Happy Chinese New Year!
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