The second sister-in-law was delighted to hear this and quickly went out to call people in. So the three boys and two girls lined up neatly in front of Yan Xiaonan.
When the eldest sister saw this, she pushed her son and daughter to stand in front of Yan Xiaonan. This action made the second sister-in-law roll her eyes in anger, but she couldn't say anything. She could only glare at her eldest sister-in-law resentfully.
Yan Xiaonan was glad she had brought extra hair ties, so, like a little adult, she said to her sister-in-law and second sister-in-law's daughters:
"Big sister, second sister, these hair ties are for you since you weren't here last year. These are hair ties for you this year too. Third sister, fourth sister, these hair ties are for you. And there are four bows here, one for each of you."
The four girls looked at the hair ties and ribbons in their hands and were so happy they could fly. They quickly thanked Yan Xiaonan, saying that their little sister was both pretty and generous, and they would definitely treat her well in the future.
The girls went to the side to braid their hair and put on ribbons. As for candy, they thought it was for the boys in their families; they were happy with their hair ties and ribbons.
The second sister-in-law was even more surprised. This little one was so good at dividing things, so fair and just, she didn't let her two daughters suffer at all. Oh, and there's candy too, let's see how she divides it.
Yan Xiaonan separated the fruit candies and White Rabbit milk candies, slowly dividing them into three piles one by one. She was afraid that people would know she could count, so she could only use this clumsy method.
After distributing all the candies, there were two milk candies and one fruit candy left. So, the two milk candies were given to the maternal grandparents, and the fruit candy was given to the paternal grandmother.
She gave one pile of candy to her second sister-in-law, one pile to her mother's eldest sister, and the remaining pile was waiting for their eldest sister-in-law to come out and give it to her.
Yan Daqiang thought the girl was clever when he saw her distributing the hair ties. He chuckled to himself when he was distributing the candy. He knew that each family had a different number of children, and if the candy was distributed according to the number of children, Chen's second sister-in-law would definitely be at a disadvantage. He thought, "Let's see what you do then."
Later, when I saw her dividing the candy into three piles in circles, I was amazed. It turned out that this little girl was distributing it according to household registration. The extra candy was given to the three elderly people, and no one could complain. She was so clever. The best part was that the candy was not given to the children, but to the adults, which eliminated any future trouble.
Grandma Yan watched her precious daughter's every move with unparalleled pride. This is my little fairy, my little fairy. Who can compare to her?
Holding a pile of candy, Chen's second sister-in-law looked at Yan Xiaonan with some disbelief and asked Grandma Yan, "My dear in-law, how old is Nannan exactly?"
Grandma Yan said with a smile, "She was born in the twelfth lunar month. She'll be three years old by the Chinese age reckoning after the New Year. She's a big girl now."
"Three years old in the traditional Chinese age reckoning, that's two years old!" Chen's second sister-in-law shook her head. "I don't understand, I don't understand. No wonder the Yan family cherishes this girl so much. I would cherish her too!"
She gave her son a piece of candy, then offered one to Yan Xiaonan, who shook her head: "I have some at home, Auntie can have it."
Everyone fell silent. What was there to say? They looked at their own children and then at Yan Xiaonan; there was no comparison.
The girls in their family were excitedly braiding their hair, while the boys were smacking their lips as they ate candy. Only the Yan family's children stood or sat upright, neither humble nor arrogant.
Old Man Chen spoke up: "My dear in-law, you have such good upbringing, that's why you were able to raise such good sons as Daqiang and Xiaoqiang. Even your children are well-behaved."
Grandma Yan was a little embarrassed by what was said, and Chen's mother spoke up in time: "My dear in-law, are you hungry? Let's eat, the food is all ready."
So everyone got busy, and within minutes all the food was on the table. This year's food was better than last year's.
But it was just some coarse grain flatbread, and there was also a dish of braised pork with potatoes. You could tell at a glance that the pork was the food that Xiaoqiang brought over when we hunted wild boar last time. I didn't expect that we would only eat it today. He really put his heart into it.
Old Chen suddenly remembered the dog and asked Xiao Qiang, "What does your dog eat? Should we prepare something for him to eat?"
Yan Xiaoqiang shook his head, saying he would go out and find something to eat himself. Old Man Chen shook his head, saying, "The mountains here are already snowbound. Where is he going to find something to eat?"
Grandma Yan said with a smile, "Father-in-law, my son is very capable; he can find things to eat."
"Who is Zhongnan?" Chen's mother asked, puzzled.
Chen's second sister-in-law laughed: "Mother, Zhongnan is that dog. I heard Nannan call him."
Mother Chen clicked her tongue in amazement. How could a dog's name fit so well with the three boys? Bei Nan spoke up: "Grandma, Zhong Nan is our younger brother."
Just as Old Man Chen was about to raise his glass to toast Grandma Yan, he was startled by Bei Nan's words and almost spilled the wine in his glass. He quickly steadied himself, feeling sorry for the spilled wine, which was a good wine that Da Qiang had taken out of his military overcoat. He couldn't let it go to waste.
The wine was strong and the food was delicious, but Nan Nan was getting sleepy, so Cuihua put down her chopsticks, picked up Nan Nan and took her into her parents' room to sleep with her for a while.
Her sister-in-law followed behind, urging her to eat some more, but Cuihua refused, saying that her daughter couldn't be left alone.
When the eldest sister saw Cuihua go inside, she quickly and quietly asked Chen's mother if she could have a piece of meat when they got back, as the family hadn't had meat in a long time.
Chen's mother nodded. "Cuihua brought back twenty catties of wild boar meat. It should be no problem to cut two or three catties. There are also two wild rabbits. Let the two daughters-in-law take them back to their parents' home tomorrow."
When she heard that her mother had agreed to give her two or three pounds of meat, the eldest sister was so happy that she almost cried. Today was such a feast, with meat, candy, and even a red ribbon for her daughter's hair.
Cuihua is truly blessed to have married into such a good family. However, she herself is not bad off either. Her family is a bit poor, but her father-in-law doesn't interfere in family matters, and her mother-in-law is easy to talk to. It's just that her husband has a bad temper and she has to coax him.
The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests. The eldest sister, her sister-in-law, and her second sister-in-law quickly cleared the table. There was no tea at home, only some chrysanthemums that the young men had picked in the fall, which would be good to make into tea after drying.
Just as they picked up their teacups, they heard Zhongnan barking urgently. Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaoqiang and Yan Dongnan immediately got up and told Old Man Chen to get the tools.
Before Old Man Chen could figure out what was going on, Yan Xiaoqiang picked up a shovel, and Yan Dongnan found a machete. The two of them rushed out following Zhongnan's shouts.
Yan Daqiang saw this and grabbed a carrying pole to go out, when he heard Grandma Yan urgently call out, "Daqiang, close the door quickly!" Yan Daqiang quickly closed the door to the main room and bolted it. A moment later, he heard chickens and dogs running around outside.
Peeking through the crack in the door, he immediately became excited, beckoned his brother-in-law over, and told him to close the door as soon as he left. Seeing that his brother-in-law understood, he opened the door, grabbed a carrying pole, and rushed out.
The family had no idea what was going on. They were peeking through the window or through the crack in the door. They were both scared and happy when they saw it.
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