Chapter 97
The weather on the first day of the Lunar New Year was not good; the snow continued to fall.
Outside, it was freezing cold and snowy, and few people went out. The first day of the Lunar New Year should have been a lively day for neighbors to visit each other and for children to exchange New Year's greetings. However, due to the bad weather, the residential compound was deserted, and everyone stayed at home to keep warm by the fire.
By the afternoon, the snow had lessened, and the Miao siblings from next door came over to wish them a Happy New Year.
Gu Xi warmly welcomed them, giving them a handful of melon seeds, peanuts, and candy that had been specially prepared on the table, and then giving each of them a 50-cent red envelope.
This is a red envelope specially prepared for the child of a neighbor I know well.
Miao Cuini felt a little embarrassed when she saw that she was actually giving her a red envelope, and reached out to stop her, saying, "Aunt Gu, this..."
"It's alright, keep it," Gu Xi said with a smile. "Come on over, sit down and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourselves up."
The four Miao siblings sat obediently.
Few children can resist the charm of a beautiful, gentle, and generous older sister type of elder.
Gu Xi said to Miao Cuini, "Cuini, when school starts, my son Huaisheng will also be studying in the first year of junior high school here. I don't know if he can be in the same class as you. I'll have to trouble you to take care of Huaisheng then."
Miao Cuini looked surprised and turned to look at Xu Huaisheng.
At this moment, Xu Huaisheng gave her a smile, looking somewhat reserved.
Miao Cuini didn't think much of it. Since Gu Xi had given the order, she agreed without hesitation, patting her chest and saying, "Don't worry, Aunt Gu, I will take good care of Huaisheng."
After finishing their tea, the siblings left to continue visiting other people to wish them a Happy New Year.
When they returned from their New Year's greetings, Ye Fenghua asked, "Where did you go to pay your respects? Why are your pockets so bulging? Oh? And red envelopes? Who gave them to you?"
Children rarely receive red envelopes when they visit relatives and friends for the New Year.
Seeing her reach out to take their red envelopes, Miao Jianguo and Miao Jianshe quickly covered their pockets and hid the red envelopes.
If the red envelopes and candies end up in their mother's hands, they'll never get them back.
"This was given to us by Aunt Gu, you can't take it away!" Miao Jianshe shouted at the top of his lungs.
Ye Fenghua slapped them on the head, subduing the two boys, and then rummaged through their pockets, finding peanuts, melon seeds, candy, and red envelopes.
Unlike their two brothers, Miao Cuini and Miao Cuiyu didn't resist; they obediently took the things out of their pockets.
However, Ye Fenghua did not take their gifts. She said to them, "Alright, I know you're good. Keep the candy and red envelopes for yourselves."
Miao Jianguo and Miao Jianshe were immediately indignant and muttered that their mother was biased.
Ye Fenghua said matter-of-factly, "If you were as well-behaved as Cui Ni and Cui Yu, why would I take your things? I'm just looking, I don't really want them."
She opened her two sons' red envelopes and was surprised to find that there were actually 50 cents inside.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, children run around the residential compound, visiting each family to wish them a Happy New Year. People will prepare melon seeds, peanuts, and candy in advance to entertain them.
As for red envelopes, they are usually only given to close friends and family, and the amount given is not much. It is normal to put in a few cents, and giving a dime is considered a generous gesture.
Someone like Gu Xi, who gives a child a 50-cent red envelope, is far too generous.
Ye Fenghua confiscated the children's red envelopes and said to them, "You are not allowed to use these red envelopes to buy things. Keep them safe, understand?"
When the children saw that she didn't take their red envelopes, they cheered happily and praised her as a kind and understanding mother.
Ye Fenghua found it both funny and infuriating, and slapped the back of her two sons' heads.
She said to Commander Miao, "It's not that I was stingy before, it's just that our family is struggling financially. How could we let them spend money recklessly? We had to save the red envelopes for them to pay their tuition when school started, right?"
Then a smile appeared on her face, and she continued, "But after the New Year, my job will be officially hired and my salary will double. Our family won't be as tight on money as before. I will also give them some pocket money in the future... Especially since Cui Ni is a young lady, she can't be without money. Otherwise, she won't have money to buy even the smallest personal items, which is quite pitiful."
In the end, she herself felt a little uncomfortable.
She's a woman too, and she knows what girls go through when they enter puberty. She went through that awkward period herself and couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer the same pain she had gone through.
She didn't have the means or the options before, but now that her family is better off, she wants to make sure her two daughters have a better life too.
Commander Miao laughed and said, "You're the head of our household, so you're in charge."
He knew his wife had always been planning for the family, so he had always supported her.
When Xu Yuansheng and her sister came to pay their New Year's respects, Ye Fenghua warmly welcomed them, pulled them to sit by the stove to warm up, and poured them a cup of homemade barley tea.
As they left, they each slipped a red envelope.
The two sisters strolled around the family compound, paid their New Year's visits, and returned home, handing over the red envelopes given to Gu Xi by Ji Ya, Qiao Hui, Ye Fenghua, and others.
Gu Xi opened the envelopes and found that Ye Fenghua had given her red envelopes, each containing one yuan. This was essentially returning the money Ye Fenghua had previously given to the Miao family children.
This is a very common occurrence.
Gu Xi handed the red envelopes to her two younger sisters and said, "Keep this money! Huai Sheng will need some pocket money when school starts." Then she said to Xu Huai Sheng, "Cuini is the same age as you. After school starts, let Cuini take care of you so you two can keep each other company."
The two families are neighbors and the same age, so they can keep each other company.
These days, children generally start school at a relatively late age, especially girls, because girls usually have to help with household chores, and some families don't even let their daughters go to school, so as not to lose a laborer in the family.
This kind of thing is very common in the countryside; there are many girls who don't go to school.
Just like when Gu Xi was still in the Xu family, the three sisters were all illiterate and had no opportunity to study. If Gu Xi hadn't returned to the Gu family and sent money to Xujiatun, specifically to send her two younger sisters to school, and if Tian Qiaolian hadn't helped mediate, they would probably still be illiterate now.
Xu Dagui and his wife wouldn't even let them attend literacy classes because it would interfere with their work.
Both Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng started school late. However, Xu Yuansheng was older and Gu Xi often wrote back to remind him, so he gritted his teeth and spent five years completing primary and junior high school.
As for Xu Huaisheng, he was in the first year of junior high school in Xujiatun before he came to the army.
Because she is young, we were worried that she would not be able to keep up, so we let her study slowly. It is not too late to start junior high school at fourteen or fifteen years old.
Xu Huaisheng felt uneasy and sat down next to Gu Xi, saying, "Big sister, if I study here, won't people gossip?"
"What gossip are you talking about?" Gu Xi frowned slightly. Could it be that someone went to her sister and spread rumors?
Xu Yuansheng also frowned.
Xu Huaisheng hesitated and said, "My second sister and I have been staying in the army. Everyone finds it strange and asks us why we don't go home..."
Although she always went out with her second sister, sometimes she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things or go out to take out the trash by herself. When she encountered some people from the family compound, she would inevitably be pulled aside and questioned.
Those people didn't actually have any bad intentions. It's just that Gu Xi is a celebrity in the family compound, so it's inevitable that they would be interested in her two younger sisters from her hometown. Some even wanted to act as matchmakers for Xu Yuansheng and asked Xu Huaisheng what kind of partner her second sister liked so they could introduce her to someone.
So some people ask why they live here all the time and never go home.
Gu Xi's smile remained unchanged. She patted her head and said gently, "Don't worry about what they say. If anyone asks you again in the future, just say that I am your eldest sister and that I want you to stay here to study. The junior high school in the army is of better quality than the one back home. You will be going to high school and college in the future, so naturally you should go to a better junior high school."
Xu Huaisheng was a little confused: "Big sister, wasn't the college entrance examination canceled? We can't go to university, right?"
“It’s alright, isn’t there still the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University?” Gu Xi said. “This recommendation spot isn’t too hard to get; your brother-in-law’s family has a spot.”
The college entrance examination has been cancelled, but it will be reinstated in the future.
Of course, we can't say these things now. We can only use the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University as a way to fool outsiders.
Given his status as a worker-peasant-soldier, he did indeed have a recommendation quota.
Xu Yuansheng asked in confusion, "Big sister, since there are nomination slots for workers, peasants and soldiers, why don't you go?"
My older sister graduated from high school last July. What a great opportunity! If she had wanted to go, she would be a college student now. College students sound amazing.
She thought it was good that her older sister went to university.
Shen Mingzheng was off work today and stayed at home. He had just gone back to his room to get his clothes when he came out and heard this. He stood at the doorway.
With her back to him, Gu Xi said lazily, "I wasn't feeling well at the time, so I didn't want to go."
Being unwell is practically a universal excuse, and she thought it was a great excuse to use.
You can't say that she had just been reborn and was living in a daze, afraid that she would die one day, even wanting to dissolve her marriage, afraid of delaying Shen Mingzheng, let alone going to university or anything like that, and had no interest at all.
Upon hearing this, the Xu sisters couldn't help but show a look of sorrow on their faces.
Every time the two sisters think about this, they are very worried about her health. If she hadn't said that she would recover well in the future, they would have loved to give her half of their health.
Later that evening, Commissar Xu's two children also came to offer their New Year's greetings.
The siblings had just left when Yu Xiaoyue arrived.
Gu Xi pulled the little girl closer and looked her over, saying, "Xiaoyue hasn't come to play with me lately. What have you been busy with? Is it because your grandma made you stay home to do chores after the holidays started and didn't let you come out?"
Yu Xiaoyue was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket and still looked like a shy and bashful young girl.
She smiled and said, "Actually, I didn't do much work. My mother is here. I help her weave homespun cloth at home."
Gu Xi seemed very interested and asked her how to weave homespun cloth and where to sell it after it was finished.
After the little girl finished speaking, she sighed inwardly, patted the little girl's head, and pointed to Xu Huaisheng next to her, saying, "After the New Year, your sister Huaisheng will be going to junior high school. If you don't understand anything in the future, you can ask her... Junior high school and elementary school are connected, so you can go to and from school together. After school, come over and do your homework with your sister Huaisheng."
Yu Xiaoyue turned to look at Xu Huaisheng.
Xu Huaisheng smiled at her and said, "Xiaoyue, I'm new here and not familiar with the school. I'll need your help in the future."
Yu Xiaoyue hurriedly replied, "Okay, Sister Huaisheng, don't worry."
It was clear that Yu Xiaoyue was very happy to hear that she could help.
Gu Xi took the opportunity to stuff a bag of peanuts and melon seeds into her hand, then grabbed a handful of candy and put it into the pocket of an undershirt inside her old cotton-padded jacket. She winked at the little girl and instructed her, "This is candy for you. Don't let anyone find out. Eat it all by yourself, okay?"
Yu Xiaoyue nodded with a smile.
As soon as Xiaoyue left, Gu Xi slipped her a red envelope. Before the girl could refuse, Gu Xi pretended to be serious and said, "This is a red envelope from an elder. Keep it for yourself and don't give it to anyone else, understand?"
Yu Xiaoyue looked at her hesitantly, somewhat at a loss.
Gu Xi patted her head, stuffed the red envelope into her thermal underwear pocket, and then let her go home.
Yu Xiaoyue returned home just as her two older brothers came back from outside.
Seeing her grandmother serving hot soup to her two older brothers in the kitchen, she secretly slipped into the room and hid the candy and red envelope that Gu Xi had given her. However, before hiding the red envelope, she opened it and found that there was actually 50 cents inside.
Wow, that's a lot of money!
Yu Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled; this was the first time she had ever received so much money in a red envelope.
Originally, Yu Xiaoyue wanted to listen to Gu Xi and hide all the money in the red envelope, but then she thought of something, took out a few cents from it, put them in her pocket, and went out.
She took the sunflower seeds and peanuts out of her pocket and put them on the table, and also took out a few candies.
"There's even candy! Who gave it to you?" Yu Dabao asked, reaching out to pick up a piece, peel it, and pop it into his mouth.
Yu Xiaoyue said, "It was given to me by Aunt Gu."
Yu Erbao also reached for a candy and stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, "I heard that Commander Shen's wife is very generous and open-handed. Brother, let's go wish her a Happy New Year."
Yu Dabao had no objection: "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
Hearing her two older brothers' words, Yu Xiaoyue became anxious, but she couldn't stop them and could only wait nervously at home.
Yu Xiaoyue kept her eyes on the two brothers until they returned.
Grandma Yu asked, "What did you bring back? Did Gu Xi give you anything? Did she give you a red envelope?"
The two brothers took out what was in their pockets: peanuts, melon seeds, and two pieces of candy.
There was a red envelope too, but when I opened it, I found there was only five cents inside.
Although it was only five cents, it was still money, and the two brothers were very happy. Only Grandma Yu muttered something about being stingy, saying that even though they had become writers, she couldn't bear to give the children a bigger red envelope.
Ma Chunling spoke up fairly: "Mom, our family isn't close to Commander Shen's family either..."
It was already unexpected that Gu Xi would give a red envelope; it's probably because the two families live close by and are considered neighbors that she was so generous in giving a red envelope.
Grandma Yu, feeling embarrassed, didn't bother to talk to her. Seeing her granddaughter standing there, she reached out to her: "Xiaoyue, where's your red envelope? You went to Commander Shen's house earlier, you should have received a red envelope, right?"
Yu Xiaoyue slowly took out five cents from her pocket.
Grandma Yu took it directly, muttering, "Children shouldn't take red envelopes, they'll spend money recklessly. I'll keep this money for you."
As for when to give it to my granddaughter, that's impossible.
Yu Xiaoyue looked on longingly, looking very aggrieved, but dared not speak, otherwise her grandmother would slap her across the face.
Grandma Yu did not take away the red envelopes from Yu Dabao and Yu Erbao.
Looking at her aggrieved daughter, Ma Chunling sighed, patted her head to comfort her, and said nothing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
