On the 29th of the year, Zhang Fangyuan closed the shop and hung up a sign saying it was closed. That’s all for this year.
New Year's goods had already been prepared, but before going home today he still bought some small things in the city, such as cakes and fruits. It was New Year's Day, so he could put a plate of them on the dinner table, which would look nice, and he would also have something to give to the children when they came to visit.
He tied a bundle of things on the horse's back and came to the city alone to open a shop without asking Xiao Hei to use a carriage. Although it was a bit cold to ride on a horse, it was very light and fast.
On his way back, he first went to the tea stall, which was to be closed the next day, so those who had not bought all the New Year goods in the surrounding areas came here to buy some to supplement their shopping.
Like soy sauce, vinegar, oil tea, wine, incense, candles, firecrackers, etc. In short, his teahouse is like a grocery store. The villagers are increasingly dependent on buying things here, asking for things that are not sold, and urging them to buy more goods...
When he went there, it was still quite lively. Several children were pestering their parents to buy some fruit to eat, and Chen Si was still selling meat there.
Although many villagers would slaughter their own pigs during the Chinese New Year and sell half of them and eat the other half, this would start in the twelfth lunar month and only a few families would slaughter their pigs during the two days leading up to the Chinese New Year. So if someone wanted to have some fresh meat for their last meal after a year of hard work, they had to go buy it. So Chen Si specially slaughtered a pig and sold it here.
"How is business today?"
"Not bad, almost all sold out." Chen Si saw Zhang Fangyuan coming back, wiped the butcher knife and put it into the basket, then took out a pig's hind leg from under the chopping board: "Here, take it!"
"What is this for?" Zhang Fangyuan didn't answer.
"Eat a little during the New Year, it's a token of my appreciation, and it saves me from having to buy anything else."
Zhang Fangyuan laughed, knowing what Chen Si meant. The two of them did not shirk their responsibilities like village women. He readily accepted the offer: "Work hard next year and your business will prosper."
Chen Si said cheerfully: "That's natural."
Zhang Fangyuan was busy recently, and was only concerned with his business in the city, so he didn't ask Chen Si: "You guys didn't owe any money for the new house, did you?"
Chen Si said: "No, it's not a big renovation. How much can three or five rooms cost?"
He hired someone to build a house just two months after he started selling pork. It didn't take much to build a mud house in the village, and it was quick and easy to use. He and his husband had moved in during the winter solstice. His life was much more peaceful now, and he no longer had to quarrel with his sister-in-law every day.
It is said that people feel refreshed when good things happen to them, so pork will sell better this month.
Zhang Fangyuan nodded. Everyone would be happy if they had a goal in life.
After talking to Chen Si, Zhang Fangyuan went back into the house and told his second aunt and fourth aunt-in-law to pack up and close the door early to go home so that they could celebrate the New Year tomorrow.
Zhang Fangyuan carried the pork leg sent by Chen Si and rode his horse back to the village.
When he got home and saw no one, he unloaded his things and left the horse untied, letting it graze freely outside the yard on the few fresh grasses available in winter.
He thought Xu He had gone to see the progress of the new house. The new house was actually not far from the old house. In less than a quarter of an hour, he could see the new house from afar while standing in the yard of the old house. Now that the foundation has been laid and the walls have begun to be built, Xu He goes there every day to keep an eye on them.
It's a big house, and the land alone occupies three acres, more than a thousand square meters. How can I not always check on how it is being built? Not only their family members, but also people in the village who have nothing to do will make an appointment to go and see their house.
Everyone sighed. The Zhang family had really made so much money that they didn't even want the land anymore. They built such a big house on it. How could so many people come to live there? But if you think about it carefully, it’s a good thing that we are occupying our own land, otherwise we would have to spend money to buy the land, and the cost would be even higher.
Everyone was pointing out and estimating how much it would cost to renovate the Zhang family's house.
"It's so wide, and it's not a mud house. It's made of blue bricks, and the roof is covered with thick tiles. It must cost at least 60 or 70 taels of silver!"
"Auntie Wang, the bricks and tiles alone are worth more than this. If we repair the whole thing, it will cost at least a hundred taels."
A villager who had worked in the kiln couldn't help but interrupt.
The woman exclaimed: "It costs so much money. The Zhang family is really rich! Is business so profitable these days?"
"It's incredible. It's really incredible."
The woman was amazed and regretful at the same time. She wondered why Zhang Fangyuan didn't promise his daughter to her when he couldn't find a wife. It was a pity that matchmaker Gan had come to their house to talk about it.
It's not just him. The Hu family is the one who regrets the most. When the matchmaker Gan came to their house to propose marriage, not only did they not agree, they also cursed her in front of the fourth aunt. Now, let alone taking advantage of the marriage, even if their own man wanted to come here to help, he didn't have the face to come, and they blamed him to death at home.
A group of villagers were busy thinking about how they could get closer to the enemy and gain some benefits.
Zhang Fangyuan walked around here but didn't see Xu He. His fourth uncle said that he came for a while earlier and seemed to be digging bamboo shoots. Zhang Fangyuan shook his head helplessly. There really was no time to spare.
Although winter bamboo shoots are still growing these days, they are difficult to dig. Winter bamboo shoots are delicious and expensive. In the twelfth lunar month, some villagers carry hoes into the bamboo forest to dig bamboo shoots. The forest has been dug for two months, and the ground has long been dug up, making it difficult to dig bamboo shoots.
Even if an outsider works hard for half a day, he may not be able to dig out what is buried in the soil. Only someone who knows how to observe the growth of bamboo can dig it out.
"Xu He!"
Zhang Fangyuan shouted as he reached the forest. After a while, a voice came from the forest: "It's near the ditch."
Following the sound, Zhang Fangyuan indeed saw someone.
A big one was digging everywhere with a hoe, and two small ones were digging the soil everywhere with wooden sticks to look for bamboo shoots.
When they saw someone coming, Xiao'e and Xiaomao called him "cousin" and "cousin" respectively.
"You three aren't afraid of a blind bear coming and taking you away."
Xu He said: "It's not in the deep mountains and old forests. Besides, it happened many years ago. If there are still blind bears coming, can the bamboo forest here be turned over so badly?"
After saying this, he threw his small hoe to Zhang Fangyuan, sat down on a stone block covered with some ferns, and wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief. He found that he was not as agile and capable as before, but he felt very tired after working for a while. The main reason was that he had too many things on his body and it was not easy for him to walk.
Zhang Fangyuan walked over and touched Xu He's face: "Have you been digging for a long time?"
Xu He slapped Zhang Fangyuan's hand away, glared at him, looked at the two children beside him, and whispered, "Don't teach the children bad things."
Zhang Fangyuan said with a smile: "If I wipe your sweat, I will teach the children bad things. This is to let them know what kind of husband they should look for in the future."
"He keeps talking nonsense all day long while digging bamboo shoots."
Xiaomao and Xiao'e giggled for a while, then went to dig bamboo shoots nearby.
"It's been several months, and you're still out digging bamboo shoots. Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
Zhang Fangyuan had a hard time holding Xu He's small hoe. Although it was light, it fluttered in his hand like a juggling toy. Moreover, the hoe handle was short, so he had to bend over to use it as he was tall.
Xu He took a sip of water from the gourd. The boiled water he had filled when he came here had now turned into warm water. He gulped down two gulps and said, "I told you the other day that we don't have any winter bamboo shoots at home. We need to eat them during the New Year, so I asked you to dig some for me. Who told you not to come?"
"When did you ask me to dig it for you?"
Xu He said: "I already said no, if you don't come then I will be the only one to come."
Zhang Fangyuan put his hands on his hips and said, "I've never seen anyone as unreasonable as you."
Xu He raised his eyebrows slightly and put down the gourd. In winter, there is a lot of rain but the weather is not bad. The water in the ditch in the bamboo forest becomes more abundant and flows gurglingly. In summer, many children come to the ditch to catch shrimps and crabs. They can play there for most of the day and catch a lot of shrimps and crabs. However, the crabs here are mountain crabs, which are not as good as the river crabs sold in the city.
Crabs are delicious in autumn, so Zhang Fangyuan brought back more than a dozen crabs from the city. He pickled the crabs in a jar with wine dregs, salt and vinegar, but he had never been willing to eat them. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve dinner is just right, so he can let everyone try them together. Many households in the village may have never eaten these river and sea products in their entire lives, but they are a common pastime on the dinner tables of city dwellers.
"Come and have a look. We have already dug three. How many more should we dig?"
When Xu He heard that they had dug them up, he hurried over. There were two fat ones and one small bamboo shoot. They didn't look very good, but it didn't matter. He would take them home and peel them and eat them anyway.
"It'll be enough to cook tomorrow."
He came early, but only managed to pull up two small bamboo shoots. Fortunately, Zhang Fangyuan had taught him how to look at bamboo and dig it last spring, but this requires talent. It was all in vain today.
"have to."
On New Year's Eve, the village was full of joy and excitement. After the firecrackers in the east of the village were set off, the firecrackers in the west began to explode. By noon, there were even more firecrackers. Some families have New Year’s Eve dinner at noon and set off firecrackers at noon, while those who have dinner at night set off firecrackers at night.
Zhang Fangyuan's family decided to have breakfast and dinner, so the family began to busy themselves with cooking in the afternoon. In addition to their own family of four, Zhang Shicheng's family of three also came to have the reunion dinner together this year, making it more lively. Originally, he called Zhang Fangyuan his uncle, but Zhang Shixin's family didn't come. They said that his two cousins had finally come back to celebrate the New Year, so they just wanted to have a family reunion.
Zhang Fangyuan was happy and relaxed.
The afternoon was lively and busy. The men were responsible for slaughtering chickens, ducks and fish, while the women cleaned the vegetables and prepared the ingredients, and Xu He was the chef.
A big rooster was killed at home. After Zhang Fangyuan cleaned the feathers, he grabbed a handful of straw and burned the fine feathers. The rooster was smoked by the straw and smelled fragrant. He patted the fat chicken and carried it in to give to Xu He.
After the rooster is washed, it is not chopped into pieces. It is put into the pot and boiled whole. When it is formed, it is taken out and put into a basin together with a large piece of cured meat. According to tradition, incense, candles, money and paper are taken to offer sacrifices to the Bodhisattva and ancestors.
Zhang Fangyuan cut half of a radish and placed it on the window, inserted a lit incense stick into it, tore some paper money and burned it, then chanted something to invite the Kitchen God to come for dinner, to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, and to welcome the new year with auspiciousness.
This was something Zhang Fangyuan would have done when his parents were still alive. Later, his home became deserted and he occasionally stayed in the village. He was most reluctant to go home during the Chinese New Year. When the whole family was reunited, his own home would be cold and deserted. The whole house was full of traces of the former lively life. How could he not be sad?
Last year, his home was also empty, so he still went to his fourth uncle's house to have the New Year's dinner. In the blink of an eye, a year passed, and his family also had a lively New Year. He was more active than before, buying and preparing everything, wishing to fill the house with food.
For the first time ever, Xu He didn't say anything to him. Probably because he knew it had been hard for him to live alone before, so the first year together as a couple should naturally be as lively as possible.
"Eat and drink as much as you can, Kitchen God. May our family prosper and my husband live safely..."
Xu He kicked someone nearby and said, "Who said that we should ask the Kitchen God for help? He can't control so much."
Zhang Fangyuan asked, "Who should we pray to? Should we go to the temple and pray to Guanyin?"
"Ayuan, look at how silly you are. You should go and ask your Zhang family's ancestors for blessings." He walked in and couldn't help laughing when she saw Zhang Fangyuan praying to the Kitchen God for protection of the fetus.
Zhang Fangyuan said, "Then I will bring some more incense, candles, money and paper, and two pots of wine and good food to pay my respects at the graves of my ancestors and my parents."
When Zhang Shiyue came in, she saw people carrying things in large and small basins, and said with a smile, "This kid."
Later in the evening, the sky was gray and the big table made up of two square tables was filled with large plates and small bowls of delicious food.
Chicken stewed with vermicelli, winter bamboo shoots and cured pork ribs, Song Sao's fish soup, wine lees duck, and fresh wine lees crabs... all the big and small dishes, the chicken, duck, fish and meat that are common on the tables of ordinary people are all on the table today, with hot and cold dishes, fried, stewed and braised.
Zhang Fangyuan also opened a pot of wine he had brought back from the city, and he and Zhang Shicheng each had a pot.
Halfway through the meal, Zhang Fangyuan took out the fireworks he had bought as he saw it was getting dark. Xu He also gave New Year's money to Xiaomao and Xiao'e.
We only spend money this year, and next year the elders of the Zhang family will come and give the kids New Year's money.
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