The girl, no longer shy, looked up and took Li Qin's hand: "Sister, I was thinking that the New Year was coming soon, so I wanted to wait until you all came before we talked about it, which would also add some festive atmosphere to the New Year."
"You little brat," Li Qin raised her hand and tapped the girl's forehead, "you've been corrupted by that brat, keeping such a big thing from me."
"Hehe," Ding Qiunan gave Li Qin a simple, honest smile.
"Auntie, Auntie, do you have a baby?" Wang Jiayuan asked anxiously, pointing to the girl's belly.
Li Qin stroked her daughter's hair and said, "Yes, Auntie is pregnant. How about Auntie gives you a little brother to play with?"
"Great! I'm going to have a little brother!" Wang Jiayuan clapped her hands excitedly.
Wang Jiadong acted like a little adult, clasping his hands in congratulations to Ding Qiunan.
Wang Ziwen said to Li Chu, "Xiao Chu, congratulations! This is a very happy occasion. You should drink a few more cups today. You can't say you won't drink."
"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll have a few more drinks with you today." Li Chu took a wine glass and filled it for himself.
Raising her glass, she said loudly, "Come on, today is a day of double happiness for our family. Sister, brother-in-law, Jiayuan, Jiadong, and Qiunan, let's all raise our glasses and clink them together, wishing each other many happy returns of the day!"
The lively New Year's Eve dinner didn't end until after 9 p.m. Wang Ziwen and her family decided to stay there that night.
Li Chu turned on the heating pipes in the east wing, and the room would be warm in no time. The beds were also made up for them.
After Li Qin and Ding Qiunan tidied up the dining table, they brought over the kneaded dough and dumpling filling and started making dumplings.
Wang Ziwen, feeling quite tipsy, leaned back on the sofa listening to the radio. Li Chu, meanwhile, led Jia Yuan and Jia Dong to the alley to set off firecrackers.
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On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Chu was woken up again by the sound of firecrackers outside. It was just getting light outside. He first glanced at Ding Qiunan. Last night, Li Chu had put some cotton wool in her ears while she was sleeping, just in case the girl was woken up by the firecrackers in the morning.
I quietly slipped out of the house, only to find that Li Qin was already up.
"Sister, Happy New Year! Why didn't you sleep in a little longer?"
"Happy New Year. I couldn't fall back asleep after being woken up by the firecrackers outside. Is Qiu Nan still asleep? Did you get disturbed?" Li Qin asked with concern.
"Don't worry, sis, she's still asleep."
"Let me tell you, Xiao Chu, Qiu Nan is pregnant now. From now on, you'll have to do more housework and be considerate of Qiu Nan in everything you do, understand?" Li Qin said to her younger brother with some concern.
Hearing his sister's words, Li Chu was both amused and exasperated. Even when Ding Qiunan wasn't pregnant, he did most of the housework.
He didn't say it aloud, but nodded in agreement: "Absolutely, I'll take care of all the chores around the house from now on. I'll cherish my wife."
Li Qin smiled with satisfaction. This rascal has grown up; he's about to become a father.
At this moment, Wang Ziwen also came out wearing a coat. Seeing the siblings standing in the yard, she said, "Happy New Year, Xiao Chu. It's not even dawn yet, why are you two chatting like this?"
"Happy New Year, brother-in-law. My sister is here to remind me to take good care of Qiu Nan."
Wang Ziwen finished dressing and lit a cigarette: "Your sister found out Qiu Nan is pregnant, and she was laughing about it in bed last night."
“As the older sister, I’m naturally happy that my sister-in-law is pregnant.” Li Qin felt this was only natural: “Just like when I was pregnant with Jia Dong, you woke up in the middle of the night laughing.”
Li Qin's words reminded Wang Ziwen of those days when he first learned his wife was pregnant, and he woke up several times in the middle of the night with joy. Time flies so fast; in the blink of an eye, Jiadong is already 16 years old and should be going to high school.
After a pause, Wang Ziwen continued, "Xiao Chu, your heating is really good. It's warmer than the heating in our residential compound. We don't even need to cover ourselves with thick blankets at night."
“Brother-in-law, although the boiler in your compound is bigger than mine, it supplies heat for so many families there. I only have a few rooms here, so it will definitely be warm.”
"You're really quick-witted. When you bought the boiler, I thought you were wasting money. Now it seems the money was well spent, and you can use hot water whenever you want."
"Worthless! Does that water cost nothing? Does that coal cost nothing? So many people don't have heating and they still get through the winter. I think they just have a little money to burn." Li Qin retorted after her brother-in-law and brother-in-law's words.
"Sister, look, when your nephew is born, won't the house be warmer and your little nephew more comfortable?" Li Chu tried to explain to his sister.
Li Qin glanced at Li Chu sideways and said, "Come on, you should only think about yourself. Don't blame it on the children. When I was pregnant with Jia Dong or Jia Yuan, we didn't have heating at home, and we still made it. Why can't it be the same for you?"
Wang Ziwen squatted to the side, smoking silently. He dared not speak when Li Qin confronted him; he had learned this lesson the hard way.
"Sis, you didn't have the means back then, but now that it's New China, you have the means. What's wrong with enjoying yourself?"
"Hey, you little rascal, you dare to say anything." Li Qin walked over and pinched Li Chu's ear: "You can say these things in front of me and your brother-in-law, but don't go around saying them outside."
Wang Ziwen squatted there watching, grimacing. Sigh, she's still too young. Why did she argue with her? What's wrong with letting her say a few words?
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, sis, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it again. I was just joking."
Ouch, Li Chu rubbed his ear, which Li Qin had pinched twice. She really is his sister; it must be red from pinching it.
Wang Ziwen, who was standing next to her, burst out laughing. Li Qin turned to look at him and asked, "What, do you want to enjoy this too?"
Wang Ziwen quickly stood up, took two steps back, and waved her hand, saying, "No, no, I have no such thoughts. Our family is doing just fine right now."
"Hmph," Li Qin rolled her eyes at him and turned to go into the house.
"Sigh," Wang Ziwen and Li Chu looked at each other and sighed together.
"You're such a grown man, why are you still resorting to violence?" This reminded Li Chu of the fear he felt as a child when his older sister dominated him.
The two squatted under the eaves, reminiscing about the past.
As dawn broke, the sound of firecrackers outside continued intermittently. People were already moving about in the alley.
Li Chu got up and took out several strings of firecrackers from the storeroom. He strung them together to form a long string, and then he and his brother-in-law carried it to the road outside the gate.
After lighting the firecrackers, the two ran back into the courtyard and closed the gate. The firecrackers outside went off for quite a while before stopping, which probably woke up everyone in the alley.
Two grown men, whose combined age was seventy, stood in the yard laughing like children.
Li Qin heard the sound of firecrackers at the courtyard gate and came out of the house.
Looking at the two people standing in the yard, grinning mischievously, a smile also appeared on her face. It's so good that the family can spend the New Year together in peace and happiness!
Jiayuan and Jiadong were also awakened by the sound of firecrackers outside, and they walked out sleepily.
Upon seeing the person standing in the courtyard, the two immediately perked up, their eyes shining as they ran to Li Chu, vying to wish him a Happy New Year and then gazing longingly at their uncle.
Li Chu pretended not to understand what they meant, greeted them, and then turned to continue talking to his brother-in-law.
This made the two younger children so anxious that they scratched their heads and couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, did you forget something?"
The Fairy Tree Romance
"Forgot what? No, I haven't forgotten anything," Li Chu said, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, Uncle, red envelopes, lucky money, red envelopes for me and my brother."
"Oh, so you meant red envelopes..." Li Chu suddenly realized, then turned his two shirt pockets inside out, only to find them empty: "See? Uncle is already married, so he has no money in his pockets."
Jia Yuan leaned closer to take a look and said anxiously, "Uncle, how come you don't have any money?"
"Hey, you little rascal, ask your dad if he has any money in his pocket."
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