Jiang Xiaoyan sent Duoduo to sleep next door with her grandparents and started getting busy. Lu Feng sighed and took the bucket to empty the swill.
Lu Feng was busy until after 2 p.m. before he finished tidying up. Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), he felt a little bored. Nowadays, entertainment activities are scarce in the city, let alone in villages and towns.
Chinese New Year is all about adults gambling and kids setting off firecrackers!
Lu Feng didn't know anyone here, so he had to lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed). It has to be said that back in the village, Duo Duo was liberated. She could play however she wanted in the yard without any interference.
Around 4 p.m., it was time to prepare dinner. The neighbors had already seen Lu Feng's car return, and each household started cooking, occasionally whispering about whose family was doing well.
Jiang Xiaoyan was extremely busy, and she basically cooked all the dinners. She would finish cooking by the time everyone else had started eating, and her family barely even glanced at her.
Lu Feng sat there watching her, sometimes feeling that a woman being too sensible was a kind of self-torture.
"Let's eat first." Lu Feng picked up Duo Duo and asked, "How are we going to sleep tonight?"
"Your dad and I share that room, and the three of you are crammed into this one," Song Xuemei said casually while eating.
"Huh?" Jiang Xiaoyan asked with a look of surprise, "Mom, didn't I tell you in advance to boil the fire in the house upstairs?"
“It’s such a waste of charcoal. Your eldest brother’s family and your second brother’s family are coming back tomorrow. It’ll be two families together. The room next door is too small to fit three people. The little guy will sleep with us tonight,” Song Xuemei said without looking up.
"This isn't appropriate. Xiaohong is so old already. She's staying with us, and there's no one else tonight. Why don't the three of us go upstairs and stay here first?" Jiang Xiaoyan insisted.
"You think you can decide? I can decide?" Song Xuemei raised her head, her eyebrows raised, and shouted, "I cleaned it all up, and then you ruined it after sleeping in it. Besides, you can just draw a curtain at night. The room on the left is reserved for the new son-in-law. He's from the city, and no one has lived in that room since it was cleaned, you know?"
As Lu Feng ate his meal, he secretly told himself to pretend he was mute, that the rich city son-in-law was the son-in-law, and he had to squeeze into this place.
Jiang Xiaoyan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but she didn't say anything more.
After the meal, she was the one who cleaned up the dishes. Jiang Ergou went to gamble at a house in town and didn't know when he would return. Before leaving, he pretended to call Lu Feng once, but Lu Feng waved his hand and refused.
At 8:30 p.m., the few television programs that were running around in the yard came to an end. Duoduo, who had been running around in the yard all day, also fell asleep and was carried to the next room by Song Xuemei to sleep.
The kang (heated brick bed) wasn't big; it could only sleep three people. Lu Feng slept on the edge of the kang, Jiang Xiaoyan slept inside, and Jiang Xiaohong slept at the very back. To avoid suspicion, a curtain was drawn between them.
The lamplight was dim, and the ground was paved with bricks. This was still a wealthy family's home; ordinary villagers now used clay. Jiang Xiaoyan tidied the bedding, pulled back the curtain, and said, "Xiaohong, bring in the chamber pot. Let's go to sleep!"
"I won't mention it, it's disgusting." Jiang Xiaohong jumped onto the kang (a heated brick bed) very quickly, muttering, "I'm getting married next year and living in an apartment building."
Seeing that her words were ineffective, Jiang Xiaoyan had no choice but to look at Lu Feng.
"So you can only order me around." Lu Feng opened the door and carried in a bucket, braving the cold wind.
Lu Feng had never slept on a kang before. Although he was a northerner in his previous life, sleeping on a kang was something he hadn't done since childhood and couldn't remember it anymore. As he was taking off his clothes, he was suddenly hit on the back. He turned around and saw Jiang Xiaoyan staring at him with wide eyes, looking like a man-eating tiger.
"What's wrong?" Lu Feng lowered his voice, feeling a little annoyed. He wanted to tell her that he had already been humble enough, being ordered around at her house, and she was still glaring at him.
Jiang Xiaoyan pointed at the curtain, opening her mouth but not making a sound, and said, "Put on your thermal underwear, aren't you ashamed? My sister is right here, and you, as her brother-in-law, are you dressed like this?"
Lu Feng tugged at his hair, utterly speechless. He had no choice but to put on his thermal underwear and get into bed.
The kang (heated brick bed) was very hard, like sleeping on a stone, but it was warm.
With the lights off, the room was pitch black, except for the glowing red light from the stove.
The teapot on the stove boiled, making a whistling sound that momentarily made one feel disoriented, as if the northwest wind was passing by outside the window.
The kang (heated brick bed) was quite small, and with the curtains drawn, Jiang Xiaoyan's head was almost touching Lu Feng's face.
"Shall we go back on the second day of the Lunar New Year?" Lu Feng whispered.
In the dim light, Jiang Xiaoyan opened her eyes, reached into Lu Feng's blanket, grabbed a piece of flesh, and pinched it.
"hiss!"
Lu Feng hissed in pain and grabbed her hand.
"We agreed on the sixth day. If you talk nonsense again, I'll strangle you." Jiang Xiaoyan looked at him and said, "Go to sleep."
Lu Feng had already heard his cheap sister-in-law fall asleep, making soft snores. He whispered, "She's asleep. I realized that. I'm no good in your house. Your two brothers haven't arrived yet. The real show is about to begin."
"Shut up and bear with it. If you don't want to, fine too. But if they ask you for money, I won't care."
Lu Feng was both amused and exasperated, and could only say, "Fine, I'll just have to bear it."
Lu Feng grabbed her hand, and the two of them, who were already close together, ended up squeezing together. Jiang Xiaoyan could already sense that he was being a little unruly, and she kept glaring at him.
"sleep!"
Lu Feng's hands were getting a little restless, so he nodded and said, "Go to sleep!"
"I pinched you! Where are your hands?" Jiang Xiaoyan raised her knee, trying to push him out of bed.
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