Chapter 19
On New Year's Eve, people usually stay up the whole night, which is called "Shousui". According to the old people, it is good for people to stay up late on New Year's Eve, as it indicates that they are in good spirits and will be blessed in the coming year.
Old Mrs. Lin was old and very sleepy, so she went to bed early. The children ate their dumplings and played for a while, then went to bed one by one.
Only Boss Lin and his brothers and sisters-in-law were left playing cards, drinking tea and chatting together.
Lights were not allowed to be turned off throughout the night of New Year's Eve. Kerosene lamps were lit in the room. Jiang Jiang was woken up by the urge to pee. The lights were still on in the main house and there were voices. When he came back from the toilet, he saw Zhong Xing who had just come back from outside.
"Brother Zhong Xing."
He Guijuan invited two children who were staying at her home to have dinner, but Zhong Xing and Yu Hangyuan did not want to join in other people's family dinners. In addition, there were also classmates at the educated youth center who were unable to go home for the New Year, so they took some food together and went to the educated youth center to celebrate the New Year.
"Happy New Year, Jiang Jiang."
"Happy New Year, brother."
"This is for Jiang Jiang. I hope Jiang Jiang can be safe, happy and joyful in the new year." Zhong Xing handed her a red envelope.
"Thank you, brother." This was the first time Jiang Jiang received a red envelope, and she was a little surprised. "Jiang Jiang also wishes brother good health and success in the new year."
After receiving the red envelope, Jiang Jiang went back to sleep.
The next day, when she saw the red envelope next to her pillow, she was dazed for a while with her eyes open before she remembered that it was the New Year's money that Zhong Xing gave her last night.
On the kang were new clothes that had been made a few days ago, a maroon cotton-padded jacket, and some newly made beige cotton-padded coat and trousers, all neatly folded. These were specially taken out for her by He Guijuan in the morning. Today was the first day of the new year, and she could wear new clothes.
Jiang Jiang put away the red envelope and changed into new clothes. There was still a thin layer of snow on the ground in the yard. A long string of red firecrackers was hung at the door. Lin Youqing was chopping wood in the yard. Smoke was rising from the kitchen. It was just dawn, about five or six o'clock.
When Lin Youqing saw his daughter coming out, he put down the axe in his hand and said with a smile, "Happy New Year, my daughter!"
"Happy New Year, Dad."
Lin Youqing took out a red envelope from his pocket and said, "This is your New Year's money. May you have a safe and peaceful new year."
"Thank you, Dad."
Shuanzhu and the others also got up. Lin Youqing gave them all New Year's money and said auspicious words in a lively manner. Shuanzhu and Fengzhen wanted to go and pay New Year's greetings to Old Lady Lin, and asked Jiang Jiang if she wanted to go with them.
Jiang Jiang looked at her father hesitantly. In fact, she didn't want to go. Although Grandma Lin gave her a handful of fruit candies yesterday, Jiang Jiang remembered that Grandma Lin had beaten her, leaving her head buzzing, swollen and painful. She felt a dull pain in her face still.
Lin Youqing naturally knew what his daughter was thinking, and rejected Shuanzhu and the others on her behalf, "You guys go ahead, Jiang Jiang hasn't washed up yet."
After Shuanzhu and the others left, Lin Youqing patted his daughter comfortingly and said, "It's okay. If you don't want to go, then don't go."
"Yeah." Jiang Jiang lowered his head, "Thank you, Dad."
Jiang Jiang felt a little guilty. She loved her father very much, but she had no way to please a grandmother who didn't like her.
Lin Youqing saw that his daughter was unhappy and changed the subject, "Do you like the new clothes?"
Jiang Jiang smiled and said, "I like it."
This was the warmest and best-looking new clothing she had ever worn. The cotton-padded jacket was a dark maroon color. Before making the clothing, her mother first drew a pattern on draft paper, cut it into pieces, and then stuffed the cotton onto the cut cloth piece by piece. Finally, she used needle and thread to sew the lace and the Chinese-style buttons she made herself. It took several days.
When He Guijuan was braiding Jiang Jiang's hair, Shuanzhu handed Jiang Jiang two red envelopes of New Year's money and said, "Jiang Jiang, one of these red envelopes is from my mother and the other is from my grandmother."
"Thank you, brother." Jiang Jiang accepted the red envelope and pursed her lips. "Then I'll go thank my aunt and grandma later."
There was five cents in the red envelope given by Old Lady Lin, and there was twenty cents in the red envelope given by Zhang Yueju. Red envelopes are originally for good luck, and the amount of money does not matter. There was five yuan in the red envelope given by her father, and there was two yuan in the red envelope given by Zhong Xing.
In total, she received seven yuan and twenty-five cents in New Year's money today, which is undoubtedly a huge sum of money for a child.
"Mom, please keep it for me." Jiang Jiang handed it over on his own initiative.
He Guijuan doesn't accept New Year's money from her children. "You can take it as pocket money. Just buy whatever you want to eat."
After Jiang Jiang washed up, every household started setting off firecrackers and then prepared breakfast for the first day of the first lunar month.
This meal is the first meal of the Lunar New Year. As usual, people eat dumplings and stir-fried dishes, and the meal is as rich as possible, which indicates that life will be prosperous at the beginning of the new year. The elders also have to drink some wine before breakfast, but children are not allowed to drink alcohol and can only eat vegetables and dumplings.
After breakfast, the family took out a set of teapots and teacups from the cupboard, washed them, and placed them on the table. They prepared tea and peanuts and melon seeds fried before the New Year, waiting for fellow villagers or relatives to come and visit and wish a happy new year.
When visiting relatives and friends to wish them a happy new year, everyone greets each other, says auspicious words of New Year's blessing, sits down to drink tea, sits for a while, then stands up to say goodbye and go to another house to wish them a happy new year.
When the families who came to pay New Year's greetings in the village saw Jiang Jiang, they were all stunned. How could he no longer look the pitiful, skinny guy he was a while ago? Maybe it was because she ate well and no longer had to go hungry, her complexion looked much better. She wore new clothes, had neatly braided hair, and her shoes and socks were clean. She looked like a city girl.
Jiang Jiang is a pretty girl with an indescribable temperament. Even if she stands with other girls from the city, she will probably be the most eye-catching one in the crowd.
Zhang Yueju and her husband and Li Hongmei and her husband each took their husbands and children back to their parents' homes to visit relatives. They probably had lunch there. He Guijuan's parents' home is in Yuanjiang County, which is across the county and takes an hour and a half by car. They can only wait until they return to the county seat and then find time to go there again.
He Guijuan has been spinning like a top these days. She went to bed at two o'clock this morning and got up at half past four to work. There is not much work to do at home right now.
She glanced at her husband who was drinking tea at the table and yawned, "I'm going to go back and take a nap."
"Okay, go to sleep. I'll call you when lunch is ready."
There has to be someone at home to look after the family. It's not good if no one is at home when others come to pay New Year's greetings.
"Jiang Jiang, do you want to go back with mom and take a nap?"
Jiang Jiang was peeling peanuts. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "I'm not sleepy."
"Then you and dad can have tea here."
He Guijuan went back to the house by herself. People had been called together to clear the blocked roads in the village. By the time the roads were cleared, her and her husband's annual leave would be almost over.
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