After hearing this, the three sisters burst into tears. They realized that nothing, no matter how nice, was as real as the care and love from their elders.
They've never received any care or attention growing up. Why have they been working so hard for the past year or so? Isn't it because they're afraid of being kicked out?
If I were to return to my old home, I would truly have no courage to go on living.
When the Tao family saw them crying, they understood that it was a sign of a lack of love. While they felt sorry for them, they offered them comfort.
"Alright, girls, stop crying. It's not pretty to cry. Besides, it's the New Year, crying is bad luck. Stop crying. From now on, treat this place as your home. When you have the chance to register your household registration, register it with our family. Then we'll be one family. You have both daughters and sons. We'll be a big family. Isn't that great!"
Zhao Lingli hugged them tenderly, and Xiao Jiu lowered her eyes, feeling a pang of sadness. She knew that in this day and age, there were very few families that truly cared for girls like this. She was fortunate to be born into the Tao family; it must be because her parents had done many good deeds (charitable donations) in their previous lives that she was blessed.
In fact, it's not uncommon for families to have seven or eight children these days, but the survival rate is not very high. Any illness could take a child's life.
She was able to grow up safely to almost two years old without ever getting sick. Besides the good care she received from her grandparents, her own immune system also played a part. The most important reason for her good health was that she ate well. When you eat well, you rarely get sick.
Moreover, Grandma had raised four grandchildren, so she was more experienced in taking care of them. She knew not to dress them too warmly or let them eat too much, and to always leave them a little room for error. Children should always wear one less layer of clothing than adults. They should eat until they were seven or eight tenths full, rather than overeating. This way, they wouldn't easily get indigestion, and without indigestion, they would be less likely to get sick.
Kids these days are pretty resilient. They don't eat well, they run and jump around a lot, and as long as you take good care of them, they rarely get sick.
In the evening, the three sisters cleaned up the kitchen, and the family sat around the fire in the yard. They set off firecrackers at midnight, and that was the end of their New Year's Eve vigil.
The children had long since fallen asleep, especially those with good sleep quality, who were sleepy almost every time it was time to sleep. Xiao Jiu fell asleep nestled in her sister's arms, while Tao Zui and Tao Ran were still playing with firecrackers in the yard. Tao Qing and Tao An had also long since fallen asleep, as had their grandparents, who were too old to stay up until the end.
The three sisters were actually tired, but they just wanted to stay with their uncle and aunt, so they sat in front of the fire and talked.
With the New Year approaching, there are many things to take care of, especially since they've been away from home. Tao Changyi would casually tell them what happened at home.
Zhao Di and Pan Di also told Cui Hua about what happened in Taoyuan Village. Unexpectedly, Cui Hua was unmoved and even felt that mentioning them during the New Year was bad luck.
What good are biological parents? They're not as good as neighbors.
The Tao family is incomparable. The four sisters have new cotton-padded clothes, trousers, and shoes, as well as scarves and hats. Over the years, which of our relatives has been able to do this?
Zhao Lingli truly went to great lengths to care for her four sisters, making Cuihua realize that she was a kind woman who would be as filial as her own mother in the future.
While staying up late on New Year's Eve, they prepared all the dumplings for the next morning, so everyone got up late the next day.
Xiao Jiu goes to bed on time, but when she hears that only her grandmother is getting up outside, she can't help but want to get up too. But as soon as she moves, her older sister wakes up.
As soon as he saw that it was dawn, he quickly rubbed his eyes and sat up, his lazy voice carrying a hint of longing for his bed.
"Jiu'er, aren't you going to sleep? Do you need to pee? Do you want me to help you pee?"
Xiao Jiu quickly climbed into her sister's bed and pointed to the new clothes under the blanket.
"Wear new clothes, wear new clothes, Xiao Jiu should wear nice clothes!"
Cuihua, both amused and exasperated, tapped her forehead: "You little rascal, you even know that new clothes look good. Okay, I'll help you change."
The older sister put her worn-out cotton coat on herself, then hugged Xiao Jiu onto her lap and covered her up, afraid that she would get cold.
Then he put his hands inside her cotton coat to warm it up before putting it on her, talking as he did so.
"Auntie is amazing! Even after not seeing you for months, she still knows your size so well. The sleeves and legs of this coat are long enough to keep you warm, and the width is just right. This little floral cotton-padded jacket is so pretty, isn't it Jiu'er? Look, it fits perfectly! But we need to wear an overcoat later, otherwise it will be too much trouble to take it apart and wash it if it gets dirty. What do you think?"
In this day and age, children would wear an extra layer over their cotton-padded clothes to avoid getting them dirty, as it was too much trouble to take them off and wash them. Although this meant that Xiao Jiu couldn't show off her new clothes, the new cotton was warm to wear, and as long as she felt comfortable, that was all that mattered.
So she readily agreed, put on her cotton-padded coat and pants (the pants were overalls), and her older sister even taught her how to take them off and how to put them on.
After she learned how to make them, we put socks on her and new red cotton shoes. These cotton shoes were made for her by her second sister. Her second sister never expected that they would make them for the whole family. She was reluctant to make them for herself, but her aunt remembered her and had someone make them for them. This family is truly warm in every way.
After getting dressed, Xiao Jiu excitedly ran out. Cuihua quickly called to her two younger sisters, "Get up quickly, it's New Year's Day, we have to get up early!"
When Xiao Jiu, wearing a tiger hat, a red scarf, a red smock, black pants, and red shoes, ran into the kitchen, Grandma saw this auspicious Chinese red coming towards her and happily hugged her in her arms.
"Oh my, my little one is up so early! Come on, let Grandma see the clothes your mother had someone make for you. Do they fit?"
"It's just right, it's warm, so warm." Xiao Jiu took her grandmother's hand and rubbed it against her face, then spun around so the old lady could see it clearly.
The old lady looked at the sleeves and trouser legs, then dusted off the corners of her clothes, pulled down her thermal underwear, and finally patted Xiao Jiu's bottom with satisfaction.
"Alright, that suits you perfectly. Come on, Grandma will get you some hot water to wash your face."
"Grandma, I'm all grown up now. I can wash myself and brush my own teeth."
Usually, Grandma would boil a big pot of water first thing in the morning. Older people generally get up early, and as soon as there was any noise in the kitchen, my two older sisters would wake up. So Grandma would boil water first so that everyone could get up and wash. After the sisters washed up, they would start cooking. Now the family has a regular schedule for what to eat, and Grandma doesn't need to tell them everything anymore. The three sisters are already familiar with everyone's tastes.
We worked hard until New Year's Eve before the holiday, so my parents plan to reopen the business after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and have a proper New Year at home.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com