Although we are both adults and cannot be as excited about the Chinese New Year as children, it is a major traditional festival after all, so we are still looking forward to it happily.
Celebrating the New Year in the countryside is a big event, full of ritual. In the past few days, you can feel that the whole village is working hard for the New Year. Every household is calling adults and urging children to pound rice, sweep the yard and the house, wash bed sheets and quilts, prepare enough firewood, and chop hay and dried vegetables for pigs and chickens.
Because you can’t sweep the floor on the first day of the Lunar New Year, for fear of strong winds; you can’t dry clothes in the yard, for fear of eagles catching chickens; you can’t use a knife, this is serious, to prevent blood disasters! Many taboos passed down from the older generation are actually related to superstition, but even in such an era, the villagers do it without any care! On the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, housewives begin to prepare food for the New Year. They take out the glutinous rice, beans, sesame seeds, peanuts and cooking oil that they have saved for a year, steam rice balls, make tofu buns, sesame peanut candy, fried crispy strips, vegetarian meatballs, and if possible, fry pork to make a bowl of braised pork. No matter how poor you are, you will try to have a New Year’s look.
Meng Tao didn't do these things as her family was small and didn't need them, so she would just put Xiao Wangcai in a bamboo basket and carry it from house to house every day to enjoy the fun.
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Tao went to Lin Dagang's house for a dinner.
Lin Dagang's family raised two pigs. They handed over the big one and slaughtered the small one for the New Year. The small one was not small, weighing more than 100 pounds. The Lin family invited relatives and neighbors to eat the pig-killing meal. Meng Tao had given gifts to Lin Dagang's wife and newborn daughter, so she was naturally among the invited guests.
The Lin family in Linshui Village is considered a large family with more than a dozen households. Their houses are clustered together, making them look very united.
Meng Tao went to Lin Dagang's house. There were people coming and going in the yard, and the house was full of people. She walked into the room to visit the baby who was in confinement. The little girl was very beautiful, with a rosy and tender round face, and eyes like black grapes rolling around. She looked smart and cute. Meng Tao was reluctant to put her down after holding her. Lin Dagang's wife Liang Qiuyue looked very good. She held Meng Tao and talked to her for a long time, asking her to come and play more often when she was free.
We had lunch at Lin Dagang's house. Palm-sized pieces of pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat were cooked together with diced white radish. Each meal had a full pot. The radish had a meaty taste, and the meat was softened and not greasy. It was very delicious with a unique flavor.
After eating, Lin Dagang packed up a piece of pork belly weighing about two kilograms, two ribs and a piece of pig blood sausage wrapped in dry lotus leaves. They were all cooked. He asked his mother to bring them to Meng Tao. Meng Tao saw that no one else had any and waved her hand: "Auntie, this is not allowed. I am full and I am still packing it up. Others will laugh at me."
Dagang's mother smiled and said, "We are all relatives and brothers in the same team. Why are we laughing at our own family? You sent new clothes to my granddaughter, and I should go and see your brother Jinniu, but I have been too busy these days. I am really sorry. This is the pig we raised at home. The pig-killing dish is very delicious. You can take it back and let the child have a taste!"
Meng Tao couldn't refuse, so she thanked him and accepted it. She took the bag of meat back home and cooked a meal for Jinniu before leaving. But slaughtering pigs was quite rare in the countryside, so when Lin Dagang said it was a taste of something new, Meng Tao cut the meat and blood sausage into pieces, heated them up in a pan and gave a few pieces to Jinniu to try. Xiao Wangcai also got a piece of meat bone, and they were both very happy.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Tao arranged Meng Jinniu, put Xiao Wangcai into a cloth bag, leaving its head exposed, and took it to the courtyard in Zuo Xingzi Lane, Mengzhou. It had been so long, it was time to go and see the house.
To go to Mengzhou, you need a letter of introduction and you have to find Captain Bao.
Ever since Shen Yu appeared as a marriage partner, Captain Bao no longer worried about Taohua's marriage. Although he still felt that Taohua was not steady and reliable enough, at least he had improved and no longer regarded her as an ignorant newbie.
Meng Tao agreed. She took the certificate just to prevent any accidents. She owned a house in Mengzhou, so it was not a big problem without the certificate.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, the city is bustling with another scene of activity. There are more people on the streets. Some are busy buying New Year's goods, while others are just strolling around. Red lanterns with words "Happy Chinese New Year" written on them are hung in front of the doors of units facing the street. The New Year atmosphere and festive spirit are even stronger than in the countryside.
Meng Tao also went to department stores and food company branches and looked around. She bought some things and carried them in her hands. The meat and vegetables were already stored in the space, so she didn't need to buy them.
Xinhua Bookstore set up a stall at the door, selling New Year pictures and couplets. There was also a middle-aged man standing by the table holding a brush. He was probably a hired calligrapher. He could write couplets on the spot according to the customers' requirements. The service was really good.
Meng Tao also bought several pairs of couplets, planning to paste them on the doors of the courtyards in Mengzhou and Linshui villages. She also selected more than ten New Year pictures in one go, including ones with a screen full of flowers, fat babies holding koi, pictures of ancient beauties, and pictures of drama plots... These New Year pictures are beautiful, festive, and cheap, costing only a few cents each.
Back at Xingzi Lane, the whole lane was much livelier than usual. Children were chattering and running back and forth excitedly. The air was filled with the aroma of wine, meat, and fried food. Everyone was preparing food for the New Year.
She unlocked the door and entered the yard. There was a layer of snow and fallen leaves on the ground. She let Xiao Wangcai out and let it play by itself. She found a broom to sweep up the fallen leaves, but ignored the snow and left it there for the time being.
Last time I bought a big bag of charcoal, lit the stove, boiled hot water, opened the doors and windows to ventilate the house, removed the film covering the furniture and bed, and mopped and wiped everything. It took some time.
The neighbors didn't see her come back, and Xiao Wangcai didn't bark, but when the lights came on in the evening, they all knew about it. First, Aunt Wang, the neighbor on the left, came and knocked on the door, laughing and chatting, and invited Meng Tao to her house for dinner. Meng Tao thanked her and said that she had just arrived and had not tidied the house yet, and she would visit again tomorrow.
Then it was the neighbors on the right, and the ones across the street…Once in a while, the door was knocked again. Nothing much to say, just asking her why she took so long to come back? Where did she go? Did she buy things for the New Year? Are you afraid of living alone? Do you want her little girl to keep you company? And so on.
Meng Tao said that the neighbors were very enthusiastic and talkative, and she could not stand it. Someone was still knocking on the door at around 9 o'clock in the evening, so she asked Xiao Wangcai to go. After Xiao Wangcai received the order, he stood at the door and yelled at the outside, sounding very fierce. After that, the world became quiet.
(End of this chapter)