Chapter 103 Chapter 103, the hundredth...
As the year draws to a close, light and moderate snow continues to fall.
Standing in the snow for too long can freeze your ears off. Recently, some small markets have been canceled. I heard that only the big market at the entrance of Wutou Village today is still open to the public.
The matter of purchasing New Year's goods could not be delayed any longer. A large group of women set off from Wupai Village to the market.
Shu Wanxiu, Chen Lian, Chen Sanhe, and Shu Shouyi formed a four-person team.
The four people held hands, with Shu Wanxiu and Chen Lian standing on either side, leading the elderly and weak in the middle.
Shu Shouyi was indeed weak, but Chen Sanhe didn't feel old, even though she was already a grandmother with several children in her family.
"Crunch, crunch."
The sound of footsteps crunching on fresh snow filled the air.
Fresh snow is fluffy and not slippery, so everyone tries to step on the freshest snow.
The team looked out for each other and took more than twice as long as usual to reach the entrance of Wutou Village.
Most vendors were already in place, and people from several nearby villages took advantage of their proximity to complete their year-end shopping spree early.
Countless people come and go, trampling this ground into a mess of snow mixed with mud, mud mixed with sand and weeds, a road where one could easily slip and fall.
The four-person team paid close attention to their footing, afraid that a single misstep would cause them to slip and fall together.
"No, it's too difficult to walk!"
Shu Wanxiu stopped in her tracks when someone bumped into her shoulder. She almost lost her balance and fell.
With so many people and so close together, it was indeed difficult to move around when four people stood side by side.
Chen Sanhe said, "Let's meet here after we finish shopping."
Shu Wanxiu nodded, "Okay."
After they separated, Shu Shouyi held Shu Wanxiu's hand tightly with his arm taut.
"Let's go buy some meat first."
All around were stalls of all kinds: selling peach wood charms, New Year pictures, and all sorts of trinkets that children love. Shu Wanxiu scratched her head and thought for a moment before saying this.
"Okay!" Shu Shouyi withdrew his gaze from the firecracker stall and nodded obediently.
Meat is the most in-demand food.
Even families who are usually reluctant to eat meat will inevitably cut off a pound or two to take home during such a major festival, saving it for New Year's Eve or the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The meat stall was packed with people; you really couldn't squeeze in without some cleverness and skill.
Shu Wanxiu seized an opportunity and stood next to the slaughterhouse.
The view from here is excellent, and it's very close to the butcher.
Her gaze briefly fell on the butcher's table, but she didn't speak up to fight for the meat left on it—because there wasn't much meat left, and several sharp-tongued and rather fierce old women had each divided up a piece and reserved it.
Since she couldn't win the argument anyway, she shrugged and looked at the ground behind the butcher.
There was a straw mat laid out, with half a pig's shoulder and a few bits of offal such as pig liver and intestines on it.
She quietly calculated in her mind how many pounds of meat she needed to cut and which part of the body to cut.
Before long, the butcher skillfully cut up the meat on the chopping block, weighed it, and handed it over to the buyer.
After paying, the elderly women left satisfied.
The slaughterhouse was empty; the butcher had only sharpened his large cleaver a couple of times with a whetstone when the waiting crowd began to urge him on.
Without even a moment to catch his breath, the butcher, as if herding a duck onto a shelf, half-squatted down, preparing to lift the piece of pork from the ground.
Everyone was urging, "Hurry up, hurry up," or shouting at the top of their lungs, "Give me a piece of fattier meat."
Shu Wanxiu spoke in a different tone, pointing to the pig liver next to the pork and saying, "I'll take all of this pig liver! Weigh it for me!"
The butcher glanced at Shu Wanxiu but didn't say anything for the time being. However, after placing the pork on the butcher's block, he turned around and picked up the piece of pig liver from the mat and threw it onto the scale.
"One pound and two ounces."
He poked a hole in the pig's liver with a sharp knife, threaded a straw rope through the hole, and tied a knot.
Before he could hand over the meat, Shu Wanxiu quickly added, "Excuse me, could you cut me another five jin of front leg meat?"
With a bit of luck and a little cleverness, the meat was successfully loaded into the basket.
Now it's time to take your time and explore.
There were at least four or five stalls selling peach wood charms at the market this time. Shu Wanxiu picked and chose one that was reasonably priced and had a good meaning.
The New Year pictures are judged by which ones are painted more festively and are considered better.
Shu Wanxiu picked based on her first impression, and finally bought the one chosen by Shu Shouyi.
Of course, we couldn't miss out on snacks during the Chinese New Year. We bought a pound of peanuts, a pound of melon seeds, and after bargaining, we also bought a pound of dried fruit that my aunt and niece both love.
Shu Shouyi's gaze lingered on the firecracker stall for a long time, making it difficult for Shu Wanxiu to miss him.
However, playing with firecrackers is too dangerous; you can get injured if you're not careful.
Shu Wanxiu used to play with her older brother when she was young, but one time a spark hit her hand and burned her skin.
Her mother tried to scare her, saying that burns and blisters were minor, and that someone had once been injured in the eye or had their hand blown off by firecrackers.
She was terrified, and from then on, no matter how much her older brother invited her, she never dared to play again.
"How about your aunt buys you a football? You can play with Chunlai and the others after spring. Let's not buy firecrackers, what if you get hurt?"
Her tone was soft, but her words immediately dimmed Shu Shouyi's eyes.
Feeling quite disappointed, Shu Shouyi nodded reluctantly.
Shu Wanxiu was genuinely afraid he would get hurt, so she could only pat his head to comfort him before taking him to choose a good Cuju (ancient Chinese football).
On the way back to the village, the group, laden with their spoils, rested twice along the way.
Shu Shouyi, with his sharp eyes, spotted the shadow of firecrackers through the gap in the basket Chen Lian was carrying.
On New Year's Eve, firecrackers were set off intermittently in the village starting in the middle of the morning.
There's no need to stay up all night during the day, so the children can still get together and play.
Shu Shouyi told Shu Wanxiu and ran out of the house to follow a few friends who had firecrackers to the village entrance.
Although he was with them, Shu Shouyi, who didn't have any firecrackers, could only watch the excitement from the sidelines, feeling no sense of participation and unable to get a word in edgewise.
Looking at him from afar, one could see that his figure appeared somewhat lonely and forlorn.
Erniu was the one with the most firecrackers among the group of children. His mother bought him firecrackers worth more than ten coins, and he could play with them all by himself.
After leaving the village, they set off firecrackers in the snow all the way, but Erniu had already gotten tired of it.
"That's so boring! There aren't any cows in our village. My uncle says the most fun thing is setting off firecrackers to blow up cow dung!"
He was born with a chubby face and a strong build. Although he was young, his parents doted on him, and he had the most toys in the village.
There were many new gadgets that none of us had, so we could only hang out with Erniu and play together.
Hearing him say that exploding cow dung was fun, everyone couldn't help but imagine the scene of firecrackers exploding cow dung. Unfortunately, it was true that there were no cows in Wupai Village, so everyone felt regretful.
At this time of widespread despondency, a clever rascal suddenly came up with a wicked idea: "If we don't have cow dung, how about we blow up the dung pit?!"
"hiss--"
Someone gasped as they thought about the stench of their own outhouse.
"Huh?"
Some people think this alternative is great; it sounds fun.
Erniu stroked his chin. "Shu Shouyi! You're the only one here who doesn't have any firecrackers to play with."
"How about this? I'll give you two firecrackers, you can go and blow up your latrine, okay?"
For a time, Shu Shouyi became the focus of everyone's attention.
"I...I..." Should I blow up the latrine?
Shu Shouyi didn't know what kind of scene it would be, but his intuition told him that there would be bad consequences.
After hesitating for a while, he looked at the firecrackers Erniu handed him and shook his head. "I won't set them off."
"You don't want it even though I've given it to you?" Erniu clenched his open palm into a fist, and in a fit of anger and embarrassment at being rejected, he shoved Shu Shouyi's shoulder hard.
"You didn't get to play with firecrackers last year, and you still don't this year. You're broke, your whole family is broke! A broke person who doesn't dare to blow up a latrine is a cowardly and poor broken person! Hehehe—"
He pried open his lower eyelids, stuck out his tongue, made a series of funny faces, and wiggled his butt.
They've made sure to project a provocative and disdainful attitude.
Some people laughed out loud at his actions.
However, these laughs were not good for Shu Shouyi.
After fleeing famine and settling down, Shu Shouyi had never experienced such targeting and malice. His little face turned red with anger, and his fists were clenched tightly.
Chunlai, who was best friends with Shu Shouyi, was also angry on Shu Shouyi's behalf. Just as he was about to stand up for Shu Shouyi, a male voice with displeasure came from afar.
"Oh?! Someone said our Shouyi doesn't have any firecrackers to play with?"
"Then what are these in my hands?"
Before anyone else could react, the familiar tone made Shu Shouyi's eyes light up, and he rushed out, calling out, "Uncle—"
"Hey!" Xun Yi, who had just arrived at the village entrance covered in dust, responded loudly, squatted down, and hugged Shu Shouyi, who was rushing towards him.
"Uncle Xun!" Chunlai was the second to react and greeted Xun Yi.
Then he remembered what Xun Yi had just said and looked into Xun Yi's hand.
Upon seeing this, they couldn't help but widen their mouths in astonishment.
Wow--
Uncle Xun had such a big handful of firecrackers in his large hands! And they were all different from the ones they had.
More and more children realized what was happening and greeted Xun Yi, noticing the firecrackers in his hand.
Under the watchful eyes of many children, Xun Yi slowly stood up.
Compared to these little kids who were ten or even under ten years old, his figure when he stood up straight was like that of a giant.
Erniu stood there like a quail, his previous arrogance completely gone.
Xun Yi glanced at him, then softened his gaze and showed some human warmth when he looked at Shu Shouyi in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Shouyi, Uncle is late."
"These are firecrackers your uncle brought back from the prefectural city. Take a look and see how powerful they are."
Xun Yi didn't emphasize the words "prefecture city," but children have very sharp ears; how could they not hear it?!
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes fixed on the firecrackers that Xun Yi had handed to Shu Shouyi.
Most of the ones they had were bought by their family members when they went to the nearby market. They all looked the same and were the same size. The sound they made when lit was also very similar, so there was no way to tell them apart.
But the ones in front of Shu Shouyi looked huge! And the paper pasted on the outside of the firecrackers even had patterns on it!
The prefectural city is a very far place! Some of them have heard of it, while others have never even heard of it.
In any case, because of Xun Yi's appearance, Shu Shouyi went from being ridiculed to being envied by everyone.
Xun Yi was determined to stand up for Shu Shouyi. After 'casually' showing off the firecrackers in his hand enough, he put them down for Shu Shouyi and smiled as he told him to light one and try it out.
Shu Shouyi's face was still flushed. Unlike his anger and embarrassment just now, this time it was a little nervous about being watched, and a sense of pride that someone was backing him up.
In case of unexpected overnight stay in the wild, Xun Yi carried a tinderbox with him.
With one hand holding a firecracker and the other hand holding a tinderbox with Xun Yi, Shu Shouyi accomplished the two actions he had been thinking about day and night: lighting the fuse and throwing it!
"Bang!"
The firecracker was thrown directly at a camphor tree the size of a bowl, and the icicles and snow on the tree fell down instantly with the sound of the explosion.
Even leaves and branches were affected, breaking off or falling off.
Wow!
Some people clapped, while others were stunned by the immense power.
Xun Yi subtly curled the corners of his lips, then his expression returned to calm.
"Your uncle bought you more than just firecrackers on this trip to the prefectural city," Xun Yi patted the bulging bag on his back. "Come on! Stop playing outside and come home with your uncle to see them one by one."
Pang Chunlai was Pang Zhishan's son. Xun Yi greeted him and then carried Shu Shouyi away.
After getting away from the group of children, Xun Yi said to Pang Chunlai, "It's not safe for you kids to play with the firecrackers you bought in the prefectural city by yourselves. It's almost noon, so go home and play for a while. Come to Uncle Xun's house in the afternoon, and Uncle Xun will play with you and Shouyi."
Pang Chunlai was overjoyed and nodded happily as he left.
If Shu Wanxiu knew that Shu Shouyi had been bullied because she hadn't bought him firecrackers, she would definitely feel guilty.
As the men in the family who knew this woman best, they tacitly refrained from mentioning the matter after returning home.
"Is Master's illness better?"
After the initial joy of their reunion subsided, Shu Wanxiu suppressed her smile and inquired about her master's condition with concern.
"I've given up alcohol, and I feel much better."
When he first arrived, his master was still arguing with his family.
Later, Xun Yi realized his master's mental illness.
It's not that he doesn't want to quit drinking, but that he doesn't want to face reality.
His master was more anxious than anyone else that his hands were trembling and he couldn't forge iron. He even tried abstaining from alcohol for a day or two, but it didn't have any significant effect.
He was afraid that even if he quit drinking, his hand tremors wouldn't go away.
Rather than trying every possible treatment only to find yourself a useless person, it's better not to seek treatment at all and not to face this reality.
After Xun Yi saw through his mindset, he gently persuaded him for a while, and finally even searched out all of his master's hidden wine and private money, using every means to make him persist in taking medicine and actively seeking treatment.
Eventually, his master's illness gradually improved.
The master's wife felt sorry that she had called Xun Yi to stay in the prefectural city for two months shortly after he got married. Seeing that his master was getting better and the end of the year was approaching, the master's wife decided to close the shop a few days early so that he could go home for the New Year.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let me show you the things I bought for you two in the capital city."
Xun Yi carried a huge bundle that was like a treasure chest, and he took out items one by one, but he didn't finish taking them out even after a long time.
Xun Yi bought a whole bunch of things that women might like, such as rouge and face powder, silk handkerchiefs, and hot water bottles to warm their hands.
They also brought a lot for Shu Shouyi, including a hundred ropes, a windmill, a nine-linked ring, a copy of the Three Character Classic, and a copy of the Hundred Family Surnames.
Xun Yi learned to read by his master using the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames.
Few children in Wupai Village were properly sent to school, and Xun Yi did not expect Shu Shouyi to take the imperial examinations and become a scholar or a licentiate.
He bought these two books because he realized a truth: whether a person is a farmer or a craftsman, it is better to know a few words than to be illiterate.
Shu Shouyi tilted his head, not quite understanding the significance of reading and writing. He simply puffed out his cheeks and blew the windmill around, while his hands began to unravel the nine-linked rings with a 'ding-dong' sound.
Xun Yi being able to return home for the New Year was truly beyond Shu Wanxiu's expectations.
She had harbored fantasies before, but as she waited, from one month to two months, although she missed him, she had already decided in her heart that Xun Yi would not be able to return until after the New Year.
For a New Year's Eve dinner for two, just cook a fish, stew a bowl of meat, and add one or two vegetable dishes.
Xun Yi's sudden return meant that the New Year's Eve dinner, which Shu Wanxiu had planned to prepare in large quantities, was not enough, as it was rather simple.
In the afternoon, she rolled up her sleeves and began chopping, mincing, and stir-frying, adding three more dishes to the main room's dining table. The table was laden with a sumptuous spread of food.
On New Year's Eve, in addition to eating the New Year's Eve dinner, people also pay respects to their ancestors.
This time, the table was not only set with dishes, but also with family members' memorial tablets engraved with their names.
Shu Wanxiu was wearing a thick winter coat stuffed with cotton, and someone knelt down beside her.
Just like last year, Shu Wanxiu rambled on about the big and small events that had happened throughout the year. When she was saddened and started to cry, someone would wipe away her tears with a soft handkerchief, gently hold her warm, dry hand, and silently give her strength.
As night fell and the wind and snow raged, the flickering lamplight inside the main room illuminated the silhouettes of a beautiful couple nestled together.
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Author's Note: This chapter is the finale! I will write one or two more side stories later, but the update time is still uncertain.
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