Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Exchange of Gifts for the New Year
On the morning of New Year's Eve, the restaurant was closed to the public. However, many old customers had ordered food in recent days and wanted to add dishes for New Year's Eve. Baozhu and her father prepared the food ordered by each family in the morning, waited for everyone to take it back, and then closed the restaurant in the afternoon and went home to celebrate the New Year.
A red notice was posted at the door, announcing that the restaurant would reopen on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. This year, Zhen's father would not be working in the restaurant, so he could spend the entire New Year with his family.
Madam Xu could control her own work, so she had more freedom. She stopped working a few days in advance and came back to arrange her food, clothing and expenses for the New Year.
She went to see the guy who looked after the warehouse on the morning of the 31st and gave him a big red envelope. The warehouse was full of goods. Before the New Year, there were still merchants willing to pay high prices to store the goods, but there was no place to put them. No one in Bian Jing was doing this warehousing business. Madam Xu planned to find a few more remote locations next year to rent a few houses to do the warehousing business.
The warehouse held a considerable amount of valuable goods, and the clerk who looked after the store had been given provisions and a thick red envelope, so he readily agreed to watch over the shop during the New Year. During the New Year, when fireworks were often set off, he was specifically instructed to be careful, with doors and windows tightly closed. The clerk also knew which warehouses needed to be ventilated daily, and even with these instructions, Madam Xu still made a daily trip.
On New Year's Eve, the house was already filled with the aroma of delicious food. Even today, a whole pot of oil was poured over to fry meat, fish balls, quail, and other delicacies. Soups were simmering on several stoves, and the delicious mutton and bone broth was so tempting that anyone passing by would take a deep breath.
When Baozhu and her father came back with the unused vegetables from the shop, Erlang and Baorong were at the door, nailing peach charms, pasting New Year pictures and hanging window decorations. Occasionally, neighbors would pass by, greet them, and then go back to their own homes to get busy.
New Year’s Eve dinner is the most sumptuous meal of the year. Every household puts the best food on the table. The Zhen family is no exception. They cook the mutton that they usually don’t eat into many different dishes, and they also get the best wine from Zuixianlou.
Fried quail, roasted lamb, fish sashimi, steamed meat, and various other meat dishes were beautifully presented, drizzled with rich oil and red sauce, and the aroma filled the air from inside to outside the house. It was not difficult for a chef to cook meat dishes well, but it was difficult to cook a vegetable dish with outstanding flavor.
The peanut sprouts that are harvested at the beginning of the year are just right for eating. I cooked a plate of them with bacon. The taste is salty and greasy, making me salivate.
There are not many vegetarian dishes to eat in winter. I stir-fried some cabbage and mixed some radish. The other dishes were scrambled eggs with leeks and stir-fried bean sprouts.
The braised food is also homemade. Duck feet, goose feet, duck wings, and duck clavicles are all bought in advance and frozen in a vat outside. A pot of braised soup is boiled and the braised food starts at noon. At the end of the year in the countryside, there is a pig slaughter, and the butcher is specially asked to keep the pig head and tail. After the duck is braised, the pig head meat is started.
The neighbors smelled the aroma of her braised food. As the braised food shop was closed today, many people came to ask for a plate of it to take home and eat with wine. Of course, they didn't want to take it for free. They all brought their own good things, not to mention pork and mutton.
I even got a handful of vegetables grown in the warm room, which was just right for stir-frying to help relieve the greasiness.
Without Dalang and Ah Xiu for the New Year's Eve dinner, the family inevitably felt a sense of emptiness as they toasted. With the Suzhou restaurant reopening, it was unclear whether Dalang could handle it all on his own. The post station didn't accept letters before the New Year; they could only deliver them afterward.
After dinner, Baobao and Zhurong went outside to set off fireworks. Several children in the alley also gathered together to light firecrackers and play. Occasionally, a loud noise would scare people. Seeing them setting off fireworks, they knew that they were more interesting than firecrackers, so they came to join in the fun.
Children look forward to the New Year most, so they can eat and wear good clothes. Since hitting is not allowed during the first month of the year, they can play without restraint. The adults are happy too, but they have a lot of things to do and always feel burdened.
Today is New Year's Eve, and Pei Yanqing hasn't come back, so the Pei family is inevitably a little deserted. They replaced the peach charms at the door with new ones and pasted New Year pictures, which can be considered festive. The Zhen family went downstairs and asked Baozhu to deliver a few dishes to Grandma Pei.
Grandma Pei is old and she hasn't gone to bed yet at this time. The lights are on in the house. I guess she is waiting for Pei Yanqing.
Baozhu paid attention to the people next door out of the corner of her eyes. When he left, he said he would be back before the New Year, but today, on the 30th, he still hasn't come back. Since he is working for the government, it is not good to reveal too much. She wondered if he was held up by something.
On New Year's Eve, the old year turns to the new. She had originally planned to get rid of the old and welcome the new with Pei Yanqing, but she had to give up because he didn't come back. After setting off fireworks with Baorong, Baozhu lost interest and gathered the remaining debris on the ground. The two sisters prepared to close the shop and go home.
As she stepped onto the steps at the door, she heard someone calling her name softly from the alley. Baozhu thought she had misheard. When Pei Yanqing came closer, Baorong gently nudged her again, and she realized she was not seeing things.
He was wearing an official uniform, smiling, holding a wooden box in his hand. He walked over in two or three steps and handed the box to Baozhu first. Then he took out two red envelopes from his sleeves and handed one to Baorong first.
"This is the New Year's money, Sister Rong, please keep it."
Baorong took the red envelope, turned around and went back to the house with a smile.
Some children were looking over here, making a noise, gesturing and shouting "Shame on you!" Baozhu tried to hide herself, but it only made her more conspicuous, and she distanced herself from Pei Yanqing.
Pei Yanqing chased the kids away and pointed at the wooden box in her hand. "These are all new and interesting things I saw along the way. I couldn't help but buy them for you to see."
The wooden box felt a bit rough. When I opened it, I saw that it was full of new gadgets that had never been seen in Bian Jing, even hairpins, rings and rouge.
At this age, she is beautiful even without makeup, not to mention that Baozhu has put on some powder and lip rouge today. Pei Yanqing just felt that Baozhu was a little more beautiful today. Before he could take a closer look, he heard Xu Niang talking and getting closer from the yard.
Before they could think, Baozhu pulled the man into the alley. When they reacted and held hands, both of them blushed.
"It's like having an affair."
Baozhu murmured softly. Pei Yanqing had good hearing, so he heard it clearly. His face turned redder and he said, "If we have an arranged marriage, then it won't be...an affair."
Baozhu leaned against the wall and watched her mother open the door. She then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw someone enter the room. She was about to talk to Pei Yanqing, but unexpectedly, she turned around and bumped into the arms of the person behind her. Baozhu's nose hit his shoulder, and she cried in pain.
Pei Yanqing groaned and endured the pain, but still refused to let go of his hand. He pinched her nose with his other hand and comforted her that her nose was not crooked.
Baozhu realized that they were still holding hands, and she shook her hand away calmly. Pei Yanqing's thoughts were exposed, so he touched his nose, took out a peace card from his sleeve, handed it to her, and smiled to cheer her up.
"May the new year be peaceful and everything go as planned."
The jade is green and soft to the touch, and the flowers and birds carved on it have a rough beauty despite some effort. I think it is his own work, just like the wooden box.
Baozhu smiled and praised him, but then she felt that something was wrong with his expression. When she looked over, she found that there was a trace of blood on his shoulder.
Pei Yanqing took a step back.
"It's okay. The government trusts me, so I have to do my best. There are many people eyeing my position now. Once these tasks are completed, I will find a new job."
In the past, I always wanted to make a name for myself, even at the cost of my life. But now that I have someone I care about, I have become afraid of death and think that there is nothing wrong with being a small official and living a peaceful life.
Baozhu also thought of the tasks he had done that she knew about. Each one was very dangerous. The wound looked deep, and she wanted to touch it but didn't dare. She could only blow on the wound like Grandma Zhen.
"The doctor has examined it and it's nothing serious. It only takes a month or so to rest." Pei Yanqing smiled and touched Baozhu's head, and told her not to worry.
"I'm going to go back and see my grandmother first. It's cold outside. You should go back quickly."
Baozhu nodded. "Grandma Pei has been feeling a little down since you left home. Go back quickly. I think she's still waiting for you to have the New Year's Eve dinner."
Baozhu quietly returned the wooden box to her room, and then went to stay up around the fire with her parents and second brother. When it was dawn, she returned to her room and took a nap.
It was the New Year and Baozhu was wearing new clothes. One morning, when she was rummaging through the bottom of the box, she found the heart knot that Sister Xiu had taught her to tie. This hidden item at the bottom of the box looked particularly festive in its bright red color. After taking it out and tidying it up a little, Baozhu hung it on herself.
Today she was wearing a red jacket with a small fur-lined jacket with gold weave on the outside. Hanging the heart-shaped knot on her neck made her look even more festive. She used some powder to cover the dark circles under her eyes, drew her eyebrows and painted her eyes in front of the mirror, and only then did she go out satisfied.
On the first day of the new year, every household went from street to street to pay New Year's greetings. Baozhu went to Pei's house without attracting anyone's attention. She greeted the old lady of the Pei family and said Happy New Year to her with a smile.
After she had avoided being around people, she handed him the peace locket that she had prepared earlier. Pei Yanqing took it and immediately hung it around her waist. Seeing the love knot hanging around her waist, she praised it for being beautiful and wanted to get one too.
Baozhu had never learned it, and after so much time, she had completely forgotten the technique. She couldn't admit she couldn't do it, so she took off the heart knot from her waist and gave it to him.
Pei Yanqing took it and happily hung it next to the peace locket.
Baozhu pointed at his wound and asked, "Did you change the dressing yesterday?"
"It's in my shoulder. The doctor just changed the dressing and told him to tie the gauze tightly. He also didn't want to let Grandmother know about the injury." Lord Pei shook his head, his face increasingly aggrieved. "You bumped into me yesterday. The pain kept me awake all night."
"I stayed up all night last night to celebrate the New Year." Baozhu pinched his other shoulder, the hard flesh hurting her hand. "Let's go back first. Just bear with the pain. Anyway, the doctor said it will be fine after a month or so of rest."
Knowing that he was teasing her, Baozhu glanced at him sideways and walked out home leisurely, leaving Lord Pei still smiling foolishly there.
Since Erlang became an official, his house has become more and more crowded. In the morning, a red paper bag for receiving blessings is hung at the door, and in the evening, it is filled with flying invitations for New Year's greetings, all written to Erlang of the Zhen family.
In addition to New Year's greetings, there are also ways to make friends and build relationships.
Erlang also put a flying invitation in the red paper bag that he brought to the Kong family to receive blessings. In the evening, someone from the Kong family came to invite Erlang to their house for a drink on the fifth day of the first lunar month.
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The author has something to say: Babies who have had plenty of nutrient solution recently, please water them~ [star eyes][star eyes][star eyes]
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