Chapter 83 Let's welcome the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year!
"It's retribution!"
Qin Xiangxiang observed her sister-in-law Li Jinling's expression and found that she had no other reaction. She was amused. This time, her sister-in-law hadn't even fallen for Lu Baizhou yet, but she already knew that he had a health problem. She guessed that it would be difficult for her to like him again.
In the dream, this sister-in-law was quite infatuated. No wonder they couldn't have a child, and the couple didn't go to the hospital for a checkup. They knew perfectly well what was going on. So why was Lu Baizhou being so pretentious? He still wanted to pursue true love. He really thought he was something special.
Fortunately, this time my sister-in-law was away from those crazy people.
Li Jinling said regretfully, "What a waste of such a beautiful face."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Actually, your brother is not bad-looking either."
"Sister-in-law, I know you're just trying to comfort me. My brother is nowhere near good enough for you."
Qin Xiangxiang immediately laughed; her sister-in-law's words were truly amusing.
Seeing that Li Jinling was no longer obsessed with Lu Baizhou, Qin Xiangxiang felt relieved, but she also felt like she had a big piece of gossip stuck in her throat with nowhere to talk about it. This gossip could only rot in her own stomach.
But she couldn't hold it in any longer, and when Li Jianzhi returned, she spilled the beans, saying, "If my sister-in-law falls for this man, then we're doomed."
Li Jianzhi: "How good-looking is this person? Is he more handsome than me? Li Jinling has an older brother like me, so she must have very high standards."
Qin Xiangxiang said rather subtly, "She said you look like a bear."
The sister-in-law's words seemed to have insulted two people.
Li Jianzhi sneered: "She's blind."
To thank her neighbor Zhong Li for saving her sister-in-law from trouble, Qin Xiangxiang gave the two girls next door lace collars. "You have a sewing machine, right? Sew these on your eldest and second daughters' collars. They're perfect for the little girl."
"Aunt Qin, you're so skillful!"
"Aunt Qin, could you sew it on for me? My mom isn't very good at it."
Zhong Li frowned: "Go away, go away. Your Aunt Qin is so pregnant, don't tire her out."
The two girls, one big and one small, could only stick out their tongues in regret. They had inherited their mother's oval face. The older daughter had some freckles. All three of them had delicate skin and were prone to freckles, but their pores were very small. They had dry skin that was prone to cracking and peeling in winter.
Her cheeks were covered in scorched rice crust, which felt rough to the touch, but were also rosy and cute.
Zhong Li shooed the two children back into the house and whispered to Qin Xiangxiang against the wall, "Little Qin, tomorrow is the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and the day after tomorrow is the fifth."
"What's wrong?"
“In the past, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year was the day to welcome the God of Wealth.” Zhong Li winked at Qin Xiangxiang and lowered her voice even further. “In previous years, I didn’t do anything, but this year is special, right? Our little Yang has had a stroke of good luck, so I thought we should welcome the God of Wealth on the evening of the fourth day.”
You should know that Zhong Li and her husband were holdouts in the battalion commander's building, like turtles, and refused to move for many years.
"When the time comes, open the doors and windows, and put some offerings in the hallway. Don't be surprised if you hear any noise."
The custom of welcoming the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year was extremely popular in the past. It was banned after the 1950s. However, with the rise of the private economy in the 1980s, a large number of people got up on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year to welcome the God of Wealth again. Many people set off firecrackers on the night of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year in a more grand manner than they did on the third day of the Lunar New Year, all in order to be the first to welcome the God of Wealth.
Although it's not officially customary to welcome the God of Wealth, countless people like Zhong Li secretly worship him, though they can't set off firecrackers or make a big fuss about it.
“Our family has to thank the God of Wealth. We thought Xiao Yang was going to be demobilized this year…” Zhong Li said softly. For soldiers, being demobilized means returning to their original place of residence. There are some good things about it, but the salary and subsidies will be much less than before.
Demobilization is equivalent to losing money, while staying in the military and getting promoted and receiving a raise is equivalent to gaining money.
"Give the God of Wealth some things to thank him and get rid of bad luck."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Sister Zhong Li, I understand. You can do it without worry."
The custom of welcoming the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is similar to the Qingming Festival's ancestor worship. Even though ancestor worship is not allowed, many people still secretly burn paper money for their ancestors. These traditional customs are still hard to forget even after more than ten or twenty years.
Back home, Qin Xiangxiang told Li Jianzhi about it and suggested, "Why don't we also welcome a God of Wealth?"
Li Jianzhi chuckled: "Superstitious behavior, Zhong Li next door is quite bold. If others find out, she'll get another reprimand."
“Sister Zhong Li is bold, but we shouldn’t do this in the hallway. Who would know if we did it at home?” Qin Xiang wanted to know that the individual economy would be liberalized in the future, so she couldn’t help but make a wish to the God of Wealth in advance. She put her hands together and said, “I hope the God of Wealth will bless us so that we can buy a piano and an imported watch this year.”
Li Jianzhi: "Alright, consider it a way to put my mind at ease."
Such acts of praying to gods and Buddhas are not merely superstition. In a sense, they are simply adding psychological suggestion and seeking peace of mind. They are harmless and add a touch of ritual to ordinary days.
"Then let's get up at midnight on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year to welcome the God of Wealth!"
Qin Xiangxiang happily made her decision.
Li Jianzhi thought to himself: This little troublemaker really has a knack for causing trouble.
She was also a pregnant woman who was "easygoing and not overweight". I heard from her comrades that before giving birth, the mother was worried about this and that, and all she thought about was the baby.
His wife thought about it and decided to put the children aside for now and welcome the God of Wealth first!
Li Jianzhi diligently wrote the matter of welcoming the God of Wealth for his wife into his daily plan. By 11:50 p.m. on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, this was the time when many young people would go to sleep, but for people of this era, it was too late.
Most people don't work the night shift and go to bed around 9 or 10 pm, with radio programs ending around 9 pm. By 10:30 pm, most are asleep, except for the factory workers who stay up all night.
"Think about it, get up, it's almost the fifth day of the Lunar New Year." Li Jianzhi nudged the pregnant woman sleeping soundly beside him.
Unfortunately, Qin Xiangxiang was fast asleep and couldn't be woken up at all. Li Jianzhi couldn't bear to wake her either, so he had to put on his military coat and get up to complete his wife's task.
If I don't do it, my demanding wife will scold me.
Li Jianzhi lit incense in the room, opened the window, and set out some fruits, sweets, and cakes to welcome the God of Wealth.
A song automatically played in his head: "Congratulations on your fortune! Congratulations on your wonderful life!"
I finished half an hour later and lay down to continue sleeping.
Qin Xiangxiang went to bed early, thinking she would wake up at midnight to welcome the God of Wealth. However, when she woke up from a sweet dream, she looked at her watch and it was already three or four in the morning. The man next to her was sleeping like a log! He clearly wasn't destined to be wealthy.
She's angry!
Qin Xiangxiang nudged the person next to her: "Li Jianzhi! Get up!"
"What's wrong?"
"It's already three or four o'clock."
Li Jianzhi: "I've helped our family welcome the God of Wealth."
Qin Xiangxiang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fine, it would save her some trouble.
"It's still early, let's sleep a little longer."
"I can't take it anymore, Li Jianzhi..." Qin Xiangxiang clutched her stomach, feeling waves of discomfort. "I feel like my stomach is starting to hurt."
"Am I going into labor?"
"Are you about to give birth?"
The couple spoke in unison. Li Jianzhi was so frightened that he jumped up and down, quickly put on his coat, picked up Qin Xiangxiang, and rushed to the hospital. The small hospital in the family compound did not have the facilities to deliver babies, so they woke up the on-duty military doctor, got into an ambulance, and a team drove overnight to the military support hospital.
"Think about it, don't be afraid, I'm with you."
Li Jianzhi was nervous and sweating profusely as he accompanied his wife during childbirth for the first time; it was his first time becoming a father.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Qin Xiangxiang was taken into the delivery room, while Li Jianzhi sat outside, his mind blank.
At dawn, around 6 a.m., Qin Xiangxiang gave birth to a girl weighing 5.8 pounds.
"Congratulations, Comrade Li, mother and daughter are safe and sound."
Li Jianzhi's tense nerves finally relaxed. By the time the nurse wheeled the woman out, it was broad daylight and the sun had already risen. The woman on the hospital bed looked energetic, her wet hair clinging to her pretty face, and her eyes sparkling.
Qin Xiang still worries that she's dreaming; she was stunned when the nurse told her it was a girl.
She has a daughter! Although it was just a fleeting glance, although the daughter was wrinkled like a red-skinned monkey, and although her features were unclear, she has a daughter!!
"Li Jianzhi, am I dreaming?"
On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, instead of receiving the God of Wealth, I received my daughter.
In the following days, Qin Xiangxiang was completely content with her daughter. She kept her daughter by her side every day and woke up smiling in her dreams. The little one grew up day by day. Her facial features resembled Qin Xiangxiang's, and her nose resembled her father, Li Jianzhi. It was tall and straight, and she had a bit more heroic air about her, just like her aunt.
Qin Xiangxiang and Li Jianzhi named their child "Li Qingsui," with the nickname Suisui, meaning abundant harvest.
Li Jinling: "Her name is Li Qingsui, Suisui, this...this name is so complicated, I don't even know how to write these characters."
Li Jianzhi: "Calling me Erpang is fine too."
Little Fatty: "...Little Fatty Sister?"
"Don't call her Erpang, call her Suisui Meimei." Qin Xiangxiang was particularly protective of her child; she wouldn't let her daughter call her Erpang. This was her precious little girl.
"Call Erpang cute." Li Jianzhi pinched his daughter's little face and understood why elders liked chubby children, because they were indeed cute.
Qin Xiangxiang said coldly, "Then you're Big Fatty!"
"Big fat dad, little fat son."
Li Jianzhi's face remained completely expressionless: "Call me whatever you want, I've never been fat, I'm all muscle."
Eight-pack abs, V-shaped physique, he's stunning his wife!
Li Jinling: "My brother isn't fat, he's a bear, we call him Big Bear."
Li Jianzhi: "..." This younger sister should be lost.
The baby was born, and we informed both sets of relatives and parents. When they heard that the baby was born on the fifth day of the first lunar month, everyone said it was an auspicious day.
"Born on the fifth day of the lunar month? What time? Wasn't it a dream that caused the birth?"
Li Jianzhi remained silent, thinking that it was time to welcome the God of Wealth.
"Congratulations! You have both a son and a daughter. I have a granddaughter now. Her name is Sui Sui, right? That's a good name, Sui Sui."
Li Jianzhi: "I think calling him Erpang is also good."
"Yes, Erpang is good. If we think back, he was called Zhuangzhuang when he was little. It was a nickname his mother gave him."
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