Seeing that He Yifan and Kang Yueran had both agreed on the matter of Jiguan Mountain, Old Lady He smiled and said, "You two didn't forget to talk about business during the New Year. Let's take a day off today and talk again after the New Year!"
Madam He said, "Yueran, you must have lunch at my house. I won't let you go!"
Kang Yueran pretended to be unruly and said, "Of course, I want to try the old lady's favorite carved rice cake again."
After leaving He's house, Kang Yueran also visited Zuo Bai, Mu Lian, and Meng Dechang's houses one by one.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Kang Yueran moved to his new home with his family.
She didn't check the date or notify anyone, she just had someone set off a few firecrackers at the door as a celebration!
As soon as she returned home after setting off firecrackers, the servant came to report that Guo Tong, He Yifan and others had brought her gifts for moving into her new home!
On New Year's Eve, He Zhengchu and others wrote peach charms and posted them everywhere.
Huang and Ye directed Kuang Danian's family of four to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
In the evening, just as it was getting dark, Kang Yuanchen and others set off firecrackers in the outer yard, and the whole family rushed over to watch.
The firecrackers lasted for quarter of an hour before they were all set off, and then the family returned to the main house to have a reunion dinner together.
He Zhengchu wasn't considered a family member and refused to eat at the same table with Kang Yueran and the others. But after spending many days together, Huang and Ye began to treat He Zhengchu and the other three as their own children and insisted on keeping them.
Kang Yueran asked Kuang Danian to prepare another table of food and invite the newly hired servants to have the New Year's Eve dinner together.
There were either women or young men at the dinner table. Kang Yueran made tea for everyone but did not drink any alcohol.
Huang picked up a piece of chicken and said with a smile, "I never dared to dream of such a good day before."
Ye agreed very much, "Sister-in-law is right, I am now living a more comfortable life than a god."
Huang's eyes dimmed and she said, "I don't know what the village is like now, and whether the village head uncle and his family are doing well."
Ye and the others were a little sad. "The headman's house didn't collapse, so he must be fine."
They say that a home is better than any other, and this is absolutely true. Living in such a nice courtyard, everyone still misses Fengtou Village.
Kang Yueran said, "I sent 5,000 kilograms of sweet potatoes to the village before, so they should be able to have a full New Year. If you miss the folks in Fengtou Village, you can go back and visit them after the New Year when it's warmer."
Kang Yuanchen knew that his mother's mention of Fengtou Village made everyone sad, so he chuckled and said, "Yueran is right. We are not fugitives, and Fengtou Village is not far away. We can go back anytime we want."
Kang Yuanhao smiled and nodded, "Well, I'll go back when the weather gets warmer. I miss Xiaodou and the others."
Kang Yuanchen picked up the teacup and said, "Okay, let's stop talking about that. Come, let's have a drink!"
The atmosphere became lively again, everyone spoke freely, and the laughter spread far away.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone got up early and after breakfast, Huang, Ye, Kang Yuanchen and Kang Yuanfeng went to greet their neighbors together.
Kang Yueran was practicing calligraphy in her study. It was her habit to practice calligraphy during the Chinese New Year, because while other people's families celebrated the New Year in a lively manner, it was too lonely for her to spend it alone, so she had to find something to entertain herself.
Spreading out a piece of rice paper, she picked up the brush, licked the ink, and wrote:
Don't listen to the rustling of leaves in the forest; instead, hum and walk slowly. A bamboo stick and straw sandals are lighter than a horse; who is afraid? A raincoat will protect me in all weathers.
The chilly spring breeze sobers me up, a little chilly, yet the slanting sunlight on the mountaintops greets me. Looking back at the bleak place, I return, neither wind nor rain nor clear.
There were people in Dayong who wrote lyrics, but they were very few. Five-character and seven-character poems were the mainstream.
There was no such thing as cipai at the time, only qupai. Each qupai had its own fixed score, and writers would write lyrics based on the score, which would then be sung by musicians.
Only if the lyrics were particularly ingenious would they be copied and circulated. So, lyrics existed, but they were not yet popular.
This poem "Ding Feng Bo" by Su Shi is one of Kang Yueran's favorite poems.
After finishing, Kang Yueran looked at it for a long time and felt that some of the words were not written very beautifully, so he changed the paper and wrote it again.
After she was satisfied, she blew the ink dry and prepared to have it framed and hung in the study after the New Year.
He Zhengchu and the others didn't know that Kang Yueran had the habit of writing during the New Year. They thought that she didn't slack off in her studies during the New Year, so they all felt embarrassed to play around and went to the study in the outer courtyard to practice calligraphy.
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when women return to their parents' home. Huang's parents' home was in Changming County. Early in the morning, she prepared some things and asked Kang Yuanchen to drive the donkey cart back to her parents' home.
It would take three days for them to return, so Kang Yueran went to see them off.
There were only two bags of sweet potatoes and two pieces of coarse cloth on the donkey cart. Kang Yueran didn't say much, but he understood in his heart that Huang might not be as comfortable living here as she seemed.
It was her fault for not thinking it through. When they came back, she would have to talk to Kang Yuanchen.
Ye envied Huang for having her family back home. She had come here to escape the war and didn't even know if her family was still alive.
Back in the main room, Kang Yueran saw that Ye was in a low mood and asked, "Mom, do you still remember your hometown?"
"I remember that my hometown is in Mingzhou. Many years ago, there was a severe drought in Mingzhou, and my family was preparing to flee the famine to the south.
There were many people fleeing famine that year, and upon arriving in Anzhou, I became separated from your grandfather and his family. Later, we made our way to Dayan Mountain, where your father rescued us.
Ye's face flushed. "Then I married your father! Over the years, your father has helped me inquire about my family, but there has been no news."
"Mom, tell me and I'll help you find your family."
Ye's face showed no joy. "Can it still be found? It's been almost eighteen years. Forget it. I don't think it can be found."
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