Chapter 63 Celebrate the New Year together.
He Susu smiled and explained, "I didn't know how to knit a sweater before. But it was Cheng Shi's birthday a while ago, and I couldn't think of a gift for him, so I learned how to knit from my third sister-in-law. I knitted him a sweater and he loved it."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but talk about the gifts she received. "On my birthday, Cheng Shi personally carved a wooden sculpture for me. It depicted my appearance when he first saw me. It looked like the real thing. I still keep it on the desk in my room as a treasure."
When He's mother heard her daughter say that she learned this craft in order to knit sweaters for her son-in-law, she thought that it seemed that her daughter really cared about her son-in-law, otherwise why would she be willing to learn now when she had asked her so many times before but she still refused to learn?
Later, when I heard that my son-in-law was so thoughtful that he carved a wooden sculpture of his daughter as a birthday present for her, and that it was the same sculpture as when they first met, I felt that it was a very affectionate thing.
No wonder my daughter was willing to learn how to knit a sweater for Cheng Shi. Only this handmade sweater could match the hand-carved wood sculpture.
However, He's mother still said, "I have sweaters to wear. You rarely come home, so take a good rest. Knitting sweaters is very tiring."
He Susu insisted: "Mom, I definitely need to rest too. I knit sweaters to kill time. Besides, I have already bought the wool and I want to learn this craft so that I can knit a sweater for you."
He's mother was touched and finally agreed: "Okay, I'll give you the crochet tools, and you can do it during the day. Don't do it at night, or you'll damage your eyes."
He Susu smiled and replied: "Mom, I know, don't worry."
Only then did He's mother go to the cabinet in the room and take out the set of crochet tools. These tools were not expensive but not cheap either. They could be used for many years once they were bought. Usually, the eldest and second daughters-in-law borrowed them to use, and they would be returned to her after use. They were very treasured.
She suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "You guys are going to Shanghai after the New Year. Do you plan to knit a sweater for your mother-in-law?"
The son-in-law must know that the daughter knitted a sweater for her. If she only knitted a sweater for her mother and not for her mother-in-law, the son-in-law might have some thoughts.
He Susu smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Mom. After I finish knitting a sweater for you, I will knit one for my mother-in-law. I've even bought the yarn. The color is her favorite, too."
After hearing this, He's mother breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. You are very thoughtful."
Apart from other things, my daughter is quite good at dealing with interpersonal relationships, and she has been likable since she was young. Who knows, maybe her parents-in-law will like her when they see her in Shanghai.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me. We can’t live together anyway, and we are thousands of miles away from each other, so we only see each other once a year.
Thinking about it this way, He's mother felt more and more that marrying Cheng Shi was the best marriage.
After chatting with her mother for a few more words, He Susu took the borrowed crochet tools back to her room, put them together with the purchased wool, and planned to start tomorrow.
After a good night's dream, it was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye.
The village was bustling that day. The streets and alleys were filled with the sounds of children playing and adults talking, which directly dispelled the silence of winter.
The daytime is relatively free, but the most important thing is the New Year's Eve dinner at night. The house is still very lively, and everyone sits in the main room and chats when they have nothing to do.
He Susu was also sitting among them, but she was holding crocheting tools in her hands and crocheting wool to knit a sweater.
Everyone knew that she was knitting a sweater for He's mother. In addition to Su Yu, Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were also surprised that their aunt had suddenly mastered the skill of knitting sweaters. Then there was He's father, who was pleased and a little envious at the same time.
He also wanted to wear the sweater knitted by his daughter.
But He's father said nothing. It was only right for the daughter to be filial to her husband first.
A little after three o'clock in the afternoon, He's mother led her three daughters-in-law into the kitchen in a very imposing manner, and took out almost all the good ingredients in the house, planning to make a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
He Susu also made some suggestions in the kitchen: "If you want to make braised pork later, you can take out the abalone, clean it, and put it in the braised pork half an hour before it is almost done. Braised pork and abalone, this is a top-notch dish."
"For these big shrimps, just stir-fry them with onions, ginger and garlic, and they will taste delicious."
"Scallop meat can be added to the soup to enhance the flavor, and it should taste good."
The dried seafood that her daughter brought back were great stuff, but He's mother had been reluctant to cook them, and only waited until New Year's Eve to finally take them out and let her daughter help her with what dishes to cook.
After hearing what Su Su said, He's mother nodded quickly: "It's quite simple according to what you said, we will do it later."
Then she chased her daughter out, saying that she didn't need her help in the kitchen, and said, "You should go outside and knit a sweater for me. Mother is waiting for your sweater to wear."
He Susu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing her mother and three sisters-in-law busy in the kitchen, she agreed and went back to her room to knit a sweater.
The seven children in the family were playing hopscotch in the yard, and they would occasionally glance toward the kitchen and sniff the aroma that was gradually spreading. They were looking forward to dinner tonight.
As night fell, dishes were served from the kitchen and everyone sat down at the table.
The staple food this evening was still white rice, the kind that was fully refined. It was pressed tightly into a bowl, cooked until it was soft and each grain was distinct, and it still gave off a fragrant aroma.
Everyone couldn't help but smile, and the atmosphere of New Year reunion instantly emerged.
Father He coughed lightly and smiled: "This year is special. It is a good year. Susu is getting married, and it is also the first time that Cheng Shi comes to our house. We all have the New Year's Eve dinner together."
"Then I hope we can enjoy our meals, have a happy life every day next year, and that we can get together often to have a good meal."
As Dad finished speaking, He Susu immediately clapped her hands: "Dad, you're right. I hope we can all live happily and fulfilled next year."
The others followed suit and applauded. The children sitting at another table clapped happily, their faces turning red with excitement.
Mother He smiled and said, "I won't say much, let's eat!"
So the New Year's Eve dinner began, with a total of eight dishes, braised pork with abalone, roasted chicken with scallions, pan-fried hairtail, stir-fried prawns with scallions and garlic, braised tofu with minced meat, steamed egg custard, stir-fried spicy cabbage, and scallop and mushroom soup.
He Susu picked up a piece of abalone and ate it first.
Because the abalones were large and in small quantities, if they were divided among the people, two bags would have to be cooked all at once. So He's mother simply decided to cut each bag in half before cooking.
The abalone pieces are a little curled up due to stewing, and they are very tender, smooth and elastic when you bite them. Because they are stewed in the same pot with the braised pork, they are full of sauce and are salty and delicious.
Then I picked up a piece of braised pork and ate it. My second sister-in-law's skill in cooking braised pork was as good as ever. The pork belly had distinct layers, the lean parts were firm and the fat parts were not greasy. It opened up in my mouth with a light bite.
He Susu couldn't help but eat a mouthful of white rice and swallow it.
The chicken fried with scallions is more flavorful after stewing. The chicken is tender and not dry, and very fresh. The fried hairtail fish has a slightly crispy skin, but the fish meat inside is still tender because it has been marinated in advance.
The prawns are naturally fragrant when stir-fried with onions, ginger, garlic, etc. After peeling the shell, they are still as thick as a finger, and the meat is very firm. Because they are dried shrimps, they don’t have the smooth taste of live shrimps, but they don’t seem dry and have a different flavor.
The braised tofu with minced meat is naturally fragrant. The steamed egg custard, a very popular meat dish, seems insignificant next to these hard dishes. The spicy cabbage is very crispy.
He Susu finished a bowl of white rice with these dishes. During the meal, Cheng paid attention to her eyes and picked up the dishes that were far away for her in time.
Unlike men who have big appetites and want another bowl of rice after finishing one, He Susu scooped a bowl of scallop and mushroom soup with a spoon. Naturally, the bowl must include scallop meat and mushrooms.
These mushrooms are picked from the back mountain, dried and stored. They are still very fresh and sweet when cooked into soup. The scallop meat shrinks a little after cooking, but tastes very tender when eaten. It naturally has the unique freshness and sweetness of seafood. The soup cooked with these ingredients is naturally extremely fresh and sweet.
He Susu drank one mouthful after another until she finished the whole bowl. She was thinking that so many people in the room also wanted to drink soup, otherwise she really wanted to get another bowl to drink.
She finally understood what the book meant by "eyebrows falling off".
He Susu ate neither fast nor slow, and by the time she was full, her mother and sisters-in-law had almost finished eating as well.
The men ate slower. He's father was in high spirits. He opened a bottle of wine given by his son-in-law and chatted with his sons and sons-in-law while eating and drinking.
He's mother gave a look, and the three sisters-in-law and He Susu left the table tacitly without disturbing their interest. It was a rare New Year's Eve dinner, so they just let them enjoy it.
On the other hand, the seven little kids at the table showed amazing fighting spirit and finished all eight dishes.
He Susu smiled and said, "It seems that the food tonight is delicious, that's why you guys ate it all up."
The children’s meals were shared from the main table. Maybe each dish wasn’t much, but there were eight dishes in total which was quite a lot.
Dabao is a connoisseur, grinning: "Aunt, I love braised pork with abalone the most, the abalone is really delicious."
Ke Jie couldn't help but nod his head: "Yes, yes, it's smooth, tender, and a little elastic. This is my first time eating it."
Erbao disagreed: "I think prawns are the best."
Ke Rou: "Pan-fried hairtail fish is delicious."
Guimian: "The scallion-roasted chicken tastes better."
Gui Xi: "The braised pork with abalone and the braised tofu with minced pork are both very good."
Guifang finally whispered, "I think the scallop meat and mushroom soup is the best. I drank two bowls in a row."
When He Susu heard this, she gave Guifang an admiring look, thinking that great minds think alike.
At first she thought the best dish of the New Year's Eve dinner must be the braised pork and abalone, but after tasting the scallop meat and mushroom soup, she put it on the top of the list.
He's mother and three sisters-in-law listened on the side with smiles on their faces. They felt a great sense of accomplishment when the meals they cooked were liked by the children.
Today was special. Unlike usual days, they did not clear the dishes and chopsticks from the children's table after they finished eating. Instead, they left them there. He's mother and others went to the main room to sit and chat, and then cleared the table together after the adults finished eating.
By the end of the drinking, He's father was a little tipsy. Elder and Second Brother He rarely drank, but they were inevitably a little drunk. However, Cheng Shi and He Lianzhou could drink with their comrades occasionally in the army, so they could still drink and were still sober.
Seeing them stand up and come over to sit in the main hall, He Susu looked at Cheng Shi and was relieved to see that his cheeks were just slightly red and his eyes were clear.
Cheng Shi met Su Su's eyes and couldn't help but smile: "Don't worry, I didn't drink much."
He deliberately turned his face to the side when he spoke, for fear that the smell of alcohol would offend Susu.
Except for the day when she saw him drinking at the wedding banquet, He Susu had never seen Cheng Shi drink before. She felt relieved when she heard him say that.
She stood up and made room for him. "Please sit down. I'll go see how mother is doing."
He's mother has already called her three daughters-in-law to go and clean up the dishes and wash the dishes. The sooner they finish, the sooner they can have some free time to chat.
He Susu came over to help but was unable to do so, so she had to stand aside and chat with her sisters-in-law and her mother.
The water in the kitchen was boiling, and the children went to take a bath first. Then the women went to take a bath after they were done, and then the men went to take a bath.
After everyone had washed up and sat in the main room, He's mother smiled and took out red envelopes to distribute to the seven grandchildren. She also specially packed two red envelopes for He Susu and Cheng Shi.
"This is the first Chinese New Year after your marriage, so I'll give you each a red envelope to celebrate. I've always given you red envelopes in the past, but now that you're married and considered an adult, I won't give you any next year."
He's mother said jokingly.
He Susu took the red envelope from her mother with a smile: "Thank you, mother. This red envelope has a different meaning. I must treasure it well."
Cheng Shi also took it with a smile: "Thank you, mother."
This was the first red envelope he received from his elders after he joined the army.
He's mother said with relief: "You're welcome. I'll be relieved if you can live happily in the new year."
It was the turn of several sisters-in-law to give red envelopes to the children, and in the end they all gave a red envelope to their sister-in-law.
Zhao Miling smiled and said, "Little sister, we used to give you red envelopes, but we can't stop giving you red envelopes just because you're getting married. Please accept them."
Qian Chunhe nodded and said, "Yes, little sister, you are just like a younger sister to us. It is only right to give a red envelope to the younger generation, just to get good intentions."
Su Yu smiled and said, "Just accept it, little sister. It's rare for us to spend the New Year together."
He Susu smiled and accepted their kindness: "Okay, then I would like to thank my sisters-in-law. Here with you, I will always be the same as Guifang and the others."
Cheng Shi watched Susu smiling happily as she received the red envelope. He was also happy that Susu had so many loving family members.
He's father and mother sat in the main seats and watched their daughter talking to her three daughters-in-law. They were very satisfied with the performance of the three daughters-in-law.
Especially He's mother, she said that she would not give Susu a red envelope when she grew up, but that was only because Susu might not have many opportunities to go back to her parents' home to celebrate New Year's Eve in the future, so she said that to her son-in-law.
I was so happy to hear my three daughters-in-law say that they still treat their daughters as their sisters and juniors.
The seven children were the happiest. Throughout the year, the only red envelopes they received on New Year’s Eve were those they could keep for themselves. If a peddler came to the team, they could buy popsicles and candies from him.
Especially this year, my aunt also gave them red envelopes, and they all shouted happily: "Thank you, aunt!"
"You don't have to be so polite." He Susu felt it was worth it when she saw the seven children were so happy to receive the red envelopes she had wrapped.
Everyone sat for a while, but in the end they didn't stay up until the early morning, so they went back to their rooms to sleep.
As soon as she entered the room, He Susu received a red envelope from Cheng Shi. Her eyes lit up and she asked with a smile, "You want to give me a red envelope too?"
She remembered that when she was wrapping red envelopes in the room in the afternoon, Cheng Shi was watching her. At the end, he said that he would clean up the remaining red envelopes. It turned out that he wanted to wrap a red envelope for herself.
Cheng Shi smiled and nodded: "I'll just give you a red envelope, and you'll get one every year from now on."
He Susu happily took it and said, "Then thank you. From now on, no matter how old I am, I will be able to receive a red envelope."
She opened the red envelope she received in the evening and took a look. Cheng Shi was the most generous and gave a big unity. Her mother also gave a lot of money, five yuan. The three sisters-in-law must have agreed to give fifty cents each.
The amount of money is not important. What is most precious is the thoughts and blessings contained in the red envelope. He Susu folded all the red envelopes and put them away, intending to keep them forever.
She would also pick up a pen and write on the back of the red envelope, "This was received in the first month of 1975."
The couple quickly lay down on the bed and prepared to go to sleep.
Cheng Shi said in a gentle voice: "Susu, this is our first year of marriage. We will definitely get better and better in the future."
He Susu hugged him back: "Well, let's live a good life together."
The couple snuggled together, and they could feel each other's hearts beating just by hugging each other. The anticipation of stepping into the new year together made them joyful.
On the first day of the new year, people go from street to street to pay New Year’s greetings.
There are many people in the village who have good relationships with each other, and the father and mother took their sons and grandchildren for a walk.
He Susu and Cheng Shi didn't join in the fun. They stayed at home and didn't feel bored.
She took out a half-finished sweater and continued crocheting, while Cheng Shi sat beside her, drinking tea and chatting with Susu from time to time, enjoying the rare quiet time between husband and wife.
On the second day of the New Year, I went back to my parents’ home.
He's mother distributed the prepared things to her three daughters-in-law early in the morning. This year, there were no daughters to help buy meat and the family did not have enough meat coupons, so they did not prepare pork. They replaced it with a pound of pastries, which was also decent.
After the brothers and sisters-in-law took the children out, He Susu and Cheng Shi also took out the gifts they had prepared long ago and came to the main room.
"Mom and Dad, this is something Cheng Shi and I sent you. There's a can of malted milk in it. You should make it and drink it more often to supplement your nutrition."
It was a coincidence that when they went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things that day, they were still worrying about gifts, which were nothing more than tea and cakes. Who knew that they happened to come across malted milk for sale, and Cheng Shi had a ticket on him, so he simply bought a can.
Mother He smiled and said, "Okay, I know you are concerned about me and your father's health. I will definitely brew it and drink it every day."
It is natural for the daughter and son-in-law to bring gifts when they return home on the second day of the New Year, so He's mother generously accepted them.
After spending the past few days together, He's father and Cheng Shi had already become familiar with each other. Since they lived together, it could be said that this was the fastest time for him to return home. They immediately started chatting while drinking tea.
After a while, He Xiuxiu's family also came back, and the gifts they brought included canned meat from the meat processing factory.
The father-in-law and his two sons-in-law got together to chat, and the mother and her three daughters also got together to chat. Only Haohao and Juejue felt a little disappointed because they couldn't find playmates. After getting their mother's permission, they ran outside to find other children in the village to play with.
After the initial excitement wore off, He Susu simply went back to her room, took out the sweater that was almost finished and continued crocheting, without interrupting her conversation with her elder sister and mother.
He Xiuxiu was surprised to see her younger sister crocheting so well: "Little sister, you have learned this skill very well. Now you can knit sweaters for mom."
Maybe none of the girls in the He family are good at sewing. He Xiuxiu can only use needle and thread to mend her children's clothes, and they are not very good-looking. She can't knit a sweater and can't learn it.
Mother He said proudly: "Susu learned this craft in order to give Cheng Shiguo a sweater for his birthday. Now she has given me the second sweater she knitted."
He Susu smiled and said, "My skills are barely good enough to knit a sweater, I hope you don't mind, mom."
He's mother: "Of course I don't mind it. I like it so much that I treat it like a treasure and I'm reluctant to wear it."
He Susu: "That's not the case. I knitted this sweater just to keep you warm. You can wear it for a while since the weather is cold now."
He Xiuxiu laughed as she listened to this: "Sure enough, my little sister is the most thoughtful. I just brought some food back, but she gave mom a sweater she knitted herself."
That being said, she had no other thoughts. Even though they were both daughters, everyone had different ways of honoring their parents, so there was nothing to compare.
He Susu smiled and said, "I'm just killing time."
The mother and her two daughters started chatting about other things, gossiping about other people. While they were talking, He Susu finished knitting a sweater. The turquoise green sweater looked very pleasing to the eye.
"Mom, I've finished knitting the sweater. Please try it on to see if it fits you. If it does, you can wash it and wear it tomorrow."
Mother He happily took it, tried it on herself and said, "It's a perfect fit."
After saying that, she still got up and went back to her room to try it on, and then came out wearing the new sweater.
"Look, I told you that the sweaters Susu knitted would definitely fit me well and be very comfortable."
He Susu looked at the sweater she had knitted, which fit her mother snugly. The green color made her face look more energetic, and the fine lines on her face from her happy smile didn't make her look so old.
She smiled and nodded: "Mom, just make sure it fits you."
He Xiuxiu reached out and touched the texture of the sweater on her mother's body. She couldn't help but praise it: "My little sister bought you high-quality wool. It feels comfortable to touch and must be even more comfortable to wear. It also fits me so well. Mom, you will probably wear this sweater for ten or eight years."
He's mother said happily: "That's for sure."
When Father He heard the noise, he knew that the sweater his daughter knitted was for his wife to wear. He nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. Susu's craftsmanship is really good. It will look good on my wife."
Cheng Shi and Gu Chengli also nodded and said that their mother-in-law looked good in this sweater. Especially Cheng Shi, he was proud of Susu's knitting skill and was moved by her filial piety.
He's mother was surprised for a long time before she reluctantly took off her sweater, washed it immediately and hung it up to dry so that she could wear it tomorrow.
At noon, He's mother was the chef. She didn't refuse He Xiuxiu and He Susu to help. The three of them simply made a table of dishes and everyone gathered together to eat.
They continued chatting in the main room in the afternoon. He Susu took the purple wool and crocheted a sweater for her mother-in-law.
She has been knitting recently, and she is really in the mood for it. Not only is it not tiring, but it can also kill time and doesn't interfere with chatting.
Especially when the other person wears the sweater she knitted and finds it fits them comfortably and is very happy, the sense of pride that wells up in her heart feels really great.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
