Finally, the mess left by the Chen family was resolved, and Xichun felt much relieved. After receiving the letter severing ties with the Chen family, she felt completely at ease.
The situation was different for Old Mrs. Chen's family. She was furious, especially when her former daughter-in-law's current mother-in-law, Old Mrs. Ma, pointed her finger at her and berated her.
After returning home, Du and Ma calmed down. Seeing the look in their mother-in-law's eyes, they realized that things were about to get tough.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, fortunately the county government didn't come to collect stall fees again in the next few days. After observing for a few days, many people quietly brought their goods to town to sell, making it several times more lively than usual.
After that incident, Xichun hired Uncle Zhang and Taozi to work for her before the New Year, paying them every day. With the New Year approaching, many people were preparing to make some money for the holiday, and people like Xichun were even more likely to become targets.
So when they saw two men helping them with the work, those people looked elsewhere.
In the past few days, Xi Chun has heard about quite a few robberies and thefts. She can't help but feel glad that her decision was right, otherwise they might have become victims of these cases as well.
"Miss Chen, I wonder if you're busy? We'd like to order a batch of tea eggs and golden dumplings from your stall for visiting relatives during the New Year." Zhu Nian, who hadn't been seen for a long time, came to Xi Chun's stall at the young master's instruction.
"Oh, how many are you planning to order, and when do you need them?" Upon hearing this, Xi Chun realized that this was a major customer who had placed an order, so she was bound to take it seriously.
"We're planning to order two hundred tea eggs and one hundred golden dumplings. We'll pick them up on the 28th. What do you think?"
"That's great, but we have rules too, we need to pay a deposit." Xi Chun was naturally happy, as she just needed to go home and prepare the money so she could have it when she came over.
"Okay, here's two hundred coins. Take it first, and we'll come back to collect it on the morning of the 28th."
Xi Chun was very happy to have earned another two hundred coins. She could only sell less than two hundred in a day, so the quantity was quite large. Therefore, on the night of the 27th, Aunt Zhang's family came over to help her work overtime.
They were busy like this until the 29th, when many stalls in the town had already closed down, preparing to go home for the New Year and come back later.
This is Xichun's first year here. With the new year comes a new look, and she decided not to treat herself to a good meal, so she bought a lot of things.
The wages were paid to Aunt Zhang's family, and they were able to have a good New Year this year. Qiangzi returned from the county town on the afternoon of the 29th. They had a six-day holiday and would be going back on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Qiangzi hadn't used his previous holidays much, so the shopkeeper exchanged the holiday for money for him to bring back.
Qiangzi also brought some braised pork that the restaurant owner had the kitchen cook as a reward for the hardworking waiters, so he also gave some to Xichun to try.
"Thank you, Brother Qiangzi. I think you're a completely different person since you came back from the county town. You're much more mature now." Xichun was also surprised by his performance.
"Hehe, that's all thanks to Xichun's help. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had this opportunity to broaden my horizons. I'm very grateful to you now," Qiangzi said with a smile.
"Yes, Xichun, look at Qiangzi, he's like a completely different person after this trip. It seems he still needs to broaden his horizons." Seeing their son becoming more and more mature, Aunt Zhang and Uncle Zhang were very pleased.
The villagers had already guessed that Qiangzi was working as a shop assistant in the county town, but when they saw him return, many people still came to ask him about his situation out of curiosity.
When they learned that he was still working as a paid waiter in a restaurant and had access to wealthy people in the county, their eyes lit up. They all said he was very lucky and that if he were to be chosen by a city girl in the future, he would become a city dweller.
These words were clearly a mix of envy and sourness. Qiangzi had witnessed how difficult it was for diners to deal with, so now he just smiled and remained silent, showing no pride.
I've been busy with business until Lunar New Year's Eve, when I finally started frying things. These fried items can be stored for a while, and they're semi-finished products that can be cooked directly. That's why every family likes to fry some to keep on hand for the New Year.
Xichun prepared fried eggplant fritters, fried lotus root sandwiches, fried meatballs, and so on. Adding a little chili made them very fragrant, and the aroma of oil filled the house. It wasn't until noon that everything was ready.
Qiangzi and the others came over to help put up the couplets and also received some fried food, which made Taozi extremely happy. After all, his mother rarely put meat in her fried food, while Xichun's fried food contained quite a lot of it.
Xichun originally planned to buy a chicken, but she had been busy and hadn't raised any at home. However, Aunt Zhang brought over a slaughtered chicken and taught her how to prepare it as an offering.
She had severed ties with the Chen family, so she still had to support her father herself. Xi Chun hadn't learned this skill before, but she learned it from Aunt Zhang.
For example, the offerings from Uncle Zhang's family are made in the Zhang family ancestral hall in the village, which is a more complicated arrangement.
Xi Chun finished preparing the meal, then scooped out a bowl of chicken and filled another bowl with a lot of fried food before heading to the Ma family's house.
Everyone saw her carrying food towards the Ma family's direction. Some people even asked her where she was going. When they learned that she was going to the Ma family, the person went home and said to his family, "Look, Xichun isn't an ungrateful person. The Chen family is really getting worse and worse. They should be pampering their granddaughter who can make money like this. Instead, they're pushing her away."
When Xichun arrived at the Ma family's door, she still didn't go in. Instead, she stood at the door and called out loudly to Wang Shi. When Wang Shi heard the voice, she quickly came out. When she saw Xichun carrying two bowls full of food, her face showed surprise and delight.
"Xichun, you're here! Come quickly, your mother and Grandma Ma are cooking, we'll be eating soon." Wang thought Xichun had brought food to celebrate the New Year.
"Mother, I won't go in. You take it in and give me the bowl back. I've already finished cooking, and I was thinking of calling you to come back for dinner together." Xichun noticed that her belly was getting bigger and bigger.
"Xichun's here! Come in quickly, dinner's almost ready." At this moment, Ma Dawei also came out. He rarely smiled at Xichun, but today he smiled when he saw her.
"No, Uncle Ma, this is what I brought for you." Xi Chun didn't have much ill will towards him, but she didn't have much affection for him either. She treated him like a strange relative and rarely saw him in the village.
"There's so much, you can eat it yourself. We have plenty at home." Ma Dawei was surprised to see so much food before refusing it. Perhaps because Wang was pregnant, Ma Dawei's attitude towards the mother and daughter had completely changed.
Xichun refused them for a while, and Wang Shi understood her determination. She stopped trying to persuade her and took two bowls of food inside. When Ma Laotai saw the two bowls full of meat, she was also surprised. She came out and said stiffly, "Let's eat together."
However, Xichun refused and went home on her own.
Looking at Xichun's retreating figure, which seemed so lonely, Wang felt a deep sense of melancholy. However, thinking of the child in her womb, she was filled with hope again.
Xi Chun returned home alone. Facing a table full of food, she took a deep breath and began to eat.
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