Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Happy New Year
Zhou was busy in the kitchen. This year, because there was one more person, there were more food to prepare for the New Year, so she started to get busy early in the morning.
Although she was busy, she always had a smile on her face.
Occasionally she turned her head and looked outside, and saw Yu Li cleaning the yard with her two children.
Their yard is very clean because they have only a few chickens at home. They are all kept in the open space next to the vegetable patch in the backyard. They won't run into the front yard, and there is no chicken droppings on the ground in the front yard.
A lot of weeds grew there without me noticing, and there were also some wild flowers that the country folks usually planted in the corner.
After Yu Li finished cleaning, he used a hoe to remove the weeds in the yard.
Two children followed behind her, holding small brooms, and swept the weeds into the garbage basket, which they then threw next to the vegetable patch. When there were enough of them, they would burn them and the ashes would serve as fertilizer for the soil.
In the east wing, Fu Wenxiao was writing the word "Fu".
There is a custom of pasting the word "Fu" during the Chinese New Year here. Before the New Year, when the villagers go to buy New Year's goods, several families will buy some red paper together, cut the red paper, and then ask someone to help write the word "Fu".
When asking someone to help write the word "Fu", the villagers would bring some homemade food as a reward.
Every Chinese New Year, the word "Fu" for the Fu family is written by Fu Wenxiao.
He was good at handwriting and was also good at writing the word "Fu". With a flick of his pen, a big "Fu" appeared on the paper, with its iron-like strokes and silver-like hooks, which was extremely strong and soft.
After Fu Wenxiao wrote a few words "Fu", he stopped writing, leaned against the window and looked at the yard.
His eyebrows were gentle, and his black jade eyes quietly gazed at the two children, one adult and two children, who were busy in the yard, with a faint smile on his lips.
Seeing her weeding effortlessly, the two children behind her couldn't keep up and couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
Suddenly, Fu Yansheng accidentally tripped over the dustpan and fell to the ground.
"Sister!" Fu Yanhui was startled.
Maybe because she was hurt from the fall, Fu Yansheng sat on the ground with red eyes, a pursed mouth, and she was about to cry.
At this time, Yu Li turned to look at her and said, "Get up!"
Fu Yansheng looked up at her and saw that she just asked him to get up but didn't come to help him or comfort him. He couldn't help feeling a little aggrieved.
However, when her brother ran over to pull her up, Fu Yansheng refused and climbed up with her own hands.
At this time, tears had already fallen. She stretched out her little hand to wipe away the tears on her face, looking very aggrieved.
Yu Li reached out and touched her head, and said, "Yan Sheng is great, she stood up on her own."
Children's emotions come and go quickly. When she touched their heads and praised them, they would unconsciously straighten their chests, feel that they were very brave and powerful, and their little mouths would grin.
Although the tears in her eyes had not yet stopped falling, she was smiling brightly.
Yu Li said approvingly: "Yan Sheng, you must remember to stand up by yourself if you fall down, and don't wait for others to help you up! Waiting for others to help you will only make you weaker and weaker. No one will always be there to help you. Weakness will make people unhappy."
Fu Yansheng looked at her in confusion.
Fu Yan looked back at her and asked softly, "Aunt, can I help my sister?"
The brother and sister have a very good relationship. Maybe it’s because of the environment they grew up in, they rarely quarrel or fight, and their relationship is as close as one person.
Like when his sister fell just now, he was also very anxious.
Yu Li said, "Well, Yan Hui is also very well behaved!" Then he added, "Yan Hui is the same. If he falls, he has to stand up by himself, understand?"
Fu Yanhui straightened his chest and said, "Aunt, I know! I am a man, I can protect grandma and my sister!"
Yu Li reached out and touched the little man's head, said nothing, and continued to weed with the two children.
It was as if she just said it casually, not caring whether the two children were still young and couldn't understand it at all. Even in the eyes of others, she was too cruel. The children were still young, and she didn't help them when they fell down. She also told them these strange truths, which they didn't understand. What's the point?
Zhou stood in the kitchen in a daze, with a complicated expression on her face, and then she couldn't help but smile.
Fu Wenxiao smiled, thinking that he didn't find it strange that she would say that.
Perhaps this is what she had experienced before. Someone had said this to her and asked her to do this, so she has never been weak in character. She never expects anyone to help her, and she relies on herself for everything.
Yu Li had just finished cleaning the yard when he saw someone coming over.
Because today is New Year's Eve and Fu Wenxiao's health has improved, the gate of the Fu family's courtyard is not closed.
The one who came was Aunt Zhou, the Da Zhuang wife from next door.
She was holding a bowl of food in her hand. She greeted Yu Li and asked, "Mother Li, our family hasn't written the word 'Fu' yet. I wonder if Xiao Ge'er can help us write the word 'Fu' this year?"
In the past, Fu Wenxiao's health was not good, so even if they saw the Fu family's good-looking blessing characters, they were too embarrassed to ask for a calligraphy. But this year, Fu Wenxiao's health has improved, and he can even go out of the house, so he should be able to write a few characters, right?
So Aunt Zhou came to ask.
Yu Li asked Aunt Zhou to wait for a moment while she went to the west wing to ask Fu Wenxiao.
"Sure." Fu Wenxiao agreed readily.
Then Fu Wenxiao brought pen, ink, paper, inkstone and other things to the main room and wrote.
Aunt Zhou hurriedly handed the food she brought to Yu Li, and then handed him a piece of red paper. Seeing him write a big word "Fu" with his calligraphy, she couldn't help but show admiration on her face.
"Xiao brother, your handwriting is really beautiful." She praised, "I have seen so many blessing characters in my life, but none of them can compare to yours."
Fu Wenxiao said modestly: "Aunt, you are joking. My handwriting is not very good."
Aunt Zhou thought he was being modest. She admired the word "Fu" on the red paper for a while, then asked, "Xiao'er, do you have any spare energy? If so, I'll tell the people in the village to come to you to write the word "Fu". They don't have to crowd over to the Yu family and wait for Boss Yu to write..."
At this point, she curled her lips.
In the past, there were only three educated people in the village: Yu Lao Da and his sons, so everyone could only go to them to write the word "Fu" for them.
In previous years, before the brothers Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli grew up, it was the eldest brother Yu who wrote the word "Fu" for the villagers. Every time the villagers came to him to ask him to write, it was as if they were begging him to do something. He had a condescending look on his face and was very impatient. He had a lot of rules, which made everyone unhappy.
It is like this in every village. If there is a scholar in the village, they will ask him to write the word "Fu". If there is no scholar, they will ask the village chief.
Although the village chief is not a scholar, if necessary, he will practice how to write the word "Fu" and buy a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone. Then he will write the word "Fu" for the villagers during the New Year. Even if the writing is not beautiful, it is considered a good omen.
Ever since Yu Lao Da started to go to school, the village chief asked the villagers to ask him to write the word "Fu" for them.
We are all from the same village, so it doesn't take much time to help write. What's more, the villagers will bring their own homemade food as a reward. Although the amount is not much, it is a token of my appreciation. If you accept it, you should write well, so that you don't owe me anything and I don't owe you anything.
But every time they saw Boss Yu's look, they always felt like they owed him something.
When the Yu Jingde brothers grew up, the word "Fu" became them.
However, the two brothers also inherited some of their father's habits. When writing the word "Fu" for the villagers, there are a lot of rules. They are not even allowed to say a word. If they think the word "Fu" they wrote is not good, they will be kicked out directly...
Aunt Zhou didn't like Boss Yu's behavior. If she couldn't find anyone to write for her, she really wouldn't be willing to go to the Yu family to ask for calligraphy.
It would have been fine in the past, but this year Fu Wenxiao was in better health, and he had to take part in the county examination after the New Year, so he thought it would be okay to write a word "Fu", so she brought food to him.
Fu Wenxiao said, "Aunt, it's OK. If anyone wants the word 'Fu', just ask them to come over."
Aunt Zhou smiled, quickly agreed, and left with the written word "Fu".
Soon after, some villagers came to ask for the word "Fu".
Seeing that there were so many people coming and Fu Wenxiao obviously couldn't handle it alone, Yu Li took the food handed over by the villagers, then rolled up his sleeves to help grind the ink.
Watching him writing word after word, beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. She took a handkerchief to wipe them for him to prevent him from getting sick again.
Fu Wenxiao turned around and smiled at her, but it was difficult to say anything because there were outsiders around.
After the person who asked for the calligraphy left, he sat on the chair tiredly and smiled at her, "Mother Li, thank you for what happened just now."
Yu Li poured him a cup of hot water and said, "Drink water first."
He drank the water obediently, and after finishing it he said, "Li Niang, I'm a little tired."
Yu Li then transferred her supernatural powers to him and saw that the fatigue on his face had subsided. Instead, she felt hungry and tired. Then, she ignored him and went to Zhou to ask for some food to fill her stomach.
Fu Wenxiao: “…”
The two children sitting next to him looked at him and decisively followed their aunt to the kitchen to find food.
It was almost noon when the three Yu Jin sisters also arrived.
They were here to deliver fish.
Yu Jin said, "Sister, brother-in-law, aunt, we and the people on the boat bought a few fish. They are still alive and can be kept and eaten slowly."
There were three fish in the bucket they brought, each weighing about three pounds and very plump.
Zhou smiled and said, "This fish is so fat. It can be made into fish balls or fried fish nuggets." During the Chinese New Year, you have to eat fried food, and fried food can be kept for a long time, so there is no need to worry about it going bad.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Yu Li touched the heads of his three sisters, poured the fish in the bucket into the basin, and added some water to the basin to keep them.
Yu Jin said a little embarrassedly: "Actually, we came here to ask for a blessing from my brother-in-law."
"I heard that many people came to my brother-in-law to ask for the word 'Fu' today." Yu Zhu looked at Fu Wenxiao curiously, "They said that the word 'Fu' written by my brother-in-law is much better looking than that written by my uncle and cousin, and my uncle was quite unhappy..."
"Cough cough!" Yu Yin coughed and interrupted her younger sister.
When Fu Wenxiao saw this, he knew there might be some more story behind it.
But he didn't ask any further questions, just smiled and wrote the word "Fu" for them.
After receiving the word "Fu", the three sisters looked at it carefully and found that it was indeed written very beautifully.
Although they were illiterate, they still recognized the word "Fu". Besides, they had been used to seeing the word "Fu" written by Boss Yu since they were young, so they could tell which one was better without comparison.
When the three sisters left, they said to Yu Li who was seeing them off, "Sister, just now someone went to ask uncle to write the word 'Fu'. After uncle finished writing it, the person said that uncle's writing was not as beautiful as my brother-in-law's, and then uncle got angry."
Everyone in the village is used to going to the Yu family to ask Yu Lao Da and his son to write the word "Fu", and this year is no exception.
But no one expected that this year someone would go to the Fu family to ask Fu Wenxiao for a calligraphy. Someone compared the word "Fu" written by Fu Wenxiao with the words written by Yu Lao Da and his two sons. The result can be imagined.
Yu Zhu's eyes sparkled as she continued, "My uncle, my eldest cousin, and my second cousin were very angry at the time, as if they were insulted by what that person said. They didn't believe it at first, until they saw the word 'Fu' written by my brother-in-law. It seemed like they were hit hard..."
The sisters were at the scene at the time and heard their uncle muttering something like "impossible".
They also don’t understand why their uncle said it was impossible. Why did he think it was impossible for their brother-in-law to have beautiful handwriting?
This is too weird.
Yu Jin and Yu Yin finally couldn't help it and laughed with their hands covering their mouths.
Actually, that scene was quite funny.
In the past, because the three members of the eldest branch of the Yu family were the only educated people in the village, everyone respected them and thought that whatever they said was right.
This is also why people these days have a natural reverence for scholars.
However, ever since the Yu family split up, the things done by the eldest branch of the family have been too unreliable. Everyone in the village has seen it, and they can't help but look down on Yu Lao Da and his sons.
This person must have read so much that he became stupid. For such an important event as autumn harvest, no one from the main family came back.
Even if there is nothing we can do to help, at least we should send someone back to take a look. We can't just leave everything to the old couple.
The villagers' awe of Yu Lao Da and his two sons gradually faded, so when they faced the three of them now, they spoke more directly and did not go out of their way to protect their reputation as scholars.
Moreover, you can tell at a glance whether the handwriting is beautiful or not, and you can't say it against your conscience.
After hearing this, Yu Li nodded and said, "Xiao Ge'er's handwriting is indeed better than theirs."
She had seen the handwriting of Yu Lao Da and his sons in the original owner's memory, and could only say that it was mediocre and had nothing to do with being beautiful.
Those villagers were indeed right.
Seeing her honest look, the Yu Jin sisters laughed again.
They laughed and agreed, "Of course, my brother-in-law's handwriting is the most beautiful!"
Yu Li thought their laughter was strange, so he changed the subject and said, "How is your physical training going? I'll check it out after the New Year."
Three sisters: “…”
"We're already practicing." The three of them said hurriedly, some stuttering.
Yu Li hummed, "Okay, then behave well. If you behave well, you will be rewarded. If you behave poorly, you will be punished."
The three sisters felt very stressed after hearing this. They didn't want to say anything else and just ran away holding hands.
Yu Li watched them leave and turned to go in.
Fu Wenxiao was sitting in the main room drinking water. When he saw her come back, he asked, "I just heard the sisters laughing happily, but is there any good news?"
"Good news?" Yu Li looked at him strangely and told him honestly what her sisters had told her.
Fu Wenxiao finally understood what Yu Zhu had left unfinished.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and then asked, "What do you think of my handwriting, Li Niang?"
"It's beautiful!" Yu Li said without hesitation, "It's much better than what my uncle and his friends wrote."
Even if she practiced for ten years, she wouldn't be able to write like him. After all, calligraphy and hard pen calligraphy are very different. She felt that she probably couldn't spend that much time to practice her calligraphy like him.
Fu Wenxiao didn't expect her to be so honest. His face felt slightly hot, but the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise.
He said softly, "Then I will teach you how to write more in the future. I believe Li Niang will be able to write like me soon." She was so smart and capable, he believed that she could do it.
"No." Yu Li refused, "It's fine as long as it's pleasing to the eye. I won't force it."
She was too lazy to spend too much time practicing calligraphy, and when she saw the limp brush, she had the urge to use it to tear the paper.
Words don't have to be written beautifully or neatly, as long as people can tell what is written.
Fu Wenxiao could only give up with regret.
It seems that she really doesn't like those fancy things. Compared with these, tempting her with food is more effective.
It turns out that I still need to learn some cooking skills in the future.
**
It was soon afternoon and Zhou began to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
Yu Li rolled up his sleeves to help, and the two children also helped to light the fire. Fu Wenxiao took a look and helped to wash the vegetables. The water used to wash the vegetables was mixed with hot water.
There is not much snow here in winter and the climate is relatively mild. Even on very cold days, there are vegetables to eat. The tender young green vegetables can be used directly to make soup, which tastes particularly crispy and sweet.
The kitchen was very lively, everyone was crowded here, talking and laughing.
Zhou turned around and saw Fu Wenxiao washing the vegetables carefully. He washed them one by one, being extremely careful and cautious. Each vegetable was washed cleanly, which made people feel at ease.
In the past, he looked so serious mostly when he was studying.
Zhou laughed. She never thought that one day, she would see him washing vegetables with the same seriousness as studying. It was really...
When she turned around and saw Yu Li beside her, she understood a little.
Men, no matter how old they are, want to show their reliable side in front of the girl they like, even though washing vegetables may not show anything.
It was still early when the New Year’s Eve dinner was ready.
After the food was served on the table, they first took a portion of the selected food and placed it in front of several tablets in the main hall and burned incense on the tablets.
Zhou was muttering something, as if calling her deceased relatives to come back for the reunion dinner.
Fu Wenxiao and the two children stood in silence.
Yu Li stood there, also maintaining a solemn expression, respecting some of the customs of this world, although in her opinion, the dead might not necessarily come back.
After offering incense, Zhou turned to them and said, "Okay, let's go eat. It will be cold soon."
Although she tried to use a light tone, one could still feel the depression in her heart.
Fu Wenxiao walked over to support her and said, "Mom, everything will be fine."
Zhou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
She believed that everything would be fine, and that the living would try their best to live on, with the best wishes for the dead.
The New Year’s Eve dinner was very sumptuous. Yu Li ate non-stop and felt that every dish was her favorite.
Zhou smiled as she picked up some food for her and said, "Eat more, Li Niang. If you can finish the New Year's Eve dinner, it will be a good sign. Everything will go smoothly for everyone next year."
Yu Li was stunned for a moment, then said, "Shouldn't there be some left over from everything?"
This is the custom in the Yu family, and they will continue to eat the leftovers on the first day of the new year.
"We don't do that in our family," Zhou said. "Being able to eat is a blessing. In some places in the north, it is customary to finish all the food on New Year's Eve. That's auspicious."
Of course, the New Year’s Eve dinner of wealthy families is more elaborate and usually cannot be finished.
But they would give some to the servants as a reward so that it would not be wasted.
Yu Li said "oh" and felt that finishing this meal would not be a problem for her at all.
Halfway through her meal, she suddenly thought of something and put down her chopsticks.
"Li Niang, what's wrong?" Fu Wenxiao asked. Zhou and the two children also looked over.
Yu Li said seriously: "I also bought some wine, do you want to drink some wine to liven up the atmosphere?"
It’s New Year’s Eve, and most families will prepare wine, just like the Yu family. At this time, the men will drink a little wine and chat, and the atmosphere is very lively.
Upon hearing this, Fu Wenxiao and Zhou's expressions changed slightly.
drink wine?
They couldn't help but think of her being drunk during the Mid-Autumn Festival and firmly refused.
"Li Niang, let's not drink anymore. It might be bad if we get drunk." Zhou said worriedly. It's New Year's Day. If she gets drunk and runs away again, where can they find her?
Everything else would be fine, but it's not Mid-Autumn Festival now. The weather is cold now. What if she gets frozen outside?
So don't drink this wine.
Yu Li didn't really want to drink, so when he saw that they objected, he said, "Okay, then I won't drink."
Although the wine tastes good, it is not good if you are so drunk that you have no memory and don’t know where to go.
She still wanted to spend a good New Year with them. This was her first New Year since she came into this world, and she took it very seriously.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was already dark.
Then comes the New Year's Eve celebration.
There were several oil lamps lit in the main room, illuminating the whole room. Zhou put peanuts, melon seeds, snacks, various fried foods and other foods on the table so that everyone could eat while staying up to celebrate the New Year.
The north wind was blowing outside, and the stove in the house was burning with charcoal, keeping people warm.
Yu Li was peeling peanuts and eating them, and asked, "Mom, how long do we have to stay up to celebrate the New Year? Do we have to stay up until dawn?"
Although the Yu family also stayed up all night to celebrate the New Year, everyone went back to their rooms. In the original owner's memory, the sisters from the second room would stay up all night together in bed and talk, so that they could keep each other warm. They would not know when they fell asleep, and when they woke up, it was already dawn.
Zhou smiled and said, "We should stay up till dawn, but we can't stay up that long. Just show your appreciation. Children can't stay up that long. They will get sleepy soon."
Besides, Fu Wenxiao’s health has not recovered yet, so he cannot stay up all night.
Upon hearing this, Yu Li said "oh" and continued to peel peanuts.
Although she was full just now, she held Fu Wenxiao's hand and transferred her supernatural powers to him. She soon became hungry again and could continue eating.
Fu Wenxiao didn't have her good appetite, so he helped her peel pine nuts.
He peeled a small plate and placed it in front of her. When she looked over, he smiled and said, "Eat it. I'll peel it for you."
Yu Li was like a happy little squirrel, grabbing a handful of peeled pine nuts and throwing them into his mouth. His mouth was filled with the unique crispy aroma of nuts, which was really wonderful.
It is better to eat a handful of them than to eat them one by one.
The two children were not to be outdone: "Aunt, let us peel the melon seeds for you!"
Yu Li accepted everything and ate whatever was put in front of her.
Zhou smiled and said, "Don't eat too much fried food, Li Niang, it will make you get irritated."
"No, I'm in good health!" Yu Li quickly defended himself, not wanting to drink the medicine that would cause burning sensation.
She ate a lot of roasted nuts a while ago, and Zhou was worried that she would get a sore throat, so she specially prepared some medicine for her to drink. After drinking it, her face turned pale and she didn't recover for several days.
Seeing how frightened she was, Zhou just smiled.
If you really get angry, you still have to drink it.
When the time was almost up, the two children began to yawn.
Zhou took them back to their room to sleep, and said to Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao, "You should go back to sleep later, too, don't get too tired."
Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao both responded.
The two of them sat for another half an hour, until Yu Li had eaten most of the food on the table and felt a little full, then they went to wash up and rest.
Lying on the bed, Fu Wenxiao asked, "Li Niang, are you still hungry?"
"I'm not hungry." Yu Li said, "But I'm not full either."
Fu Wenxiao: “…” Well, this answer was not surprising. Every time she treated him, she would feel hungry and need to eat a lot.
Fu Wenxiao turned sideways and faced her direction. When she was confused, he said softly, "Li Niang, thank you for what you did for me."
"You're welcome." Yu Li said straightforwardly, "When you get better, remember to go make money!"
Fu Wenxiao: “…”
He couldn't help laughing out loud, and the sound rang out softly in the quiet darkness of winter, like the sound of pearls colliding.
Unfortunately, the girl next to him didn't know how to appreciate him and she even started to feel drowsy.
In the darkness, Fu Wenxiao's voice came, "Li Niang, Happy New Year!"
Yu Li nodded and replied "Good health".
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