Until the end, Zhao Luochuan never found out where Zhao Fangchu got the hand warmer from. Zhao Fangchu kept his mouth shut. If he had anything to say to Yang Donghu, he would ask him to keep it secret and not tell Zhao Luochuan. It was a private conversation between the two of them.
However, the two of them had a lot of free time as they did not have to visit relatives, and the annual temple fair was not affected by the heavy snow, and the town was still very lively.
The hot water bottles at home were bought from a peddler who passed by the village shouting. Small vendors generally wouldn't sell one as exquisite as the one in Zhao Fangchu's hand.
Zhu Cuilan was entertaining guests at home. The fourth day of the New Year was supposed to be the day for Zhu Yicheng to bring his wife to pay New Year's greetings to his aunt, but his wife was about to give birth, and it was troublesome to go back and forth, so he asked Zhu Jiashun to bring the New Year's gifts over. At this moment, he and Zhao He were drinking happily.
It was a rare sunny day during the temple fair. Although it was still the coldest time of the year, it was much better than the previous few days.
Taking advantage of the fact that he was still not too heavy, Yang Donghu begged Zhao Luochuan in a soft voice to take him with him to join in the fun.
There were so many people that it was very crowded. Zhao Luochuan didn't want to agree at first, but seeing that Yang Donghu had been cooped up at home for so long and looked so pitiful when he begged, it was hard enough for her to be pregnant. No one could stand being cooped up at home all the time. If there were more people, he could just take better care of her. Thinking of this, he softened his heart and agreed.
This year's temple fair was no different from last year's. Yang Donghu knew his own physical condition, so he didn't go to crowded places. He lingered at a few small stalls and bought some small items, which made him feel much better.
Next to the stall selling rouge, there were rattles, cloth tigers and other small toys for coaxing babies. The stall owner could see that Yang Donghu was pregnant, and he smiled and shook the rattle twice. Without saying a word, Yang Donghu was attracted to the stall.
There were no children in their family, so naturally they didn't have these things. The rattle made a crisp sound when shaken, which Yang Donghu found interesting. The stall owner then asked him with a smile what he needed.
Yang Donghu picked out a cloth tiger and also bought the wave drum from the stall owner, two of each, intending to let the Zhu family take them back as a gift for Zhu Yicheng's unborn child.
There was also clothing material. His baby was due to be born before the first month of the lunar year, and the gender of the baby in the belly was unknown, so Yang Donghu bought a piece of red material. It happened that the Chinese New Year had just passed, and red could be worn by both boys and girls, so there was no choice. As for the toys to appease the children, there was no distinction between boys and girls.
Zhu Cuilan sews small clothes of all colors for her dolls in their own family, and when Zhao Luochuan buys fabric, he doesn't mind red or blue, as long as it's a nice color.
Zhao Luochuan searched several places before he found a hand warmer similar to the one Zhao Fangchu had, which also contained charcoal and was much more expensive than a hot water bottle.
But as long as it was warm and wouldn't let her husband's hands get cold in the winter, he didn't mind if it was a little more expensive. He agreed to make paper lanterns for Yang Donghu. There was no paper at home, but they still had the tung oil paper that was used to paste windows in the past. However, because he had to write his name on it, the tung oil paper could not be used.
The paper used by scholars to write articles is expensive, so Zhao Luochuan didn't buy too much, just enough to make a lantern.
The restaurant was closed for the New Year. There was a big sign hanging at the door saying that it would not open until the sixth day of the New Year. The meat pie stall at the door was still there. Zhao Luochuan bought two pie for the two of them to fill their stomachs. The street was too crowded, so they just took a look from outside and didn't go in.
After walking around for a while, Yang Donghu felt a little tired and his ankles began to ache. Fortunately, they pushed a cart when they came out, otherwise Yang Donghu would definitely not be able to walk back such a long way.
The cart made a creaking sound as it rolled over the snow pile. Yang Donghu sat in the cart and counted the things he had bought. He also saw the stack of paper. The thought of using such good paper to make lanterns seemed like a waste.
Yang Donghu thought that he should write a few more words on it so as not to waste such good paper.
After the eighth day of the first lunar month, there are almost no relatives visiting. The busy mid-year period is over, and most people have some free time, waiting to start the busy farming season after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Zhu Cuilan was very busy since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, and even more so after the New Year. She had prepared the betrothal gifts for Yang Anjin. She had already given five taels of the agreed twenty taels, and the remaining fifteen taels had been saved early.
The big red boxes used for the betrothal gifts came in pairs. One was carried away last year, and the other one will be carried away along with all the betrothal gifts after the first month of the lunar year.
She had helped Zhao Luochuan arrange his wedding before and was now quite adept at it. She had already discussed the bridal sedan and suona with others last year and had also paid the money.
The wedding banquet was exactly the same as Zhao Luochuan's at that time. This was the only major event in her son's life, so Zhu Cuilan would certainly not be careless. Since they were doing things for the same family, there couldn't be too much difference. Otherwise, others would think that she didn't like the new daughter-in-law.
Zhao Fangyu's four wedding quilts were still in the hands of Mrs. Quan Fu. Zhu Cuilan picked a good day, paid a gift of wedding money, and took the quilts back.
The last time Quan Fu Po helped the Zhao family, Zhu Cuilan did not owe her any benefits, so she was more attentive this time.
There were also beds, cabinets, and basin racks in the carpenter's house, all in pieces. While the men were at home, she quickly took all the things back, otherwise after the first month of the lunar year, when people were busy, she would not be able to take care of them.
Ever since Li Zihong started learning the craft from Zhao He, he kowtowed to Zhao He and acknowledged him as his master. He has been diligent and hardworking and has never slacked off. Zhao He has a good impression of this down-to-earth young man and has done a lot of work for him. Now Li Zihong has become a serious craftsman. Not only can he support himself, he also earns more than before from farming, and he has saved money waiting to marry Chen Ran.
He was extremely grateful to Zhao He. Whenever the Zhao family needed help, he would be the first one to run away.
This time we went to the carpenter's house again. They pulled one more cart than last time, carrying large and small items to his home. The villagers had a good meal during the New Year, but it didn't stop his chattering mouth, which made everyone jealous.
Zhu Cuilan was so happy to have a new daughter-in-law that she had no time to chat with them. At that time, Zhao Luochuan had only invited people from the village and some acquaintances, so the number of tables at the banquet was not large. But Zhu Cuilan was different. She had many relatives from her mother's side, so five or six tables were needed just to entertain them.
Last time, Zhao Luochuan killed a whole pig, and there was still a lot left after eating. Zhu Cuilan secretly calculated that one pig could not be enough. Besides, the two men in the family would go up the mountain again in a few days, and the prey they brought down would be enough to make several plates of meat and vegetables. The weather would get warmer in March, and if they didn't use it all, they would not be able to store it.
By the time she had prepared everything, the fifteenth day of the lunar month had arrived in a flash. After the fifteenth day, the New Year atmosphere was no longer there. Taking advantage of the last day, Zhu Cuilan made all the fried food for the New Year into dishes, and the family had a great time together.
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