Liu Yonghe has never taken advantage of anyone in his life, and he absolutely refuses to accept this money.
Sister-in-law Yulan was also helpless, "I said I didn't want it, but Wanzi's mother said that if I don't take the money, she won't dare to let me do any more work."
"This..." Liu Yonghe didn't know what to say. He would eat lunch at the mine, and Wanzi's mother always gave him a generous portion, for which he was very grateful.
"How about this, let's save this money for now. When spring comes next year, you can go to town and buy two pieces of cloth to make a set of clothes for both Lantern and Dumpling," Liu Yonghe suggested.
Sister-in-law Yulan also thought it was feasible. She remembered that Wanzi's mother had previously said that she wasn't very good at needlework.
The couple chatted for a while longer. Before leaving, Liu Yonghe gave his wife the wages he had received in advance from the mine, telling her to save them carefully.
It hasn't snowed for several days in a row, probably because of the cold weather; the snow on the ground shows no sign of melting.
With the Lunar New Year just two days away, Changfeng Mine has given its workers a rare two-day holiday.
He Tiantian was also staying at home, thinking about going fishing.
Since the road out of the village was opened, more people have been going to town to buy things these past few days.
Granny Zhao remained heartless, taking her granddaughter Da Hong to town and selling her. That morning, the whole village heard Sun Shi and Da Hong crying.
Most people thought it was a normal thing, and some even tried to persuade Da Hong, saying that she was going to enjoy herself.
This happened at the village entrance, and Sister-in-law Yulan felt a pang of sadness and heartache upon seeing it.
She rolled out the dough and sighed heavily. "I've always looked down on Madam Sun. She's sharp-tongued and petty. But she's also pitiful. With Da Hong being sold off like this, Madam Sun doesn't know when she'll see her daughter again."
He Tiantian and her four children gathered around the doorway to make dumplings. Yulan's mother was in charge of rolling out the dough, while the children were in charge of wrapping them.
The dumpling filling was made by chopping up leftover fat and mixing it with cabbage.
He Tiantian taught them only twice, and the four children learned it. In this era, they did not yet have the custom of eating dumplings on New Year's Eve, but He Tiantian had been eating dumplings for more than 20 years.
If I don't try to make some dumplings, I always feel like something's missing.
We made a lot this time, so we ate some at noon. The rest we'll store and freeze, and then have another meal together as a family on New Year's Eve.
Hearing what Sister-in-law Yulan said, He Tiantian had no choice but to accept it.
If this heavy snow continues, I estimate that even more families in the village will have to sell their children.
The four children seemed used to such things; they just watched with pity as Da Hong was dragged away by her grandmother.
The buckwheat dumplings, each one perfectly round and plump, look incredibly festive.
Looking at the rows of dumplings on the bamboo tray, Sister Yulan smiled and said, "Wanzi's mother is really good at coming up with ideas for food. I've never seen these things before."
"I only heard about it once from my husband before. You know, Xiangyang went to Beijing when he was young. He said it was a way of eating there, and he mentioned it when he came back." He Tiantian made up a story with a straight face. "This is my first time making this, and who knew it would turn out so well."
Anyway, she now attributes anything that's hard to explain to the original owner's deceased husband.
So many times, yet no one has ever doubted me.
Sister-in-law Yulan shut up, feeling a little embarrassed. How could she be so tactless during the New Year! Zhao Xiangyang died young, and it must have been so hard for Wanzi's mother to raise two children alone.
She just had to bring up the very thing she didn't want to talk about.
Yulan lowered her head and silently quickened the pace of her work.
She didn't know that He Tiantian hadn't even thought about that; she was thinking about fishing with nets.
The weather had been sunny for a few days, so if they could catch more fish before the Lunar New Year, they could eat big fish tomorrow. She would keep the rest in a bucket and take them to the mine to sell to Director Song when she went back to work after the New Year.
The dumplings at lunchtime were delicious, and both adults and children ate to their hearts' content.
After dinner, He Tiantian took a fishing net and went to the back mountain with Sister Yulan. Knowing that there would definitely be ice in the river and that the two women wouldn't be able to break it, Sister Yulan specially called her husband along as well.
Liu Yonghe knew it was hard work, so he called Wang Dazhuang to come with him. The two of them, each carrying a shovel, happily went to the back mountain.
The ice on the river was very thick. Wang Dazhuang was strong, but when he shoveled the ice, he only managed to leave a small mark.
"My goodness, that shook my hand so hard it hurts." Wang Dazhuang shook his numb hand.
Seeing Wang Dazhuang like this, Liu Yonghe dared not use too much force and instead slowly chipped open the gap.
It took the two men quite a while to finally chisel a hole in the thick ice.
He Tiantian threw in a large handful of white rice, and secretly bought some fish food from the mall. After casting the fishing net in, she waited for a long time.
Four adults and four children were standing on the riverbank; the sight looked rather intimidating.
"It'll probably take a long time. Let's leave two people here to watch the fishing nets, so they don't get stolen." He Tiantian rubbed her frostbitten little hands. The back mountain was covered in snow as far as the eye could see, with nothing to cover them.
The cold wind was biting, and even if she could withstand it, the children couldn't.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Liu and I will just wait here. You should take the children and go back first," Wang Dazhuang suggested, scratching the back of his head.
"Okay, then keep an eye on things. We'll close the net when it's about time." He Tiantian gave a few more instructions before taking the children back.
Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and the whole Changfeng Village seems to be more lively than usual.
The men didn't have to go to work, but they couldn't stay idle at home, so they all gathered together for leisure and entertainment. They played a game with stones, similar to modern card games.
When He Tiantian and the children arrived home, they saw two familiar figures standing at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.
"Director Song, what brings you here?" He Tiantian smiled and invited Song Yun and Mo Zhu inside, secretly telling Yulan's mother that this was the foreman in charge of managing the miners.
Yulan's mother immediately understood. This was an official, after all; she couldn't be negligent. She quickly brought out two stools from inside.
"Sir, please sit down and rest."
Mo Zhu took a stool and placed it next to Director Song.
"Sir, please take a rest." The entire journey had been through heavy snow, and he and the lord had walked all the way.
Mo Zhu is used to running errands and doesn't think much of it, but he's worried that his family might not be able to handle such a long distance.
Song Yun wanted to decline, but he was indeed tired from walking and his legs were still aching after resting for a while. So he didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the stool.
For some reason, He Tiantian had a bad feeling.
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