Chapter 55: Braised Prawns

Unbelievable. She never expected her daughter and son-in-law to be so carefree and unrestrained in private.

It left her, an old woman, blushing like a monkey’s bottom at her age.

Jiang Cuihua really had the worst timing.

Liu Yinyin, on the other hand, snapped back to her senses and quickly pushed Gu Cheng away.

Oh no!

She had just woken up—she hadn’t even brushed her teeth yet!

This man was really something!

Liu Yinyin shoved the baby into Gu Cheng’s arms, glared at him, and said, “You hold him. I’m going to eat breakfast.”

Gu Cheng pressed his lips together without saying a word. Holding the baby, he leisurely sat back in the chair, the corners of his mouth curving up ever so slightly.

After breakfast, Liu Yinyin began preparing the New Year’s gifts. Since it was a major holiday, the gifts couldn’t be too light, but they also couldn’t be too extravagant, lest others think their family was wealthy.

She muttered to herself, “Five pounds of flour, five pounds of rice, two pounds of squid, two pounds of pork, six apples, and a new wool sweater for each family.”

Even though Gu Cheng had received entire crates of supplies, each crate only contained about five pounds.

Once she divided the gifts between the two families, more than half of their stock would be gone.

After she finished packing everything, Gu Cheng rode his bicycle to his parents’ house.

He had to return quickly—there was a big house cleaning planned for the afternoon.

As for the Liu family, they lived in the same village, so they could deliver their gifts anytime.

Around ten o’clock, Jiang Cuihua came by again, still looking a little uneasy.

Liu Yinyin noticed her glancing at her several times with an odd expression. Confused, she asked, “Mom, what’s going on?”

“…Nothing,” Jiang Cuihua hesitated before finally speaking. “I just wanted to ask if you want to roast some peanuts. If you do, bring them over, and I’ll roast them for you.”

With the New Year approaching, rural families traditionally prepared their own holiday snacks—roasted peanuts, soybeans, and pumpkin seeds were common.

Families in better financial situations would even make puffed rice candy, sesame cakes, or fried dough twists. These treats could be served to guests or kept for the family to enjoy.

The Liu family was roasting peanuts today. If Liu Yinyin wanted some too, they could do it together and save the trouble of making another fire later.

Liu Yinyin didn’t have many snacks at home, so she was immediately interested. She still had about ten pounds of peanuts left and handed five pounds over to Jiang Cuihua.

Jiang Cuihua seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a while, she couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “I’m going to Huangjia Village this afternoon to exchange for some persimmons. Do you want to come?”

Huangjia Village had a mountain full of persimmon trees. Every year around this time, people from nearby villages would bring goods to trade for persimmons.

Since fresh fruit wasn’t easy to come by in the countryside, this was one of the few opportunities for families—especially those with children—to get some.

Liu Yinyin had eaten plenty of persimmons when she was a child.

“Let’s do it,” she agreed. She wasn’t particularly craving persimmons, but she did want to make persimmon cakes. “Mom, get me about ten pounds.”

She had to take care of the baby and clean the house that afternoon, so she wouldn’t have time to go.

At this time, market regulations weren’t too strict yet. Jiang Cuihua went to Huangjia Village every year to exchange for persimmons.

Since she knew people there, she could even buy some with money, as long as she did it discreetly.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Jiang Cuihua finally got to the point. She sighed and admitted, “Alright, I’ll tell you the truth—your aunt-in-law has found a potential match for Mingyuan. The girl is from Huangjia Village.”

“My main reason for going today is to check her out. If you’re free, come with me so we can take a look together.”

It would be good to have an extra set of eyes. After all, this was her youngest son’s future, and Jiang Cuihua was being extremely cautious.

If they ended up with another daughter-in-law like the second one, wouldn’t their household be in constant chaos again?

Liu Yinyin was surprised. “Really? What did Aunt say?”

Liu Mingyuan was turning twenty-one after the New Year. That was considered old for marriage in rural areas, and the next three years were expected to be tough times.

If he didn’t hurry and find a wife now, getting married in the next few years would only become more difficult.

Jiang Cuihua smiled and said, “That girl’s name is Huang Hongxia. She’s nineteen this year and has two older brothers and two older sisters. Your aunt says she’s a good girl—hardworking both inside and outside the house, diligent, and efficient.”

In the countryside, a mother-in-law’s first concern when choosing a daughter-in-law was whether she could work. Appearance was secondary.

After all, at this time, people relied on labor points to earn food. A daughter-in-law who couldn’t work was simply not an option—no family could afford to support someone who didn’t contribute.

Huang Hongxia sounded like a good match, but since this was her youngest son’s lifelong marriage at stake, Jiang Cuihua had to see for herself.

Hearing that it was an important matter, Liu Yinyin didn’t refuse. “Mom, can we go a little later in the afternoon? I don’t know when Gu Cheng will be back, and we still need to do a deep cleaning at home.”

Normally, when she was alone at home, she couldn’t finish all the cleaning by herself. Although Gu Yanyan wasn’t a fussy baby and could entertain himself while lying down, he needed to see someone around him. If left alone in a room, he would definitely start crying.

When Jiang Cuihua heard that her daughter needed to clean the house, she offered to come over and help so they could finish earlier and head to Huangjia Village on time.

Since there was housework to do, Gu Cheng returned home immediately after delivering the gifts and didn’t stay at his parents’ house for lunch.

Gu Cheng prepared lunch: braised prawns, stir-fried garlic sprouts with pork, and spicy and sour shredded potatoes, with mixed grain steamed buns as the staple.

After lunch, the couple got to work.

They started by cleaning the house thoroughly. Since they lived in an adobe house, dust easily accumulated on the roof, and cobwebs formed. They had to use long brooms to sweep everything clean.

Liu Yinyin did simple daily cleaning, but dust still settled in the corners and crevices, so everything had to be scrubbed thoroughly.

Also, the newspapers pasted on the windows and walls were old and needed to be peeled off and replaced with fresh ones…

Gu Cheng considered for a moment and said, “Should we renovate the house?”

Liu Yinyin paused. “Renovate the house?”

Gu Cheng had already been thinking about it. “With our financial situation, building a brick house wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, we don’t have enough rooms. When Yanyan grows older, he can’t keep sleeping with us forever.”

Even if they didn’t plan to live here permanently, renovating a few rooms wouldn’t be a financial burden.

Liu Yinyin wouldn’t mind living in a brick house, but now wasn’t the best time for such a major renovation. The future was uncertain, and she wasn’t sure what might happen in the coming years.

It was better to wait before making any big changes. When they moved in, they had already done some repairs, and for now, the house was still livable.

With that in mind, Liu Yinyin teased him, “What’s the matter? You don’t like living in an adobe house?”

If he insisted, she wouldn’t object. After all, this man could make money, and building a new house wouldn’t be a financial strain.

“I’m just worried about you and the baby,” Gu Cheng replied with a smile. After so many years in the army, he had endured every kind of hardship.

Forget adobe houses—he had even slept in dirt pits.