Transmigrating to the 1970s to Marry the Factory Director’s Son
Transmigrating to the 1970s to Marry the Factory Director’s Son Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Little New Year

◎ Eating and Drinking ◎

In the evening, when Wei Xuan returned from work and was cooking in the kitchen, she heard Jiang Che talking to himself outside, sounding all surprised and alarmed.

After a while, he shouted, “You behave, and I’ll give you a quick end.”

Then he started coaxing, “Come here, I promise it won’t hurt.”

Wei Xuan found it amusing. About an hour later, Jiang Che came in holding a bloody knife.

“Wife, it’s all taken care of. What should we do next?”

Seeing that he was covered in blood, Wei Xuan quickly said, “Go take a shower with the water I just boiled. The rest can wait. It’s cold outside, so leaving it out overnight won’t spoil it.”

Jiang Che sniffed and turned his head away in disgust, then obediently took the water and went to wash up.

Wei Xuan went outside to take a look. The chickens and ducks were now lying quietly in the basin, behaving themselves.

She didn’t move them, deciding it would be too late to pluck the feathers today. She’d do it tomorrow instead.

After dinner, Jiang Che mentioned something to Wei Xuan about encountering Song Jianjun at the factory that day.

“He’s working at the factory now, in the publicity department. We chatted for a bit, and he even mentioned getting together for a meal sometime.”

“You agreed to that?” Wei Xuan casually responded, but in her mind, she was wondering, Song Jianjun? Why does that name sound so familiar?

“I was just being polite. He brought it up, so I had to show some respect. Plus, I remember you’re pretty close with his cousin, right?”

Oh! Wei Xuan remembered now. Song Jianjun was the cousin of Bian Qianqian, a friend of the original owner who had lived in the county. It was because of this connection that she had gotten to know Jiang Che.

“Alright, when we have some free time, you can invite a few friends over for a gathering.” Wei Xuan remembered that Jiang Che used to have many friends, but since they moved, he hadn’t really gone out to socialize.

But to her surprise, after hearing this, Jiang Che sighed and said, “Sigh, it feels like we haven’t seen them in so long, it’s become awkward. Sometimes when I run into them on the street, it feels like there’s nothing to talk about anymore.”

Wei Xuan couldn’t help but laugh in her heart. Jiang Che’s mind was completely focused on making money now, but he couldn’t exactly go out and say that, so of course, he felt like he had nothing to say to others.

She had met Song Jianjun a few times and thought he was a pretty decent person, much better than Jiang Che’s other dubious friends. So, she encouraged him: “Anyway, we’re not busy now. You can find some time to invite him and the other two friends from last time to our place. Friends should meet up more often to get closer! If you don’t see each other for a long time, it’ll definitely make you more distant.”

Jiang Che was moved by her words. He really hadn’t kept in touch with his old friends for a while. After a pause, he nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll arrange a time the next time I see him.”

Next, the two of them began dealing with the slaughtered chickens and ducks. They had to marinate them first, but it only took one night. After marinating, they put them in the pot to cook, and once the blood water was gone, they took them out to hang.

Typically, after a day or two, they would be ready to eat—just cut into pieces and eaten cold or steamed.

That night, after everything was done, Wei Xuan cut a small piece of duck to eat.

Jiang Che picked up a piece and tasted it: “Hmm, it’s a different flavor compared to fresh ones.”

Wei Xuan liked it too. She thought the marinated version had a more intense, fragrant taste.

In her previous life, she couldn’t eat too many salty things, only tasting a little each time. So today, she couldn’t resist, and before she knew it, she had eaten too much and got stuffed. She had to get up in the middle of the night and drink water three times before she could finally sleep comfortably.

Originally, Wei Xuan had suggested that Jiang Che invite his friends over for a gathering, but looking at the busy days ahead, she realized that in just a few days, it would be the Little New Year. Jiang Che had to quickly take the cured sausages and bacon they had made to Wu Yun to sell before the New Year.

Wei Xuan wasn’t idle at home either, after all, it was the New Year! What’s the New Year without eating and drinking? Today, she fried some twists (mahua), tomorrow she would fry some meatballs, and sometimes she made dumplings, buns, and steamed bread to freeze outside for later.

When Jiang Che came home today, he saw his wife busy making food in the kitchen again.

Lately, with all the food Wei Xuan had been preparing, he felt like his face had gotten a little rounder.

“What delicious food are you making today?”

Wei Xuan continued working with her hands: “I saw we had some taro, so I’m making taro cake and frying some taro meatballs. Tomorrow, when we go back home for dinner, I’ll bring some back for the kids to try.”

Jiang Che looked at her in surprise: “I thought you didn’t like Big Sister-in-law.”

“I don’t like Big Sister-in-law, but the kids are pretty cute.” After saying that, Wei Xuan looked up and gave him a playful glare, adding, “What? In your eyes, am I such a narrow-minded person?”

“No!” Jiang Che quickly clarified, “You’re the kindest, cutest, and most beautiful in my heart.”

“Enough with you.” Wei Xuan was amused by his exaggerated tone. “Alright, I’ll be done soon. You go ahead and bring the food into the room and get ready for dinner.”

“Got it!”

At dinner, Jiang Che saw that Wei Xuan was thinking of making delicious food for his nieces and nephews, and he figured she must be missing her own nieces and nephews as well.

He also remembered that she hadn’t been home in a long time, so he spoke up: “After the New Year, on the second day, I’ll go with you to your family’s house and stay for a couple more days.”

“Is that alright?”

When Jiang Che saw her eyes light up, he could tell she was very happy with the suggestion, so he said, “Of course, why not? We’ll bring more things back to show our respect to your parents.”

His wife made so much money, so it was only right for her parents to enjoy it. Moreover, his mother-in-law was so kind to Wei Xuan. She even gave them 150 yuan as a dowry when they got married. In the countryside, that amount of money would take a long time to save up.

Wei Xuan noticed that Jiang Che was considerate of her, so the next day when they went to the Jiang family’s house, she brought two more items.

Jiang Che saw this and although he didn’t say anything, he felt quite pleased inside.

His wife was so generous, which allowed him to save face in front of his sister, brother-in-law, and elder brother and sister-in-law. Everyone was really fond of the food Wei Xuan brought, especially the youngest daughter of Jiang’s eldest brother.

The little girl was six years old and absolutely loved the taro balls.

The outer crispy layer was made from the crumbs of steamed buns that Wei Xuan had coated them in. Inside, the taro was mixed with sugar, making them soft, sticky, and sweet.

Even fourteen-year-old Jiang Yuan Cheng couldn’t stop eating them.

“Really?” The two children exclaimed in surprise.

Wei Xuan nodded, looking at them. “Yes, really, I’m not lying.”

At this, the two little ones were completely happy. In their hearts, nothing made by their little aunt was ever bad to eat.

Jiang’s third sister saw how well Wei Xuan was with children and, without thinking much, complimented, “Oh, look at Xiao Xuan, she’ll definitely spoil kids when she has her own.”

After she spoke, there was a brief silence in the living room. Wei Xuan, feeling a bit guilty, glanced at Jiang’s mother. She remembered that the last time she came to the Jiang family, she had upset her mother-in-law over the topic of having children. In the end, it was Jiang Che who secretly whisked her away.

Jiang’s mother, feeling that her youngest daughter was not speaking properly, gave her a disapproving glance. She thought, “What a troublemaker.”

Jiang’s third sister husband silently cursed at his wife in his heart. If she couldn’t speak well, she should have stayed quiet. Why did she have to respond as if trying to show off how clever she was? Had she already forgotten how she had been sent back home by her mother-in-law last time?

Only Jiang Che, unaffected, looked around and asked, “Hey, why haven’t I seen my second sister and second brother-in-law today?”

The two children ate almost half of the portion in one go. Wei Xuan quickly stopped them, “You can’t eat anymore, or you’ll have a stomach ache. Be good, you can eat more tomorrow if you like.”

“Okay, we’ll listen to you, little aunt. Grandma will keep them for you, and we’ll eat them tomorrow.”

Although the two children weren’t very happy about it, they were still obedient. They pouted but didn’t try to reach for the food again.

Wei Xuan chuckled and rubbed the little girl’s head, “Next time, Auntie will bring you more delicious treats.”

Upon hearing this, Elder Sister Jiang quickly helped to smooth things over for her younger sister: “Your second sister called and said the child isn’t feeling well, so she won’t be coming today.”

Jiang Che, unlike before when he only cared about himself, now paid attention to the well-being of his three older sisters. He frowned upon hearing this and said, “The child is alright, right? I remember that it’s usually the second sister’s kids who tend to get sick, isn’t it?”

Elder Sister Jiang explained for her second sister: “Children are like that, they get sick if they’re not careful. It’s normal. From the way she sounded on the phone, it doesn’t seem like anything serious.” Elder Sister Jiang had arrived early, so she was the one who answered when Second Sister Jiang called in the morning.

Third Sister Jiang chimed in, “Yeah, kids getting sick is pretty common. My Mingzhi went out to play the other day, caught a chill, and has been coughing for days. He still hasn’t recovered.”

Mother Jiang, hearing that her grandson was sick, felt sorry for him: “In this cold winter, the child has to be looked after. I’m not worried about your second sister, she’s careful, unlike you, who’s been careless since you were little.”

Third Sister Jiang pouted, not too happy: “Well, if he goes out to play, I can’t just tie him to my waistband and watch him all day long!”

Seeing that things were about to escalate into an argument, Jiang Che quickly intervened to smooth things over: “Third Sister, if you’re busy these days, once the holiday comes, you can send the kids to my place. I’ll take them out for a few days. Big Sister, you too. There’s plenty of good food at my place. Let’s have my nephew and niece come over, and they can also familiarize themselves with the place.”

Since moving into the new house and watching Wei Xuan work every day, Jiang Che realized just how tiring housework could be.

His three older sisters probably had even more housework to do than he did. At home, it’s just him and his wife—though there’s a lot to do, it’s still manageable. Now, he knows to be considerate of his wife and does whatever he can around the house. But his three sisters not only have to look after the elderly, but also take care of children, so they must be much busier.

So, he thought that while he had some free time, he could invite a few of his nephews and nieces to come over and play. On one hand, it would give his sisters a chance to rest, and on the other hand, since it was the New Year, there was plenty of delicious food at home. It would also be a treat for the kids. His three sisters always made sure he had the best of everything when they were young, whether it was food or fun, so now that he’s grown up and has the means, it’s only right to do something nice for his nephews and nieces.

He also thought about how, next time he went to visit his wife’s family, he could try to bring his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and their nieces and nephews over to stay for a few days.

Both Elder Sister Jiang and Third Sister Jiang were somewhat moved by his suggestion. If it had been in the past, they would have been worried, but now that their little brother had moved out, he had matured quite a bit. Plus, his wife was a good cook, so at least they didn’t need to worry about the kids going hungry.

However…

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