Chapter 17: New Year

On New Year’s Eve, the entire Xia family was bustling with activity.

Old Master Xia directed his sons to climb onto the roof to sweep off the snow and replace old tiles and thatch with fresh ones.

The worn-out Spring Festival couplets on the main gate were taken down and replaced with new ones.

Phrases like “Good Fortune at Every Turn,” “Prosperous Livestock,” and “A Bumper Harvest in the Year of Auspicious Snow”, along with decorative window paper cuttings of the character “Fu” (Blessing), were pasted up one after another. All these decorations had to be up before noon—not a single item could be left out.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Zhou gathered all the women and girls in the household to sit together and make dumplings.

She assigned specific tasks to her daughters-in-law.

Madam Liu was in charge of kneading dough using fine white flour. Once it was ready, it was left in a basin to rest. Kneading dough required a lot of physical effort—Liu didn’t want to sweat, but she didn’t dare refuse the task. When she heard her mother-in-law’s instructions, her smile froze on her face.

Madam Sun was responsible for chopping up ten pounds of meat. The pork had been personally chosen by Old Madam Zhou—carefully selected cuts of streaky pork with both lean and fatty parts.

Old Madam Zhou also handpicked two heads each of Chinese cabbage, pickled vegetables, and radishes. She had Madam Wu and Madam Jiang divide the work: first wash everything thoroughly, then finely chop the vegetables in preparation for the filling.

The fifth son’s wife, Madam Cheng, was assigned to look after the pregnant wife of the eldest grandson, Madam Zhu, and to keep an eye on the younger children—Meihua, Linghua, Liu Lang, and Zaohua.

Old Madam Zhou herself cracked and beat twenty eggs and mixed in two pieces of tofu.

Xia Yujiao was tasked with peeling garlic and scallions, and mixing the dumpling filling.

The older girls—Jinhua, Taohua, Xinghua, and Lihua—were also given tasks.

Jinhua was responsible for picking chives.

Taohua kept the fire going and boiled water.

Xinghua cleaned the cutting boards and knives, and scrubbed pots, pans, and dishes.

Lihua soaked mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and dried vegetables, and she also had to fill in wherever help was needed—whenever someone fell behind or needed assistance, she was expected to step up immediately.

The other children were also very tactful. The boys grabbed a few small firecrackers and ran out into the village, calling their friends over. They buried the firecrackers in the snow and lit them with half-burnt incense sticks, then covered their ears and backed away to a safe distance.

Boys loved firecrackers. The sporadic “bang,” “pop,” “crack” sounds echoed nonstop, overlapping and continuous.

The girls stayed close to their older sisters, wisely keeping their eyes open and hands ready to help whenever needed.

Of course, not everyone was so cooperative—take Yinhua, for example.

At first, she stayed inside, sulking and refusing to come out. Later, when she did come out, instead of going to help her older sister Jinhua, she wandered over to her sister-in-law Madam Zhu’s side, chatting with her to pass the time.

Whenever Xia Daohua’s gaze swept over her, Yinhua’s eyes would dart away in panic, full of guilt.

What exactly was she afraid of? Was she worried Daohua might hold her accountable for not delivering the message to the family in time? Or was she scared that Daohua might remember something that could be used against her?

After a busy stretch, the dough had finished resting, and the various dumpling fillings had been mixed and seasoned. Old Madam Zhou then gathered the daughters-in-law and granddaughters, and they cheerfully sat down to start making dumplings.

With so many people, the work naturally went much faster.

By around two or three in the afternoon, the slanting sunlight poured warmly into the room, and the tables were already completely covered with dumpling trays.

Each tray was packed tightly with plump white dumplings, row upon row, crowding together in neat formations.

The trays were then taken outside to freeze, while inside, preparations began for braising meat, stewing tofu, and cooking pickled cabbage with blood sausage.

The Xia family worked busily until nightfall. All across Beiguan Village, every household had lit their lamps.

On ordinary nights, anyone who dared burn oil for light after dark would be scolded viciously by the frugal elders in the household.

But tonight—it was New Year’s Eve!

Every family aimed for brightness and cheer.

Even the poorest households in the village would light all their lamps, and they wouldn’t be allowed to go out until dawn.

After dinner, the Xia family first went to the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors, kowtowing before returning home.

Back at the house, everyone gathered for an extravagant and lively dinner. Except for the children, everyone had a bit to drink.

The dinner table was full of chatter and laughter—completely unlike the usual quiet days.

After eating and drinking their fill, they scrambled to tidy up the mess.

Then came the tradition of kowtowing and offering New Year’s greetings to the elders—Old Master Xia Ping’an and Old Madam Zhou.

According to family custom, they started with the eldest son’s household, moving through each family in order, ending with Xia Yujiao.

Then it was time for the next generation—Da Lang’s generation.

The Xia family rule was: as long as you weren’t married, you were still considered a child.

So among Daohua’s generation, only Xia Dalang and Madam Zhu didn’t receive red envelopes. Even though Xia Yujiao belonged to the older generation in terms of seniority, she was unmarried and still eligible for New Year’s money.

The red envelopes were all wrapped in red paper, but everyone knew exactly how much was inside—ten copper coins for each boy, five for each girl.

Then, the old couple brought out a long-hidden treasure: a huge basin of thawed frozen fruits—frozen pears, frozen persimmons, and frozen hawthorns.

The children shrieked with joy and lunged toward the basin, and even Xia Daohua couldn’t help but smile.

Old Madam Zhou quickly called out:

“Don’t rush! Each person can have only one frozen persimmon or frozen pear—more than that and you’ll catch a chill. You can have a handful of hawthorns, but not so many that you upset your stomach. Save some room—we’ll be eating dumplings later!”

The children cheered in agreement, all reaching out their little hands to pick their favorite fruits from the basin.

As soon as they grabbed something, they turned and ran off.

Xia Daohua also reached out and picked up a frozen persimmon. She took a small bite through the skin. It was icy cold, and the chill immediately perked her up.

The skin was slightly astringent, but the flavor inside was even richer and sweeter. She sucked hard through the bite mark, and a stream of thick, sweet juice flowed straight into her mouth.

“So satisfying!”

Xia Daohua smiled with squinted eyes.

Maybe it was because the fruit variety was more primitive, but the persimmons weren’t very large—yet the flavor was absolutely incredible!

Not just the children, but the adults also picked out their favorites from the basin and began eating with joy.

Old Madam Zhou, still blessed with good teeth, held a pitch-black frozen pear in her hands, gnawing on it while chatting with Old Master Xia.

As everyone laughed and talked, a deep, melodic bell sound rang out.

Then, with a boom!, a firework exploded high in the sky, lighting up half the night.

The brilliant light shone through two layers of thick window paper and spilled into the room.

It was the county yamen announcing midnight with the bell and setting off fireworks.

The county fireworks were like a signal. Immediately afterward, the crackling sound of firecrackers burst forth from many corners of the county, and wealthy households began launching fireworks of their own.

In an instant, the entire night sky was filled with dazzling displays.

Brilliant colors, flowing lights, shimmering trees of fire, and showers of silver blossoms—it was a breathtaking spectacle.

The crowd rushed outside, gathering in open areas with the best view. They stretched their necks, stood on tiptoe, and craned their heads in all directions, following the fireworks and firecrackers with wide eyes and gaping mouths—completely unsure where to look first.

(End of Chapter)