Chapter 13.1

Two days later, it was the 28th day of the lunar month. There’s an old saying: “On the 28th, sweep away the dust.” Today was the perfect day for the annual big cleaning.

Under Ying Ma’s lead, the house-cleaning operation began in full swing.

This year, because the house had been newly renovated, many areas had already been cleaned after the renovation, so the workload was much lighter compared to previous years.

Su Ying decided to go all in on decluttering – not for herself, but for Ying Dad and Ying Ma, to help them truly let go.

Ying Dad and Ying Ma were still frugal and thrifty by nature, keeping many unused or expired items. Even though the renovation had added more storage space, the house still felt cluttered.

After two days of soft but firm persuasion, Su Ying finally convinced her parents to embrace the concept of decluttering. So aside from general cleaning, Su Ying was now in charge of deciding what stayed and what was thrown out.

First up was the wardrobe in her parents’ bedroom. Su Ying opened the doors and pulled out clothes that were damaged, stained, the wrong size, or simply too old.

Ying Dad and Ying Ma looked on in dismay as Su Ying cleared out nearly half their clothes. They were reluctant at first, but with Su Ying’s encouragement, they agreed to let them go.

Su Ying then ordered several sets of comfortable thermal wear online for her parents, all brand new, washed and neatly arranged in the wardrobe. She also bought new underwear, socks, and two sets of new outfits for each of them. When they tried them on, the couple smiled with satisfaction, complimenting Su Ying’s good taste.

By the end of this round of decluttering, they had filled two giant fertilizer bags with discarded items.

With the hardest part of the room cleaned, only the bedside table and TV cabinet were left. Su Ying, who had built both pieces herself, opened the storage drawers and sorted through everything.

Inside, she even found an old pair of reading glasses with a broken leg that Ying Ma had been using. Su Ying immediately ordered a new pair and threw the broken ones away.

There were also many common medicines. She carefully checked expiration dates, marked the valid ones with a permanent marker for easier visibility, and threw out all expired or spoiled ones.

Another half bag of clutter was cleared before the bedroom was finally organized. Su Ying then opened the cleaning robot app and sent the brand-new robot vacuum to tidy up her parents’ room.

—-

Next was the main hall. There hadn’t been much renovation done there—just new floor tiles and fresh paint on the walls. Many of the cabinets were Ying Ma’s dowry furniture and pieces Ying Dad had built himself, all with a classic, antique charm.

Sorting through the cabinets again revealed piles of expired, unused, or unusable items. Su Ying grew more and more engrossed in the process, even thinking that becoming a professional organizer might not be a bad idea.

By the time she was done, the entire morning had passed.

Ying Dad and Ying Ma hadn’t disturbed her; they had been busy wiping windows and cleaning the front door.

At noon, Su Ying simply took out the dumplings they had wrapped last time. Frozen solid, they were soaked in cold water for a while before being put in boiling water to prevent splitting.

Life tip: How to cook frozen dumplings without them cracking.

As usual, Su Ying made a dipping sauce with white vinegar, soy sauce, and crushed garlic. She also added some chili oil, making it even more fragrant and flavorful.

—-

In the afternoon, it was time to declutter the kitchen. All broken plates, bowls, and spoons were thrown out. Su Ying had bought a completely new set of tableware, which had just been delivered. Even during the Spring Festival, couriers were still working, let alone before the New Year.

The new set came from a famous porcelain town, featuring simple and elegant patterns with safe underglaze designs. It included twenty rice bowls, various large bowls in different sizes, twenty spoons, and new alloy chopsticks.

There were also plates—big, small, round, and flat, with several sizes of round plates included.

Ying Dad helped unpack the delivery, then filled a large stainless-steel basin with boiling water. He washed everything once with detergent and hot water, rinsed with fresh hot water, and finally dried the tableware with a new dishcloth before placing them in the newly bought dish sterilizer.

As for the countless plastic shopping bags with no proper storage, clean and dirty ones were all mixed together. Su Ying sorted them, throwing out the dirty, small, or damaged ones, then folded the clean ones neatly like tissues.

She even repurposed a milk tea bag she had brought back from S City into a DIY tissue-style dispenser. By cutting a small opening, the bags could be pulled out one by one just like tissues, making it incredibly convenient.

The kitchen, fully tiled in bright white for easy cleaning, looked much neater after she installed several new adhesive hooks. Anything that could be hung up was hung, leaving the counters clean and uncluttered.

The refrigerator mainly held the bottled water and drinks Su Ying had bought when she returned. It had already been thoroughly cleaned last time, and Ying Dad and Ying Ma had stopped keeping leftovers since then.

So the fridge was spotless, but the large freezer outside the kitchen needed attention. Su Ying first emptied its contents. Since the temperature was already below zero, she didn’t have to worry about the food spoiling. The freezer walls were coated with thick layers of ice.

She placed a basin of boiling water inside, and after twenty minutes, most of the ice had already loosened. The rest was easily pried off by hand. Once clean, she returned the storage baskets, organizing the contents by category: pork, beef brisket, lamb chops, and another area for all the hotpot items Su Ying had stocked up on. The top basket was reserved for ice cream for easy access.

The entire kitchen was transformed—everything was within reach, cooking utensils could be hung up immediately after washing, the counters were clear, and the freezer was neatly organized.

Even Ying Dad and Ying Ma agreed that decluttering felt great.

—-

Su Ying’s own room had always been organized with the decluttering concept in mind, so there was no need to tidy it up.

Ying Dad helped Su Ying carry the five giant fertilizer bags of trash to the village’s garbage transfer station. Along the way, every household was bustling, everyone busy cleaning and preparing for the New Year.

The remaining floor sweeping and mopping was left to the robot vacuum, while the yard had to be cleaned by hand. Su Ying brought out the high-pressure water gun, and with one spray, the dirt washed away, leaving clean streaks behind—it was shocking to see just how dirty it had been.

Technology truly changed lives. Su Ying used the water gun to completely rinse the entire yard, and the dirty water drained away neatly. In the afternoon, the sun came out, and the warmer temperature helped dry everything quickly.

Once the chores were done, Su Ying took out the family’s small clay stove and had Ying Dad light some charcoal. She set up a grill rack she had measured to fit perfectly, ready to enjoy some weilu zhu cha (outdoor stove tea brewing) in the warm afternoon sun.

Ying Dad and Ying Ma were tired and went to take a nap, so Su Ying enjoyed the afternoon by herself.

It had been a while since she had updated her account, and she was in such a good mood that she decided to do a livestream. Brewing tea by the fire seemed like the perfect way to chat with her followers.

She started the livestream, showing her newly renovated courtyard: lounge chairs, a swing, and lush greenery. Though it was winter and a bit chilly, the little stove at the center of the screen looked warm and inviting.

Su Ying greeted the viewers in the livestream room. It was only her third time streaming live, and there hadn’t been any announcement.

Gradually, fans started trickling in. Most were already on holiday, but a few were still at work, joking in the chat about being “corporate cattle and horses.”