Chapter 79: New Year’s Eve

The next day, the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, was New Year’s Eve. This year, there was no 30th. As soon as they woke up, Xia’s mother brought new clothes for her three children. This year, her eldest son was back for the New Year, and the family had made some money. Xia’s mother had prepared new clothes for everyone early on. She made Xia Ning’an a red cotton-padded jacket with a mandarin collar. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with white rabbit fur. She also made her a white rabbit fur scarf and hat, black leather boots, and black wide-leg cotton pants with embroidery. When Xia Ning’an put them on, she looked even more beautiful, with rosy lips and white teeth. Her two brothers kept praising her, saying she looked like a little fairy who had stepped out of a New Year’s painting.

Xia’s mother had also carefully sewn clothes for her two sons. They were half-length woolen overcoats. Following Xia Ning’an’s suggestion, she made a detachable sheepskin lining for them. This way, they wouldn’t be cold during the coldest days of winter. When spring arrived and the snow melted, they could remove the lining and wear the coats for a few more months. It was very practical.

Lu Zecheng also had the same overcoat. Xia Ning’an planned to take it to him when she went to the provincial capital on the tenth day of the first lunar month. She would also visit her brother then.

Xia Changhai’s new clothes were a military overcoat that Xia Ningzhou had sent him earlier. He also had a pair of fur-lined, big-toe shoes. They were very warm with the sheepskin lining inside, perfect for Xia’s father, who was now the village chief. Since becoming the village chief, Xia Changhai rarely had time to relax at home or in the office. He was either arguing with the educated youths, gossiping about the villagers, or attending meetings at the commune. Before the New Year, various units at the commune were scrambling to order oil. The oil mill was working around the clock, and they still couldn’t meet the demand. Xia Changhai organized the village’s strong laborers to collect beans, peanuts, corn, and other raw materials from nearby villages. He also organized people to work night shifts. The village women and children all went to the village office to pick beans.

He was so busy that he only finished delivering all the oil orders yesterday. This morning, he was going to the oil mill to help his youngest son organize things and settle the wages for the villagers. Xia Ning’an also gave her father 1,000 pounds of rice, 1,000 pounds of flour (mixed with some buckwheat flour, not pure white), 1,000 pounds of green bean noodles (also not pure white), 2,000 pounds of frozen pears (she had exchanged them for frozen pears when she went to the black market in the county after returning from Yunnan), and a wild donkey. These were for the villagers who worked at the oil mill as New Year’s gifts. The rest were sent to the elderly who lived alone and orphans in the village, so that everyone could have a good New Year.

Of course, she would be paid for the oil mill’s part of the benefits. The rest, given to the villagers, was recorded in her charity account. Xia Ning’an also reminded Xia Changhai not to forget to secretly send some to the three people in the cowshed.

Before the New Year, Xia Changhai also organized the villagers to harvest their mushrooms and vegetables and sell them to the supply and marketing cooperatives in the county and commune, greatly enriching the people’s vegetable baskets during the Spring Festival. For this, Xia Changhai received praise from the commune leaders.

Xia Changhai generously gave leave to the educated youths who wanted to go home for the New Year. These educated youths, as long as they were diligent, had also earned a lot this year. Those who used to be reluctant to go home because of the travel expenses were no longer hesitant. Those who used to try to persuade their parents to help them find connections to return to the city no longer bothered. Those who used to want to go back to see their parents but couldn’t afford to buy grain or meat and didn’t have coupons, were now able to do so. The village raised pigs, and the village chief even slaughtered two extra pigs for the villagers to share. Each educated youth received 10 pounds of pork, and those who worked harder received even more. Under these circumstances, many more educated youths went back to the city for the New Year than in previous years.

After the autumn harvest, the village organized several large-scale mountain product collection events. The villagers collected walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and chestnuts. Xia Ning’an provided them with hand-cranked frying pans and frying recipes. They managed to fry everything before the New Year and delivered it to the supply and marketing cooperative along with the vegetables.

After the opportunity to work at the oil mill and grow mushrooms, the villagers were eager to sign up for jobs like picking fried goods and beans. This year, the whole village was happy and prosperous. They could have a rich New Year. Even Zhang Dahua, who was usually mischievous, obediently picked beans at the village office for a while. She was just bad, but not stupid. She saw that she couldn’t get anything good by going against the village chief, so she followed the villagers and worked honestly. Otherwise, her family would be further and further behind the other families in the village. If you can’t beat them, join them. This person was also adaptable.