Chapter 126

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the earliest visitors in the village are the children who go door-to-door to pay New Year’s greetings. Then, the adults in the village greet each other.

The children carry bags with them, and receiving some homemade snacks from each household is enough.

Adults exchange New Year’s greetings without gifts, visiting elderly or familiar neighbors to chat.

Later, they go out to visit relatives and friends.

Yan Qiu woke up early, opened the courtyard gate, and waited for the village children to come and wish her parents a Happy New Year.

She took out the sugar balls prepared by her mother and arranged them neatly.

The sugar balls were prepared well in advance for the New Year, with ten for each child.

When they were young, they used to visit every household on New Year’s Day. However, most households in the village couldn’t offer sugar balls; instead, they usually gave roasted silkworm beans, peas, or a handful of yellow beans. Even so, it was a treat for them.

However, Grandma always prepared very little food, and towards the end, when it wasn’t enough, she would take some from their bags, leaving them with very little.

Jiang, He, and Hu set off early with their cloth bags.

There was plenty of food at home now, but the three younger brothers still liked to join in the festivities.

Before long, groups of village children came chirping and chatting.

When they entered the clean and spacious courtyard paved with tiles, the usually noisy children instinctively quieted down and walked nervously forward.

Their eyes couldn’t stop looking around, full of envy.

“What a beautiful big house.”

“The ground is even cleaner than when we first moved in.”

“Are you silly? How many people came to see us on the day we moved in? Could the ground be clean?”

“Will we dirty the floor?”

Upon hearing this, the other kids didn’t know where to put their feet.

The courtyard with tiled floors was spotless. As they walked, their grass shoes were covered in mud, which would indeed dirty someone’s courtyard.

“It’s okay, come inside quickly, my dad and mom are waiting,” Yan Qiu said with a smile, reassuring them.

Upon hearing that Uncle Fan Er and Aunt were waiting, the children’s innocent faces immediately lit up with big smiles, and they cheered as they ran into the main house.

Inside the main house, Shuiqing had been awakened early by her two daughters. She had stayed up late the night before, making it exceptionally difficult to get up in the morning.

After finally tidying herself up, sitting in the main seat of the hall, she couldn’t stop yawning.

On the other hand, Fan Jin, who had also stayed up late, had clear, gentle, ink-black eyes and a warm smile. He looked elegant and completely awake.

Shuiqing: … People are different!

“Let’s wish Uncle and Aunt a Happy New Year!” There were lively congratulations and synchronized kneeling greetings.

Shuiqing looked at the small radishes kneeling in front of her, and any traces of sleepiness instantly disappeared!

Wasn’t this a bit too much?

Do they really need to kneel to wish a Happy New Year?

She turned her head in surprise and looked at Fan Jin sitting beside her, who appeared calm and unperturbed, as if this were a common occurrence.

“Yan Qiu, Xing Hui, hurry and distribute the sugar balls to them,” Shuiqing called out.

Upon hearing “sugar balls,” the children on the floor looked up, their eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

When ten sugar balls truly lay in their palms, the atmosphere instantly became lively!

“Sugar?”

“Sweet! They’re really sugar balls!”

“So sweet!”

Every child smiled with joy, looking at Shuiqing and Fan Jin on the main seat, feeling closer to them than to their own parents!

“Thank you, Uncle and Aunt!”

Another chorus of thanks echoed.

Shuiqing felt these children were easily won over; a few sugar balls had instantly maxed out their approval rating.

Watching the children happily bounce out, she exclaimed with joy, “From now on, our home will rise to become the number one house in the village that children most want to visit for New Year’s greetings!”

Yan Qiu and Xing Hui nodded heavily without hesitation.

In the past, they would have eagerly rushed to the household that offered candy balls for the New Year greetings.

Fan Jin looked at Shuiqing, her bright smile and cheerful tone, the corners of her lips gently upturned.

She has always been very kind and loving towards children.

When they grow old, they will surely be the most popular and beloved elders in the village, the ones children love to be close to.

No, there’s no need to wait until old age. After today, they already are.

Throughout the morning, the cheerful voices of children never ceased in the large courtyard.

Fan Jin went to visit several familiar elders in the village to exchange New Year greetings, chatted for a while, then returned home to pack and prepare to head to Niu Tou Town.

Ling Ran didn’t go; he volunteered to stay behind and watch over the house.

Thinking they needed someone to stay at home, Shuiqing and Fan Jin didn’t insist.

Outside, the cold wind rustled. Fan Jin laid a thick layer of straw on the cart, while Shuiqing put hats and scarves on Yan Qiu and Xing Hui before they set off.

The Hu family’s household was simple; Hu Wenhua wasn’t married, so naturally, they didn’t need to visit her husband’s family.

The three of them waited at home early for Shuiqing to return.

Hu’s mother was especially busy preparing food.

With no guests today, she cooked a large pot of rice and made many soft rice cakes with sweet wine and rice paste.

Knowing her daughter’s family wasn’t lacking in resources, she didn’t cook fatty meat, but instead made a clear soup with dried mushrooms and stewed pork ribs.

The pork belly was sliced thin and cooked with preserved vegetables.

They also stir-fried garlic with cured meat, steamed salted fish, steamed minced meat with eggs, stir-fried bok choy, and stir-fried spinach.

Hu Wenhua brought out seven cups, each filled with brown sugar, ready for her sister’s family to arrive and enjoy.

Hu Butcher paced in the small courtyard, sometimes peeking out, sometimes peering out.

Muttering to himself, “In the past, it was fine if they walked slowly, but now there’s a cart. Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

“It must be that brat Fan Jin, not skilled at driving the cart, delaying the time!”

Hu Wenhua knew his father was impatient, so he didn’t blame him and was also thinking from time to time about why his sister hadn’t arrived yet.

He couldn’t blame his nephews or his dear sister, so naturally, he could only blame his brother-in-law for driving slowly.

Finally seeing the cart approaching, Hu Butcher turned and entered the house, sitting upright on a chair.

Hu Wenhua: … Pretending! He’s really good at pretending.

He greeted them, “Sister, feeling cold? Come in quickly!”

Shuiqing was indeed feeling cold.

Today, without the sun, the cold wind blew on her face, and after half an hour sitting on the cart without moving, her feet were numb and cold.

Except for Fan Jin, the others rushed into the house with more agile legs.

Hu Butcher quietly moved aside by the brazier.

He turned to the kitchen and soon brought out a burning hot small brazier.

Hu Wenhua: … His father is really attentive.

Or maybe Mom has taught him well!

Just as this thought came to mind, he was fiercely glared at by his father, who shouted, “Where’s the sugar water! Your sister and nephews are still cold!”

“Coming, coming!” Hu Wenhua felt he wasn’t wronged at all by the scolding.

The small room was packed with people, everyone wearing happy smiles.

With no famine or war, just harmony and joy, Hu Butcher looked at his relatives filling the room and felt that such days were indescribably good.