Chapter 19

On New Year’s Eve, it was customary to stay awake all night, a practice known as “guarding the year.” According to the elders, being able to stay awake on New Year’s Eve was a good omen, suggesting that one would have good spirits and blessings in the coming year.

Having aged significantly, Grandma Lin was so tired that she could no longer hold out and went to bed early.

After the children finished their dumplings and played for a while, they also went off to sleep one by one.

Only Eldest Brother Lin and his brothers and sisters-in-law remained together, playing cards, drinking tea, and laughing.

On New Year’s Eve, the lights would not be extinguished overnight. Oil lamps illuminated the room, and Jiang Jiang was drowsily awakened by the urge to urinate.

The main house still had lights on, and voices could be heard. Just after returning from the restroom, she saw Zhong Xing coming back from outside.

“Brother Zhong Xing.”

He Guijuan called over two children who were staying at her house for a meal, but Zhong Xing and Yu Hangyuan were unwilling to join the family banquet.

Since classmates at the youth point could not go home for the New Year, they took their rations and celebrated at the youth point.

“Jiang Jiang, Happy New Year.”

“Brother, Happy New Year.”

“This is for Jiang Jiang. I hope that in the new year, Jiang Jiang will be safe, happy, and joyful.” Zhong Xing handed her a red envelope.

“Thank you, Brother.” This was Jiang Jiang’s first time receiving a red envelope, and she was a bit surprised. “Jiang Jiang wishes Brother good health and everything goes smoothly in the new year.”

After receiving the red envelope, Jiang Jiang went back to sleep.

—o—o—o—

The next day, she saw the red envelope by her pillow. She blinked her eyes, feeling a bit dazed for a moment, before remembering that it was the lucky money Zhong Xing had given her the night before.

On the kang, there lay the new clothes that had been prepared days earlier: a dark red cotton jacket and a newly made beige cotton coat and trousers, all neatly folded.

He Guijuan had specially brought them out for her that morning, as it was the first day of the new year, the perfect occasion to wear new clothes.

Jiang Jiang carefully put away the red envelope and changed into her new clothes. A thin layer of snow was on the ground in the courtyard, and a long string of red firecrackers hung at the entrance.

Lin Youqing was chopping firewood in the yard, with smoke rising from the kitchen.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, around five or six in the morning.

When Lin Youqing saw his daughter come out, he put down the axe and cheerfully said, “My daughter, Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, Dad.”

Lin Youqing took out a red envelope from his pocket. “Here’s your lucky money. I wish you safety in the new year.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

Shuanzhu and Fengzhen also got up, and Lin Youqing handed them their lucky money, cheerfully exchanging auspicious greetings.

Shuanzhu and Fengzhen planned to visit Grandma Lin to pay their New Year’s respect and asked Jiang Jiang if she wanted to go with them.

Jiang Jiang hesitated and glanced at her father.

She actually didn’t want to go.

Although Grandma Lin had given her a handful of fruit candies yesterday, Jiang Jiang couldn’t shake the memory of how Grandma Lin had hit her, leaving her head buzzing, swollen, and painful.

She felt as though her face still ached faintly.

Lin Youqing naturally understood his daughter’s feelings and refused on her behalf. “You all go ahead; Jiang Jiang hasn’t washed up yet.”

After Shuanzhu and the others left, Lin Youqing comfortingly patted Jiang Jiang on the shoulder. “It’s okay; if you don’t want to go, then don’t.”

“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Jiang lowered her head, “Thank you, Dad.”

Inside, Jiang Jiang felt a bit guilty.

She loved her father dearly but couldn’t bring herself to please a grandmother who didn’t like her.

Lin Youqing noticed that his daughter was sad, so he changed the subject. “Do you like your new clothes?”

A smile finally appeared on Jiang Jiang’s face. “I do.”

This was the warmest and prettiest new outfit she had ever worn. The cotton jacket was a somewhat muted dark red.

Before making the clothes, her mother sketched a draft paper design, cut the pieces, and then carefully layered the cotton onto the prepared fabric. Finally, she used needle and thread to sew on lace and the Chinese-style buttons she had made, taking several days to complete it.

While He Guijuan was braiding Jiang Jiang’s hair, Shuanzhu brought over two red envelopes. “Jiang Jiang, this one is from my mother, and this one is from Grandma.”

“Thank you, Brother.” Jiang Jiang accepted the envelopes and pursed her lips. “Then I’ll go thank Auntie and Grandma later.”

The red envelope from Grandma Lin contained five cents, while the one from Zhang Yueju had twenty cents.

Originally, the significance of red envelopes was more about the gesture rather than the amount of money. Her father’s envelope held five yuan, and Zhong Xing’s contained two yuan.

Adding it all up, she had received a total of seven yuan and twenty-five cents in lucky money today—which was undoubtedly a big sum for a child.

“Mom, can you keep this for me?” Jiang Jiang offered her envelopes.

He Guijuan shook her head. “You keep it yourself. Consider it as your pocket money; if you want to buy something to eat, you can use it.”

—o—o—o—

After Jiang Jiang washed up, families began to set off firecrackers, signaling the start of New Year’s Day breakfast preparations.

This meal was the first of the lunar new year, and traditionally, they had to eat dumplings and stir-fried dishes, aiming for a sumptuous spread to symbolize a prosperous new year.

Before breakfast, the elders would also have a bit of liquor, while the children could not drink alcohol and were limited to eating dishes and dumplings.

After finishing breakfast, the family took out a set of teapots and cups from the cupboard, cleaned them, and set them up on the table. They prepared tea leaves along with peanuts and sunflower seeds that had been stir-fried before the New Year, waiting for neighbors or relatives from the village to come and pay their New Year’s visits.

During the visits, everyone greeted each other and exchanged auspicious New Year blessings while sitting down to drink tea. After a while, they would get up and bid farewell, heading off to visit another household.

When the villagers saw Jiang Jiang, they couldn’t help but be astonished. Gone was the pitiful appearance of the previous weeks, where she had been thin and frail.

It seemed that her complexion had improved significantly with proper meals and that she no longer had to go hungry. Dressed in her new clothes, neatly braided hair, clean shoes, and socks, she resembled a little girl from the city.

Jiang Jiang was not only pretty but also had an indescribable charm. She would likely stand out in the crowd even when standing next to the city girls.

Zhang Yueju and her husband, Li Hongmei, and her husband had each brought their husbands and children back to their maternal homes to visit relatives, likely planning to have lunch there.

He Guijuan’s maternal family was in Yujiang County, which was an hour and a half away by bus. They would have to wait until they returned to the county town before finding time to make another trip.

He Guijuan had been busily spinning like a top these past few days, having only gone to bed at two in the morning and waking up at four-thirty to start working again. There wasn’t much left to do around the house now.

She glanced at her husband, who was drinking tea at the table and yawned. “I’m going to take a nap.”

“Go ahead and sleep; I’ll wake you when lunch is ready,” he replied.

Someone had to stay home to receive visitors; it wouldn’t look good if no one was around during the New Year’s visits.

“Jiang Jiang, do you want to return and nap with Mom?”

Jiang Jiang was busy peeling peanuts and shook her head. “I’m not sleepy.”

“Then you can stay here and drink tea with Dad.”

He Guijuan went back to their room.

The roads in the village had been blocked but were now being cleared by a group of workers.

Once the roads were open, she and her husband’s holiday would be nearly over.