Chapter 88

Gu Doudou waved his little hand and cried out “Ah ah” to his father.

Gu Shian’s handsome face turned cold, Lin Yao chuckled with curved eyebrows and eyes. Her eyes were full of watery light, and her watery almond eyes were shining, which was very charming.

Gu Shi’an, with a determined gaze, moved a few steps forward, pressing Lin Yao into a corner of the bathhouse lobby. His intense gaze made Lin Yao’s face flush with heat, and she couldn’t help but pinch him.

“What are you doing? We’re outside.”

Gu Shi’an, with his tough exterior, barely felt the pinch. However, his body felt tingling all over as he focused on Lin Yao’s red lips and throat. He was about to speak when…

Gu Shidong emerged from the men’s bathhouse.

“Brother, sister-in-law, why are you two so close?”

Lin Yao swiftly gave him a shove: “Dongzi is calling you. Give Doudou to me and go talk to your brother.”

After saying this, Lin Yao took the bubble-blowing Gu Doudou and left.

This left Gu Shidong scratching his head and grinning at his brother.

Gu Shi’an: “…….”

On the morning of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the mischievous Dongzi was dragged by Gu Shi’an out of bed for exercise: running laps, doing push-ups, and standing long jumps, leaving him exhausted and crying out.

There’s an old saying: “On the 23rd, the sugar pot is sticky. On the 24th, it’s time to sweep the house. On the 25th, push the coal rat. On the 26th, stew pork. On the 27th, slaughter the rooster. On the 28th, make dough and on the 29th, steam buns.”

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, the Gu family cleaned up thoroughly. On the 29th, various households in the courtyard began to smell of cooking oil and food. Zhang Cuilan led her daughter-in-law in making steamed buns and flower rolls for the New Year.

Last year, they celebrated the New Year in the countryside. Though it was in a remote mountainous area, lacking the hustle and bustle of the county, they had all the essentials for the festival.

This year, celebrating the New Year in the city, with four or five families living in a large courtyard, the celebration felt a bit constrained as they couldn’t freely enjoy the festivities.

On the afternoon of the 29th, the steel rolling mill distributed New Year’s goods. Gu Mancang, an experienced worker, received quite generous gifts. The steel rolling mill, being one of the top factories in the county, provided more substantial items compared to other state-run factories, which only gave out small tickets like matches, salt, and soy sauce.

The steel rolling mill’s gift included a pound of brown sugar, three feet of cloth tickets, a pound of pork belly, and a pound of white flour—truly valuable items.

Gu Mancang happily carried the New Year’s goods home.

In the courtyard, Gu Shi’an rolled up his sleeves and prepared large pieces of pork by the well.

Gu Mancang grinned, guessing that the state-run pig farm must have also distributed New Year’s gifts.

The state-run pig farm distributed pork to employees through a lottery system to ensure fairness. The best cuts were sold at the grocery store, leaving only pork offal such as hearts, lungs, and livers. The most heartwarming part was the pork.

Zhang Cuilan wasn’t very lucky in previous years, but this year, her luck changed. She won a large pig head, and the whole family was very pleased.

As expected, Uncle Dafu next door saw Gu Mancang and pulled him aside to whisper.

“Mancang, you’re in for a treat this year. With the pig head and pork belly, be careful not to eat too much fatty food on New Year’s Eve and keep yourself awake!”

Gu Mancang gave a hearty smile and said, “Dafu, didn’t your family also get two pounds of pork belly? Jiaxin and her sister also sent you preserved meat.”

Hearing this, Uncle Dafu proudly raised his head and spoke in a somewhat affected tone.

“Indeed, those old men outside keep saying that raising daughters is useless, but my Jiaxin and Jiayu are the most filial. They send meat and pastries for the New Year, and my wife and I, though getting older, are enjoying the benefits of having daughters.”

Gu Mancang nodded and smiled in response.

Uncle Dafu and Aunt Dafu had only two daughters. In those days, it was tough to have no sons, whether in the countryside or the city. Daughters who married out were like spilled water.

Fortunately, Uncle Dafu being the workshop manager of the steel mill, a leader of some kind, holding power, that others at least dared not gossip about him in front of him.

Nevertheless, this was a sore spot for him. 

Now that both daughters were living well and sending good things home from time to time, Uncle Dafu couldn’t help but show off whenever he got the chance.

Gu Mancang, being kind-hearted, was happy to indulge him.

Uncle Dafu, with a big smile, made his way home, whistling as he went.

Gu Mancang washed his hands and carried a basin of hot water into the kitchen, where Zhang Cuilan was busy steaming flower rolls. Noticing that the old man had been talking with Uncle Dafu for a while, she asked, “What were you discussing with Dafu just now?”

Seeing Uncle Dafu’s triumphant appearance was like a victorious rooster.

“Nothing much, just that Jiayu and Jiaxin sent more preserved meat home again.”

“No wonder Dafu was wandering around the alley early this morning.”

The elderly couple continued their work in the kitchen.

In the east room, Gu Doudou was dressed in a floral cotton jacket and green cotton pants, looking like a chubby caterpillar. He was raising his head, gnawing on his fingers.

Lin Yao heard the little chubby boy babbling and crying in the room. So, she came in to take a look.

The little boy hadn’t soiled his diaper or wet himself. After finishing a bowl of steamed shrimp with egg, he was just calling for his mother out of boredom.

Lin Yao picked up the little guy, tapped his nose, and scolded him gently.

“Gu Doudou, you’re already making a fuss at such a young age. Be careful  or you will not be able to find a wife when you grow up.”

The little boy blinked his big eyes, not understanding his mother’s words, and waved his arms, wanting to play outside.

The winter sunlight streamed through the window, and it was nearing noon. The sun outside was still quite bright.

Lin Yao wrapped the chubby boy in a little scarf, put on a small hat, and cotton gloves. The hat was newly made, with a thin layer of cotton inside and small fluffy rabbit ball decorations on the sides. She carried him out to the courtyard for a stroll.

Gu Shi’an was in the yard preparing the pig head. He poured hot water over it and placed it on the stove to burn off the hair from the pig’s ears and nose.

This scene wasn’t very pleasant, and Lin Yao worried that the large pig head might scare the little boy. She covered his eyes and tried to move him away.

However, Gu Doudou was quite brave. Seeing his beloved father, he eagerly called out and tried to wriggle out of his mother’s arms to get closer to the pig head.

Zhang Cuilan poked her head out of the kitchen.

“It’s smoky here. Yao Yao, keep Doudou away.”

Gu Shidong also brought out a wooden toy he had made for his little nephew, trying to capture the boy’s attention.

“Doudou, look at the wooden man walking.”

The brightly colored wooden toy moved its legs vividly, capturing Gu Doudou’s interest. He immediately reached out with his tiny hands and tried to put the toy in his mouth.

Lin Yao quickly snatched it away.

Gu Doudou pouted, blowing bubbles at his mother with his red little mouth. Lin Yao took the opportunity to check if the little boy had started teething, and indeed, she saw two tiny teeth beginning to emerge.

Lin Yao happily reported the news to Zhang Cuilan.

“Mom, Doudou’s getting his teeth!”

“Really? Doudou is eight months old, so it’s about time for him to start teething.”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law shared a happy moment over this news.

Meanwhile, Gu Doudou was upset about not getting the wooden toy and sulked in his father’s arms, turning his little bottom away from everyone.

On the evening of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Gu family steamed a large pot of plain flour steamed buns and another pot of jujube flower rolls. The steamed buns weren’t just made from plain flour; they used five pounds of high-quality flour and two pounds of cornmeal, resulting in a lively batch of thirty or so buns and a dozen jujube flower rolls. With all the New Year’s goods at home, they didn’t have to worry about food and drink for the holiday.

The Gu family was well-off, and no other household in the courtyard could match their lavishness. Steaming so many buns in one go was quite a feat.

In the county, ordinary families typically only made a few steamed buns as a symbolic gesture, enough to offer to ancestors and the kitchen god, and then that was it.

On New Year’s Eve morning, every household was busy making dumpling filling.

This year, the county’s Public Security Bureau issued a piece of lamb rack and two frozen fish, all very practical gifts.

Lin Yao had planned everything out. The lamb rack was to be used for dumpling filling, and one of the frozen fish would be steamed, while the other would be made into sweet and sour fish, for good luck and abundance in the coming year.

Gu Shi’an, being strong, was assigned by Lin Yao to chop the dumpling filling. During this busy time of year, Gu Doudou had become quite attached to his father, so everyone was hard at work.

Zhang Cuilan had Dongzi look after the little one.

The little guy wasn’t happy and clung to his father, kicking his chubby legs. Deputy Director Gu’s heart melted as he affectionately kissed his son’s head, strapped him on his back with a baby carrier, and started chopping the filling.

Lin Yao watched quietly from the side, not entirely at ease.

Gu Doudou, safely strapped on his father’s broad back, was not afraid but happily waved his hands and feet.

In the winter, with no fresh vegetables, Lin Yao prepared two types of dumpling filling: lamb and radish, and cabbage and pork. Gu Mancang rolled the dumpling wrappers incredibly fast, while Gu Shi’an also quickly filled and pinched the dumplings with beautiful pleats.

Lin Yao had never seen Gu Shi’an display such a skill before. She sweetly remarked, “Our Deputy Director Gu is truly an all-around great husband. He can wield a gun to protect the country and also make dumplings in the kitchen. How is he so amazing?”

Gu Shi’an’s normally impassive face softened, and his eyes were filled with smiles at his wife’s praise.

Gu Shidong chimed in to add a bit of humor, “Sister-in-law, I know. My brother grew up with our grandmother, and she was exceptional at making dumplings. My brother learned from her.”

Lin Yao understood now. No wonder the dumplings made by Zhang Cuilan didn’t look as good.

Seeing the little expression on her daughter-in-law’s face, Zhang Cuilan laughed and playfully gave her a nudge. “What’s wrong? Are you complaining that your mother-in-law can’t make dumplings properly?”

Lin Yao could only respond with silence.

Zhang Cuilan had prepared around ten coins of various denominations—one-cent, two-cent, and five-cent coins. She boiled them to sterilize and scattered them among the dumplings to see who would get the lucky dumpling on New Year’s Eve. The idea was that those who found the coins would have good luck and fortune in the coming year.

The house was spotless, decorated with festive red curtains and New Year’s paintings. The stove was burning brightly, and the table was filled with fried rice cakes, sunflower seeds, and peanut candy. For the New Year’s Eve dinner, they had sweet and sour fish, stir-fried lotus root slices, and rabbit stew.

As nightfall approached, the streets erupted with the crackling sounds of firecrackers, marking the start of the New Year celebrations. The entire alley was soon filled with the noise of firecrackers.

Lin Yao was the first to find a lucky dumpling, followed by Gu Shidong, and even Gu Mancang, who wasn’t having the best of luck, got one as well.

Little Gu Doudou was not interested in the adults’ excitement. The chubby child sat on his father’s lap, his eyes fixed on the sweet and sour fish on the table, drooling with anticipation.

Gu Shi’an chuckled, wiping his son’s drool with a handkerchief.

Gu Doudou, with his big, blinking eyes, reached out with his chubby little hands towards the fish. “Ah!”

The little guy made it clear that he wanted the fish!

Gu Shia’n hesitated for a moment, unsure if his little one could handle fish meat. But once Lin Yao, who was trying not to laugh, gave the nod, he placed a piece of tender, boneless fish on his son’s plate.

It was Gu Doudou’s first taste of fish, and he loved it. He ate it quickly and immediately tapped his father’s arm, signaling for more.

The chubby child had several pieces before Lin Yao worried he might overeat. She patted his belly and gave him a small cookie to nibble on.

In the county, the New Year was celebrated with great fanfare, but in the countryside, it was much quieter. Families cleaned their homes, separated pork for dumplings, and prepared for the New Year in a modest way.

In the Dongfanghong Production Team, the streets were filled with the aroma of dumplings.

However, Lin Daguo’s New Year’s Eve was far from joyful. With the cold wind howling, Lin Daguo and his son hadn’t even lit their stove.

Since Li Aifeng was sent to labor camp, Lin Daguo and his son had been living in squalor. The village was cold, and everyone burned straw and corn cobs for warmth. The chimney in the Lin household was blocked, and neither of them bothered to fix it.

On New Year’s Eve, their house was dark and cold. Lin Hongwu was asleep on the kang, while Lin Daguo, feeling hungry, went to another production team. They were slaughtering pigs there, and he hoped to help in exchange for a pig’s tail to bring home for some meat.

Carrying the pig’s tail, Lin Daguo swaggered back home but suddenly noticed a shadow moving near his front door. What was going on?

His house was being robbed!