Chapter 118

Da Bao and Xiao Bao have been learning calligraphy from Yang Nanhuai for quite some time, and it wasn’t in vain. especially Xiao Bao, who had spent the longest and learned the most.

The calligraphy he has written already shows a bit of his style, but due to his young age, his control and strength weren’t as skillful, giving it a somewhat tender appearance.

Da Bao is studying in the county town and cannot go to Yang Nanhuai’s place to practice every day like Xiao Bao, but he is very hard working and would practice voluntarily when he has time, so his handwriting is also good.

Yang Lin also taught them how to draw, so the paintings of Da Bao and Xiao Bao are also decent.

Fantuan learned his regular pen handwriting from Su Xiaoxiao and his brush calligraphy from Han Cheng. Since he used the regular pen more frequently, he worked diligently on it. However, as he used the brushes less, thinking it wasn’t as useful, he practiced it sparingly. Consequently, Da Bao and Xiao Bao’s regular script wasn’t as good as Fantuan’s, but their brush calligraphy was slightly better.

Fantuan, the academic achiever who never lost in terms of studies, felt deeply affected. After finishing writing “Abundant Harvest of the Five Grains,” he hugged Xiao Doubao and cried out, “Xiao Doubao, big brother’s writing isn’t as nice as your older brothers’, Da Bao and Xiao Bao! Wuwuwu…”

When Xiao Doubao was a child, he used small bamboo to write on the ground. After going to school with his brothers, he used chalk to write on the small blackboard. Occasionally, he would use his brush when his brother was practicing handwriting. Xiao Doubao stared at his brother’s handwriting, tilted his head, and asked, “Brother, what’s this ‘five something’ and ‘abundant something’?”

In fact, Xiao Doubao knows many words, including simple characters and all numbers. He can recite stories and poems. However, due to his young age, although he might know how to pronounce many words in a story when taken out individually, he couldn’t recognize the more complex ones.

Xiao Fantuan said, “Abundant Harvest of the Five Grains; we’ll put this in our granary, and we’ll always have food that we can’t finish eating.”

Xiao Doubao exclaimed, “Wow!” and hurriedly fetched a brush, saying, “Brother, I’ll draw a small ear of rice on it, then it’ll look nice!”

Xiao Fantuan’s eyes lit up, and he hugged his younger brother and kissed him. Our Xiao Doubao is so clever. Quickly draw one for your brother.”

Xiao Fantuan then took out his ‘Surplus Year After Year’ and said, “Let’s draw a fish on this one.”

Xiao Doubao tilted his head and asked, “Should I draw the big-headed carp we caught at Grandpa’s house last year?”

Xiao Fantuan thought carefully about the appearance of the carp, and his expression was a bit disdainful. “Mom said the little Koi should be the most beautiful, but we haven’t seen it. So, why don’t you draw a grass carp or a small Crucian carp instead?”

Actually, Xiao Doubao preferred the big-headed carp because Mom liked eating it. But since this was his brother’s writing, he would listen to his brother.

Xiao Fantuan brought ‘Prosperity of Livestock’ again and asked Xiao Doubao to draw Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua.

Zhuzi’s family went to the capital, and Gray also lived in their house. Xiao Doubao also liked Gray very much, so he asked, “Can I draw Gray?”

Xiao Fantuan nodded. “Of course you can.”

Then Fantuan added, “You can draw firecrackers, fireworks, or anything else you like for the New Year couplets.”

Xiao Doubao thought for a moment and said, “Then I’m going to draw Daddy, Mommy, my younger siblings, big red envelopes, and deep-fried dumplings~~”

“…..” 

Xiao Doubao looked at him with an expression that said, “Brother, are you silly?”

Then Xiao Doubao added: You wrote the characters, didn’t you? What do I need to draw you for? “

Xiao Fantuan: “…”

“Don’t draw people on it, but you can draw anything else you like and find festive.”

“Okay then.” Xiao Doubao was very happy as it was his first time using a brush to paint on red paper.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao finished pasting the couplets at the front gate and saw Xiao Doubao drawing under Fantuan’s calligraphy. They also wanted to imitate him and draw various things on the New Year couplets.

Xiao Bao ran to ask Su Xiaoxiao, “Auntie, can we also draw on the New Year couplet at the gate like Xiao Doubao?”

Su Xiaoxiao just finished breastfeeding and came out holding Xiao Tangyuan and replied:  “Sure, anything related to the Chinese New Year that carries good festive meanings, you can draw. Let me first see what Xiao Doubao has drawn.”

Xiao Doubao was drawing… corn silk?

“What is Xiao Doubao drawing?” Su Xiaoxiao asked.

The little one is happy and responds, “Mommy, I’m drawing the little rice ears from Grandma’s house. Brother said abundant harvest means having endless food to eat. After I draw a little rice ear, our home will have endless food to eat~~~”

Xiao Doubao, after all, is young, and usually when he wrote or drew, it was more of a resemblance than an accurate representation. His imitation of a general composition and rough sketch could only be considered very good for his age.

Su Xiaoxiao encouraged, “That’s great. Xiao Doubao just needs to draw what he likes.”

Receiving encouragement from his mother, Xiao Doubao’s eyes curled with his smile, becoming more enthusiastic.

Since it’s “freestyle”, and Su Xiaoxiao had no objections to whatever the children created.

Xiao Fantuan is in charge of overall planning. He had already sorted out which couplets would go on which door, window, cabinet, water tank, etc., and discussed with Da Bao and Xiao Bao who would be responsible for which area.

For example, the couplet at the door was decided by Han Cheng, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao were responsible for writing the characters on each side. The horizontal and vertical scrolls above the door were handled by Fantuan and Xiao Doubao. From writing to drawing, everything was decided by them.

The handwriting of the cubs is very immature. In fact, passersby can tell at a glance that they were written by children. If they know it was written by several children aged six, seven, or eight, they may even praise it. If accompanied by the innocent drawings of a three- or four-year-old child, it would undoubtedly attract attention and make people stop to appreciate it.

Throughout the morning, the whole family was filled with creative ideas for their Spring Festival couplets. The quality of the writing didn’t matter anymore; it had all been overshadowed by the diverse and splendid drawings. Every corner of the house was brimming with festive red.

Su Xiaoxiao saw that Xiao Fantuan had posted a “Safe in and out” sign on the bathroom wall and had no thoughts about it. She let them be.

When they finally posted the horizontal scroll on the front door, the children drew a peanut, and I drew a red envelope. You drew a flower, and I drew a string of firecrackers. Little Fantuan thought it wasn’t enough, so he grabbed some ink and marked Xiao Roubao’s and Xiao Tangyuan’s little palms, imprinting a pair of handprints resembling a dragon and phoenix, calling it the family portrait of the children.

It was already imaginable that this year, the Han family’s doorway was destined to attract much attention throughout the year.

Lunch remained simple with egg noodles and vegetables. Today’s tasks were a bit numerous. Except for Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan, no one else took an afternoon nap. On the first day of the year, sweeping was forbidden, so the children were responsible for tidying up the house and cleaning every corner, even Zhou, Fen, Mian, and Fan’s places, and they tidied up the pet’s nest, leaving everything spotless. The weeds in the vegetable garden were also completely removed.

Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng have to start preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

The chicken was slaughtered by Old Hu and his comrades from the meat factory. In order to make chicken feathers and shuttlecocks for the children, Su Xiaoxiao specially asked the comrades from the meat factory to leave some beautiful feathers of big roosters.

Traditionally, smooth-poached chicken requires a young hen, but for offering to the gods, a rooster is needed. Nowadays, with the elimination of the old ways and various feudal superstitions, publicly worshiping gods is prohibited. Everyone has put a big rooster and some wine and tea in their own courtyard to pay respects to the heavens, earth, and the divine. Li Yufeng was used to doing this, so during festivals and the New Year, people still preferred to buy roosters.

Han Cheng doesn’t have this habit, let alone Su Xiaoxiao, so the couple bought a little hen.

The young hen was slowly soaked and cooled. Han Cheng put back the chicken head, feet, neck, and main bone into the soup, added some soaked shiitake mushrooms, red dates, and wolfberries, and continued to simmer the soup with fresh mushrooms and fresh Chinese yam purchased from the market that day.

Two chicken legs were just right for the four children, and Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng had the chicken wings. When Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan could also eat meat, it would be chopped into small pieces for the whole family to enjoy.

Half of the pork belly fried that day was left. Su Xiaoxiao added some soaked dried vegetables to steam it. Additionally, she had the children pick some of their favorite vegetables from the garden, and wash them clean, and when the chicken was almost ready, she blanched the greens for a dish served with the traditional ginger-scallion soy sauce dip.

To make the most of the daylight, the entire family takes turns washing the white clothes. This year, the majority of the cloth pieces are reserved for the twins, leaving the older ones without new clothes. However, the cotton jackets Li Yufeng made for them last year still look remarkably fresh, complemented by the new shoes Su Xiaoxiao purchased. Once the clothes are washed, the older ones’ clothes also appear completely renewed.

Su Xiaoxiao is still wearing the cashmere coat that Han Cheng brought back from the capital. Han Cheng is wearing a relatively clean military coat. Besides them, there were two beautiful children wearing celebratory tiger-headed hats.

The family gathered around a small charcoal stove to enjoy the reunion dinner. When the chicken soup began boiling, the four children held half a chicken leg each, Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng held the chicken wings, and all six pairs of chopsticks simultaneously dipped into the chicken soup. Su Xiaoxiao said, “Children, let’s have a prosperous and happy Lunar New Year!”

The children, with faces beaming with happiness, cheered along, “A prosperous and happy Lunar New Year!”