Chapter 126: The ritual of New Year greetings
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the children in the village were the first to go door to door to wish each other a happy New Year, and then the villagers wished each other a happy New Year.
The children brought bags and just gave some food from their own homes.
The adults did not need to bring gifts to each other to wish each other a happy New Year, but just went to the homes of the elderly or familiar people to sit and chat.
Then they went out to visit relatives and friends.
Yan Qiuxing got up early, opened the gate of the yard, and waited for the children in the village to come to wish their mother and father a happy New Year.
She took out the sugar balls prepared by her mother and placed them.
The sugar balls were prepared long before the Lunar New Year, ten for each child.
When they were young, they would also go door to door to wish each other a happy New Year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but the people in the village could not give them sugar balls, and most of them would grab a handful of fried broad beans, peas, and soybeans.
Even so, it was a good snack for them.
However, Grandma always prepared very little food, and when it was not enough later, she would grab it from their bags, and in the end there was very little left for them.
Jiang Hehu and the other two set out with cloth bags early in the morning.
The family now has enough food, but the three younger brothers still like to join in the fun.
After a while, the children in the village came over in groups, chattering.
When they entered the clean and spacious courtyard with floor tiles, the noisy children consciously shut up and walked forward uncomfortably.
Their eyes kept looking around, full of envy.
"What a beautiful big house."
"The ground is cleaner than when we first moved in."
"Are you stupid? How many people came to see it when we first moved in? How can the ground be clean?"
"Then will we step on the ground and make it dirty?"
After hearing this, the other friends raised their feet and didn't know what to do.
The courtyard with floor tiles was clean. They walked all the way, and their straw sandals were covered with mud, which would indeed dirty other people's yards.
"It's okay, go in quickly, my father and mother are waiting." Yan Qiuyan smiled and comforted.
Hearing what Uncle Fan and Aunt Fan were waiting for, the children's childish faces immediately smiled widely and ran into the main house with cheers.
In the main house, Shui Qing was called up by her two daughters very early. She had stayed up all night last night, and it was very difficult to get up in the morning.
After finally getting herself ready, she was still yawning while sitting in the main seat in the main hall.
On the other hand, Fan Jin, who also stayed up late, had clear and soft dark eyes and a gentle smile. He was very elegant and sober.
Shui Qing: ..... People are different!
"Happy New Year to Uncle and Aunt Fan!" There were loud congratulations and kneeling sounds.
Shui Qing looked at the little radish head kneeling on the ground in front of her, and the sleepiness immediately ran away!
Too exaggerated, right?
Do you still need to kneel to pay New Year's greetings?
She turned her head in surprise and looked at Fan Jin sitting next to her, only to see that the latter looked indifferent, as if he was used to it.
"Yan Qiu, Xing Hui, give them the sugar balls quickly." Shui Qing called out.
Hearing the sugar balls, the children on the ground looked up, their eyes full of confusion and disbelief.
When the ten sugar balls were actually lying in their palms, the atmosphere suddenly boiled!
"Sugar?"
"Sweet! It's really sugar."
"So sweet!"
The group of children all smiled and looked at Shui Qing and Fan Jin in the main seat, more friendly than seeing their parents!
"Thank you, second uncle and aunt!"
Another unanimous thank you.
Shui Qing felt that this group of children was too easy to bribe, and a few sugar balls directly increased her favorability.
Looking at the children jumping out, she knew that a large number of children would come soon.
She said happily: "In the future, our family will be promoted to the first family in the village that children want to visit the most during the New Year!"
Yan Qiu and Xing Hui nodded heavily without hesitation.
In the past, if they were in a family that had sugar balls to eat during the New Year, they would go to that family first.
Fan Jin looked at Shui Qing, who had a bright smile and a cheerful tone, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.
She has always been very kind and compassionate to children.
When they are old, they must be the most popular and beloved elders in the village, the elders that children love to be close to.
No, there is no need to wait until they are old. After today, they are already the elders that children love to be close to.
All morning, the children in the big yard cheered and exclaimed.
Fan Jin went to the homes of several familiar elders in the village to pay New Year's greetings, chatted for a while, and then returned, packed up and prepared to go to Niutou Town.
Ling Ran did not go, and he asked to stay to guard the house.
Thinking that someone must stay at home, Shui Qing and Fan Jin did not insist.
It was cold outside, and Fan Jin spread a thick layer of straw on the cart. Shui Qing put on a hat and scarf for Yan Qiuxing and set off.
The Hu family is simple, and Hu Wenhua has not married, so naturally he does not need to go to his father-in-law's house.
The three of them waited for Shui Qing to come back home early.
Hu's mother was even more busy making food.
There were no outsiders at home today, so she cooked a big pot of rice and made a lot of soft rice cakes with fermented rice wine and rice milk.
Knowing that her daughter's family was not short of oil and water, she did not cook all the fat meat, but stewed a pork rib soup with dried straw mushrooms.
The pork belly was cut into thin slices and made into pork with preserved vegetables with preserved vegetables.
Stir-fried bacon with garlic, steamed salted fish, steamed eggs with minced meat, stir-fried Chinese cabbage, and stir-fried spinach.
Hu Wenhua took out seven cups, put brown sugar in each cup, and waited for her sister's family to arrive so that she could soak the sugar water to moisten her throat.
Hu the butcher paced in the small yard, looking out from time to time, and then looking out again.
Muttered in his mouth: "It was okay that my legs were slow in the past, but now we have a bullock cart, why haven't they arrived yet so late?"
"It must be that Fan Jin, who is not skilled in driving the cart, that delayed the time!"
Hu Wenhua knew that his father was impatient and couldn't wait, but he didn't blame him, because he was also wondering from time to time why his sister hadn't arrived yet.
I can't blame the nephews or my sister, so I can only blame my brother-in-law for driving the cart slowly.
After finally seeing the bullock cart coming, Hu the butcher turned and went into the house and sat upright on the chair.
Hu Wenhua:.....Pretending! Too good at pretending.
He greeted her, "Sister, are you cold? Come in!"
Shui Qing really felt cold.
There was no sun today, and the cold wind blew on her face. She couldn't move after sitting on the cart for more than half an hour, and her feet were numb and cold.
Except Fan Jin, the others rushed into the house when their legs became more flexible.
Hu the butcher next to the brazier made way for him without a word.
He turned to the kitchen and soon brought out a small brazier that was burning brightly.
Hu Wenhua: ..... His father is really attentive.
My mother is really capable and taught me well!
As soon as this thought came to his mind, he was glared at by his father and yelled, "Where's the sugar water? Your sister and nephew are still cold."
"Ahhh, come here, come here!" Hu Wenhua felt that he was not wronged to be yelled at.
The small house was full of people, and everyone had a happy smile on their face.
There was no famine or war, and everyone was in harmony. Hu the butcher looked at the house full of relatives and felt that such a life was indescribably good.