The pig had been butchered and the puffed rice candy was made. Since they had acorn jelly, they decided not to make soybean tofu. With that, the bulk of the New Year preparations were finished. All that remained were miscellaneous chores like washing and cleaning.
By the ti the bedsheets were all washed and the house was scrubbed clean inside and out, it was already the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month. The morning sky was gloomy, without a trace of sunlight. Before it was even ti for the noon al, thick flakes of snow began to fall from the sky.
Juhua stood in the doorway, watching the snowflakes dance and swirl in the sky, feeling an indescribable joy.
’The weather is so considerate, waiting until we finished all our chores before it started snowing. Now, the house is stocked with grain, there’s plenty of at and vegetables, and we don’t lack firewood. The vegetable garden and the well are right outside our door. Everything is going perfectly, just as I wished! How could I not be happy? Now I can just stay ho all day, cook, eat, warm myself by the fire, and do so sewing. With this heavy snow, no one will co to bother , either.’
Qingmu set down his book and ca over. "What has you so happy?" he asked with a smile.
So Juhua told him what she’d just been thinking.
Qingmu was happy to hear it, too. In previous years, they could never have prepared so many things for the New Year. No wonder Juhua was so cheerful.
"Brother, what about those little dates you brought back from Grandma’s house? Let’s make so sweet soup." Juhua suddenly had a craving for it. She imagined stewing the dried dates and peanuts together until they were perfectly soft. ’It would taste amazing.’
Qingmu replied, "Mom put them away. They should be in the kitchen, right? Let’s eat first. We can make the soup after lunch."
Juhua nodded and went back to sit by the brazier. "Brother," she asked, "when you went to Grandma’s the other day, you didn’t happen to run into Liu Fugui’s daughter, did you?"
Qingmu, who had been holding his book and silently reciting the text, froze. Seeing the glint in his sister’s eyes as she watched him, he replied a little uncomfortably, "And what if I did?"
Juhua was completely taken aback. ’He really did et her? Don’t tell Liu Fugui’s daughter made sure to show her face in front of Qingmu on purpose?’
’These days, she didn’t dare underestimate the girls around here. Every one of them was incredibly bold. In the words of her past life, they "dared to love and dared to hate." She’d heard from her grandmother how capable Liu Fugui’s daughter was, but Juhua had her own assessnt—the girl was remarkably assertive. Back in her past life, she might have been a real powerhouse.’
Seeing Juhua’s curious expression, Qingmu explained, "When I went to Grandma’s, she happened to be at Eldest Uncle’s house, grinding tofu. She didn’t say much, just offered a small apology. She said her parents had said things they shouldn’t have and was very sorry that it caused you to be the subject of gossip."
’This made Juhua see Liu Fugui’s daughter in a whole new light. With that one small apology, hadn’t she left a good impression on Qingmu?’
She couldn’t help but ask with a grin, "So, Brother, what did you think of her? Is she as wonderful as Grandma says?"
Seeing his sister’s beaming face, Qingmu, who was usually a man of few words, found himself willing to share what was on his mind. "I only glanced at her and we exchanged a few words. How would I know if she’s a good person or not? Besides, I’m not thinking about marriage right now, so it doesn’t matter what she’s like. If I think about it too much, it’ll affect my studies and my work."
Juhua burst out laughing. "This is all my fault. I’m the one who told the villagers you’d wait four years to get married. I’ve delayed things for you, haven’t I? What if a really good match cos along? I just thought it would take us longer to make so money, but who knew we’d do it so fast. Brother, don’t you worry about it. If she really is a good person, or if you et soone else you like later, we’ll just have Mom send a matchmaker. I’m still young, anyway. No one has to take what I say seriously."
But Qingmu said seriously, "It’s not because of what you said that I’m not considering marriage, and it’s not because we lack money. I’ve just thought it over. If I get engaged and married early, and then have children, I’ll spend all my ti just trying to make a living. It’s better to build up our family’s fortunes first and then get married. Things will be more stable in the future."
’So you do understand the benefits of marrying later,’ Juhua thought.
When Qingmu saw she was quiet, he continued, "When I was on my way back, Laicai insisted on coming with . He said he wanted to spend the New Year at his aunt’s house. I bet he overheard telling Grandma how much fish we portioned out and how much at we kept for ourselves. The kid got greedy!"
Juhua’s eyes widened in alarm. "Then why didn’t he co?"
Seeing his sister’s reaction, Qingmu couldn’t help but laugh. "Grandma wouldn’t let him. Thank goodness for her, because Second Aunt actually told him he could co with ."
Juhua said indignantly, "What good is her permission? Is she the one in charge of our household now? She has so nerve, not even asking your opinion."
Qingmu shook his head, then dropped another bombshell. "Second Aunt said Laicai is supposed to start school next year. Their place is a bit of a walk from Xiatang Market, and she doesn’t feel comfortable with him going to the school there. So, she wants to send him to live with us. She said the tuition at our village school isn’t expensive, it’s right on our doorstep, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything happening to him."
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