Chapter 172 Spring Festival

Steamed buns on the twenty-ninth, stay up all night on the thirty-third, walk around the streets on the first and second days of the new year…

The bun shop was closed, and Lin Chuxia returned to the Qin family to spend the Spring Festival in peace.

Qin Yang came back early this year, and the Qin family started business again. Although the business belonged to Lin Chuxia, Qin Han and Zhang Guilan had earned more from the bun shop during this period than they had earned from selling vegetables in a year.

It can be said that this is a year of reunion and also a year of harvest.

Needless to say, the New Year’s goods at home have been prepared in full early on.

Although they can eat meat every day in the bun shop, but during the Chinese New Year, especially the Spring Festival in the north, they have to prepare enough to feel like the Chinese New Year.

A whole pig leg and half a pork chop. There was a sheep slaughterer in the village, so Qin’s father also bought half a sheep.

Qin’s mother had already filled a large vat in the yard with water and froze it with ice, making it a natural refrigerator.

Things put in here won’t go bad and won’t be eaten by rats.

On the 30th day, according to their local custom, they have to eat laogan rice in the morning.

There were no electric rice cookers at that time, so people used a large iron pot to cook the rice until it was half cooked. Then they would scoop the rice out of the rice soup and continue steaming it in a steamer. This was called “laogan rice.”

Rice is rarely grown in the rural areas of Shanhe Province, so it is relatively expensive and hard to buy.

Especially during the planned economy era, they could not buy rice in the rural areas because there were no quotas.

Even though the market has been liberalized, rice has been scarce in recent years. In addition, people have little money, so they buy rice by the pound, and most of the rice they bring home is made into porridge.

Perhaps this is why we eat white rice on New Year’s Eve, adding a sense of ritual to the Spring Festival and foreshadowing good days in the coming year.

Lin Chuxia had not celebrated the festival according to this custom in her previous life. When she was reborn, she entered the kitchen in the morning and saw her sister-in-law cooking rice. The whole house was filled with the aroma of rice, and she suddenly felt a little dazed.

She still remembers that when she was at her mother’s house, she couldn’t eat a whole bowl of dry rice on the morning of the 30th.

The elder sister and the younger brother always eat until they are full.

Later, when she married into the Li family, she was also the one who drank rice porridge.

When she made money from her business and had enough rice to eat, she no longer wanted to celebrate the festival according to this custom.

Zhang Guilan saw Lin Chuxia enter the room and pointed to the side, saying, “I’ll make some pork stewed with vermicelli later. I’ve already cut it up. Sister-in-law, you can chop some cabbage stuffing. After breakfast, they will go to the cemetery. In previous years, they would make some dumplings to take with them.”

“Okay,” Lin Chuxia washed her hands and went to make dumplings.

Little Zhuangzhuang ran into the kitchen, his eyes still half asleep, and he asked Zhang Guilan, “Mom, my grandma said that I have to turn my face in every direction when I wash it, but I only need to wash my face twice a day, and grandma said I have to turn it in a circle, so how many times do I have to wash it?”

Seeing Lin Chuxia on the side, he asked again, “Aunt, are you washing your face in circles? Why do you do it in circles?”

Lin Chuxia: “…”

She really didn’t, she had forgotten all these customs long ago.

Zhang Guilan smiled and replied, “You wash it however your grandma tells you to, why don’t you wash it a few more times?”

“But don’t they say three butts and two faces?”

Lin Chuxia found his serious and troubled look so adorable.

She pinched his little face and said, “Then wash four times, in four directions, an even number.”

Zhuangzhuang thought about it and nodded, “It can only be done this way. Alas, the New Year is troublesome. My grandma told me not to touch scissors and needles, and even window paper. Auntie, if I touch it, will I really get stye?”

Lin Chuxia: “…”

Can she say no?

“Just do whatever I tell you to do. I’ve never seen you hold a pair of scissors or a needle before. Just listen to whatever your grandma says.”

Zhang Guilan wanted to make stew, but she thought he was in the way, so she kicked him out.

Lin Chuxia chopped the cabbage filling and started making dumplings. She didn’t need to make many dumplings, just sixteen in total.

While wrapping it, Qin Yang came in and asked, “Do you need my help?” “No, it will be done in a while,” Lin Chuxia said casually.

Thinking of something, I turned to look at him. The hair on his forehead was a little wet, so he must have just washed his face.

“How do you wash your face?”

Qin Yang’s handsome face froze, and he looked away uncomfortably, then replied calmly, “Just wash it like that, what’s the problem?”

“puff……”

Zhang Guilan on the side couldn’t help but laugh.

She exposed him mercilessly, “Sister-in-law, don’t listen to him. Your elder brother is so old, and he still has to wash in circles on the morning of the 30th, and mom will remind them in advance.” She said reminding, but in fact she just watched.

Her mother-in-law is a bit superstitious, and she will follow anything as long as it has a good meaning.

Lin Chuxia also laughed and thought it was great. It was the New Year, and this was what made it more interesting.

After breakfast, the men in the family would go to the graves to pay homage to their ancestors, and even Xiao Zhuangzhuang was not left out.

Zhang Guilan cooked dumplings and served them on four small plates. Qin’s mother also prepared four apples and four oranges, and Qin Han also brought a bottle of wine.

After the men left, Qin’s mother, Zhang Guilan, and Lin Chuxia began to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner.

This is the most sumptuous meal of the year, and almost every household puts the best on the table.

People’s lives are hard these days, so being able to stew a chicken and some vegetables is considered a good New Year’s Eve dinner.

The Qin family has prepared enough New Year’s goods this year, including chicken, fish, pork elbows, and ribs.

There are also fried bean curd, fried meatballs, fried pork chops…all the fried foods that were fried previously were also arranged.

There are no vegetable greenhouses at this time. In the winter in the north, radishes and cabbages are the main crops. Qin’s mother planted small garlic seedlings in the house to add a fresh flavor.

Finally, a big carp has to be stewed. The fish cannot be cut, so it is stewed whole, which indicates abundance every year.

When the men came back from paying homage to their ancestors, the whole yard was filled with the aroma of food.

Xiao Zhuangzhuang rushed to the kitchen with his mouth watering and eyes shining.

“Mom, what delicious food did you make? It smells so good.”

It can be said that the happiest people during the Chinese New Year are the children, who get to wear new clothes, new hats, and have delicious food.

Qin’s mother gave him a small bowl of fried meatballs as a snack, and the little guy was so happy that he wanted to fly.

At this time, Qin Han called him from outside, “Zhuangzhuang, it’s time to put up the Spring Festival couplets…”

“Hey, here I come…”

The chubby boy grabbed a meatball in each of his hands, stuffed one into his mouth, and ran out in a hurry.

Mother Qin told him to slow down and asked Lin Chuxia to go outside and take a look.

The food is almost ready. This is the first year that my younger daughter-in-law spends New Year’s Day in their home, and they also want my younger daughter-in-law and younger son to spend more time together.

Lin Chuxia saw Qin Yang staring at her in the yard, said something to Qin’s mother Zhang Guilan, washed her hands and went to the yard.

The Spring Festival couplets were written by Qin Yang himself. His writing was graceful and smooth, and all the words were auspicious signs.

“Just watch it for me, I’ll put it up.”

Spring Festival couplets were to be pasted on every door frame, which were done by Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang. The remaining small characters for “Fu” were to be pasted by Qin Han and Zhuang Zhuang.

Paste the word “丰” on the barn, and the word “福” on the water tank and cabinet, so that you will see happiness when you look up and when you go out…

“Zhuangzhuang, stick to your quilt tonight.”

Qin Han held up a piece of red paper with words on it and said to Xiao Zhuangzhuang.

(End of this chapter)