Chapter 44: New Year’s Eve Dinner
To plant rice in a paddy field, it generally requires three rounds of plowing: the initial plowing after the autumn harvest, the fine plowing before spring, and the leveling of the field with water before sowing.
Many families in the village had already started the initial plowing right after the rice harvest, and Jiang Huaizhen was no exception.
The paddy field had long been plowed, and there were still a few fen of dry land left. But she had been so busy during this period that she hadn’t plowed it. Now that she finally had some free time, she rushed to finish the rest before the new year.
Since they had no ox, they could only use a foot plow.
She was busy all morning, came back for lunch, and after eating, she was busy cutting the meat, which delayed her a bit. After she finished cutting the meat, she went out, changed her shoes, and went to the fields to finish up.
After Lin Shuang had finished salting the meat, seeing that it was still early, she found another foot plow in the storage room and carried it to the fields to find her.
Seeing her come with a foot plow, Jiang Huaizhen frowned. “There’s not much left. Why did you come?”
“If you do it alone, you’ll have to work until dark. If we do it together, we can finish early.”
“If we can’t finish it, we can just do it tomorrow.”
“I’m idle anyway.”
Seeing that she had even brought the foot plow, Jiang Huaizhen knew that she wouldn’t go back until it was finished, so she stopped nagging, lowered her head, and continued to plow.
By evening, as the sky gradually darkened, they had finally finished this small piece of land.
But they saw another ox-cart entering the valley.
It turned out to be the owner who was delivering the white flour.
Lin Shuang stood by the roadside, carrying the foot plow, and said to the owner’s wife, “Why are you delivering it yourselves so late? I thought you weren’t coming.”
“How could that be? You said you wanted it delivered today. I can’t delay it until tomorrow,” the owner’s wife smiled. “It just so happens that I was going back to my family in the countryside today, so I took the opportunity to leave the city before the gates closed and deliver it on the way.”
“So that’s how it is. Oh, by the way, I might need to get another batch before the new year. When do you close for the holidays?” Lin Shuang asked.
“Sigh, when do business people ever rest? We only take half a day off on New Year’s Eve, and we have to open for business on the first day of the new year. Whenever you want it, just have someone send me a message.”
“Let’s do it on the twenty-eighth of the new year. This time, send two hundred catties.”
Hearing that she wanted two hundred catties at once, the couple couldn’t stop smiling and quickly agreed. “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely deliver it.”
As they were talking, the carriage reached the front of their house. The couple, each with a bag, carried the flour into the main hall.
Lin Shuang went into the room to get the money.
For a hundred catties of flour, since they were buying a lot, the owner had given them a discount of ten copper coins.
After they left, Lin Shuang said, “The two aunts want fifty dough balls tomorrow, plus what’s left. This bag will only last for two or three days.”
Jiang Huaizhen hummed in agreement. “We can only earn a little more in these few days. After the new year, there won’t be as many people buying flatbreads.”
For the next three days, they sold fifty or sixty flatbreads every day, and they were all sold out.
On the night of the twenty-ninth of the new year, Lu Erqiao and Wang Zhimei came to the West Mountain Valley with Old Hu’s cart to settle the accounts.
When they got the money, their faces were wreathed in smiles.
They had earned in just three days what they might not have been able to earn in a month. How could they not be happy?
“Shuang’er, we have to come and get the goods early on the first day of the new year. We’ll have to trouble you to prepare them for us. There will be a lot of people on the first and second, so I think we can sell sixty flatbreads a day,” Lu Erqiao said.
The first day of the new year was the liveliest time in the city, and flatbreads sold best at this time. The two of them didn’t want to miss the opportunity to earn money.
Lin Shuang thought for a moment and said, “It’s no trouble for us. It’s just that Uncle Hu has to transport the goods back and forth every day, and it’s tiring. Why don’t we have the white flour delivered to your house, and we’ll just prepare the oil pastry and sauce here? That way, we don’t have to make a trip every day.”
Lu Erqiao quickly shook her head. “How can that be? We agreed that we’re just selling the flatbreads. We shouldn’t know how to mix the dough or what to put in it. He doesn’t make a trip in the morning for nothing. You don’t have to feel sorry for him.”
Lin Shuang smiled. “There’s nothing special about the dough.”
But the two of them still avoided suspicion and refused.
Lin Shuang was helpless and had to leave it at that for now.
After they left, the two of them counted the money again.
Since they had stopped setting up their stall on the official road, other than the wages they had earned from the three heated kangs that Doctor Xue had introduced them to, the family had no other income. In the few days before the new year, they had bought new year’s goods, half a pig, and also the raw materials for these few days. Each of these was a large expense. Fortunately, they had earned another three taels and six hundred copper coins from selling the flatbreads, which filled the hole from these few days’ expenses, and they still had five hundred copper coins left, which they added to the living expenses.
“We’ve had a rich new year this year,” Old Madam Jiang said with emotion.
Her son had been dead for over two years. In these two years, she knew better than anyone how difficult life had been for the grandmother and granddaughter. She had originally thought that they couldn’t go on, and she had only wanted to die and be done with it. Without her as a burden, her granddaughter would not be dragged down.
Unexpectedly, a little girl had come, and in just a few months, she had pulled them out of the mud. Now, they had saved up ten taels just for medical expenses, and even the money to buy a horse had been saved. What else could she be dissatisfied with?
Lin Shuang smiled. “Next year, the year after, and every year from now on, we will have a rich new year.”
And at this time, at the Lin Mancang residence.
Ma Guihua was cursing, “That niece of yours, she’s close to everyone but her own uncle. She’s willing to give the secret recipe for the flatbreads to others, but not to us. Doesn’t she remember who raised her after her parents died when she was four? What an ungrateful wretch.”
Lin Mancang sighed. “She’s not part of our family anymore. What’s the use of you saying all this?”
“How is it useless? She’s still our niece. Even if you break the bones, the tendons are still connected. We raised her all these years, but she doesn’t remember any of it. I can’t swallow this, even if you can!”
“You’ve already taken eight taels of silver. What more do you want?” Lin Mancang said impatiently.
“Eight taels,” Ma Guihua raised her voice. “Don’t you know how much she sells a flatbread for? Forty copper coins each. We were watching by her stall that day. She sold forty or fifty flatbreads in one day. That’s two taels of silver a day. That eight taels, she can earn it back in just four or five days. What’s that?”
“Who told you to be in such a hurry to drive her out? Otherwise, that money would be ours now,” Lin Mancang complained.
“You’re her own uncle, and you didn’t even know that bitch had such skills. How would I know? If I had known, would I have let her go? This ungrateful wretch, she was born to be an outsider, an ungrateful dog!”
Lin Mancang was annoyed by her scolding. “She’s already been registered in the Jiang family’s household. It’s too late for you to say anything now.”
“I don’t care. I have to get the secret recipe for the flatbreads from that stubborn girl. If I can’t, I’ll go and cause a scene.”
“Where are you going to cause a scene? I’m telling you, don’t go and make a fool of yourself. I can’t afford to lose any more face.”
“You spent a lot of that eight taels of silver last time. Now you’re saying you can’t afford to lose face? Lin Mancang, oh Lin Mancang, ever since I married into your family, I’ve worked like an ox and even had to take care of your younger brother’s daughter. In the end, I’m the one who’s in the wrong. So I’m the bad guy, and you’re just standing there in the background, pushing all the blame on me, and you’re all clean. You’re really something.”
Lin Mancang’s temper also flared. “When you said you wanted to change the birth characters, I agreed. But it still failed. You said to sell her to a brothel, and I also agreed. You were the one who made all the decisions. Now that things are not going your way, you’re taking it out on me. Did I force you to do anything? Is it my fault? Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Are we going to celebrate the new year or not?”
Seeing him get angry, Ma Guihua finally quieted down, but she was still indignant. “That girl’s surname is Lin. Her secret recipe is of course the Lin family’s secret recipe. This is a reasonable argument anywhere. After the new year, I have to find a way to get our Lin family’s secret recipe back.”
“Guo’er’s studies still have to continue. His cousin is going to take the county examination next year. We’re already behind in every way. If we can’t even catch up in this, then we can forget about ever making a name for ourselves in the future.”
Lin Mancang ignored her, his head lowered, rubbing the wine gourd in his hand.
West Mountain Valley.
Early on New Year’s Eve.
After breakfast, Lin Shuang began to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner.
After so many years of hardship, she would make it as sumptuous as possible. No matter what, there had to be a plate of braised pork. It was first fried and then steamed, with a slice of taro in between. It was so tempting it made one’s mouth water before it was even out of the pot.
There was also a small chicken stewed with mushrooms and a braised fish, plus a stewed lamb chop, which was the old woman’s favorite.
Jiang Huaizhen, of course, didn’t go anywhere and squeezed into the kitchen with her to help.
Peeling the taro, killing the fish, kneading the dough and rolling out the wrappers, they worked with great enthusiasm.
Lin Shuang had prepared several kinds of dumpling fillings, including pickled cabbage and pork, lamb and radish, and chives and egg. When they were all on the table, the whole table was full.
“Huaizhen, go and set off the firecrackers.”
The firecrackers had been bought when they had gone to get the new year’s goods last time. But since she had come to the Jiang family, Jiang Huaizhen had never set off firecrackers. Now, with the order, she couldn’t help but feel a little childish. She placed a large string of firecrackers at the main door of the main hall and lit them.
With the crackling sound, a cloud of smoke filled the inside and outside of the door. The old woman’s heart also became festive, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
And at this time, the few families near the valley, hearing the sound of firecrackers from the valley, were extremely curious and couldn’t help but gossip.
“I haven’t heard any firecrackers from inside for decades. Did the sun rise from the west?”
“What’s the happy occasion? They’re even setting off firecrackers.”
“They earned a lot of money selling flatbreads this year.”
“Isn’t that the truth? These few days, carts have been coming in and out of the valley every now and then. It looks like they’ve struck it rich.”
The few people in the valley had no idea what the people outside were saying about them. After setting off the firecrackers, they got on the kang and began to eat.
This was the first time Lin Shuang had made braised pork with taro. The old woman’s teeth were not good, and this dish was just right for her. She was in a good mood today and ate a whole piece of the braised pork.
“May there be a surplus every year. Grandma, eat the fish,” Lin Shuang said.
Hearing her say this, Jiang Huaizhen turned and placed the tenderest part of the fish belly in the old woman’s bowl.
Old Madam Jiang said cheerfully, “Alright, alright. You two eat too.”
Seeing this, Lin Shuang smiled and also gave Jiang Huaizhen a whole fish tail. “You like to eat fish tails. There are a lot of bones, so be careful.”
The first time she had made pickled fish, Old Madam Jiang had specifically given Huaizhen the fish tail. She had remembered it all.
Jiang Huaizhen’s eyes swept over her face, which was no longer as thin as when she had first arrived, and her smiling face. Her usually cold eyes also had a hint of warmth. She held up her bowl and took the food she had given her.
Shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, they enjoyed this table of delicacies.
The lamb chops were stewed until they were soft and fell off the bone. After eating two pieces, the old woman said, “Heavens, to be able to get drunk on this meat one day, this is something I never dared to think of before.”
In the past, even if Jiang Gui had gotten the reward silver for beheading people and bribes from the families, it was only just enough to get by. He might not have been willing to prepare such a table of dishes.
Most importantly, in the previous years, there was no new year atmosphere at all.
In these years, on New Year’s Eve, it was always cold and gloomy. The old woman would think that another year had passed and her son still hadn’t found a wife, and her granddaughter next to her was as cold as a block of wood. This home was not like a home. How could she have the mood to eat New Year’s Eve dinner?
Now, there were still three of them, but the atmosphere was different.
There was hope.
There was still a pot of wine left over from Jiang Gui’s time. Jiang Huaizhen got up to get it.
She drank more than half the pot, a rare occurrence, and finally fell drunk into Lin Shuang’s arms.
If it were in the past, Old Madam Jiang would have given her a good scolding. But today was New Year’s Eve. She knew that this child’s heart was bitter, and in the end, she couldn’t bear to, and let her get drunk.
After Lin Shuang had tidied up the room, she first helped the old woman soak her feet, then ladled another basin of hot water, soaked a towel, and wiped Jiang Huaizhen’s face.
After her change of heart, just being able to wash her face made her heart beat a little faster.
It wasn’t until she touched the corner of the other’s eye and felt that it was wet that her heart suddenly jumped. Her nose also grew sour. She looked up at the old woman, her heart aching and at a loss. “She… is she thinking of something sad? But life is clearly getting better now…”
Old Madam Jiang sighed. “She’s probably thinking of the past.”
“Which past?” Lin Shuang rarely pressed for details, but she was curious about everything about Jiang Huaizhen.
“The time before A’Gui brought her back.”
“I remember the villagers all said that she was just over three years old when Uncle Jiang brought her back. At such a young age, how much can she remember?” Lin Shuang murmured.
Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that when the plague had taken her parents, she was not yet four years old. But to this day, she still had some vague memories. She remembered that her mother’s belly was already bulging, and she remembered one year when it snowed heavily, and the three of them had huddled together by the fire, the warmth…
Her parents’ faces were already blurry, but some things were like a brand, forever etched in her heart.
Huaizhen, what did she remember?
She had heard that she was the child of a condemned prisoner. Her life before the age of three…
Lin Shuang’s heart instantly clenched.
Old Madam Jiang leaned against the backrest and sighed. “What should be remembered will be remembered. This child has a bitter fate. Her mother, at the age of fifteen, against her family’s wishes, eloped with her biological father. She thought she would have a good life, but a man’s heart is fickle. How can you expect them to be faithful? And this woman was a sentimental fool. When she found out that her husband had fallen in love with someone else, she ruthlessly killed him and his lover, and was then sent to the execution platform.”
“It is said that when her mother killed her father, she was standing by the side, with a large pool of blood at her feet… Sigh, in the end, her mother was taken to the execution platform, and it was A’Gui who personally carried out the sentence, and she was below the stage…”
“She cried so miserably at that time. But the woman who was with her was not a kind person. Seeing her cry endlessly, she slapped her hard across the face. That night, when A’Gui found her outside the city, she was almost out of breath. Her little face was swollen like a dough ball. When she came back, I applied some herbs to her, and it took a full ten days for the swelling to go down.”
After Old Madam Jiang finished speaking, she sighed heavily.
And at this time, Lin Shuang’s chest was heaving, and her eyes were already red.
Her Huaizhen, how could her fate be so bitter!
To have witnessed her mother kill her husband, and then to have watched her mother be executed, what kind of cruel and bone-deep pain must that have been?
But such a Huaizhen had not rotted. In her past life, she had dug open the coffin and carried her back. How soft and strong must her heart have been to be able to extend a helping hand to someone in a similar predicament, even when she was already covered in scars?
Old Madam Jiang wiped her eyes. “When she first came, for a whole year, she wouldn’t cry or laugh, like a puppet. She wouldn’t talk either, just followed me everywhere. Wherever I went, she would clutch the corner of my clothes, afraid that I would abandon her.”
Lin Shuang held the drunk Jiang Huaizhen, her tears no longer able to be held back. They fell one by one, dripping onto the clothes of the person in her arms.
Huaizhen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have abandoned you in my past life.
If I had known you were so afraid of being abandoned, even if I were just clinging to life, I would have dragged my broken body and stayed with you until death.
