stingy landlady

Chapter 16 Chinese New Year

On the 28th, Li Shi, along with her daughters Da Ya and Er Ya, prepared half a bag of flour. They were going to steam buns and sugar triangles. They wouldn't make steamed buns, as it was said that the filling inside was bad luck for the New Year. Steamed buns symbolized laughter, and sugar triangles symbolized sweetness and happiness.

Yang Hongmin and her sister Yang Hongli, from Aunt Yang's neighbor's family, came over to play with Daya and her sister.

“Da Ya, I bet you guys aren’t going to sell boxed lunches today. It’s almost Chinese New Year, you should take a break. That’s why you’re home! Haha!” Yang Hongmin and Da Ya are about the same age and used to pick wild vegetables and play together.

"Sanya, me too! Let's play together this Chinese New Year!" Yang Hongli is a year older than Sanya, but younger than Daya and Erya, so no one wants to play with her.

"Da Ya, did your family make dough? Mine did too. My grandma said we'd fry meatballs for the New Year! Are you making them?" Yang Hongmin boasted. Her family owned a mill, and they made money almost every day. They were quite well-off in the village.

Er Ya also wanted to eat fried meatballs, but in previous years the old house would also fry them, so the girls would each have one to try, and the rest would be given to the boys and their second uncle and aunt.

At this moment, he looked up and asked Li, "Mother, shall we fry some meatballs?"

"Mom, let's fry some meatballs too, not too many. There aren't many people in the family. Fry some meatballs, some pancake strips, and some small fried dough twists! Wow, so many delicious things for the New Year! The New Year is the best!" Guizhi deliberately begged Li Shi.

"Mother, Siya wants to eat too! It's delicious!" Siya also hugged Li's leg and begged.

"Good, good, good! These little gluttons! It's almost New Year's, so they're making fried meatballs, pancake strips, and mini twists!" Li Shi nodded at Siya and replied.

"Auntie, you just started making the dough, so you won't be able to steam the food until this afternoon, right? Shall we go out and play for a while?" Yang Hongmin asked Li Shi.

"Where are we going? It's so cold outside! Only you kids can withstand the cold," Li said with a smile.

"Let's go to the village chief's house to find Xiaoqiu and see if there's any Yangko dancing this year for the Spring Festival," Yang Hongmin replied with a smile.

"Alright! Go ahead! Come back soon, it's cold outside!" Li knew that her daughter was usually busy and didn't have time to play with her friends. She should relax during the New Year.

“Sister, Sanya and I are going too!” Yang Hongli said immediately.

"You two are too young, stay home and play. We're fast runners, you don't need to follow us." After saying that, Yang Hongmin grabbed Daya and Erya and ran off, leaving the two little girls behind, looking at each other.

"Let's play cat's cradle!" Guizhi took out a red rope, and the two children played cat's cradle at home, while also helping Siya.

That evening, Dazhu returned from the old house. "Mom and Dad said they're slaughtering a pig tomorrow and will give us ten catties of pork. We don't need to cook tomorrow night; we can just go over there and get some pork stew to eat!"

"Dad, do you have blood sausage? I love eating blood sausage!" Guizhi asked happily.

"Yes, pork stew definitely includes blood sausage, pork belly, and sauerkraut," Dazhu laughed.

"Wow! I can't wait!" Er Ya's drooling made everyone laugh.

Winter mornings are usually for sleeping in. The children were woken up early, got up to fold their blankets, neatly arranged them on the kang (heated brick bed), and swept the kang clean. After washing their faces and brushing their teeth, they hurriedly ate a steamed bun and ran outside to watch the pig slaughter. There would be a pig-slaughtering feast! They only ate it once a year!

The children were excited, and the adults were happy too! The men went to catch and carry the pig, while the women washed the big pot, scooped out the pickled cabbage, and chopped it! The children, unafraid of the cold, jumped and laughed in the yard! The braver boys ran to watch the pig being slaughtered, while the more timid girls covered their ears! The pig's squeals and laughter filled the air, creating a truly joyful and harmonious atmosphere for the New Year!

After receiving his share of ten jin of meat, Dazhu bought another ten jin, preparing for a prosperous New Year.

Erzhu, Lao San, and Lao Si were busy cutting and selling meat, and even Lao Wu, Wang Yiyun, couldn't continue studying. He came out to help with collecting money and keeping accounts.

The old man stood there greeting and chatting with his old friends in the village. The old woman also smiled and took out rice to cook for her daughters-in-law, muttering, "Cook more rice. We only slaughter a pig once a year. There are so many people, we need enough to eat."

On the morning of the 30th, Dazhu carried a bag of flour to the old house early in the morning.

"Mom and Dad, we bought a bag of flour to make dumplings for you!"

"This kid, spending money again! Earning money isn't easy, we need to save some!" the old man said, taking a puff of his pipe.

"Yes. Isn't it the New Year? Father and Mother, this is your retirement money. We've been separated for almost half a year now. Here's three hundred coins, Mother, please keep it!" Dazhu handed three more strings of copper coins to the old lady.

The old lady took it, put it in her cabinet, and locked it! Looking at the old man, she asked, "Old man! Today is the 30th of the lunar month, shouldn't we invite the eldest son's family back for a reunion dinner?"

"Alright! Dazhu! Call your wife and the kids over for dinner tonight." The old man nodded in agreement.

"No, Mom and Dad, we'll eat dinner at home. The children want to watch the Yangko dance later, and they also want to eat fried meatballs and other things. We'll have our New Year's Eve dinner together at midnight! After the fried meatballs, I'll ask Li to come over early to make dumplings." Dazhu thought it would be too much trouble for so many people to have dinner, and the children wanted to finish eating early to watch the Yangko dance. Okay, he also wanted to get some exercise, it's New Year's after all!

Dazhu's family had dinner early, but as soon as they put down their chopsticks, the sound of drumming rang out, "Dong dong dong! Dong dong dong!"

"Oh dear, summoning people so early!" Dazhu put on his shoes and went outside.

The three sisters, Daya and her sister, also quickened their pace in clearing the dishes. They carried them to the outer room. "Go on, go on! You all go, you don't need to wash the dishes!" Li said with a smile.

"Da Ya, Er Ya! Are you done yet? Hurry up, the dice are ready!" Yang Hongmin and Yang Hongli called out as soon as they opened the door.

"Okay, okay!" Daya said, putting on her cotton-padded coat.

"Hurry up, hurry up! My mom said we don't have to wash the dishes tonight!" Er Ya pushed the two sisters out.

"Mother, I'll go check and be right back!" Guizhi had already been grabbed by the arm by Yang Hongli and pulled outside.

"Mother, I want to go too!" Siya said reluctantly, her voice trembling with tears.

"Okay! I'll take you after I finish washing the dishes! You're too young, your sister can't take care of you." Li comforted Siya while washing the dishes.

When Guizhi and the others reached the center of the village, there were only a few scattered people. They saw a young man beating a drum vigorously. "It's still early! Where's Dad?" Er Ya asked. The group looked around but couldn't see him.

In the blink of an eye, the place became bustling with people. The loudspeaker blared, and soon a line formed.

"Look, look! That's our dad in the lead!" Da Ya, with her sharp eyes, spotted him immediately. People appeared out of nowhere, and suddenly the streets were filled with them, several holding hands to avoid getting lost in the crowd.

Big Pillar was seen jumping and hopping in front, twirling a fan incessantly. A silk ribbon was wrapped around his waist; he waved the ribbon in one hand and twirled the fan in the other. Stepping to the drumbeats, he swayed left and right, forward and backward, leading the group with boundless joy! He was nothing like his usual docile self, making everyone shout, "Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!"

Winter nights fall quickly, and the weather is bitterly cold, so the crowd of onlookers gradually thinned out. Guizhi and the others also went home. Upon entering their houses, they discovered that Dazhu had returned sometime earlier. He was chatting and laughing with Li Shi while kneading dough, and a large pot of soybean oil was heating up. Seeing the three sisters return, he asked, "Are you cold? Did you have fun?"

Guizhi felt strange: "Dad, you're amazing! You're the head of the Yangko dance! When did you get back? We didn't see you. How come you got home before us?"

"Hahaha! Dad's happy to go out and stretch his legs! There's still work to do at home, so Dad's coming back early to fry meatballs for you!" Dazhu said with a smile.

Li used salt to kill the shredded radish, squeezed out the water by hand, and put it into the dough that Dazhu was stirring. She also quickly chopped a scallion into the dough, added a little salt, and then Dazhu started stirring.

The oil was hot. Dazhu used his thumb to squeeze the meatballs and slowly put them into the oil. Li Shi took a clean basin and placed it on a wooden stool, then set up the strainer. "I'll go make the noodles first, and you can fry the jianbing guozi and mahua later."

"Okay! Add more sugar, the kids love sweets!" Dazhu said, gently shaking the meatballs in the oil with his claw. The meatballs turned golden brown, then he scooped them out and put them in a bowl; they would have to be fried again later.

Guizhi couldn't help, so she played with Siya on the kang (heated brick bed). Daya had already brought over a bowl with several fried meatballs. "Meatballs are here! Be careful, they're hot! Let them cool down! Third Sister, watch over Fourth Sister, don't let her get burned!"

The two little ones stopped playing and stared at the meatballs, waiting for them to cool down before eating. Fortunately, it didn't take too long.

"Delicious! It smells so good!" Si Ya said with a smile while eating the meatballs.

"Delicious! Mmm, it smells so good! I'll take one to Mom and my sister!"

Guizhi wanted to get out of bed to deliver food to her parents, and her sister wanted to bring her meatballs. Erya pushed her back onto the kang (heated brick bed): "You've all eaten! You don't need to get off. Play nicely with Siya, and don't cause trouble! What if some oil splatters and burns you both!"

"Hehe! Second sister, fourth sister and I are playing on the kang!" Guizhi immediately put on a good girl act.

After eating the fried pancake strips and mini twists, the two little ones were already full. They were sleepy and couldn't keep their eyes open anymore.

"Don't sleep, Sanya, we still need to go to Grandpa and Grandma's to make dumplings and have New Year's Eve dinner," Dazhu said softly to Guizhi.

"Dad, I'm full. Fourth Sister and I want to sleep." Guizhi was already very sleepy. Siya had already fallen asleep.

"Dad, let them both sleep! Let's go make dumplings, and we'll wake them up for the New Year's Eve dinner later!" Daya said sensibly.

"Mmm! I'm going to sleep for a bit, wake me up later!" Guizhi's voice grew softer and softer as she drifted off to sleep.

Dazhu smiled and shook his head. After tidying up the house, he took a big bowl of meatballs and Li Shi, along with Daya and Erya, to the old house.

The old house was bustling with activity. The second son's family had three children, and the third son's family had two children, all playing and laughing there. When they saw Dazhu bringing over some food, they happily gathered around.

"Slow down, slow down, don't fall off the kang! What's the rush?" The old lady quickly spread her arms to stop her grandchildren. The children on the kang saw the food and rushed to grab it, none of them giving way to the others.

Dazhu hurriedly placed the large bowl on the kang (a heated brick bed), saying, "Everyone gets a share, don't rush, let Grandma distribute them to you!"

Li, along with her two daughters and three sisters-in-law, went to make dumplings. They made two kinds of fillings: pickled cabbage and pork, and pork and radish. Of course, there were more vegetables than meat, but they were still expected to be delicious.