Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Xie Dajiao squatted in front of the stall, grabbed a handful of hazel mushrooms, brought them to her nose and smelled them. They were of excellent quality, and she immediately nodded in approval.

"These hazel mushrooms are good, genuine mountain produce! Weigh out some hazel mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms for me."

Hazel mushrooms were 12 yuan per jin (500g), and wood ear mushrooms were 18 yuan per jin, which was a fair price. Afterwards, I also picked out some Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and dried chili peppers, and all the seasonings for daily cooking at home were ready.

Xie Xiaomei, with her sharp eyes, spotted red paper and cotton thread on a nearby stall and casually grabbed two packs of red paper and a bundle of cotton thread.

Xie Dajiao praised:

"You're so thoughtful. None of us thought of these little things. You're the only one who's considered everything."

As you walk further in, everything is a vibrant red, creating a festive and lively atmosphere, full of the spirit of the New Year.

An old man with a white beard was writing Spring Festival couplets by hand on the spot, his snot from the cold smeared on his beard and frozen solid.

There are also printed gold-stamped Spring Festival couplets with beautiful designs. The stalls are piled with colorful hanging money, large "Fu" characters, door god New Year pictures, as well as small red lanterns and Chinese knots. The scene is full of red and festive colors.

Xie Dajiao flipped through the selections one by one, muttering to herself as she did so:

"Give me two large couplets, one for the front door and one for the supermarket. They're only three yuan a pair, not expensive. Smaller couplets and the character '福' (good fortune) are also welcome."

After choosing the Spring Festival couplets, she took two stacks of five-colored paper money, five cents a stack. Xie Dajiao said with a smile:

"This hanging money is a must. It's pasted under the eaves, and it rustles in the wind during the New Year. Without it, it just feels like something's missing."

The firecracker stall next to it was covered with a thick tarpaulin, and the firecrackers inside were neatly arranged, including big red firecrackers, double firecrackers, sky rockets, and snap pops.

Lin Chen loves setting off firecrackers, and this was his comfort zone. If he wasn't worried about not being able to fit them all in the car, he would have bought the whole stall.

Lin Chen put the things he was carrying into the car, then turned back to continue shopping.

After picking out their New Year's goods, the group headed back and passed a general store. The ground was covered with tattered plastic sheets and filled with odds and ends. The most eye-catching item was a stack of yellow game cartridges with the words "999-in-1 Super Classic" printed on the cover. The cartoon images of Super Mario and Contra were particularly striking.

Lin Chen stopped instinctively, squatted down, picked up a cassette tape and started flipping through it. The stall owner immediately came over and called out enthusiastically:

"Young man, these are game cartridges that work on learning machines. They have tons of games. If you're bored at home during the New Year, play a couple of rounds to kill some time! Fifteen yuan for two."

Xie Xiaomei curiously leaned closer and said with a smile:

"What, you're such a grown-up and still want to play video games?"

Lin Chen said with a smile:

"No, it just seems quite interesting, let's go."

After browsing around, picking and choosing, and bargaining, it was almost noon before we knew it.

The four of them were exhausted, their legs aching, and they were hungry and tired. So they randomly found a small restaurant in town and ordered a few dishes.

Xie Dajiao held the bowl, sipped the soup, and said with a satisfied expression:

"The town market is so lively! I had a blast shopping today!"

Xie Xiaomei ate her food in large mouthfuls, her words muffled as she replied:

"It smells so good! Everything tastes delicious when you're tired from shopping!"

The four of them ate and chatted leisurely for more than twenty minutes, until they were completely recovered, warmed up, and regained their strength.

After resting, the group got up and packed their things. They filled a large pile of plastic bags and woven bags of all sizes, which looked reassuring.

Lin Chen carefully arranged everything, leaving no gaps, for fear of spilling anything on the road. Then he started the car and slowly drove towards Ivory Mountain.

Xie Xiaomei leaned back in her seat, reaching into the New Year's goods beside her, and turned to Wang Xiaomeng, saying:

"I've completely stocked up on all the New Year's goods this year; I don't need anything!"

Wang Xiaomeng was surrounded by the things Wang Laoqi had asked her to buy. She leaned quietly against the window, nodded at Xie Xiaomei, and had a gentle smile on her lips.

"I've bought almost everything my dad asked me to."

Xie Dajiao leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the snow-covered fields rushing past the window, then looked back at Lin Chen and the two girls.

In previous years, she was the only one busy with everything during the Spring Festival, preparing for the New Year, cleaning the house, and guarding the supermarket. She had to do everything herself. But this year is different. Lin Chen took care of everything, and two girls accompanied her. The four of them made a lively family together. This is what the Spring Festival should be like.

……

After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month (the Little New Year), the festive atmosphere in Xiangyashan grows stronger day by day, and we are just entering the final week of the New Year celebrations.

The old customs of the countryside have not been lost, such as cleaning the house on the 24th and steaming dry food on the 25th. Every family follows them, and Lin Chen's family is no exception. Everyone is busy with the lively activities.

On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, several people got up early in the morning. According to an old saying in Northeast China, sweeping the house on the 24th is not just about sweeping away dust, but also about sweeping away the bad luck of the year. Every nook and cranny inside and outside the house must be cleaned thoroughly so that the coming year can be smooth and prosperous.

Lin Chen found a long wooden pole, tied a broom firmly to the top, and used it to sweep the accumulated dust from the ceiling and beams.

This job is the most tiring, as you have to keep your neck tilted back, and it gets sore in no time. Fortunately, the house is still very clean and there isn't much dust.

Wang Xiaomeng came over after finishing tidying up the house in the morning.

Xie Xiaomei and Wang Xiaomeng worked efficiently, dividing the tasks to tidy up the odds and ends in the house. The two of them carried warm water and squatted on the ground to wipe the glass, the wardrobe, and the kang table. They took out all the bowls, plates, dishes, water tanks, and basins in the house one by one, washed them carefully, and wiped them until they were shiny and clean, without leaving a trace of grease.

Xie Dajiao was pregnant, so she wasn't allowed to do any heavy or tiring work. She could only sit quietly on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and slowly take apart and wash the old quilts.

"Remember this: you can't just sweep randomly; you have to sweep from the doorway into the house."

Xie Dajiao smoothed out the wrinkles as she spoke:

"As the old saying goes, wealth is found outside. If you sweep from the inside out, you're sweeping away all the wealth and good fortune of the year. You need to bring it back inside; that's how you accumulate wealth!"

Lin Chen swung the pole while chatting with a smile:

"There's such a thing? This is the first time I've ever heard of it. You're not just making it up, are you?"

"What are you talking about? These are the old customs for celebrating the Lunar New Year, all accumulated experience from the older generation."

Xie Xiaomei, wiping the glass, turned around and continued:

"Auntie, did you hear this from my grandma? I always hear her say that you can't cut corners when doing chores during the New Year. If you follow the rules, you can have a peaceful New Year."

Wang Xiaomeng, wiping the bowl in her hands, smiled and echoed:

"That makes sense. We tidy up properly at the end of the year to get rid of the old and welcome the new, hoping for a smooth and prosperous year ahead."

After a whole day of work, by evening when everything was tidied up, the whole house, inside and out, looked brand new.

Xie Xiaomei straightened up, rubbed her aching lower back, and let out a long sigh of relief...

She thought she could finally get some rest, but she never expected that the next day would be spent steaming New Year's provisions.

There's a custom that says you shouldn't use a steamer or steam any noodles during the first month of the lunar calendar. All the dry food must be steamed before the new year and eaten until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all for the sake of good luck and prosperity.

The night before, Xie Dajiao had prepared all the dough in advance, and as soon as it was light, she and Xie Xiaomei got busy.

After Wang Xiaomeng arrived at noon, she started making sticky rice cakes, and her technique was very skillful.

Although Xie Xiaomei was not as skilled as her, she was quick and efficient, specializing in making jujube flower buns and kneading white flour buns, then inlaying them with jujubes, creating very festive shapes.

The sticky rice dumplings that came out of the steamer were golden brown, with a soft and chewy outer skin that tasted great. The white steamed buns were also steamed one batch after another.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, Lin Chen carried a stool and stood at the front door, holding the large couplet he had bought. The first line read: "Heaven adds years and man adds longevity; Spring fills the universe and blessings fill the door; The horizontal scroll reads: Long live the review."

Xie Xiaomei stood below, holding transparent tape in her hand. Lin Chen didn't want to use glue, finding it too troublesome, so she stood on tiptoe to help him check the position and align the corners, afraid that it would stick crooked.

"A little to the left, a little more to the left, yes! Now it's all aligned!"

Xie Xiaomei tilted her head back and gave serious instructions, gently holding the edges of the Spring Festival couplets with her small hands until they were firmly glued on before letting go.

Lin Chen used his teeth to crack open the transparent tape, removing the top, bottom, and middle strips.

Under the eaves, five-colored paper money was pasted up in order, and when the wind blew, it fluttered back and forth.

The large "福" (good fortune) character on the front door was deliberately pasted upside down. After all the characters were pasted up, Xie Xiaomei stepped back to the courtyard gate, looked around several times, and, seeing the festive courtyard, smiled and said:

"Now it really feels like Chinese New Year! The festive atmosphere is immediately there!"

After saying that, she suddenly remembered something, her face tightened slightly, and she turned to look at Lin Chen with a little apprehension:

"By the way, Brother Chen, are Grandpa Wang and your older brother coming tomorrow? What should I wear?"

She had been keeping this matter in mind. Wang Dana was one of Lin Chen's few elders, and his visit was like seeing a family member, so she dared not be careless.

Seeing her cautious demeanor, Lin Chen reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his tone relaxed:

"Don't be so nervous. My uncle is very down-to-earth. He's just here to celebrate the New Year with us and have some fun. There are no rules or formalities. Just dress casually and don't make any special effort to dress up."

Xie Dajiao chimed in with a smile:

"That's right. I've met Wang Dana. He looks very magnanimous. He doesn't care about that. Xiaomei, you are naturally elegant and pretty. You look good in anything."

Xie Xiaomei felt slightly relieved upon hearing this.

On the other side, Li Daguo led Xiangxiu to a building in the city.

Xiangxiu looked at the house with stars in her eyes, and pulled on Li Daguo's arm, saying:

"Big Country, this house is really beautiful! You moved pretty quickly!"

Li Daguo grinned and nodded.

Xiangxiu's eyes darted around, and this time she directly put her arm around Li Daguo's arm.

"Big Country, after we get married, can my name be added to the property deed?"

Li Daguo hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and said:

"Well... I'll have to ask the landlord if he agrees."

"The homeowner?"

Xiangxiu's smile froze. She shook off Li Daguo, crossed her arms, and stood aside, fuming.

Li Daguo started making phone calls:

"Feed? Dad, I have something to ask you..."

Upon hearing this, Xiangxiu immediately laughed. "What a scoundrel! The one your dad bought is different from the one you bought! You've made me misunderstand!" She then hurried over to Li Daguo's side and also turned her ear to listen to the phone call.

Li Daguo continued:

"Dad, could you give me the landlord's phone number? I want to ask if they can add my partner's name to the property."

The person on the other end of the phone was swearing venomously, so Li Daguo quickly hung up. Looking at the furious Xiangxiu, he shrank back and whispered:

"Show, it doesn't seem like it'll work..."

(Two updates today. I still need to revise the previous chapters, otherwise they will remain in a state of suspension from being recommended. I don't know when they will be released again, but I will not stop updating.)