The heavy snow continued to fall endlessly, but it was the end of the year, so they had to buy New Year's goods at home.
On the 21st day of the twelfth lunar month, the snow stopped falling.
Many people in the village moved out.
They walked out of their houses in groups of three to five to walk to the town's supply and demand cooperative to buy New Year's goods.
Fu Fang had just gotten married, so she was supposed to be with her mother-in-law, Fu Jiu, and her mother.
As a new daughter-in-law, she was supposed to buy things. However, Fu Jiu dragged her out.
"Mom, just tell us what you want us to buy.
We will go with Gu Dong and the rest.
We agreed on this long ago! "Fu Jiu smiled at Fu Fang after he finished speaking. He had a" you know what I mean "smile on his face.
After all, she was only a new daughter-in-law for two to three days, so she did not feel comfortable with her mother-in-law. Fu Fang felt awkward. Fu Jiu was quick-witted. He did not wait for his wife to say anything and immediately pulled her out.
However, Gu Dong's Ai Cao and the rest were indeed going to town today.
When Fu Jiu and Fu Fang came over, the two of them were almost done packing and were ready to go out.
"Dongzi, let's keep each other company today!" Fu Jiu shouted towards the main room as soon as he entered the courtyard.
"Okay, we are almost done packing.
We can leave soon. "Gu Dong was quite happy when he saw the two of them coming over.
Fu Jiu and Gu Dong walked behind them along the way.
They were about four to five meters away.
It was unknown what they were whispering about.
Anyway, Fu Jiu's excitement could be felt from afar.
The two little women in front of them were chatting casually.
This road was the main road from the village to town.
In the past, it was a vast expanse of snow and there was no one to be seen.
However, it was especially lively today. They could see a few people not far away.
"Hey, look, is that the Ai family?" Fu Fang pointed at a group of people in front of them and asked Ai Cao.
Ai Cao looked over and said to Fu Fang, "Yes, it's their family." There was no fluctuation in his tone. Ai Cao was not interested in this family.
However, Fu Fang was quite gossipy.
"Look, only Ai Dabao and his wife are here. Ai Ershun and his wife are not here at all. Everyone in the village is saying that Ai Ershun married someone else. Do you know?"
"Live-In son-in-law?" Mugwort had never heard of such a thing. However, didn't the people here look down on live-in son-in-law? Everyone thought that only a good-for-nothing man would go to a woman's house.
................. But which man to his wife..................................
.. right... Won't the girl's family have any objections? "Ai Cao's interest was immediately piqued.
"I heard from my mother-in-law that Director He in town only has four daughters. He does not have a son. Ai Ershun married the eldest, so it's very likely that he'll be left at home in the end. "Fu Fang glanced ahead and whispered into Ai Cao's ear.
"Is that true?" Ai Cao's eyes widened in shock.
She did not expect Ai Ershun to be so lucky. Her family did not have a good relationship with the Ai family. They could even be considered enemies. If Ai Ershun made use of Director He to make a name for himself in town, would he come back and cause trouble for them?
Unconsciously, a sense of danger rose in Mugwort's heart.
"It's true that the He family does not have a son. But it might be a rumor in the village. Sigh, I don't know what kind of luck their family has. Look at what kind of character they have, but their luck is like a shield. Do you still remember Ai San 'an? Ever since he came back from the holidays this year, the matchmakers at home have not stopped. "
"He will be 20 after the New Year. His mother must be very anxious. But he doesn't seem to like anyone in the village."
Ai Cao felt annoyed when she talked about Ai San An. She was like a piece of sticky candy that she could not get rid of. The Ai family and the Gu family were only pretending to be friendly in front of the villagers. When only the two families were left behind, the Ai family looked at them as if they were enemies.
However, Ai San An belonged to the same category. When he came back from the school holidays, he specially went to the Gu family and said that he had brought a box of vanishing cream for Ai Cao from the county.
However, he was chased out by Gu Dong on the spot along with his belongings. Even so, it still caused a lot of trouble for the two of them.
"It's common for students to be arrogant. Look at Cao Aiguo. Even after he got married, he still has the same character. He hasn't changed at all." Fu Fang looked around and saw that Gu Dong was the only one closest to Fu Jiu. Then, she moved closer to Ai Cao and whispered in his ear, "I heard that the workers in their house are all working for Zhang Xianglan now. They cook for him, wash his clothes, and boil baths for him every day when they are pregnant."
"Ah! She … "Ai Cao was a little in disbelief. "Her character can't be that soft." Ai Cao thought about the battle between Zhang Xianglan and her father. He felt that she was not the kind of person to be bullied like that.
Fu Fang rolled her eyes, sighed, and said, "Who asked her to like it? Women change when they are domineering in front of the man they like. "
That's right. No matter how rational a woman is, there will always be times when she meets the man she loves.
Zhang Xianglan really liked Cao Aiguo. For this man, she did not feel that she was suffering. As long as the two of them lived together, she would feel that it was sweet no matter how they lived together.
There were five educated youths in the village. Two of them were already married. Qi Fang had already asked for leave and returned home. The only educated youths left were Duan Xue and Tian Yuanyuan.
"Forget it. Every family has their own way of living." Other than sighing, Ai Cao felt that they could not interfere in this matter. When a married couple lived together, it was a matter of mutual consent. No matter what others said or did, it was superfluous.
After stopping the conversation, the two of them excitedly talked about the New Year's goods they were going to buy later. They were obviously in high spirits. Even the two men following behind them could see that the people in front of them were happy.
They were not the only village in the village. In addition, today was the first day it stopped snowing after days of heavy snowfall. Therefore, the store entrance was bustling with people.
"Should we not go in?" Seeing that the store was full of people at the door, Ai Cao was a little timid. "My family doesn't have many things to buy. What about you?"
Most of the things that came here to buy were coupons. Gu Dong and Ai Cao had a limited number of coupons. They came here to buy some oil, salt, and vinegar.
"We are just here to join in the fun. If we see something that we like, we will buy something back. If we really want to buy New Year's goods, my mother-in-law will take care of it. Moreover, Fu Jiu and I have only been married for a few days. We don't have to buy candy or firecrackers at home."
The villagers originally did not have many entertainment activities. In addition, it was snowing heavily and the ground was freezing. Therefore, they could only stay in their houses and not come out. But no matter how warm their houses were, they would feel uncomfortable if they were cooped up in their houses for a long time. They wanted to come out and stretch their bodies.
It was not only Fu Fang and Ai Cao who had this intention. Most of the people who came out with their families, especially their children, were just here to have some fun. Only a few of them came out to buy things. Most of them were like the Fu family. Their mother-in-law or husband who was in charge of money came over. After all, most people did not have much money in their hands these days.
How much fine flour should they buy? Should they buy half a catty of pork? Do they have enough money to buy peanuts and melon seeds? These were all based on the actual financial situation of the family.
Seeing that there were so many people, the four of them did not squeeze in. Instead, they turned around and strolled on the streets. Although the snow was heavy, the villagers were hardworking. They had basically cleared a path on the streets.
"I am going to the county town tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" Gu Dong asked Fu Jiu. Not only did they need coupons to buy things in the town, they were also in short supply. Gu Dong planned to go to the county town's black market tomorrow.
"Okay, okay! I will go with you tomorrow! " The two of them had a good relationship. After interacting with each other for so long, Fu Jiu already knew that Gu Dong's family was living a better life than before. Occasionally, he would go over and see them eating white rice and flour. Gu Dong said that these were all bought from the black market in town and did not need coupons. He had long wanted to go and take a look.
"Why don't we go today? Anyway, we are free now! "Fu Jiu was a little impatient.
"It just stopped snowing. The bus should not be open yet." Gu Dong frowned and thought.
"It will take a few days to wait for the bus. If it continues snowing, the bus might just stop." Fu Jiu was a little disheartened after he said that.
"Let's go and ask at the bus stop." Gu Dong suggested that they go together to find out more.
There was no official bus stop in town. Usually, the bus would stop in front of a tailor shop at the crossroads. Also, there was only one bus. It would run twice a day. It would leave in the morning and return in the evening. If they missed it, they would have to wait for another day.
The four of them arrived at the bus stop. They did not see any bus. They asked the tailor shop that opened the door and found that the bus had indeed stopped.
"It has only run twice since the Laba festival. The snow is heavy this year, and the roads are not easy to travel on. The bus has stopped long ago. If you want to go to the county, you have to run there by yourself." The tailor shop owner's wife did not even raise her head. She was sewing the trousers in her hands as she explained the current situation to them.
"Okay. Thank you." After they understood the situation, they expressed their gratitude and left.
"Are you still going tomorrow?" Fu Jiu looked at Gu Dong with anticipation.
"I am not going." Gu Dong said thoughtfully.
"Ah." Fu Jiu lowered his head and showed his disappointment.
"But wait a few days before going again. We must go before the New Year!" Gu Dong looked at Fu Jiu's sad face and explained to him, "The bus has stopped moving. The snow must have accumulated. The weather has just cleared up, and the snow is melting."
"Sigh, how could I forget about this? I was too excited just now." Fu Jiu reflected on himself, and his energy, qi, and spirit recovered very quickly.
It was almost noon, and there were fewer people in the supply and demand cooperative. The four of them squeezed in to take a look, bought what they needed, and went home immediately.
This time, the snow stopped for a long time. They could still see the sun every day until the 25th of December. Gu Dong thought that it was about time. If they delayed any longer, there would be nothing left. Therefore, he asked Fu Jiu to go to the county.
But today, it was not only the two of them, but also Duan Xue.
A few days ago, Ai Cao heard that because the weather was cold, the educated youths did not have enough firewood. Duan Xue looked for Fu Qiang and asked him to find a way to get some firewood. When she went, she dressed up meticulously, but when she came back, she came back crying.
According to Tian Yuanyuan, it seemed that the two of them quarreled. However, the next day, Fu Qiang still sent a pile of firewood. But within two days, Duan Xue received a letter from home. She decided to go home before the New Year. So now, she wanted to go to the county with Gu Dong.
"Did Fu Qiang tell Duan Xue that if she did not agree to the two of them being together, he would not care about her anymore and go their separate ways. He also told her not to ask him for help in the future?" Fu Fang asked Tian Yuanyuan.
The man went to the county, and Fu Fang found Tian Yuanyuan. The two of them came to Ai Cao's house to sit by the fire and chat.
"Yes, Duan Xue said that he has no conscience. But I think what he said is not wrong. " Tian Yuanyuan lowered her head and paused for a moment before speaking again: "Not everyone takes love seriously. Duan Xue did not say anything specific. But this time, Duan Xue said that she wanted to go home. Last night, Fu Qiang looked for her and gave her 30 yuan. "So it was not clear who was right and who was wrong.
In love, women were the ones who were most likely to be irrational. Most men would only act accordingly after weighing the benefits. And sometimes, it was not that they did not want to give, but that they would see a little bit of response after giving.
In the county, after sending Duan Xue to the bus station, Gu Dong and Fu Jiu turned around and went to the black market. It was close to the end of the year, so there were a lot of people in this alley. There were people selling fish, meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and grains. There were people looking for grains, people looking for rice, people looking for pork trotters, people buying bean sprouts, and people selling peanuts and melon seeds. It was very lively.
Gu Dong was considered a regular here, but he was still a little surprised by the number of people.
"There are a lot of people during the end of the year. What do you want to buy? "Gu Dong asked Fu Jiu.
"I don't know. We just had a wedding, so we don't lack anything. I just came over to take a look." Fu Jiu really did not plan to buy anything. Although before they left, Fu Fang gave him 3 yuan and told him to use it as he saw fit.
But because of the wedding, the family's money was almost used up. If Gu Dong did not help him sell firewood and earn 50 yuan, his family would have collapsed during the wedding.
Now, Fu Fang only had a little more than 10 yuan as a gift from everyone. Before the end of the year, they would not be living separately from the Fu Mansion. Although he did not need to worry about food and clothing now, as his mother was taking care of everything, he would still have to live separately from the Fu Mansion.
Today, he and Gu Dong came over mainly to see how rare it was and to see if there was any way to make money.
Relying on farming and hoping for God to give them food to eat, they would never starve to death. It was not possible for them to lead a good life. When a man had a family, he was no longer single and would think more.
The two of them walked around. Gu Dong bought some peanuts and melon seeds to make snacks for his Ai Cao. He also bought some sesame candy and peanut cakes when he saw them. As for food, every time he came over, he would buy some whenever he saw them. Now, there was a lot of food in the Ai Cao's Zhuangzi.
Fu Jiu followed Gu Dong and Little East and Little West's snacks and bought a portion for each of their wives. But he did not buy a lot.
"You bought so much for your family?" Fu Jiu looked at the amount Gu Dong bought and asked curiously.
"I gave some to Grandpa and the rest to my wife." Gu Dong explained to him.
"Alright, you've thought it through quite thoroughly!"
"Of course! Your mother is taking care of your family, so you don't have to worry about it. But I have to take care of my family. "
Fu Jiu was afraid that Gu Dong would think of his own parents and feel sad, so she took the initiative to change the topic. She brought up this matter and didn't mention it again.
As Gu Dong came here often, the other people who often came to sell things were familiar with him. After walking for a while, he met someone who took the initiative to greet him.
"Brother, Happy New Year. I saw you walking around. I don't know what you are looking for. I have some good goods. Do you want to take a look?" The person who came over was in his twenties. He looked older than Gu Dong.
Gu Dong was stunned when he was suddenly stopped. After he regained his senses, he looked at the person in front of him. He saw that the person was holding something in his hands and did not have anything on him. He smiled and asked: "What goods do you have?"
The small market was a fast trade. Most people would bring their things with them. If they could not bring them out, they would definitely bring large items or large quantities.
The three of them found a corner and chatted for a while. Gu Dong roughly knew that this person was Zhuang San. His father was in charge of the county's slaughterhouse. His family had a large amount of pork. He did not need a meat ticket to buy pork.
"Look at the meat sold here. Most of the meat is around half a catty. We have good meat. Do you want to go over and take a look?" Zhuang San's voice was trembling. He was a little excited.
"Sure. Let's take a look first. Is that okay?" Gu Dong did not directly say anything.
After that, Gu Dong bought some things that he needed before he left with Zhuang San. The Zhuang family lived in the east of the county. It was a little far from here. The three of them walked for 15 minutes and turned into an alley before they arrived at a square courtyard. Most of the county towns were similar to Jiangyuan where several families lived together. The Zhuang Family lived alone in a courtyard house.
There was an old jujube tree planted against the west wall of the seventy to eighty square meters courtyard. Next to the jujube tree were two rooms. Gu Dong and Fu Jiu were led to one of the rooms as soon as they entered the courtyard.
In the room, one of them cooked by the fire and the other had a table for eating. Now, there was half a fan of pork and a pig's head on the table that was used for eating.
"Take a look. Which piece do you like? If it's more than 2 catties, I can give you a discount of 1 cent. If it's more than 5 catties, I can give you some intestines.
The meat in the supply and demand cooperative was 80 cents per catty. In the black market, it was 90 cents per catty. On the way here, Zhuang San said that the meat in his family was whole meat.
Gu Dong asked for 5 catties of good meat. Zhuang San was very happy. Not only did he give Gu Dong enough meat, but he also took out the pig's offal next to him and gave him a pig's liver and a pig's heart.
"How much is this?" Fu Jiu looked at the pot and asked.
His mother would definitely not let him buy the meat. However, there was only about 2 catties of leftover meat at home. It was used to worship the ancestors during the New Year. It was not much. The pig's offal should be cheaper than the meat. Maybe he could take some back.
"This is a gift from those who sell a lot of meat. The Pride Group eats the leftovers themselves. Brother, if you want, I can give you a discount." Zhuang San thought. His father worked in the slaughterhouse and there was no shortage of meat at home. If the pig's liver, liver, and intestines could be exchanged for money, he would sell it.
"But how do we weigh this wet and sticky stuff?" Fu Jiu frowned and asked.
Indeed, these things had only been washed briefly and hadn't been cleaned properly yet. They were greasy and bloody.
"How about this? For 1 RMB, you can give me half of the pot." Fu Jiu thought for a while and said while staring at Zhuang San.
"Give you all of it?" Zhuang San looked at Fu Jiu and then at the big pot. He frowned so hard that he could squeeze a fly to death.
Gu Dong was the first customer today. He did not give out much of the pig's offal. Now there was only a liver, a lung, two kidneys, a large intestine, and a pig's trotter left.
"There's at least 7 to 8 catties. 1 RMB is too little." Zhuang San was not very willing.
"Look at how much of this thing is wet. Besides, you didn't even do anything to it. When we go back, we will have to go through the trouble of cleaning it again. Also, some of the things on it can't be eaten and will have to be thrown away. We don't even know how much of it will be left. "Fu Jiu pointed at the pot and said.
"If you give this thing to someone, it won't even be worth 50 cents, let alone 1 yuan. Nowadays, everyone is not rich. Not to mention five catties, you also saw it in the venue just now. It's just a few taels. You won't be able to give out much. It's definitely not worth it to keep it for yourself. If you sell it individually, not only will you have to go through the trouble of cleaning it up, you also don't know how long it will take to sell all of it. "
Gu Dong and Fu Jiu tried to persuade Zhuang San.
After some bargaining, Fu Jiu bought the remaining pig's offal for 1.3 RMB. Before leaving, Gu Dong even bought the pig's head for 2 RMB.
"Brother, I'll treat it as making a friend. If I need anything in the future, I'll come and find you." When he left, Gu Dong's face was full of smiles. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with today's harvest.
In Ai Cao's Zhuangzi, most of the food was fish, followed by chickens. There were only a few pigs, goats, and cows. They did not have any plans to eat them, so they still had to buy the meat for the New Year.
On the way back, Fu Jiu asked Gu Dong: "You spent so much money on meat. When you go back, will your wife quarrel with you?" He was worried for Gu Dong. Firstly, he was afraid that he would spend all the money at home. Secondly, he was afraid that the couple would quarrel because of this.
After today's trip, Gu Dong had spent almost 12 to 13 RMB. Moreover, the food he bought was not the proper food. If it was according to the opinions of the villagers, many of them would say that there was something wrong with his brain. He had money, but he did not save it. Instead, he spent it on food.
"No. My wife listens to me." Gu Dong said proudly. After that, he explained: "Didn't I get injured before? Ai Cao kept saying that I need to recuperate well. That's why it's fine to buy more meat."
"You make the decisions in your family. But you should know how to spend the money. I just got married two days ago. When I think about raising a wife and children in the future, I'm happy, but I still feel the pressure on my shoulders."
In the past, he was a general without an army. His mother took care of his family's meals, and his father took care of the chores. His parents were the ones who supported the family. But now, it was different. In the future, he and Fu Fang's family would be more than half of the responsibility.
"I know. But I can't save a lot of money just by spending money like this." Gu Dong did not feel comfortable talking about this matter.
The situation he saw at Zhang Erzhu's house was still vivid in his mind. He didn't want Mugwort to suffer that kind of hardship with him. In the future, his child would be like raising cattle and sheep. He had to feed them and maintain a state of not starving to death.
After buying all the New Year's goods, the only thing left was to stay at home. Yiliang Play? Zhang Erzhu Lang?? Yu Ju? Fan Du? Ying? Yu Fa?? Rong Ying? Ben Zi Bian? Ni Zi Cheng Shuo? Pong? Wu Xian Meng? I
After a few sunny days, the snow stopped for a few days. On the 28th of December, it started to fall again.
But no matter how heavy the snow was, it could not cover up the New Year's atmosphere in the village. Almost every family's kitchen was smoking as they prepared the New Year's food. There were also sounds of children playing firecrackers.
In the morning, Gu Dong woke up and pasted the couplet on his door. Then, he went to his grandfather's house to help his grandfather and a few lonely old people.
"It's the 29th tomorrow. Tonight, you and the Ai Cao will bring some things to the Blind Old Lady's house as a token of our appreciation." Grandpa Gu smoked and slowly instructed Gu Dong.
"Yes, Grandpa. But I'll go by myself. The Ai Cao is frying vegetables at night. He might not be able to leave. "Gu Dong nodded to indicate that he remembered. But he did not really want the Ai Cao to meet the Blind Old Lady.
The Blind Old Lady's ability to read people's fortunes was very evil. She had previously said that his wife had a life of riches and honor. His wife had indeed had a life of riches and honor in her previous life. He did not know if this was a reality.
Now that his wife's situation was abnormal, he did not want anything to happen to the Ai Cao. Therefore, it was better to stay away from the "Great Immortal" who was abnormal and was rumored to be supernatural. It was better to have less contact with her.
"Alright. Anyway, it's just a token of our appreciation. It's convenient for you to come." Grandpa Gu did not care about his grandson's words.
In the evening, Gu Dong brought a few pastries, half a piece of braised meat, and two fish prepared by the Ai Cao to the Blind Old Lady.
When he arrived, the sky was not completely dark. The Blind Old Lady was washing the pots in the kitchen.
"Grandma, it's almost the New Year. I came to visit you. This is a token of our appreciation." Gu Dong smiled and handed the things over.
"It's fine that you came. You even brought gifts. You're so considerate." The Blind Old Lady took the things from Gu Dong's hands with a smile but did not refuse. However, when she took out the basket, she was still shocked.
"Why did you bring so many things? Is there enough to eat at home? Keep these good things for yourself. Take them back. "As she spoke, she wanted to hand the basket back to Gu Dong.
"Don't. I brought them here for you. There's enough to eat at home. I've prepared all the things for the New Year. "Gu Dong explained and refused to take the things back.
After giving the things to the Blind Old Lady, the two of them chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Dong bade farewell and left. Before he left, the Blind Old Lady sent him to the door. She reminded him again, "You're a lucky man. Treat your wife well. You won't have a hard time in the future."
"Hey, don't worry. I'll definitely treat my wife well!" In the dark night, Gu Dong smiled and waved his hand to signal the Blind Old Lady to go back. He turned around and walked in the direction of his house.
Gu Dong did not know how much the Blind Old Lady could tell about his wife. However, even if the blind eye looked a little strange, it did not stand out on her face. Otherwise, it would have looked scary. On the contrary, looking at her face made people feel a little benevolent.
On New Year's Eve, the Ai Cao prepared a table full of dishes early in the morning. At three or four o 'clock, the village's firecrackers started to crackle. Many people started to eat dinner.
Grandpa Gu did not insist on spending the day alone. He woke up in the morning and changed into new cotton shoes. Then, he directly went to the Ai Cao's house. At night, the family was going to have a reunion dinner.
"In the past, being able to eat dumplings was already a blessing. I didn't expect that there would be meat dishes and stir-fried dishes this year. Good, good, good. Our Gu family can finally see the light of day. "
Although there were only three people in the house, the Ai Cao stir-fried a wood ear with meat, a mushroom with wild vegetables, a cold dish of pork head meat, stewed chicken, and a bowl of fish soup to make four dishes and one soup. Grandpa Gu looked at the table full of bowls and plates and sighed.
What really made his eyes sting was not only that the food had improved. Even the atmosphere in the house was completely different from the previous years. It was no longer as cold and cheerless as before. His grandson and granddaughter-in-law were fooling around. When they did not see each other, they would shout and look for each other. The entire courtyard was filled with vitality.
"Grandpa, don't worry. Our family's life will get better and better in the future!" Gu Dong said firmly as he handed his grandfather a bowl of dumplings.
"Mm, good! It's good that you have the heart! " The old man was already so old. The most gratifying thing for him was to see his grandson's youthful drive.
After breakfast, the villagers basically gathered around the fire to play mahjong and chat. At the same time, they also stayed up late for the New Year.
After dinner, Grandpa Gu went to chat with the other elders. Fu Jiu and his wife came over to look for Gu Dong and the others to go out and play.
"Whose house are we going to? Third Troublemaker's house? They are all mahjong players. There are many old men. The house is filled with smoke and it's making me dizzy. It's better to stay at home. "Standing at the fork in the village, Gu Dong and the others were thinking about where to go.
"How about Uncle Ge's house?" Fu Jiu suggested.
"I'm not going!" Gu Dong quickly refused. Uncle Ge's house was usually crowded with villagers. Ai Dabao and his father liked to go there.
"If you don't want to go there, why don't we go home?" Ai Cao tugged at Gu Dong's sleeve.
"The four of us can play mahjong too. Why don't we go to your house? We can also call Yuanyuan over. She's the only one at the Zhiqing Point now. It'll be more lively if she comes over." Fu Fang excitedly suggested.
"Oh, that's a good idea." Fu Jiu quickly agreed with his wife.
"I don't have any mahjong cards at home." Gu Dong also thought that the idea was good, but he did not have any poker cards at home.
"My second cousin took my cards," Fu Jiu thought for a while and said, "Fu Qiang's house should have more than one set of mahjong cards. I'll go to his house to take a look!"
"Okay, then you guys go and look for mahjong cards. Ai Cao and I will call Yuanyuan over. We'll meet here later." Fu Fang held Ai Cao's arm and planned to split up.
"Okay!" Fu Jiu and Gu Dong nodded at the same time.
There were originally five people at the Zhiqing Point and they lived in a big courtyard. Now that some of them were married and some of them were going home, there was only a small window in the big courtyard.
It would be a lie if she said that she did not miss home during the Lunar New Year. But there was nothing she could do. Her family did not support her going home. Even if she forced herself to go home, she would probably be scolded for wasting the bus ticket money.
At the end of the Lunar New Year, Tian Yuanyuan received a letter from her family. When the postman delivered it to her, she could not believe it. Because in the past, she was the one who took the initiative to write letters to her family, and her family would sometimes reply.
But before she could be happy for a few minutes, when she saw the contents of the letter, the smile on her face froze.
Because the content of the letter was that her second brother's family had a new son. This was supposed to be a happy occasion, but the meaning of the letter was that as his aunt, she did not have to worry about food and clothing because the country gave her a fixed amount of food every month. Should she send some congratulatory gifts back to her little nephew when he was one month old?
There was no greeting for the Lunar New Year, and it did not matter if she could adapt to the Lunar New Year alone in the unfamiliar countryside. It was very cold in the winter, and it did not matter if she was cold or if she had enough clothes to wear. Instead, it asked her for food stamps and food.
She knew that it was not easy for her family. There were many brothers and sisters, and there were also several grandchildren. But even so, when she saw the contents of the letter, Tian Yuanyuan still felt sad.
It was as if she did not belong to that family. No one asked her if she wanted to go home for the Lunar New Year, or if she wanted to go home to take a look.
When Ai Cao and Fu Fang came over, Tian Yuanyuan had just finished dinner. For dinner, she made her own dumplings. The filling of the dumplings was some pig intestine that Fu Fang had sent over previously, accompanied by mushrooms and wood ears that she had dried in the autumn. She originally thought that it would be better if there were eggs, but she could not find any.
However, she was already very satisfied with this kind of meal. After all, not everyone could eat meat and white flour during the Lunar New Year.
"Yuanyuan, it's boring for you to be alone. Why don't you come with us to Ai Cao's house to play cards?" Fu Fang suggested.
"Let's stay up for the Lunar New Year together tonight." Ai Cao's big eyes were bright and lively under the light of the kerosene lamp.
"Okay, I'm the only one here anyway. I have nothing to do."
Tian Yuanyuan responded very quickly. The three of them chatted for a while before they left the educated youth station. When they reached the fork in the road, Gu Dong and Fu Jiu were already waiting there. Not only did they bring cards, but they also brought a mahjong player — Fu Qiang.
Fu Qiang had been annoyed by the blind dates for the past few days. His mother had taken a fancy to one of his blind dates, and it was that person whose family was in town. She had two sisters and a younger brother. Her family was relatively simple, and the girl looked strong. In his mother's words, she said that she was good at bearing children.
Regardless of whether she was good at bearing children or not, he had to admit that the girl's personality was not bad. She was cheerful and generous. However, he was thinking about Duan Xue. Duan Xue said that she would think about their relationship when she returned home this time.
Although there was a saying that a man would not worry about not having a wife and would definitely be able to find a wife, who did not want to marry the one they liked?
Therefore, Fu Qiang was not willing to let go of the engagement and asked his family to reject the girl. However, his mother kept nagging him every day. Even his father felt that this family was not bad.
There was almost no privacy between the villagers. The news of Fu Qiang's blind dates had long been spread, including the fact that his mother was satisfied with the girl. After the Lunar New Year dinner, he did not go out to play cards and chat with others because he did not want to be questioned endlessly. Therefore, when Gu Dong and Fu Jiu went over, he was at home.
After knowing the purpose of their visit, he took his cards and went out with them.
The busiest time of the Lunar New Year was the twelfth lunar month. It took about a month to prepare for the Lunar New Year. However, after the Lunar New Year's Eve, which was the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first day of the Lunar New Year, the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the second day of the Lunar New Year.
After waking up early in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Dong first brought Ai Cao to pay respects to his grandfather. After that, he brought her to visit the houses of a few influential people in the village and Fu Jiu's parents' house. The two of them finished paying their respects and came back before 8 am.
After eating the dumplings and sending Gu Dong and his grandfather to the grave, Ai Cao felt that she had nothing to do.
She had been busy for so long, and the Lunar New Year was only one or two days away.
The second day of the Lunar New Year was usually the day for married daughters to return to their parents' house. However, Ai Cao and the Ai family had already broken off ties, so there was no need for her to go back. Therefore, the two of them stayed at home and did not go anywhere.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the atmosphere in the village was almost gone. On this day, Duan Xue, who went home for the Lunar New Year, came back.
It was not easy to go home. Ai Cao and Fu Fang thought that Duan Xue would come back after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. They did not expect her to come back so early.
However, whether she came back early or late, it was her own business. Ai Cao had her own things to do now.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the two of them were bored at home. For some reason, the topic of their conversation changed to Ai Cao's Zhuangzi. Gu Dong was curious and asked Ai Cao if he could go in and take a look.
Go in and take a look? Go in and take a look?
If Gu Dong did not mention this idea, Ai Cao would not have thought of it.
That's right. She could take things out of the house and take things out of the house. She could also go in and out of the house. Did that mean that she could also bring Gu Dong in and out of the house?
Thinking of this, Ai Cao was excited and decided to give it a try.
The two of them explored for a long time and found out that as long as Ai Cao grabbed Gu Dong, she could take anything out of the house. With just a thought, Gu Dong could take anything out of the house. It was the same whether he was brought in or out.
Gu Dong could not go in by himself. Even if he went in, he could not come out. He could only rely on Ai Cao.
At the beginning, when he was in the county hospital, he was surprised when his wife gave him a steamed bun. Later, when Ai Cao took out more things, he slowly got used to it. This was because Ai Cao was still the same person. It was just that she would bring him a lot of food. Other than that, nothing else had changed.
However, when Mugwort really pulled him into a so-called manor that normal people couldn't see or touch, Gu Dong was still shocked to the point of disbelief.
Looking at the Zhuangzi in front of him and the crops that had not been harvested, Gu Dong felt that it was unreal. But when he reached out to touch it, it was real.
"Are you all right?" Ai Cao looked at Gu Dong with a surprised expression as he looked around. She did not say a word and took the initiative to take his hand and asked carefully.
When she first found out about this thing, she was also shocked and frightened. Moreover, she had already experienced the soul swap in her previous life, which she would never have believed in in her previous life. Therefore, when she accepted this, her mental endurance had already been trained. But even so, it still took her a few days to accept it.
For Gu Dong, supernatural forces only existed in the stories told by the old man at the village entrance. It was already in those lousy ghost novels at home. Now that he suddenly experienced it himself, Ai Cao was afraid that he would not be able to bear it.
Looking at him now, she was already regretting bringing him in.
Human nature was always greedy. At the beginning, she was not the real Ai Cao after the soul swap. She did not dare to tell Gu Dong that she was not the real Ai Cao. She did not dare to let anyone know. She was afraid that people would think that she was a monster, so she racked her brains to hide her difference. She only wanted to survive.
Later on, she lived a good life with Gu Dong in the Gu family. But she was also afraid that Gu Dong would find out that she was different. However, as their relationship gradually warmed up, she still confided her secret to Gu Dong. She even occasionally went into Zhuangzi to take things in front of him after he expressed his surprise.
Gu Dong's good treatment of her, as well as his acceptance and habit of her, made her head go haywire. When Gu Dong asked if he could enter the farmstead, she didn't think too much of the negative possibilities. Her mind was only filled with joy.
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