Both Qiao Mingjin and Wan'er were not used to it. Especially when Wan'er woke up the next day and ran to Mingqi's room, she lay on the door frame and stared at the room for a long time, looking miserable.
Qiao Mingjin was also a little in a hurry. She was used to Mingqi helping her share the housework. After Mingqi left, it took her two days to get the housework in order.
During the meal, only mother and daughter faced each other, and they didn't even want to talk. So, this meal really needs a lot of people to eat together to make it taste good.
But occasionally Sister Xiu would bring her two children over to do needlework with her and talk about the village gossip. Even if she didn't come, Changhe and Liuzhi would come over every day to stay with Wan'er.
Changhe and Liuzhi both like to come to Qiao's house. Not only is it warm in the house, but they can also eat snacks freely. The roasted seeds and nuts bought by their mother are kept in jars and they are reluctant to take them out for them to eat, saying that they will keep them for the New Year.
Hospitality.
Aunt Jin is still generous and never calls them greedy.
After the workshop was on holiday, Yue Dalei also took the opportunity to send firewood to Qiao Mingjin twice.
But her family's firewood and stone roots and Yue Dongzhi were all ready, and the woodshed was full, so it would be no problem to burn it until spring. The firewood sent by Yue Dalei had to be piled in the kitchen room.
In addition to Yue Dalei, Yue Dongzhi and Shi Gen also occasionally came over to ask her if they needed help after their holidays. Every time they came, they came empty-handed and would bring radishes, rapeseed and other vegetables they grew at home.
Yue Xiaoman also came once and helped Qiao Mingjin make lunch. He asked Qiao Mingjin not to hate her mother. He said that her mother was also worried about her marriage.
Naturally, Qiao Mingjin would not argue with her.
In her eyes, Mr. Wu is just a familiar stranger, and she doesn't have the heart to be angry. Only those who care will be angry, and those who don't care will be angry for nothing? It will only add to the trouble.
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is the small year.
Even though she and Wan'er were the only two people at home, Qiao Mingjin prepared a sumptuous meal.
Wan'er was very sensible. When she saw Qiao Mingjin busy, she would also help her with some small help. She might help scoop out water and wash vegetables, help move the bench, or help her light the fire.
The mother and daughter were enjoying themselves very much.
After dinner, the mother and daughter lay on the bed talking and having fun, one telling stories and the other listening.
On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mingjue, Mingyu, Mingheng, and Mingjue all arrived. They were driving Qiao Mingjin’s carriage and ox cart.
He brought Qiao Mingjin bacon cured by Lan and Qiao's mother, homemade fruits and vegetables grown at home, and pulled half an ox cart.
Wan'er jumped up and down with joy. She held the hands of several uncles and refused to let go for a moment.
"Why do you bring so much food? How much can the two of us eat?" Qiao Mingjin said angrily as she looked at the half-ox cart.
Mingyu said while moving things to the kitchen: "Sister, these are mostly made by mother and grandma themselves. They are not worth much money. You and Wan'er can eat them slowly while putting the fried fruits in jars and sealing them.
, it won’t go bad even if you leave it for a few months.”
On the other side, Mingqi took Wan'er's hand and came to Qiao Mingjin's side and said, "Sister, there are some bacon and dry goods here that were sent by the third brother-in-law yesterday. Mom and grandma packed some and asked us to bring them to you to try.
.”
Qiao Mingjin was a little surprised: "Oh? Your third brother-in-law sent it here?"
Ming Qi glanced at Ming Yu and said in a moderate voice: "Yes, early in the morning. The third brother-in-law personally hired a carriage to deliver it. The carriage was full of bacon, dried goods, roasted seeds and sugar cakes and snacks.
, cloth ruler, and gave dad a few jars of tonic wine. You don’t even know how happy your parents are. The third sister was also so happy that she didn’t sleep at all last night. "
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mingyu interrupted with a red face.
"Where am I talking nonsense? Didn't I give my brother-in-law a pair of shoes and a purse yesterday? Look at my brother-in-law smiling like that. When he was leaving, he almost stepped on the air and fell under the carriage."
Qiao Mingjin burst out laughing.
Mingyu's face turned redder and redder, and she was so anxious that she chased Mingqi, and the two sisters started running around the yard.
"Sister, mother and grandma asked you to come home with us to celebrate the New Year. They said that you have moved out, and you and Wan'er are deserted. Let us take you back to celebrate the New Year together." Mingjue finished moving the things and said to Qiao Mingjin.
Qiao Mingjin led several younger siblings to the wing while thinking about Mingjue's words.
It wasn't until he sat down on the couch in the wing room that he replied: "No. I haven't heard of a married daughter going back to her parents' house to celebrate New Year's Eve. I will wait until the second sister of the junior high school takes Wan'er back to stay for two days."
Mingheng listened and said: "But sister, you and Wan'er are so deserted. Anyway, there are no taboos in our family. Let's go back to our house to celebrate the New Year together. It will be more lively."
Qiao Mingjin touched Mingheng's head and said with a smile: "No, I'll go back in my second year of junior high school. It's not too deserted, but it's quieter. Go back and tell your parents and grandma not to worry about your sister."
Seeing that they could not persuade Mingheng, Mingjue and others, they had no choice but to give up.
Mingheng took out the couplet written by him and Mingjue and showed it to Qiao Mingjin.
"Sister, my brother and I wrote this. Even my father said that my handwriting has improved, and he praised me several times. When people in the village learned that my brother and I were writing couplets, they all came to ask for it. Sister,
Do you think it’s well written?”
Mingheng excitedly took out the couplet he and Mingjue had written and laid it out for Qiao Mingjin to see.
Qiao Mingjin looked at them one by one and found that they were all auspicious words for the occasion.
The strong and powerful words with a little bit of success were naturally written by Ming Jue, while the immature and lackluster words were naturally written by Ming Heng.
However, Mingheng's handwriting is getting better and better now. Qiao Mingjin praised him a few times.
"Sister, do you want me to put it on for you?"
"No. Let me put them up again in a few days. I put them up too early. I'm afraid they will be damaged by the strong wind, or the naughty boys will tear them off."
Mingheng then gave up.
The brothers sat with Qiao Mingjin and Wan'er until noon, then drove away in the ox cart, leaving the carriage for her to use when she returned to her parents' home on the second day of the new year.
On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qiao Mingjin started sweeping the dust at home and removing old things. He procrastinated for three days before he was done.
On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, she was also preparing to make some small fruits and two kinds of offerings according to the occasion.
Although there is no man in charge of the family, she does not know how to worship the stove, worship ancestors and other kinds of worship, and she is not ready to do so, but she still needs to set up an offering table in the main room, put incense and candles and put out a few plates of offerings.
On this day, she was in the kitchen, kneading dough and preparing to fry some dough, orchid roots, etc. when she heard Wan'er's scream.
She ran out and saw the little thing circling her father Yue Zhongyao's neck, screaming with joy.
I saw Yue Zhongyao throwing her up high several times, which made her scream in excitement more and more.
"Mom, mother, my dad is back, my dad is back!"
Wan'er turned around and found Qiao Mingjin, with white noodles on her hands, standing at the kitchen door looking at them.
Before Qiao Mingjin had time to respond, she saw Yue Zhongyao walking toward her with his daughter in his arms.
"Jin Niang." Yue Zhongyao stared at Qiao Mingjin with burning eyes.
Qiao Mingjin looked away uncomfortably, found his luggage on the ground, and asked, "Aren't you home yet?"
"No. I got to you first."
"Mom, mom, dad said he brought a gift for Wan'er. He even brought it to mom!"
Qiao Mingjin has never been able to understand her daughter's closeness to Yue Zhongyao. Ordinarily, the little boy would become alienated or forgotten after being away from others for a while.
Qiao Mingjin glanced at her gleaming daughter and said to her, "Then you go to the wing with your father to open the gifts."
"Okay. Dad, let's go open the gifts quickly. Dad, what did you buy for Wan'er?"
Yue Zhongyao looked at Qiao Mingjin's white hands and said to Qiao Mingjin: "Mother Jin, please rest first. I will come to help you right away."
Saying that, without waiting for Qiao Mingjin to reply, she hugged her daughter and strode to the side room.
Qiao Mingjin watched the father and daughter enter the wing, then turned and entered the kitchen.
I scooped two more large bowls of white flour into the basin, added another bowl of water, and started kneading again.
After a while, Wan'er's voice came in again.
"Mother, mother, look at the deerskin boots that daddy bought for Wan'er!"
Wan'er ran into the kitchen holding a pair of brown deerskin boots high.
"Mom, dad said these moccasin boots are waterproof. He said his socks won't get wet even if he wears them in snowdrifts. Mom, do you think they look good?"
Qiao Mingjin's hands were stained with flour. She turned around and glanced, but couldn't touch it with her hands. She only responded to her daughter's words and moved closer to look at it. Fang smiled and said, "Yeah, it looks good."
The little thing was smiling so much that his eyes were so narrow that he couldn't see. He held the deerskin boots in his arms and protected them carefully. He raised his head and said to Qiao Mingjin: "Mom, do you think Daddy loves Wan'er?"
Seeing Qiao Mingjin nod her head, she said proudly: "Of course daddy loves Wan'er. Mom, daddy also bought a pair for mom. From now on, mom will not worry about her shoes getting wet when she builds snowmen with Wan'er. Mom, do you agree?
Okay?"
"Okay. Have you thanked dad?"
The little thing nodded: "Daddy said there is no need to say thank you between parents and children. Mom, do you think what dad said is right?"
Qiao Mingjin turned around and saw Yue Zhongyao following her daughter into the kitchen, looking at her with a smile, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
He nodded to his daughter and buried his head in the basin again.
"Jin Niang, let me knead it. What are you going to do? Orchid roots or dough?"
Qiao Mingjin was rubbing her hands until they were sore. Seeing that his hands were clean, she rolled up her sleeves and gave up her position to him without being polite to him.
"Mom, I'll help you put away your boots."
Wan'er looked back and forth at her parents several times, then turned around and ran away.
"Run slowly, the road is slippery." Qiao Mingjin chased her to the door and shouted to her daughter's running figure.
After being stunned at the door for a long time, he slowly turned around and entered the kitchen.
He saw Yue Zhongyao's tall figure standing in front of the table, his hands vigorously kneading the dough in the basin. The ball of dough fell into his hands, just like playing with it, and he looked relaxed.
.
Qiao Mingjin suddenly seemed speechless and didn't know what to say... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
ps: Dear friends, I’m sorry that this chapter is late. I fell asleep in the middle of typing, I was so sleepy.
