Chapter 90: Another New Year’s Eve
Aunt Li pulled out all the delicious food at home for this meal, with a tableful of twelve dishes, even more sumptuous than the New Year’s Eve dinners in other households.
Everyone at the table ate joyously, especially Nannan, who was talkative. Every now and then, she would say something naive and amusing, entertaining everyone thoroughly.
When Ren Xiao got up again to pour wine for Qiu Henian, Aunt Li hurriedly intervened, saying, “Don’t drink too much, just one last glass.”
She signaled to her son-in-law, and Ren Xiao smiled and made a bow.
Qinlan patted his arm and teasingly scolded him, “You, the owner of a pharmacy, don’t you know that drinking harms your health? My brother is even planning to have a child.”
So, the topic of children came up from time to time during the meal, making Qingyan embarrassed enough not to lift his head to pick food much. However, his plate was never empty, as the men beside him drank and occasionally remembered to serve him some of his favorite dishes.
By the time they finished eating, it was almost dark outside. Qinlan and her husband took their child and rode the carriage back to the county.
The outer house was already tidied up, and they had already agreed with Aunt Li to celebrate together tomorrow. When Qingyan and the others left, they mentioned it again to her before finally going home.
Qiu Henian was slightly tipsy and, upon entering the house, washed his face and leaned against the bed.
Qingyan brewed honey water for him to sober up, watching him drink it down.
When he went to wash the bowls outside, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Qiu Henian.
Qingyan turned to look at him. Qiu Henian leaned against the bedstead, half-closed eyes, and said, “Sit for a while.”
Qingyan put the bowl on the table and sat on the edge of the bed.
Qiu Henian said, “It’s been two years.”
Qingyan murmured in agreement. He suddenly understood what Qiu Henian meant—it had been two years since they got married.
These two years had passed slowly and quickly. With two meals a day and a night’s sleep, they went through each day. Yet the tacit understanding of their hands during meals, the casual chats during meals, the warmth and tenderness at night, intertwining neck to neck, seemed to slow down time, as if freezing its pace.
On the night of their marriage, Qingyan summoned up the courage to murmur in agreement. In reality, he was extremely nervous and uncertain about what kind of future awaited him.
Back then, he thought that the future might be happy and beautiful, but today, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at the person he liked, he truly felt the realization of his vision.
Qiu Henian held Qingyan’s wrist with a little force, not painful, but solid and reliable.
“Qingyan,” he opened his eyes and looked at Qingyan, saying, “I’ve been very happy these past two years.”
Qingyan then held his hands with both of his, his eyes bright, and said, “So have I.”
Qiu Henian was almost sober by now, and the two of them heated water to bathe.
It was New Year’s, time to clean the house of dust, and people had to be clean too. Tomorrow when they got up, they would be wearing new robes.
Today was not too early, and tomorrow they would get up early. After taking a bath, the two of them wore coats, and Qiu Henian put a cotton hat on Qingyan’s head. One carried the paste and couplets, and the other carried a stool as they walked out of the house.
As usual, they put up their own couplets and then went to Aunt Li’s next door to help with hers.
After everything was done, they had breakfast at Aunt Li’s.
After breakfast, they cleaned up and helped Aunt Li tidy up the courtyard, hanging up lanterns and locking the door, before going to their house together to celebrate the New Year.
In the morning, Qiu Henian went to town again and bought a net bag of live crabs and shrimp before the seafood store closed.
In this inland small village in the north, where people were used to eating fresh seafood by the sea, the prices were frighteningly high.
However, with their savings increasing year by year, their lives were getting better and better, and they only ate such meals once or twice a year. They were willing to spend the money.
They also bought a live rooster this morning, a big rooster.
The hens at home could lay eggs for another year or two, and the only rooster they kept was fat and strong, with shiny and smooth feathers. Proud and spirited, it crowed every morning punctually. Qingyan was a bit reluctant to slaughter it for meat, so they kept it.
Aunt Li helped to wash and clean the crabs and shrimp, soaking them in salt water first.
She was very familiar with Qingyan’s house, even though the two husbands didn’t let her do any work. She found things to do herself.
The pigskin jelly in the barn had already taken shape, and she took some back and let it cool slightly so it wouldn’t be too cold to eat when served. Once cooled, she cut it into slices and drizzled it with garlic sauce, ready to eat directly.
Qiu Henian killed the rooster in the yard, collecting its blood in a bowl. Qingyan stir-fried the chicken blood, chopped gizzards, and hearts together in oil. After cooking, the color wasn’t very appealing, but it was a rare delicacy—salty and fragrant, rich in texture with every chew.
The chicken was stir-fried vigorously with plenty of oil, stewed until about 70-80% cooked, then soaked dried shiitake mushrooms were added. Finally, sweet potato vermicelli was added. As soon as the lid was lifted, the aroma made everyone salivate.
Around noon, Er Yao and Qiuniang, a family of two, also arrived. With more hands on deck, the work sped up.
These two had married early and their child, Niansheng, was already twelve years old after the New Year. He was starting to show signs of maturity, quite different from last year’s New Year.
He was no longer childish, his temperament becoming reserved with fewer words. Seeing the adults busy, he took the initiative to help. Qingyan assigned him tasks like picking vegetables, which were effortless and straightforward.
As everyone busied themselves, they chatted.
Er Yao boasted somewhat, saying, “Mr. Zhang next door came to us before the New Year and mentioned wanting Niansheng to try the imperial examination next year.”
Qiuniang added, “We think our child is still young, so we aren’t rushing him to take the exam. But Niansheng himself wants to give it a try, and as parents, we’ll definitely support him.”
Aunt Li chimed in, “Niansheng has been bright since he was young. There are a few children of similar age in the private school, but Mr. Zhang didn’t mention having them take the exam, which shows Niansheng has potential. Er Yao and Qiuniang shouldn’t let their concern for the child delay him.”
“Besides, Qingyan passed both the imperial and county examinations. Niansheng could spend more time with his uncle to learn from his experiences. Maybe he’ll pass on his first attempt like Qingyan did.”
Upon hearing this, Er Yao and Qiuniang happily agreed and echoed their approval. Only Qingyan looked guilty, hanging his head and responding vaguely.
He had spent the last two years reading daily, recognizing characters and practicing calligraphy proficiently. He had a lot to show off. However, most of the books he read were leisurely.
The original owner of the body had a clear understanding of the procedures for the imperial and county examinations. He could discuss these, but he couldn’t mislead others.
He made up his mind: if Niansheng really came to ask him, he would go next door to find Mr. Zhang for help.
As Qingyan pondered this, he turned and unexpectedly saw Qiu Henian sitting on a low stool by the fire, looking at him with a faint smile. There was a hint of teasing in his gaze. Qingyan knew he was being teased.
After a while, as Qingyan passed by him, he lightly pinched Qiu Henian’s arm, which made Qiu Henian chuckle.
For this afternoon meal, including two seafood dishes, there were a total of ten meat and two vegetable dishes.
They also prepared two types of alcohol: men drank white wine, while Qiuniang and the others drank a slightly sweet fruit wine. A small cup of yellow wine was also given to Niansheng.
This year had its ups and downs, with tearful nights and worries. However, one by one, they all passed.
Looking back now, they could only laugh it off, leaving no deep scars.
The happy and beautiful things were kept in their hearts. Thinking back on them brought smiles to their faces involuntarily.
After dinner and tidying up, they sat together to play cards.
Qingyan brought out sunflower seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts, along with sugar cubes and dried fruits, all placed in bowls on the table.
Apples, oranges, frozen pears, and frozen persimmons were also served.
Everyone comfortably drank tea and snacked while playing cards and chatting.
As Niansheng was still young, he wasn’t allowed to join the card game and could only sit aside with Ah Miao to watch.
When it got dark, Qingyan and Aunt Li prepared the dumpling fillings.
They all wrapped the dumplings together. At midnight, they boiled and ate the dumplings, completing the year.
After everything was cleaned up, it was already late at night.
The husbands escorted the tired guests out and returned to their rooms to freshen up briefly before going to sleep.
The next day was the first day of the lunar new year. Starting from the second day, they would begin visiting relatives. On the first day, each family celebrated in their own homes.
Qingyan was awakened early in the morning by firecrackers. By the time he woke up, Qiu Henian had already prepared breakfast.
The main dish was leftover dumplings from last night, with millet porridge and stir-fried vegetables.
After yesterday’s meat-heavy meal, they opted for something vegetarian this morning.
After breakfast, they fed the small animals at home, and finally, the firecrackers outside stopped.
Seeing Qingyan yawning incessantly, Qiu Henian told him to go back to bed for a while. He cleared the dishes and chopsticks, then went to the yard to sweep up the firecracker debris. He also cleaned up Aunt Li’s yard before returning.
After washing his hands and taking off his outer robe to lie down, Qingyan was already fast asleep.
The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the sunlight outside was strong, making the room quite warm.
Qingyan slept messily, with pillow marks on his face. His long hair was a mess around his cheeks and neck, mouth slightly open, and the blanket pushed to one side. One leg was underneath, the other knee bent, his loose pants slid up to his thighs.
His undergarments were also partly exposed, revealing a soft abdomen, its lush red hinting at its owner’s fertility during deep sleep.
After gazing at him for a while, Qiu Henian got out of bed. Taking advantage of the still-burning stove, he filled the pot with water, covered it, then returned to the bed. He pulled the blanket over Qingyan’s small belly before closing his eyes, seizing the moment to rest.
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
When he heard the other say, “Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”
Qingyan was momentarily stunned, then blinked and blushed, lowering his head.
