Chapter 73: Little New Year (2)
Seeing their big brother come in, Li Cui knew he had finished cooking. To keep Li Xiu from insisting they stay for dinner, she and the others hopped off the kang, put on their shoes, and got ready to head back. When Li Xiu saw they were leaving, he didn’t press them to stay. It was the Little New Year, and everyone was supposed to eat dinner at their own home. He just stuffed the pockets of all four of them full of candy.
Li Guo clutched his pocket and grinned at Li Xiu. "Big Brother, I’ll come help you put up the spring couplets on New Year’s Eve!" After Li Xiu smiled and nodded in agreement, he led Li Miao away.
"Big Brother, I’ll come help with the spring couplets too," Li Bo said, tugging on Li Xiu’s sleeve.
"Alright, you can come help me on New Year’s Eve too," Li Xiu replied with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, you take good care of my little niece, okay? I’ll come see you again in a few days," Li Bo said, waving to Zhou Lian on the kang. Seeing Zhou Lian nod with a smile, he then pulled Li Cui out the door.
Once they had all left, Li Xiu asked, "Bao’er, are you hungry?"
Zhou Lian saw it was still early. The offering to the Kitchen God had to wait until after dark. "I’m not hungry. Let’s wait a while," she said. "Li Xiu, what is with your parents? I’m used to your mother, but how can your father be like this too?"
Hearing that Zhou Lian wasn’t hungry, Li Xiu took off his shoes, climbed onto the kang, and pulled her into his arms. He gently stroked her hair. "You, you still don’t see it, do you? My mother is arrogant, domineering, selfish, and plays favorites. If my father were a sensible man, he would have corrected her and straightened her out years ago. Looking at how things are now, you should realize my father is the same kind of person she is. If he didn’t enable her, would my mother dare to act like this?"
Zhou Lian thought about it carefully, and the implications were terrifying. ’My father-in-law really knows how to hide his true colors! In my last life, he passed away the second year after I married into the family, so I never knew he was this kind of person.’
Seeing the expression on Zhou Lian’s face, Li Xiu smiled. ’This silly darling,’ he thought. ’Why doesn’t she think about it? After a woman gets married, her husband’s behavior is what gives her the backbone to speak and act. The reason my mother dares to behave this way is precisely because my father, who seems so honest and timid, is the one backing her up.’
"Bao’er, you have to remember, I can protect you. From now on, no matter who it is, if they dare to cause trouble in front of you, you snap right back at them. I’ll take care of the consequences. Don’t let yourself be wronged, understand?" ’My wife is too soft-hearted and kind; she won’t fuss over certain things. I can’t always be by her side, so I can only remind her often. How could I ever bear to let anyone wrong the treasure I hold in the palm of my hand?’
"Mhm, I know," Zhou Lian said nonchalantly, toying with Li Xiu’s fingers. ’Who could wrong her? Who would dare? Everyone in the village knew of Li Xiu’s formidable reputation now. After what happened with Sun Er’s wife, there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know. Li Xiu’s fame for doting on his wife had spread far and wide. Who would be foolish enough to come and provoke her?’
’However, when it came to the old family home, Li Xiu’s own parents and siblings were another story. Especially those brainless younger siblings of his. Who knew when their heads might get filled with nonsense, goaded by someone into making trouble for her.’
"Forget it. The New Year is almost here, so let’s not talk about them," Zhou Lian said, giving the man hugging her a gentle push. "It’s getting dark. You should go get things ready for the offering to the Kitchen God."
Li Xiu glanced at the sky. It was about time. He got up and went to prepare. Zhou Lian picked up their daughter, who was awake and amusing herself with wide eyes, and held her close. She started playing with the baby, worried that the sound of firecrackers later would frighten her.
Li Xiu put up a portrait of the Kitchen God and laid out all the items for the offering. He offered candy to "sweeten the mouth" of the Kitchen God, then poured three cups of wine while muttering, "Grandpa Kitchen God, ascend to the heavens; may you watch over all and keep us safe." Then he went into the courtyard to set off firecrackers, after which he returned to the stove to burn some joss paper. Only after all this was the Kitchen God considered to have been sent off to the heavens.
He brought the food to the kang and called for Zhou Lian to eat. When he saw her glaring at him while holding the baby, he took the child from her so she could eat first. Looking at his daughter, whose eyes were darting all over, Li Xiu happily gave her a kiss. He said with a grin, "Bao’er, our daughter is pretty brave. She wasn’t scared by the firecrackers at all."
"Put her down on the kang and let her lie there and play. Hurry up and eat before your food gets cold." Zhou Lian couldn’t stand his doting expression. ’What does a baby who isn’t even a month old know anyway!’
"Bao’er, do you like the dumplings? You don’t like cabbage, so I made these specially with a pork and scallion filling," Li Xiu asked after taking a bite of a dumpling from his bowl.
"Mmm, they’re delicious. How did you season the filling? The pork isn’t gamey at all," Zhou Lian asked curiously. She always found that all-pork fillings had a slight gamey taste, but Li Xiu’s didn’t. The meat was tender and savory.
"If you marinate it for a bit with some white wine, soy sauce, ginger, and scallions, it gets rid of the gaminess. If you like them, I’ll make them for you again in a couple of days," Li Xiu said happily, seeing his wife enjoyed them.
"We’ll see. Oh, right, we still haven’t made the tofu and everything. When are we doing that?" Zhou Lian asked, concerned. The New Year rush was starting. From today on, they had to be busy preparing. What’s more, on the 26th, all their relatives were coming to celebrate their daughter’s full-month banquet. They were going to be swamped.
"Mm, the house is all cleaned today. Tomorrow, we’ll make the tofu, clean all the utensils, and wash the bedding and curtains. Tomorrow night, I’ll prepare the dough to rise. The day after tomorrow, we’ll make steamed buns. The day after that is our daughter’s full-month celebration. First Aunt and Third Aunt will come over to help with the cooking, so you don’t need to worry about it. I calculated that we’ll need four tables. We’ll set up one table for the female guests here in this room. Grandma and your mother will be in here. The other three tables will go in the main hall; it’s big enough. I’ll have Third Aunt manage things. Don’t worry, you just stay here on the kang. Grandma will be here to entertain them."
He paused, and seeing his wife listening intently, Li Xiu continued, "On the 27th, we’ll slaughter the chickens, sweep the courtyards, dust away all the cobwebs, and clear out the drains. On the 28th, I have to go to the commune in the morning for a haircut. When I get back, I’ll wash your hair and give you a bath. In the afternoon, I need to visit the ancestral graves. On the 29th, we’ll prepare the dumpling fillings and dough in the morning, get all the ingredients ready, and then put up the spring couplets and wrap dumplings in the afternoon. It’s a short month this year, so the 29th is New Year’s Eve."
"Okay, we’ll do it just as you’ve planned," Zhou Lian said, nodding readily when she heard how thoroughly he had everything scheduled.
"Bao’er, don’t you worry. I have everything arranged. You don’t need to stress about anything, just focus on resting. Your confinement period will be over in about half a month. Don’t overthink things, or your hair might fall out," Li Xiu said, coaxing his wife as he ate, while also stealing glances at their daughter, who was still awake.
"Oh, right, Li Xiu... for the full-month celebration, your parents will come, right? And your younger siblings, they’ll probably come too?" Zhou Lian asked uncertainly. It wasn’t that she was worrying for nothing; it was just that his family’s way of thinking was so different from normal people’s. She was genuinely worried they might have a fit of madness and ruin their daughter’s banquet.
Li Xiu paused at her words. He gave his wife a meaningful look, his eyes darkening. A humorless smile touched his lips. "They dare? At my precious daughter’s full-month banquet? Let’s see them try." Seeing that his wife was truly worried, he reassured her, "Bao’er, don’t worry. I’ll have First Uncle and Grandma give them a warning beforehand. As for the younger ones, I’ll make sure they know what they can’t do and what they can’t say. Relax, it will be fine."
Seeing her husband’s confidence, Zhou Lian knew he would handle it in advance and wouldn’t let their daughter’s banquet be ruined. She let out a sigh of relief, then consoled Li Xiu in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "I’m just trying to be prepared. Maybe they’ll behave themselves and not cause any trouble. You shouldn’t worry too much, either."