Chapter 96: No Relatives or Friends

For someone like Meng Jia, wasn’t it the best kind of revenge to watch Tang Xin grow better and better with her own eyes?

Still, Tang Xin had no faith at all in Meng Jia’s character. The heroine from the original story was surely going to stir up some fresh trouble sooner or later, so she would not deliberately seek revenge. But that did not mean she would be careless; if necessary, she would strike back at the wicked with their own methods.

And so, busy with these trivial matters, before she knew it, New Year’s Eve had arrived.

The couplets were pasted up, the bright red lanterns hung, and the dumplings were wrapped.

Her mother-in-law, as capable as ever, had even made four different kinds of filling, making the holiday atmosphere wonderfully thick.

Tang Xin felt it keenly. It was true that in later generations, as the internet flourished, people had grown less close to one another than they were now.

The New Year’s Eve feast was lavish, everyone ate with great delight, and Tang Xin was very generous with the red envelopes.

From the eldest, Li Kai, to the youngest, Li Jiang and Li Hai, and even Gu Nan, each of them received New Year money.

Third Brother Gu brought Gu Nan to celebrate the New Year with the Li family. As Li’s father put it, anyway, it was only the two of them eating a lonely meal at home, so it was no fun; better to gather together and make it lively.

Likewise, Li’s father and mother had prepared New Year money for the children, and for their daughter-in-law they gave a very large red envelope.

According to custom, a newly married woman was supposed to receive red envelopes from relatives and friends during the New Year, so Tang Xin did not decline.

She simply kept it in her heart, thinking that from now on she would treat her in-laws even better in return, which would amount to the same thing.

Eating and drinking while receiving New Year money made everyone delighted; they smiled so much their mouths seemed never to close.

Most special of all, everyone had new clothes, even the two elders, who had changed into new garments sewn by Sister Fang.

Tang Xin’s outfit was bought at the county department store: a black wool coat and cowhide boots, fashionable and imposing.

Li Sheng simply demanded one from his wife; as for that sweater, no one knew how far along it had been knitted by now.

At first, Li Sheng had felt sorry for his wife’s pitiful fingers and thought that since she was not good at it, she should simply not bother; before the New Year, they had bought him men’s clothes at the department store anyway.

Who would have thought that, after returning home, he would be teased by Li Xiyue, which instead awakened Tang Xin’s fighting spirit.

So she resolved to knit the sweater properly and give it to her man as a special New Year gift.

And this time, she was secretly hiding away and doing it alone, so that the others at home, including Sister Fang, did not know how far along Tang Xin’s sweater had gotten.

Seeing how expectant Brother Li Sheng looked, Tang Xin no longer had the heart to hide it, and at last took out a sweater that was at least complete-looking, though rather tragic in appearance.

"Um, Brother Li Sheng, this sweater isn’t knitted very well. But you should know it’s still my heartfelt gift, and you have to believe that practice makes perfect. Next New Year, I’ll definitely knit you a beautiful new sweater."

To be fair, the sweater really was not much to look at. There were quite a few dropped stitches that had been patched up afterward, which made the whole thing rather shabby.

Yet Li Sheng still looked at it as though flowers were blooming in his heart. He was not longing for just any sweater; what he treasured was his wife’s affection.

"All right, I’ll wear my new sweater for the New Year."

As soon as he said that, Li Sheng went back into the room and put on the sweater. When he came out, the first person to praise him was his mother.

The children were not foolish either, and chimed in enthusiastically: "Oh, Big Brother really does look good in it. Sister-in-law’s handiwork is excellent."

Li Xiyue curled her lip. Turning good yarn into that kind of thing, and they still called it excellent handiwork?

Tang Xin paid none of that any mind. Her man was simply the most handsome in the world, and whatever he wore looked good.

No explanation needed.

When night fell and it was time to stay up through the New Year, the little ones were chattering away, excited and full of play.

Li’s father and mother could no longer hold out and wanted to go to bed. After all, they had to open the door and receive guests first thing the next morning, so they needed to rise early.

That night Tang Xin gave the children a reprieve; they did not have to do their lessons and could each play to their heart’s content.

And as for Li Sheng and Tang Xin, who were supposed to lead the vigil for the New Year, well, cough, they did not sleep either.

Instead, they got straight to vigorous exercise, preparing to ring in the New Year in a special way.

At midnight, crackling firecrackers sounded everywhere, deafening in their fury.

Tang Xin lay limp in Li Sheng’s arms, too weak to move, already half asleep.

"Waaah, can I sleep now?"

"Sleep," Li Sheng said, kissing her cheek.

As if remembering something, Tang Xin struggled to open her eyes and asked, "By the way, what is your New Year wish?"

"My wish?" Li Sheng answered in a plain and sincere voice. "I hope the whole family will be safe and healthy, and that everything goes smoothly!"

Then he asked her in return, "And you?"

"I? I hope Brother Li Sheng’s wish comes true," Tang Xin said with a smile.

By the time the rooster crowed a second time, the light in the main room of the Li household, where the old couple slept, was already on. Borrowing the light, Sister Fang quickly got herself ready.

Then she blew out the lamp and went out of the room.

Though the weather was cold, she still used cold water to wash her face habitually, so that she would feel a little more awake. After putting herself in order, she began the early-morning chores.

She planned to cook a pot of porridge with sweet potatoes mixed in with millet, and she also prepared two side dishes.

In truth, last night’s New Year’s Eve feast had been very rich, with plenty of leftovers. According to New Year custom, those dishes were still supposed to be eaten today.

But Sister Fang knew that her daughter-in-law did not much like eating oily food first thing in the morning, so she specially cooked millet porridge for her.

It was rare during the New Year for everyone to have free time and not have to go to the fields. The old man and the eldest son did not need to rise early, and could finally sleep a little longer.

But Sister Fang was different. She was older now and did not need much sleep; she still woke at the first crow of the rooster.

That was how rural women were: no matter the season, there was always plenty of work to be done in and around the house.

Likewise, early that morning, Li Kai, Li Xiyue, and the others were up at dawn to go out and pay New Year visits.

Usually, on the first day of the year, they would visit neighbors within their production brigade; from the second day onward, they would visit relatives, such as the wife’s family.

But because of Sister Fang’s own situation, she no longer had natal relatives to visit, and in recent years Li Zhirong’s relations with his own relatives had also grown bad.

The Li family was simply too poor; others were afraid they might borrow money, so their relationships had become very distant.

Thus the children had nowhere to go afterward, and on the first day of the lunar year they were especially eager, buzzing with activity throughout the brigade.

Li’s father also had to go out and pay New Year visits, after all. There were still many old men in the brigade of his own generation, and it was only proper to call on one another.

After they all left, only Li’s mother remained at home. Occasionally, others would come by to exchange New Year greetings and such.

In any case, sweets, melon seeds, and pastries had all been prepared. The old lady was generous to a fault, delighting a whole crowd of little monkeys.