Chapter 415: Expelled from Liuyang Village (1)
Chapter 415: Expelled from Liuyang Village (1)
The next day, the weather indeed cleared up. The bright sunshine fell on the snow-covered ground, reflecting a translucent glow. Unknown birds densely perched on the walls, chirping merrily under the morning sun, adding much liveliness to the otherwise silent winter day.
The knee-deep snow absorbed the warmth given by the sun, layer by layer melting into snow water. The snow water on the rooftops flowed down like small streams along the eaves, creating puddles of various sizes on the ground, which then slowly flowed towards the lower-lying areas along the drainage ditches.
Taking advantage of the good weather, Mo Yan and her companions brought out the cured sausages and meats made in the past few days to dry in the courtyard. They also took down the bedding from their beds and heated several large pots of water for a thorough cleaning.
Although the weather was nice and the sunshine was warm, the temperature during the snowmelt was even colder than when it was snowing. After washing the clothes and bedding with hot water, just as they were about to rinse them by the river, Mo Qingze, not wanting his two daughters to get cold in the icy water, took the big wooden tub filled with bedding to the river without any objections.
Mo Yan and her sister didn’t think much of it. Back in Mo Family Village, when they were too young to wash large items like bedding, Mo Qingze would always take them to the water’s edge to wash, not caring about the mocking of the village men.
Li Xiu and her niece, who had stayed in the Mo family for a long time, knew that Mo Qingze was not as pedantic as most scholars, so they didn’t find it strange. However, Tang Xin, seeing this for the first time, was both surprised and increasingly envious of the Mo siblings for having such a good father.
With some free time, Mo Yan began to prepare the New Year gifts. Judging by the speed of the snowmelt today, the road would be completely clear by tomorrow, and they could deliver the gifts before the twenty-eighth.
There were only a few households to send New Year gifts to, so it wasn’t too troublesome to prepare. The relatives who moved to Liuyang Village didn’t count, but they couldn’t skip the close relatives in the old Mo family. Although the relationship between the two families wasn’t harmonious, they hadn’t completely severed ties, so the necessary courtesies had to be maintained.
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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Because of the relationship between Wushi and Tie Tou, Mo Yan originally wanted to prepare more gifts, but considering that Wu shi’s family still lived with Hong shi’s, sending more would only benefit Hong shi. So, she dismissed the idea and decided to give Tie Tou a thicker red envelope on the twenty-ninth when the rice shop closed for the year.
Apart from the old Mo family, gifts also needed to be sent to the village chief’s family. This was simple enough—a strip of pork and twenty or so eggs would suffice. They couldn’t skip shopkeeper Xing and Shopkeeper Mu either, and Yan Junyu, the Liu family, and the Han family needed even more thoughtful preparation. They also had to show some gratitude to the teachers at the academy who taught them.
Adding it all up, there were indeed quite a few gifts to send. Mo Yan’s painstakingly cured meats and sausages quickly diminished, and even the fruit wines and glutinous rice wines she had stored in the cellar were almost entirely used up.
After carefully selecting and distributing the gifts for each household, worried about any inappropriate choices, Mo Yan made a list and handed it to Mo Qingze for review to avoid any mishaps in the gift-giving.
Mo Qingze took the list and reviewed it twice, finding nothing unsuitable. He said with satisfaction, “Yan’er is getting more and more reliable. This plan looks good.”
“Hehe, thanks for the compliment, Dad. This year, you have to give me more New Year money!” Mo Yan shamelessly accepted her father’s praise, her playful demeanor amusing Mo Qingze.
After some laughter between father and daughter, they fetched clean oil paper, red paper, and bamboo baskets. They went to the cellar to carefully wrap the New Year gifts for each household, making them look quite presentable.
The twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month was another sunny day. The ground, soaked by the snow water the previous day, became very firm after a cold night, and most of the snow had melted, except in shady areas. It was now possible to use a carriage.
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