175. New Year’s Gift

Zhou's father and Zhou's mother came home from Uncle Sun's house and went home just in time for dinner. After dinner, Zhou's mother stopped the children. She had something to tell them to do.

Mother Zhou quickly sorted out the New Year's gifts for each family. Each family received a pack of toffee, two items of tobacco and alcohol, a leg of mutton, and a dried rabbit each.

"Yizheng, Yirong, this is for your eldest uncle and second uncle's family. Xiaoyan, Xiaoxu, this is for your eldest uncle's family. Remember to come back and clean up after delivering the things." Zhou's mother put all the things together.

After dividing the things into baskets, four people were asked to deliver them.

When they came back after delivering the things, they had to go to the homes of Lin Qingxi's three apprentices to deliver them. However, the New Year's gifts for the apprentices' homes were not so heavy. They only had a pack of toffee and dried rabbit, the same tobacco and alcohol, and then two

Lamb chops.

Lin Yizheng and Lin Yizheng went hunting in the mountains a few days ago. Under the secret guidance of Lin Qingxi, they hunted two wild goats and came back. They asked Father Zhou to pick up the two goats. The first and second bedrooms of the old Zhou family had one leg of mutton each.

Zhou Guitang's family and Sun Pang's family each received a leg of mutton. After two days, they would each send a leg of mutton to the Zhang family and Zhou Guizhi. Lin Qingxi's three apprentices each received two lamb chops, and the rest of the meat was their own.

Save it and eat it.

The children had to make two trips to deliver the new year's gift. As for the Zhou Guizhi family and the Zhang family in Qinghe City, they had to choose a new time to go there.

"Okay, let's leave the New Year's gifts to the children. Dad, go chop some firewood. Today is also the New Year. Girl Min and I will give everyone delicious food tonight," Zhou's mother said with a smile,

It can be seen that I am in a good mood.

"The pigs that were stewed last time haven't been eaten yet, the braised pig trotters haven't been eaten yet, and the braised pig head meat hasn't been eaten yet. How about eating some of them all?" Zhou Mingmin thought about the supplies at home and decided.

Have a nice meal tonight.

"Okay! Just eat whatever you have," Lin Qingxi said with a smile on her face. If there was something delicious, the children naturally agreed.

After making the decision, the boys went out to give New Year gifts. Sisters Xiang Yijing and Xie Lu sat at the end of the kang and continued their great work of knitting sweaters. The sweaters they knitted were in the final stage, although the process was tortuous.

But the result is still satisfactory. Although the knitted sweater is a bit ugly, it is still wearable.

There was a crackling sound in the yard. You didn't need to look to know that it was Zhou's father chopping firewood. Xiang Yikang followed Zhou's mother and Zhou Mingmin to the kitchen to help. He was responsible for lighting the fire, and Zhou Mingmin helped Zhou Mingmin.

After the dishes were prepared, Zhou's mother rushed to the main room to make clothes.

The clothes for the Sun family have not only been prepared, but have also been delivered. By now, Sun Pang and his wife are probably wearing them, so the clothes for Zhou Dajiang and his wife should also be put on the agenda.

Making clothes is not difficult. We have a sewing machine at home, so it doesn’t take much trouble. All we need to do is measure Zhou Dajiang and Grandma Zhou’s sizes, cut out the cloth, and then we can start making winter clothes.

In the evening, Zhou's mother made a very sumptuous meal as expected, including pork elbows, stir-fried pork head with chili, stir-fried braised pork lungs with sour chili, stewed lamb chops with ribs and shredded potatoes, and stewed vermicelli with pickled cabbage, followed by cold fungus and stir-fried shredded radish.

Then there is a steamed egg, specially for children.

"Today is the New Year. There have been many happy events in our family this year. From now on, the whole family should work together to make the days better." Father Zhou, as the mainstay of the family, simply said a few words to Zhou Dajiang and Grandma Zhou.

Each took a piece of elbow meat with chopsticks, Zhou's mother took a piece of lamb chop, and everyone started eating.

"It's delicious!" The children devoured the meat. After the two families ate together, the Zhou family's stomachs were not short of oil and water. Even Zhou Dajiang and his wife were often given the meat, and Zhou Guitang's family also benefited a lot.

Therefore, there is now a table of meat and vegetables on the table, and the children have not shown any signs of fighting or occupying the dishes. Each one of them eats in a polite manner, but it is better than most people.

After dinner, Zhou's mother refused to ask sisters Xiang Yijing and Xie Lu to help clean up the dishes. She washed the dishes by herself and asked Zhou Mingmin to boil hot water for the family to take a bath.

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, brothers Lin Yizheng and Lin Yirong rode bicycles and went to Qinghe City with the New Year gifts prepared by Lin Qingxi. When they arrived in Qinghe City, the brothers split up. Lin Yizheng went to Zhang's house with a basket on his back.

Lin Yirong also carried the basket to Zhou Guizhi's house.

After the Zhang family and Lin Yizheng delivered the New Year's gifts, they said a few words to Zhang Qingguo and left. Chen Xiaocui and the others were still in the imperial capital and had not come back because it snowed heavily in the imperial capital and the trains were suspended. They could not come back and could only wait.

You won’t be able to come back until the train lockdown is lifted after the new year.

Not only did Lin Qingxi prepare new year gifts for the Zhang family, but the Zhang family also gave gifts in return. Some were sent by Chen Xiaocui from the imperial capital, and some were sent by other members of the Zhang family from all over the world.

Basically, everyone in the Zhang family is either in the military or in politics, and everyone is scattered. Only the old man of the Zhang family is in charge of the imperial capital. Although he is retired, no one dares to deny him face.

Lin Yizheng took the New Year's gift prepared by Zhang Qingguo and rode his bicycle to the state-owned hotel to meet his brother Lin Yirong. The basket was full when he came. When he went back, the basket was still full. It can only be that everyone worked hard to maintain the relationship.

, rather than just asking for it from the other party.

In the Zhao family, Zhao Tao is the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, and Zhou Guizhi also works in the supply and marketing cooperative. Both sons also have their own jobs, and the grandchildren at home also go to school, so Lin Yirong first went to the supply and marketing cooperative to find Zhou Guizhi, and then he

Send the gift to the Zhao family together.

He didn't sit for a long time at Zhao's house. He just told Zhou Guizhi about Lin Qingxi's current situation, and then left with some small clothes Zhou Guizhi made for the baby in Lin Qingxi's belly.

After delivering the New Year's gifts, the brothers met at a state-owned hotel for lunch, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some firecrackers and then rode their bicycles home.

On the 27th and 20th of the twelfth lunar month, Zhou's mother took everyone except Lin Qingxi to clean the houses on both sides inside and out, cleaning up the dust and cobwebs in the corners.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Zhou Mingmin and his three children helped Zhou's father hang up the house next door with blessing characters and couplets. Brother Lin Yizheng and Xiang Yikang posted these on the Lin family's house.

"Yizheng, Yirong, Yikang, please be careful," Lin Qingxi stood in the yard and said loudly, holding her belly.

"I understand, sister-in-law, you can go and have a rest! Don't worry about us," Lin Yizheng glanced at Lin Qingxi and disliked her being in the way.

Lin Qingxi also knew that her situation was special. She shook her head helplessly and went into the main room to sit on the kang. After these few days of hard work, the sweater that Xiang Yijing and Xie Lu knitted together had been finished.

After discussion, the two sisters gave the sweater they knitted for the first time to Zhou's mother. The reason was that Zhou's mother worked hard to take care of the family's daily life, but Zhou's mother was deeply moved.
Chapter completed!