Chapter 1073
: Wuxing 4th Year [2]
Chapter 1073 The Fourth Year of Wuxing [2]
"Four years have passed in Wuxing. It's gone by so quickly." Grandpa Qin looked at Qin Xiaomi, Qin Xiaogu, Qin Xiaomai, Jiang Erlang, and Jiang Xiaozhu sitting at the dinner table, and sighed with deep emotion: "You've all grown up. When I think back to when we were fleeing the famine, you were all so small... Especially Xiaozhu's wheat, so small that it could fit in a basket and I had to carry it on my back."
At that time, Xiaomai was four years old, Xiaozhu was less than four years old, Xiaofubao was less than three years old, and Jingyi was only five years old when he fled the famine. They were all children who were extremely vulnerable to premature death.
Looking back now, Grandpa Qin still doesn’t know how he got through that time.
How did you get here?
It’s because of Xiaomi.
Grandpa Qin's eyes fell on Qin Xiaomi and said, "Xiaomi, this family is only able to survive and live such a good life because of you."
"You're still young, so it's okay to be a little willful. If you look too old-fashioned, it won't be beautiful."
Why did the ancients say that early intelligence is prone to early death?
It is because precocious people see through the world too early, and when they hurt others' feelings, they will give up and refuse to live in this world.
"Grandpa, I'll be fifteen on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and I'll be coming of age. Then you'll say I'm so old, why am I still so willful?" Qin Xiaomi smiled and gave Grandpa Qin a look: "I've seen through grandpa and grandma a long time ago. When grandpa and grandma are sentimental, they think I'm young. When I flip the table and make trouble, grandpa and grandma will say I'm so ignorant at my age."
"Xiaozhu, summarize it." she called.
Jiang Xiaozhu stood up and said, "This is called, no matter how old you are, in the eyes of the elders, you are always older and younger. When the elders want to scold you, they say you are young and ignorant. When the elders feel sorry for you, even if you are in your seventies or eighties, the elders will still say that you are still young and should be willful."
"Qin Xiaomi, you are so old, and you still let Xiaozhu help you slander your grandfather!" Grandpa Qin was angry.
Jiang Xiaozhu and Qin Xiaomi immediately looked at him and said in unison, "Look, look, that's how it is."
Grandpa Qin was so angry that he blew his beard: "..."
Hahaha, the whole family laughed. Grandma Qin said, "Old man, stop talking nonsense. Can you argue with them? Eat your meal quickly and satisfy your appetite. That's the important thing to do."
You should just reminisce about the past at the New Year’s Eve dinner table. What is there to reminisce about? Isn’t this making everyone, especially the second child, uncomfortable?
"No more talking, old man. Let's eat." Grandpa Qin picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised mutton, and praised it: "Well, this mutton is fresh and delicious. Our family will surely have good fortune in the coming year, and our lives will be better and better."
How to say it, it’s very blunt, but auspicious, suitable for saying during the Chinese New Year.
So even though Qin Xiaomi and Jiang Xiaozhu were trying not to laugh, they nodded in agreement: "Grandpa, that's right."
Grandpa Qin glanced at them and said nothing. He just gestured for them to start eating.
This year, the Qin family’s New Year’s Eve dinner not only had many dishes, but also large portions. The braised lamb was served in a basin, not an ugly dark brown ceramic basin, but a bright white porcelain basin given by someone else, which looked very nice.
There are also boiled chicken, New Year meat, New Year fish, fish balls with bean sprouts, yellow-skinned pork ribs, sweet and sour pork, seafood pot, lotus pond treasure (cold lotus root slices with New Year eggs), jade soup, and dessert is yellow rice cake from Zhongyuanzhou's hometown and a plate of six-color dumplings, which means good luck.
In addition to these, there are also delicious dishes at home, such as fried fish, fried meatballs, braised meat, etc., but we can’t eat these tonight, so we have to save them for the first month of the year.
"Grandpa, second uncle, don't drink alcohol after eating seafood stew. Just drink some fruit drink. Seafood and alcohol together will cause gout, which is osteoarthritis." Qin Xiaomi reminded.
"Look at you, it's New Year's Day and you're still saying these scary things." Uncle Qin had no choice but to put down the wine jug.
Grandpa Qin said, "It's good not to drink alcohol. Wine is the essence of grain. A drop of wine is equivalent to a handful of grain. Our wine can be kept for ancestor worship or given as gifts."
Although they couldn't drink alcohol, the Qin family still enjoyed their New Year's Eve dinner immensely. Mainly because in the resource-scarce countryside of ancient times, the Qin family's New Year's Eve dinner was truly the envy of the entire town. However, after the dinner, they couldn't help but mention Jiang Dalang.
"This is the first year this child hasn't been home for the Lunar New Year. I don't know what he's been doing." Grandma Qin said, looking at Qin Xiaomi and asked her, "Xiaomi, are you worried?"
Qin Xiaomi, who was slurping a frozen pear, almost choked.
"Grandma, why are you asking me all of a sudden?"
Grandma Qin was unhappy: "Da Lang is your fiancé, who else should I ask if not you?"
Qin Xiaomi: "..."
It's the New Year, so it's not appropriate to quarrel. She also respects the elderly and loves the young, so she can't argue with the elderly.
"Grandma, there's no point in worrying. Jiang Dalang is a soldier now and a member of the imperial court. Celebrating Chinese New Year and other festivals is no longer a luxury for him. He has to do his job for the court."
Qin Xiaomi raised a big flag to scare Grandma Qin: "Grandma, Jiang Dalang should have gone to carry out a secret mission. Liu Ge'er is still living in our town. In order to prevent eavesdroppers, we can't keep talking about Jiang Dalang, lest we let something slip and ruin Wei Jun's plans... Just think about him in your heart."
Grandma Qin was frightened and felt something was wrong. She glared at her and said, "Are you trying to scare me with your lies again? Fine, but Dalang treats you very well. You're a year older now, so you should be able to think better."
Uncle Qin interrupted, "Your grandma told you to cherish your blessings, lest you miss your good man and become an old maid for the rest of your life."
Hey, as expected, Uncle Qin was defeated in a mixed doubles match by Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin.
clap clap clap!
"It's New Year's Day, and you're saying something incoherent? Hurry up and say something nice nine times so that God will know. Otherwise, if there's anything wrong between Xiaomi and Dalang, we won't forgive you."
Qin Xiaomi added fuel to the fire, echoing, "Yes, if Jiang Dalang and I can't be together, it's Second Uncle's fault for not keeping his mouth shut. Grandpa and grandma, go look for Second Uncle, don't look for me. I'm the victim."
Pa pa pa, the two old men slapped Uncle Qin again, and the back of his head and back were both red.
"Qin Xiaomi!" Uncle Qin was furious. What sin had he committed to meet such a niece?
Qin Xiaomi finished slurping the frozen pear, hugged a box, tilted her head to look at him, and gave him a sneer that said "What can you do?"
Uncle Qin was almost mad with anger, but there was really nothing he could do.
I can't compare with her in financial resources, military strength, or status. What's worse is that it seems that I can't compare with this girl in terms of brains.
"Second uncle, remember to prepare New Year's money for us. Don't just give us waste paper. We want real gold and silver. And don't forget the birthday gifts for me and Jiang Dalang. According to the rules, birthday gifts, especially those for the year of coming of age, are ten times more valuable than New Year's money." Qin Xiaomi kindly reminded him.
"Why don't you just go and rob?" Uncle Qin felt extremely sad. Their second branch had finally saved some money, but during the New Year, it was all looted away by this group of youngsters!
"You wait, wait until I grow up..." Uncle Qin shut up. It was New Year's Day, and talking about Xiaomi's missing brother would definitely make his parents sad, so he shut up.
Qin Xiaomi: "What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the day when you become famous and successful to show me? Second uncle, go to bed early. You can even be a marquis or a prime minister in your dreams."
"You, you are unfilial!" Uncle Qin was furious.
Qin Xiaomi: "I'm half as unfilial as you are, because you are just my uncle, not my father."
Uncle Qin: "Dad and Mom, don't worry about her!"
But Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin just watched the show happily and didn't help him at all.
It was Aunt Qin who said, "That's enough. You're almost old, and you're still arguing with the child... Come over quickly and make dumplings for the New Year. We'll cook them and eat them after we finish staying up all night."