Yingbao learned to weave belts from A Niang, using dyed blue cotton thread.
A belt as wide as a palm can be woven in a few days.
So she knitted one for each of her two brothers.
On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, we worship the Kitchen God.
Jiang Sanlang got up early in the morning and placed offerings on the stove, burned the old Kitchen God, burned incense and prayed, and respectfully sent the Kitchen God to heaven to report the situation.
In order to prevent the Kitchen God from speaking ill of their family and bringing bad luck to the family in the coming year, everyone in the family must be careful with their words and must not swear at others, let alone curse the God.
On New Year’s Eve, put up the new portrait of the Kitchen God and invite the new Kitchen God home.
As the saying goes, men don't worship the moon and women don't worship the kitchen god. Chunniang and her daughter didn't go into the kitchen on this day. They sat there waiting for Jiang Sanlang to serve them food and drinks.
Yingbao sat on the warm kang, weaving a belt while listening to her mother talking about the past.
"Mother was still young at that time, and there was nothing to eat at home. We only put out two plates of black flour steamed buns for the Kitchen God offering. Our family went hungry for a whole day, and your aunt cried out in hunger. Later, I secretly dug a piece of bread from the bottom of a steamed bun and stuffed it into your aunt's mouth. Your great-grandfather saw me and beat me so hard that two bamboo sticks were broken."
Yingbao asked: "How old was my aunt at that time?"
"She was seven years old, and I was nine at the time. I could resist hunger better than her." Chunniang sighed.
It was so nice for the sisters to be together at that time. Even though my father loved my younger sister more, I never felt dissatisfied.
But since the sisters grew up, everything seems to have changed.
Chunniang touched her daughter's head and said, "You must get along well with your cousins in the future." Don't be like herself and Qiuniang.
Yingbao nodded: "My cousin and cousin are very nice to me."
She has no conflict of interest with her cousins, so it is impossible for them to not get along well.
As they were talking, Wei Zhan and Jiang Wu came in.
Wei Zhan held two boxes in his hands and handed them to Chun Niang with a smile: "Aunt, my mother asked me to bring two boxes of pearl flowers for you and sister Yingbao to wear."
Chun Niang quickly took it over, "Oh, how can you say that? I'm sorry to trouble your mother."
She got off the kang and said, "I just happened to have something to give to your mother. Wait, I'll go get it."
Wei Zhan nodded, and when his aunt left, he sat down on the edge of the kang and looked at the blue belt in Yingbao's hand.
Yingbao glanced at him and asked, "Aren't you and your mother going back to the city this year?"
Wei Zhan shook his head: "There is a war going on in the city, we won't be going back for the time being."
After the barbarian bandits, the princes suddenly started an uprising and captured several cities with great force.
Fortunately, Qinchuan County is remote and not a major transportation hub, so it has not been affected by the war.
The valley of Dongchen Village in Chuanhe Town is more like a paradise on earth. Apart from a few refugees passing by every day, there is no other impact.
Yingbao thought for a moment and asked again, "You are related to the Xiao family. Do you know what the two brothers are doing?"
Wei Zhan scratched his head: "I'm not sure, how about I send two people to find out?"
"Okay." Yingbao put the last stitch of the belt in her hand in place.
Chunniang came in through the curtain, holding a basket of sesame cakes in her hand, and said to Wei Zhan, "I made this last night. Bring it to your mother to try."
Wei Zhan took it: "Thank you, auntie."
Jiang Wu pulled him out and said, "The stuff has been delivered. Let's go quickly. Brother Huzi and Brother Wen are still waiting."
Wei Zhan couldn't help himself and kept looking back at Ying Bao, as if he had something to say.
Yingbao didn't look at him. She picked up the belt she had woven and looked at it.
On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow fell from the sky.
Yingbao took out a dozen jars of wine and several baskets of fruits and distributed them to Mrs. Wen, Sister Wen, and Mrs. Wang's family.
I also gave some to my uncle, second uncle, grandparents and others.
Recently, she had not visited Mrs. Wen and Sister Wen very often. One reason was that Mrs. Wen and Mrs. Lin still lived in the Wen family, and the other was that Sister Wen was newly married to Li Xu, so it was inconvenient for her to disturb them.
After delivering the gifts, Chen Zhao suddenly ran into the Jiang family and cried, "Yingbao, my elder sister is missing."
Yingbao frowned: "What?"
"My eldest sister went out early this morning and hasn't come back yet." Chen Zhao grabbed Yingbao and said in a trembling voice: "Do you think she is depressed..."
Yingbao: "Why is she so upset?"
"Daddy said he would take her to the county town tomorrow. I noticed that my eldest sister has been in a bad mood. She talked to me a lot last night and said...she also said that you...you are our real sister..."
Ying Bao paused, gently pushed Chen Zhao's hand away, and asked in a deep voice: "Why do you say that?"
Chen Zhao sobbed and said, "I asked the same question. My eldest sister said that she had a dream before, in which she dreamed that you were our biological sister."
Yingbao was silent.
Chen Zhao wiped away his tears and asked, "Yingbao, are you really our biological sister?"
"No." Yingbao denied it.
"But, but what elder sister said is very convincing. She also said that you have a birthmark on your right wrist." Chen Zhao subconsciously glanced at Yingbao's right wrist.
Yingbao showed her right wrist: "You mean this?"
Chen Zhao was stunned. "You...you...are you really my sister? My elder sister also said your name is Chen Ying..."
"This is the scar left by Chen Tiantian's stepfather cutting my wrist. It's not a birthmark." Yingbao retracted her arm and covered it with her sleeve.
This birthmark was evidence of Pei Shixian's crime, so she did not remove it.
I didn't expect Chen Wan to say this. Does that mean she has lived a new life
Chen Zhao was confused.
She didn't know who to trust.
But what the eldest sister said was true. She also asked him to find a way to make more money, leave this place, and live in hiding with his younger brother, and never come back, otherwise his life would be in danger.
Yingbao thought for a moment and said, "Your elder sister didn't leave home because she was upset. Maybe she had already decided where to go, so she left without saying goodbye."
Most likely, Chen Wan went to the home of the fisherman who once saved her.
In her previous life, Chen Wan married that fisherman and lived a pretty good life.
Chen Zhao stopped crying immediately.
She remembered.
Ever since the eldest sister knew that her father was going to give her away, she was not sad at all. She even made clothes for her younger brother Xubao and herself every day.
It was not until last night that all the new clothes were finished.
Chen Zhao suddenly turned around and ran out of the yard: "I'm going home to check!"
She wanted to go and see if her elder sister's clothes were all there, and whether the copper coins she and her had saved were missing or gone.
If she isn't there, then my eldest sister must have escaped quietly.
Yingbao watched Chen Zhaoyuan go away with her eyes narrowed.
She wanted to find Chen Wan to see if she was at the fisherman's house.
If she were there, Chen Wan must have the same memories of her previous life as herself.
Outside the window, the snow fell heavier and heavier, and soon the sky and the earth were covered in white.
Jiang Sanlang brought back a basket of steamed buns and put them in the house.
"Baby, try a steamed bun with three fresh fillings." Every New Year, the three brothers of the Jiang family would work together to steam buns, dumplings and rice cakes.
There are at least two kinds of fillings for buns, three fresh vegetables and vegetables and meat.
There are also two kinds of steamed buns, red bean-filled and solid.
Yingbao took the hot bun and took a bite. It was fresh, fragrant and delicious.
tasty!
Same as previous years.