Eating big melon is so refreshing

"How can there be such juicy cucumbers and greens in the middle of winter?"

"It's grown on Young Master Mingyue's farm. We'll take it if he gives it to us." As the younger brother of the state teacher, it's normal for him to have some special abilities. Anyway, he is the most suitable person to take the blame.

As expected, Zhao Dong and the others did not continue to ask questions. Seeing these vegetables in the middle of winter made them as happy as getting a sheepskin hat.

"There's another good thing. Grandpa Ku has reached the peak of Ming Jin. Grandpa Ku lamented that he had missed the best opportunity, but Uncle Five has a great chance to break through before he turns 20." Xiao Chunya decided to give her family some hope. Why are they so gloomy during the New Year?

"Xiao Wu, how many pounds of strength are you now?" Zhao Dong and his brothers' eyes lit up and they looked at Zhao Wu eagerly.

"202 pounds." Zhao Wulang was also very excited. He had dreamed of breaking through 200 pounds in his strength, and now he finally did it.

"Breakthrough! Great!" Zhao Dong slapped his thigh and said, "You still need to work hard. You should practice whenever you have free time. When you reach 250 kilograms of strength, I will find a way to buy you a "Power Pill" to help you break through further."

Xiao Chunya suddenly realized that practicing ancient martial arts, like practicing immortality, requires taking medicinal pills. She wondered if her younger brother would be able to exchange for medicinal pills in the future.

When Xiao Qiulin heard the three words "Dali Pill", his expression did not change at all. Even in his previous life, he was unwilling to take such a low-level pill. Refining pills and drawing talismans were necessary skills for a heavenly master.

What's that look from the fat sister? Does she want to eat the "Dai Li Wan"? He wants to see if he can exchange it for White Rabbit milk candy. Why take medicine for no reason? Eat candy! Eat candy, Fatty!

New Year's Eve

After pasting Spring Festival couplets, red paper, window decorations and offering sacrifices, the most important thing is the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Braised fish, braised pork, eight-treasure drunken duck, fried cucumber with offal, scrambled eggs with leek, Chinese cabbage with oil residue, and chicken soup stewed with mushrooms.

Xiao Chunya was pleasantly surprised that Fourth Aunt Gao's cooking skills were almost as good as Grandmother Zhao Yang's, and her Eight Treasure Drunken Duck was especially special.

Without Wang's presence, the atmosphere in Zhao Bei's family became much better. The family members were talking and laughing, and the relationship between the brothers became closer.

The children were impatient to stay in the house, and they ran around everywhere after eating, but their activities were limited to within 50 meters of the surrounding area. Fortunately, it was not dark yet, otherwise Xiao Chunya would not want to leave the yard.

The sky gradually darkened, the main room had been cleaned up, some dried fruits were placed on the plate, and all the children were called back and made to sit on the kang, commonly known as staying up all night to celebrate the New Year.

Sitting there dully listening to the adults chatting, little Chunya asked her brother to find the flying chess. With simple game rules and simple operations, three-year-old Sanniu and Daqing were eager to try it.

Erniu, Sanniu, Xiaochunya and Daqing played a game. Xiaochunya lost due to bad luck and was replaced by Xiaoqiulin.

In the second game, Xiaoqiu lost. Zhao Erlang had been itching to play since he was watching from the side, so he took his son's place without any hesitation.

"I can make this chessboard." Zhao Sanlang went to find tools, then found a relatively flat piece of wood, plane it smooth, and draw lines with paint.

Zhao Sanlang also made sixteen three-dimensional versions of the small airplanes and then painted them.

"Sanlang, see if there is any extra material to make a few more." Zhao Bei said, "I think this toy can be sold. Many people go to the county town to visit the temple fair on New Year's Day. You know."

"Uncle San, the size of the chessboard doesn't need to be uniform. Just make it in three sizes: large, medium, and small. The large one will sell for 300 wen each, the medium one for 200 wen each, and the small one for 100 wen each."

"How much?" Zhao Bei's face exploded. Three hundred coins for a toy, even a black shop wouldn't be so shady. His granddaughter really dared to ask.

"Three hundred coins can only make one, two hundred coins can make three, and one hundred coins can make ten." Xiao Chunya said, "People outside like to follow the trend. No matter how good the business is, it is a one-time deal. It may not be sold at such a high price at other times, but on New Year's Day, people who go to the temple to get the first stick of incense will spend ten taels of silver without any regrets."

It is true that Huangyang County is poor, but that does not mean there are no wealthy families, such as the Shen family of my uncle-in-law who committed suicide before, the family of the local tycoon Luo Xiaopang, and the Ximen Pavilion family hidden in Huangyang County.

Three hundred coins was a lot of money for the Zhao family, but for the truly wealthy, a meal would cost more than three taels of silver.

“Is the incense in the temple so expensive?”

Zhao Bei was shocked and said, "Next time we go to the temple to burn incense, we should buy it outside and bring it in. It will be much cheaper."

"Third brother, leave the dyeing work to me." Zhao Silang said, "You just make the chessboard and the little airplane, and I'll do the rest."

Seeing that there was work to do, Zhao Erlang stopped playing flying chess and went to look for wood and saw wood with his brothers.

, making chess boards, small airplanes, drawing lines, and dyeing, it suddenly became a small assembly line workshop.

"Brother, come and draw."

Xiao Chunya said, "Draw a blooming peony on the largest chessboard, which means prosperity and wealth, and draw a fat golden carp, which means abundance every year."

“Why do you want to paint?”

"If you want people to willingly pay an extra 200 coins to buy a chessboard without any special features, who would be willing to pay for it?"

Xiao Chunya said, "The middle chessboard is painted with smaller peonies and silver goldfish, and the small chessboard is painted with evergreens, that's it."

There is strength in numbers. In less than an hour, ten chessboards were made. The colors on the lines, the patterns, and the four-color small airplanes all looked so pleasing to the eye.

"Oh my, I was thinking I forgot something, and my brother took out those two New Year pictures."

New Year pictures. City people like to buy a New Year picture and post it in their home lobby during the New Year. A New Year picture costs at least one hundred coins, and few people in the village are willing to spend that money.

If my younger brother's painting is just okay, then Master Mingyue's painting can be considered a master.

Xiao Qiulin took out the two New Year pictures. One of them was two fat babies holding two big goldfish, which meant abundance every year. There were also two peony flowers next to them, which meant prosperity.

Another painting shows a white cloud floating in the clear sky, a field of golden wheat, and a pair of magpies chirping among the wheat stalks.

“Great drawing!”

Zhao Bei praised repeatedly, saying that the wheat harvest was abundant and there was surplus every year, which was a very good omen.

Zhao Yangshi was also delighted. She carefully touched the two paintings and looked at the two fat babies in the paintings. She said, "They look a bit like Xiaochun'er and Xiaoqiu'er."

Two paintings were pasted on the wall, a big incense stick was replaced in the yard, and the red candles on the incense table were also lit, and the New Year's Eve vigil officially began.

In less than two quarters of an hour, Xiao Chunya began to yawn, and she felt sleepy and her eyelids were drooping...