The poor little girl who traveled through the book, her father was lazy, her mother was stingy, and

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is the New Year’s Eve banquet.

No matter you are rich or poor, you must celebrate New Year's Eve.

After New Year’s Eve comes New Year.

This is Lin Xiaoman’s second New Year here.

This year Lin Dajiang opened a workshop and built a new house.

Although people have not moved into the new house yet, the big blue brick and tile house has become a hot topic among people in Shanglin Village.

The first person to build a large blue brick and tile house in Shanglin Village was Lin Dajiang, the sneaky and cunning man whom they all looked down upon before.

"Xiao Man, it's time to get up!"

Lin Jingzhe's banging on the door and his unpleasant duck voice shattered Lin Xiaoman's sweet dream.

"Ah! Lin! Jing! Zhe!"

She finally has some free time, why not let her sleep in?

Lin Xiaoman covered his ears with the quilt angrily, turned over and continued to sleep.

"Xiao Man, mom is frying meatballs and crispy meat. Do you want some?"

"Xiao Man, do you want to go treasure hunting in the mountains?"

Lin Xiaoman pouted.

How naive! Now is the time of famine and there is nothing on the mountain.

Lin Jingzhe, who had been urged to study by Lin Xiaoman in recent days, finally got the chance to take revenge, but he had to continue shouting at a voice that he could not even bear.

"Jingzhe, stop howling and let your sister continue to sleep. You won't be treated this way when you get married."

Li Taohua picked some onions from the backyard and washed them in the yard.

She doesn't care much about her children's fighting, but her son's voice has changed recently and it's really unpleasant.

"Mom, this is easy. Xiaoman wants to sleep in, so let her come back to sleep."

Li Taohua smiled, silly child, you have such naive thoughts.

"Hurry up and take the livestock outside for a walk. It's New Year's Eve, don't let them stay indoors. Bring the vegetables to the old house in the afternoon, and don't come back until dark. Have you locked up the chickens, ducks, and rabbits? Also, bring a basket and take the crispy meat and meatballs to Zhou Quan."

"He has been busy for more than half a year. Let him have a good rest."

"I understand. We'll continue next year after we're done." Lin Jingzhe gave up on taking revenge on the girl and instead took a basket to fill with food for Zhou Quan.

"Jingzhe, send some to Ci'an as well. You said you've been learning from him for so long and didn't receive any compensation. Take the meatballs, crispy pork, preserved eggs, and Chinese sausages, and fill up the basket."

"By the way, pack a few more copies and ask your father to deliver them to the elders and the village head."

Lin Jingzhe covered his head.

Fortunately, he has a good memory, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to remember it.

He sniffed. It was so cold!

Even though he was wearing the new thick cotton-padded jacket that his mother had made for him, he still felt cold.

I really don’t know how I got through the past.

Lin Jingzhe packed the baskets and held the baskets for Ci'an and Zhou Quan in his left and right hands. Just as he was about to go out, he was stopped by Li Taohua again.

"Jingzhe, wait, go to the backyard and take a look. Your father put the beggar's chicken that Xiaoman pickled yesterday into the fire pit this morning. Go and see if it's ready. If it is, bring it to Ci'an and Zhou Quan."

Hearing about beggar's chicken, Lin Jingzhe touched his round belly filled with crispy meat and meatballs with a look of regret, and shouted, "Mom, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Li Taohua looked at her eldest son unhappily and replied innocently: "You didn't ask!"

Lin Jingzhe dug out two beggar chickens from the fire pit in the backyard, wrapped them in used rough paper and put them into a bamboo basket.

He covered the remaining four with wood ash, and the residual heat could be maintained for an hour or so.

On New Year's Eve, my father was finally generous and released six chickens at once, so that he would always have a share in the future.

"Mom, I'll be back soon."

Every household is bustling on New Year’s Eve.

But those families in Shanglin Village who had paid money to Lin Dahe were now feeling uneasy.

You said there would be news before the New Year, why haven’t you replied yet?

They waited from the 25th and 26th of the twelfth lunar month to the 28th, and from the 28th to the 30th.

"Master, I'll prepare a few more dishes and some big pancakes later, and bring two beggar chickens tonight. I don't think mom is in the mood to cook."

Lin Dajiang nodded, "Whatever my wife says is what it is."

"Do you think Third Brother will come back today?"

"do not know."

"Go back, you have to bring back some silver. Can he really make that much silver?"

"do not know."

Li Taohua glared at him, "How come you don't know anything?"

Lin Dajiang cried out in injustice, "Wife, I'm not the third brother, how do I know what he's thinking?"

Before the two of them could finish their conversation, several villagers came in through the open courtyard door, bringing gifts.

Leading the way were the people who worked for them.

The basket was filled with precious things, including brown sugar, eggs, dried fish, and some wooden toys for children that were polished smooth.

These are the thoughts of the villagers.

Linda's wife took out a rare toy and gave it to Lidong. "Sister Taohua, this is what Yaowu brought back from Lin'an Prefecture. Give it to Lidong to play with."

"That won't work!"

When Li Taohua heard that it was a rare thing from Lin'an Prefecture, she was unwilling to accept it.

"I've already bought it, there's nothing I can't accept."

Li Taohua kept it in mind and took out sausages, preserved eggs and peanuts from her home as a return gift.

Wang Ergou's wife looked at the gifts she was going to give and felt a little short of money, but she still gave them to Li Taohua, "Sister Taohua, this is the shortbread I made myself, and this is for Xiaoman and Guyu's head flowers, I made it with scraps of cloth."

After I finished saying this, no one else reacted, but I blushed with embarrassment.

Li Taohua took it enthusiastically and said with a smile, "Wow, the color of this flower is so bright and beautiful. Sister, you are so skillful."

Several women nearby came over to watch.

"Yes, sister, it's almost the same as the ones sold in town!"

Li Taohua smiled and asked, "Sister, this flower is really beautiful, do you want to go over and sell it?"

"No, there are two kids at home, my mother-in-law is not feeling well and is still in bed, and the head of the household has to go to work, so I'm afraid she will be busy."

"No wonder your mother-in-law hasn't recovered yet."

"Ergou said he would take his mother to visit the town after the New Year."

Everyone in the village knew that Ergou's mother had a brush and fell two months ago, and she only took medicine twice and refused to continue.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Ergou’s mother doesn’t want to treat the disease anymore, for fear of dragging her son down.

Li Taohua hurriedly advised, "This illness cannot be delayed. Please persuade your mother-in-law to go to town to see her as soon as possible after the New Year."

Later, more and more people came to give New Year gifts, and Li Taohua accepted them all and also returned the gifts.

Compared with those sent by fellow villagers, the preserved eggs and sausages sent by Li Taohua were really delicious.

It will be very face-saving to put it at home.

When the people who gave gifts went back, they all praised Sister Taohua for being a real person.

Some people envied the Lin family for being so wealthy that they had three livestock.

I also have two dogs. The dogs are well fed and live a shiny life. It feels like I am living a worse life than dogs!

After seeing off wave after wave of villagers who came to give him gifts, Lin Dajiang had nothing to do and decided to make a small wooden horse for Lidong that could shake but not fall down, as Xiaoman had said.

Lin Jingzhe happened to come back from delivering gifts and was caught by Lin Dajiang.

"Jingzhe, come and help me make a little wooden horse for Lidong."

Lin Jingzhe put away the shortbread that Ci'an's mother had given him, "Dad, what do you want me to do?"

"Come on, saw off this piece of wood."

The horse head was too difficult to make. Lin Dajiang thought his poor carpentry skills were not enough to make a horse head, so he gave up early and decided to make a big round wooden ball as the head, without carving anything on it, which could also serve as an armrest for Lidong to hold.

The most difficult part is polishing the arc-shaped wood underneath. It takes some skill to make it not fall over.

When Lin Dajiang was making the wooden horse, Lidong was standing by.

Guyu was a little curious and didn't go out to play with Miaomiao. He was also watching Lin Dajiang making the Trojan horse nearby.

When Lin Xiaoman got up, he saw three little brats surrounding his father and brother.

She thought Guyu envied Lidong for having the little wooden horse made by her father, so she walked over and stroked the little hair on her head, smiling and said, "Guyu, wait until your father makes the little wooden horse, you can try it first."

Guyu thought that he was already an adult, but he was still riding on his younger brother's wooden horse.

If Goudan sees her sitting on the wooden horse and rocking, he will laugh at her. Thinking of this, she quickly shook her head and refused: "Sister, after today I will be seven years old. I am so old, I don't want to play! That is for kids to play."

Lin Xiaoman smiled and waited to see Guyu slap himself in the face.

After all, all six or seven-year-old children can’t resist the rocking cars at the entrance of shopping malls and supermarkets.

I want to play it a second time after playing it once, hehe.

......

Lin Xiaoman likes to wander around when he has nothing to do.

He staggered to the kitchen.

"Mother, the crispy meat you made smells so good!"

After saying that, he quickly scooped up two and put them in his mouth.

Crispy and delicious.

"Mother, let me help you."

There were two pots, in one pot half a pot of oil was sizzling, and the aroma of crispy meat wafted continuously.

In another pot, there were dried vegetable cakes.

There was a clay pot hanging on the coal stove next to it, and it smelled like bones were stewing.

No wonder the kitchen was so hot. Lin Xiaoman was busy adding firewood and flipping the dried vegetable pancakes. He was so busy that he felt warm all over.

Stealing half a day of leisure, the family doesn't have to rush and can leisurely go about their own business. It's a rare and carefree time.

For lunch, we had dried vegetable cakes and bone soup.

The biscuits are crispy when eaten dry, and have a different flavor when soaked in bone soup.

Lin Xiaoman ate half of it dry and the other half soaked, and Lin Jingzhe followed suit.

"Don't mention it, Xiaoman tastes pretty good when eaten soaked like this!"

After the family finishes their meal, some wash the dishes, some make wooden horses, and everyone has their own division of labor.

Half an hour later, the wooden horse was ready.

Guyu and Miaomiao took turns holding Lidong and sitting on the wooden horse, rocking it.

Beginning of winter cluck cluck.

Guyu hahaha.

Miaomiao giggles.

Lin Xiaoman sat on a small stool and watched Lin Guyu slap himself in the face.

He muttered in a mean way: "Oh, I don't know which kid said he didn't want to play~"

Lin Dajiang and Lin Jingzhe moved the stool to the door again, replaced the talismans and hung lanterns.

After the red lanterns were hung up, when the wind blew, the red lanterns swayed along with the wooden horse.

The years passed by so slowly that before we knew it the New Year had arrived.

-

"Dahe is back!"

"What? Da He is really back?"

"How could it be false? They are all at the entrance of the village."

"Let's go to the river."

Worry turned into joy, and the villagers who heard the news went to Lin Gui's house together.

All along the way they were talking about how much silver they could get.

"At first I was worried that I had really been deceived by Lin Dahe. I was heartbroken for several days."

"God bless me, my three taels of silver will turn into small silver ingots~"

"I gave you a thousand copper coins last time. I should have fifteen hundred now, right?"

"Alas, I only collected a thousand copper coins. I should have invested more last time."

"It's because Lin Dajiang keeps yelling that he's lying. Otherwise, I would have to make up for it."

As soon as Lin Dahe got home, he took out the silver in his arms.

Old Mrs. Lin finally waited for the third son to come. When she saw the cloth filled with silver and copper coins in his arms, she instantly felt proud.

She knew that if Daha didn't come back, everyone in the village would talk about him behind his back.

They called him a liar, a charlatan and so on.

"Dahe, you're finally back."

"Mother, we encountered bandits on the way and were delayed for a few nights. Fortunately, we got all the money back from the villagers. However, because of the bandits, the boss lost a lot of things and the interest was less. But mother, don't worry, the boss will go again after the eighth day of the first lunar month."

"Then the five taels of silver I gave you last time..."

"Mother, take it. This is five taels of silver ingot, and this is extra, one and a half taels of silver. Take a look."

Old Mrs. Lin bit it and it was real.

Although it was less than what was originally agreed upon, the one and a half taels of silver was extra money out of thin air, so Old Mrs. Lin was still very happy.

"Your eldest brother and second brother's families are coming over today, you should take a rest first."

Old Mrs. Lin looked at Zhou Mei who was behind Lin Dahe, holding a little girl in each hand and pulling Lin Dahe aside.

He lowered his voice and said, "Dahe, you need to make money and have a son. Otherwise, are you going to leave all the money you make to those two money-losing guys?"

"Mom, what are you talking about!"

Just as Old Lady Lin was about to pull Lin Dahe aside for a good talk, a group of people suddenly came outside the house, shouting, "Auntie, Dahe is back?"

Seeing that there were so many people around, Old Mrs. Lin didn't want to talk about her son's shortcomings anymore. She forced a smile and asked the third son to move the benches and chairs out.

"Dahe, you're finally back."

"Yes, we have been looking forward to seeing you for several days."

"I'm glad you're back. Did everything go well this time?"

A group of people asked with a smile, and Old Mrs. Lin felt happy but also a little uncomfortable.

"You have to thank the third brother this time. He followed the boss and encountered bandits on the way. If it weren't for the third brother's good luck..."

Everyone couldn't sit still.

Encountered bandits?

Is the money safe?

Someone looked anxious and panicked and asked, "Dahe, is the silver we gave you still there?"

Under everyone's anxious gaze, Lin Dahe smiled and said slowly: "Fellow villagers, although we encountered bandits, fortunately the young master had foresight and had already hired the county's top escorts to escort us, so the loss was not great. I lived up to your expectations and brought back everyone's money."

Big rocks fell to the ground.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, as long as the capital is there, I don’t expect to make any money.

"But the profits originally promised to everyone have been reduced a little."

After this incident, everyone just wanted to protect their capital and never thought about getting any profit.

Hearing what Lin Dahe said, his mood was like a turbulent sea, from expectation to disappointment and then to ecstasy.

Lin Dahe just smiled and said nothing, and asked Old Lady Lin to help distribute the money to each of the villagers.

The villagers who received the money were all in high spirits and happy.

They all grinned and praised Lin Dahe for his promising future.

"Dahe, you are awesome!"

"Yeah, I'll go again next time. I'm going to get more."

Lin Dahe put away his writing brush and said, "I, Lin Dahe, was raised by my fellow villagers. It's nothing for me to do something for everyone. If you still want to make money, I will still be here on the eighth day of the new year."

After saying this, she went back to her house regardless of the villagers' praise, leaving the beaming old lady Lin to be surrounded by compliments from everyone.