Mrs. Qin hurriedly pointed to Qin Yang, “Go and greet your aunt.”
Lin Chuxia went over to take the dustpan from Third Aunt, “Thank you, Third Aunt.”
“Hey, we’re all family, no need for thanks. If it weren’t for Yangyang’s wife, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy these rice cakes this year. Little Wu gave me 100 yuan last winter to properly prepare for the New Year. Which household can spare 100 yuan for New Year shopping? It’s all because the couple work at Yangyang’s wife’s place, and they have more money now, which benefits your uncle and me as well.”
Third Aunt Qin was genuinely happy and genuinely praising.
Unlike other families with many children, she only has Xiao Wu, her one son, upon whom she relies for care in her old age.
She was always worried that she and her husband would become a burden to their son when they got older.
Now everything was fine, her son and daughter-in-law were working, she and her husband were still strong and could farm the land and raise pigs.
With money in hand, what is there to worry about?
Third Aunt looked at Lin Chuxia affectionately, “You guys eat these rice cakes first, if you like them tell Third Aunt, and I’ll steam some more for you. Your mom knows I make the best rice cakes, not like your mom, she never gets the cakes fully cooked.”
Mrs. Qin, who was playfully teased, couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “Look at you, praising yourself is enough, why belittle others?”
“Am I wrong? Isn’t it every time you make rice cakes you have to call me? Since Qin Han’s wife came, you no longer need me supervising. The kids are busy this year; you should stop making the cakes and just tell me how much you need.”
Mrs. Qin jokingly asked, “Can you handle supplying the sticky rice cakes? Don’t let it strain you and spoil the New Year.”
Third Aunt generously waved her hand, “No, no, aren’t you underestimating me?”
Recently, Yangyang’s wife has been providing plenty of cooked food for their family, what’s a pot or two of rice cakes to fuss about? She even feels it’s not enough.
Lin Chuxia lifted the white cloth and glanced at it, the sticky rice cakes were cut into strips, steamed from sticky rice flour and looked appetizingly white and shiny.
But she still asked Third Aunt, “Did you make sorghum flour cakes? I want some of those.”
Nowadays, people’s lives are tough, especially in the North. It is a luxury for Third Aunt to make sticky rice cakes as local New Year cakes are usually made from sorghum and millet.
Lin Chuxia still remembered the popular large-eared dwarf sorghum in recent years, with high yield and high viscosity, mixing corn flour with milled sorghum for steaming cakes made a yellowish sticky and tasty cake.
Later, when times got better, people only made cakes from millet and sticky rice flour, and even stopped growing that sorghum. She actually missed that taste quite a bit.
Third Aunt slapped her thigh, “You mentioned it, I still have a pot of sorghum flour cakes. If you want some, come with me later, they are freshly steamed.”
Lin Chuxia readily agreed, “Alright, I’ll come with you to get them after I clear this dustpan for you.”
She glanced at Qin Yang, cheerfully went to clear the dustpan and then took her own basket to leave with Third Aunt.
Qin Yang also wanted to follow, but felt shy.
Couples in the village walked together and he didn’t want to be laughed at.
He could only watch reluctantly as his wife left.
Mrs. Qin watched her youngest son with a secretive smile, “Go and change the basin of water.”
Qin Yang then withdrew his gaze.
Third Aunt’s house was not far from Qin Yang’s house, originally Qin Yang’s grandfather arranged the houses close by for Qin Yang’s father and his two brothers.
Third Uncle, Third Aunt, and Xiao Wu’s couple lived in the same yard.
The courtyard was tidied up very cleanly, and the glass windows were all wiped until they shone. Grandmother always said that Third Aunt is a neat person.
Third Aunt injured herself when she was pregnant with Xiao Wu, and after the difficult birth of this son, she never got pregnant again.
Although back then it was advocated that more people meant more power, when there really were a lot of people, whether the power was great or not set aside, messiness was real.
All things were in the kitchen, Third Aunt handed Lin Chuxia several slices of sorghum flour rice cakes and wanted to pull her into the house to chat.
Lin Chuxia didn’t plan on staying long, as Grandmother needed her to stew the chicken after tidying up.
Third Aunt knew her sister-in-law’s cooking skills weren’t good, so she didn’t insist on keeping her and walked her to the main gate.
And right then, they ran into Qin Wen’s wife, Ma Suyun.
Ma Suyun glanced at the basket Lin Chuxia was holding, and still could faintly smell the fragrance, smilingly teased, “Fourth sister-in-law, what goodies did you get from Third Aunt’s? Does Third Aunt have any for me?”
Third Aunt spoke with a smile, “Yes, I just steamed some rice cakes, take some from the house if you want.”
“Rice cakes? No thanks, I don’t like them,” Ma Suyun retorted, “Talk to me when Third Aunt makes other delicious dishes, but even then, I can’t promise to be as timely.”
Third Aunt pretended not to get the hint and still replied cheerfully, “That’s nothing, just swing by my house every day, see whatever you want to eat, feel free to take.”
“Third aunt is really generous, having two people working in this house makes a difference.”
Third Aunt also laughed openly, and they exchanged a few more bits of small talk.
Lin Chuxia and Ma Suyun weren’t close, and didn’t wish to get deeper acquainted, so after some polite exchanges, Lin Chuxia took her basket and headed home.
Only when she got home did she find out that during her absence, the eldest brother-in-law’s wife Qian Chuncao had sent over a basket of red bean buns.
The buns made at her own home had a thin skin with a generous filling, sweet with every bite.
The two big roosters had already been cleaned up, and Lin Chuxia started making chicken stew with mushrooms.
Qin Yang helped by tending the fire, while she focused on stewing, and soon the fragrant chicken stew with mushrooms was stewing away, filling the yard with its scent.
For some reason, despite cooked dishes being made daily in the neighbor’s yard heavy with the scent of meat, they inhaled, yet it still wasn’t as aromatic as the one at home.
The 27th of the twelfth lunar month is the big market day, after starting the meat stew, Mrs. Qin watched the pot and urged Qin Yang to take Lin Chuxia and Little Zhuangzhuang to buy firecrackers.
As the new year approached, the production company there had already started selling firecrackers, but to really feel the New Year’s spirit, they had to go to the big market’s firecracker section.
Truckloads of firecrackers, and in order to attract business, the owners would even set off a few strings to prove the quality of their own firecrackers.
Crackling bullets, the whole firecracker market had intermittent sounds of explosions, extremely lively.
Qin Yang shielded Lin Chuxia and Little Zhuangzhuang behind him as they went from one vendor to another, buying a bunch of firecrackers and two stacks of double-thundercrackers, before contentedly leading them back home.
On the way back, Qin Yang looked at Lin Chuxia’s sparkling eyes and asked, “Are you happy?”
“Happy,” Lin Chuxia nodded without hesitation, “Qin Yang, do you know? I haven’t felt this happy in a long while,” and it had also been a long time since she had experienced such a warm and lively New Year.
Probably the span of two lifetimes.
Little Zhuangzhuang, clutching a string of small firecrackers, fearing he’d be left out, also jumped up and shouted, “Uncle, I’m also happy, when we get home, I’ll set off my little red firecrackers, will you join me? Auntie, are you scared of setting off firecrackers? If you are, I’ll protect you.”
Qin Yang laughed and ruffled his small head, “We won’t need you for that,” you little rascal.
