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墨書 Inktalez
"Really?" Liu Qingyan blinked her big eyes, looking incredulous.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Kid's happy and carefree demeanor made Liu Qingxi feel satisfied. Compared to her lonely past life, having someone to care for brought a different kind of joy!
After dinner, the siblings set out for Zhang Sanyou's house.
There was only one person at home: "Aunt Song, why are you the only one here?"
"Hi, your Uncle Sanyou went out for a stroll, and the kids went to play!"
The woman sat on a stool with a round sewing frame in front of her. With a thimble on her middle finger, she occasionally scratched her head with the needle!
Threading the needle was as smooth as flowing water, and she could chat with Liu Qingxi at the same time without any trouble.
"Qingxi, you're just in time; your and Yan's clothes will be ready soon."
As she spoke, she stood up and shook her clothes: "Yan, come try it on and see if Aunt made it fit well."
It turned out that Liu Qingxi couldn't sew. Ever since they bought fabric together for the first time, all their clothes had been made by Song.
The fine stitches were even sturdier than those sold in stores: "Aunt, I'm really sorry for the trouble. You've helped us make our clothes."
Getting up saved her a lot of work; there was no one at home to teach her, and she didn't have any skills in sewing.
"Trouble? It's just a matter of a moment!" Song quickly helped Liu Qingyan try on the clothes.
"Not bad, it fits perfectly. Kids are growing, so I intentionally made the clothes a bit wider so they can wear them for longer!"
"Aunt, you really think of everything!" Liu Qingxi couldn't help but admire this woman's attentiveness.
In this era of scarcity, people live in poverty. Farmers are accustomed to making new clothes a bit larger, leaving extra fabric in the sleeves and pant legs so that when they grow taller, they can loosen them a bit and wear them for several more years.
“Qingxi, you should try yours too. You’ve grown quite a bit in the past six months; you’re even taller than Aunt!” Song said with a smile.
Liu Qingxi has always been considered tall, regardless of the era. Fortunately, her previous malnutrition did not affect her growth, and after she started living on her own, she never skimped on food.
With proper nutrition, her body shot up like a sapling. The clothes from six months ago now showed her ankles.
“Aunt, your work is just perfect! Thank you!” The dress was slightly fitted at the waist, accentuating her figure. The young girl was at the blossoming age of youth, and the color suited her perfectly.
“Not bad, not bad! You’re quite the young lady now. Wearing this out will surely outshine the other girls in the village!” Especially after a winter of care, her complexion was fair with a rosy glow, making her look stunning.
“Well, that’s because Aunt is skilled!” Liu Qingxi's flattery made Song beam with joy.
“You sweet-talking girl! Aunt knows her own abilities,” Song replied, but who doesn’t enjoy being praised?
Pinching Liu Qingxi's arm, she said, “Enough of that. The New Year is just around the corner; are you prepared? What do you plan to do?”
Liu Qingxi was taken aback. “I’ll just prepare more of what I want to eat!”
“Look at you! I knew you didn’t know the customs. There are specific things to prepare for; for example, offerings for the Stove God…”
Song began explaining from the beginning that there were rules for what needed to be prepared, each with its own significance—signifying good harvests in the coming year, favorable weather, family health, and prosperous business—so many things to consider.
In the blink of an eye, it was time to start preparations. To be honest, traditional culture had been weakening day by day in this era; these cultural treasures were gradually being forgotten. People in urban areas lived at such a fast pace that they hardly had time to appreciate such customs.
So when Song came over to take charge, Liu Qingxi found it quite interesting.
“Qingxi, that won’t do! Wait a moment; before we kill the chicken, we need to pay our respects first!”
“Qingxi, you didn't stick the door properly; you need to stick it on the main door first!”
“Qingxi, you should…”
In a flurry of activity, Liu Qingxi was exhausted but finally prepared everything for the New Year, and it was now New Year's Eve.
Rubbing her sore back, Liu Qingxi couldn't help but sigh, “Oh, this old back of mine really can't take it anymore!”
But this body was only thirteen years old…
To catch the first sound of the firecrackers, she started boiling dumplings in the afternoon, and after eating, she hurried to set off the firecrackers!
She had run several miles to another village to buy them, where a family made firecrackers.
However, they weren't cheap; everyone just bought a few dozen or a few hundred for some festive noise during the New Year.
This was Liu Qingxi's first year in this era, and since she was living on her own, she bought a set with two thousand bangs, spending over a hundred coins.
Hanging the firecrackers on the Old Huai Tree in the yard, she took a long branch with fire from the stove and carefully approached the firecrackers.
With a hiss, thick smoke billowed out. Liu Qingxi quickly pulled Liu Qingyan back and ran into the house.
The crackling sounds were deafening, and a strong smell of gunpowder filled the air as sparks flew everywhere. The New Year had arrived!
“It’s New Year! It’s New Year!” Liu Qingyan clapped her hands and jumped around.
Just as the last firecracker went off, the main door was suddenly pushed open with force!
“Don’t grab them; these are mine! I got here first!”
"Whoever grabs it gets to keep it, haha, I found one that’s whole, and there’s another!"
With a loud cheer, several children rushed to collect the silent firecrackers scattered on the ground!
Liu Qingxi looked confused; what was going on?
Upon closer inspection, she realized they were just broken firecrackers on the ground, no wonder the kids were so enthusiastic.
Some even nearly got into a fight over one of them. Liu Qingyan was immediately drawn in; without waiting for Liu Qingxi's approval, she dashed over like a gust of wind to join the other children.
"Quick, let’s go! If other families start setting off firecrackers, we need to hurry over!"
At that moment, the sounds of firecrackers from elsewhere rang out, and the children quickly shifted their focus.
This was the joy of childhood—celebrating the New Year meant enjoying good food and fun. Without toys, they could create their own entertainment.
Watching the lively and adorable children, Liu Qingxi couldn’t help but reminisce about her own childhood. She had played similar games, searching for firecrackers at neighbors' houses, breaking them open to mix the small amount of gunpowder inside, lighting them up to see sparks fly—it was pure joy.
Memories flooded back; she too had experienced such a childhood, albeit for just a few short years. After that, such a life was gone.
As she grew older, those thoughts faded away; all she could think about was making a living and finding a safe place to stay. What a pity!
Accompanied by the children's laughter and the sounds of firecrackers from every household, the New Year had arrived!
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