bookcurios Chapter 136: Gifts and Full Moon Wedding
Chapter 136: Gifts and Full Moon Wedding
That day, Yao Qingnian returned to the village. As soon as she reached the entrance of the village, she met Aunt Yuan who was walking towards her.
"Qingnian, I was going to visit your house!" Aunt Yuan shouted from a distance when she saw her.
"Aunt, is there something wrong?"
"Daughter-in-law Huai Jin, my grandson will be one month old the day after tomorrow. I was thinking about the incident that happened to the little guy when he was born. Thanks to everyone's help, he was saved from danger. So, I'm going to invite everyone to come over for a meal and have some fun."
The full moon ceremony is also called the full month ceremony. In ancient times, the full moon ceremony was a solemn ceremony. It was not only a blessing and celebration for the newborn, but also implied the family's care and attention to the newborn. Therefore, most villagers would invite relatives and friends to come and join in the fun.
"It's already been a month so fast!" Before I knew it, I have been here for almost half a year. Time flies so fast.
"Yes, these days have passed in the blink of an eye. I still remember when he was born, I was just a little boy holding him. Now he has grown a lot!"
Aunt Yuan handed the basket of red eggs to Yao Qingnian with a smile on her face.
"We should celebrate properly. Why are there so many eggs?" Yao Qingnian looked at the basket full of eggs.
"You are the lifesaver of my grandson and Tingting. These eggs are nothing. We don't have anything else to offer. Please accept these eggs and don't despise them."
"Then I'll accept it." Yao Qingnian couldn't refuse Aunt Yuan's kindness, so he accepted the basket of eggs, thinking that he could make up for it with a gift when the baby was one month old the day after tomorrow.
"Take it quickly. I still have to inform other villagers, so I won't chat with you any more." Aunt Yuan happily went to notify other families in the village.
Aunt Yuan's house became busy. All the familiar women and aunts in the village went to help, and Liu Shuyue was also called over.
The next day, when we arrived at Aunt Yuan's house, we saw that seven or eight tables had already been set up in the yard. Everyone wanted to help move the stools and bowls and chopsticks over. These were all moved from the village ancestral hall. If anyone in the village did a good deed, they just had to tell the village chief and wash and put the dishes back into the ancestral hall after use. Otherwise, who would have so many tables, chairs, pots and bowls?
Over in the kitchen, several aunts from the village were busy. Some of them were washing and picking vegetables, while others were killing chickens and ducks. The scene was very lively.
The chef in charge was a very famous kitchen lady in the village. She had superb cooking skills, especially good at making various banquets, and the villagers praised her highly.
"Auntie, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Huai Jin, you're here! The kitchen is crowded and messy. Go take a rest. We don't need your help here. We are here for you!"
After saying that, Aunt Yuan picked up a piece of fish and put it into her mouth.
"How's it going? Is it delicious?"
"It's delicious and fragrant, even the bones are fried until crispy. But why is there a sour and sweet taste inside? It doesn't taste greasy at all."
"Girl, you have a really good mouth. No wonder your shop is so popular. You tasted it all. There's some green plum juice in this. It tastes like plums."
"Oh, I didn't expect Auntie's cooking skills to be so good."
"This is not made by me. Look, it's made by Madam Le. Her cooking skills are praised by everyone in the village." Aunt Yuan pointed at Madam Le and said, she was seen wielding a knife to cut meat, skillfully holding a spatula to stir-fry the vegetables in the pot.
"Then next time my family does something good, I'll have to ask her to come over and cook."
When it was almost time for dinner, guests came one after another. The person who wrote the gift list was Lu Xiangqian. There were not many literate people in the village, and it happened that he came home, so Aunt Yuan invited him to come.
Everyone handed over their gifts, mostly eggs, cotton cloth, old hens, and some wrapped with a few copper coins. The most valuable one was probably the longevity lock sent by Gu Tingting's parents, and some children's clothes, not to mention the old hen.
"Tingting's family really loves her and is so generous. Look, that longevity lock is made of silver and looks like it's worth several taels of silver!"
At this moment, a well-dressed old woman came in from outside the door. She had two silver hairpins in her hair and was followed by four or five children and grandchildren. It should be a big family. Everyone looked at her and thought she would give a big gift, but unexpectedly, she took out three copper coins from her bosom.
"Tsk~ I thought he was some rich relative, but I didn't expect him to bring his whole family here for just three cents. He's really shameless."
The villagers pointed at the newcomer, but the old woman didn't feel embarrassed at all. She walked in with her head held high, as if she had offered not three coins, but three hundred coins.
When it was Yao Qingnian's turn, she asked Liu Shuyue in advance what she should prepare. Liu Shuyue told her to just give a dozen cents. They were all from the same village, and if she prepared something too expensive, not only would it cause others to look askance, but it would also be difficult for the Yuan family to return the gift in the future.
The custom here is mostly give and take. If you have a good feast at my house, I'll give you ten cents, and next time you come to my house, you'll give me ten cents in return. That's about it.
Yao Qingnian followed the village custom and took out thirty cents and a piece of cloth. This gift was considered expensive in the village and gave Aunt Yuan enough face. After all, Yao Qingnian's family had no relatives or friends with her, they were just villagers from the same village, and they had helped her so much last time, so even if she didn't give a gift, no one dared to say a word.
"Who is this girl? She's so generous."
"Looking at her young age, she has so much money to spend. The full-month gift is so expensive. Tsk tsk."
"That cloth doesn't look cheap. Her family will definitely scold her if they find out."
"Is she married? Her baby is pretty."
Some relatives outside the Yuan family did not know Yao Qingnian and were gossiping about her. A woman from the village who was sitting at the table next to them heard them gossiping about Yao Qingnian and came over to say, "You don't know this, right? She is the little god of wealth in our village. Do you know about crayfish? Do you know about braised food? Those are all her businesses. She relies on herself and is very capable!"
"We know about crayfish. We caught some a few days ago and had them sold! How can a girl like her be so capable?"
"Go and ask around, which girl can build a big brick and tile house by herself? But if you hire a helper, it only costs thirty cents a day!" The aunt who was speaking was very proud. Her husband was helping Yao Qingnian build a house, and her son and daughter-in-law lived on lobster, jelly and fruit every day, but their family could earn nearly a hundred cents a day. In the past, she could not even imagine this.
"Oh my, so amazing. Is she married? My son is not married yet. If he can find someone as capable as her, his ancestors will be so proud!" someone said enviously.
"Don't worry about it. He's already married and his son is five or six years old. He earned it through his own ability, so he can spend it however he wants. Don't be jealous."